Book Review - Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Hello Everyone!!

Yes, I've barely been around this week...

Yes, I'm sorryyyyyy ☺

And, Yes, I'll be around WAAAAAY more next week!!

I've had exams this week, and I've got an RS GCSE Mock next week, so wish me luck for that (I'll need all the luck I can get!).

And yet, in between tests and homework and tests and homework and homework and tests etc. I did manage to read a few books, and this is my most recent read, so I thought I'd review it in my first spare minute for ages!

'Lily has left a Red notebook full of challenges on a favourite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right person to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a red notebook of their own.'

This book is not exactly what I'd call a 'meaty' read...more of a gentle stroll. It's easy to read a bit, then pick it back up later and carry right on. I've needed that this week!

It is a Christmassy read, but don't worry - it's not exactly Christmas-centric, so it can easily be read outside the season. I liked the surprise nature of the challenges, and also the fact that this was done in a kind of old fashioned way - no social networking involved or anything like that. It was just that - a nice, light read for someone who's been feeling pretty on-demand this week (that's me by the way ☺)!

You'll enjoy it I think. I actually think it's better read in pieces than all at once. I'm not sure why, it just feels that way ☺

Anyways, I give it 8/10, and hope you'll have a read of it and see what you think ☺

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review - Theodore Boone by John Grisham

Hello again!

Well, here's another book review - goodness, I'm churning them out this week! - of Theodore Boone by John Grisham

The cover attracted my attention, it's statement 'The No. 1 international bestseller' and also I had remembered hearing the title in various places, and reading about it. It was portrayed on the Internet as an excellent piece of fiction.

Yes, it was good. Yes, the law-court life of Theodore entwined beautifully with his high-school life.

But it didn't grip me as I expect a novel to.

It wasn't un-put-downable. In fact, it was very put downable - it took me forever to finish, as I was constantly being distracted by other, more interesting things!

I wanted it to draw me in, immerse me in an intriguing plot, and finally throw in some surprise twists and a fantastic finish.

It didn't.

It was just...fine. Nice. All of those uninspiring words teachers tell you to look up in a thesaurus to 'find something better than that'.

It wasn't what it could have been...thrilling, gripping, exciting.

Unfortunately, contrary to popular opinion, I'm going to give it a 5/10...it just wasn't me.

So anyway, on that cheerful note, have a great Friday night, and I'll see you tomorrow for 'This Week...'

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review - Spirit Seeker by Joan Lowery Nixon

Hello all!

Sorry for reviewing 2 books by the same author in quick succession, but I just had to! Spirit Seeker was one of those 'I have to tell someone' kind of books!

Here is the book description, courtesy of Goodreads.com:

"Holly Campbell's life has suddenly become a newspaper-headline nightmare. Her friend Cody's parents have just been found murdered, and Cody is the prime suspect. Even Holly's father, the police detective in charge of the investigation, thinks Cody is guilty. Holly knows she must help her friend. Will a mysterious psychic help her solve the case and prove Cody's innocence?"

As I am a mystery geek, and automatically drawn to mystery books, I just had to read this. I've only read one Joan Lowery Nixon before this week, and now I have read 2 more! They could not be described in the same league of brilliance as say, an Agatha Christie crime novel, but they still make for a meaty mystery book.

I did, however, guess the ending to this one about 3/4 of the way through, which for me is kind of usual, given the library of crime novel endings I have running through my head, but I was not in any way expecting the way in which this ending came about, a complete surprise.

It almost sneaks up on you... you're nearing the final pages, you know there has to be the big reveal soon...and yet it happens in a flash, with no warning, and barely time to catch a breath!

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, more than the other one I read. I'll give it a 7/10.

Byee

Dayzee

Book Review - The Name of the Game was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon

Hello all!

Well, here's the promised weekly book review, although I'm reading another Joan Lowery Nixon at the moment, so 2 reviews this week seem to be on the cards ☺. Ahem...

This was a good book. It wasn't superb, and it wasn't awful. It was just good.

