NORTHANGER ABBEY By Val McDermid

Hey folks! Now I know what you're thinking - 'Didn't Jane Austen write Northanger Abbey?' And you are right. Miss Austen did in fact write the original novel named Northanger Abbey. McDermid wrote this as part of 'The Austen Project' which, although researching it a little, I seem unable to really pinpoint what this project is. As with most books, I found this while doing some shelving at work and decided to see whether or not this fancy orange book was deserving of its title.

If I'm honest, I had no trouble reading the book and I finished it relatively easily yet, things didn't quite seem to fit together as they should. The blurb on the back of the book is very misleading. I genuinely thought I was in for a good vampire novel with some dark romances and a bit of drama on the side. That was the impression I got from the blurb and to be honest, I couldn't have been further from the truth. It was only when I found the actual blurb tucked away on the inside cover that I actually got the hang of what was happening.

Basically, Cat lives in a small isolated village in Dorset. She has been home schooled, thinks little about the future and longs to see something outside of the Piddle Valley. (Yes, she lives in the Piddle Valley, lol). When she gets invited to spend a month at the Edinburgh Fringe with their neighbours, she thinks this is the break from reality and her chance to see the real world she has been waiting for.

Cat seemed a little too naive, even for someone who has lived a sheltered life, and I just found her character to be a little too unbelievable for my liking. Her relationships with other characters seemed predictable and almost as if the writer had to force them fit how she wanted them to.

The other odd thing was that Northanger Abbey itself only appears in the books once you get about two thirds of the way through and even then there is nothing special about it, it is merely a location for the story to take place. There's nothing particularly special about it at all.

Of course there is a very clichéd happy ending and everyone gets what he or she wants apart from the father who is portrayed as the villain.

I'm not really going to recommend it. Its not a book you're going to find me raving about, but hey, if you find yourself with nothing else to read on a rainy day, its not going to be the worst thing you could pick up.

HALF BAD By Sally Green

As with many of the other books I've read recently, I found this one on the returns shelf at work and I liked the look of it so I thought I'd give it a shot. Just in time to, just as I was craving something of the fantasy genre.

I must say that this is a jolly good read. It well written, it's easy to read and it's incredibly satisfying.

Half Bad is set in an England where witched are common and living among the 'fains', also known as the normal, unmagical people. There has been war between the good white witches and the supposedly evil black witches, however for one young boy, things aren't as easy as black and white. Nathan is a half code. His mother was a white witch, and his father is the most notorious and feared black witch in the country. Scared of Nathan, the council keep him chained up for a couple of years. When he turns seventeen, Nathan must have received his Giving or he'll die. The only snag is that the only living relative of Nathan is his father and no one has seen him in years, so he sets off in search of Mercury, the only witch who can save him now.

As I said previously, this is a really satisfying book. There's not so much in this book to analyse. Just to enjoy. The protagonist is lovable and relateable, the antagonists are hateable and there are just enough twists and turns to keep the story interesting while keeping it so you don't have to think to much, just sit back and enjoy the story.

I would definitely like to read the sequel and then the third part when it comes out later this year. This is a book I would recommend to anyone and everyone, a brilliant read.

THE EDIBLE WOMAN By Margaret Atwood

I was unsure which book I should choose for a famous author's first book and it took me a while to sus out who I wanted to read, but finally I decided... or rather I was looking through the college library and just happened to come across Margaret Atwood's first novel, so I decided why the heck not and gave it ago. If you've been following my blog for a while, you will have seen that about a year ago I did a series of blog posts analysing The Handmaid's Tale, but is probably one of Atwood's most notable novels. As much as I 'enjoyed' reading The Handmaid's Tale, (I'm not sure enjoyed is the right word to use), I found it quite thick to plough through and it took a certain mindset. Going from my previous experience, I set myself plenty of time to read this book. As it was, I finished it in about a week.

The Edible Women is a story of Marian, and the strange effect her recent engagement has on her. When the last of her boyfriend Peter's friends get married, he finds himself lonely and depressed, finally coming round to the idea that he should propose to Marian and get married himself. Of course Marian says yes and everything looks peachy. However shortly after getting engaged Marian finds that she starts struggling to eat certain foods and eventually goes completely nil by mouth. Meanwhile she starts an affair with Duncan although she has no idea why or what grounds the affair is based on. The only thing she really knows is that Duncan is using her and she begins to wonder if she is using him in return, though what she is using him for remains a mystery.

