Book Review Blog.

My book reviews can now be found here.

http://myreadinglifebookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Please feel free to swing by and have a mooch around.

Sickness...

Last week Mr P came home with the sniffles. Now usually when he gets a cold I barely give it any thought because where colds and flu are concerned I am strong as an ox and tend not to catch anything more than a sore throat. Ha! My body betrayed me.  It started with that bunged up feeling that we all know so well. You don't necessarily feel sick but you don't feel well either, I like to call this feeling ugh! I figured with my ox like tendencies that would be as bad as it got. No such luck. Over the next few days my symptoms increased.

Last night I figure was that wonderful day when it peaks and you know that it is onward and upward from there. As I was snuggled up on the day bed with my book, surrounded by sheets of menthol easy breathers, a hot mug of tea and my book I felt content for the most part.  Yes my head was banging like I had a team of Riverdance in there and my stomach had that weird feeling where you can't quite decide if you are going to be sick or are actually hungry but I figured that I was nearly over the worst. Wrong. I had the pleasure of waking up this morning to the same symptoms as last night as well as finding my glands swollen to a painful level. Hence I returned to my place upon the day bed for another pity party.

To be honest it is probably the safest place for me to be. While I was sending Mr P off to work this morning at 6am I stood on the cat, burnt his bagel (Mr P's not the cats), lost my phone because I made the bed and it somehow got mixed in with the sheets, and scolded Mr P while he was in the shower because i was so preoccupied with the above mentioned bagel that I'd forgotten not to use the taps in the kitchen until he was out of the shower (that is until the screams of pain). So overall I do think that it is probably safer that I stay away from any machinery, cooking gadgets or living things until the day is over. I am honestly a danger to oneself. Mr P doesn't know how lucky he was to get out, sadly the poor cat has no choice but to take his chances although at this point he looks to be taking it all in his stride.

We've all had days like this right? Nope? Probably just me then.

A Day for ME!

Today I woke up with a list of things to do. In my head I had the whole day planned out, not one minute was to be empty. However as I sit here now at 5pm waiting for my partner to get home from work, I have to admit half of my list remains undone.  Oh I've completed all the essential tasks such as hoovering, tidying the kitchen, doing the laundry and making the beds etc but everything else has fallen to the side.

What did I find so important that it pushed my schedule so far off track you may ask? Well that's the thing... it was doing nothing! That has put me here in this chair with a cup of tea and Netflix for company.  That's right. Once my essential jobs were done I found myself revelling in the fact I am completely alone for the first time in six weeks.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not a hermit and I do, despite how it sounds, enjoy people and their company. However I am also the kind of person who needs some quiet time now and again. Time alone to watch bad television, escape into the pages of a book or even just stare out of my window lost in thought. Today I finally did that and feel so much better for it.

My list for tomorrow may have doubled in size but I hold no guilt. In fact I am going to make sure I enjoy this evening to the fullest, happy in the knowledge that I'll get to the rest tomorrow.

Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid

Hephzibah - You've no idea what it's like having a freak for a sister. Rebecca Born first, prettier, Hephzi's always been the more popular one. The Father - When he was busy with his bottle we were usually safe. Usually. The Mother - Her specialist subject was misery and lessons of painful silence...Hephzibah and Rebecca are twins. One beautiful, one disfigured. Trapped with their loveless parents, they dream of a normal life. But when one twin tragically dies, the other must find a way to escape. Because if she doesn't, she'll end up like her sister.

This was a heartbreaking book and the storyline really cut to the core of my soul. I find the subject of child abuse upsetting but circumstances where one parent stands by, allowing another to harm their child I think is deeply disturbing.  The story within this book is just that and although it was a hard read, I also found it a very rewarding one.

The story focuses on twin sisters Hephzibah and Rebecca. Their father is a deeply religious man and rules is home with an iron fist. Going to school is something that the girls had to fight for and he sees it as a freedom they do not deserve. During the opening chapter we find out that one of the girls has died and from that moment on we follow the remaining twin on her journey to free herself from her family.

It was a gripping book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing style was very descriptive and I felt this really helped to heighten the suspense and mystery contained within. The characters both had a wonderful depth to them and were very well written.
It is a book that left me thinking about the characters and the story long after I'd put it down. I would recommend this book to older teen readers as the subject matter is adult in parts and should only be read by the more mature reader.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I'm currently reading...

The Haunted by Jessica Verday. 

Abbey has spent her summer trying to forget Caspian; the boy she fell in love with, the boy who she knows must not exist, cannot exist, because he is dead... But summer is almost over, and now Abbey has to return to Sleepy Hollow and face the ghosts of her past. 

At first she throws herself into schoolwork, perfume making and her emerging friendship with cute and funny - and very much alive - Ben, who she hopes might help her get over Caspian once and for all. But when Caspian reappears in her life, Abbey realizes that moving on might not be an option: for Caspian is a Shade and Abbey is his destiny. And destiny is something you can't run from, no matter how hard you try...

The captivating sequel to The Hollow.

Book Review - Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

 

 

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created "perfect" life is about to unravel before her eyes. Forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, Brittany finds herself having to protect everything she's worked so hard for - her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend and, most importantly, the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But the closer Alex and Brittany get to each other the more they realise that sometimes appearances can be deceptive and that you have to look beneath the surface to discover the truth.

 

 

I really enjoyed this book and read it in a day. it was very well written and had a wonderful flow to it. I especially liked the fact that both of the lead characters were shown to be real people, living in difficult situations an making the best out of the lives they lead. I had a soft spot for them both but especially for bad boy Alex. As the story progressed I was desperate for him to find away to live his dreams. While with Brittany I simply wanted to give her a hug and tell her to relax.

 

The chemistry between the characters was electric and it practically jumped off the page at you. As I have never been in a gang or known someone in one it really opened my eyes to that kind of life and made me realise that what may seem a simple solution to me may not be to someone on the inside of that world. The writing style was vert discripted and i was instantly transported into the the worlds of Alex and Brittany, it was a very exciting, fascinating, and entertaining book to read.

 

I would highly recommend this book, as it was a page turner. I was hooked from the first chapter and plan to read more Simone Elkeles books in the future.  In terms of audience I believe Perfect Chemistry is suitable for older teenagers due to the older storyline  and contents,  but especially due to the sexual elements it contains.

 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

 

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