Thursday, 22 May 2014

From the Review Pile (93)

From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.
The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!

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This week, I'm going to showcase Stiff!
I have made what some people will probably find quite a strange, and maybe even slightly controversial choice this week. Stiff is a book that I bought quite a while back but haven't got around to reading yet. I don't read all that much non-fiction, but as soon as I heard about this book, I had to grab a copy as there's just something so fascinating about it. I'd shamefully forgotten about it until it was mentioned on a TV programme this week, which piqued my interest again. I'll have to pick this one up soon!


Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Paperback, 304 pages

Published 1st July 2004 by Penguin Books

What happens to your body after you have died? Fertilizer? Crash Test Dummy? Human Dumpling? Ballistics Practise? 

Life after death is not as simple as it looks. Mary Roach's Stiff lifts the lid off what happens to our bodies once we have died. Bold, original and with a delightful eye for detail, Roach tells us everything we wanted to know about this new frontier in medical science. Interweaving present-day explorations with a history of past attempts to study what it means to be human Stiff is a deliciously dark investigations for readers of popular science as well as fans of the macabre.

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Dandelion Clocks

Dandelion Clocks by Rebecca Westcott
Paperback, 272 pages

Published 6th March 2014 by Puffin UK

Shelves: 
arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, death, medical-conditions, read-in-2014, realistic-fiction, to-read, young-adult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Dandelion Clocks by Rebecca Westcott Smith will be loved by fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Cathy Cassidy or Annabel Pitcher. Liv takes us on a journey through her life from "Thirteen Weeks Before" to "Six Months After". We discover Liv's passion for photography, her brother's obsession with sticking to the rules, the stupidity of Moronic Louise at school, and how the family copes as Mum's terminal illness takes hold...Guided by Mum's own childhood diaries, Liv finds a new way to live. This book is real, funny, utterly touching and absolutely heartwarming. Despite the sadness at the heart of the story, every reader will laugh and keep on turning the pages, charmed by Liv and her mum. 


When I was asked whether or not I would like to review Dandelion Clocks, I jumped at the chance. There seems to be a flood of recent YA books tackling the tough subject that is cancer, and this book is another of those. Thankfully, I think that Dandelion Clocks does add something new to this market, and it's something that's definitely worth checking out, especially for those on the 'younger' side of the young adult genre.

Dandelion Clocks is a book that is said to appeal to fans of authors such as Jacqueline Wilson, Cathy Cassidy or Annabel Pitcher. With this suggestion, you'd assume that it's a book written specifically for middle grade children, and I can easily say that yes it is, but it I would certainly not hesitate to recommend this book to any older teen or even to any adult. I was very pleasantly surprised with the complexity that this book had, the author has proven to have such a wonderful ability of reaching across to different age groups. Though the content matter is treated so carefully that it's accessible, older readers should also appreciate many of the hidden complexities, including the relationships, in this book.

As aforementioned, this is a book that includes many more issues than the main one of cancer. Our very realistic and likeable protagonist, Liv, deals with multiple issues in this book and I commend Westcott for managing to handle them all so well, with a great sense of care and authenticity.  In this novel, another focus is on Liv's brother who has Asperger's Syndrome - this was also fascinating to read about because it taught me about the effect of Asperger's on daily life and it was fantastic to see how Liv helped her brother to try understand some things that those with Aspergers find challenging - in fact, I'd say that this issue is probably rightly explored with the same amount of focus and poignancy as the cancer storyline.

What stood out to me most with this book is that it's a real coming of age story for Liv. I enjoyed seeing her subtly mature in accordance with the things around her. I liked seeing how she dealt with everyday issues, such as friendships at school. Most of all I found it interesting to see how her experience shaped her and had an effect on her and helped on the way to forming her identity and maturity. For her age, Liv seemed very mature for her age and that is another reason why I believe the older YA fans will like this book.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by this Dandelion Clocks - I didn't expect to love it as much as I did (for age reasons). I would have never guessed that this was Westcott's debut novel because quite simply, it is written with such a lot of care and talent. If you like the sound of the blurb/synopsis of this book, don't hesitate in picking it up, whoever you are - I am positive that you'll enjoy it. Rebecca Westcott is definitely an author to watch, and I'll definitely pick up her next offering!

Sunday, 18 May 2014

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday (91)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's ReviewsShowcase Sunday is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea.
These memes are a replacement of The Story Siren's In My Mailbox.

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday make a place to showcase your new books, whether you obtained them through the post or otherwise.


 To my pleasant surprise, I received six books for review this week! The first I received came wrapped in a book-cover tea-towel and even some tea - that was The Tea Chest which I'm keen to start reading now! I received three books which are shorter length, made for those with dyslexia, but also perfect for those  who want a break from a big novel or who don't know what they want to read - those books were Soul Desire, Shadow Girl and Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads. The final two books that I received were Maleficent Seven and Fall From India Place

I hope you've had a fantastic week!

Sunday, 11 May 2014

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday (90)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's ReviewsShowcase Sunday is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea.
These memes are a replacement of The Story Siren's In My Mailbox.

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday make a place to showcase your new books, whether you obtained them through the post or otherwise.


 This week, I recieved two books for review, both young adult, contemporary romance books, which should actually make a refreshing change from the huge influx of the racier new adult books which are being released at the moment. The books are part of the 'If Only' series/range and they are called Wish You Were Italian and Fool Me Twice.

I hope you've all had a great week!

Thursday, 8 May 2014

From The Review Pile (92)

From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.
The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!

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This week, I'm going to showcase Allegiant!
Despite my massive love for the second book in the Divergent trilogy, I still haven't gotten around to reading the third, final book, simply because I don't really want it to end! By now, most fans have finished the series, but I've been putting it off. I have heard a lot of mixed comments about Allegiant, with people both loving and hating the ending, so let's hope that I am one of those who loves it... when I finally get around to reading it!


Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Hardback, 526 pages
Published 22nd October 2013 by Harper Collins Childrens Books

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Sunday, 4 May 2014

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday (89)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's ReviewsShowcase Sunday is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea.
These memes are a replacement of The Story Siren's In My Mailbox.

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday make a place to showcase your new books, whether you obtained them through the post or otherwise.



 This week I purchased one book and received two for review through the post! The book that I purchased was a book I've been after for a while now, just because the story sounds so like something I'd enjoy. That book was Silver Linings Playbook. The two unexpected books I received for review were Fifth Grave Past the Light and Sixth Grave on the Edge

Hope you've had a good week!

Thursday, 1 May 2014

From The Review Pile (91)

From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.
The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!

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This week, I'm going to showcase The Shock of the Fall!
Believe it or not, before The Shock of the Fall won the Costa Book of The Year award, I hadn't really heard much about this book. As soon as I did hear all of the praise it was getting, I had to see what all the fuss was about and check it out. The story definitely sounds like something that I will love, so I should really get around to reading and reviewing this one soon!


The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
Paperback, 314 pages
Published 7th January 2014 by Harper Collins

WINNER OF THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2013 
'I'll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name's Simon. I think you're going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he'll be dead. And he was never the same after that.' 

Debut novel about one man's descent into mental illness, following the death of his brother in childhood. Filer is a mental health nurse with a unique and startling insight into mental illness, and this book highlights a much-neglected subject.
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