While all this is going on Ainsley, Marian's flat mate, decides that men are over rated and purposefully gets herself pregnant to prove that a mother can raise a child better on her own that with a father figure beside her. Everything was going to plan until, at a pre-natal class, Ainsley is told that boys born without a father figure will almost certainly grow up to be homosexual, and with this Ainsley's whole objective changes. Now she must find a husband.

This is a very bizarre book. I found it much easier to read than the previous Atwood I had read, but I also found that what I was reading wasn't actually very much. Nothing really happens in the book, although lots does, if you get what I mean. A lot of the feminist attitudes that Atwood is famous for can be seen very clearly even in the first of her novels, but still the actually events in the book are a little underwhelming.

I would have liked to have a little more explanation and reasoning to what happened to Marian. The main points in the book seemed to take place with little or no though to cause and effect leaving you unable to concentrate on the rest of the book because you're still trying to work out what happened in the last part you just read.

One thing I did find very effective (Once I worked out what Atwood had done) was the way the parts 1 and 3 were in the first person, while part 2 was in the third. This was effective in showing how the events of the novel had almost separated her from herself and she didn't really feel part of anything. You really understand, that in the middle section of the book, Marian feels as if she is an observer to her own life rather than the person living it. At the end of the book, the narrative returns to first person and you get the impression that she has found who she is again and has found peace in her life. She can direct and live her own life.

Although I'm not to sure about this one, I did 'enjoy' reading the Handmaid's Tale and I think that I will in fact read 'Oryx and Crake' which is sat on my desk at home. as you would expect, there are plenty of pointers that this is a debut novel, written by an author who, now, has honed her gift to near perfection.

As always, just because I didn't particularly get this book, doesn't mean you wont. Give it a shot, see what you think. If we all enjoyed reading the same books then life would be very boring indeed.

LOGAN'S RUN By William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson

"The terrifying novel of the 23rd century!" Read for the category, A book set in another country, Logan's Run is set in futuristic American where it's a utopia for some, and a dystopia for other; and nearly everyone has second thoughts on Lastday.

Logan 3 is a Sandman; a Deep Sleep Operative. It's his job to send people to 'sleep' as soon as their palm flower turns black; when they turn 21, however Logan isn't as keen to send himself to sleep when his own palm flower starts blinking black and he knows he's on Lastday. The last runner he chased muttered the word 'sanctuary' just before he died, and Logan begins to believe there might be some truth in the old urban myth. Refusing to end his life at 21, Logan 3 begins the journey to find sanctuary, that's if it even exists.

I have been waiting years to read this book! For three, four years now, I have been trying to find a copy of this elusive book which was actually affordable for my student budget, and finally I have found one.

Everything about this book sets it apart from other sci-fi, dystopian novels. It's like 1984, Brave New World, Handmaid's Tale and every other dystopian novel rolled into one magnificent novel. So easy to read and deeply satisfying when finished.  I love it. I've heard people talk about it negatively, but I honestly cannot see where those opinions can be formed on such a book. It's unique, its original, it's captivating, it's satisfying, what more can I say?

A definite read for both sci-fi kings and novices alike.  The journey beginning at chapter 10 and finishing at chapter 1 is an incredible journey which you can't help but read on, and Nolan's use of characters is a spark of genius which proves that not everyone is who you think they are.

THE SKIN COLLECTOR By Jeffery Deaver

Good book. Really good book. Definitely a perfect contender for the Mystery/Thriller category of the reading challenge.

Picked this one up in the supermarket on special, I'm terrible for buying books on special offer, I really am.

This is the story of Lincoln Rhyme; a paraplegic, independent criminalist and consultant to the NYPD and this time, he's got a slightly different case to solve. A perp is taking happenstance victims, sedating them, and tattooing messages on their stomachs. Only, the killer isn't using ink... after all what's the fun in that? No. This perp is tattooing with poison.

I really liked this book a lot. It is incredibly well written, twists and turns on every page; enough to keep you entertained but not so much that you get confused and lose the thread of the story. Even without the amazing writing of Jeffery Deaver, the unusual choice of murder weapon is enough to catch the eye and make this a book you're going to remember having read.

