tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22143575778891155682024-03-05T14:44:12.823-08:00YA-bbering BookloverYabbering... About YA... I'll stop now. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-91356749829110071702017-01-19T08:42:00.000-08:002017-01-19T08:42:54.299-08:00The Amazing and Fabulous WING JONES Blog Tour - Stop 28! <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Welcome to Stop 28 on the whirlwind Wing Jones Blog Tour! I am so happy to be hosting this stop on the tour for this stunning book - I had the privilege to attend the launch party just over a week ago and the hype around Wing Jones is fantastic. I absolutely can't wait to sink my teeth into it. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you haven't heard about <em>Wing Jones </em>or Katie Webber yet, where have you been? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPe9f2lFh9XCGP5qKRSre6VeNc7aCVpeP43B20daIi0oxSqjluqaSqO8DfNaqRSa0xLsQX0Wnfi8kyj_kw6IZOMlf53c4pYOckhOmRQrnN1-XoxklkcCDWbdQy3-pNPW7hfyQIPn-P8E/s1600/9781406369090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPe9f2lFh9XCGP5qKRSre6VeNc7aCVpeP43B20daIi0oxSqjluqaSqO8DfNaqRSa0xLsQX0Wnfi8kyj_kw6IZOMlf53c4pYOckhOmRQrnN1-XoxklkcCDWbdQy3-pNPW7hfyQIPn-P8E/s200/9781406369090.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Wing Jones</i> is the much anticipated debut novel from Katherine Webber, publishing 5<sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup> January 2017 in the UK. With a grandmother from China and another from Ghana, fifteen-year-old Wing is often caught between worlds. But when tragedy strikes, Wing discovers a talent for running she never knew she had. Wing's speed could bring her family everything it needs. It could also stop Wing getting the one thing she wants… </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><u></u><u></u></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Katherine Webber was born in Southern California but has lived in Atlanta, Hawaii, Hong Kong and now in London. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now this blog tour is a bit different. Because close to 40 bloggers wanted to take part (because Katie is awesome), Walker have planned a rather special #WJphototour . This is a photo blog tour documenting Katherine’s path to publishing her debut novel. From childhood memories that inspired her writing to her time living in Atlanta and Asia that influenced the book to authors she’s met over the years right up to receiving her first finished copy of the book, follow along to see Katherine’s author life unfold! And here below is the photo I got: </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoPpv64i4v73Wx05uZ9Qubyv3SmMZdE5IbD1OxUr4PwGoYnkDPg3UajdavwEWd5Ns3IkfQJ1UcJ0Y2ZOJ7QzEX7QRBeeMrxXo1jLHCXonzutA6atAQEM1K6Na37oMGH0_3Qeib3UWFds/s1600/28_KW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoPpv64i4v73Wx05uZ9Qubyv3SmMZdE5IbD1OxUr4PwGoYnkDPg3UajdavwEWd5Ns3IkfQJ1UcJ0Y2ZOJ7QzEX7QRBeeMrxXo1jLHCXonzutA6atAQEM1K6Na37oMGH0_3Qeib3UWFds/s1600/28_KW.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><em>KATIE on moving to London: </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><em></em></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia;"><em><span style="color: purple;">Not only did I meet other aspiring writers and UKYA authors in London, I got to meet a TON of my favourite US YA authors too! It seems like EVERYONE comes on tour to London at some point. I was absolutely ecstatic when I got to meet my favourite YA author, Laini Taylor at one of her London events. Little did I know that less than two years later, she would be blurbing my debut novel!</span> </em></span></div>
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yes Laini Taylor, the amazing author of <em>The Daughter of Smoke and Bone </em>and more recently <em>Strange The Dreamer! </em>Laini is also one of my favourite authors, and she's given <em>Wing Jones </em>the best possible quote to send it out into the world: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<em><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“The pure and vivid voice of Katherine Webber's Wing illuminates an America of hope and tragedy, where both ruin and triumph lurk just around the corner. Life isn't easy for Wing, the unsung sister of a fallen hero, but in her darkest time, she'll find her own strength. <strong>I <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">fell in love with Wing Jones, and you will too.</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">”</span></span></em><br />
<em></em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">From everything I've heard about this book, I absolutely don't doubt it. If you want to pick up a copy of <em>Wing Jones, </em>you can get it at all good bookshops including the one I used to work for (yay, shameless promotion!) - <u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="http://bit.ly/2hReLqQ">http://bit.ly/2hReLqQ</a></span></u></span> <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A million congratulations to Katie on her amazing debut novel! Bookish love,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rachel xx</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-39646453164371045842016-06-02T13:42:00.002-07:002016-06-02T13:47:56.320-07:00Review: Girl Out Of Water by Nat Luurtsema <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZq91i1lj1IdkN8BXc0AYlNi9q1Ff_o7lleDRemAzUbsif1hUU3lLjMmnVhExobVr7KiNnqNmbXtgXfr5IYU-opFoePkqfrE9fMvjP5BXSOvNp7fALzbyYoXrln9yrbeTUAVp48hsCRI/s1600/9781406366525-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZq91i1lj1IdkN8BXc0AYlNi9q1Ff_o7lleDRemAzUbsif1hUU3lLjMmnVhExobVr7KiNnqNmbXtgXfr5IYU-opFoePkqfrE9fMvjP5BXSOvNp7fALzbyYoXrln9yrbeTUAVp48hsCRI/s400/9781406366525-1.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Lou Brown's life is going down the pan. Best friend Hannah sailed through the Olympic </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>time trials and is off to her fancy-pants new swim training school, while Lou's own failure to qualify leaves her without a hobby - or a friend. <br /> <br /> As Lou tries to navigate her post-swim world, a chance encounter with three boys with stars in their eyes takes her life in a surprising new direction. One that leads to a crazy world of underwater somersaults, talent show auditions, bitchy girls and one great big load of awkward boy chat.</i><br /><br /> Back in October 2015 I attended the Walker Blogger Brunch and was lucky enough to hear Nat Lurrtsema read from her new novel <i>Girl Out Of Water.</i> There is something special about seeing an author who is particularly good at performing their work. It feels very intimate and authentic - and in Nat's case, hugely funny. As she very well should be as a Bafta nominated comedy writer and an actress. But it goes beyond Nat's ability to do a dramatic reading, as I discovered when I read the rest of the book. This is a milk-out-the-nose funny slice of normal life, with synchronised swimming and a TV talent show thrown in for good measyre. There is something about this book that reads like a very long but hugely enjoyable stand up sketch from a hilarious teenage comedian. <br /> <br /> The awkward physical comedy moments are a laugh a minute and Lou’s dry, teenage sarcasm is utterly on point. Not since <i>Lobsters </i>have I smiled and laughed so much while reading a YA book. To be totally honest, people on the tube thought I was utterly crazy, smiling away to myself like the Cheshire Cat. <br /><br />I'll admit that I am a picky reader, it takes damn near perfection for me to love something. And though I may have niggling, teeny tiny criticisms about the 'contrived' situation or convenient teenage boy characters, these are me forcing out criticisms for contrary's sake. I utterly loved this book. I loved the realism (a divorced family who still live together), the characters (Lou is brilliantly awkward and captures the gawky teen I think we all were at heart not to mention her sister Lav who is in equal measure bitchy and sweet as all sisters are), the ingeniously unique and relate-able inciting incident (synchronised swimming at a TV talent show a la BGT. I mean... where even did that idea come from Nat?!). </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eugh guys, I'm not eloquent enough to put into more detailed words how much I enjoyed this, just go read it! It's great! So great in fact that I'm going to do something I've never done on this blog before. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVVzYqJ7toZBSkpGLxNyrN-QPLLnU-COKlRHfYZhLgh0i96OBf31jv5UrOOukXzal1-N-vYbVHB5VH3FlpKP9X94q2-xvOLW59HqdmO0aaWklMYcGCI4Rq6MGPAIGoNQlrl8Yd6Q1bCE/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That's right bitches, 5 stars! (warning - reading <i>Girl Out of Water</i> may cause unnecessary and out of character sassiness). But it was just so brilliant that I can't not! I really do hope that Nat continues to write in this genre for a very long time and become the Louise Rennison of the next generation. Just saying... </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bookish love, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rach xx</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I received a copy of Girl Out of Water from Walker Books in exchange for my honest and very ravey reviews. </i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-59270826700433004762016-05-31T15:58:00.002-07:002016-06-01T05:13:08.973-07:00Gorgeous YA Book Covers <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wandered into Foyles, Charing Cross the other day and as per usual started to peruse the YA section. And what struck me were just how many gorgeous covers are gracing the shelves at the moment. </span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I started working at a publisher, one of the coolest things I got to do was sit in on cover meetings. There's so much thought and creativity that go into these covers guys, you don't even know! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've picked out some of my favourites below so you too can have beautiful bookshelves forever. </span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Gorgeous Illustrations</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOt58oY_7D1iMGB6R0xXXq3bWP_iyXrX0n1BcyrOnXM3mAdiF_MwF8XCQaEp1vxeO0xzUMLI7gN01S1GfdZRxbLECef6_6VB9uUl7jvD6hX0yfhtVefy0_SFLt5vZ_WE7M8hRTqg8omUs/s1600/20160420_165452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOt58oY_7D1iMGB6R0xXXq3bWP_iyXrX0n1BcyrOnXM3mAdiF_MwF8XCQaEp1vxeO0xzUMLI7gN01S1GfdZRxbLECef6_6VB9uUl7jvD6hX0yfhtVefy0_SFLt5vZ_WE7M8hRTqg8omUs/s400/20160420_165452.jpg" width="276" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Absolutely gorgeous colour palette here. <br />Faber & Faber </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKQRbGEDvSSPxn-nFMXz_SlTviI3SvuHQEoa_AC70Ra5URXpG6EF4RQHep_PEFL4wXmMLbQL2k9wpHychzwEj7gUKvB6nESU9NF76ESPtQ0i7s06HdxjALeFFGRL5oAUUhSLSO87ulgU/s1600/20160420_165626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKQRbGEDvSSPxn-nFMXz_SlTviI3SvuHQEoa_AC70Ra5URXpG6EF4RQHep_PEFL4wXmMLbQL2k9wpHychzwEj7gUKvB6nESU9NF76ESPtQ0i7s06HdxjALeFFGRL5oAUUhSLSO87ulgU/s400/20160420_165626.jpg" width="271" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">All of Alexia's covers are beautiful, <br />but this one especially pops.<br />Faber & Faber </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaSWW4pDPFGT2u4e1va0J-_PCrYntuXrsk82No71alukuXj1LShXeuO7iYXXywq-2sQ7CBuvfgtypaLlNM0nn9vUirZ2JzhU1vuxPupbLtUdrsGnQaAEQ1tSj6XbJ89Ie7fJZ7VACrCw/s1600/20160420_165848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaSWW4pDPFGT2u4e1va0J-_PCrYntuXrsk82No71alukuXj1LShXeuO7iYXXywq-2sQ7CBuvfgtypaLlNM0nn9vUirZ2JzhU1vuxPupbLtUdrsGnQaAEQ1tSj6XbJ89Ie7fJZ7VACrCw/s400/20160420_165848.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Hot Key covers are always great, but this is <br />one of my all time favourite covers!<br />The creativity, the layering, the colours...<br /> masterpiece!<br />Hot Key Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiao6bKPPU1st6ZuVZxplXiscPufEr_-6uv5LYSwiXaJ-fQMxSMnycALOsQni4sMC4pADswOeTuczgQZWs74Nu-PFzExJm4ErY1tt1aBIi0J7j5wWRc57lpUtqY2qsfzY-PMX53la_PCxM/s400/20160420_170052.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="270" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I knew nothing about this book before,<br />but its spine's hand drawn lettering stood out<br /> and I'm so glad it did. <br />This is also an Amnesty International title. <br />Walker Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJ6l3a2cBC25-NLg15Ybn1S2lhkkWFropnsqhcNHtJ5Lrum1SXXyg26q7IaxN237BNzS2DbG5gxv0-AvOtL3y2RXeBW6TepKiOYFqAjTJpmOA5re2S3TPGLmc_U2aYI4tHR7I2tQP6VQ/s400/20160420_170259.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="277" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I love how you immediately get the essence<br />of each character from such a simple concept.<br />Chicken House</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKokJq5_Z524lvpIpQw8BN6jtaTg1TVvBADfLJNoNwgFEVH5FhMsYSQzQxnS49y56CFOiqToDTDGTW1_eFv4tSToh3CF0taRuyBDDPbu9Eigr952hLn8gWsHJ7p7LACbCt48MGGM0q-s/s400/20160420_171322.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="270" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Does anything really need to be said...<br />The eye of the feather on the dust jacket <br />is a cut out revealing... </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7aJVPWLQNM10GayOS5AVNlLzcAp18m82LJefSBpTWh4uGXv975v8g988RP_v9vzDHxDNrX8MWQdheN5PEaeSSzfJpKEjGT-XjpBkIVI-6xpYHIAF9FFjBaJxLzQ8BuxJxpVOQGgafk4/s400/20160420_171342.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="292" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I mean come on! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3m78aRqBt-XQq5g98JOQ31-U_TQNmCFKUY9jqStp-ptVBgLfUZiEKn83pW1k2QTvAPRdGY2xPD-AtLE1gs9C-djM8XaaVwSAscaXkjQpCwHXTlgTgJZxQLY5Qn7ioI37-DuO7Wyizx6Y/s400/20160420_171411.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="305" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">And the back!<br />Macmillan Children's Books</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseyDcQNvI7B00DOPG6_Mgoytc7Re_dvQcT6etOu8fUeuthw0Ae0Ii8k7ZKaZFQIRTkf4ptToBo7tt13PbqZmIXYdVrahnhzvd1LaCuurucYqHp7_OTqe2MiIbh59nrvxQqGe4m65LQ8M/s400/20160420_172710.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="288" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I had to check this was in the right section<br />as it looks like something that would be<br />shortlisted for the Booker. It is wonderfully<br />sophisticated!<br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Algonquin Young Readers</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8Yt46YMmoH-mVTLZAUhyphenhyphen32tvyBjN9V9zdb1nQkYWgXxtLxAuVqSlWcVsGlyD97fbfyJVxK4_hyphenhyphen8S0m9-v4zqFHSrNqUk0DzLHv7ZfGLYmVhKPbFXhOPE9WQOTi_J3gUx5KfW0wxWPPg/s400/20160420_172629.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="283" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">There is massive love for Noelle Stevenson <br />who illustrated this cover (and Nimona which is excellent!) <br />I love the idea that an artist with a fanart style <br />was selected for a title about fanfiction.<br /> Inception! <br />Macmillan Children's Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWb9CxmfABA-cESHjsUmWn46HzsknxeoZXA4nhNy0reHGYSwUHBxgPRIfekR0fzDlt5KOBO8vH6kvU-iIK5u0LrMJ6NLDuNATgYqv8Z84FrlwLWZgQaIX4ljOSzRsQTi5Lhyphenhyphenc2fKIWiM/s400/20160420_172923.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="278" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Simple and brilliant - perfectly conveying <br />the book's message without a single word.<br />David Fickling Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5omqLKgNKo0cthVVFjo9lw0Chb6rp57_UgK51KYR_18pTajneNZDJRM1u5pFkAq_Cdl5KOqO1e04Sv-lgapKuAug5GeiQX1qDAOzvAuuAgiY1TV_7g9yvo5pemKn-weF1rOj4A_gY4xo/s400/20160420_173017.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="303" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Lovely to see a recognisable in-house style <br />emerging from DFB. This is also the 2nd title<br />DBF have shortlisted for the 2016 YA Prize,<br />including the title above.<br />David Fickling Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGhYtHMGXHBUefOLGJW1oZV7gauwRWXCw8fM8G2vEmNPFwAMipUHL8aMMgU3t4Jb7OTEcNpjlKG3snfUVLzBtc-_p11C6_Cuvc1WSWZ128ivyG2uWDOzmS816WQ-4AlqteRULd0Ry9Uw/s1600/20160420_173216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGhYtHMGXHBUefOLGJW1oZV7gauwRWXCw8fM8G2vEmNPFwAMipUHL8aMMgU3t4Jb7OTEcNpjlKG3snfUVLzBtc-_p11C6_Cuvc1WSWZ128ivyG2uWDOzmS816WQ-4AlqteRULd0Ry9Uw/s400/20160420_173216.jpg" width="290" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">HarperCollins getting in on that matt action. <br />Stunning!<br />And nice to see different representations <br />of body sizes also.<br />Harper Collins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2RyaEfPTRlMcSLV0EBOi6M7m9s_YoNcz6PK4PajZSvZoRU__hFiEol-2PrxwvSaoH01Xz6ivOx0D93EJUh7kg1Zt50dLEi7kxWgPP3AR6wVPQJsp9nnhsl4gv0TCBjkCAaMsDOM9gr0/s400/20160420_165324.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="285" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Anyone else getting a Juno vibe?</span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Headline </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJdJ9t3LVv44RJXtay0C4tiPhxcZn8cTaauGyeg-tTokuENaQ9VW7b2876TJ9G4dvdiUuGtMQLA5bHaExknwmypI7MOpjystjmzre07Vj37jJpTlA9T3bcbdqui3SZhtBu5O2BSRB5tw/s400/20160420_170029.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="278" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Excuse my terrible photography here -<br /><a href="https://oxfordchildrens.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/275626_after_tomorr2c5e3bf.jpg"> link to better image</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Beautifully illustrated (sadly I cannot find<br /> out the illustrator from the web)<br />- it really pulls you in to the characters and story. <br />OUP <span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWL9Fz4voKpgpkgsO3uau7CeESN4uiMSHGNG9IzKGRq63MygyFOXvBj-8Rc1pMNJZTo-IfCH7yl2ebgpMQBT1MSPRNN-ro7BY3QK_29C6FkQVSSW02-vv2axjqnHc-BYs9FWtwdf51Fs/s400/20160420_170153.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="306" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Anything hand illustrated it attractive <br />to me, and so I will naturally love the <br />cartoony look of this cover!<br />Hot Key Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Dx_Nzxm5Nvu_exb5VsaC3XPEHFbt78tW1BJY15wq53NzTof4H6xSsaynF5oKryAXhauE8ZZpdhpFFYaQjXqtX7itXFKZflug7MZoXt-N9rk2WwS7nI1t5bfz_IlTimUsXhApK8qhTtc/s400/20160420_170602.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The illustration combined with the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> foil finish on </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> the title is so well done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">There's an instant atmosphere!<br />Hachette Children's </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtv9Lrcwz59Xt59KJNPctJ08IlqK7P8WAd6CDgGTymz4x0fAEEIpPMZ5uLm70rOspEkXJFniaOkoWwJfp-i4MQigvc8bXw0N_1GkHK__dk_3Zu1UVJKAyq7CJi-aOjHO8DTXfJD3NorY/s400/20160420_171508.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="306" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I really like the layering and use of colour here.<br />Swoon Reads</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Graphic</b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvLoUSI3Ye1gDvmq5a0o-ehBP7LiwpxlqUBQet9uTqaAla7o-FxS1x2ToC3JD_xsX1y_joFinDHTBdrSFHsE_Svq4pcwoMQnVO6z8Ku2JsH70DVN-6jkWTfI1nyYr2MknkqInswI0-GU/s1600/20160420_172152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvLoUSI3Ye1gDvmq5a0o-ehBP7LiwpxlqUBQet9uTqaAla7o-FxS1x2ToC3JD_xsX1y_joFinDHTBdrSFHsE_Svq4pcwoMQnVO6z8Ku2JsH70DVN-6jkWTfI1nyYr2MknkqInswI0-GU/s400/20160420_172152.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">To me this looks ever so slightly like a nipple </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">and areola. But a very nicely designed one. <br />David Fickling Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmMPCiNyZFM6QD2NI9BnJAfiTijD67XnxiYPFDkNPNcX0AuP8bNZ-VCm6FNDJW4iauhR0jdjjglGu2mEKbfTPwybNXZETqWHBx117j-w34voLJhJ6MiNS8wyQP_xjVUWloGdkOC76Rd0/s1600/20160420_172142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmMPCiNyZFM6QD2NI9BnJAfiTijD67XnxiYPFDkNPNcX0AuP8bNZ-VCm6FNDJW4iauhR0jdjjglGu2mEKbfTPwybNXZETqWHBx117j-w34voLJhJ6MiNS8wyQP_xjVUWloGdkOC76Rd0/s400/20160420_172142.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Love the background blue which is a gorgeous </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">colour in and of itself. Combined with that</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> striking title and the image of the doll behind </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">is a very mature looking cover. I like that</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> nothing was 'dumbed down' for the teen market.<br />Quercus </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGa3Xf4E9budZV6Y7PuggiibxkGQzKN6L8DDCJ4W-tW8-8w6j-8Ol42u1C5Q86wmowSYhYLv9b9aFTYqAm-jpT8WkYB3JL6c1khEUF758wWFxDgIINo3FvUbmIH7n7M5SDt7WuPCsp61I/s1600/20160420_171705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGa3Xf4E9budZV6Y7PuggiibxkGQzKN6L8DDCJ4W-tW8-8w6j-8Ol42u1C5Q86wmowSYhYLv9b9aFTYqAm-jpT8WkYB3JL6c1khEUF758wWFxDgIINo3FvUbmIH7n7M5SDt7WuPCsp61I/s400/20160420_171705.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The colour palette is really standout here, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">but the use of braille elevates this to another<br />level, which could have been easily overlooked.<br />Harper Collin's Kids </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9uzpBW4Ycu5d8XA5xt8cdO0prW5vL9e0fFvjY4VX5W75_JWUDKOFc__KEqve5JFOutGundfiO70NWxDdtkotsWmm89sB6H7x3Dw0iLD6n0CMAvGOEmtEzRlCSA0L3mxhOWFrE1n3tMg/s1600/20160420_171633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9uzpBW4Ycu5d8XA5xt8cdO0prW5vL9e0fFvjY4VX5W75_JWUDKOFc__KEqve5JFOutGundfiO70NWxDdtkotsWmm89sB6H7x3Dw0iLD6n0CMAvGOEmtEzRlCSA0L3mxhOWFrE1n3tMg/s400/20160420_171633.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I really rate the simplicity of this design, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">taking the familiar image of a generic </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">stick man and messing with it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Also love the perspective. It also reflects </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">the two character well.<br />Faber & Faber </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytPSsk12wKwHzNt3IrGN4Cs3QytyYh_eucWJ8C4gwebpGhVF3-o_ebUtyeRxovw2l_th6hyaQyKby-l8uLIAmvcpNAh8x-iHcLrRvHZK4WUKG3qYsQgUUeX2P6nN2pqG80kdDegwvbEE/s1600/20160420_171153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytPSsk12wKwHzNt3IrGN4Cs3QytyYh_eucWJ8C4gwebpGhVF3-o_ebUtyeRxovw2l_th6hyaQyKby-l8uLIAmvcpNAh8x-iHcLrRvHZK4WUKG3qYsQgUUeX2P6nN2pqG80kdDegwvbEE/s400/20160420_171153.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">People love this cover, and I can </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">readily see why. Look at that<br />holographic finish!<br />Electric Monkey </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cK2ym2EiQgHNtgAuYzjHrrkBMhIB6Rfzb6gHJbtT7aNyhWbJFd1nRi00yo_xla-G7QQvZwYNAqp24cr0jOjY18n-UVt4d9TGCkClmvbCwXwhhQRoCiWni2h6HkNmockgq3NTgaj3ZCg/s1600/20160420_170932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cK2ym2EiQgHNtgAuYzjHrrkBMhIB6Rfzb6gHJbtT7aNyhWbJFd1nRi00yo_xla-G7QQvZwYNAqp24cr0jOjY18n-UVt4d9TGCkClmvbCwXwhhQRoCiWni2h6HkNmockgq3NTgaj3ZCg/s400/20160420_170932.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Now I know this is a pretty standard<br />cover, but I like the inverted use of the<br />image. I think it nicely reflects the<br />closing in of the maze around the<br />characters (yes I'm a douche).<br />Chicken House </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsYOdXLDzc0iwq7oWHuW3XXbqipk6O_M68CWKauljfMwU08_nhqdOzdeMK2gW33zm61_tlpSpf99JEXUEwCBKDMHTFRXlb1-jsqJWBzg8mEw7dG9zs1lRBFk2lPbGD18a22hSy5VJAqU/s1600/20160420_165407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsYOdXLDzc0iwq7oWHuW3XXbqipk6O_M68CWKauljfMwU08_nhqdOzdeMK2gW33zm61_tlpSpf99JEXUEwCBKDMHTFRXlb1-jsqJWBzg8mEw7dG9zs1lRBFk2lPbGD18a22hSy5VJAqU/s400/20160420_165407.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Set in Japan, this cover is striking<br />and evokes the appropriate<br />sombre mood. I would question<br />the fonts used in the title but<br />I'm just being picky now.<br />Definitions </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbdKuqsu53ToCT0L_ByoPNxbHrRWu6_4Pw8fEoZgNsJrT2T-KRY29RUCKkTlVswR4LbDr_9HrptKVhfVwUTCdT6OTdvty74TWUWGaOWEKfbTfNHQVeefDTawuyRxNubpddEXVxVbMzq8/s1600/20160420_165048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbdKuqsu53ToCT0L_ByoPNxbHrRWu6_4Pw8fEoZgNsJrT2T-KRY29RUCKkTlVswR4LbDr_9HrptKVhfVwUTCdT6OTdvty74TWUWGaOWEKfbTfNHQVeefDTawuyRxNubpddEXVxVbMzq8/s400/20160420_165048.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Love the varying use of colour the layers </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">and the cut paper/diorama feel to it.<br />Atlantic Books</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEewrO-aNPWpzRuM4RJjg6sT5D2cE6m1R0A4aYqi3j8xZpi0oq5Wc2J0NZqeARKexQ38r0PvgPvPBc-EHWOgX4hKSz1rTX-FnAb5OPpwKFIIhVZI8k36urRxJScEG8wTAdPjWw4dCONJQ/s1600/20160420_172315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEewrO-aNPWpzRuM4RJjg6sT5D2cE6m1R0A4aYqi3j8xZpi0oq5Wc2J0NZqeARKexQ38r0PvgPvPBc-EHWOgX4hKSz1rTX-FnAb5OPpwKFIIhVZI8k36urRxJScEG8wTAdPjWw4dCONJQ/s400/20160420_172315.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Do you remember in Word everyone </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">used to use the colour fade tool? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">This is the only contex in which that</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> ever looks good. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Amazing pallette </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">and arresting </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">image!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Bloomsbury </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Other things that are awesome</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRmkAjbrie0g8q6l846UYFRLOThCm25HyUcj9kjnOeLx5JbMME17xzl2f_mPAL-5X8lzPBrjbDpL8obJddGxkcQS2BFD9jmaZ2aC0UVkt2hYo5iqvh54HZqHe77MQbeUQizGER3CKwXU/s1600/20160420_164942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRmkAjbrie0g8q6l846UYFRLOThCm25HyUcj9kjnOeLx5JbMME17xzl2f_mPAL-5X8lzPBrjbDpL8obJddGxkcQS2BFD9jmaZ2aC0UVkt2hYo5iqvh54HZqHe77MQbeUQizGER3CKwXU/s400/20160420_164942.jpg" width="271" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">So it may be hard to see, but this is a high</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> shine finish (looks like oil - that's my reflection).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> The figures are cut outs with a beautiful </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">end paper underneath. It's understated but<br />cool! I also like that it has 'no title' aka<br />Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black.<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Margaret K. McElderry Books</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzell-6tIc8qAzec0DsRnoTf2sT4t6eS69VYbwt6B23L5x29kYaLpcX3hFgvSs98kaUi7F0EzUVUZbTeItK3N7vnYiBRygATaXNPNxNsNb5E-PlSEZ9oY6oNPfj7MKAG5204qYF4DzAA/s1600/20160420_165132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzell-6tIc8qAzec0DsRnoTf2sT4t6eS69VYbwt6B23L5x29kYaLpcX3hFgvSs98kaUi7F0EzUVUZbTeItK3N7vnYiBRygATaXNPNxNsNb5E-PlSEZ9oY6oNPfj7MKAG5204qYF4DzAA/s400/20160420_165132.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Okay so this is a book I found by accident and it is<br /> just beautiful. Look at the cover for one - <br />the photo is lovely, the models are<br />relaxed which is hard to do and the title is awesome!<br />Razorbill<br /><br />This book gets special treatment with a look inside <br />because it is brilliant. A visual love story, it is a great mix<br />of photography, written pieces and interesting spreads.<br />Really great for art lovers!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfLQzmrjHfZIaT3i3S_bcJCP14rbgz4BFdbE9qbBhD20Be7LrdFRWEyQx7emUKcj1b54OKDlvsJ8G8L-GxtztP38cy9Sb795mS8ypydOt84ziziLKVF49RsrFBnkVKDTF2Z-Dy-2P8cA/s1600/20160420_165223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfLQzmrjHfZIaT3i3S_bcJCP14rbgz4BFdbE9qbBhD20Be7LrdFRWEyQx7emUKcj1b54OKDlvsJ8G8L-GxtztP38cy9Sb795mS8ypydOt84ziziLKVF49RsrFBnkVKDTF2Z-Dy-2P8cA/s400/20160420_165223.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzN18zmibrZ8pMMYo68zMpLLTHBrKOqSIzsUVFIUnXc2JxRFGloTSRL9e3DUG4gc4YXzNJDRrGWRvUIU6aXXtKg9DgdomayrUapRTAmPeFcnyjRg7gheUTuAq7LsBAK-f7hpSmsaPLk8/s1600/20160420_165231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzN18zmibrZ8pMMYo68zMpLLTHBrKOqSIzsUVFIUnXc2JxRFGloTSRL9e3DUG4gc4YXzNJDRrGWRvUIU6aXXtKg9DgdomayrUapRTAmPeFcnyjRg7gheUTuAq7LsBAK-f7hpSmsaPLk8/s400/20160420_165231.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh285E7EtNg4L6wIkVS9lC1qYvE6Fm-2SrqDbRr9WL4H4VD7XVpzsMFmUh0Rc7e7SA5uX1oIQtTi5AEo8-bzDxOgx2tt0_y0mIJ56MONJbnffcQ66ElLx0YE8xBNIeCbhyphenhyphenpfcPu0sQFC8A/s1600/20160420_165242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh285E7EtNg4L6wIkVS9lC1qYvE6Fm-2SrqDbRr9WL4H4VD7XVpzsMFmUh0Rc7e7SA5uX1oIQtTi5AEo8-bzDxOgx2tt0_y0mIJ56MONJbnffcQ66ElLx0YE8xBNIeCbhyphenhyphenpfcPu0sQFC8A/s400/20160420_165242.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRSe-t3tD5EcYnUABETk6haBFkPE1YUjrOo786LRslRw3HyUOhipsWwBvfLc3ROfl7vqA_IpPsWzvO6npWIgDl39nDoEFot_5xzMQ2cL5SHMPt6ebAUjppu1B93Dxkd38u5zPq6HQzmQ/s1600/20160420_165255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRSe-t3tD5EcYnUABETk6haBFkPE1YUjrOo786LRslRw3HyUOhipsWwBvfLc3ROfl7vqA_IpPsWzvO6npWIgDl39nDoEFot_5xzMQ2cL5SHMPt6ebAUjppu1B93Dxkd38u5zPq6HQzmQ/s400/20160420_165255.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGquOVv8mCh20hNAWj6bptjGwvqxN6CHqGRNwfk8IX2e4qMbOzOOi_LD8LfWWCElKmqB78JOeqbQ_aQiThlt-7cbw3xTWPuy8cZL17Ym1JdXePpCyQT4mkg9eeu1HxvuPMrA8lH3g7cg/s1600/20160420_171729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGquOVv8mCh20hNAWj6bptjGwvqxN6CHqGRNwfk8IX2e4qMbOzOOi_LD8LfWWCElKmqB78JOeqbQ_aQiThlt-7cbw3xTWPuy8cZL17Ym1JdXePpCyQT4mkg9eeu1HxvuPMrA8lH3g7cg/s400/20160420_171729.