25 Days of Jubilation & Giveaway

 

Welcome to Day 6 of 25 Days of Jubilation! From now through Christmas, different blogs will feature special posts and giveaway for the holidays. 25 Days of Jubilation is hosted by Cyndi at Dog-Eared and Bookmarked, Jacinda at The Reading Housewives, and Yani at The Secret Life of an Avid Reader.

I am so happy to be participating in something so special. We were given the choice on what we wanted to make our post about, but the idea was that it should be Christmas related. So I thought long and hard then decided it was about time I did my first ever VLOG!
I then had to decide what to do my vlog on, so many choices, but I wanted to keep it short and sweet, so I have done a round of 'Have and Have Not'
Check out the video below!!!

Hope you liked it, and that I didn't appear too nervous. :D

Anyway, now onto the bit I'm sure you've all been waiting for.

The Giveaway

I love to give gifts as well as receive them, but I also believe that it is better to give someone a gift they want rather than spending money on something that will sit in a cupboard for years and then be thrown out. So the Prize is up to you! Well, mostly. The winner will get to pick One Book of their choice up to the value of £7 (I think this is approx $10 if you are in US) from 'The Book Depository', This giveaway will be open Internationally, just check that the BD ships to you before entering.
Good Luck!

So how to enter?

To enter put your details in the Linky List below, that's it, simple as that.

Here are the rules: 

1) Competition opens Tuesday 6th December
2) Competition closes on Tuesday 27th December
3) Enter your Name, E-mail and Blog Link in the Linky List Below (email will be hidden, if you don't have a blog just enter your Facebook or Twitter page)
4) You Must be a Follower to enter!
5) One Name will be selected at random from the list.
6) Contest open INTERNATIONALLY!!! :D
7) Winners will be contacted by e-mail
8) Winners will have 3 days to reply or another winner will be selected.

Follow all the wonderful bloggers taking part in this event:

Schedule:

Here's the line-up for everyone! Be sure to check each blog and enter in the giveaways!

Also, make sure you use the hashtag #25DaysofJ if you want to tweet about the event on Twitter!

Thursday, December 1st:
Christen at Goldilox and the Three Weres

Friday, December 2nd:
Molly at Surrounded By Words

Saturday, December 3rd:
Meridith at Mint Tea and A Good Book

Sunday, December 4th:
Sandie at Teen Lit Rocks

Monday, December 5th:
Shannon at Books Devoured

Tuesday, December 6th:

Bex at Becky’s Barmy Book Blog

Wednesday, December 7th:
Christi at Christi the Teen Librarian

Thursday, December 8th:
Jen at In the Closet with a Bibliophile

Friday, December 9th:
Sara O. at The Librarian Reads

Saturday, December 10th:
Ginger at GReads!

Sunday, December 11th:
Asheley at Into the Hall of Books

Monday, December 12th:
Tina at Tina’s Book Reviews

Tuesday, December 13th:
Heidi at YA Bibliophile

Wednesday, December 14th:
Jess at Gone with the Words

Thursday, December 15th:

Lisa at Lisa Is Busy Nerding

Friday, December 16th:
Jen D. at Not now…I’m Reading!

Saturday, December 17th:
Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner

Sunday, December 18th:
Andrea at The Busy Bibliophile

Monday, December 19th:
Karis at YA Litwit & Sarah at Workaday Reads

Tuesday, December 20th:
Katelyn at Katelyn’s Blog

Wednesday, December 21st:
Ruby at Ruby’s Reads

Thursday, December 22nd:
Jac at For Love and Books

Friday, December 23rd:

Asher at Paranormal Indulgence

Saturday, December 24th:
Nikki at Books Most Wanted

Sunday, December 25th:
Merry Christmas!

Book Review - Moon Pie

Title: Moon Pie
Author: Simon Mason
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Release Date: 7 April 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0385618519

Synopsis

Eleven-year-old Martha is used to being the one who has to keep their head.
Tug, her little brother, is too small. Dad is too strange. And Mum's not here any more.