I've got to admit, that towards the end, I felt that there were places that Deaver could have ended the book and I was a little unsure as to whether i wanted to risk reading on in case he had ruined the end of the book and tried to hard to end it, but I should have had more faith in him. He delivered amazingness throughout the entire book and the ending was no exception. I

I've read so many crime novels now, that I can usually tell you did within the first few chapters, but Deaver kept me thinking and rethinking all the way through!

An excellent book, but definitely not one for the faint hearted. In fact I'm kinda glad the book hangover was minimal...

UNNATURAL CREATURES By Neil Gaiman

The only thing I can be really sure about this book, is that I have read it for the short story category. But because it's a book of short stories, I can't really say either way whether or not I liked it. Some I felt could have been expanded into and entire book they were so amazing, whereas others I have no shame in admitting that I wanted to skip them.

This book is basically a collection of short stories (no surprise) which all center around an unnatural creature or two. Gaiman has chosen stories which take about everything from unicorns and phoenixes, to odd spots on the table cloth.

The book set itself up with two amazing stories. The first was so amazing that it left me with a three day book hangover, and the second was just an incredibly imaginative, original and well written short story. After the amazing success of these two, the rest in to volume just didn't seem quite able to match up to the same standard and left me feeling a little disappointed. Other that those first two, I think there were two, maybe three others which lifted me out of my disappointment momentarily.

I've never particularly been a fan of short stories and although I have enjoyed reading some of these, I don't feel that this book particularly champions them and shouts 'SHORT STORIES ARE AMAZING!' I think I remain to be convinced by the short story phenomenon.

A good book, but not one I will hurry back to any time soon. I would recommend it, after all this is only my opinion and we all like reading different things. You might like it and I hope that you do. Happy reading :)

MAXIMUS AND THE GREAT EXPEDITION By Brian Ogden

So this could actually fit into a number of categories including, a book with non human characters, a book published the year I was born, a book of short stories, but I have chosen this to be read for the category of a book from my childhood.

I remember very clearly, the only thing I ever enjoyed about primary school was listening to our teacher read stories about Maximus Mouse and his friend Patrick, in assembly. They must have had every book Ogden ever released about Maximus Mouse, but despite being 19 I had to by a copy when I found it in a charity shop for 30p.

These are fabulous stories about a small mouse named Maximus who lives in the church vestry, his best friend Patrick who lives with his wife and 37 children in the Sunday school cupboard, and his other furry critter friends who live in the grounds of the church. In this particular volume of his adventures, they visit the seaside and learn how to enjoy nature and respect it at the same time, Maximus tries to fly and learns that he's better off trying to be a mouse, and together with Patrick, he climbs the church bell tower to reach the flag pole, despite his fear of heights, learning that so long as we have faith, we can do anything. These are just three of the stories in this book, but they are all equally beautiful and captivating in the way Ogden has told them.

These may have been published last century, but the messages and lessons taught through them are no less poignant today and the stories are in no way outdated. These are a definite for any parent who wants to encourage their children morally and spiritually, and even if you don't want to use the little prayers at the end of each tale, they are still amazing little independent stories. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to go back and read this. It really has made me smile, and remember the tiny glimmers of good from school.

ITCH By Simon Mayo

This has been on my reading list ever since it came out just under three years ago. It wasn't something I found myself dying to read, it was more of a book which I figured looked like something interesting have a go at if I found myself with nothing else to read, however I am very glad that I picked it up at work and gave it a read.

Itchingham Lofte is a young boy in high school who has a hobby just like most other kids in school do; he collects things. However, unlike the other kids, Itch doesn't collect trading cards, footballs or bottle tops.... he collects elements. It isn't until he manages to get hold of some of the higher elements on the table that he begins to see just how dangerous some of them can be. Undeterred, this fourteen year old boy continues to travel round fairs and contact dealers, faking his age to by out of date medical equipment. He just never imagined he might find something that no one else had.

I really did enjoy this book. I expected to enjoy it and I did and I think the best thing about this book is that it can be enjoyed by people of all ages no matter how old you are, even though it's supposed to be a kids book. I should imagine that this idea has been used before, but not in this sort of way.

