Teaser Tuesday: Pastworld

TEAser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others!

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles!

 

My Teasers:Pastworld by Ian Beck

"He was staring at me and at the same time moving steadily in my direction through the crowd. I was gripped by fear."

Page 29

"He pushed his chair back, which squeaked loudly on the tiled floor like a fingernail on a blackboard. The restaurant went suddenly quiet."

Page 149


What are your teasers?




Don't forget to enter my Summer Giveaway Hop - open until 7th August & International.

R.A.K August

Vanessa and Isalys from Book Soulmates have created an awesome new programme, called the Random Acts of Kindness (RAK)! Do you want to do something nice for a fellow blogger? You might even get something back in return!

To celebrate the first six months of RAK the gals at Book Soulmates also decided to host a giveaway for all participants this month.
What you can win? A $20,00 Amazon GC.
So head on over and sign up for some RAKish goodness!

 

 

For rules and more info on how RAK works head over to their blog

My Wishlist is HERE at amazon.

I will happily accept old, used, or new books but I cannot accept e-books as I don't have an e-reader.

It's my Birthday this month so I'm hoping to get some lovely books as presents.

Thanks everyone.

Calling All Bloggers - Please Help!

I entered a writing competition with Mira Ink on Facebook, and have been chosen as one of the top 3 entries. Now the rest is up to you - the winning entry will be selected by which ever one has the most 'Likes'
So I'm asking all of you, my dear followers and fellow bloggers. If you have a Facebook Account, please log in, 'Like' the Mira Ink Page and then 'Like' my story. I am Entry 1 - by Becky Earl. (Links should take you to the page then my story)

Information about the competition is below:

To tie in with the recent release of Paige Harbison’s ‘Here Lies Bridget’, we at Mira Ink have been thinking about what we would do if we were put in the same position as Bridget. As a result we have decided to run a short writing competition to see what ideas you readers have come up with. 

The idea is to put yourself in Bridget’s shoes – If you were stuck in Limbo what would you see, good or bad? What would you have to do to release yourself? Which few people would you have to see and what would they show you? We’d like you to write your own version of the scenario as if you were in this situation. It can be no more than 500 words, and if you don’t want or have anything you could write about from your life then you can make it up, as long as it runs along the same lines as Bridget’s!

Voting closes on Thursday 4th August 2011


Thank you all for your time, I really appreciate any help you can give. 



Don't forget to enter my Summer Giveaway Hop 1st-7th August to win some great books.

Summer Giveaway Hop

This Giveaway hop is being hosted by 'I Am A Reader, Not A Writer' and Co-Hosted by Mary from BookHounds & Forever Young (adult). These are awesome blogs, stop by and check them out.

Now, to the hop:

This Giveaway hop runs from August 1st - 7th

What is a giveaway hop?
Simple - Each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we link up together allowing our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another.
For followers this means lots of chances to win free books.
For blogs hosting a giveaway it means lots of new visitors.
It's a win-win!
There i currently 300 blogs signed up so that's a lot of prizes to win. :D

So here's my Giveaway -


Up for grabs are some fantastic books, these are some of my favourites!

These are part of the fantastic Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine.
the Giveaway includes:
-Book 6 - Carpe Corpus
-Book 7 - Fade Out
-Book 8 - Kiss of Death
-Book 9 - Ghost Town
all are paperbacks and all are brand new never been read. It really is a great series, I love them and hope you will too.

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 Monday 1st August
2) Competition closes on Sunday 7th August Midnight GMT
3) Enter your Name, E-mail and Blog Link in the Linky List Below (email will be hidden)
-If you do not have a blog, link to your twitter or Facebook account instead.
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.

Spread the word and have fun. :)

The  Hop list of all the other blogs taking part is below my entry link list. :D

Good luck to everyone.

Book Review - A Simple's Life

Title: A Simple's Life
Author: Aleksandr Orlov
Publisher: Ebury Press
Release Date: 28 Oct 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0091940508

Synopsis
Aleksandr Orlov has in the last year become one of the most loved figures in British culture and his catchphrase - Simples! - can be heard from the playground to the office. This autobiography offers the same humour as his TV ads, giving us the full story of his ancestor's Journey of Courageousness from the Kalahari to Russia.






My Review
I love the TV adverts, Aleksandr is so cute and he always makes me smile, so I asked for this book for Christmas. I know, I know that was 8 months ago, but I've been distracted. My mum was moaning that she bought it for me and I haven't read it so I decided to do it. It literally took me about half an hour to read, it's full of pictures and random facts or statements. 
It explains the history of Aleksandrs ancestors, right down to his current TV success. IT starts back in the Kalahari Desert, where the Meerkats lived happily, until the land dried out and they ran out of food, they then has to journey across seas to new lands, but got lost and ended up in Russia. It then goes through the generations to where his father opened the first Compare the Meerkat shop. 
The book is written just like Aleksandr talks so you have to imagine his cute accent whilst reading. it's very interesting and funny.
I think it is meant to be a bit of a laugh and silly fun, and it really comes together as a delightful little book.

If your a fan then this book is a must. 