So when Dad falls off the roof, it's Martha who ices his knee and takes him to the doctor. And when Dad doesn't come home, it's Martha who cooks Tug's favourite pie and reads him his bedtime story. And when Dad passes out, it's Martha who cleans him up and keeps his secret.

But eventually Dad's problems become too big for even Martha to solve. There is only one person who can sort things out now. Dad.

My Review 
This is another book that has been nominated for Children's Book of the Year with our Children's Book Group. I am reading all the shortlist first before they are given to the Children. Aimed at 8-12 year olds.
Martha is 11 and has a lot of responsibility, she's used to being in charge and staying calm, since her mum dies she's had to help look after her 5 year old brother Tug and also care for her dad who keeps acting 'strange'. This is principally a story about Alcoholism, and toldd through Martha's point of view. It's really chilling but also heart warming to see her discover what's wrong with her dad and also work to try and 'fix' everything. Tug offers a bit of comic relief but also pulls your heart strings - his view of events is very often focused on food and sleep - the main focus of any young child, but when he asks Martha about his Dad and what will happen to them, it melts your heart.
For a children's book it is quite a strong topic - but I know there are a lot of kids that go through this sort of thing so this helps others and them have an understanding of what is happening to them.
I didn't think I would like this book and for the first 50 or so pages I still wasn't sure, but I became connected to Martha and wanted to know what happened to her and little Tug.
This is one of those books that I would suggest parents read with their children so if they have any questions, you can answer them, Also good for discussion.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but a good heart-felt story. Well researched and delicately handled. Kudos to the writer for handling such a sensitive subject.


My Rating
I would give this book 7/10, the plot and storyline is good and the subject matter is handled well. Overall a good book. Hard to rate accurately.

Book Review - Muncle Trogg

Title: Muncle Trogg
Author: Janet Foxley
Publisher: Chicken House
Release Date: 3 Feb 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1906427030

Synopsis
Giants live on top of Mount Grumble, hidden from humans below. But not all of them are big. Muncle Trogg is so small that he's laughed at by the others for being human-sized. Fed up, he decides to take a look at the 'Smallings' that he's meant to look like. But what he discovers is very surprising indeed...Winner of The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2010, "Muncle Trogg" is the charming upside down fairytale about a tiny giant who saves the day.



My Review
This is another book that has been nominated for Children's Book of the Year with our Children's Book Group. I am reading all the shortlist first before they are given to the Children. Aimed at 8-12 year olds.
The story of how a small Giant saves the day. I found this book had quite a good message - you can achieve anything you want if you put your mind to it, everyone has a unique talent don't let anyone tell you your not worth it. etc.
Because of the picture on the cover I kept picturing this little minuscule ball of a giant, not someone that is meant to be the size of a human child about a 10-12 year old so from the start my perspective was out.
The world was well created, the details of the living space and the food and habits etc were spot on, really brought it to life and I loved the pace of the book, I read it in about 2 hours, it was very easy to read and was even funny in places but there were some things that niggled me. For example when they are walking into a town event it says his mum ruffles his hair, now if she is a fully grown giant, and Muncle is supposed to be so small he can be picked up and tossed around, then his mum wouldn't be able to ruffle his hair as his head would only be up to her shins or knees at the highest so it would be a great effort to bend down and ruffle his hair - not something you could do in a fast moving crowd.
Apart from odd details like that I did sort of enjoy it. It's not something I would ever of picked up by choice and I wouldn't read anymore but I think children would enjoy it, especially boys aged 8-12. Might be worth giving it a try.


My Rating
I would give this book 6/10 personally, just not my sort of read, but in terms of looking at the book from it's intended audience's point of view I would probably give it 8/10.

My first Challenge For 2012 - Books In A Day

Annette from 'Annette's Book Spot' is hosting a Brand New Challenge!!!

"What can you read in a day? Well, that's kind of up to you to decide. I don't want to be too rigid about this -- it's supposed to be fun. Most of the books I've chosen are less than 200 pages. However, if it's a novel in verse, it could be longer. Any size graphic novel will probably work. And, if you don't make it in a day, don't beat yourself up. "

I have quite a few books on my shelves that I could easily read in a day so this is a great challenge to get me to pick them up.