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Firstly, the image is very cool. Really like</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> the exposure and saturation of the image,<br />and the wibbly effect of the writing really</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> accurately reflects the themes throughout</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> the book of patchy memory etc.<br />Hot Key Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyi-dQ9fUZx6nqxgSC_JvZXC-vHObCHh-C2ansXER84qSWL-wSFUKNdOYFLitq_9uH1hnSpel3CqonxVA7-LxjI94IzJt4qrA2rhQzUz1rtIB6sZTTLwnCKoLabpyujEuykHdKbHf_t4/s1600/20160420_172540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyi-dQ9fUZx6nqxgSC_JvZXC-vHObCHh-C2ansXER84qSWL-wSFUKNdOYFLitq_9uH1hnSpel3CqonxVA7-LxjI94IzJt4qrA2rhQzUz1rtIB6sZTTLwnCKoLabpyujEuykHdKbHf_t4/s400/20160420_172540.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">This seems to be on everyone's shelfies -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> and I can see why. This photo perfectly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> sums up</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> the feel of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">the book - the title </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">placement is </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">genius and it feels like </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">an Irvine Welsh </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">cover!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Penguin </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf8u_agUTkvhEnm6butXF77toQ0kkyLvJYJiaJ6pquE5xsmEVH4ur6xv0p2igKKm3OxcCbFYDpPFlMYrJVpfDDIe8juyl4CNxu-aYr-JTicMnE1nGeNbvY5MlJ65SYuT122tpAuzYU3M/s1600/20160420_172734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf8u_agUTkvhEnm6butXF77toQ0kkyLvJYJiaJ6pquE5xsmEVH4ur6xv0p2igKKm3OxcCbFYDpPFlMYrJVpfDDIe8juyl4CNxu-aYr-JTicMnE1nGeNbvY5MlJ65SYuT122tpAuzYU3M/s400/20160420_172734.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Love the stark white background with the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">massively colourful inverted title. So pretty! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Corgi </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYY2gzwdTk9TScTm3NPuiqpC_x_vsYPE8ZvxAUpzjAhaIvivI_ekDjBBqmPuiyifdzXzAwVQvjR2SG-fxEwDqVbTQAI2XEB_Yrst3Dk88D-hZLn01iVjpJVqmPmASXq8aDL3Zx0863PJA/s1600/20160420_172843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYY2gzwdTk9TScTm3NPuiqpC_x_vsYPE8ZvxAUpzjAhaIvivI_ekDjBBqmPuiyifdzXzAwVQvjR2SG-fxEwDqVbTQAI2XEB_Yrst3Dk88D-hZLn01iVjpJVqmPmASXq8aDL3Zx0863PJA/s400/20160420_172843.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Simple but massively effective, I just<br />really like the muted colour palette here<br />and the placement of the text. Understated<br />but impactful for me. <br />Bloomsbury </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Series </b>- because it's hard to get one cover right, let alone doing it multiple times. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuG1O8qlmPnNEEOzpV1kS8ZL327D7d6D3pwhtasVjr2y47p3C-9SAZ7hNb99_rvk6cw19aw3nlrwGQXodstpPP6qDJF3U0C255OWtRoV7IQay7jSmPHwXmR1EWTRHOZZhyphenhyphenm2GVyY-J4s/s1600/20160420_165607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuG1O8qlmPnNEEOzpV1kS8ZL327D7d6D3pwhtasVjr2y47p3C-9SAZ7hNb99_rvk6cw19aw3nlrwGQXodstpPP6qDJF3U0C255OWtRoV7IQay7jSmPHwXmR1EWTRHOZZhyphenhyphenm2GVyY-J4s/s640/20160420_165607.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">These are really great covers that truly capture the essence of the book.<br />Not sure why they changes the style halfway through but I think I prefer<br />the Dickensian style cover of the far left. The illustration style across<br />all though is superb.<br />Hot Key Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7PE6xYczzlRg7c9yBPZYNl0wIbjhGU_iVYA1HHTJm0FpeQtGF76hyNOAgombnDhCV7VJcGPZ-2NpihXmo1u3ieltXlPcq-TUa-gflZ6-Lttm2bTohJbbGUlUOLXDQbsJ3S4U2qz3Bjc/s1600/20160420_170001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7PE6xYczzlRg7c9yBPZYNl0wIbjhGU_iVYA1HHTJm0FpeQtGF76hyNOAgombnDhCV7VJcGPZ-2NpihXmo1u3ieltXlPcq-TUa-gflZ6-Lttm2bTohJbbGUlUOLXDQbsJ3S4U2qz3Bjc/s640/20160420_170001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Nicely tapping into the inspirational meme aesthetic here, these covers are young<br />but interesting and not too literal. Really like the vibrant but not overly saturated colours.<br />Hot Key Books </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrscv8vfIbAlMHl2q3CilJuA9fx3YhSnHvoZ-jokNuw0LliOoU35zxawNlo1LtCwkWnwl8LGYCwSA6VANvONVZ7gsFozl89I-Gc8dYCdvMb3qmi8XfDoqCtPpd7xa_D4J-rOF2xAvoz4/s1600/20160420_170406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrscv8vfIbAlMHl2q3CilJuA9fx3YhSnHvoZ-jokNuw0LliOoU35zxawNlo1LtCwkWnwl8LGYCwSA6VANvONVZ7gsFozl89I-Gc8dYCdvMb3qmi8XfDoqCtPpd7xa_D4J-rOF2xAvoz4/s640/20160420_170406.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I love that these look like old travel posters with a pop-art edge. Get on my shelf now!<br />Walker </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4169KhQiHpBHZkuZ1QfyFChxxNNL3ZoZdfxKZYhjw1PoJ-tHgsizt2zcGc68JWHr00jxo3q0qbiNCt9lq_ACKwivmFN0E7AWI14sNUnS7DYT_1jFb-6jxrd6hRvdewSJ4XZVJX1MrAg/s1600/20160420_170713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4169KhQiHpBHZkuZ1QfyFChxxNNL3ZoZdfxKZYhjw1PoJ-tHgsizt2zcGc68JWHr00jxo3q0qbiNCt9lq_ACKwivmFN0E7AWI14sNUnS7DYT_1jFb-6jxrd6hRvdewSJ4XZVJX1MrAg/s640/20160420_170713.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Does anything really need to be said? Stunning!<br />I know the old saying is don't judge a book by its cover, but I judge these most highly! <br />I have since bought the first book because I simply have to have them!<br />Curious Fox </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh750nBduzOX6q6-IuexXBI0fJIXaXx7iIh_r6A8MfPiBiVFKOz4ScJzSshPsf7KsKm0e31kA3TCKCMtheZhKu1irkvtwrG1sbbZHgNcM8V2fFlgkUYk7epAjMLvjjSyG_2kJFUZr6AHyA/s1600/20160420_170810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh750nBduzOX6q6-IuexXBI0fJIXaXx7iIh_r6A8MfPiBiVFKOz4ScJzSshPsf7KsKm0e31kA3TCKCMtheZhKu1irkvtwrG1sbbZHgNcM8V2fFlgkUYk7epAjMLvjjSyG_2kJFUZr6AHyA/s640/20160420_170810.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Yet another beautiful use of colour - the watercolour effect is inspired<br /> (often cover designers hand paint these).<br />Harper Collins </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI76SO362_BjTaKxfWE55Zl-0bsWx3A0J4W_6xjY5G1GEMpeOb8q4wAWyvRyy57Nu-kgt4Q4w4iEatMGbL1vMkLFxEty9agQSUnnGWIwWyWY8sAHlc-uLy0x9XdcjR-YId123bgPI3LQ/s1600/20160420_171036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI76SO362_BjTaKxfWE55Zl-0bsWx3A0J4W_6xjY5G1GEMpeOb8q4wAWyvRyy57Nu-kgt4Q4w4iEatMGbL1vMkLFxEty9agQSUnnGWIwWyWY8sAHlc-uLy0x9XdcjR-YId123bgPI3LQ/s640/20160420_171036.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Call me a contemporary snob, but often contemp covers can be boring<br />and a bit two a penny. These are anything but - simple, classy and nailing that<br />very hard to do trope of having a person on the front cover. Bravo,<br />Scholastic </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFA0xNfmqAwtSXYlAQtLst8YESQFmP1ws625vEqLf6eyN8p9JiETLpI5M7MguAn5CWYbK_4g1jyq3zsizPf5fAAAQBrgDG1c86UeZ4pftVR207D0xCbBbPdFVEOdZwFmtQ7awKvQRZNNY/s1600/20160420_171856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="547" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFA0xNfmqAwtSXYlAQtLst8YESQFmP1ws625vEqLf6eyN8p9JiETLpI5M7MguAn5CWYbK_4g1jyq3zsizPf5fAAAQBrgDG1c86UeZ4pftVR207D0xCbBbPdFVEOdZwFmtQ7awKvQRZNNY/s640/20160420_171856.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Love the popping use of colour here, the simple style and the<br />recurrence of the same palette and styles through unrelated books.<br /> I like when authors' books have a running style, it makes the such collectors items.<br />Andersen Press</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkwaK7cQH0H_U2mBSmqAzg9tYuOUegZI_7pdyHclInf4gANM4zAah2kEbDEjcrEilaVT397uResdIuD_-9iyDmkNchRNA-gJFn6S0sX5E2d61-ky30A66fZR7iXV_Cd344HkwqglohLI/s1600/20160420_172456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkwaK7cQH0H_U2mBSmqAzg9tYuOUegZI_7pdyHclInf4gANM4zAah2kEbDEjcrEilaVT397uResdIuD_-9iyDmkNchRNA-gJFn6S0sX5E2d61-ky30A66fZR7iXV_Cd344HkwqglohLI/s640/20160420_172456.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Another gorgeous and certainly hand-painted series, I personally think the newly<br />released Raven King is the best in the series with that deep blue. Plus I love deer!<br />Scholastic </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWdfNpha7bzFX1z13dDUGJ8SaEWj-1rCUjviSPZyopsviL_bcxQecr7fjhre-j7Dx72cc9KC_gZseXYBoMZ1IOP8UEU6IJTNIZBNVS-aECIxj584OQghFLl7Ntq21SiU0aJkhZ1Bv3fU/s1600/20160420_172808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWdfNpha7bzFX1z13dDUGJ8SaEWj-1rCUjviSPZyopsviL_bcxQecr7fjhre-j7Dx72cc9KC_gZseXYBoMZ1IOP8UEU6IJTNIZBNVS-aECIxj584OQghFLl7Ntq21SiU0aJkhZ1Bv3fU/s640/20160420_172808.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Brilliantly dark, this series is about cannibals. Not that you'd know it overtly from<br />the cover, but you know something isn't quite right. Love the tag lines too!<br />The illustration style is great - love the use of shadows in the first cover<br />and the hue of pinky/red in the second.<br />Hot Key Books</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayaNaLK9LrJWwKAtn9DO2FZzzGZ9Szi6WFg1WNZeYuaXIf9nZbyWTDANpL4GYf9LTpOwdehypQYPy2PsSfegNu-c_5RA90Eu7OWE3BxJNohjUN1wjMGuPvQRxUuVd6o94vTObW-JL-lk/s1600/20160420_172113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayaNaLK9LrJWwKAtn9DO2FZzzGZ9Szi6WFg1WNZeYuaXIf9nZbyWTDANpL4GYf9LTpOwdehypQYPy2PsSfegNu-c_5RA90Eu7OWE3BxJNohjUN1wjMGuPvQRxUuVd6o94vTObW-JL-lk/s640/20160420_172113.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Not a series, but similarly to Susin Nielsen's books, these designs are cohesive<br />but not a pair. What isn't there to love about <i>Trouble </i>and <i>Remix</i>'s bright colourful palette screams summer festival.<br />Walker</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Examples of what not to do -</b> these covers hit certain tropes that I just really can't stand. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB7EAG_x4ZJd091RX8WGvBbUDY1ihh2-ECTI_LSwYm3Wms8Yy01IVz2vxkvh8ttZktvy05lY4zAqNkz13YxQh4kJl7TpZQtF-1bo9VccC_5QipZkVFmft6WUbQE10lE_DLIsPfdcCX6g/s1600/20160420_164923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB7EAG_x4ZJd091RX8WGvBbUDY1ihh2-ECTI_LSwYm3Wms8Yy01IVz2vxkvh8ttZktvy05lY4zAqNkz13YxQh4kJl7TpZQtF-1bo9VccC_5QipZkVFmft6WUbQE10lE_DLIsPfdcCX6g/s400/20160420_164923.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I hear many a good thing about this<br />book/series, but the cover just turns<br />me right off. The odd person staring<br />out from the cover with the hugely<br />foreboding background is just bleh.<br />Also, the font looks really amateur to<br />me, but that's just my opinion. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFu3MFG4qMtchSmy1CGx_DrAF6SDKhqmJYnzvggNwiQbDdVavXZJlYhgCOsMs7XRQjf2s0eLkDS2xewlEygcu_-rwmUQjrR_j5wNj7-c__gzVqiYYdUfJ_qOh8xPAtUFFabnVNberHbio/s1600/20160420_165036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFu3MFG4qMtchSmy1CGx_DrAF6SDKhqmJYnzvggNwiQbDdVavXZJlYhgCOsMs7XRQjf2s0eLkDS2xewlEygcu_-rwmUQjrR_j5wNj7-c__gzVqiYYdUfJ_qOh8xPAtUFFabnVNberHbio/s400/20160420_165036.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Again, I feel quite amateurish - like I could<br />put this together with paint myself.<br />Again, I hear great things about the book<br />but the cover doesn't make me want to<br />buy it. I have since seen re-worked versions<br />of this cover which are much better. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MnarnJm5kn9S92wTUZYDoNNfSa53-qQN_mLdoRSvZjPXlAJitlP0-2ONfoChvnGycNde8AbZifaI89ns5J2HJ1YF1rAa0uApbVwgw8ND96wtTe96Edv4g8NCgIWfbWqFU3H6Jb5-Byg/s1600/20160420_165808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MnarnJm5kn9S92wTUZYDoNNfSa53-qQN_mLdoRSvZjPXlAJitlP0-2ONfoChvnGycNde8AbZifaI89ns5J2HJ1YF1rAa0uApbVwgw8ND96wtTe96Edv4g8NCgIWfbWqFU3H6Jb5-Byg/s400/20160420_165808.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Sigh... TV/Movie tie-in covers...<br />I can forgive <i>Beautiful Creatures </i>because<br />the cast is so awesome and the styling<br />is great, but generally I dislike them.<br />I understand why we do them, I just<br />personally chose not to own them.<br />The newest TMI cover is just... eugh...<br />not good! Angsty image of Clary<br />looking intense. I don't like the show anyway,<br />so highly unlikely to like the cover. Sorry!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4Vw2d6J6p9w_IykT18svptAAAbiUp39qRxeWWcgM3CyNLPFnoH4Md0zT2S5knhau7BmhXMMVHAzxVDHtyZx2Uiai__kgqw5P0SwG_TjkwVk-WqnInn6ZHZgETz5CqR_Z8ES-fFCUiyk/s1600/20160420_170531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4Vw2d6J6p9w_IykT18svptAAAbiUp39qRxeWWcgM3CyNLPFnoH4Md0zT2S5knhau7BmhXMMVHAzxVDHtyZx2Uiai__kgqw5P0SwG_TjkwVk-WqnInn6ZHZgETz5CqR_Z8ES-fFCUiyk/s400/20160420_170531.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">This one isn't that bad, I like the contrast<br />of colour etc. but it's just a bit cliché<br />and unoriginal. It looks like a bad<br />romance novel my auntie would read<br />on holiday. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9NrBM0_3vy1lNoiQuB7g4xgv2bnyUh1qkvFHdmS36yHq9KT99HrAgcLQD08QmK29IaJZxZV8ThfaVuX_fPFkOTJ7oKmg0an0Qmi-kk69h6T4jSf-l4zeyuQh0qdCoY71oLI6erfLUqc/s1600/20160420_170917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9NrBM0_3vy1lNoiQuB7g4xgv2bnyUh1qkvFHdmS36yHq9KT99HrAgcLQD08QmK29IaJZxZV8ThfaVuX_fPFkOTJ7oKmg0an0Qmi-kk69h6T4jSf-l4zeyuQh0qdCoY71oLI6erfLUqc/s400/20160420_170917.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Eugh... see all of the above.<br />I know he's dead, but could they have any<br />less connection/chemistry? </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So those are my thoughts on book covers out at the moment (or those I could find in the YA section of Foyles, Charing Cross). Do you agree/disagree with any of these? Which is your favourite? Any gorgeous covers just come out/due? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Let me know in the comment below! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Bookish love, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Rachel xx</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-55745868925241716192016-05-30T02:46:00.001-07:002016-05-30T02:51:36.416-07:002016 UKYA Book Blogger Awards Winners<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The day is here, the winners of 2016 #awardukyabbloggers have been announced. So without further ado, here are your winners: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtypMFvCBbhhH79CnPTzbljYAr6OWuQXZ8dRJ-4syZyy-mHn043bxTeRAjlTH1G6Ti10hBNMYmKFfWqnG1ReN6cESXknI2h63yxJiD6QUdQcZH0FptM-PLtqleHg9C85Z9rHxgNIakpTw/s1600/giphy+%25281%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtypMFvCBbhhH79CnPTzbljYAr6OWuQXZ8dRJ-4syZyy-mHn043bxTeRAjlTH1G6Ti10hBNMYmKFfWqnG1ReN6cESXknI2h63yxJiD6QUdQcZH0FptM-PLtqleHg9C85Z9rHxgNIakpTw/s640/giphy+%25281%2529.gif" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Here is the breakdown of each award, with 2nd and 3rd places also and links to all the blogs/channels: </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Adult Blogger</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/" target="_blank">Winner – Michelle - Tales Of Yesterday</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.yayeahyeah.com/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Jim – YAYeahYeah</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://thedarkdictator.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">3rd Place – Sally - The Dark Dictator</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<b style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Teen Blogger</b><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themilelongbookshelf.com/" target="_blank">Winner – Amber - The Mile Long Bookshelf</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themilelongbookshelf.com/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Lucy - Queen of Contemporary</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.teenbookhoots.co.uk/" target="_blank">3rd Place - Georgia Dalton - TeenBookHoots</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Blogger Spirit Award</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/" target="_blank">Winner – Michelle - Tales Of Yesterday</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Viv - Serendipity Reviews</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://queenofcontemporary.com/" target="_blank">3rd Place - Lucy - Queen of Contemporary</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Male Blogger</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.yayeahyeah.com/" target="_blank">Winner – Jim – YAYeahYeah</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://georgelesterwrites.com/" target="_blank">2nd Place – George Lester</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://thepewterwolf.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">3rd Place - Andrew – The Pewter Wolf</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Female Blogger</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://almostamazinggrace.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Winner – Grace - Almost Amazing Grace</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Michelle - Tales Of Yesterday</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://helloiammariam.com/" target="_blank">3rd Place - Miriam - Hello I Am Miriam</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Team / Co-op Blog</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/" target="_blank">Winner – Serendipity Reviews</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Bookish Brits</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://bigbookproject.co.uk/" target="_blank">3rd Place - The Big Book Project</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Marvellous Blogger Award</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://almostamazinggrace.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Winner – Grace - Almost Amazing Grace</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Michelle - Tales Of Yesterday</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://lunaslittlelibrary.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">3rd Place - Luna - Luna's Little Library</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Overseas Blogger</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://paperfury.com/" target="_blank">Winner – Cait - Paper Fury</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Jamie - The Perpetual Page-Turner</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://lilisreflections.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">3rd Place - Lili - Lili's Reflections</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Booktuber</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/bumblingbibliophile" target="_blank">Winner – Lucy - Queen of Contemporary</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/GesterG91" target="_blank">2nd Place – George Lester</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/GesterG91" target="_blank">3rd Place - Stevie - SableCaught</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best on Social Media</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ChelleyToy?lang=en-gb" target="_blank">Winner – Michelle - Tales Of Yesterday</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/helloiammariam?lang=en-gb" target="_blank">2nd Place – Mariam - Hello I Am Mariam</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Yayeahyeah?lang=en-gb" target="_blank">3rd Place - Jim – YAYeahYeah</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Oldtimer</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themilelongbookshelf.com/" target="_blank">Winner – Amber - The Mile Long Bookshelf</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Viv - Serendipity Reviews</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://queenofcontemporary.com/" target="_blank">3rd Place - Lucy - Queen of Contemporary</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Growing Blogger</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/" target="_blank">Winner – Michelle - Tales Of Yesterday</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Virginie - Chouett Blog</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://writer-on-wheels.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">3rd Place - Chloe - Writer-On- Wheels</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Newcomer</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://bookloverjo.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Winner – Jo Clarke - Booklover Jo</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://ninjasreadtoo.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">2nd Place – Hannah Ha - Ninjas Reads Too</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3rd Place - Cintia – Reflectionofthebooks</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Best Blogger Feature</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.yayeahyeah.com/2016/05/6degrees-only-ever-yours-to-guest-post_28.html" target="_blank">Winner – 6 Degrees - YAYeahYeah</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/2016/05/secret-serendipity-seven-with-er-murray.html" target="_blank">2nd Place – Secret Serendipity Seven & Blogger Island Books - Serendipity Reviews</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.serendipityreviews.co.uk/2016/05/secret-serendipity-seven-with-er-murray.html" target="_blank">3rd Place - Looks on Books - Casey Ann / Dark Readers</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So those are all the brilliant winners and runners up! Congrats everyone! </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here are some amazing stats here about this year's Awards: </span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Something like </span><b style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">30hrs+</b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> were spent backstage putting the awards together.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">More than </span><b style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">100 nominations</b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> were put forward…</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">28 UKYA Bloggers made the longlist</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">33 UKYA Bloggers were on the shortlist</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over </span><b style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">2600 votes</b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> were cast in 14 categories</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There were </span><b style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">16 lovely helpers </b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><b>1 host</b><br />Massive thank you and well done to Luna at Luna's Little Library for hosting this year! </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tonight (Monday 30th May) at 6pm there is going to be an epic Book Lover / Awards Twitter Party </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and you are all invited!</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP36QuY7Jb4pr_D-TkQc3s90SBocwclP5QYoNEoGZUkSurLKJLzJFjpTYAa1LWjjyyjJuQz_ST8v1kPEE5d-1lSZGJZ1niuVCycaMI8qTrLRd1G0BdYp2w6Uxwvkoh2qmLw4oC5OQZADI/s1600/awardukyabbloggersPARTY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP36QuY7Jb4pr_D-TkQc3s90SBocwclP5QYoNEoGZUkSurLKJLzJFjpTYAa1LWjjyyjJuQz_ST8v1kPEE5d-1lSZGJZ1niuVCycaMI8qTrLRd1G0BdYp2w6Uxwvkoh2qmLw4oC5OQZADI/s640/awardukyabbloggersPARTY.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-5709586464885844092016-05-20T01:40:00.001-07:002016-05-20T01:40:52.661-07:00UKYA Book Blogger Awards 2016 - with a really insane, massively pleasant surprise! <span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hello all book loving people! I'm in a pretty stellar mood as I type this, because as of right now t</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he <span style="color: #660000;">UKYA Book Blogger Awards 2016 are OPEN!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: #20124d;">And not only are they open,<span style="color: magenta;"> </span><span style="color: magenta;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">I made the longlist!</span> </strong></span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: white;">Gaaahfdjrjsfisjihsfih! What is the world?!</span> </span><br />
<br />
<strong></strong></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Fuav5Cw1yH6Fr_tOduOcm9SSfAMPpticuXTK7zEpBu_mWraXuIPJsfcDB-Rdl0j3IE3aXjDmszcH5BtWV5CoEzNE-YtY7ojdB4Xd7uc-HammKCRHOyPg0JlB0PZ0h_XDuX0lc5SR2qA/s1600/gif-jaw-drop.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Fuav5Cw1yH6Fr_tOduOcm9SSfAMPpticuXTK7zEpBu_mWraXuIPJsfcDB-Rdl0j3IE3aXjDmszcH5BtWV5CoEzNE-YtY7ojdB4Xd7uc-HammKCRHOyPg0JlB0PZ0h_XDuX0lc5SR2qA/s1600/gif-jaw-drop.gif" /></a></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: #20124d;"><strong>
<br />
</strong>This means someone out there in the universe (because it certainly wasn't me) went onto an online form and thought of this blog as worthy of recognition or praise. And I am absolutely floored! <br /><br />This blog started out as random ramblings about the books I loved and a way to talk to some fun people about our mutual interests. Sadly I don't get to spend half as much time on here as I would like, but<span style="color: #660000;"> it's incredible to be recognised for the work that has gone in thus far</span>. Here's to many more posts to come and lots of yabbering about amazing books!<br /><br /> I am absolutely over the moon about being on the longlist, along with 25 other amazing</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"> bloggers who received substantial nominations but did not make it to the shortlist round. If you go check out </span><a href="https://lunaslittlelibrary.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/vote-for-your-favourite-ukya-book-bloggers-awardukyabbloggers/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #20124d;">Luna's post</span></a><span style="color: #20124d;"> on the shortlist, you'll see why. Such incredible bloggers made it, I'm just so happy to even be considered alongside them.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