I found the book easy to read and the story line easy enough to follow. It was refreshing to read a book that simply satisfied your need for a good book that excited you and you enjoyed, without having to put a marathon amount of effort into reading it.

This is a definite read for all readers, young and old, boys and girls, and I look forward to reading more of Mayo's novels.

I AM PILGRIM By Terry Hayes

Okie doke folks! Here is the book that I have read for the category of A book with more than 500 pages. In fact this book has closer to 900 pages and that is also the reason that it has taken me so long to read it and upload a review about it.

This book follows the story of a retired intelligence agent who is pulled out of retirement to try and solve the biggest terrorist attack that America has ever seen, a new, hot, unstoppable strain of small pox.

Obviously this book contains a lot more than just this one story and I'm not going to lie, I did get a little bit worried when I realized that smallpox was going to be the terror agent in this book and I as quick to become sceptical that it was going to become samey and unoriginal, however, I loved it. I really really did enjoy this book an awful lot.

The thing I found most interesting about this book it the way that the beginning, middle, and end of the book, are all completely different and could; in themselves, be separate volumes, but they still flowed seamlessly from on to another, and it honestly didn't feel like 850+ pages.

It was also really nice to read a modern book which is aimed at adults without being sexually explicit. It really goes to show that although sex sells, it isn't the only thing that makes a book worth reading, or a film worth seeing. I think throughout the whole book, there is only one mild innuendo that i can remember and to be honest, I've read this more graphic than that in YA books.

This is a fantastic book which I would recommend to everyone. It is ridiculously well written and if I hadn't know beforehand, I would never have guessed that this was a debut novel. Hayes may have little novel writing experience, but he has the talent and voice of a master.

LOOKING FOR ALASKA By John Green

This is the second of John Green's books that I have read, the first being The Fault in Our Stars (Which incidentally earned itself a place on my Book of the Month list in January of this year), which I loved and therefore it would only make sense to enter this book for my reading challenge under that category of 'A book by an author you love but haven't read yet'.

Having previously read The Fault in Our Stars, and being absolutely blown away with it, and it hitting the top of my all time favourite books list in the skip of a heart beat, I'm not going to lie, I had high hopes for this one, and is I expected, the awesomeness that is John Green delivered again! I can't say that it hit the same level as TFIOS, because I don't think anything every will, but that is in no way at all, me saying that this is not a good book. It is! It is an amazing, gripping, perfectly poignant book which everyone should read.

This is the story of Miles Halter, a boy with few aspirations, a knack for learning famous last words and soon to become Pudge to his new friends, as he starts a new life at Culver Creek Boarding School where he meets the infamous and beautiful prankster, Alaska Young.
Pudge does exactly as his parents tell him not to, gets involved with smoking, sex, getting into trouble, the whole shebang, but his heart is broken after a terrible 'accident' which leaves the entire school without Alaska.

This is an amazing story which really shows how death can tear us apart as much as it can bring us together. As the reader you are forced into choosing sides between characters who are friends with each other, friends with you. Its a fact of life that everyone with die eventually, but it doesn't make things any easier when it finally happens to someone you know and love.

I would recommend this to any one of the age to read Young Adult fiction, due to a small number of graphic scenes and a running message of alcohol abuse and smoking. This is a funny and yet heart breaking book which will stay with you for an awfully long time to come.

Mr Green...  I salute you. 

TAMPA By Alissa Nutting

Before I begin... let me warn you that the content of this book is extremely graphic and inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18 (and probably some people over it!) This is an adult novel and should be read by an adult and mature audience, and not for the squeamish and faint hearted... ...

Now that I've got the warning bit out of the way, let me introduce my sixth book for the POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge. I have chosen this one to be read for the category of 'A book set in high school'.

Celeste is a 26 year old high school teacher who feels a desire to be a little more intimate with her 8th grade students than should probably be permitted. This is the story of how she seduces Jack Patrick, a 14 year old boy, into becoming the embodiment of her fantasy. Obviously, as soon as his voice breaks and he begins to grow body hair, the whole illusion will be broken and he will be no good to Celeste's needs. However after about a year of this horrid affair, things stop going to plan and disaster strikes for Celeste, Jack and everyone else they know.