"Rules:

You don't need a blog to participate. But you probably need a Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing account. Someplace you keep track. 

Audio (if you can listen in a day) and ebooks are OK. 

Books must be adult, YA, or middle school books. No children's or picture books allowed.

No re-reads, however you can count books read for this challenge towards other challenges in which you are participating

Copy the button, create a sign up post and post the link below.

Not required, but very helpful if you would follow my blog. That way, when I do update posts, you will be aware so you can link to them.

Please post at least a few books that you intend to read for this challenge (that my help others add to their lists), but feel free to update your list as the year goes on.

Challenge goes from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

Levels:

Level 1 - Read 15 books

Level 2 - Read 25 books

Level 3 - Read 35 books

Level 4 - Read 50+ books"

 

I am going to start with Level 1 - I should be able to do more than that, but don't want to aim too high. I will update as I go.

My List so far is very short, I need to have a look at my shelves.

1) The Betrayal Of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

2) Dreamland (Riley Bloom 3) by Alyson Noel

3) Lenobia's Vow (House of Night Novella) by P.C & Kristin Cast

So, head on over to Annette's Book Spot and sign up for this awesome challenge.

Book Review - Fantastic Frankie & The Brain Drain Machine

Title: Fantastic Frankie & The Brain Drain Machine
Author: Anna Kemp
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Release Date: 6 Jan 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1847389367

Synopsis
When Frankie Blewitt brings home yet another F-for-failure school report it's the last straw for his overachieving parents and they decide to send him to the Crammar Grammar boarding school. At first he is just relieved to be away from home, but he soon realises that there's something really weird going on at Crammer Grammar...As Frankie tries to find out the secrets of the school he discovers that the headmaster, Dr Gore, has plans to turn all the students into robot-like super-brains using his Brain-drain machine! With the help of his new friends Neet and Wes, Alphonsine his crazy French nanny and a poodle named Colette, can Frankie save the day before it's too late and change the F-for- failure to F-for-fantastic? 

My Review
This is another book that has been nominated for Children's Book of the Year with our Children's Book Group. I am reading all the shortlist first before they are given to the Children. Aimed at 8-12 year olds.
Frankie is a disappointment to his parents so they send him away to a boarding school, but this one is different, the Head-teacher has invented a machine that drains your brain and replaces it with intelligent gas making the kids like super smart robots.
The writing in the book was quite big and fairly funny in places, it flows well and the author has a knack for story telling, but parts of it were very unbelievable. Characters would do things that I wasn't sure they could be able to and there was a lot of 'double identities'.
I think the kids would love this one, it's a great little mystery and Frankie is a cheeky, fun loving, mischievous boy. It will capture their imaginations and have them seeing spies and evil scientists everywhere. :D
I personally wouldn't choose to read this sort of thing, but it was quite fun and I can see the appeal.


My Rating
I would give this book 6/10 personally, just not my sort of read, but in terms of looking at the book from it's intended audience's point of view I would probably give it 8/10.

FF (46) & TGIF (29)

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is an opportunity to discover and follow other book related blogs! Want to join? Check it out at Parajunkee.

This week's question feature is from Lauren @ Lauren Gets Literal

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don’t like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

My Answer: Pet peeves? not sure really, erm, I don't like books that over complicate things, you knwo teh sort that have 20 different main characters across 3 lands and they all have similar names and paths. but then I also don't like it if it's too simple, the sort of books that glaze over the top - only give you the frosting but no cake to go with it. That's like someone trying to tell you  a joke but forgetting the punch line.

TGIF!

This meme is hosted by GReads!

This Friday's Question:

 

Writing Reviews 101: What's your process for writing book reviews? 

Any tips or suggestions you would recommend to other bloggers?

 

My Answer: I try to write my reviews as soon as possible after I have finished reading it as I usually pick up another book straight away and it can get confusing. I start all my reviews the same - an image of the cover with details of title, author, publisher, release date, and ISBN. I then copy the synopsis from Amazon or Goodreads.