So here's your <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>UKYA Book Blogger Awards LONGLIST 2016: </strong></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Annalise - Annalisebooks</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ben - Benjaminoftomes</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Charli - To Another World</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dani Reviews Things</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Denise - The Bibliolater</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Emma - Howling Reviews</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hollie - Hollieblog</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Holly - Lost in a Library</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Huriyah & Nalisha - SugarQuills</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"></span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jenny - Wondrous Reads</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jessica - Paper Utopia</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kaisha - The Writing Garnet)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Katie - queenofteenfiction</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Maia - maiaandlittlemoore</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Miss Meira Dee</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nicola - Nicola Reads YA</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Olivia Mitchell – Rewrite This Story</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>** Rachel Kennedy - Ya-bberingBooklover ** <br />This is totally me y'all! *Screams* </strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rebecca - Rebecca McCormick Authorial Blog</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rita - Weaving Pages</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sanne - booksandquills</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sophie - So Many Books, So Little Time</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stacey - The Pretty Books</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">YA Fictionados</span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">So now what? Well the shortlist has been announced so we need you to go and vote for your favourite UKYA Blogger!</span> </strong>C<span style="color: #660000;">lick </span></span><a href="http://wp.me/p2oSQx-3Vy" target="_blank"><span style="color: #20124d;">here</span></a><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="color: #660000;"> to vote over on <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Luna’s Little Library, the host of this year's UKYA Book Blogger Awards</span>.</span> When you do so, make sure you let us know about it on Twitter using </span><a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/awardukyabbloggers?src=hash"><span style="color: #20124d;"><s>#</s><b>awardukyabbloggers</b></span></a><span style="color: #20124d;">. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Voting closes on Friday 27 th May 2016.</span><br /><br />The UKYA blogging community are an absolutely lovely bunch who put so much time and effort into their work. It can be stress inducing and very difficult sometimes, as well as a huge joy and passion. So believe me when I say that voting and showing your love would mean so much to everyone! </span></span><span style="color: #20124d;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;">Happy voting!</span> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://wp.me/p2oSQx-3Vy" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Click here to vote over at Luna's Little Library" border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR18g4qB_T3I0ZFqNl-scP_hsgvU8pl5mg8l2CT47epNAZkY9E4z_QIeZMbnf6P-RShstnAfZyE4SEmu98JWdX45TUKct5RAB4_3c6-Hhx1RLLO36-qs59qP21s0Us-fbC5aDx4PcbdEY/s640/untitled.png" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="640" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";">Final Shout Out to all the helpers, spreading the UKYABBA love for this year: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Aditi @ A Thousand Words A Million Books</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Amy McCaw @ YA Under My Skin</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Andrew @ The Pewter Wolf</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Annalise @ AnnaliseBooks</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Aurelija @ myblinddatewithbooks</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chelley Toy @ Tales Of Yesterday</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chloe @ Writer-On- Wheels</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cintia @ Reflection of the Books</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Emma @ Howling Reviews</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Georgia Stencel @ The Books Bandit</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesse @ thatjessebloke</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kaavya @ outlookonabook</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kaisha @ thewritinggarnet</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rebecca @ Rebecca McCormick’s Authorial Blog</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Virginie @ Chouett</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<img height="26" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR18g4qB_T3I0ZFqNl-scP_hsgvU8pl5mg8l2CT47epNAZkY9E4z_QIeZMbnf6P-RShstnAfZyE4SEmu98JWdX45TUKct5RAB4_3c6-Hhx1RLLO36-qs59qP21s0Us-fbC5aDx4PcbdEY/s640/untitled.png" style="left: 102.11px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 1908.77px;" width="96" /><a href="https://lunaslittlelibrary.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/vote-for-your-favourite-ukya-book-bloggers-awardukyabbloggers/" target="_blank">https://lunaslittlelibrary.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/vote-for-your-favourite-ukya-book-bloggers-awardukyabbloggers/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5073509 -0.1277582999999822351.1912379 -0.77320529999998222 51.8234639 0.51768870000001777tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-65196640977470511632016-04-29T06:17:00.001-07:002016-04-29T06:17:32.754-07:00YALC 2016 Line-Up Reaction<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">YALC is wonderful! But you all know that already. Having followed and been to every single one since its inception (don't be too impressed, it's only in its 3rd year) I have seen it grow and change. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first year certainly had some hiccoughs (you couldn't hear the workshops, the seating in the auditorium area was a bit cramped, blah, blah, blah). But those niggles were made up for by an incredible line-up!</span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2015 was a marked improvement in logistics - separate venue with speakers, blocked off areas for workshops and the genius addition of an agents' area. It was obvious the organisers listened to the feedback of attendees in 2014 and we really appreciate it. With incredible names like Cassandra Clare and Judy Blume too (who I got to escort around the festival and help with her signing! I love my job!), it was even better than 2014. You can find my 2015 YALC highlights post <a href="http://ya-bberingbooklover.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/yalc-2015-key-takeaways-from-brilliant.html">here</a> for an even clearer idea and some pics below. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-5gtfKl13qHqtTmWkK2k-SWR0UugbfGg8wxkcPCYsXKkOQBMQkCvqP6kLPnBnVvED_jvLew0ZdZ8qrNjLRgBLMjksjT10QZNGoIoc29hBVvG5nPJ39r_j91rgsqAQpCWs3aYvbxYsYI/s1600/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-5gtfKl13qHqtTmWkK2k-SWR0UugbfGg8wxkcPCYsXKkOQBMQkCvqP6kLPnBnVvED_jvLew0ZdZ8qrNjLRgBLMjksjT10QZNGoIoc29hBVvG5nPJ39r_j91rgsqAQpCWs3aYvbxYsYI/s640/giphy.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YALC 2015 Highlights Reel </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This event is just heaven for a YA lover... obviously. </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This year's lineup just dropped and it is looking amazing! Here are some of the authors I'm really excited about seeing: </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">Malorie Blackman - </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My goddess! I have a signed first edition of <i>Chasing the Stars</i> but screw it, I'm going to get her to sign it again! Shakespeare panel methinks? </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Melvin Burgess - </span></b></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So this year marks the 20th anniversary of Melvin's iconic <i>Junk</i>. Having seen him and Malorie on a panel together before, I know that he is so widely respected and a great speaker. He'll be high on my to-see list!</span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Keren David </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;">- Keren is o</span></span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">ne of my favourite contemporary YA authors and I've been sad she hasn't been included in the past. I</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"> was firmly </span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">#TeamSalvage for last year's YA Prize and also loved <i>This Is Not A Love Story. </i>I really cannot wait to hear what Keren's been up to! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Patrick Ness - </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;">Last year I saw Patrick in conversation with Judy Blume and he was an incredible speaker and compare. I can't wait to hear him talk about the adaptation of </span><i style="color: #4c1130;">A Monster Calls</i><span style="color: #4c1130;">. With the actor playing Connor coming as well! </span></span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">V.E Schwabb - </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All anyone talks about this year is V.E Schwabb. Looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is - I discovered <i>Red Queen </i>last year so here's hoping for another amazing discovery in 2016. </span><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Alwyn Hamilton - </b></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How much did we all love <i>Rebel of the Sands</i>? A lot! Wickedly excited, hope there will be a debut panel! </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Lauren James - </span></b></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the nicest authors you'll ever meet, Lauren is an absolutely gem and a fellow Nottingham Alum. Her debut novel <i>The Next Together </i>is YA's answer to <i>Outlander - </i>another for the debut panel I hope!</span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Juno Dawson - </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;">With Lisa Williamson also on the playbill and a lot of debate about representing trans and non-gender conforming characters occurring last year, I am sincerely looking forward to seeing what topics Juno will be discussing. Also,</span></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Juno rocked serious Daenerys cosplay last year. I am sincerely hoping that another stellar costume is in store.</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Lucy Saxon - </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;">Speaking of cosplay, Lucy's incredible outfits are always a highlight of YALC. She has assured me via Twitter that she has some amazing pieces prepped for this year too! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison -</span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;"> Love the work by these two and can't wait to hear what they're getting up to. Having seen them both at the YA Book Prize Blogger Drinks, their new book <i>Freshers</i> sounds so exciting. Often the first year of university to relegated to NA smut novels, so really nice to see Rainbow Rowell and Tom & Lucy exploring this area. YA readers aren't just in high school and college you know *cough, turning 26 this month, cough* </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Non Pratt -</span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;"> simply because Non is awesome! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Sara Barnard - </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;">I really loved </span><i style="color: #4c1130;">Beautiful Broken Things </i><span style="color: #4c1130;">and am just excited to hear Sara speak. The fact that she's joining Holly Bourne and other to talk about Squad Goals just makes it all the better. Sign me up! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Pete Kalu - </span></b></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pete is an author you might now have heard of, but he is published by <a href="http://www.hoperoadpublishing.com/about">HopeRoad,</a> an indie who specialise on voices often marginalised in the media from Africa, Asian and the Caribbean. Having worked with Pete professionally in the past, I know him to be a wonderfully eloquent, passionate and lovely author. His book </span><i style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Being Me by Adele Vialu </i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">had some insightful things to say about race and what it is to be a woman, and Pete is very passionate about writing POCs accurately. I predict a great panel on identity in our future... To get an idea of Pete's ideas, check out this piece he did for the Guardian </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/sep/16/pete-kalus-top-tips-for-writing-non-cliched-multicultural-characters"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">on </span>writing non-cliched multicultural characters.<span id="goog_2060875923"></span><span id="goog_2060875924"></span></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Nat Luurtsema - </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;">I heard Nat read from her new book </span><i style="color: #4c1130;">Girl Out of Water </i><span style="color: #4c1130;">at the Walker Blogger Brunch last year and she is milk out the nose funny! </span></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As well as an established author, Nat is a Bafta-nominated screen writer and comic so this is gonna be good...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Another Harry Potter Day - </span></b><span style="color: #4c1130;">last year was awesome, I'm just hoping that we get some different activities and fun things that aren't a replay of last year. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So without just saying everything and everyone, this is who I am really looking forward to seeing. It's a cracking line-up that has a nice level of familiarity, friendly faces coming back and new exciting authors joining for the first time. </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With Hay's YA lineup quite a bit smaller this year, this is THE EVENT for YA lovers in 2016!</span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So I'm off to do this for a few hours and book my tickets, I suggest you do too! </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/90f108ffaa719f46144e6991fb6e08f9/tumblr_mg8ebp5eI51re752fo1_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/90f108ffaa719f46144e6991fb6e08f9/tumblr_mg8ebp5eI51re752fo1_400.gif" height="362" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-64844812718433503112016-04-25T06:07:00.002-07:002016-04-25T06:12:43.651-07:00Back on the Book Wagon - the hiatus is over! <span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Hello again book fans! After a 5 month hiatus, I am back to blogging again *cue the fanfare and screaming fans*. Maybe not... <br /><br />It's been a crazy few months (new job, moving to London, another new job) which has taken up most of my time and attention. But now life is calm I can once again wax lyrical about the one thing that never changes: my own and the collective love of books. In particular, YA! If you're reading this I assume you fall into that category, so welcome! <br /><br />I have read some incredible books over the past few months that haven't been given the shout outs they deserve. So here is a run down of what I really loved and why I think you'll love them too! </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41IksYDI69L._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>The Jewel </em>by Amy Ewing</strong> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41IksYDI69L._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41IksYDI69L._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is a book I picked up on a whim in a bookstore. I have been meaning to read a title in the rather over-populated genre of beautiful girl in a ball gown held captive by society in an alternate universe for a while now. I'd heard mixed reviews about <em>The Selection </em>and didn't overly love <em>Uglies </em>by Scott Westerfeld so I thought I'd give this a go. </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And I really liked it. At its core, it's pure indulgence. Like Twilight, you know you shouldn't like it because it's cheesy and falls into a whole load of tropes. But you do. I enjoyed the pacey action, the forbidden love, the characters who are far better formed than those in many other titles in this category. And I'm looking forward to reading the next one. That's as pure a recommendation as I can give for a series - that I will invest time finding out what happens. Plus, it has one killer cliff hanger! </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<strong><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">***</span></strong></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://s.s-bol.com/imgbase0/imagebase3/large/FC/9/0/2/2/9200000040292209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></a><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Rebel of the Sands </em>by Alwyn Hamilton </span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://s.s-bol.com/imgbase0/imagebase3/large/FC/9/0/2/2/9200000040292209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" aria-label="bol.com | Rebel of the Sands, Alwyn Hamilton | 9780571325252 | Boeken" border="0" src="http://s.s-bol.com/imgbase0/imagebase3/large/FC/9/0/2/2/9200000040292209.jpg" height="320" id="yui_3_5_1_2_1461586168731_442" width="208" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This title got a lot of love over Twittter, mainly because it had sick personalised proof covers with gold foil. That's not something publishers do very often, so Faber obviously really believed in this debut. And the hype is very much worth it. I sped through this in a few sittings, and found it to be a really refreshing genre mix of Western and Arabian Nights. A gun slinging, monster fighting, royal rebellion romp through the desert. <br /><br />I really enjoyed the bolshy female main character Amani - she's self-determining and a bit of a badass. Her relationship with the love interview/Prince/runaway bandit is actually really interesting, particularly as it does not follow the typical trajectory. As soon as I finished it, I wanted the next one immediately, which is a total bummer because Book 2 doesn't have a release date yet. Highly recommend, as does the rest of the YA world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong>****</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><em></em></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Beautiful Broken Things </em>by Sara Barnard </span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="clear: right; color: #4c1130; float: right; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1444049685l/25437747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1444049685l/25437747.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I asked a colleague to recommend me something that would give all the feels. She handed me this beautiful package. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My honest recommendation would be that <em>Beautiful Broken Things </em>is a great book for a genuine teenage reader. Barnard really beautifully captures the characters' voices, and it harked back to my own teenage years very clearly. Subjects like abuse, friendships, morality and self-worth are huge topics here dealt in a mature and provocative way. What's also great is that nothing is over-done. </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plot is slow, but purposefully so and reads like an account of something that genuinely happened and not like a forced plot, a sin that many YA Contemporary novels can fall into. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As such, I think this would be a 5 star read for someone between 14 - 17. At my slightly more mature mid-twenties, I really enjoyed it but didn't fall head over heels. It wasn't all the feels as I had hoped, but there were most definitely stirrings. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong>***</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VTPDCAq5L._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Red Queen </em>by Victoria Aveyard</span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VTPDCAq5L._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VTPDCAq5L._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is another interesting soft fantasy title akin to <em>The Jewel </em>and <em>Rebel of the Sands </em>(I really like this genre as you can tell). I had heard lots of good things at last year's YALC about this so picked it up as soon as I could. I didn't actually get round the reading it until Christmas but when I did, it made me kick myself for not getting to it sooner. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia";"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;">Mare, while not the most original of characters, is very readable and you instantly love everyone she cares for. She may possible fall into the Harry Potter pattern - great supporting cast, bit vanilla MC. What really shines in this book is the world building, the junior Game of Thrones feel to it and the powers! Oh the powers are so awesome, and Mare's unique ability and circumstances are another great dynamic to play with. The twists are epic, if not sometimes foreseeable, except the one right at the end. Wowsers! Definitely one to pick up if you enjoy YA fantasy that isn't too hardcore elves and orcs. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong>****</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia";"></span></strong><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://crimeandpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Laini-Taylor-Daughter-of-Smoke-and-Bone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia";"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Daughter of Smoke and Bone </em>by Laini Taylor </span></strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia";"></span></strong><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://crimeandpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Laini-Taylor-Daughter-of-Smoke-and-Bone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://crimeandpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Laini-Taylor-Daughter-of-Smoke-and-Bone.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;">It is a rare thing for me to give 5 stars to a book. If I give something 4 stars, I really, really enjoyed it. Call me a perfectionist, but I usually reserved 5 star status for things that set my world on fire and remain my favourite books of all time (<em>Noughts and Crosses, The Mortal Instruments series as a whole, and The Night Circus</em>). But I just can't give this 4 stars, it simply demands more. Is it perfection? No. But is it one of the most original, lyrically written without being heavy handed, compelling and heartbreaking things you'll read for a very long time? Hells yes! Not YA in the strictest of terms, but it would certainly be suitable for anyone 15/16 upwards. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia";"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: large;">Karou is a broody, fascinating character full of mystery and intrigue. Her home town of Prague is lovingly written about that makes me want to go there again, and the other worlds beyond our human dimension are well-developed and exotic. The supporting characters are also very interesting, and the world building, concept and plot are so original and simply put, just great! This is a wonderful title to pick up if you want to infuse a bit of magic, mystery and beauty into your life. This was another recommendation from a colleague, and it's one of the best reccs I've ever had. Do yourself a favour and go buy it now. I'll even give you the </span><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/daughter-of-smoke-and-bone/laini-taylor/9781444722659"><span style="font-size: large;">link.</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> Do it! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia";"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong>*****</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So that's it for now, a quick overview of what I've loved over the past few months. I would recommend all of them very highly! Keep your eyes peeled for more posts, coming soon... </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia";"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: x-large;">Bookish love, Rachel xx</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-70182136954649891842015-10-26T02:34:00.000-07:002015-10-26T02:57:56.301-07:00YAShot Blog Tour - Andy Robb Makes 'Em Laugh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Monday all! Today is my 2nd stop on the <a href="http://www.yashot.co.uk/" target="_blank">YAShot</a> blog tour, and I am thrilled to welcome Andy Robb, author of the Geekhood series on today. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For anyone who doesn't know, <a href="http://www.yashot.co.uk/" target="_blank">YAShot</a> is a one day YA festival taking place on Wednesday 28th October in Uxbridge, London. Andy is taking part in the Make ‘Em Laugh: Using humour to create empathy and understanding panel at 4.40pm – 5.40pm – Chaired by <a href="https://yashot.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/matt-whyman-the-httpsyashot-wordpress-comwp-adminpost-phppost434actioneditpost_namesavages-walking-with-sausage-dogs-boy-kills-man/">Matt Whyman</a> with <a href="https://yashot.wordpress.com/2015/05/24/ben-davis-the-private-blog-of-joe-cowley-return-of-the-geek-danny-dread/">Ben Davis</a>, <a href="https://yashot.wordpress.com/2015/05/16/cj-skuse-monster-dead-romantic-rockoholic/">Andy Robb</a> and <a href="https://yashot.wordpress.com/2015/05/16/cj-skuse-monster-dead-romantic-rockoholic/">CJ Skuse</a>. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So in order to look at the humour and fun of Andy's work (not to mention the geeky love of comics), we did something a bit different to normal Q&As. Hope you enjoy! </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Meet Andy Robb, author of the Geekhood series.</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwqtBom5k0Dl7LM9_ZvMBG0aWRCSWoY6Cbak13ICabhZIYuRDGTHwJIcGiW8WviL-Y8UjNNOpCErBrK4KqwpJPBtwqPpzr3jixoaTd0DCGuScKWWimm8PqQhSfo7KbfYY7Yh22AhLk7M/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+4.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwqtBom5k0Dl7LM9_ZvMBG0aWRCSWoY6Cbak13ICabhZIYuRDGTHwJIcGiW8WviL-Y8UjNNOpCErBrK4KqwpJPBtwqPpzr3jixoaTd0DCGuScKWWimm8PqQhSfo7KbfYY7Yh22AhLk7M/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+4.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
<strong><span style="color: #351c75;"></span></strong></span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">First up Andy, what inspired the Geekhood series?</span></strong><br /><br />The series was actually inspired by my first crush. I fell hopelessly in love with a girl in my class. In my eyes though, I didn’t stand a chance. The one saving grace was that we got to walk home together every day. As far as she was concerned, we were just friends. But for me, she was the dictionary definition of ‘perfect’.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSwL-g8ymDKbhtDLNk8PlBQlXBykg7vLpeLNRPTjibgWpV8xl3SBA99dYFnr468yCTpYwFf-8fyC4ai9Do-sKFsha3b95_eU1IKLo9vBdBu8SCsQjp8xFFKvk-wiR1wXgKY3iIjrWkBQ/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSwL-g8ymDKbhtDLNk8PlBQlXBykg7vLpeLNRPTjibgWpV8xl3SBA99dYFnr468yCTpYwFf-8fyC4ai9Do-sKFsha3b95_eU1IKLo9vBdBu8SCsQjp8xFFKvk-wiR1wXgKY3iIjrWkBQ/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;">So one afternoon we were walking home, and I must’ve been communicating how down I was, because she asked me what was up. She said, I know what it is, you fancy someone. Who is it? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihXS_F_oWH4IfD9XxOzIX4BE4ahqBjoyHVghMMhkLU9btFsxPkQHAiO7GR7HT7vUqp7-K-1RSkHXml99fpCkmEQE9UZtOJkFhrD3eFkzF3BvJTT6gvP-D9O2uUvmRm6NCBkPV2lMap8o/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihXS_F_oWH4IfD9XxOzIX4BE4ahqBjoyHVghMMhkLU9btFsxPkQHAiO7GR7HT7vUqp7-K-1RSkHXml99fpCkmEQE9UZtOJkFhrD3eFkzF3BvJTT6gvP-D9O2uUvmRm6NCBkPV2lMap8o/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+6.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;">And I told her, and I fainted.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVEKk946AAaUa3FG4MTG5MZT1skIolr6sjtXRff4C1eW1t0XnY0T__2clzflxNarb711Vp0QZIan9OlW5qGYSBrdvreRM04Uc7A1Rq4YRNaDDkP2zG_ouvDAvor5DsZR07KhmcESI3zU/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+10.jpg" width="458" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;"></span></strong><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;"></span></strong> </div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;">What were you like as a teenager?</span></strong></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;">I was a bit odd: a curious mix of introvert and extrovert. At the time I was discovering drama and took every opportunity to be on stage. </span><span style="color: #990000;">Amongst my friends I was the opposite and very withdrawn. It was a peculiar dichotomy that set the templates for Archie’s Inner and External Monologues.</span></span></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHoJh2VfCcF0SCpPaBAZrV-78wqN-M8c5MO6y0JVNVNSMDWUYAsUPpH9iV5VQA3DD9xnZfpVoIVnihVIOoHOJU6mzoRIkcrNacsyy0rXgKgmLhyphenhyphen4FDgYjv6O28Az9yTEMmSIZvUYZbBE/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHoJh2VfCcF0SCpPaBAZrV-78wqN-M8c5MO6y0JVNVNSMDWUYAsUPpH9iV5VQA3DD9xnZfpVoIVnihVIOoHOJU6mzoRIkcrNacsyy0rXgKgmLhyphenhyphen4FDgYjv6O28Az9yTEMmSIZvUYZbBE/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;"></span></strong></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">What geeky things were you into?</span></strong><br /><br />If I wasn’t rehearsing for a play, you’d find me bolted-up in my bedroom painting D&D miniatures or reading.<br /><br />I also loved Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Marvel Comics and Lord of the Rings.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8F8q_2QX2GMiXPhNv7luEbw8XYOQNuHchSnpm1rT1JO5fQmj5tEig7suE4_mUJvHCAB-7vwUWw3IijJcZD-F2G83U38kH5fTBQS8RZFPeM5dVUNpXq4lb4hwYa3Gmwf6S3bGa7UN9qc/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+5.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8F8q_2QX2GMiXPhNv7luEbw8XYOQNuHchSnpm1rT1JO5fQmj5tEig7suE4_mUJvHCAB-7vwUWw3IijJcZD-F2G83U38kH5fTBQS8RZFPeM5dVUNpXq4lb4hwYa3Gmwf6S3bGa7UN9qc/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+5.jpg" /></a><br /><br />All very mainstream now.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">What’s your geekiest secret?</span></strong><br /><br />There was the time I dyed myself green with food-colouring to go to a carnival as the Incredible Hulk. Great idea in theory but when the food colouring doesn’t wash off after 3 days and you look like a palid pea in school, the novelty tends to does wear a bit thin…</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDmg8IgtTLCQfOC_EBWcwn-DZPpPOVQfPeHc5cXLjfgMJXQDyQchNQxqoIs3E3u0a6n7zivZpyhttzpb9UxNGKc1-cwTavFXRAE4Oq3G4l1K4aLLGnMR8o-7MBkl5Mpv86sD7OYB4iaY/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDmg8IgtTLCQfOC_EBWcwn-DZPpPOVQfPeHc5cXLjfgMJXQDyQchNQxqoIs3E3u0a6n7zivZpyhttzpb9UxNGKc1-cwTavFXRAE4Oq3G4l1K4aLLGnMR8o-7MBkl5Mpv86sD7OYB4iaY/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+2.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Possibly my coolest geeky secret is that I auditioned for the part of Pippin in the Lord of the Ring and was trumped last minute by Billy Boyd.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-nEp3gZ4gks5eEbTh9lkYydOiDKDzTinThHgrOLp765ScFVdUvbnEo401Ki0IU0CE2a5T2kUsQjMPSchKs-Sm55rM3XbkxCwiQtSK4cgH2c8drdJSQnDGP8uANgmHJpcfA3Kp1T8Ox8/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+3.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-nEp3gZ4gks5eEbTh9lkYydOiDKDzTinThHgrOLp765ScFVdUvbnEo401Ki0IU0CE2a5T2kUsQjMPSchKs-Sm55rM3XbkxCwiQtSK4cgH2c8drdJSQnDGP8uANgmHJpcfA3Kp1T8Ox8/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+3.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">What role do you think humour has in creating/ understanding characters?</span></strong><br /><br /><br />I think humour is something intrinsic to us all: we all need to laugh. In creating a character, you want your readers to be able to relate to them and humour is one of the most communal aspects of the human psyche.<br /><br />Also a clown once told me that “laughter is a universal language” and I think there’s truth in that.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoCt8GkJjbjiV6_U0DVWiVMaT8ilfND5kYpdISXlA8ISfaLI0Im6JvkNsiY5SJXh94hyJo_js2tZcWoCranf51hWKsTscXHdFFGMVb9LR7dvDaIH5hT9qR4sWpdQcMlqCLATUjUFxxD0/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+1.