It is about a young teenage girl, Samantha, or Sam as she is generally known, who goes to stay with her uncle Augustus Trevor on a remote island. When she arrives she discovers that her uncle has invited... ahem, blackmailed, a bunch of celebrites to a house party. He has invited thaem because in a book he has written he has revealed a terrible, career-destroying secret about each one of them, his wife Thea Trevor included. He gives them a chance to have their secrets removed from the manuscript by solving some clues relating to their dark secret.

The next day, having only released the first set of clues, Augustus is found bludgeoned to death, and the hunt is on for the celebrites and Sam to find the clues, and the manuscript, and to save their careers.

I loved the plotline, the characters, the ideas and twists and unexpected things, but all in all I really wish it had been longer. That's my main wish. I would have  also liked to really find out about the characters, their backgrounds, what makes them who they are.

I really liked the original idea though. A very spooky and strange thought, and an excellent plot for a mystery/crime novel.

I thought the ending was a bit sudden, and that the final chapters could have maybe been lengthened and split up more. Also, I felt that I would have preferred to know what happens to the murderer of Augustus Trevor at the end, instead of the cliffhanger we are given.

All in all, I'd give it a 6.5/10. Am I allowed to do that??

OK, if half-marks aren't allowed, I'll give it a 6. But only because it just...wasn't what it could have been. Kind of confusing, I know. Sorry about that...

Anyway, better go and do homework... Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review: Downton Abbey Scripts Season 1 by Julian Fellowes

Hello all!

Well, today it looks like a rotten day all told: rain, misty-foggy stuff, and a lovely grey sky. Joy (!)

To cheer us all up today, I'm going to post about a gift my grandparents bought me for Christmas. Julian Fellowes and his 'Downton Abbey' team have released the entire scripts for season 1, including commentary by Julian, and also deleted scenes which were removed during filming.

To be honest, this was probably my perfect book. I'm a Downton fanatic at the best of times, but with my Downton Diary, DVD box set, 'Chronicles of...' book and scripts book, not to mention calendar 2013, I'm completely set up for a perfectly Downton Abbey year...

I'm also a very lucky girl ☺

The book includes a forward by Julian Fellowes, all of the 7 episode scripts, and a couple of centre pages of pictures of cast and crew. All the scripts are annotated withcuts, and added parts, and Julian Fellowes' own commentary about writing, history, cast and filming.

If you have the DVD, it is great fun to read along and see wat has been cut, and how the commentary interlinks with the filmed episodes.

All in all, this book will recieve my first 10/10!

And, yes, I have watched the Christmas Special, and I'm not furious with Julian for what he had to do. I'm still sad though! For those of you who haven't seen it, please do! I'm not going to spoil it for anyone.

I'm thoroughly looking forward to the release of the scripts book 2 in September!

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review - Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie

Hello all!

Ok, so today I'm going to review Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie, who I've read books by before, noteably the Sister Missing series.

I loved this book. I'll just put that out there, because you're going to find that what I say next contradicts it absolutely.

I also found it ridiculously annoying!

To begin with, I thought the characters could have been developed a bit more, but that is not really different to other Sophie McKenzies I have read; she tends to focus more on action than description. Also, the places are not really described, and there is no real emphasis on any background knowledge or anything like that. It is action, action, action in this book!

Now for my BIG complaint.

Yes, this is a book for teenagers, and yes, a lot of teenagers are pre-judged as being like the ones in this book.

But I think a lot of authors, including Sophie McKenzie in this book,  overuse the typical swearing, frustrated, rebelling teenage stereotype in their books. I just wish the characters' small amount of development had not been so stereotypical of what adults 'expect' teenagers to be like.

That could just be my opinion, but there you go.

So, to conclude, I loved it, the plot was great and the action even better, but her characters left a lot to be desired, and the lack of reality dissapointed me, especially from an author I had previously enjoyed. 6/10.

Byee

Dayzee x

Book Review - Vice and Virtue by Veronica Bennett

Hello all!

Here's my review of

Vice and Virtue by Veronica Bennett

This, I must admit, was one of the better books I've read recently. It had the mystery and intregue that I love in a book, and probably my only complaint was that it didn't have enough romance in it!