I like to put a bit of a summary of the story in my review but not too much as of course i have the synopsis to cover that. I try to put as much of my thoughts and feelings into it - I try to get across what the book made me feel. I usually discuss characters, plot and pace. If i liked the book i will say why and if I didn't like the book I will try to explain why not - giving constructive criticism.

I think my reviews are quite good, I'm still working on my writing style, but I think as long as you be yourself and let your passion for books show through then you can't really go wrong. 

Happy Hopping, have a great weekend everyone!!! 

Book Review - New Beginnings

Title: New Beginnings
Author: Rebecca Emin
Publisher: Grimoire Books
Release Date: 23 Jan 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1908375063

Synopsis
Sam Hendry is not looking forward to starting at her new school. Things go from bad to worse as the day of truth arrives and all of her fears come true... and then some. When Sam meets a different group of people who immediately accept her as a friend, she begins to feel more positive. With her new friends and interests, will Sam finally feel able to face the bully who taunts her, and to summon up the courage to perform on stage? 




My Review
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Sam doesn't want to change schools, but when her parents decide it's time she started private school she has to make the move. She's terrified she won't fit in and soon her worst fears are coming true. She gets picked out as a target by a bully and she starts to hate her time there, but then she meets a group that accepts her. Can she turn it round and be happy and can she achieve her dream of performing on stage.
This book is really short and sweet at only 150 pages I read it in just over 2 hours. Although I will admit I struggled to get into it. I wasn't sure how old Sam was meant to be at first and the conversations seemed very stilted. Everything sort of seemed summed up. It got the story across but I wanted more depth. 
This did get better as the story got on and it started to flow more, sort of as the character grew, so did the level of writing. 
The topic of Bullying is a very serious one and it is dealt with very well here. The book has lots of advice on how to get help and how to cope with it. I was slightly shocked that when Sam gets quite badly hurt her mum doesn't seem to question it too much. She jsut accepts Sam's blunt reply and doesn't even try to push it. I know when I fell over at school my mum would ask for every detail whether it was a result of bullying or not (lucky for me it wasn't but I have known some people that have)
There are lots of references to things that feature in modern day culture - tv shows etc and it made me smile as I read about the characters enjoying them, thinking 'I watch that!' as i did. I was surprised that though it was set in today's  culture, Sam hadn't used a computer much and her family didn't own one she could use, most kids today at least have access to one on a regular basic and are proficient at using them, especially at eleven, she would have been using them at school for years.
Overall this is a nice easy read, very short and simple with a good message and a deep understanding of what it can be like to be bullied. (I was never physically bullied at school but I did go through a phase where I was called names and it does hurt. I could feel Sam's emotions as she tried to deal with it and it offers a good message.)
I would have liked a bit more detail, longer conversations, maybe a bit more about Anna - her other friend, she didn't feature much and she felt like a bit of a spare part. But i did like Chloe - she made me laugh. And Nathan added a great other side to the story, I wanted to see more of him.
A good read for a lazy day inside hiding from the cold.


My Rating
I would give this book 7/10, short and sweet but maybe missing something.

Know Me Better 1st December

"Know Me Better" is a new weekly meme hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. Each week five questions are asked as a way for your readers to get to know you better. Want to play along? It's easy! Just click the link above to take you over to the host's page. From there, copy and paste the meme image into your blog along with the meme code. Link back to the host and you're done.

Here's this weeks questions:

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
Erm, try 'Undecided' or 'Madness and Mayhem' or even 'Bookworm'

If you could have a signed copy of any novel what would it be and why?
Only one but there are so many! I would have to say Harry Potter because J.K Rowling is a legend!!!

Horror or Romance?
That would have to be Romance - but the clean kind. I'm a wimp so horror is of the table.

If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?
Well I am fascinated by the time of King Arthur  and would like to visit it, but I'm not sure I would stay there, no modern conveniences and too much violence for sport. I also have a fascination with Victorian times, but again - the hygiene then was appalling and people got hung and heads chopped off and eugh! Really I'd have to say I'm quite happy where I am.

Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts or one big expensive one?
It depends on what the gifts are really. I like a mixture of both.