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoCt8GkJjbjiV6_U0DVWiVMaT8ilfND5kYpdISXlA8ISfaLI0Im6JvkNsiY5SJXh94hyJo_js2tZcWoCranf51hWKsTscXHdFFGMVb9LR7dvDaIH5hT9qR4sWpdQcMlqCLATUjUFxxD0/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">What books inspired you as a kid?</span></strong></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></strong>The first book that made me aware that words could be funny was ‘Help! I’m a Prisoner in a Tooth Paste Factory’ by Jon Antrobus which I heard read-aloud on Jackanory.<br /><br />I loved it’s madness and cracking one-liners. His ‘The Boy with Illuminated Measles’ was another proud favourite of mine.<br /><br />From then on I was a worshipper at the altar of my local bookshop. Which was independent.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoK2iY4DZOzUC0SEAnzejNkuOVSllop1mOuo9GP3M6Zw1TFtEAkx9ZScGEMvZC23fa6U5rFFrqedNWw_JzzKMGdcJLefUNfmwPLIKzMoe27s4Z9I2YycTDLksEFVEGWvFvTKk2Q7MISdk/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoK2iY4DZOzUC0SEAnzejNkuOVSllop1mOuo9GP3M6Zw1TFtEAkx9ZScGEMvZC23fa6U5rFFrqedNWw_JzzKMGdcJLefUNfmwPLIKzMoe27s4Z9I2YycTDLksEFVEGWvFvTKk2Q7MISdk/s640/Andy+Robb+Colour+8.jpg" width="483" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><strong>Can you tell us anything about your upcoming projects?</strong></span><br /><br />I’ve got a couple of things on the go, but the one that’s taking pole position at the moment is a YA.<br /><br />Hopefully, it’ll be funny, but I also want to throw some horror into the mix. My research has taken me to some pretty interesting places, one of them being a morgue!</span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8F8q_2QX2GMiXPhNv7luEbw8XYOQNuHchSnpm1rT1JO5fQmj5tEig7suE4_mUJvHCAB-7vwUWw3IijJcZD-F2G83U38kH5fTBQS8RZFPeM5dVUNpXq4lb4hwYa3Gmwf6S3bGa7UN9qc/s1600/Andy+Robb+Colour+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a><br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thanks so much to Andy for taking part in this Q&A with me! All the illustrations were done by him with a bit of colouring in by yours truly. If you are around the Uxbridge area and are free on Wednesday, you should definitely stop by Andy's panel and more events at YAShot. It's going to be an incredible day! </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Bookish love,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Rachel</span> xx</span></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-83893917244765508992015-09-23T13:29:00.002-07:002015-09-23T13:29:39.370-07:00GBBO Tweetstakes Semi-Final Update! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv11O-l9sDbgMKL4OT19LHPdbHYB2T8VfvKZV3mXZYiKgr8hki16f9S3x-U08nlUuuHxc-lGCHAmfwkV9idoxN_Yfp9WOFMcFtPlyaArW7dwRnC49FjZOVIP4yJLCLvQfPIa_ZgkYI4rs/s1600/GBBO1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv11O-l9sDbgMKL4OT19LHPdbHYB2T8VfvKZV3mXZYiKgr8hki16f9S3x-U08nlUuuHxc-lGCHAmfwkV9idoxN_Yfp9WOFMcFtPlyaArW7dwRnC49FjZOVIP4yJLCLvQfPIa_ZgkYI4rs/s640/GBBO1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello all! What a dramatic Quarter Final! Do we think it was a deserved dismissal? Did someone narrowly miss a bullet? <br /><br />With the Semi Final next week, let's take a little look at our own standings... </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtc8MCUYq1Fxqd4BJiy-2t3xiTTXdMYnTn55Om3Y7TEL3hOvX6BQ_kM6vbOQq2CIJdNjyabtbY2pAv4evkDaJwrYNdyJ1bNsoG_l5HqZ2x1urFASlkztWFSVSPVBMIwJAcFyttCgm_I9o/s1600/Stu2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtc8MCUYq1Fxqd4BJiy-2t3xiTTXdMYnTn55Om3Y7TEL3hOvX6BQ_kM6vbOQq2CIJdNjyabtbY2pAv4evkDaJwrYNdyJ1bNsoG_l5HqZ2x1urFASlkztWFSVSPVBMIwJAcFyttCgm_I9o/s320/Stu2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">STU<br /><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;">Stacey </span><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://twitter.com/theprettybooks" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@theprettybooks</a><br />First out, commiserations Stacy</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZk7jdF0nSWKHmMkIbwhtXO_DE7rQ2E1DeQ8akslyA4_6WWiBHWOMjKi4IEVTEopXb2EOMxBO2vB7-RzS8TXQGH9Gey9_72mMGoWb8AEXU4bNxJfU9DswPymyps7WtsI04ITpOLy6Yzg/s320/Marie2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">MARIE<br /><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> Daphne </span><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://twitter.com/wingedreviews" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@wingedreviews</a><br />Professional leaves 2nd week... or kicked out? </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4QwUJ2HTvbMIJh5o94sPZ2Dskl2bX0kI693RdinhNmZ20cP5apGz7QpOc2x7c9C54O6yPERI3QuB_XsMSwweJsdHg_eyrwb16WBE8hDx-l5dU98sH4a-ePO_Hj0GzvFU7O3GJHAES3o/s1600/Dorret2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4QwUJ2HTvbMIJh5o94sPZ2Dskl2bX0kI693RdinhNmZ20cP5apGz7QpOc2x7c9C54O6yPERI3QuB_XsMSwweJsdHg_eyrwb16WBE8hDx-l5dU98sH4a-ePO_Hj0GzvFU7O3GJHAES3o/s320/Dorret2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">DORRET<br /><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;">Chelle </span><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ChelleyToy" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@ChelleyToy</a></span><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;">WeiMingKam </span><a href="https://twitter.com/weimingkam" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@weimingkam</a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> <br />Crowd favourite but sadly just not technical enough</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLPStxjn3hK2Q6jUx9CYZX5Wj1d-eEn379IewPdhyM4MJWPMsqbdtfylOM-7bpt635xMsS_nSe0hdMWl5HLbpjYPJlOBvZgiSD8oi0wH3pORpKa6lEg29XjKNH5tRtfsF2c1ClGL_2R8/s320/Sandy2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">SANDY<br /><a href="https://twitter.com/Laura_Salters" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Laura Salters</a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;">, </span><a href="http://www.laurasalters.com/" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">author </a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"><br />Poor Sandy, she was such a laugh too</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSculmPk6Zg6I8bCuBE1oyO-DQ8aBUGa1bMjZkUnETl4djQ_QOXFULbCdkppBUelr_u2yHc78a4zrmeiPcwgkJM3QVT8qaSA5CPbGrbsEmYUwpaYaBzg4009NkngKh_hyphenhyphenjkWL1_WPYkE/s320/Ugne2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">UGNE<br />Heather <span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MissWBooks" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@MissWBooks</a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> <br />No more icing, please Ugne! </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFlUJfkOMNnsUP8vKkwoQ7Im2vbSTLl8XNxB0uUeGkWYDSRDGk0sld2hg0s_EAyDv63SY7kX3HtC5d97E8mrZdQMHcL9TFULptG1pE7-SctIWN9u0v3u3EXgv6DSpy2LYgnlp2CdD98Q/s320/Alvin1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">ALVIN<br /><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;">Lily </span><a href="https://twitter.com/cieria" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@cieria</a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"><br />Simple, sweet Alvin. Gone too soon...</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqF1f6XBXVOXGN7zAsKyfaHMkMQXDDP2SXFydeI9sFrsXxaq-j4C_4ePtCpjYxXh33FzLFe4LncBXkGkLJluExtIZrPf_WUtxBothVg2U5qlCBFVkMhNL0LgyojM2CBf4CgHQTVmaLXzE/s320/mat2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">MAT<br /><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> Alice </span><a href="https://twitter.com/alibelle" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@alibelle</a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> <br />Mat, we'll always have stained glass fire trucks mate</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAZJVLlqmrFBZMR8GWdSsipRmMcUKWDSlnXpK5SuSUQR0RUDnc9UofQnipBl-rvzyUHnpZZcAVfid-BqDXdFCaaoAAfqwpUep0tZPPx3EbBGfIqCb9hBdKSeOWlwainS4I3r0oPDvCoA/s320/Paul2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">PAUL<br /><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;">Jesse </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ThatJesseBloke" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@thatjessebloke</a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/redbreastedbird" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Robin Stevens, author</a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> <br />May look like Paul, shame he can't bake like him. </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>So the FINAL FOUR are... </b></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXavfJGzTzWbROCEgHOToYJb7J4IhixtDbVUhNLDotxcu50ynUTvmjva_ykdu9NH4yZnLtovLLncUvdB1LpXVlCO_gNj3J56cm-OLu5Y5tqUw43awIBqqy9J45ZFI3_wvB2OQbHha4EQ/s1600/Flora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXavfJGzTzWbROCEgHOToYJb7J4IhixtDbVUhNLDotxcu50ynUTvmjva_ykdu9NH4yZnLtovLLncUvdB1LpXVlCO_gNj3J56cm-OLu5Y5tqUw43awIBqqy9J45ZFI3_wvB2OQbHha4EQ/s400/Flora.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75;">FLORA <br /><a href="https://twitter.com/Keris">Keris Stainton</a>, author <br />POCKET SCOTTISH ROCKET</span><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DfuNMcS9uMD3ADR1fieDrI4Q52OXVBBmxCoz7VopkoZGrtUg2aiWH9n01-genGd7mqewYlxBM62OqrNd35jH2OzQdq0Il27aDMaP7Pvkc6MiOYJkbUk4pN7O9bfvTwFqLKzWLdwC-Y0/s1600/Ian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DfuNMcS9uMD3ADR1fieDrI4Q52OXVBBmxCoz7VopkoZGrtUg2aiWH9n01-genGd7mqewYlxBM62OqrNd35jH2OzQdq0Il27aDMaP7Pvkc6MiOYJkbUk4pN7O9bfvTwFqLKzWLdwC-Y0/s400/Ian.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">IAN<br /><a href="https://twitter.com/NathanaelSmith" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@NathanaelSmith</a><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> <br />Mr Perfect has been knocked off the top, <br />but can he climb back up? </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ly0JqJh4HNwqm_E8p12L5XGX776QjiKwfYFwQZtASKZ_EEAU1vJmbN6yZvJYssCfc9ZamJheo-Gj0xjwaaxWNOaQIlky1SxuzUoRj-MR_Shykxk1_TkliPhqUkWt3QXNhzMmDDeHxs8/s1600/Tamal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ly0JqJh4HNwqm_E8p12L5XGX776QjiKwfYFwQZtASKZ_EEAU1vJmbN6yZvJYssCfc9ZamJheo-Gj0xjwaaxWNOaQIlky1SxuzUoRj-MR_Shykxk1_TkliPhqUkWt3QXNhzMmDDeHxs8/s400/Tamal.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">TAMAL<br /><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> Laura </span><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Midnightstar3" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@Midnightstar3</a><br />Me </span><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel90Kennedy" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@rachel90kennedy</a> *not rigged I swear!*</span><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;"><br />Aptly dubbed the hot Tamale! </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgcvmmHYKcF8oAvrmrvPyQWhDOPImlfU2duUzW2CwJmLDFJCC7ZPBhCycM2cjrGyadfwleqCkZ093IvL7uXa5AuGgGDVpSsGmXLRIBtVwXOqnEgZOdxBc3jca-92VqvaWh91Fc4gthKk/s1600/Nadiya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgcvmmHYKcF8oAvrmrvPyQWhDOPImlfU2duUzW2CwJmLDFJCC7ZPBhCycM2cjrGyadfwleqCkZ093IvL7uXa5AuGgGDVpSsGmXLRIBtVwXOqnEgZOdxBc3jca-92VqvaWh91Fc4gthKk/s400/Nadiya.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">NADIYA<br /><span style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;">Maisie <a href="https://twitter.com/ThemaisieAllen" style="background-color: #f4eedd; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@ThemaisieAllen</a></span><br />Move over Adele, the Nation has a new Sweetheart</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So who will be knocked out next week and who will progress to the final? Who will conquer all other baking afficionados/masochists and win an inevitable cookbook deal? <br /><br />But more importantly, which of us will get to pick a book for all the other GBBO Tweetstakers to read? <br /><br />Find out next week! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFlUJfkOMNnsUP8vKkwoQ7Im2vbSTLl8XNxB0uUeGkWYDSRDGk0sld2hg0s_EAyDv63SY7kX3HtC5d97E8mrZdQMHcL9TFULptG1pE7-SctIWN9u0v3u3EXgv6DSpy2LYgnlp2CdD98Q/s1600/Alvin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSculmPk6Zg6I8bCuBE1oyO-DQ8aBUGa1bMjZkUnETl4djQ_QOXFULbCdkppBUelr_u2yHc78a4zrmeiPcwgkJM3QVT8qaSA5CPbGrbsEmYUwpaYaBzg4009NkngKh_hyphenhyphenjkWL1_WPYkE/s1600/Ugne2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Good Luck to all, and may the best baker win!</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong></strong><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong></strong><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong></strong><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong></strong><br /></span>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-31313569929034970062015-09-18T04:45:00.003-07:002015-09-18T04:45:40.419-07:00Inside Out Book Tag! <div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>WARNING! This post has spoilers!</strong> </div>
<br />
So I came across this tag on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFnl2ViLhyo" target="_blank">Jesse The Reader's YouTube</a>, originally created by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj2OBAxrGG4" target="_blank">Kristina Horner</a>. It seemed such fun, so I'm changing it up for the written format. Starting with...<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/0/0f/JOY_Fullbody_Render.png/revision/latest?cb=20150615070304" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/0/0f/JOY_Fullbody_Render.png/revision/latest?cb=20150615070304" height="200" width="87" /></a><span style="color: #e69138;"><strong>Joy -</strong> <strong><em>The Harry Potter series</em></strong><strong> by JK Rowling</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #e69138;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #e69138;">I really did rack my brain to find another less clichéd book that gave me half the joy Harry Potter does. And I just can't do it! This series is my go to for warm fuzzies! All I want after a bad break-up, an argument with the family or a stressful day at work is to crawl into a big wing backed chair with a cup of tea and disappear into Hogwarts. </span><br />
<span style="color: #e69138;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #e69138;">Not only is the story, characters, world and pretty much everything about it brilliant, it also makes me think of all the great memories I have had reading it over the years... my brother and I racing through <i>The Order of the Phoenix </i>on our American road trip when I was 15. Dressing up and going to queue </span><span style="color: #e69138;">at Waterstones at midnight for <em>Deathly Hallows</em>. Weeping in a cinema in Slovenia having watched the last of the movies and facing the crushing realisation that the series was over (okay, that one's not quite so joyful but you get the picture). All the brilliant Potter fanfiction and fanart I have ever read or seen, which enters me into another world of joy all its own. </span><span style="color: #e69138;">It introduced me to the world of fandoms and lead me down a path into awesomeness. Thanks JK, you really are a beacon of generation Y.</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/c/c1/DISGUST_Fullbody_Render.png/revision/latest?cb=20150615095437" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/c/c1/DISGUST_Fullbody_Render.png/revision/latest?cb=20150615095437" height="200" width="135" /></a><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Disgust - <em>Only Ever Yours </em>by Louise O'Neill</strong> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Disclaimer - I love this book... in retrospect. But at the time I found it rather disgusting. Not a gross out kind of way, more a general despair for the human race way. Louise, why you so bleak? Why you so right?<br /><br />I think why I was so repulsed (in a good way) by the fictional world Louise created was just how much of it I recognised in our own reality: girls tearing each other down and judging each other’s appearances, the barbed things they say that make freida self-abusive, the matter of fact approach to starvation, food and purging, the surgical manipulation, the overwhelming need to belong to a group even if it is a self-destructive one. And then there was the more fantastical stuff that doesn’t yet feature today: the termination dates for companions, the abuse of the concubines, the overly sexualised and powerful young men acting like animals… wait…<br /> <br />The way freida is treated in the final closet challenge made my stomach churn, her desperation was palpable. And let’s not mention that ending shall we… bleh!</span> <br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><em><br /></em></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/parody/images/8/85/Fear_inside_out_characters.png/revision/latest?cb=20150618230333" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/parody/images/8/85/Fear_inside_out_characters.png/revision/latest?cb=20150618230333" height="200" width="111" /></a><span ea7=""><span style="color: #674ea7;"><strong>Fear -</strong> <strong><em>Say Her Name </em>by James Dawson</strong></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #674ea7;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;">I don't read or watch horror. Partly because I have a very overactive imagination and get the world's scariest nightmares, but mostly because I'm a woos! I don't find being scared entertaining like other people do, so I prefer to spend my time money on other more pleasurable pursuits. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;">However, I resolved to read the whole of the YA Book Prize shortlist and so I got myself a copy of <em>Say Her Name</em>. Lots of people tell me this isn't even that scary, but I punked out after about 50 pages. I'm a baby!</span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-488-488-90/88/8815/ZGXO300Z/posters/disney-pixar-s-inside-out-sadness-lifesize-standup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-488-488-90/88/8815/ZGXO300Z/posters/disney-pixar-s-inside-out-sadness-lifesize-standup.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><span style="color: #0b5394;"><strong>Sadness -</strong> <strong><em>All the Bright Places</em> by Jennifer Niven</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">I am a massive crier in real-life and particularly at movies (I can't watch <em>My Sister's Keeper </em>without a bucket to catch the ocean of tears that follows). But oddly enough, books don't really make me cry all that often. The exception to this was certainly <em>All the Bright Places.<strong> </strong></em> </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">*SPOILERS* </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">The moment where Violet is rushing to find out what's happened to Finch, my heart was pounding and I had a pit in my stomach the size of my fist. And then when he is pulled from the lake, and her numbness sets in, I had big fat, ugly crying tears running down my face. So much so that that page in my copy is forever stained and smeared with tears. </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">And then I read the author notes at the back, found out that Jennifer Niven had been through something very similar and I just cried all the harder for how real everything became. All the feels!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/pixar/images/b/b2/ANGER_Render.png/revision/latest?cb=20141209183603" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/pixar/images/b/b2/ANGER_Render.png/revision/latest?cb=20141209183603" height="200" width="139" /></a><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Anger - </span><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Throne of </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Glass </span></em><span style="color: #cc0000;">by Sarah J. Maas</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;">Everyone loves this book. I really want to like this book. So I pick it up where I left off, get two pages further and just throw it across the room. I really don't like it. I don't get the world, I don't get the characters, and I certainly don't get the odd sub-plot of deities, beasts and weapons etc hidden under the castle for the heroine to casually stumble upon. I'm sorry, I just can't. </span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;">And I'm afraid to say the same is true of ACOTAR, despite desperately trying with that one also. It's not the book that really makes me angry, just my inability to like it like everyone else and the following waves of despair for my sense of taste that result. I know I shouldn't care, but I feel like there's something I'm obviously missing. FOMO I guess...</span> <br />
<br />
<br />
So these are my picks, what about yours? I tag <a href="https://twitter.com/ChelleyToy" target="_blank">Chelle</a> from<a href="http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Tales of Yesterday</a> and<a href="https://twitter.com/ThemaisieAllen" target="_blank"> Maisie</a> from <a href="https://maisiesmarvellousmyreads.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Maisie's Marvellous My Reads</a>. <br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: large;">Bookish love, </span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rachel</span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-82202237439375840692015-08-20T00:59:00.000-07:002015-08-26T02:48:55.889-07:00Guest Post: Rules for Body Confidence from The Self-Esteem Team! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;">Hi all! I am very happy to welcome on the blog today <strong>The Self-Esteem Team, </strong>otherwise known as Natasha, Nadia and Grace. They form this amazing, quasi-super hero team who travel the UK visiting schools, colleges and universities to deliver award winning classes on body image and mental wellbeing. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkyfm6qp_blkmYwQZKCckHL-A6NzJzty5R3qolrMBTfTcn2udTLJ8KUqiFMGLNVmpqZLbeiQ9ncxXXJooAydSzMZM5ufjG57xWUE0LS12fBhdfIS9UywgxXSZwLuHzGaCT1HNQccHgl8/s1600/self+esteem+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkyfm6qp_blkmYwQZKCckHL-A6NzJzty5R3qolrMBTfTcn2udTLJ8KUqiFMGLNVmpqZLbeiQ9ncxXXJooAydSzMZM5ufjG57xWUE0LS12fBhdfIS9UywgxXSZwLuHzGaCT1HNQccHgl8/s320/self+esteem+team.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><span style="color: #20124d;">I think this is a wonderful idea, and I really wish something like this had come to my school! I was a very gawky teen with a very negative relationship with my body. I went through puberty quite suddenly, growing hips and DD size breasts over one summer. With all my friends still skinny around me, and the 90s waif fashion a la Kate Moss in full force, I felt, quite simply, 'fat'. It's a feeling that still niggles at me today in my new-adulthood, even though I rationally know I am a healthy size and weight. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><span style="color: #20124d;">According to research by Girlguiding and Dove from 2013, 48% of teenage girls avoid everyday school activities because of a lack of body confidence. So what The Self-Esteem Team are doing is still very necessary and relevant. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;">So I am very happy to host here a guest post from Natasha Devon, intrepid leader of The Self-Esteem Team on </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>The Rules for Body Confidence: </strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong></strong></span> </div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You’re only ever going to get one body, so the sooner you
learn to love it, the sooner you can get on with the important life-long work
of being generally awesome. Here’s our top tips:</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Health First.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Health is a lifestyle, not a look. Being
healthy is not as complicated as the internet makes it appear. It isn’t
particularly exciting or glamorous, <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">but the sort of advice your Nan might give
you</span> – three balanced meals per day/’you’re not going out until you’ve had
breakfast’/’eat this apple I cut up for you’/’get off your X-Box and go out and
get some fresh air’ – are actually the keys to maintaining a healthy body. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you’re living a healthy lifestyle (with
the occasional treat thrown in because life is too short not to eat a Krispy
Kreme once in a while) then <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">your body is exactly as it is meant to be</span>. It won’t
necessarily be the same as your best mate’s, or your parent’s, or anyone else
you know, but it’s yours to rock as you see fit.</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rbO75YcY7UolhPZ50m9bEI7A8DFSNiGFOwtxiRyEkknsi9n8vW5z9zl72AQ4nRYploUo422nqCzcXsLUykjyoIBYRt-vofNVoH65MugszRGdOmGx1Eu3ebCn257Pu3aqht1m9eWevTg/s1600/nanny.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rbO75YcY7UolhPZ50m9bEI7A8DFSNiGFOwtxiRyEkknsi9n8vW5z9zl72AQ4nRYploUo422nqCzcXsLUykjyoIBYRt-vofNVoH65MugszRGdOmGx1Eu3ebCn257Pu3aqht1m9eWevTg/s640/nanny.gif" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Granny knows best... </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><strong><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Identify your best bits.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><o:p><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When we look in the mirror, our eyes are
usually drawn to our least favourite body parts. This means that, over time,
our idea of what our ‘flaws’ are become exaggerated in our minds. (Other people
don’t look at us in the same way we see ourselves, which is why it’s so
frustrating trying to convince your best mate that bump on her nose is barely
perceptible to the casual observer and definitely not a reason to stay in
wailing ‘I’m hideous’ into a pillow). <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To reverse this, try and identify your
‘good bits’. <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Make a conscious effort to look at these first</span> when you see a
photo or yourself, or catch your reflection in something shiny. </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RgRQncMeFo_1zkbXaYYIJtJ_b6_-XsBRvQtDwCq5gX-JYlLr1O_bj101MJjKHi-3SbSTra0I_Oe7-iYwFbQ9K2sE3KHUAcUM1QpMlKXgAI7VNKjlszuc7qi3JLWjkUYAe-BxYI2gd4M/s1600/bangs.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RgRQncMeFo_1zkbXaYYIJtJ_b6_-XsBRvQtDwCq5gX-JYlLr1O_bj101MJjKHi-3SbSTra0I_Oe7-iYwFbQ9K2sE3KHUAcUM1QpMlKXgAI7VNKjlszuc7qi3JLWjkUYAe-BxYI2gd4M/s640/bangs.gif" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Think Amy enthusiasm, and all about yourself. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Find your style.<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The fashion and beauty industries have been
much maligned for causing body insecurity, <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">but they’re actually fantastic ways
to express yourself</span>. The key is to use them for YOUR agenda, instead of
allowing them to use you for theirs.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Find a style that conveys who you are.</span> It
might be that you roll out of bed feeling that you look exactly how you ought
to. In which case, <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">don’t feel pressured to do anything at all</span>. It might be,
however, that you want to dye your hair 17 different colours all at once and (I
am SO SORRY to your parents and teachers for saying this) that is totally your
prerogative. After all, it’s your hair.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Just make sure that your look expresses you,
not what you think you ought to be. </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOWFuknuMbK_GL8axZxQSkapJLx-ZnxorPAlZsnhQxaMf2G8j5jfsK59i84GXOiCdp1n5QYDeeg0xfrrvVL_C6Kd5SCgVajoso8b4viBuhj_XWB-GMBgwYzjAZYlotr1gSrZFE_2l7UU/s1600/hayley.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOWFuknuMbK_GL8axZxQSkapJLx-ZnxorPAlZsnhQxaMf2G8j5jfsK59i84GXOiCdp1n5QYDeeg0xfrrvVL_C6Kd5SCgVajoso8b4viBuhj_XWB-GMBgwYzjAZYlotr1gSrZFE_2l7UU/s640/hayley.gif" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Question!<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You know those pesky fashion and beauty
industries? Well, <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">their existence pretty-much depends on convincing you that
you need to change.</span> Ditto fitness products. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With the lines increasingly blurred between
‘entertainment’ and ‘advertising’ and most people indulging in more ‘screen
time’ than ever before, if we’re not careful we can absorb thousands of
messages every week we’re alive which scream ‘YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH!’. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The trick is to question. Buy that hair gel
or join that gym if it makes you happy, <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">but know that you were more than good
enough to begin with.</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmXPchyWfJ9_L1qu4KGUxOPThV8rTsyTywIAsQmlNZbgpBS_jnoLaOSxp-w5iVoTVw3d-QYy0YRPy8by8MQ-MJbXrjM6fT0DFiQ7d1dIkTszEINtqsJxfv4cYxahYp06TsNiJqfxlZro/s1600/brooke.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmXPchyWfJ9_L1qu4KGUxOPThV8rTsyTywIAsQmlNZbgpBS_jnoLaOSxp-w5iVoTVw3d-QYy0YRPy8by8MQ-MJbXrjM6fT0DFiQ7d1dIkTszEINtqsJxfv4cYxahYp06TsNiJqfxlZro/s400/brooke.gif" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Even the amazing Brooke Davies didn't have it all together... </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCm3nyhv9rsjk-cB9Wsh2P0PAa9OpaVsO7JsjKisvX6gB3i6l8CTuWX6HZacVF882c4VTDCvn6kdErkJQxQ-BgibrcJGofy4LmRSdvc9EJy8dSZvTACYgZVSasuk7ivQxqXXTC6vCObg/s1600/demi2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCm3nyhv9rsjk-cB9Wsh2P0PAa9OpaVsO7JsjKisvX6gB3i6l8CTuWX6HZacVF882c4VTDCvn6kdErkJQxQ-BgibrcJGofy4LmRSdvc9EJy8dSZvTACYgZVSasuk7ivQxqXXTC6vCObg/s400/demi2.gif" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But body confidence heroes like Demi are showing that pressure from the media is not okay... </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"></span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZsUKbLc3i6fN2vP90YFdXY6h6YbCGkk_YGh1X6mOZU_JPLNoZIBG1PrD3azM7dwWz3g8wmmnsbvBPWAXo2Snp6QpDSrP9doY6kt4PShZ2AY6PSgEauJQTVpa49_ewh3-LTgDWta6qcg/s1600/Jlaw.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZsUKbLc3i6fN2vP90YFdXY6h6YbCGkk_YGh1X6mOZU_JPLNoZIBG1PrD3azM7dwWz3g8wmmnsbvBPWAXo2Snp6QpDSrP9doY6kt4PShZ2AY6PSgEauJQTVpa49_ewh3-LTgDWta6qcg/s400/Jlaw.gif" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not to mention J-Law. So ...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNKQuhRs-CDmYuglScs_YNGMAusb3m7rr65vncBlmeLJfX_yhFviX108YOKA1FQbBarjJCSoD3otU9p0iPYLOzUoXYVLksOD7VBUgDW0n2CMGPEuDrv667NH0v6V1WQzu8JUYA9OpMCY/s1600/hairspray.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNKQuhRs-CDmYuglScs_YNGMAusb3m7rr65vncBlmeLJfX_yhFviX108YOKA1FQbBarjJCSoD3otU9p0iPYLOzUoXYVLksOD7VBUgDW0n2CMGPEuDrv667NH0v6V1WQzu8JUYA9OpMCY/s640/hairspray.gif" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Forgive Yourself<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wearing an outfit you will only be able to
