The Blogging from A to Z Challenge

So I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I only just discovered the Blogging from A to Z Challenge whilst navigating the blogosphere. I thought that it was such a good idea that I would join up too! Basically, for each day in April, you write a post that has something to do with that day's letter, starting with A on the1st April, and ending with Z on the 30th. You post can be about whatever you want it to be about - the choice is yours!
So, since I've only just started and it's already the 3rd, I thought I'd just put my first three posts together


 A is for April Fools: I don't usually get into April Fools much, but I do like to see how others spend their time playing pranks on friends. This year, I have to say that the BBC really thought long and hard about their joke

B is for Book Boyfriends: It seems that nowadays, every young adult book has to have some sort of relationship in there. I don't know if this is just because authors want their protagonist to be in a relationship, or whether they actually know that the girls reading their books can, sometimes, go a bit crazy for the perfect book boyfriend. Who doesn't enjoy reading about the likes of Peeta from The Hunger Games and Adam from Shatter Me?


C is for Chemistry: If you didn't know (and I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't), I major in chemistry at university. A lot of people don't seem to like chemistry, and I can never understand why! So here's a little something that might persuade you. Have any tarnished silver jewellery at home? Don't go out an buy a polishing cloth, just place you jewellery on top of some aluminium foil in lemon juice. Leave it over night, and voila, in the morning your jewellery should be all shiny and look brand spanking new again! And you know why - CHEMISTRY! See, it really is your friend.


What about you? Do you a) play April Fools jokes on your friends, b) have a secret book boyfriend or c) enjoy science like I do?


Also, you may notice that my blog doesn't appear to be on the list for those who signed up to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge...it seems that I may have just missed the deadline for adding myself to the list. No bother though :)

Teaser Tuesday (18)

Teaser Tuesday is a Meme hosted by Mizb @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can join in, as long as they do the following:

• Grab your current read. 
• Open your book to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. 
• Warning:  Avoid spoilers in your teaser as not everyone has had the pleasure to read your current read
• Share the Title & Author so anyone can add your current read to their list if they wish to do so. 
• Note: links go to Amazon

The Necromancer by Michael Scott
Release Date: 26th April 2011
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 416


"Without a word, the Green Man reached out and caught the front of Saint-Germain's coat with his left hand; then he jammed the smoking globe into the centre of the immortal's chest.

Saint-Germain instantly turned to gray vapour and vanished"

Musing Mondays (6)

Musing Mondays is a weekly Meme by Mizb @ Should Be Reading

This weeks musing asks... Do you belong to any book clubs - face to face or online? If so, how long have you been with the group(s)? If not, why?

I'm not a member of any book clubs. I've never actually thought about joining one before, but I don't really see myself joining one in the future. For a start, I don't really like the idea of having set books to read, since I already have a TBR list that's miles long. I know that a book club would introduce me to new books that I wouldn't normally read, but that's what the blogosphere is for!
How about you? Are you a member of any book clubs? 

The Quarterly Challenge Update Post

For my first year of blogging, I decided to participate in 3
blogging challenges.
Some of the books I'm reading apply to more than one challenge. So far, I've managed the following:

4/5 books read for the Around the Stack in How Many Ways? Challenge
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory 
Vixen by Jillian Larkin

9/15 books read for the Off the Shelf! Challenge
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Magician by Michael Scott
The Sorceress by Michael Scott
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 
The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory 
Vixen by Jillian Larkin

2/6 books read for the Debut Author Challenge
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

So far I think I'm doing pretty well! Technically I should be aiming to read 12 books for the Debut Author Challenge, but I have so many books sitting on my TBR pile that I'd rather read those than go out and buy new books. So, I've decided that I'll be finishing off the Debut Author Challenge with these books:

Tempest by Julie Cross
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Slide by Jill Hathaway 
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (which should be arriving in the mail any day now...)

And since I have so many books on my TBR pile, depending on how quickly I read, I may move up a level or two for the ATS and OTS Challenges. 


What about you? Are you participating in any reading challenges this year, and if so, how are you going?

Teaser Tuesday (17)

Teaser Tuesday is a Meme hosted by Mizb @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can join in, as long as they do the following:

• Grab your current read. 
• Open your book to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. 
• Warning:  Avoid spoilers in your teaser as not everyone has had the pleasure to read your current read
• Share the Title & Author so anyone can add your current read to their list if they wish to do so. 
• Note: links go to Amazon

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: 1st November 2011
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Pages: 348


After dinner, Adam disappeared with a few of the other soldiers. He disappeared without a word or glance in my direction and I don't have any idea what to anticipate. At least I have nothing to lose but my life. 

Musing Mondays (5)

Musing Mondays is a weekly Meme by Mizb @ Should Be Reading

This weeks musing asks... Have you ever found a book out of the blue, read it, and then had it be surprising good - one that stuck with you for years? If so, what book was it?
Whilst it hasn't stuck with me for years yet, I know that it will - Juliet by Anne Fortier {my review here}. I saw this book in the book store and its cover pulled me in, but I didn't buy it because I hadn't heard of it before and I didn't have much money on me at the time. After hearing some positive stuff about it, I went out and bought the book a couple of weeks later, but left it on my bookshelf for about 6 months because I wasn't dying to read it. Then, I read the book, and my giddy gosh was it good. It kept me up until about 3am one night, it was that good. 

What about you? Have you ever picked up a book on a whim and found it to be amazingly good?

Book Review: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins
Release Date: 24th August 2012

Publisher: Scholastic
Format: eBook 
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2012 OTS Challenge 

Summary from Amazon:

" Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year. "

Review:
After finishing this book, I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not really sure if I loved it (I know that I liked it at least...), because there's something nagging at the back of my mind. But, whilst I don't think this was Suzanne Collins' best effort, it was a fitting end to The Hunger Games, and this was a book that I enjoyed reading.

You could kind of guess where the series was heading at the end of Catching Fire. We were moving away from the Hunger Games themselves, and more towards a rebel vs Capitol war till the last man standing won. The final instalment of the series is much more serious, focusing more on politics than on action and adventure. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - there is still plenty of action and adventure in this book, its just surrounded by a much more grown-up plot - a small nation's struggle for independence from their oppressive dictator. I guess, you could say that Mockingjay was a bit of a war propaganda book, but honestly, this didn't faze me. 

What did bother me though, was Peeta. Peeta, who was such a great character in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, was missing for the first half, and then when he did return, he wasn't really Peeta anymore. Of course, Suzanne Collins has to take the best character in the novel, the one that everyone loves, and mess around with him. That was not a plot point that I particularly enjoyed.

Overall, I would have to say that Mockingjay is my least favourite book of the series. This isn't me saying that its not a good book, because it is, but I just think that The Hunger Games and Catching Fire were in a different league. Fans of the series will probably be a little disappointed, but the book is a fitting end to the series and I do recommend that they read it.