25 Days of Jubilation launch

Come and join us as we celebrate the holiday season with an amazing group of bloggers! Cyndi at Dog-Eared & Bookmarked, Jacinda at The Reading Housewives, and Yani at The Secret Life of an Avid Reader are hosting the 25 Days of Jubilation December 1st-25th.

The hosts are kicking it off today with their posts and then for 25 days a different blog will post and include a giveaway, many are international.

I will be hosting a post on Tuesday 6th December, this is a chance to share our love of the season and all the things that make this time of year so happy. I will of course be hosting a giveaway, so come by and check that out. I've got some fab prizes for you but I'm not going to tell you what they are yet, you'll have to come back on the day.
I will also be doing a post on what makes me Jubilant, most of it will be Christmas related but it will also be a chance to get to know me more. And I'm hoping to do my first ever Vlog!!! It would be great if you could come by and share some holiday love.

Follow all the wonderful bloggers taking part in this event:

Schedule:

Here's the line-up for everyone! Be sure to check each blog and enter in the giveaways!

Also, make sure you use the hashtag #25DaysofJ if you want to tweet about the event on Twitter!

Thursday, December 1st:
Christen at Goldilox and the Three Weres

Friday, December 2nd:
Molly at Surrounded By Words

Saturday, December 3rd:
Meridith at Mint Tea and A Good Book

Sunday, December 4th:
Sandie at Teen Lit Rocks

Monday, December 5th:
Shannon at Books Devoured

Tuesday, December 6th:

Bex at Becky’s Barmy Book Blog

Wednesday, December 7th:
Christi at Christi the Teen Librarian

Thursday, December 8th:
Jen at In the Closet with a Bibliophile

Friday, December 9th:
Sara O. at The Librarian Reads

Saturday, December 10th:
Ginger at GReads!

Sunday, December 11th:
Asheley at Into the Hall of Books

Monday, December 12th:
Tina at Tina’s Book Reviews

Tuesday, December 13th:
Heidi at YA Bibliophile

Wednesday, December 14th:
Jess at Gone with the Words

Thursday, December 15th:

Lisa at Lisa Is Busy Nerding

Friday, December 16th:
Jen D. at Not now…I’m Reading!

Saturday, December 17th:
Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner

Sunday, December 18th:
Andrea at The Busy Bibliophile

Monday, December 19th:
Karis at YA Litwit & Sarah at Workaday Reads

Tuesday, December 20th:
Katelyn at Katelyn’s Blog

Wednesday, December 21st:
Ruby at Ruby’s Reads

Thursday, December 22nd:
Jac at For Love and Books

Friday, December 23rd:

Asher at Paranormal Indulgence

Saturday, December 24th:
Nikki at Books Most Wanted

Sunday, December 25th:
Merry Christmas!

 

So who's up for some Holiday Cheer!

NaNoWriMonday (4)

Word Count: 33461/50000
Day: 28/30

Genre: Children's Fantasy

Like many other bloggers, I am participating in this year's National Novel Writing Month, this will be my second time taking part. 'The Bookish Type" is hosting a NaNo meme every Monday to keep up with people's progress.

I honestly can't believe how fast November has flown by, the end of the month is almost here and whereas I'm not as far behind as I was, I've still got a lot of catching up to do. I'm starting to regret those hours of procrastination, those nights of saying "I'm too tired, I'll do it in the morning." But on the up side over the last weekend I have written about 12,000 of those words. I seem to be on a roll and I hope it lasts me until it's over.
I have enjoyed it this year, but not as much as I did last year. It seemed to be a lot harder.
I know where I want my story to go but my characters have ideas of what they want and I keep finding myself going off on a tangent, but they must know what they are doing because these changes end up so much better than what I was going to do.
I've got a couple of hours until I have to go to bed so I'm hoping to do another thousand or more words if I can as soon as I've finished here. I've also got two days off which is perfect for any last catch ups. Although I have got some places I have to go I should have some good writing time.
I actually feel confident that I can finish this for the first time all month. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and my hopes up.


So how's it going with everyone else?


Keep writing!!!