look back on through splayed fingers whilst rocking back and forth and
blaspheming repeatedly is a Right of Passage. Everyone has done it (it teaches
us humility/to be more forgiving of the fashion choices of others). <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know photos on social media can never
truly be deleted, but <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">that doesn’t mean you have to look ‘perfect’ all the
time</span>. Photos are designed to capture a moment. If it so happens that in that
moment you were sweaty and red about the face, with your mouth hanging open and
a bit of dribble coming out (because you were – SHOCK HORROR – enjoying
yourself) then that’s really, really ok. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a bit
of a dick! </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span><span style="color: #660000;">
</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoSUWKxHNiBAn8jkE5g78h1_Ivmjt54PcRN82_furgGk9YSXwo0DK5BxJvdY1LLW4EuyRstz3kKuK1SUQEWB9mkGws1iLU7o4-npY9AgkiKej6tukYqHgb0xqhcn8DnnrdSDT1bX0TLU/s1600/Emma+Stone.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoSUWKxHNiBAn8jkE5g78h1_Ivmjt54PcRN82_furgGk9YSXwo0DK5BxJvdY1LLW4EuyRstz3kKuK1SUQEWB9mkGws1iLU7o4-npY9AgkiKej6tukYqHgb0xqhcn8DnnrdSDT1bX0TLU/s640/Emma+Stone.gif" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Preach Emma, you wonderful human you!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong> </strong></span></o:p></div>
<strong><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Invisible Qualities<o:p></o:p></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Repeat after us: <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Your value cannot be
captured in a selfie. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Take some time to think about the qualities
you’re bringing to the table that have nothing to do with how you look. Are you
kind, brave, funny, strong, loyal or witty? Chances are, that’s why your
friends love you (and not because you have a great bone structure).<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sometimes, body confidence is all about
realising that you’re more than your body.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bP0QmvC6BfPrOmkhu6KDAmN6QK1VIweinmjesiwzWmJc54vxKhuyTxnHrtfDdp7V2iV_u86qONa92AK0y196gfb6mVaADVfusYBomBYRsDUvcP-O_h6xviHYHOsxdV4j8PcQCWqWmik/s1600/the+help+mantra.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bP0QmvC6BfPrOmkhu6KDAmN6QK1VIweinmjesiwzWmJc54vxKhuyTxnHrtfDdp7V2iV_u86qONa92AK0y196gfb6mVaADVfusYBomBYRsDUvcP-O_h6xviHYHOsxdV4j8PcQCWqWmik/s640/the+help+mantra.gif" width="640" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;">So let's go out there and be our awesome, incredible selves! Right Bey?</span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayKiMsiEuM2pKtCW__kE6Qp1oXSphMpFfGc-8WLENXYG7TuRZwRSxXPBrKsa1giihLpzSU42qzYsd3Dh31IVeqmmUgTKAioN3kwSpcwFMNRwaOkEio7HbpqKjqlEWL_oTcAK9q2XO-Pw/s1600/beyonce-fierce.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayKiMsiEuM2pKtCW__kE6Qp1oXSphMpFfGc-8WLENXYG7TuRZwRSxXPBrKsa1giihLpzSU42qzYsd3Dh31IVeqmmUgTKAioN3kwSpcwFMNRwaOkEio7HbpqKjqlEWL_oTcAK9q2XO-Pw/s640/beyonce-fierce.gif" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;">YEAH!</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Definitely words to live by! There is loads more advice just like this on body image, relationships, self love and so much more in <em><strong><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-self-esteem-teams-guide-to-sex-drugs-and-wtfs/the-self-esteem-team/grace-barrett/9781784186425" target="_blank">The Self-Esteem Team's Guide to Sex, Drugs & WTFs?!!</a> </strong>(John Blake Publishing, out now!) </em></span></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9r_9M0j9u0YXh25Z_xEH4ZOB-B9B2-VUjC9DeXi7XfsoDZBxizyRa0WeM5NA7dR2LcQu_dVFXqB_fqfPnOgr962IexorGeR79r7PnRHnSozU2CKsMJC7ca2ZWjTzYi7IYTTR2CWO5Xs/s1600/Self+Esteem+Team+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9r_9M0j9u0YXh25Z_xEH4ZOB-B9B2-VUjC9DeXi7XfsoDZBxizyRa0WeM5NA7dR2LcQu_dVFXqB_fqfPnOgr962IexorGeR79r7PnRHnSozU2CKsMJC7ca2ZWjTzYi7IYTTR2CWO5Xs/s640/Self+Esteem+Team+cover.jpg" width="420" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks to <strong>The Self-Esteem Team and Natasha</strong> for your very inspiring guest post! I hope you all enjoyed it. Comment below if you've ever experienced or are experiencing anything like the above. Know that you're not alone.</span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Lots of bookish love! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Rachel</span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">xx</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;">
<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></o:p> </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-78421983112072400902015-08-10T08:12:00.003-07:002015-08-10T08:20:16.442-07:00#YAShot Blog Tour - Volunteering, Interning & the road to Publishing <span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">It will come as little surprise that <strong>I love books</strong>. I always have and I’m pretty certain I always will (unless I am one day crushed by my falling, overloaded bookcase in which case my devotion might waver). So when I graduated in 2012 with a degree in languages, I passed on being a teacher or translator in favour of doing something I loved… books. But that begged the question, how does one ‘do books’ as a living? <br /><br /> Publishing wasn’t something that really occurred to me as an option until I took a part-time Christmas job at Waterstones. It was there that I utterly fell in love with the book world - <span style="color: #660000;">getting advanced copies from publishers, reading The Bookseller for the first time, learning all about the wider mechanism that made these things I had loved all my life.</span> This love accelerated quickly, and soon I was applying for publishing grad schemes and internships. </span><br />
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> The only problem there is that most publishing internships are not paid, and the majority are in London. With only 13% of the UK population living in London, <span style="color: #660000;">how are the remaining 87%, myself included, supposed to spend 3 months living in London unpaid?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Don't fret - there is an alternative to selling your kidneys and hauling down to London. <strong>It is a brilliant time for literary events in the UK</strong> and every day a new literary festival seems to crop up. Take <a href="http://www.yashot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">YAShot</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></strong>for example, a new one-day Young Adult and Middle Grade ‘festival’ curated by Alexia Casale. It is taking place in the centre of Uxbridge on Wednesday 28 October 2015 in partnership with <a href="http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/libraries" target="_blank">Hillingdon Borough Libraries</a> and Waterstone’s Uxbridge. Now yes, this festival is in London, but they are all wonderful opportunities to grow your skills and they are happening all over the UK.<a href="http://www.literaryfestivals.co.uk/list_of_literary_festivals.html" target="_blank"> Here</a> is a comprehensive list of all the festivals taking place around the UK. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> Working at literary events such as YAShot, you are exposed to a huge amount of experience, people and resources related to publishing e.g. </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">- what goes into the event organisation</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">- the wording and look of promotional resources</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">- what the marketing looks like and how it works</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">- how to write copy (If you get offered to write anything, grab it with two hands! if you don't get offered, suggest it. Copywriting skills are gold dust in publishing, duh.) </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">- the logistics that go into arranging and event and pitfalls to avoid</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">- how to communicate with and manage authors and other stakeholders…</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What volunteering gives you is something to talk about at interview and that golden goose egg – <strong><span style="color: #660000;">transferable skills!</span></strong> You also get to meet incredible authors, publicists, publishers and fellow publishing career hopefuls who happily shower you with advice and encouragement if you’re not too shy to ask. <span style="color: #660000;">Getting to know people and building relationships is a big part of the publishing so endeavour to meet at least one new person at every event you go to.</span> I know this is a catch-22 as a lot of bookish people are inherently shy, but <strong>it will pay dividends. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I still volunteer at my local library to keep in touch with what's going on, to get to know lots of titles and meet new people. Many libraries don't have the budget to take on volunteers now, but research initiatives like the <strong>Summer Reading Challenge</strong> which takes on volunteers to help run the project. I did this in 2014 and it was ridiculously fun, as well as a great insight into what's happening in the industry. <br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">So get researching things happening in your area and get volunteering, it'll be the best thing you do for your publishing career this year!</span> YAShot will soon be looking for volunteers soon, so if anyone does wants to travel down to London for 1 day volunteering, check out their <a href="http://www.yashot.co.uk/" target="_blank">website</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Bookish love, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rachel</span> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="480" src="https://scontent-ams2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/294785_10151575989248819_2027848750_n.jpg?oh=ffb6fdc0aac9c555973efc46b2c53bb1&oe=56517ED7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on the job with Chris Riddell (current children's laureate) and Paul Stewart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-17735903503333983602015-08-06T01:16:00.002-07:002015-08-06T01:16:24.651-07:00#GBBOtweetstake with Bookish Tweeters <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv11O-l9sDbgMKL4OT19LHPdbHYB2T8VfvKZV3mXZYiKgr8hki16f9S3x-U08nlUuuHxc-lGCHAmfwkV9idoxN_Yfp9WOFMcFtPlyaArW7dwRnC49FjZOVIP4yJLCLvQfPIa_ZgkYI4rs/s1600/GBBO1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv11O-l9sDbgMKL4OT19LHPdbHYB2T8VfvKZV3mXZYiKgr8hki16f9S3x-U08nlUuuHxc-lGCHAmfwkV9idoxN_Yfp9WOFMcFtPlyaArW7dwRnC49FjZOVIP4yJLCLvQfPIa_ZgkYI4rs/s640/GBBO1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hello all! So I, like many other people, love The Bake Off. It is awesome, and that is all that needs to be said on the matter. Last year, I did a sweepstakes with my friends from university and it was incredibly fun. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So I thought why not try it with all our bookish friends on Twitter? Here is how it's going to work: </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Using a random number generator, I have assigned people their contestant. We will be rooting for whoever we are assigned to for the next eight-ish weeks. When the winner is decided, the <strong>bookish Tweeter with the winning contestant will get to choose a book that all the losers 'have' to read</strong>. And then we may well have a discussion about that book when we're all done. Simples!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Here is the breakdown of who got who: </div>
<br />
<img alt="The Great British Bake Off - Mat." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699584579/ac1de3aa-94e3-49c2-9f18-14ec23f5931e-1549x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=d54f1420a0c050aa48c75e87c97f8e80" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699584579/ac1de3aa-94e3-49c2-9f18-14ec23f5931e-1549x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=d54f1420a0c050aa48c75e87c97f8e80 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699584579/ac1de3aa-94e3-49c2-9f18-14ec23f5931e-1549x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=03d78a5af1635afe1698b9d8c33d67a5 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699584579/ac1de3aa-94e3-49c2-9f18-14ec23f5931e-1549x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=c21e16b394b0b877cb48ac4ef17f4e7b 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699584579/ac1de3aa-94e3-49c2-9f18-14ec23f5931e-1549x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=30c365ffbebf17247861ac1d181342ca 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="151" /><img alt="The Great British Bake Off - Sandy." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699710220/0ed417e5-913d-4783-978a-35d85ca41fbb-1506x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=9e64d043b309a3f4490c2195c790c0d9" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699710220/0ed417e5-913d-4783-978a-35d85ca41fbb-1506x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=9e64d043b309a3f4490c2195c790c0d9 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699710220/0ed417e5-913d-4783-978a-35d85ca41fbb-1506x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=79587c84dca1e97446c8e75d27371908 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699710220/0ed417e5-913d-4783-978a-35d85ca41fbb-1506x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=98f8ff5511f9eca11e6240a09f757f0e 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699710220/0ed417e5-913d-4783-978a-35d85ca41fbb-1506x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=ba38973421abc8c8cf4e52957fd37cd6 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="147" /><img alt="The Great British Bake Off -Ian." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699857172/81b7f2e4-01d3-48ba-a26c-2ab1e903d2df-1431x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=cd86a5a57a68d2c6513e8034d2a8f364" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699857172/81b7f2e4-01d3-48ba-a26c-2ab1e903d2df-1431x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=cd86a5a57a68d2c6513e8034d2a8f364 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699857172/81b7f2e4-01d3-48ba-a26c-2ab1e903d2df-1431x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=6b05acd326ea2655ab5f1f6bad9f778c 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699857172/81b7f2e4-01d3-48ba-a26c-2ab1e903d2df-1431x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=d6cd7f613366062de1051ebe32cf22e6 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699857172/81b7f2e4-01d3-48ba-a26c-2ab1e903d2df-1431x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=e1afbfc2ba3e88f40efa28f69f8b2bd7 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="140" /><img alt="The Great British Bake Off - Marie." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699930422/960c9001-102f-42d7-9399-127ea7c505dd-1506x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=a5d805b12e9bcfdc507c2b1bb40ffc6f" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699930422/960c9001-102f-42d7-9399-127ea7c505dd-1506x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=a5d805b12e9bcfdc507c2b1bb40ffc6f 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699930422/960c9001-102f-42d7-9399-127ea7c505dd-1506x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=0ee26884d86075c9814da4fd957e0f88 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699930422/960c9001-102f-42d7-9399-127ea7c505dd-1506x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=d9864786550e8d50cdea04c5a3c51f07 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438699930422/960c9001-102f-42d7-9399-127ea7c505dd-1506x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=4e27a5bb554fa274647080a35417e98b 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="147" /><br />
<br />
<strong>Mat Sandy Ian Marie</strong> <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"> Alice </span><a href="https://twitter.com/alibelle" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@alibelle</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Laura_Salters" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">Laura Salters</span></a><span style="color: #660000;">, </span><a href="http://www.laurasalters.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">author </span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/NathanaelSmith" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;"> @NathanaelSmith</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> Daphne </span><a href="https://twitter.com/wingedreviews" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@wingedreviews</span></a><br />
<br />
<img alt="The Great British Bake Off - Nadiya." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700035484/a73f19da-604d-4b80-b992-da4bd6b1f3e6-1456x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=650ccc7904e1d12ce0bef8b0435ae366" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700035484/a73f19da-604d-4b80-b992-da4bd6b1f3e6-1456x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=650ccc7904e1d12ce0bef8b0435ae366 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700035484/a73f19da-604d-4b80-b992-da4bd6b1f3e6-1456x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=fbf860524d65a0a794ee6acacaa8c6d5 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700035484/a73f19da-604d-4b80-b992-da4bd6b1f3e6-1456x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=c911dc24b37ad195ec4f682a03859518 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700035484/a73f19da-604d-4b80-b992-da4bd6b1f3e6-1456x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=7716c3841af637f4034daef31d8f6ba9 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="142" /><img alt="The Great British Bake Off - Paul." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700134846/e030e22b-0216-4fca-ba01-6c4057dadaf3-1377x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=7b4140be37818d3c87cbd38f29ae06f9" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700134846/e030e22b-0216-4fca-ba01-6c4057dadaf3-1377x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=7b4140be37818d3c87cbd38f29ae06f9 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700134846/e030e22b-0216-4fca-ba01-6c4057dadaf3-1377x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=272a1069daf217e37e9af023eeefd745 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700134846/e030e22b-0216-4fca-ba01-6c4057dadaf3-1377x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=c29517739133d7e96a72478be165bf99 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700134846/e030e22b-0216-4fca-ba01-6c4057dadaf3-1377x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=0691aca0714807d5845d2a9bd520f6f0 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="135" /><img alt="The Great British Bake Off Ugne." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700298755/9339c5ce-3df6-4f45-ae2e-052e228aafd5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=b27a36b7c5746e99998daca5c0a82b5b" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700298755/9339c5ce-3df6-4f45-ae2e-052e228aafd5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=b27a36b7c5746e99998daca5c0a82b5b 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700298755/9339c5ce-3df6-4f45-ae2e-052e228aafd5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=4ae8af3ec2831fd43ded352865c6d10d 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700298755/9339c5ce-3df6-4f45-ae2e-052e228aafd5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=270e4bc9f8d78609e3b55782a40dcb71 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700298755/9339c5ce-3df6-4f45-ae2e-052e228aafd5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=ab111b8687ee79cd01bf80e09c725ac4 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="135" /><img alt="The Great British Bake Off Flora." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700369059/446534a7-da33-4e2d-9b4d-6c3a364357f5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=c5f0a6d97a9cf5aa3b19d84ab8160cc7" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700369059/446534a7-da33-4e2d-9b4d-6c3a364357f5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=c5f0a6d97a9cf5aa3b19d84ab8160cc7 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700369059/446534a7-da33-4e2d-9b4d-6c3a364357f5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=adeaaebfb7aaf75186aa387df838861d 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700369059/446534a7-da33-4e2d-9b4d-6c3a364357f5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=1adec3bc256da3aad996b5afaad210a8 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700369059/446534a7-da33-4e2d-9b4d-6c3a364357f5-1377x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=b3b35a8a1655b8c3ced20f6376848df1 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="135" /><br />
<br />
<strong>Nadiya Paul Ugne Flora</strong> <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"> Maisie </span><a href="https://twitter.com/redbreastedbird" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">Robin Stevens, author</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> Heather </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Keris" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">Keris Stainton</span></a><span style="color: #660000;">, author </span><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/ThemaisieAllen" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@ThemaisieAllen</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> Jesse </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ThatJesseBloke" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@thatjessebloke</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MissWBooks" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@MissWBooks</span></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700572697/cc8e90c1-5fd8-4c52-8840-707ff48e0158-1360x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=0abed1be69579cde993ab3803cfe0b4f" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Great British Bake Off -Dorret" border="0" class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700572697/cc8e90c1-5fd8-4c52-8840-707ff48e0158-1360x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=0abed1be69579cde993ab3803cfe0b4f" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700572697/cc8e90c1-5fd8-4c52-8840-707ff48e0158-1360x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=0abed1be69579cde993ab3803cfe0b4f 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700572697/cc8e90c1-5fd8-4c52-8840-707ff48e0158-1360x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=05f5cf0a21b8ca2e664608b8f215dbe6 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700572697/cc8e90c1-5fd8-4c52-8840-707ff48e0158-1360x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=9f6a450654918a9441c42d9266d1f663 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700572697/cc8e90c1-5fd8-4c52-8840-707ff48e0158-1360x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=efc6d2933ab743d6d70848b68e9daa42 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="133" /></a><img alt="The Great British Bake Off -Alvin." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700429247/2eed2add-5883-4471-bf93-da7c2e584df3-1443x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=4812c581b75068236c5a981bc2e34716" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700429247/2eed2add-5883-4471-bf93-da7c2e584df3-1443x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=4812c581b75068236c5a981bc2e34716 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700429247/2eed2add-5883-4471-bf93-da7c2e584df3-1443x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=f6ade5349fee904cdf59c848d218e949 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700429247/2eed2add-5883-4471-bf93-da7c2e584df3-1443x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=612416bec810497a085e3597ad46785b 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700429247/2eed2add-5883-4471-bf93-da7c2e584df3-1443x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=65800a8517cda9d6ad10fc3806093abd 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="141" /><img alt="The Great British Bake Off Tamal." class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700483211/272d6001-2ba3-4f72-9756-c75d85339537-1360x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=491ba6aa25ef59e3dfad22a5a97238fe" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700483211/272d6001-2ba3-4f72-9756-c75d85339537-1360x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=491ba6aa25ef59e3dfad22a5a97238fe 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700483211/272d6001-2ba3-4f72-9756-c75d85339537-1360x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=1a25e589e697bd256963a4971445a51f 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700483211/272d6001-2ba3-4f72-9756-c75d85339537-1360x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=7fb815ef86214053f6ca376c11dcda2c 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700483211/272d6001-2ba3-4f72-9756-c75d85339537-1360x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=98b413f541817866d32d83c7b0fa8acf 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="133" /><img alt="The Great British Bake Off - Stu" class="gallery2__img js-gallery-img gallery2__img--portrait" height="200" itemprop="contentUrl" sizes="(min-width: 740px) 700px, (min-width: 660px) 620px, (min-width: 480px) 610px, 445px" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700627866/b437d975-ffee-428b-968b-a827838196c7-1389x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=bd8f1b6e3d01060eba031d9b660784c2" srcset="//i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700627866/b437d975-ffee-428b-968b-a827838196c7-1389x2040.jpeg?w=700&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=bd8f1b6e3d01060eba031d9b660784c2 700w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700627866/b437d975-ffee-428b-968b-a827838196c7-1389x2040.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=f7d90047a1204ea179f9da9039aef991 620w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700627866/b437d975-ffee-428b-968b-a827838196c7-1389x2040.jpeg?w=610&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=c7f5c996906c2e3eb80ad22f23a1e05b 610w, //i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/8/4/1438700627866/b437d975-ffee-428b-968b-a827838196c7-1389x2040.jpeg?w=445&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=541bb4de3b53ab9c28ac93c8b203465f 445w" style="max-height: 700px;" width="136" /><br />
<br />
<strong> Dorret Alvin Tamal Stu</strong> <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;">Chelle </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ChelleyToy" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@ChelleyToy</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> Lily </span><a href="https://twitter.com/cieria" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@cieria</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> Laura </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Midnightstar3" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@Midnightstar3</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> Stacey </span><a href="https://twitter.com/theprettybooks" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@theprettybooks</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #660000;">WeiMingKam Me (Rachel) </span><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/weimingkam" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@weimingkam</span></a><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel90Kennedy" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">@rachel90kennedy</span></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
As you can see, some contestants are doubled up (because I can't count properly and didn't want to leave anyone out) so if you're reading this and want to take part, we do still have spaces! Comment below with your Twitter handle and we'll make it happen. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Good Luck to all, and may the best baker win! </strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-64672513074182108322015-08-05T01:27:00.000-07:002015-08-05T02:17:59.890-07:00Giveaway and Author Interview! Lauren E James, author of The Next Together <div>
<span class="im"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="im"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;">Happy Wednesday all! Hope you're all doing well. </span></span></span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><br />
<div>
<span class="im"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"></span></span> </span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><div>
<span class="im"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;">To cheer up this dreary day, I am delighted to be doing <strong>the first ever giveaway on this blog</strong>! And I can't think of a nicer author to kick things off with than <span style="color: #660000;">Lauren E James and her fantastic debut <em>The Next Together</em>.</span> </span></span></span></div>
<span class="im">
<div>