I've got to admit, I'm not entirely sure what made me pick this book up. I saw a review that one of my good friend did on this book, and still, despite knowing the basic content of the book, I still took it to the counter and borrowed it from the library. The whole point of this reading challenge is to read things that you haven't read before, or to pick up something you normally wouldn't read. I certainly hadn't read anything of this nature before, and I don't think I will be doing so in the future. I think I have to put this book in the same league as E L James' Fifty Shades of Grey, however I must say that technically, Tampa is much better written.

On the positive side, I thought it was an interesting look into false and failing relationships, and how they outside look of a couple can be incredibly deceptive. I felt sorry for Ford (Celeste's husband) and the awful way she treated him. I also found it interesting the way that Nutting presents this almost as an issue of mental health, rather than just a fantasy taken too far.

All in all, I don't know if I can honestly call this a good book, maybe I'll stick with 'alternative'. Tampa is an 'alternative' book, and I'll leave it to you to decide if you want to give this one a try.

THE THREE By Sarah Lotz

Well, here we are again! This time I've been reading The Three by Sarah Lotz who you may remember as being on of the authors of The Ward. I must say that I was left a little confused and disappointed with it. I am not adding this to the list of my 2015 Reading Challenge as I didn't actually finish the book.

I really like the idea behind the book but I found it difficult to keep up with characters as Lotz kept changing the point of view. Don't get me wrong,I enjoy books which are told from different points of view, but I thought that repeating the same event from five or six people's perspective before moving the story on got a little tedious after a while and it made it difficult to follow and read.

I was expecting more after reading The Ward and I had kind of gotten my hopes up that this was going to be an amazing book. I  apologies to anyone who really enjoyed this book, I understand that this is a popular book with many people and there are probably people who disagree with me, but I'm afraid you can't like every book you ever pick up.

For a review from someone who really did enjoy this book, head over HERE

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND By Lewis Carroll

Thought I'd mix things up with the reading challenge categories this time. Number five, and I've decided to read a book for the Banned Books category! Yes Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was a banned book. Banned in China for the polymorphisation of animals. Incidentally, the copy I borrowed from work had Through the Looking Glass in it as well, however I read it as one wonderful book.

I absolutely love this book(s). It is just so absolutely nonsensical and fantastical, you couldn't ask for anything better. I have to admit that out of any world created by any author in the whole of literary history, I would choose to visit Wonderland... I mean who wouldn't.

In the first of the two novels, Alice spots a white rabbit checking his pocket watch and exclaiming he's late, though what he's late for he will not explain. Bored of reading and listening to her sister, Alice follows the rabbit down his rabbit hole into an entire other universe of the strange an bizarre. Along the way she meets animals who can talk, playing cards who paint roses... literally, and a Queen with a penchant for executing people.

In the second book, Alice, once again bored with every day life, delves through the mirror in the drawing room, arriving in a back to front world where she becomes a living pawn in the biggest game of chess you could ever imagine. It's thanks to Through the Looking Glass that we have the well known characters of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, as well as the poem Jabberwocky, and a great other iconic Alice in wonderland, images that Disney stuck into the film.

No word of a lie, I could read this book over and over again,  thousand times. I already know 99% of the poetry off by heart. This tops out at my favourite book of all time and if I could I would make this compulsory reading everywhere! No one is ever too old for the magic of Wonderland, so whether your 5 or 105 year old, pick it up, read it. Then read it again, and finally give it to your friends before reading it a fourth and fifth time.

This right here is quality literature, a masterpiece of English writing. The basis for all grounded childhoods and a gateway into the imagination of children and adults everywhere!!!

THE SHINING By Stephen King

Oooooh *shivers*, no guessing which category this book got read for. You got it! A book that scares you. Before I go any further, let me clarify the kind of fear that this book induced in me. It was the shiver-down-the-spine kind of fear rather than the pant-wetting-screaming-crying kind of fear, although I could see how The Shining would have that effect on people. I guess I've just read too many graphic, horror/murder novels to be frightened of blood and gore, but no matter how many books I read, I will always be an unwillingly willing victim to psychological terror.

This is the first Stephen King book I have ever read and I must say that I wasn't disappointed. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from the great S.K but I'm really pleased with what I did read and I do not regret it in anyway shape or form. I will certainly be reading more of his novels in the future.