Some of you who've read it would say it has plenty of romance, and the 'will she stay with him?' or 'won't she?' theme runs pretty much through the entire book, but...I don't know, it just felt really rushed at the end, and I'd hoped they would make more of the 'getting together'.

All in all, I liked this book, because it was historical fiction, which is one of my favourite genres, and it was romantic enough to keep me hooked throughout the book. However, it's hard to really fix my feelings about this book because although it was descriptive and romantic, and right for the period of history it was set in, it felt boring and flat at times, there was no connection or drive... It's good, but not great.

So, I'd give it 8/10 on my scale, and I'd also say to get this book from a library, or take a look at it before you buy it. It's probably not one you'd read again, simply because the plot is easily remembered, and I found it boring to read a second time.

Byee!

Dayzee

 

Book Review - Dead Time by Anne Cassidy

Hello!

I've been pretty busy this week, but here's a review of my most recent read,

Dead Time by Anne Cassidy

All in all, this was a great, gripping read. It is about the quest of teenagers Rose and Josh, whose parents went missing 5 years previously, and their search for answers.

I thought that the plot was a fantastic changes to a lot of usual kidnap fiction, and the cross over between their search for their parents, and the lives they have been living since their parents dissappeared.

Rose now lives with her grandmother, and Josh lives away from her. They are both currently studying, but are in contact against Rose's grandmother's wishes. Rose's Grandmother Anna believes that Joshua's father made Rose's mother go away with him, and then murdered her. However, Rose does not believe Anna and sets out, along with Josh, to discover the truth.

The only problem I had with this book is that it had continuous action, so there was no real dialogue, or much desciption. However, having read other books by Cassidy, I do understand that this is part of her writing style, and does tend to suit her plotlines, usually more than it did here.

Also, if you want to be satisfied at the end, this isn't a great book for that. I'm guessing the story continues in the next 'Murder Notebooks' book, Killing Rachel, due to be released 14th March next year, but I didn't feel that all of my questions were answered.

I guess that if Cassidy wanted the story to continue in book 2 of the series, she couldn't tie up all of the loose ends, but I just felt as though it could have reached a better closure than it did. Just IMHO...

All in all, a really exciting, fast-paced thriller of a read!

I'd give it 8/10 so pick up a copy and enjoy!

Byee

Dayzee xx

Book Review - Debutantes by Cora Harrison

Hello!

Today I am reviewing the book which I pre-reviewed last week. It is...

Debutantes by Cora Harrison

This book began with an uninspiring opening for the first few chapters, so much so that I nearly gave up!

I am very glad I didn't!

As I said in my pre-review, Cora Harrison's plot is one which I immediatly felt attracted to, and so I thought a book with a back cover so inspiring and a subject matter so interesting to me had to be a good read, so I continued.

Let me tell you now, you will think you know what is going to happen, and will think you know the end.

You don't.

The book is about four 1920s sisters, who all have different views of life, the world, and everything, and are all trying to make their way, find love, find life and find out who they are. It sounds sentimental and girls, and I'm not going to lie, It is. However, it is also a wonderful exploration of girls growing into women and finding their places in the 'great scheme of things'.

It is a hard book to review because there isn't much you can say without ruining the end! Just try it, ok?

I guess I am biased~I love the 20s. But seriously? Who doesn't enjoy the jazz that the 20s brought?

Anyway, I hope I made you want to pick up a copy and give it a try! Have a peek at my pre-review too ☺

Dayzee xx

Book Review - Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson

Good Evening!

Hello to all my visitors from the USA, UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands! Great to have you onboard!

Today I will be reviewing

A Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson

Although I usually read books in a couple of sittings, just because it is something to do, I began this book at about 9.30 last night, and it began pretty ordinary, and if anything, duller than I expected. When I say it picked up after about a chapter or so, I mean it really did! I was totally hooked, and by about 11.00, having read just over 3/4 of the way through, although I desperately wanted to know the end...I knew that staying up any longer would seal my fate for today as: Completely unable to do anything other than moan about how little sleep I got...

Not a good look...

So after a lot of mental disagreement with myself, I went to bed, leaving the last 1/4 of the book unread.