<strong><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span></strong> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426278095l/23266378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426278095l/23266378.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em></em></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Synopsis: </em></span></div>
<div>
<em><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span></em> </div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again. Each time their presence changes history for the better, and each time, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated. How many times can you lose the person you love? </em></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em></em></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>For Matthew and Katherine it is again and again, over and over, century after century. But why do they keep coming back? How many times must they die to save the world? What else must they achieve before they can be left to live and love in peace? Maybe the next together will be different. </em></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"><em></em></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><em>A powerful and epic debut novel about fate and the timelessness of first love.</em> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></b> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><em>The Next Together </em>is a brilliantly original and pacey read, full of epic romance and wonderfully researched and executed historical settings. I really enjoyed the jumpy plot and all the mysterious twists and turns - towards the end I was racing to finish it. It also scores major points for me being partially set at Nottingham University, my alma mater.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;">Here is a little <strong>Q&A with Lauren </strong>all about <em><strong>The Next Together:</strong> </em></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<strong><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span></strong> </div>
<div>
<a href="https://laurenejames.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/tumblr_nocw7imblx1qa24muo1_1280.jpg?w=371&h=371" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://laurenejames.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/tumblr_nocw7imblx1qa24muo1_1280.jpg?w=371&h=371" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Hi Lauren. So jumping right to it, where did the inspiration for <em>The Next Together</em> come from? </b></span></span></div>
</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm not really sure - it's a story idea I've been working on since I was 16. It was always the story I'd write about in English lessons if we were told to do some creative writing. It kind of grew from there!</span></div>
<span class="im"></span><br />
<div>
<span class="im"><b><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What was your favourite time landscape to write?</span></b></span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><div>
<span class="im"> </span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have a huge soft spot for regency romances, so I think the 1745 timeline was my favourite. There's a scene set during a carriage ride near the beginning that still makes me swoon when I reread it! </span><br />
<br />
<div>
<span class="im"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Were there any other time periods you were interested in writing for this? I'm yearning for a 1920s Matthew and Katherine..</b>.</span></span></span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><div>
<span class="im"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Several people have mentioned this, so I feel like it's going to have to happen one day. Flapper Kate would be so sassy and hip, I'm not sure I'm cool enough to write her! </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I did once write </span><a href="http://lauren-e-james.tumblr.com/post/72677472324/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">a medieval short story</span></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, and there may be a WWII one in the works........so keep your eye out for that!</span></div>
<span class="im"></span><br />
<div>
<span class="im"><b><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">From <em>The Next Together</em>, I get the feeling you are lover of epic romances and historical novels. Any favourites?</span></b></span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><div>
<span class="im"><strong><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span></strong> </span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Oof, so many! I love <em>The Time Traveller's Wife, Outlander, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Fingersmith </em>and<em> The Ghosts of Heaven. </em>But I could list my faves all day!</span><br />
<span class="im"></span><br />
<div>
<span class="im"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Mademoiselle_Maupin_de_l'Op%C3%A9ra_(Julie_d'Aubigny).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Mademoiselle_Maupin_de_l'Op%C3%A9ra_(Julie_d'Aubigny).jpg" width="133" /></a></span><span class="im"><b><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you had to spend multiple lives across history with one famous person (either from the present or from history), who would it be?</span></b></span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><div>
<span class="im"><strong><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span></strong> </span></div>
<span class="im">
</span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Probably the unbelievably cool</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_d%27Aubigny" target="_blank"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_d%27Aubigny" target="_blank"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">La Maupin</span></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> (</span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">a 17th-century swordswoman and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">opera</span></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> singer. Her tumultuous career and flamboyant life were the subject of gossip and colourful stories in her own time, and inspired numerous portrayals afterwards). </span><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If I could cheat and choose someone fictional, I'd probably go for Artemis Fowl!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> So to the <strong>GIVEAWAY</strong>! <span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;">For your chance to <strong>win a signed copy of <em>The Next Together</em></strong>, </span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;">pick a famous person/historical figure you'd want to spend multiple lives with </span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;">and tell me why in the comments section below. </span></span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'll be picking a winner from there!</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Good luck!</span></strong> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;">Big thanks to Lauren E James for being on the blog today, </span><em><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23266378-the-next-together" target="_blank">The Next Together</a><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></em><span style="color: #660000;">is published by Walker Books on September 3rd 2015. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"></span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-53886073532275628712015-07-29T06:50:00.001-07:002015-07-29T07:09:31.705-07:00Waiting on Wednesday - Never Evers, Asking For It and The Wanderers <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px; text-align: center;">"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.co.uk/" style="b: black; line-height: 19.6000003814697px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Breaking the Spine</span></a><span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px; text-align: center;">, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are so many books I'm looking forward to in the next few months that I can't pick just one! So here are the three books I'm most excited about getting my hands on the coming months. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There was a very exciting tweet from Chicken House this morning revealing that <b><span style="color: #990000;">Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison</span></b>, authors of the hilarious, honest and universally loved <i>Lobsters</i>, have a new book coming.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.chickenhousebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Never-Evers-website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.chickenhousebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Never-Evers-website.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's called <b><span style="color: #990000;"><i>Never</i> <i>Evers</i></span></b> and across is its adorable cover! Hampsters, Haribo... what's not to love? </span><br />
<h2 style="-webkit-margin-after: 0em; -webkit-margin-before: 0em; opacity: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">About the book</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Kicked out of ballet academy, Mouse is hating the school ski trip. Jack was sure it’d be filled with danger and girls, but hasn’t a clue about either. </i></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That’s until French teen sensation Roland arrives in the resort – and Jack’s a dead ringer for him.</i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>After Roland persuades Jack to be his stand-in for a day, Jack, in disguise, declares his feelings for Mouse. But what happens when he’s no longer a pop star – will there still be music and magic on the slopes?</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I loved Lobsters so am very much looking forward to this coming in January 2016! More info on the <a href="http://www.chickenhousebooks.com/books/never-evers/" target="_blank">Chicken House website. </a></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://handwrittengirl.com/wp-content/uploads/books/asking-for-it.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhQRugEgVw2zvA-lkL7-7ZUgSad-Y1yJr0KdQlBIhmnYX1cQuDcDPbPMp6nmUO7-7tUn5XiCecyIsMVywFUMhnTLpJIOHqqE-VyEH7zsJkBehAt2Dbg1eAr5rQgGs5XooUs1bh2Nh1Uak3M6FxDEso_mtS3uN4Uji6x8L_W0lpcrTUkMuqk=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://handwrittengirl.com/wp-content/uploads/books/asking-for-it.png" height="320" width="228" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the industry's most eagerly waited books of 2015 is without a doubt </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Louise O'Neill</b></span>'s follow up to <i>Only Ever Yours </i>which won the YA Prize this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everyone who's read <span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Asking For It</i></b> </span>thus far has brilliant/terrible things to say about it, in a good way!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Apparently it's a very uncomfortable read, but having heard Louise talk at <a href="http://ya-bberingbooklover.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/yalc-2015-key-takeaways-from-brilliant.html" target="_blank">YALC</a>, I really can't wait to read it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>About the book </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>It's the beginning of the summer in a small town in Ireland. Emma O'Donovan is eighteen years old, beautiful, happy, confident. One night, there's a party. Everyone is there. All eyes are on Emma. The next morning, she wakes on the front porch of her house. She can't remember what happened, she doesn't know how she got there. She doesn't know why she's in pain. But everyone else does. Photographs taken at the party show, in explicit detail, what happened to Emma that night. But sometimes people don't want to believe what is right in front of them, especially when the truth concerns the town's heroes ...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Important is the adjective being most used to describe this. Coming in September from Quercus, so only 1 more month to go! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Louise is going to have a great book birthday buddy in <b><span style="color: #990000;">Kate Ormand</span></b> whose new book <i><b><span style="color: #990000;">The Wanderers</span></b> </i>is also coming in September from Sky Pony Press. I heard Kate talking about this at <a href="http://ya-bberingbooklover.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-first-ever-ukyaextravaganza.html" target="_blank">UKYAEtravaganza </a>and couldn't wait to get my hands on it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>About the book </b></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flo lives an eccentric life- she travels with a popular circus in which the main acts star orphaned children with secret shape-shifting abilities. Once Flo turns sixteen, she must perform, but she's not ready. In Flo's world, shifters are unknown to humans with the exception of a secret organization- "hunters." Hunters capture and kill. They send some shifters to labs for observation and testing--testing they don't often survive. When Flo's circus comes under attack by the hunters she and a bear-shifter Jett flee, but how long can they stay safe? </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm a huge fan of anything with a circus (Water for Elephants, Circus Mirandus, The Night Circus) so I think this is going to be right up my street.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I didn't have to wait very long because it came through in the post today! This is whipping right to the top of my TBR and I can't wait to get started! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div style="background: url(data:image/png; display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5uK8P1oQlx/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Off sick today but what a brilliant thing to come home to #bookpost from the good old #USA. This book features in my #WaitingforWednesday post now up on ya-barringbooklover blogspot.co.uk. Thanks @skyhorsepub #ireadya #YA</a></div>
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-07-29T13:17:09+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 29, 2015 at 6:17am PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Bookish love, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Rachel </span></div>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhandwrittengirl.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fbooks%2Fasking-for-it.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhQRugEgVw2zvA-lkL7-7ZUgSad-Y1yJr0KdQlBIhmnYX1cQuDcDPbPMp6nmUO7-7tUn5XiCecyIsMVywFUMhnTLpJIOHqqE-VyEH7zsJkBehAt2Dbg1eAr5rQgGs5XooUs1bh2Nh1Uak3M6FxDEso_mtS3uN4Uji6x8L_W0lpcrTUkMuqk=" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-73674431603651482172015-07-23T13:54:00.000-07:002015-07-24T04:10:03.014-07:00YALC 2015 - Key takeaways from a brilliant bookish weekend!This time last week I was on a 6am train headed to London, buzzing with excitement to go to my 2nd YALC. With a weekend ticket in my pocket, I was geared up for three days of panels, workshops, agent area drop-ins and lots of bookish fun. And it certainly didn't disappoint!<br />
<br />
What a brilliant weekend! Thanks to all the smart changes made by Booktrust, this year was <b>even more enjoyable and successful than the last </b>*thank you air-con!* I could go on and on about how great each event was but instead, I thought I'd share just some key things that I look from each event I attended:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Friday: </span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Cosplay for Beginners </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0pS-E6-6LGgfqynaZIEvqScbitAITqYPHU6Na8JtPVuyyqsxns2BmhR3t_hffMMDB9w2sxXeyKJIa7XgxxtypWrV9PhrUp5S2I7FV7B8fCP1MAqU0CqaVngrFzk3aQL69JZhyphenhyphenKixs-A/s1600/20150717_163029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0pS-E6-6LGgfqynaZIEvqScbitAITqYPHU6Na8JtPVuyyqsxns2BmhR3t_hffMMDB9w2sxXeyKJIa7XgxxtypWrV9PhrUp5S2I7FV7B8fCP1MAqU0CqaVngrFzk3aQL69JZhyphenhyphenKixs-A/s640/20150717_163029.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lucy Saxon as Draco and friends with awesome cosplay. Ginny had a real life Quaffle! And Ariel made her own corset!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>- </b>Break your first costume down into elements e.g. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A Hogwarts uniform includes, robes, jumper, shirt, tie, trouser/skirt (+ tights) and shoes. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Make each element one at a time and don't get overwhelmed by the scale of the costume.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Factor in drying time of anything you create - paint can take up to 24 hours to dry.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Make sure you bring a repair kit with you when you cosplay </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(duct tape, sewing kit and the mother of all cosplay saviours - the safety pin!)<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/unitedkingdomcosplay?fref=ts" target="_blank">UK Cosplay Facebook Group</a> - like the book community as a whole, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the cosplay community is super nice and super helpful to all.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- If you chose to wear a corset, make sure you break it in. Just like you would with a tricky pair of heels, practice wearing it. In particular, sitting down without dying... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- <b>Cosplay is like playing the piano:</b> your sewing and crafting skills will develop in time so don't get down on quality at the start. Just get doing!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Creating Characters with L.A.Weatherly </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-act_structure" target="_blank">3 Act Structure </a>is your friend.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- The trajectory of the story depends on two things: what the characters want </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
aka the emotional story line and what they need to do aka the main story line.<br />
One should drive the other.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- For examples of great characterisation, read anything by Stephanie Perkins </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Anna and the French Kiss, Isla and the Happily Ever After etc)<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- As an added, <b>exclusive </b>extra, L.A. Weatherly's new series of books was announced at this event: </div>
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5QLS7RIQn2/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">#YALC EXCLUSIVE L.A Weatherly's new series announcement. The first book is called Broken Skies! #bookstagram #booknews</a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
A video posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-07-17T21:43:02+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 17, 2015 at 2:43pm PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Harry Potter Party!</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Loads of fun! Even more so because my house won the House Cup! Hufflepuffs ROCK!<br />
Could it be due to the fact that we are particularly good finders...?</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5QMpK2IQqr/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders... @yalc_uk @mugglenet #PotterParty #scavhunt</a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
A video posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-07-17T21:54:49+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 17, 2015 at 2:54pm PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Saturday: </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">YA: The Next Generation</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjZVaERW5ItjDZTbUHEmz9cPz2FYTNeXnG49TrwOPJBAT3L_-cnF2mIkustUxUX3Wd0KOsQW2swY9j3Kbyvp67BUEBF35fB_Bo8oaBQ_3JJ9iWQo4mzz_L-oLlMFlxLP676tfiihMHyI/s1600/Crowd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjZVaERW5ItjDZTbUHEmz9cPz2FYTNeXnG49TrwOPJBAT3L_-cnF2mIkustUxUX3Wd0KOsQW2swY9j3Kbyvp67BUEBF35fB_Bo8oaBQ_3JJ9iWQo4mzz_L-oLlMFlxLP676tfiihMHyI/s640/Crowd.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all the bookish peeps! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b></b><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- NaNoWriMo is awesome - both Taran and Alice started with it.<br />
It's great for motivating yourself to hit a word count consistently.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Publishing young is a Catch-22: The younger you are, the more impressive your book deal is. But the younger you are, the less seriously you seem to be taken.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- The best part of being a young writer is that you are closer to your readers in age and taste, making it that much easier to interact with them.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Taran Matharu is an all-round awesome guy!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Cassandra Clare: Shadowhunters</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMboscadioC9qsJjFC_bKGKTZA5Bfo6slvOZXM__d74hmXTKDgXVPVcThFb-R4Ur7Aojl7EhaSNgu2nhOxd-dfN1Oj-5-fnCPQrHC9CJ_KQFgOWN9BFHyrsiI1yHImtvRSU_7Dn9MvdI/s1600/20150718_115946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMboscadioC9qsJjFC_bKGKTZA5Bfo6slvOZXM__d74hmXTKDgXVPVcThFb-R4Ur7Aojl7EhaSNgu2nhOxd-dfN1Oj-5-fnCPQrHC9CJ_KQFgOWN9BFHyrsiI1yHImtvRSU_7Dn9MvdI/s640/20150718_115946.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sarah Rees Brennan chairing Cassandra Clare </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
-<b><i>Lady Midnight </i>is coming in March!</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- The first book in The Last Hours series is called <i>Chain of Iron. </i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>- Shadowhunter TV Update! </i>Cassandra has been on the set of the new TV show, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and can tell us that the actors are really approaching the roles differently.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Harry Shum Jr had lots of intelligent, well thought out questions about Magnus' character. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And although Magnus may not do any b-boying in the series, Harry does use his dancer experience to slink like a majestic magical panther (Sarah Rees Brennan's words, not mine)<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Cassandra Clare would be a Fairchild (because she has red hair and freckles) or Blackthorn (because she's an only child and would like to know what it's like to have a mental family)</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Being a Girl </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnozggRhg2szbMHQ67R_9RhIDL3lKOJf0lY0cSWGi6lRFASdwYhTdBpF0R0rM1tk6wC672mtxCVSMRrSNCnPt2c6GfeZzbJD_EGLVrw2ya1hLr-umLDQiyYpqmcU3s8wh-h6iZGquWdY/s1600/girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnozggRhg2szbMHQ67R_9RhIDL3lKOJf0lY0cSWGi6lRFASdwYhTdBpF0R0rM1tk6wC672mtxCVSMRrSNCnPt2c6GfeZzbJD_EGLVrw2ya1hLr-umLDQiyYpqmcU3s8wh-h6iZGquWdY/s640/girls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Holly Smale, Hayley Long, Laura Dockrill, C.J. Shukse, Malorie Blackman and Anna James being boss witches</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- We're a long way from being done with the feminism/equal rights debate, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
there is still a lot to fight for.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- We still need to see more examples of girls rescuing themselves and each other, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
not just deus ex machina style men coming in and saving the day<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- <b>We need to see more realistic, responsible representations of women. We need role models!</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Feminism is particularly important in YA because teens are learning about their gender roles. Honesty is important.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Holly Smale is a boss: <i>"Feminism is part of my voice. We need to chip away at gender inequality by chipping away at it with each new voice. My way is through humour - the best way to break down tropes is to laugh at them and yourself." </i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>- </i>Girls are super harsh to each other. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Flawed male characters are not publicly flogged the same way seemingly 'slutty' female characters are.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- We need to celebrate the differences between genders and people in general, not using the differences between what is feminine or masculine or otherwise to attack each other.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Agent 1-2-1 with Gemma Cooper</span></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitScp8Qz5zvksvDIcs41xkhL4zUxGJ3RevpU-26s7xwuQvHsYcCJSHaSSfrkwJztBtKnPlbj5m64i2wb5iDd_w1PiaQJZ8-kmGXApzU3tgMzJfvgPwtGMY7IXULtZigSRvssVtWcSYl8o/s1600/IMG_20150717_182232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitScp8Qz5zvksvDIcs41xkhL4zUxGJ3RevpU-26s7xwuQvHsYcCJSHaSSfrkwJztBtKnPlbj5m64i2wb5iDd_w1PiaQJZ8-kmGXApzU3tgMzJfvgPwtGMY7IXULtZigSRvssVtWcSYl8o/s400/IMG_20150717_182232.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book Wall over near the agents area. There were loads of bean bags and deck chairs this year = lots of comfy places to snuggle & read! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
- These are a great addition to YALC, and the agents are super happy for you to come an ask them whatever you want. I was so close to not doing this one, but I got over being nervous/having nothing specific to say and it was brilliant.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I can highly recommend!</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Carrie Hope Fletcher's Book Club </span></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwSskAcXYcKhqbCQCfBVmQhiJBq4ArdiqGWGq3ncSgI2-ApN9WCrlHTISb8BloEvKNtX6utlS_ppMC9x2t9j4-KkfbgCfIdWL8XVMR3-pA_HvciRBXz8xaQe_gLYwH8Iuqom8b9AmTPQ/s1600/20150718_143410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwSskAcXYcKhqbCQCfBVmQhiJBq4ArdiqGWGq3ncSgI2-ApN9WCrlHTISb8BloEvKNtX6utlS_ppMC9x2t9j4-KkfbgCfIdWL8XVMR3-pA_HvciRBXz8xaQe_gLYwH8Iuqom8b9AmTPQ/s640/20150718_143410.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Carrie Hope Fletcher chairing Holly Smale, Malorie Blackman and Samantha Shannon</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>- </b>I didn't take any notes for this, I just sat back and enjoyed all the awesome on stage!<br />
Also forgive my terrible camera skills, I was fangirling to hard to focus *literally*</div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Judy Blume in Conversation with Patrick Ness</span></b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn8l3XG_ZphGeRDLQMT-uJDiWWvxscPVPT0vkzRrk8LlIy229yoUcuBLUnvBE9knuqQ8x1JbmPMz_wVoYrYHJVO5GRFn9vim73Ze0LcblLNEONiNPMOHEDehj47k6Unwuc10QI8UAQK8/s1600/Judy+%2526+PAtrick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn8l3XG_ZphGeRDLQMT-uJDiWWvxscPVPT0vkzRrk8LlIy229yoUcuBLUnvBE9knuqQ8x1JbmPMz_wVoYrYHJVO5GRFn9vim73Ze0LcblLNEONiNPMOHEDehj47k6Unwuc10QI8UAQK8/s640/Judy+%2526+PAtrick.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick Ness and the charming Judy Blume </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>- "</b><i>No book or author is ever as important to you as those you read as a child or teen"</i> - Patrick Ness on reading Judy Blume. *Preach Pat, preach*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It was evident Judy meant a lot to the people there, some girls opposite me were crying with the realness of it all.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Judy wrote <i>Forever </i>because when her daughter was growing up in the 70s, all that was available to her were books with the message that when a girl gives in to her sexual urges, she is punished. Her daughter asked her if there could ever be a book where 2 nice characters do it and don't die... So Judy wrote books just about that. Being constantly fed that girls have no sexual feelings and that boys have no feelings is incredibly unhealthy - Judy wanted to change this.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- "<i>Let's not pretend teens are in need of mollycoddling. Swearing is like tap dancing, it just feels good.</i>" - Judy Blume on explicit language<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- <i>Forever </i>is a feminist book!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- <i>In The Unlikely Event </i>is the first story idea that came to her all at once - she'd never wanted to write about the 50s (the time period in which Judy grew up which she found frightfully dull) until she heard someone else talking about it and the story just popped into existence.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- The reason the 50s seemed like a boring time, she sees in retrospect, was that adults weren't telling them anything. The plane crashed details <i>In The Unlikely Event </i>happened close to Judy's house, and she never was told about it, saw the crash site, knew who died. This time was otherwise known as a time of secrets.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Judy's writing ethos is just to tell the truth.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Sunday: </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Non Pratt & A.J. Grainger</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQQOR1oFAagyC5NHXfYf2gTxR-hQDfORxZB6MLacHUwX7tSDWxJ15ngbWtjasbwD_rNNPlwoGr5faw8t5dfJ1Sf6hZE8WAqJKU1M-6oomxGUTTnW632a4jvR96-e9EtqWHz1O70d6R9A/s1600/workshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQQOR1oFAagyC5NHXfYf2gTxR-hQDfORxZB6MLacHUwX7tSDWxJ15ngbWtjasbwD_rNNPlwoGr5faw8t5dfJ1Sf6hZE8WAqJKU1M-6oomxGUTTnW632a4jvR96-e9EtqWHz1O70d6R9A/s640/workshop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The workshop area was sectioned off this year. Whereas last year it was loud and hard to hear, this space was great. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>-</b> Non Pratt is awesome and my new favourite.<br />