We start off with Jack at an interview for the job of winter care-taker at The Overlook Hotel. Looking at this as a second chance to get his life back on track after a life time of alcohol abuse, a slowly dwindling writing career and a more than dwindling marriage. However his son Danny has an incredibly strong psychic 'gift' despite being only five years old. Alone and snowed into the hotel, things start coming to life in the hotel and its grounds and things start to reveal themselves for what they truly are. The question is, is the Overlook Hotel a door to a new life, or something else?

Hallorann was my favourite! Throwing that out there right now, I liked Danny and Wendy as well, but I always loved Dick Hallorann throughout the entire time! He's the kind of person who you'd want for a Grandad, or and Uncle. His heart throughout the entire thing is so unique and genuine it is just impossible not to love him.

I would definitely recommend this book. It's gripping, your hooked from the first page, the characters are believable and after reading this it is incredibly easy to see why Stephen King is the best selling author he has become. You aren't just buying/reading these books for the author's name, you're reading these because they are amazing!

THE MAZE RUNNER By James Dashner

Here we go with my second book for the 2015 POPSUGAR reading challenge, this one is heading for the category: A book by an author you've never read before, and it's true! This is the first of Dashner's novels I have ever read, and I must say that after this I wouldn't mind reading a few more.

I've got to admit that I hadn't heard about this book until I say they poster at our local cinema for the new film that recently came out last year. Then browsing through the bookshop I stumbled across a copy, (or rather thousands of copies) and I very nearly didn't buy it. I love the hunger games and when I saw the plug at the bottom about how its 'a must for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES, I was worried that I would be disappointed that it would be a non-story. Compared to the Hunger Games so that it would sell more copies but I thought What the heck and took it to the counter and paid for it.

However I now stand here with my hands held high in surrender and apology to all you Maze Runner fans out there... you were right. This book is amazing and it has indeed left me with a book hangover to such an extent, that I don't know when I'll be able to start the sequel.

Just like it says in the blurb, we begin the story just as confused as Thomas and we stay as confused as he is until starts fighting back and asking questions. From the moment the box open, and Thomas is spewed into the Glade, to the moment he falls asleep at the end, you feel everything that he feels. Basically Thomas has somehow been made to live in a huge concrete square surrounded by walls that seem to be impossibly tall. There are four 'doors', on in each wall but all that seems beyond them is black. We soon learn that the Glade, as it's more commonly known, is the centre of a giant, seemingly unsolvable maze. He is trapped in there with 50 - 60 other teenage boys and there is only one rule: Solve the maze or die. The people before Thomas arrived have been trying to solve the maze for two whole years, so why should his arrival make any difference?

Firstly, I thought that this book was incredibly well written. The idea of creating lab rat style humans is almost unthinkable and I cannot begin to think where I would have started if I were the writer of this book, but Dashner has done an incredible job of making it realistic and believable. There was not a single moment when I stepped back and said 'Whoa! this ain't real'. The author here has managed to find the perfect balance between reality and fantasy, a sometimes very difficult thing to do. As a slight aside, I love the way that each boy is nicknamed after a famous scientist, that tickled me. I loved it.

As usual I talk a little bit about my favourite character so that what I'm going to do now. Newt. Favourite character has to be Newt. He's strong, he's a leader, he's hot and I just think that if I had to be stuck in a giant hostile maze with anyone, it would be Newt. I kinda liked Chuck as well in that annoying little brother sorta way but Newt definitely had to be the one for me.

Certainly one I would recommend to all people great and small who enjoy a good book, and most definitely a book for people who think that reading is ponsey and for girls, because this book could not be further from that assumption. Give it a read, see for yourself and see if you would be strong enough to solve the maze.

THE WARD By S.L Grey

Happy new year guys! Hope you've had a good book filled year with some incredible books to recommend to people. The Ward is the first book I have read for the POPSUGAR 2015 reading challenge (Checkout the heading up top :) ), and will be filling the category of 'Book you can finish in a day'

This incredibly surreal book was recommended to be by my wonderful friend, colleague and author Rebeccah Giltrow. Having been warned about its graphic content prior to reading this, I attempted to prepare myself for the journey I was about to embark on, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING could prepare me for what lies within these pages.