Book Review - Assassin

Title: Assassin
Author: Grace Cavendish
Series: The Lady Grace Mysteries (book 1)
Publisher: Red Fox
Release Date: 2 Aug 2007
ISBN-13: 978-1862303768

Synopsis
Since the death of her beloved mother, Lady Grace has become the Queen's favourite Maid of Honour. But even favourites have to obey the Queen's wishes - and the Queen wants Grace to be married. Choosing between her suitors – kindly old Sir Charles, flashy Sir Gerald and sweet, anxious Lord Robert – is easy for Grace: she doesn't want to marry any of them! When Gerald is found dead after the ball at which Grace should have picked her favourite suitor, suspicion falls on Lord Robert. But Grace has noticed that Sir Charles has been acting strangely – and that there is something odd about the body. With her friends Ellie the maid and Masou the acrobat, Lady Grace sets out to discover what really went on that night.

My Review
I like a good mystery and children's books seem to have some of the best mysteries. I've had this one in my locker at work for ages but kept forgetting about it. I needed a book I could read quickly today so I pulled it out. It literally took me about an hour to read.
Grace is the chief maid for the Queen. She lives a life of luxury and although she is grateful for her position in life, she also wants a bit of fun and excitement. She has two friends Ellie and Masou - lower class workers but great fun who she sneaks off to see. 
After a Valentine's ball, Grace is supposed to choose a suitor to marry, but that night one of them is found dead and one of the others looks to be guilty. Grace must solve the mystery before an innocent man is hanged for the crime.
I'd say this was aimed at 8-9 year olds, the font is quite big and well spaced and the storyline is fairly simple. It is set in 1569 and really gives you a feel of being in that time and age. Grace is a great character, feisty, lively and a bit of a handful. She gets excited and you can feel her enthusiasm burst off the page. The Queen was great and made me laugh in a few places, and the mystery kept me hooked, I certainly didn't expect the twist towards the end.
I really enjoyed reading it and would definitely read more in the series. It goes alphabetically through the series by Title.

My Rating
I would give this book 8/10, imaginative, fun and gripping, a nice easy read for a lazy day that children and adults will love. 

Quote Love (19)

Quote Love is a new meme hosted by 'Midnight Twilight'. It's kind of like Teaser Tuesday from Should Be Reading, but with this one you can choose any quote from any book, not just the one you're currently reading. The quote can be thought provoking, or funny, or just really powerful, it's all up to you which kind of quote you choose.


Here is what you have to do to participate:
1) Choose one of your favorite quotes.
2) Post the quote, and write what you like about it.
3) Make sure to put the title and author so if someone else likes the quote they can check out the book.
4) Post your link on Midnight Twilight's Post.

So here is my quote for the week:

 "All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust."
— J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan)

I love this quote, it reminds me of my childhood innocence. Also I love the song from Peter Pan 2 - it's called 'I'll Try' by Jonatha Brooke click here to listen. It's beautiful. I'm just in a whimsical mood I suppose. :D

Enjoy your weekend!

Book Review - The Iron Witch

Title: The Iron Witch
Author: Karen Mahoney
Series: The Iron Witch Trilogy (book 1)
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Release Date: 20 Jan 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0552563819

Synopsis
Freak.

That's what they call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood at Ironbridge High School. A horrific fey attack that killed her father when she was just a child left Donna branded with iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms - and magically enhanced strength, that she now does all she can to hide.

Now, after ten years of wishing for a normal life, Donna finally accepts her role in the centuries-old war against the darkest outcasts of Faerie - the dark elves. Aided by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout, Donna must save her best friend's life - and that means betraying one of the world's greatest secrets and confronting the very thing that destroyed her family.

My Review
I had seen quite a few posts about this one and thought the cover looked very eye catching and different so I decided to give this one a go. I actually lent it to a friend before I got round to reading it, but she returned it quickly and said she couldn't get into it. I lowered my expectations but thought I would still give it a go.
I read this very quickly, in a couple of hours, but it was mainly because i wanted to get through it. The story starts off quite well paced and draws your attention in. the world is created well and there is an air of mystery.
Donna is branded a freak by her peers, forced to wear gloves that cover her arms up to her elbows, the other kids think she is weird, but she needs to hide the strange markings on her arms - after an attack in the woods when she was seven which resulted in her father's death and her mother losing the plot, Donna got seriously injured and so Iron tattoos were crafted in her skin to heal her, these resulted in super strength and other powers, but also strengthened her connection to the fey world. Surrounded by Alchemists and secrets Donna really just wants a normal life.
Xan is a college drop out, attractive, secretive and something about him draws Donna in. With his own connection to Fey, they work together to solve some mysteries. 
Navin is Donna's best friend, yet he knows nothing about her world or her past, but all that will change. Navin was probably my favourite character, he was different - but even so there were moments when I expected him to react or turn out the hero or something and he would just say 'OK' and walk off.  His best friend reveals all sorts of strange truths and he hardly bats an eye.
I found the concept intriguing and parts were well done, however I'm not sure why, but I was bored at points throughout, I only kept reading because I hate to give up on books. 
As it is part of a trilogy some things may be expanded in the later books, but it seemed like we were told facts/information that had no real use at the time. 
There wasn't a lot of action in the book and Donna felt a bit whiny at times, but I didn't hate the book either. It was an OK, one time read and I think many others would love it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea, I'm not sure I'll read the rest of the series. Just wasn't for me.
I feel a bit conflicted with this book as I felt it had great potential but fell a little bit flat. I would recommend you try it for yourself though.

My Rating
I would give this book 5.5/10 Some good points, but overall disappointing for me.