<br />
- Be discerning if and when you pick an agent/editor: it's comparable to getting married. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Bringing Sexy Back</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdmqSZ_onxj4Z3qymedAxvaYaY6368CR-ylqbN39MyniS6OVQ7rW2AvkaZ6DnmdXt5o886nDbNxOCYEHZ_htSzgnZaugKRewOjUIDTdLaaCn8KnBY3rQwwsqKJiEIlsSmWVy30gRl-l4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdmqSZ_onxj4Z3qymedAxvaYaY6368CR-ylqbN39MyniS6OVQ7rW2AvkaZ6DnmdXt5o886nDbNxOCYEHZ_htSzgnZaugKRewOjUIDTdLaaCn8KnBY3rQwwsqKJiEIlsSmWVy30gRl-l4/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Ellen, Lucy Ivison, Louise O'Neill, Non Pratt and Daenerys & Dragons aka. James Dawson </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>- </b>Books and movies <b>are actually being sexually sanitised.</b> Everyone is so afraid to offend.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Louise O'Neill has a cracking sense of humour. In fact, so does everyone on this panel. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Funniest part of YALC by a mile!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Louise O'Neill thinks that for many teen girls, sex is a performance. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
They are worried about appearing sexy/performing well (something I definitely felt as a teen)<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Realistic, responsible and honest YA has to be <b>the antidote to pornography</b> - </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
where else are they going to learn about the emotional as opposed to mechanical lessons of sex<br />
if not in books?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Non Pratt points out that sex in her new book <i>Remix </i>forms the periphery of the story.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Yes sex is important, but there is far more friendship in teens' lives than sexual relationships, surely?</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Taking Your Blog to the Next Level</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DEVc2iFLXYTZoncbffxyac53OeYeShQbK4R7WxMR4GDU0tMx9K6TX8LjtLWAzVlvyQg0eWdfQyAdYGMbODCRHAAhN05TpwFdK9_WZEcSpLVoNkAFxJ_Q0DsEL_BonrLi4mUekIa1zvI/s1600/IMG_1377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DEVc2iFLXYTZoncbffxyac53OeYeShQbK4R7WxMR4GDU0tMx9K6TX8LjtLWAzVlvyQg0eWdfQyAdYGMbODCRHAAhN05TpwFdK9_WZEcSpLVoNkAFxJ_Q0DsEL_BonrLi4mUekIa1zvI/s400/IMG_1377.JPG" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy the Reader, Jim from YaYeahYeah and Viv from SeredipityReviews </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Advice - don't tweet negative reviews to authors.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- If you want your blog to be a diary of your reading, more power to you. If you want it to be something that people go to repeatedly for recs etc. write reviews for them. If you didn't like a book, then write the review for that person out there who will - all taste is subjective and someone will like it. Of course be critical, but be constructive.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- What defines a good blog: enthusiasm and being able to stand out from the crowd.<br />
<br />
- <b>Do you. </b>Don't get wrapped up in comparisons, it leads to a deep, dark place...</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Vlogging for beginners </span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDTSWZcfSJxn4VPfuYRBkb3mrP-pnqSLLEAdvaXsb0MFRtNsQDKTxST0g1RS5s1JqdpudJQbmUWd6UCr9Vlv7kg0fOECs4ktUfYTFnP8O0Koz9uy2xeF90mLkUi4dinEWdOD705X7QHU/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDTSWZcfSJxn4VPfuYRBkb3mrP-pnqSLLEAdvaXsb0MFRtNsQDKTxST0g1RS5s1JqdpudJQbmUWd6UCr9Vlv7kg0fOECs4ktUfYTFnP8O0Koz9uy2xeF90mLkUi4dinEWdOD705X7QHU/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy from The Book Belle, Amy from ShoutAme and Sanne from Book&Quills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>- </b>Equipment you might like to invest in: a tripod and any camera with filming capabilities. That's it! No need for fancy cameras, light boxes or editing packages etc. Just get started, learn cut, paste and delete and remember to film horizontally.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Tip: If you do buy a new camera, it's really helpful to have a <b>flip screen</b>.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Film in the morning, when natural light is at its best. The panel tended to take a weekend morning and film several videos (swapping tops & hair between vids).<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Reviews tend to be the least popular posts (this is across the board of b/vlogging really) and hauls, wrap ups and tags tend to get the most views.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- The ideal length of a video is between 3 - maximum 6 minutes.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- <b>Advice</b>: Reach out to the community. Everyone is really nice and helpful.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Tip for not getting stuck in a slump: Keep a list of video ideas you might like to make and if you're ever stuck for something to post, pop it up and get cracking.</div>
<br />
<br />
And some other snaps from the weekend:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtkl6InveOJ7Vvi7gGTTcWy4pUt2JgQmZLVrwuy_JMRNyMBSzeudZgzSLSZ6kkCHYOkubursCXuy-wuXSnwIXhyphenhyphen2_FsRFqDs3PB3tcj87rhqThH2viispyaImWwipHJy_6SZDvAcbY34/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtkl6InveOJ7Vvi7gGTTcWy4pUt2JgQmZLVrwuy_JMRNyMBSzeudZgzSLSZ6kkCHYOkubursCXuy-wuXSnwIXhyphenhyphen2_FsRFqDs3PB3tcj87rhqThH2viispyaImWwipHJy_6SZDvAcbY34/s400/photo+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tarot reading for <i>The Accident Season - </i>the line was huge! Very popular </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA29FQjxPfVgCrQTxHOVBhCGwmYI6iMNobceIuIkZrJQf6vDz4Q8xRky56mk1whq2mnKu2DZjxG8ss_1rwbvLZhKDFf3MzHAqpNI5Sk6gNsRDb-pNJDZrg_gp1KL-tA7BliJUYPAeark/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA29FQjxPfVgCrQTxHOVBhCGwmYI6iMNobceIuIkZrJQf6vDz4Q8xRky56mk1whq2mnKu2DZjxG8ss_1rwbvLZhKDFf3MzHAqpNI5Sk6gNsRDb-pNJDZrg_gp1KL-tA7BliJUYPAeark/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A girl in the signing queue for James Dawson had the most amazing Neil Gaiman inspired shoes! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkImDS8bbDq73UP3VnmWr4i2tL8WxOZhICZsozJE4q_0ZGRv_HL6HGFEhA3RNAaBrhXweobLHCsCIRmCTaea7vidd9D1NVABkp_ku0E4CM4QW3QQuNC47QH85OUFA5G0e8xKFOm46GmY/s1600/20150719_152742+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkImDS8bbDq73UP3VnmWr4i2tL8WxOZhICZsozJE4q_0ZGRv_HL6HGFEhA3RNAaBrhXweobLHCsCIRmCTaea7vidd9D1NVABkp_ku0E4CM4QW3QQuNC47QH85OUFA5G0e8xKFOm46GmY/s320/20150719_152742+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See you again next year LFCC :D<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was fortunate enough to be invited down to YALC with work and spend some time volunteering on the shared publisher table. As a result, I got to pick at all the leftovers with reckless abandon - l<b>ook at all the swag!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5Y31n4oQlb/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">#swaghaul from @yalc_uk. Look at all the goodies! My fav are the #allthebrightplaces post-its and the MKB oyster card holder. I also won a sneak peak chapter of Inferno by Cat Doyle... what an amazing weekend. #bookstagram #ukya #ireadya</a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-07-21T06:46:11+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 20, 2015 at 11:46pm PDT</time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
<br />
And here are all the beautiful books I lugged home with me, seriously cannot wait to dive into them!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5Y7E_8oQpG/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">#bookhaul from @yalc_uk. I think 9 is a healthy number of new acquisitions, though my shoulders disagreed after a weekend lugging them around. Can't wait to read them all, but especially excited about #Lorali by my friend Laura Dockrill which is gorgeously singed inside. #bookstagram #YA #ireadya</a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-07-21T07:14:29+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 21, 2015 at 12:14am </time></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I can't recommend a trip down to YALC highly enough for any booklover. Gosh I hope it becomes a yearly occurrence...<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Bookish love, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Rachel </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </div>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-35045365100986516912015-07-14T05:47:00.001-07:002015-07-14T05:50:09.191-07:00Top Ten Tuesday: Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by </strong><a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>The Broke and the Bookish</strong></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So here is a little peak into my bookshelf over the past few weeks. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There's an interesting spread here, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">from books I bought, those I received for review and those I stole from my sister's bookcase. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So diving in first with those I received for review: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/3nza37IQqW/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Book post! My favourite kind of post. Thanks to Atom and @hotkeybooks for these beauties. Loved Keren David's Salvage so high hopes for This is Not a Love Story. Didn't get on famously with We Were Liars so curious about the new E.Lockhart. And Almost Grace is a coming of age surf novel set in South Africa - so very promising. Reviews for all soon here and on the blog (link in description) #bookstagram #bookpost #newreleases #ireadya #YA</span></a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-06-07T08:53:24+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 7, 2015 at 1:53am PDT</time></span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am lucky enough to be on the Hot Key Books Blogger List and I was asked at the start of June which books I would like to receive from their list for that month. <em><strong>How To Be Bad</strong> </em><strong>by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle</strong> and <em><strong>Almost Grace by Rosie Rowell</strong>, </em>recent winner of The Banford Boase Award for her other title <em>Leopold Blue. </em>Both appealed to me as coming-of-age, summer road-trip/holiday stories. I quite enjoyed <em>We Were Liars </em>but had some serious issues with it, so my hope for <em>HTBB </em>is high. I'm currently half-way through <em>AG </em>and it's going to be my very next review. I'm enjoying it thus far, but it's just taken a turn for the odd that I'm intrigued to follow. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I also received <strong><em>This Is Not A Love Story </em>by Keren David</strong> from Atom (which I previously reviewed</span><a href="http://ya-bberingbooklover.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/review-this-is-not-love-story-by-keren.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">). I'm a huge fan of Keren and #TeamSalvage was my pick for the YA Bookseller Award. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/46EfrBoQsZ/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">#bookreview So my review of #thisisnotalovestory is up on the blog (link in profile). I loved Salvage by Keren David and had high hopes for this. I really enjoyed it and look forward to more from Keren. If you look closely at the cover, the heart is actually a map of Amsterdam... clever. #bookstagram #YA #ukya #ireadya</span></a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-07-09T07:40:19+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 9, 2015 at 12:40am PDT</time></span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I also won a copy of<strong> <em>Circus Mirandus </em>by Cassie Beasley</strong> from Chicken House. <em>Circus Mirandus </em>is about a young boy who's grandfather becomes very ill and the only hope is a mystery man from a travelling circus. I'm a sucker for anything with a circus (I have undying love for <em>The Night Cirucs </em>by Erin Morgenstern and <em>Water For Elephant </em>by Sara Gruen) so this is right up my street. And the giveaway was ridiculously fun - using the guide below, make your circus names My circus name was <strong>Luna, The Magnificent Strong Woman.</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Use your initials to find out your circus name - tell us yours and RT to win 1 of 5 copies of </span><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CircusMirandus?src=hash"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">#CircusMirandus</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">! </span><a href="http://t.co/zHk4f0Qkhp"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">pic.twitter.com/zHk4f0Qkhp</span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">— Chicken House (@chickenhsebooks) </span><a href="https://twitter.com/chickenhsebooks/status/606431224916082688"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">June 4, 2015</span></a></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I also received not 1, but 2 copies of <strong><em>The Next Together</em> by Lauren E. James! </strong>Lauren is a fellow Nottingham Uni Alumn, and I'm super excited to read this. I'm going to be doing a giveaway of the 2nd copy at the beginning of August, so watch out! Also, isn't this a lovely print of Alice in Wonderland... </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/3wdTpEoQlj/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">#bookpost Awsome delivery to come home to! Been waiting for #thenexttogether for ages, can't wait to read it. And who doesn't love Alice? Thanks Walker Books and @penguinrandomhouse</span></a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-06-10T17:33:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 10, 2015 at 10:33am PDT</time></span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I<strong> </strong>then bought <strong><em>Remix </em>by Non Pratt</strong> at Waterstones on Oxford Street, along with this amazing, beautiful, wonderful, every superlative out there for the <strong>graphic novel version of Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman</strong>, with artwork by the grossly talented </span><a href="https://twitter.com/johnaggs" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">John Aggs</span></strong></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/40xwuToQlt/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's finally here! The thing I've been waiting for since I was 13... Noughts and Crosses the Graphic Novel! So excited to get my teeth into this #bookstagram #YA #ireadya #ukya #noughtsandcrosses #x&o #graphicnovel</span></a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-07-07T06:20:25+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 6, 2015 at 11:20pm PDT</time></span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is a little snap of my of my June Book Haul: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5ESsAYIQur/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">#bookhaul So these are all the books I either bought or recieved in June. The Noughts and Crosses graphic novel is really lovely, an fan of Malorie should pick it up for certain. This is Not a Love Story is also great, a wicked summer read for a plane or beach. The other three are at the top of my TBR - in particular Remix before YALC #bookstagram</span></a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-07-13T06:56:45+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 12, 2015 at 11:56pm PDT</time></span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Believe it or not from the above, but June was a quiet-ish month for me. So to get to 10 books, we have to look back to May. I picked up <strong><em>A Court of Thorns and Roses</em> by Sarah J. Maas</strong>. I had heard so many good things about this book, and I was really in the mood for some fantasy after a lot of contemporary. I'm afraid it and I just didn't get on, just like with <em>Throne of Glass </em>series. I just don't think Sarah is for me sadly... </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding: 8px;">
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0px; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;">
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/3a3cxtIQrP/" style="-ms-word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Just picked this up - felt like an injection of the fantastical today #bookstagram #ireadya #YA #courtofthornsandroses</span></a></div>
<div style="-ms-text-overflow: ellipsis; color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A photo posted by Rachel Kennedy (@yabberingbooklover) on <time datetime="2015-06-02T08:18:29+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 2, 2015 at 1:18am PDT</time></span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And finally, I have perused my sister's bookcase and temporarily stolen <strong><em>Paper Towns </em>by John Green</strong> and<em> </em><strong><em>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</em> by Stephen Chbosky. </strong>I am planning something on the run up to the release of the Paper Towns movie so keep your eyes peeled. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWoXKr4uUQrSy9zOJm1-wpOvcs0TRIYHhVQ0dvRE2ws3IY8jzuEm5E_kI_CXmlWH3y8YQMaE_nPsIs25T6ZU-T_-eX9nWWSw_2TSIAAVKFEiUrmPvwiMy5Ejvce4dhuVk4G6M57_wnq0/s1600/paper+towns2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWoXKr4uUQrSy9zOJm1-wpOvcs0TRIYHhVQ0dvRE2ws3IY8jzuEm5E_kI_CXmlWH3y8YQMaE_nPsIs25T6ZU-T_-eX9nWWSw_2TSIAAVKFEiUrmPvwiMy5Ejvce4dhuVk4G6M57_wnq0/s400/paper+towns2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So those are the last 10 books that have come into my possession. It's been an awesome month, my first receiving review copies from publishers, and I have loved it! My TBR is about to explode with YALC this weekend. Follow me on </span><a href="https://instagram.com/yabberingbooklover/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Instagram</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> for lots more bookish pics, reviews, updates and event reporting. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Bookish love,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Rachel</span> </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-84438892497260241562015-07-09T00:29:00.001-07:002015-07-09T00:29:21.560-07:00Review: This Is Not A Love Story by Keren David<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424443107l/22838328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424443107l/22838328.jpg" /></em></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span id="freeText15383123680868899414"></span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Kitty dreams of a beautiful life, but that's impossible in suburban London where her family is haunted by her father's unexpected death. So when her mum suggests moving to Amsterdam to try a new life, Kitty doesn't take much persuading. Will this be her opportunity to make her life picture perfect? </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><br /><br />In Amsterdam she meets moody, unpredictable Ethan, and clever, troubled Theo. Two enigmatic boys, who each harbour their own secrets. In a beautiful city and far from home, Kitty finds herself falling in love for the first time. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><br /><br />But will love be everything she expected? And will anyone's heart survive? </em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Be warned, there are spoilers! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyone who read my last review of a Keren David book will know I was an insta-fan of her work. She was my pick to win the YA Prize back in March (#TeamSalvage), so it should come as no surprise that I was cho</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">mping at the bit to read <em>This Is Not A Love Story</em> - thank you Atom for the review copy! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I'll say right off the bat that I did not love this as much as I loved <em>Salvage</em>. If you read my <a href="http://ya-bberingbooklover.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/teamsalvage-keren-david-author-q.html" target="_blank">interview with Keren</a> you'll understand that I had a really personal relationship with the story, so that could have a lot to do with it. That said, <em>This Is Not A Love Story </em>is a brilliant contemporary love story (despite what the title may have you believe) that I would definitely recommend. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Keren is the master of creating believable teen characters. She really understands people and their motivations, making her characters utterly relatable. For example, Kitty's desire to change herself into someone different and more interesting are definitely feelings I had as a teen. And the self-justifying way Kitty talks about Theo hits the nail on the head when it comes to unrequited/first love.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The male characters are a little less convincing for me personally. Theo's pining for Sophie is excellently portrayed, and yet another example of how Keren gets first love right. And Ethan is surly and alternative, which is a great comparison to the two other idealistic main characters. But neither of their motivations are overly clear to me, so some question marks did spring up throughout - for example, Theo being romantically interested in Ethan seems a little out of the blue to me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">What's really stand out about <i>This is Not A Love Story </i>is the setting which is absolutely brilliant: Amsterdam = fascinating and fun! It totally made me want to visit again... The descriptions Keren gives of the city are wonderfully evocative but never too heavy handed in a "This is Potsdammer Platz which is a big square with lots of beautifully crafted buildings and people and blah bleh blah..." way. And having lived abroad myself, Keren also describes the wonder of the new and different very eloquently. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and think I would have liked it even more if I had read it at 15 or 16. <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/this-is-not-a-love-story/keren-david/9780349001401" target="_blank">It's a great, light-hearted read that'd be great for a holiday and that I think teens will really enjoy. </a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuww7cb51adDk0j9pwq4PfE3m4WodHkhCxI1UOJvDsnc1pGwOfb4Br5787QnKzxzCkkU-FzF7PhoL-bzXM70881uFIoQy5nGxjt0XqJydZ6Zys3SmiW47oBZn_l5iBzC4FUACFEVuUec/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuww7cb51adDk0j9pwq4PfE3m4WodHkhCxI1UOJvDsnc1pGwOfb4Br5787QnKzxzCkkU-FzF7PhoL-bzXM70881uFIoQy5nGxjt0XqJydZ6Zys3SmiW47oBZn_l5iBzC4FUACFEVuUec/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuww7cb51adDk0j9pwq4PfE3m4WodHkhCxI1UOJvDsnc1pGwOfb4Br5787QnKzxzCkkU-FzF7PhoL-bzXM70881uFIoQy5nGxjt0XqJydZ6Zys3SmiW47oBZn_l5iBzC4FUACFEVuUec/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuww7cb51adDk0j9pwq4PfE3m4WodHkhCxI1UOJvDsnc1pGwOfb4Br5787QnKzxzCkkU-FzF7PhoL-bzXM70881uFIoQy5nGxjt0XqJydZ6Zys3SmiW47oBZn_l5iBzC4FUACFEVuUec/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRUQEGWFAjJKS20MuXW81GUaNBr8T7-1V_o8WZ0_hp1Xc7o4JEdwma-ml2v_GzB1SK2v20A0TMsnR-CLdB-THG-bInAy6Z9ce6xC52nniPgNFEMKP4PLbXpMZaIfJFy-mQjheq7Nhukg/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRUQEGWFAjJKS20MuXW81GUaNBr8T7-1V_o8WZ0_hp1Xc7o4JEdwma-ml2v_GzB1SK2v20A0TMsnR-CLdB-THG-bInAy6Z9ce6xC52nniPgNFEMKP4PLbXpMZaIfJFy-mQjheq7Nhukg/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJLjLC8h6HjS08BlkKi470vXl_PklWRgGtUBEl-Tg2PdjtS6nBpTGgxTlpj-A9XwfSYUwnqjCj06Zj4BbybSYvHEV3j1CC9lV_w1rRwwkljGxGYL9EYf7RttZ0ALFZ6aIE0TO4M8MEKc/s1600/half+star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJLjLC8h6HjS08BlkKi470vXl_PklWRgGtUBEl-Tg2PdjtS6nBpTGgxTlpj-A9XwfSYUwnqjCj06Zj4BbybSYvHEV3j1CC9lV_w1rRwwkljGxGYL9EYf7RttZ0ALFZ6aIE0TO4M8MEKc/s1600/half+star.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuww7cb51adDk0j9pwq4PfE3m4WodHkhCxI1UOJvDsnc1pGwOfb4Br5787QnKzxzCkkU-FzF7PhoL-bzXM70881uFIoQy5nGxjt0XqJydZ6Zys3SmiW47oBZn_l5iBzC4FUACFEVuUec/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span>Book received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-47538016215030637482015-06-12T01:59:00.000-07:002015-06-12T02:01:05.317-07:00Review & Author Interview: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach<div class="MsoNormal">
<h4>
<a href="https://p.gr-assets.com/200x200/scale/books/1422207393/24685506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://p.gr-assets.com/200x200/scale/books/1422207393/24685506.jpg" width="209" /></span></a><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><i>Before Ardor, we let ourselves be defined by labels - the athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever. But then we all looked up and everything changed. They said the asteroid would be here in two months.</i></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><i>That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we'd been, something that would last even after the end. Two months to really live.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Review: </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The reading slump I mentioned in my previous review of <i>All The Bright Places </i>is what also what lead me to this book. And I'll tell you what, I loved it just as much! </span></span></h4>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: normal;">This book, to me, is brilliantly written - the voices are authentic and witty, the sense of humour dry and often macabre. Readers and reviewers bang on about voice and how important it is to get it right, and for me, Tommy nails. I definitely hear my own sarcastic teenage-ness in the characters. </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: normal;">I particularly like Eliza, Andy and Anita, all of whom I can find a little of myself in. Andy's character reminds me of the boys I hung out with in high school and I recognised myself in the girls, Eliza - the badass I wanted to be in high school and Anita - the good girl I actually was. </span></h4>
<br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;">What really stands out in </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">We All Looked Up </span></i><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">are the unique turn of phrases that jump off the pages and makes you laugh and ponder. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The concept is well handled and the plot is nicely paced but not overly crammed. For me, it was pretty close to perfect. I felt there were some issues with plausibility i.e. the lack of anarchy towards the end of society's breakdown that pulled me out a little bit, but other than that - wonderful. </span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />So from me it's: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqToCbKvatW3sQ3zzbwyGOb1qOFWQ62m82IWO0PqYsWrTRVyajqWmOk8-FJAQquYcz-vrozMYUdjT1-mgtW3obAFQz4wmxtMqRYnDZwYwi4DRH5Al7hEr8NSmcM8h-yYfwMb6l1kS5fs/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqToCbKvatW3sQ3zzbwyGOb1qOFWQ62m82IWO0PqYsWrTRVyajqWmOk8-FJAQquYcz-vrozMYUdjT1-mgtW3obAFQz4wmxtMqRYnDZwYwi4DRH5Al7hEr8NSmcM8h-yYfwMb6l1kS5fs/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqToCbKvatW3sQ3zzbwyGOb1qOFWQ62m82IWO0PqYsWrTRVyajqWmOk8-FJAQquYcz-vrozMYUdjT1-mgtW3obAFQz4wmxtMqRYnDZwYwi4DRH5Al7hEr8NSmcM8h-yYfwMb6l1kS5fs/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqToCbKvatW3sQ3zzbwyGOb1qOFWQ62m82IWO0PqYsWrTRVyajqWmOk8-FJAQquYcz-vrozMYUdjT1-mgtW3obAFQz4wmxtMqRYnDZwYwi4DRH5Al7hEr8NSmcM8h-yYfwMb6l1kS5fs/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqToCbKvatW3sQ3zzbwyGOb1qOFWQ62m82IWO0PqYsWrTRVyajqWmOk8-FJAQquYcz-vrozMYUdjT1-mgtW3obAFQz4wmxtMqRYnDZwYwi4DRH5Al7hEr8NSmcM8h-yYfwMb6l1kS5fs/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqToCbKvatW3sQ3zzbwyGOb1qOFWQ62m82IWO0PqYsWrTRVyajqWmOk8-FJAQquYcz-vrozMYUdjT1-mgtW3obAFQz4wmxtMqRYnDZwYwi4DRH5Al7hEr8NSmcM8h-yYfwMb6l1kS5fs/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqToCbKvatW3sQ3zzbwyGOb1qOFWQ62m82IWO0PqYsWrTRVyajqWmOk8-FJAQquYcz-vrozMYUdjT1-mgtW3obAFQz4wmxtMqRYnDZwYwi4DRH5Al7hEr8NSmcM8h-yYfwMb6l1kS5fs/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqToCbKvatW3sQ3zzbwyGOb1qOFWQ62m82IWO0PqYsWrTRVyajqWmOk8-FJAQquYcz-vrozMYUdjT1-mgtW3obAFQz4wmxtMqRYnDZwYwi4DRH5Al7hEr8NSmcM8h-yYfwMb6l1kS5fs/s1600/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcxGYBUUYQdCg1BZQr0BA-srjbEt-MZwLO71bRTPZFuvM1ivaZqUgn9WglBhIw5Q1Sfi1HOhf_lSZIWT9nBqNEE7Qjm_TJQkwfMcWladc4de0HEpuGJ5UgSHCGcED5Kz0XUYWVQi6_pg/s1600/half+star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcxGYBUUYQdCg1BZQr0BA-srjbEt-MZwLO71bRTPZFuvM1ivaZqUgn9WglBhIw5Q1Sfi1HOhf_lSZIWT9nBqNEE7Qjm_TJQkwfMcWladc4de0HEpuGJ5UgSHCGcED5Kz0XUYWVQi6_pg/s1600/half+star.jpg" /></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;">Like I said, pretty near damn perfect. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span>