We begin the story with Lisa; a cosmetic surgery addict, and Josh Farrell; a celebrity photographer who is more commonly known as Farrell. Both these people have ended up in the grimmest of all hospitals; New Hope. Neither can wait to get discharged and every time they come close, a doctor demands they stay. After they try and escape, they find themselves in separate luxury hospital suits labelled 'Client' and 'Donor' and things start to get very weird indeed.

Firstly I have to thank Rebeccah for recommending this book for me and secondly I have to warn you all! This book is not for the meek and/or faint hearted. From about page 50, reading the book gives you the same experience I would imagine you get from a really bad acid trip. Its almost hallucinogenic in places.

I really really enjoyed reading this book and am tempted to read some other books by this author. (well actually, its two writers writing together under one name, Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg). Other than that I'm not really sure what I should say about this book. I liked the characters, more so Lisa than Farrell. At times I really did hate Farrell and I found that I tended to side with Lisa more often than not as I found Farrell too judgemental and quick to act on things. I didn't like the way he insisted on assuming power and blamed Lisa for the choices he made. Don't get me wrong, I liked him, he was just an idiot.

This is most definitely not a book for younger readers (due to severe bad language, mild sexual references and graphic violent content), however for those experienced readers looking for something unique and different to change up their reading habits... I think you've found you're book.

I was going to say enjoy, but that doesn't seem like the right word.... more like proceed with caution and always read the fine print.

BEHEMOTH By Scott Westerfeld

Well, here we are. The sequel to Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan which I reviewed two books ago. At the time I said I wouldn't mind reading the next one and so, guess what?! I ordered it from the library and gave it a read.

This time round, we join Alek and Deryn on the run in Istanbul. Deryn is given a top secret mission which doesn't exactly go to plan and Alek and his men attempt to escape the Leviathan now they are technically prisoners of war. This too doesn't go to plan and the team gets slip up rather spectacularly.

Alek finds himself alone and fully in charge of his men for the first time in his life, how will he cope, and how many seemingly bad choices will he make along the way?

I liked the way that this book was so completely different to it predecessor. You knew that it had a book before it and you knew it was part of a bigger picture. It followed the story very well and it wasn't just the same characters in an entirely different book. The linking between the two books is incredibly well done and I say 'Well done Mr Westerfeld!'

There were a couple of odd occasions where I felt a little bit disappointed. Not with the author for the way he'd written the book. But because I felt almost like I had entrusted my friends to him and when something bad happened to them, it was the authors fault. Something inside me really rang out if the author hadn't kept one of his characters safe. This is the first book to ever really make me have that reaction. It was bizarre and took me a while to work out how I felt, but I guess it just goes to show how well Westerfeld linked his characters with his audience.

I really enjoyed reading Behemoth and will no doubt carry on to read the third and final book Goliath in the not too distant future. I found the pace a little slow in places and sometimes it was a little hard to keep reading, yet at other parts of the book, I could hardly bring my self to put it down and go to sleep. I've not been left with too much of a Book Hangover, yet I feel satisfied that I've read a good book. Not as good as the first but never-the-less still a good  read :) What will Goliath bring I wonder?

THE BEHAVIOUR OF MOTHS By Poppy Adams

This is an interesting story about an elderly woman named Virginia who has lived alone in her family mansion for nearly fifty years, when suddenly her sister Vivien decides that  she is suddenly moving back in to the house to be with her older sister. This triggers memories and feelings to surface for the first time in decades and suddenly, the truth comes to light and the prices are finally paid... but is it to many decades to late?

I gotta say that I really enjoyed reading this book and it had me hooked quite definitely. The story line was simple and relatively easy to follow. Although I normally read something a little more complex in structure, it was nice to be able to read something that didn't take too much thinking about.

I really liked the back story of the protagonist, it was something different and something that is very memorable. Its a story that stands out among the thousands of other characters in the thousands of other books in the thousands of book stores across the globe.

I thought that the use of the child surrogacy plot line was an interesting addition to the story and really added another dimension to the intercharacter relationships. Although I can help but wonder what things would have been like if the child hadn't died so young... hmmm....

