Kate

My aim this year is 50 as I'm probably too busy to hit 100! I am participating in a few challenges too: 2012 E-Books Challenge hosted by Workaday Reads British Books Challenge hosted by The Overflowing Library Why Buy the Cow Challenge hosted by The Unread Reader 2012 TBR Challenge hosted by The Misadventures of the Super Librarian Goodreads 2012 Challenge My 2012 reading looks like this: Aim: 50 Actual: 3 January 2012 1. Sophie Kinsella: Six Geese A-Laying (1st Jan) 3/5 – free Amazon e-book 2. Tracy Marchini: Effie at the Wedding (1st Jan) 3/5 – free Amazon e-book 3. Katie Fforde: A Perfect Proposal (2nd Jan) 4/5 – Kindle edition

I'm currently reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt. My friend told me it was amazing but to be honest I'm finding it a bit of a slow read. Yesterday I finished Jenny Colgan's The Good, The Bad and the Dumped, which I was reading alongside The Secret History as it was a quick, light-hearted book.

Addition: Review e-book from Netgalley<br data-mce-bogus="1"> Genre: Young adult, fantasy Rating: 4 out of 5 Synopsis: Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing. Unless he can earn a soul. To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought. Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive. With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side. To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale. And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice. Review: This is number four in the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa - and although perhaps not as good as the others, still a great read. I have been waiting what seems like an age for this book, and squealed when I received an email telling me it was available from Netgalley. This time the book is written from Ash's point of view, not Meghan's and we follow his story - barely getting a glance at what was happening in the Iron Realm. At the end of book three Meghan banishes Ash for his own safety - as fey he can't survive in the Iron Realm. Yet he made her a promise: to be her knight. He loves her and is determined to keep this promise and the only way to do that is to become human. There is only one way to do this - go to the End of the World and complete the tasks. With the aid of Puck, Grim, the Big Bad Wolf and a seer, Ash sets off; but will he succeed? And if he does, will Meghan still love him? I really enjoyed this book - although I missed Meghan. She does feature in the story, but not heavily. We walk with Ash and only glimpse Meghan and her world occasionally. I found this book to be more graphic and gory than the others - there seems to be more bloodshed in this adventure. Yet the book was exciting and fast paced. There doesn't seem to be a dull moment in this story - once one foe is defeated, another seems to come along quite quickly. There is a lot of energy in this book which kept me hooked. All the way through this series I have been Team Ash - and that didn't change in this book either. It was nice to get a better look at Ash, although at times that was a touch heartbreaking. One trial he has to go through is examining his conscience and relieving everything he had ever done - all the hurt he had caused people. There were a few incidents described and it was sad that Ash is not the perfect prince I imagined him to be. This was an honest portrayal though and we saw his struggle with the anger and hate that come from being part of the Unseelie Court. I loved Puck as well. Although I was always rooting from Ash, I loved that Puck stuck around and was there to help Ash because he loved Meghan so much. He is funny and kept me entertained throughout the book. There were other characters I liked too - Grim is fabulous. He is sarcastic, clever and I love how when trouble arises he vanishes! The Big Bad Wolf was entertaining too - I enjoyed the attitude between him and Grim. There is a big surprise halfway through the book that I wasn't expecting. It added to the book and Ash's torment and made for some great reading! I won't add in a spoiler but suffice to say - it was good and added another dimension to the story. There were a couple of things I didn't like about the book - I missed Meghan - she is a key character and we didn't see a lot of her - and Kagawa's writing seemed different - simple and sometimes not completely engaging. However, the good completely overthrows the bad, and this is a great read and a great instalment to this series.

I really enjoyed Three Men on a Boat, I must read this one! I love Terry Pratchett! I hope you enjoy it!

I've never seen Bottle Rocket - what is it about? Last night I watched The King's Speech - very good!

I'm catching up with The Apprentice!

Have you found any good apps? I'm reading Sarah Dessen's This Lullaby. It isn't as good as her others but I'm enjoying it anyway

Addition: Review book, paperback Genre: Young adult, chick lit Rating: 3/5 Synopsis: This is the diary of Remy Louise Bennet, age 17-1/2. Remy Louise Bennet has one goal in life - to be a WAG. And as every true wannabe WAG knows, there are rules. One: pretend you don't know he's a footballer. Two: Don't get drunk (or he won't trust you while he's off on pre-season tour). Three: Never dispute a thing his mum says (they worship their mums). When Remy starts dating Netherfield Park Rangers' Robbie Wilkins (not Premiership, but good for starters), it seems like all her dreams have come true. Or have they? Remy soon realizes that being a WAG isn't all it's cracked up to be, that Robbie's balls aren't quite so golden...and that maybe there are smarter dreams to pursue. Michelle has already participated in workshops with The Reading Agency up and down the country, promoting literacy among teenage girls and encouraging them to aspire beyond the WAG myth. Michelle is an ex-EastEnders star, chart-topping pop diva and popular TV celebrity. I was sent this book by publisher's Walker Books UK. It is written by Michelle Gayle - ex-Eastender and WAG. Walker Books say: "The ex-WAG, actress and singer has now turned her hand to storytelling as part of her mission to empower young girls and remind them that there is more to life than bagging a boyfriend. Shocked to hear that 2/3 of teen girls’ career plans involved marrying a footballer, Michelle set out to write a book that provided a realistic view of being a WAG without judging or patronising the girls she was writing for. The result is an honest, stylish and sassy reminder that marrying a footballer doesn’t always mean a happily-ever-after ending and that it’s far smarter to pursue your own career than to rely on Prince Charming." This story follows Remy - a 17 year old who, with the help of her older sister Malibu wants to marry a footballer. Malibu has rules and guidelines for this and on the first night they go out Remy meets Robbie. He seems interested in her and she is happy to be pursued. We see her at work - a beauty salon - and at home. We watch how Malibu dates a footballer; and someone she has as a back up, Boring Roger. The story follows several months of Remy's life, as things fall apart at home, get serious with Robbie and the decisions she makes in life. This book is written in diary form. I didn't find this a problem as most entries were fairly long. The language is simple and easy to follow. I didn't feel challenged by this book but that was OK. It was a gentle and quick read. I found this book quite addictive. Although the storyline is not amazing - to be honest it is simple and fairly predictable - I was hooked. I read this book in about half a day. I didn't mind the characters, although both Remy and Malibu were fairly shallow. They made for good reading however. I was intrigued, I wanted to know what was going to happen to them. I was a little disappointed with how Malibu's storyline ended - it was unfinished but she settled for the seemingly shallow life of a WAG. Remy did end up with a nice man, but he too was a footballer. It felt like the message Gayle was sending was that once you are in that life, you can't escape. I know Gayle was a WAG and that she wanted to write this book to let girls know how life really is for WAGs, but to be honest it felt quite stereotypical: spending lots of money and cheating, controlling, angry footballers. It didn't feel like there was a lot of insight into this world - and for some, the idea of living in a huge house with endless money will appeal to them. I'm not sure that Gayle has achieved her aim of warning girls of what this life is like. I have rated this book 3 out of 5 because to be honest, it isn't that good but it I was hooked. I was intrigued and my attention was held throughout the book. I developed an empathy for Remy and what is going on with her family and the life she got sucked into. This was a quick read and I think will appeal to teenage girls.

It is about a family where the older sister is seriously ill. The story follows the family as they deal with this, support her and get on with their own lives. I really enjoyed it. It isn't amazing. I was entertained but it was a quick and easy read - fairly predictable and simple really

Twilight with my Mum!