I finished the last 1/4 this morning, and it was brilliant! Alhough the conclusion can be guessed part way through (and I did guess it, probably because I am a complete mystery geek) it still makes for a great, suspense filled story, because the conculsion I came to made no sense, but it remained to me the only possible one, and I wanted to know how the author made it happen!

I would give this book a 9/10 on the scale of Book Related Brilliance, simply because the main character Bee sometimes annoyed me with her complete lack of romantic know-how, and social ineptitude...then again, she somewhat reminds me of me sometimes...don't know what that says about me...

Anyway!

See you all soon

Dayzee x

Book Review - Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie

Hello!

I know...my second post of the day? Am I overdoing it?

Sister, Missing by Sophia McKenzie



Anyway. I've literally this minute finished reading Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie. And I only got it this mornng. I am way too eager.

Sister, Missing is the second book in Sophie McKenzie's series about adopted girl Lauren and her search for her biological parents.

This book begins two years after the events of Girl, Missing.

Sam, Lauren's birth father had died 9 months previously, and Lauren's birth mother has a new boyfriend. Lauren, her birth sisters Madison and Shelby and her birth mother are on holiday when Madison is kidnapped in similar circumstances to those in which Lauren had been kidnapped more than 14 years previously.

The book charts the events leading up to Madison's rescue, and includes some shocking revelations, and another tragedy. (I will say no more about that...☺)

I found this book every bit as good as Girl, Missing, in fact it may even be better. I could not put this book down, even though I am now REALLY thrsty...

With snappy dialogue, a racing plotline and fantastic characterisation, this is really a must-read!

However...

(here comes the critique ☺)

I did find Lauren very moody, and although, yes, I can totally understand that Shelby's attiude would annoy anyone, I thought the patronising, the catty remarks, the spite could all have stopped pretty early in the book. I mean hello? Your sister has been kidnapped!! Enough with the sibling rivalry!

Also I thought (me being the romantic) there could have been more 'Jem and Lauren' moments in the book, but I guess it was meant as more an action/adventure book than a romance. Just my preference ☺.

I would give this book 8/10, and I really recommend you read it!

Bye (I really think it is Byee this time, although I'm off to start Hitler's Angel, so who knows what will happen when I finish it... ☺)

Dayzee x

Book Review - Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Hello!

It's My First Post!!!! (Screams of excitement ☺)

Anyways...

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Before I start criticising this book, I want to say that although I found it annoying, overactive, unrelenting etc etc. I did really enjoy it! I know. This makes no sense...

Witch and Wizard is essentially a story about a Witch and a Wizard (who'd have guessed ☺) in modern, 21st century England, where a new government regime is arresting and executing young people for a variety of 'crimes', one of the most serious being existing as a witch or wizard.

The book is written from two points of view, that of Whit, a 17 year old Wizard, and his sister Wisty, or Wisteria a 15 year old Witch.

One thing about this book I found fairly hard to swallow, is that being a fanatical 'Merlin' lover, I recognised to much of it from the television series. IMHO, although 70% of it was completely original, and I've never read anything like it, some themes were just too similar - the persecution of those who have magic for example. It was a bit to same-samey to some other fantasy/magic books I have read.

I think the setting of 21st century was a fantastic twist, and makes you question all of the prejudices/fears etc. that we have in our society today, because that is what this book is based upon. The arrests, I felt, were done simply to create fear amongst the people, and they served their purpose well.

In summary, I think this is a well written novel, I thorougly enjoyed Patterson's writing style, the characters were written so well I could imagine meeting them, and I think he captures Wisty's young teenage voice perfectly.

Whit portrays the protective older brother (I wouldn't mind having him around myself in my hour of need!) and the cruel prison guards are just as you want them. Cruel, but not so horrible that you fear Wisty and Whit have no chance!

I read this book (all 329 pages of it ☺) in one sitting last night, and really enjoyed it.

I give this book 7/10  on my scale of book-related brilliance ☺

(I should probably post my scale of book-related brilliance here sometime shouldn't I?)

Byee

Dayzee x