The ending of the book was very very sudden and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. I kinda liked it and I also kinda didn't. It left me feeling a little bit helpless and I knew that I felt uncomfortable with the direction that the book was heading in. Ultimately I was saddened my the ending, but that doesn't make it any less of a really good book.

The only quarm I have is that the questions that Virginia asks all the way through the book don't get answered at the end of the book leaving you a little bit lost and disappointed with the lack of closure you are left with.

A good book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good book that doesn't take too much concentration to read. A good book, a good good book.

LEVIATHAN By Scott Westerfeld

A good friend of mine recommended this book, but in my awful judgemental ways, I assumed that because my friend is slightly older, that this book would also be a more adult book. So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I opened the cover to start reading a teen/young adult book.

The world is at war, however this world war is nothing like we would remember it. The Germans and their allies, have developed their Clanker machinery. Tanks, and walkers and mobile military units! Meanwhile, the Brits and their allies have created a vast army of Darwinist fabricated beings. Living warships and ferocious warriors. What would ever happen if these two sides were ever to meet? Well when Austrian Prince Alek has to go on the run after his royal parents are killed, and Deryn disguises herself as a boy to join the British air force, the two meet and things get interesting.

I really enjoyed reading both sides of this story, but the storyline that stood out to me the most was Deryn's. Who doesn't love a young girl disguising herself to achieve her dreams? Yeah the ideas a little corny but sometimes, its the things we know and love that make the best story. I found her character easier to connect to and more relateable. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to empathise with a young prince who has just lost both his parents and is heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, but a young girl whose dreams of flying are squished my society? That's a little more real.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Alek and his story. Sometimes you need something completely separate to your one circumstances to get you through the day. However, this time round, I needed something a little closer to home and for me, that just happened to be Deryn.

I really, really, really enjoyed the whole Science Vs Nature argument throughout this book and over all it made me think, is there such a big difference between the two? The Natural world is made up of chemical reactions and scientific equations, and surly it is only natural that we should want to invent and build things to make us more powerful and efficient at humans? Yes this is a YA (young adult) book, but maybe its more than that... Maybe its a simple commentary on the similarities of nature and science and the two put together. After all is it not the two sides coming together in the end that makes them more powerful than the enemy and enables them to escape?

I think the only thing I have left to say is that I've ordered the next two books in the series from the library and I can't wait till they arrive. This is definitely a book I would recommend to any reader of any age. And adults, please don't dismiss a book just because its in the Young Adult section! Read everything!!

THE CRYING TREE By Naseem Rakha

Firstly, please let me tell you what a beautiful book this is. It is a stunning work of literary fiction.

When Nate Stanley came home from work one day to announce the family was moving to Oregon, no one in the family really knew why. When he explained he had a job promotion, they assumed that was all there was to it. They never imagined the secrets that he was hiding from his family. However moving doesn't solve their problems and Irene and Nate's son is shot dead in their own home.

We join the family nineteen years on, just a month before the scheduled execution of their son's killer. However, secrets come to light that no one dared speak of till now, and they could change everything.

I am so glad that I decided to read this book. Ever since it arrived in the post as part of a winter reading selection I found on line, it seemed to be calling me. It caught my eye first out of all those other books and it did not disappoint in any way shape or for. In fact, it exceeded ALL expectations I had for it.

When I started reading this book, I never for one moment thought that its main message would be forgiveness. I imagined it to focus on pain and loss, depression and separation, and a number of other miserable emotions we expect from a novel where a parent loses a child. This was not the case!

A while back I wrote an article about the difference between literature and 'good reads', and the conclusion I came to was that good literature was something that would leave a lasting impression and would, above all, teach you something about yourself and/or the world around you. This book certainly does that and I would definitely class it as literature.

Normally I try to write about my favourite character(s) in the book but on this one I'm stumped. there never seemed to be one character that stood out more than the other all of the time. At one point Shep was my favourite, at another point Bliss, and even Robbin at some parts of the book. Everyone took their turn in the emotional lime light and everyone had a story to tell. I was really impressed and mesmerized by the way that Rakha wove so many stories into one narrative plot stream. I really is genius.

This is a hard hitting book in places and one to make you think, but I would certainly recommend this to everyone. It is a brilliant read and delivers an important message in a friendly and non-intrusive way. A five star rating really doesn't seem quite good enough for this one. Not nearly good enough at all.