The Lake House, by Kate Morton

 

Well then, so this one is a different type of read from the ones I'm used to, but I certainly did enjoy it nonetheless :) The Lake House is a Historical Fiction, mystery novel set in England in different timesets between the 1910s and 2004.

"An abandoned house...
June 1933, and sixteen-year-old Alice Edevane is preparing for her family's Midsummer Eve party at their country home, Loeanneth. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.

A missing child...
Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Detective Sadie Sparrow retreats to her beloved grandfather's cottage in Cornwall. Once there, she stumbles upon an abandoned house, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.

An unsolved mystery...
Meanwhile, in her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane, now an old lady, leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family's past, seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape..." (Goodreads)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Michelle Hodkin)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin is one of those books I look forward to rereading every time. I have done so 3 times already, and I love it every single time. It is a Young Adult, kind of fantasy, kind of mystery novel about love, friendship and mental health (which I personally find fascinating). It's the first novel to the Mara Dyer Series.

"Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. 

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. 

She's wrong." (Goodreads)

Forbidden - Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden by British author Tabitha Suzuma is a young adult, contemporary novel  about two siblings who fall in love. I directly tell you it is an outstanding read.

"She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But... they are brother and sister." (modified from Goodreads)

Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard

Hello everyone! This week's post will be about Glass Sword -the second book to the Red Queen series, by Victoria Aveyard - her young adult, dystopian, fantasy series. As a note, I will tell you that the author has recently announced her plan to add a fourth book to what originally was going to be her first trilogy. The title and release dates of both the third and fourth novels has not been set yet (I don't think even the 3rd one is fully finished, so... :P). What I know is that the third novel will be out in 2017, and I can guess it will be around February - just as the previous two were. Let's hope it's not later than that!

I would advise you to only read the following plot summary if you've already read Red Queen (I won't write any spoilers, but I wouldn't read about a second book if I haven't read the first one). Otherwise, you can read what the first book (Red Queen) is about here. 

"If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul. " (Goodreads)

A Thousand Pieces of You - Claudia Gray

Hello everybody! I know it's been quite a long time since I last posted anything. Being a college student is hard! As you may know if you follow me on Twitter, I have a few reviews to write, so I'll start posting them whenever I get the chance.  

As for this one, it is about A Thousand Pieces of You, by Claudia Gray. It is a young adult, science-fiction (some even say fantasy, though I wouldn't quite agree) novel - the first part of the Firebird Series.

"Cloud Atlas meets Orphan Black in this epic dimension-bending trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray about a girl who must chase her father's killer through multiple dimensions.
Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer—her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores an amazingly intricate multi-universe where fate is unavoidable, the truth elusive, and love the greatest mystery of all." (Goodreads)

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles 2) - Marissa Meyer

Hello once again! This post will be about the second novel to The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. The first novel of the series -Cinder- already has a review on the blog, which you can find here. 

As you may know, I am taking part in two challenges at the moment: 2016 Finishing the Series Challenge and the 2016 Audiobook Challenge, and Scarlet qualifies for both! I did listen to this novel in audiobook, and The Lunar Chronicles is one of the series I am aiming to finish by the end of the year :) yay!

"Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. 
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner."(Goodreads)

4 Tips to Help You Read More Books

Hello everyone! Today I thought of writing a different type of blog post for you to read. 

As those of you who have seen my blogger profile may know, I am currently doing my first year of university. I am taking a particularly time-consuming course, and therefore sadly I am not able to read as much as I would like during the school year :(

However I have found a few habits that have helped me out in my reading task. I hope you find them useful too!

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Hello everyone :) Today I bring to you Fangirl - a young adult, contemporary novel written by Rainbow Rowell - a book which so many people are talking about. 

Honestly, I had seen Fangirl in bookshops so many times before, but I did not bring myself to buying it until quite recently after I read and watched so many good reviews about it. It is nothing like what I thought it was going to be. It is the first novel I read from the author, and I am really happy I did.

"A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 
Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...
But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?" (Goodreads)

Book Series Review: Bajo el Cielo Púrpura de Roma (Alessandra Neymar)

Hello everybody! So today I bring something new to this blog - a Book Series Review (yay!). As you may already know, I am participating in the 2016 Finishing the Series Challenge, and Bajo el Cielo Púrpura de Roma by Alessandra Neymar is one of the series I was aiming to finish throughout this year. Surprisingly enough, I got to do it during the first month of the year! (yep, sorry I couldn't upload the review until now :S)

Cinder - Marissa Meyer

I was lucky enough to win Amanda's Back to School giveaway at her blog Orandi et Legendi, from which I got this book which I really wanted to read. I am very grateful to her for that :) 

Cinder is a Young Adult, fantasy novel inspired in the classic Cinderella - the first of The Lunar Chronicles' trilogy by Marissa Meyer. 

"Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future." (Goodreads)

Mírame y Dispara (Alessandra Neymar)

Mírame y Dispara is, again, a book that has only been published in Spanish (sorry!); but, as always, if you are not so confident with your Spanish, you can use the bog's translating function that you'll find on the right sidebar to read the following review :) 

Mírame y Dispara was written by Alessandra Neymar, and won the first edition of the award for YA, romantic literature Premio Ellas Juvenil Romántica in 2012. It is the first of the series Bajo el Cielo Púrpura de Roma, one of the series of my 2016 Finishing the Series Challenge, which I posted about a couple of weeks back. As I am planning on reading the rest of the books of the series, I thought I would re-read the first one for the third time to have the story fresh in my head and not miss out on any little detail! So, without further adieu, let's see what it has to offer... (intro Google Translate ;D)

"Kathia Carusso, una joven adolescente de la alta aristocracia italiana, regresa a Roma tras pasar muchos años en un internado. Allí se reencuentra con Cristianno Gabbana, un conocido de la familia con quien nunca ha tenido muy buena relación. Cristianno es terriblemente atractivo, impulsivo, y no parece tener más preocupaciones que las peleas con otras bandas y el flirteo con chicas de piernas largas. Al empezar el curso, Kathia y Cristianno verán que comparten no solo la misma clase sino también el mismo grupo de amigos. Lo que empezará como odio irá desembocando en una tensión cada vez más fuerte... Y, cuando finalmente ambos se atrevan a aceptar sus verdaderos sentimientos, deberán sortear obstáculos que nunca habrían imaginado..." (Goodreads)

2016 Audiobook Challenge

As you might have read in a previous post, I first listened to an audiobook last year. My first ever audiobook was for the book Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. I found it to be an extremely pleasant experience, you I've decided to give it a go and I've gone for the 2016 Audiobook Challenge, hosted by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens. 

(Click the button for more info)

As I am pretty new at this, I've not been too harsh on myself and I've chosen the easiest level to begin with - the Newbie (I'll give it a try) level, which means that I have to listen to between 1 and 5 audiobooks between January 1st 2016 and December 31st 2016. I've set my goal on 4 audiobooks. Let's see how it goes!

Happy Reading!

wonderful literature.

Related posts...

2016 Finishing the Series Challenge

Heima es hogar en islandés (Laila Soler)

Hello everyone! So this review will be in Spanish, as this book by Laila Soler has only been published in this language. Regardless, you can use the blog's translating widget that you will find on the right sidebar to have a look at it in case the novel ever gets translated into English or maybe just to satisfy your curiosity :)

Heima es Hogar en Islandés es una novela young adult de ficción y fantasía inspirada en un viaje a Islandia que la propia autora realizó con su familia. 

"¿Puede estar tu hogar a miles de kilómetros de casa?Ver la vida en blanco y negro no es divertido.Laura padece una extraña enfermedad que le impide apreciar los colores, pero si últimamente su vida es gris no es solo porque sufre acromatopsia. Acaba de romper con su novio y sus padres no dejan de pelearse tras el divorcio. Por eso, decide alejarse de todo y toma el primer avión que sale del aeropuerto.El destino la lleva hasta Reikiavik, Islandia. Allí conoce al simpático Orri, quien le propone emprender un viaje para recorrer el país con él y su no tan simpático amigo Guðjon. Quizá no sea una idea sensata, pero no es que Islandia ofrezca muchas opciones a una chica que se ha escapado de casa.Lo que Laura nunca podría sospechar es que los dos islandeses esconden un secreto imposible de creer, incluso para alguien como ella, y que ese viaje la cambiará para siempre." (Goodreads)

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why is a Young Adult, fiction novel which tells us the story about a guy, Clay Jensen, who randomly receives a box with his name on it in which he finds seven double-sided tapes recorded by his deceased friend Hannah Baker, explaining the 13 reasons why she decided to commit suicide. Only those people who made the list will ever listen to the tapes, which leaves us with one single question - what did Clay do to be in the list?

I found this book absolutely refreshing. The story is just so original and creative, and the flow of the story is very good. This is the first book I ever decided to listen to on audiobook, and I think I made such a good choice! I wasn't really sure about listening to something you are meant to read, but if you ever think about trying it out, this book definitely is the right one to do so because the story is mainly the tapes of Hannah Baker explaining her story, so I literally felt as if I was listening to the tapes. Moreover this audiobook has two different voices - a male one for the part narrated by Clay and a female one for Hannah Baker's tapes, which I think is a brilliant idea. The audiobook definitely got a 5/5 from me. If you ever have the chance, please try it out. 

2016 Finishing the Series Challenge

Hello everyone!

I have found this challenge hosted by Bea from Bea's Book Nook, and I think it's a wonderful idea! I have been thinking lately about all the series I have left unfinished over the years for one reason or another which I should definitely go back to, and then suddenly... Boom! The perfect challenge for my purpose! :D  2016 Finishing the Series Challenge is precisely all about finishing the series which you have not finished yet, but you'd like to; and so I think this is a great opportunity to join the blog's first challenge!

Click the banner for more info on the challenge or follow the link: 

http://beasbooknook.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/2016-finishing-series-reading-challenge.html 

I have chosen to do Level 3, which means that I have to finish between 3 and 6 series by the end of 2016. The following are the series I have chosen to finish, which I will make a post of whenever I do:

• Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin: 2 books to finish - The Evolution of Mara Dyer, The Retribution of Mara Dyer
• The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss: 1 book to finish - The Wise Man's Fear (the third part hasn't been assigned a release date yet, but if it comes out soon enough, it will be part of the challenge too)
• The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare: 3 books to finish - City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
• Saga Bajo el Cielo Púrpura de Roma by Alessandra Neymar: 3 books to finish - Traición, Colapso, Desafío
• The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: 3 books to finish - Scarlet, Cress, Winter
• Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs: 2 books to finish - Hollow City, Library of Souls

Wish me luck!

wonderful literature.

Related posts...

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1)


Bajo el Cielo Púrpura de Roma Series

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)