</span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Added Bonus!<span style="font-weight: normal;"> I was lucky enough to</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: normal;"> interview the author, Tommy Wallach! Interesting note about Tommy - he is also a musician and has created <a href="https://tommywallach.bandcamp.com/album/we-all-looked-up-the-album" target="_blank">an accompanying album to <i>We All Looked Up </i></a>that definitely needs to be your reading soundtrack. More on that below: </span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7BY1n9EF6sbkU5Y4_V-_DjbvG9PTIRp6EpkwwKqgE_phSQaMcUwFYuvZLDcm6A5zLpABq9xibj2zGX-4RD_vAWX6e3lUnif0_Moo1EsUfJiXTeLMITK64-sjoXh44EnR_BpSgoSCa08/s1600/url.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7BY1n9EF6sbkU5Y4_V-_DjbvG9PTIRp6EpkwwKqgE_phSQaMcUwFYuvZLDcm6A5zLpABq9xibj2zGX-4RD_vAWX6e3lUnif0_Moo1EsUfJiXTeLMITK64-sjoXh44EnR_BpSgoSCa08/s1600/url.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What inspired the story of <em>We All Looked Up</em>?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">The story was primarily inspired by a film called "Melancholia," which also involves an asteroid coming at the Earth. "Melancholia," however, is very much for adults (it was directed by Lars von Trier), and uses the asteroid as a metaphor. It was a couple months after seeing the film that it occurred to me that the asteroid storyline hadn't been explored for the YA audience, at least not in a way that had broken out into the greater consciousness. I thought it made for a great match, given how "end-of-the-world" life already seems when you're in high school.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The idea of a karass seems central to this story. What drew you to this and have you ever experienced one yourself? </span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Karass - <span style="line-height: 19.2px;">A network or group of people who, unknown to themselves, are somehow affiliated or linked, specifically to fulfill the will of God.</span></i></span></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">My mom has been using that word ever since I was a kid, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I actually read "Cat's Cradle." The concept really resonated with me, but to be honest, I'm not sure it's something that <i>really </i>happens in real life. I believe in deep spiritual connections with individual people, but I think it's rare for there to be a group that is connected in such a way. Still, it's a beautiful thought, isn't it?</span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There is a full companion album to this book. What came first - the story or the music?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">A combination. Some of the songs were written before the book was started, but then I included them in the plot of the book (as songs written by two of the protagonists who begin playing music together over the course of the novel). Some of the songs were written after the book was completed, specifically to go on the accompanying album. And a few were just songs I had that I really liked and wanted to include on the album, even though they don't directly connect.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Can you tell us any more about your writing music/book process?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">For writing fiction, I tend to work 6-7 days a week, writing about 1,000 words a day. I always work in coffee shops, for some strange reason. Music is very different for me. I can only write music when I'm inspired, which is annoying, because sometimes I'm just not inspired. I haven't written a new song for many months right now (maybe because everything is going so well in my life!).</span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you only had two months to live, what would you do? Move away with family like Cartier or party on like Eliza, Andy and Anita?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">In reality, I'd probably go away with my family. Boring, right? But if you really had very little time, you'd want to spend it with the people you love the most, and probably away from all the madness that would be going down in big cities.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Your authors notes say you rewrote the ending twice. Care to share the original endings with us?</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">Ha! Well, it's not quite as simple as that. I rewrote the entire second half twice, not just the ending, so the shifts were pretty enormous. Going into the details would take all day. I will admit that the original draft of the book had all the characters being locked-in at school, ostensibly to keep them off the streets. Then, when the book was picked up by an agent, he told me (very nicely) that I was an idiot, because no parents would ever allow their children to be locked up at school with the end of the world coming! Man, that still embarrasses me.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are so many fantastic lines from your book (the chips climbing out of primordial ooze being my personal favourite). Do you have a favourite line?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">"It turned out they'd been right here all along, standing in the darkness, appealing to the stars for some sign of what was to come, and never getting anything back but the shifting constellations of a swiftly spinning, precariously tilted planet." I'm really proud of that one.</span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Do you have a favourite character?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">I think I felt closest to Eliza, and I've been really happy that so many of my young female readers have also connected to her.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For lovers of <em>We All Looked Up, </em>could you suggest any other YA authors your readers might like? Or ones you particularly like yourself?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">I still have a soft spot for "Ender's Game," though the author isn't the greatest guy in the world, but I think my favorite YA remains Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Thanks For The Trouble </em>is due out May next year in the US. Can you tell us anything about it?</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">I can! It's about a boy named Parker Santé who is hanging out in a hotel lobby, looking for something to steal, when he meets a girl named Zelda Toth. Zelda tells Parker that she's waiting for her phone to ring, at which point, she'll jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. Also, she claims to have been born in 1770. The book takes place over one weekend, as Parker tries to figure out the truth about Zelda's past.</span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><u></u></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hope you enjoyed this review and interview! Next on my review pile is <i>This is Not A Love Story </i>by an author I love, Keren David. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Bookish love,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Rachel</span> </span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;">
</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-5545229156295216192015-06-02T08:24:00.000-07:002015-06-02T08:24:14.318-07:00Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Would Make Perfect Films/TV Series <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at </span></span><a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The Broke and the Bookish</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /><o:p><span style="font-size: large;">I've been wanting to take part in a feature for a while, and this seemed the perfect place to start! </span></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p>So here we go: </o:p></span></div>
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">1. <strong>The Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman</strong>- </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">*I promise
I don't just add this book to anything at any opportunity*</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">
Malorie Blackman's epic book series seems to me the perfect candidate for film
adaptation. It’s already been adapted by the RSC (surely a good taste sign-off
if there ever was one) and I believe its film rights have been bought. With the
surge of dystopia, it seems to me AU wouldn’t be too far a jump for film studios.
However, I think the big racial inequality issue may indeed be too scary for
them. I’ll still live in hope. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">2. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare</b> - I know
it's a sore subject, what with the new TV series and all, but why oh why can't
The Mortal Instruments movies continue? All they'd need is a better script
writer, director, handful of actors and special effects guy... not too
much to ask right? So much potential wasted...</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;">3. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Night Circus</b> <strong>by Erin Morgenstern</strong>- Not
strictly YA, but this has some great crossover appeal as most of the main characters
are kids or young adults. This is the story of two young magicians made to duke
it out in a mystical showdown in an incredible travelling circus. One of my
favourite books, I’m thrilled that the film is already in development. Summit
Entertainment and David Heyman (producers of Harry Potter series) bought the
rights in 2011 and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane Eyre</i> writer
Moira Buffini is on board write the script. Just keeping my fingers crossed it
does actually happen… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;">4. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Geek Girl</b> <strong>by Holly Smale </strong>– I could see
this doing really well as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girls in Love</i>-esque
TV series. Perhaps if it were being made a few years ago, you could have had
Lily Cole in the leading role… <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">5. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We Were Liars</b> <strong>by E.Lockhart </strong>– A trippy,
independent film adaptation of this would be so cool! I’m thinking Emily
Roberts for Cadence and Luke Pasqualino for Gat. According to </span><a href="http://wewereliars.wikia.com/wiki/We_Were_Liars_Wiki"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">wewereliarswiki</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;">
it’s been optioned for a film too! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;">6. <strong>Trouble by Non Pratt</strong><strong> – </strong>Gritty, British<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Juno anyone? <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;">7. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Wells and Wong Mystery</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Series by Robin Stevens</b>– This would just be too amazing
as a kids TV series, no? Think Ghostwriter and Wishbone… <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;">8. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill </b>– The message of this book is a really important one for young girls to hear
about, and what better way to do that than through TV? This could make a really
great mini-series given the gradual progression and multiple meetings. Would
fangirl this so hard if this happened!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">9. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Salvage by Keren David</b>– I loved this
book when I first read it and I’d like to see it made into a movie for the same
reason as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Only Ever Yours. </i>Lots of
issues to look at (fostering, family breakdown, child abuse) and lots of meaty
content. Could work lovely as a BBC <em>Murdered By My Boyfriend </em>sort of thing...</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">10. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dead Romantic by C.J Skuse – </b>a Frankenstein
inspired teen love/friendship story. Throw in a little Game of Thrones/Penny
Dreadful gore in there and you’ve got a cracking mini-series. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">So those are my picks. What would yours be? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Bookish love, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rachel</span> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-11645866352293489102015-05-14T12:54:00.001-07:002015-05-21T08:58:07.453-07:00Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702l/18460392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702l/18460392.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I have done my best to make this spoiler free* </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;">Some books come to you at the 'right time' - </span><i style="line-height: 22.39px;">All The Bright Places </i><span style="line-height: 22.39px;">was one for me. A short while ago, my boyfriend and I experienced the death of a very close friend through suicide. I didn't intentionally pick up this book because it dealt with that - I had just heard really great things about it on the blogosphere and was recommended it by Lucy aka Queen of Contemporary via Twitter. And I am so glad I followed the recommendation. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will say right off the bat that I am unable to approach this book the way others may - my reading is far too personal, and it is for that reason that I will not be rating it. I will share my thoughts on it with you below though. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At first, I didn't enjoy <i>All The Bright Places</i>. I didn't connect with Finch and found that his dialogue didn't ring true for me. I found the same for Violet. <span style="line-height: 22.39px;">It wasn't until about 40 pages in that I really began to understand them.</span><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 22.39px;">This dislike could very well be down to my attitude as I had been experiencing something of a reading slump. I'm also a very hard person to please right off the bat, but this novel grows and grows and pulls you in a word at a time. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As it does, Finch stands out as the shining star. He is magnetic, charming and has an indefinable quality that makes you care about him deeply- even if he makes it hard sometimes. It sings very true throughout that the author loved and experienced the loss of someone like Finch. I truly admire Jennifer Niven for her incredible bravery and willingness to share so much of herself. <span style="line-height: 22.39px;">If I could suggest one thing for people picking this book up for the first time, it would be to start with the author's notes at the back. Knowing the author's first-hand experience adds a gravitas and heartbreaking quality to everything thereafter. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;">I believe an author's greatest achievement is making readers <b>truly </b>care about their characters. I cried reading the last few chapters of <i>All The Bright Places </i>and I found it very hard to let go once it was over. So in my books, Jennifer Niven deserves a medal</span></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22.39px;">. The ending feels almost reverential, so much so that I had to put it down 20 pages from the end it in the Hereford Train Station Pumpkin Cafe because it just didn't seem to do it justice. For any book lover whose ever been hooked on a story, you know what a compliment that is. I felt as though I needed to be reading it in an empty wardrobe decked out in pillows while </span><i style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 22.39px;">Lithium </i><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22.39px;">played in the background. I settled for a slightly more private seat on the train, but it still didn't stop me from crying. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;">One of the strengths of <i>All The Bright Places</i>, for me personally, is its naturalness. From the romance to Finch's characterisation and the climax, nothing was sensationalised for effect. There are no over-the-top Twilight-esque love scenes or huge testaments of love, and for that reason this doesn't feel like a normal 'issues' book either. It feels real and true, for me at least. Another testament to Jennifer Niven's sensitivity. This book didn't 'help' me deal with my loss, not that it should have done either, but it touched me very deeply with its authenticity and honesty. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it is for this reason that I did the following: </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; color: #351c75; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijllsEwUOAlzBSv6eiJ3e40HRQDg18P5Rt2OJjunWgw6SWXmsrlWAkkGOaZK8yTI0YMjP-CgvECI9WDhLCzLKDyYZh2unlkwG6NzI7nxzfRlzWOsQqCEXEXV8y0eKWpxCTnyPxpqNjqE/s640/11259694_10153187103928819_1922142044679577180_n.jpg" width="640" /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4-deinjX8jGMZ4H2Tj85bBNFvdh1PTkdAQkVS2nb4hXA8IBoJuLtkODfyqLcxzdhFEGGFv20U1nx4tSFTCPJ56Of_YNjdiWwzLuJWVafYK3xJg-p7M9m48y-8z90kS0YzExzlaX3cLA/s1600/11256611_10153187104023819_3898911362575445830_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4-deinjX8jGMZ4H2Tj85bBNFvdh1PTkdAQkVS2nb4hXA8IBoJuLtkODfyqLcxzdhFEGGFv20U1nx4tSFTCPJ56Of_YNjdiWwzLuJWVafYK3xJg-p7M9m48y-8z90kS0YzExzlaX3cLA/s320/11256611_10153187104023819_3898911362575445830_n.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22.39px;">In Finch and Violet fashion, I'm leaving my copy behind. I am hoping someone will pick this up and enjoy it, maybe even be moved and helped by it. I would love to carry out more random book donation experiments </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22.39px;">like this in the future</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22.39px;"> (working title for feature </span><i style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 22.39px;">Stories for Strangers)</i><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22.39px;">, so keep an eye out on trains, buses, in cafes... everywhere, for pre-loved books with hand-written notes from yours truly. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you for a beautiful book, Jennifer. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;">Love, </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;">Rachel </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22.39px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-89280911932789350762015-04-29T13:24:00.000-07:002015-05-12T06:26:47.176-07:00YALC 2015 Line-Up Reaction<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So, unless you've been living under a rock these past few months, you will know that YALC is back for 2015! The ace Booktrust team have been announcing the authors on the line up in stages, but now <a href="http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/news-and-blog/news/100/" target="_blank">the full line up</a> has finally been revealed. Here's what I'm really excited about: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Malorie Blackman -</span></b> I worship at the shrine that is Malorie, so not only am I incredibly excited that YALC is back under her steerage, I'm very happy to see she will be actively taking part again. Is it wrong to have her sign all my signed copies again? </span></li>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
</blockquote>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison-</span><span style="color: #990000;"> </span></b>I set out to read the whole YA Book Prize Shortlist this year and made it to 6, <i>Lobsters</i> being one of them. I think it's absolutely wonderful and does a great job at capturing what it is to be a teenager. Can't think of better attendees for a Young Adult event than these two... excited to hear news about their new projects too. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Moira Fowley-Doyle- </span></b><em>The Accident Season'</em>s tarot card teasers were incredibly intriguing and to say I'm curious about Moira and this book is an understatement.. </span></li>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Were you lucky enough to receive one of these in the post today? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/accidentseason?src=hash">#accidentseason</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/moirawithatrema">@moirawithatrema</a> <a href="http://t.co/W7vXhJowqC">pic.twitter.com/W7vXhJowqC</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">— Random House Kids UK (@RHKidsUK) <a href="https://twitter.com/RHKidsUK/status/553630485466083328">January 9, 2015</a></span></blockquote>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Alexia Casale -</span> </b>I attended Alexia's workshop on finding your voice last year and (what I could hear of it) was really great and insightful. The YALC team have learned from last year and have said they've sourced separate rooms at the new Olympia location to hold these workshops in. I literally couldn't be happier with this news so hopefully another fantastic Alexia workshop is on the cards. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Alice Oseman & Samantha Shannon</b> </span>- a young author panel perhaps... intriguing. Check out Lucy at Queen of Contemporary's <a href="http://queenofcontemporary.com/2015/04/young-authors.html" target="_blank">post on young authors</a> (there's hope for us all yet).</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Non Pratt - </span></b>I became familiar with Non through this year's YA Book Prize and <i>Trouble </i>has swiftly become one of my favourite contemporary YA's of all time. She is also a <a href="https://twitter.com/NonPratt/status/591246571284594688" target="_blank">boss at Twitter </a>and makes me die from laughter on public transport on a near daily basis. </span></li>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel90Kennedy">@Rachel90Kennedy</a> <a href="http://t.co/6yMKulHUoX">pic.twitter.com/6yMKulHUoX</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">— Non Pratt (@NonPratt) <a href="https://twitter.com/NonPratt/status/591246571284594688">April 23, 2015</a></span></blockquote>
</ul>
<ul><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Louise O'Neill - </span></b>Winner of the inaugural YA Book Prize, Louise is a champion of women's rights, body image and all things feminist. I'm hoping she's going to take part in a girl power style panel on self-love and self-worth. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Siobhan Curham -</span></b> After the whole Zoella ghostwriter thing, I'm really looking forward to learning more about Siobhan and her work. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Lisa Williamson & Melinda Salisbury</b> </span>- I saw both these ladies at Oxford on a panel together and they were both ace. I was hoping to wait to buy a copy of <i>The Art of Being Normal</i> in paperback but I just won't be able to hold off after seeing Lisa speak so well again. And Mel is just so endearing, I wanted to give her a hug the whole last time I saw her. Looking forward to these two! </span></li>
</ul>
<ul><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/551410567898861568/cvATOpxj.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/551410567898861568/cvATOpxj.jpeg" width="200" /></span></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Lucy Saxon </span></b>- Lucy was at YALC last year doing a panel on fandoms, and she cosplayed as Captain America. I'm counting on Lucy to lead the cosplayers this year - I'm already considering my Twylla/Melissandre/Scarlett Witch outfit... </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Laura Dockrill - </b></span>Particularly excited about this one and can't wait to get my grubby mits on a copy of <em>Lorali!</em> I got to hang out with Laura while doing some work experience (we had the best curry I've ever had in Aberystwyth) and I can't wait to hear her speak again. Her energy is so infectious and her lipstick and wardrobe so eye-popping, she's sure to be a highlight. She might even cosplay, if the rumours are to be believed. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Carrie Hope Fletcher -</span></b> I have been a Hopeful for a while now having discovered Carrie through Alex Day's channel back in the day. Anyone who doesn't know of Carrie or why she is YALC material, just watch below! Vloggers will take over the world! </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/80r-ifiy53U/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80r-ifiy53U?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Cassandra Clare </span></b>- Need I Say More?! Gah!!! So excited! I saw her at Hay last year and everyone in the line was covered in Runes. I'm sure YALC will be no different, I'll bring the Sharpies! </span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And last but certainly not least, I take huge pleasure in finally being able to say that <b><span style="color: #660000;">Judy Blume</span></b> will be at YALC this year!<i> Fangirl to the extreme.</i> Judy is one of the pioneering authors who carved out a teen book scene. She's incredibly inspiring, just listen to her here talking about her reading experiences as a kid. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-A8j47CLGGU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-A8j47CLGGU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am also <b>incredibly fortunate </b>that the PR agency I work for is handling the publicity for Judy's new adult book <i>In the Unlikely Event. </i>So with my YALC tickets already booked, I might even be lucky enough to escort Judy to the convention, and I might just die a little bit *fingers crossed she doesn't see this because that's embarrassingly uncool* </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And with all the other amazing authors attending, I can't wait to discover some great new voices and stories. A huge congrats to Malorie and Booktrust for creating such an incredible line-up! Bring on July! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So who's going to YALC then? Who are you excited about seeing? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Can't wait to see you all there! </span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-20059246662085754322015-04-05T13:06:00.000-07:002015-04-05T13:24:34.945-07:00Review: The Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHIjy35GUl6qikXcRLQTolqEcENNzYKpWsYQDJMjX-ExzmuBk9Q8KQed8aSUyTht_uVUmDEpdgtDjytuS6cyQId2M_Z30usnKsEN7nlRg4Lhg7raAQLL0IQXoKThRp08QNjDQWFP4b90/s1600/9781848452923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHIjy35GUl6qikXcRLQTolqEcENNzYKpWsYQDJMjX-ExzmuBk9Q8KQed8aSUyTht_uVUmDEpdgtDjytuS6cyQId2M_Z30usnKsEN7nlRg4Lhg7raAQLL0IQXoKThRp08QNjDQWFP4b90/s1600/9781848452923.jpg" height="320" width="203" /></span></a><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #351c75;">Lie
#1: I'm not afraid. Lie #2: I'm sure I'm doing the right thing. Lie#
3: I don't care what they think of me. </span></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span ffffff="" style="color: #351c75;">It's
1959. The battle for civil rights is raging. And it's Sarah's first
day of school as one of the first black students at previously
all-white Jefferson High. No one wants Sarah there. And certainly not
the students - especially Linda, daughter of the town's most ardent
segregationist. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span ffffff="" style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span ffffff="" style="color: #351c75;">Sarah and Linda are supposed to despise each other.
But the more time they spend together, the less their differences
matter. And both girls start to feel something they've never felt
before. Something they're determined to ignore. Because it's one
thing to stand up to an unjust world - but another to be terrified of
what's in your own heart. </span></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">First
off, my expectations going into reading this were quite high. I had
heard a lot about it over Twitter and it was being picked out by
booksellers in most of the Waterstones I went into. I'm also a huge
fan of <i>Noughts and Crosses </i>and always seek to read
something that affected me in that way. Growing up in a small, very
rural part of the world, O&X's unique look at race touched me
very deeply and made me think hard about the world. I was hoping for
a similar experience with <i>The Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>. I
won't say I was disappointed, but it didn't quite deliver the
hard-hitting punch I wanted it to. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Reading <i>The
Lies We Tell Ourselves </i>was a similar experience to
watching <i>Remember the Titans </i>for me<i>:</i> entertaining,
interesting and touching at times, but not earth-shattering. It
made me aware of what happened during segregation (not that I wasn't
before) but it didn't have anything new to give, even with the LGBT
element. It's not as powerful as I wanted it to be, but it was a very
engaging and page-turning read. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A lot of that
is down to the dual narrative that flips
back between Sarah <span style="line-height: 150%;">and Linda.
Their comparative experiences keeps the plot fresh and quick, despite
the fact that I thought their voices weren't overly distinct. That
said, there were shining moments for them, such as Sarah's insightful
thought that '</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Being
good means being invisible." This is something that stood out to
me as quite astute, as an eldest child myself. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I did also
enjoy the early development of Linda and Sarah's relationship, the
animosity they had at the start and the barbed conversations between
them were lovely. I really enjoyed watching Sarah break down all
Linda's pre-conceptions and seeing Sarah let go of her carefully
cultivated control. The same cannot be said for the later stages of
their romance which to me seemed very convenient and tidy for a story
that was so tumultuous. *Spoiler* their ride of into the sunset on a
white horse/greyhound just didn't gel with the rest of the
high-stakes goings on for me. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">I
did like that the story ends with Ruth's voice. It makes it nicely
clear that this isn't just one person's story of struggle and that
just because it ends happily in Sarah's case doesn't mean the same
for everyone else. It adds a bit of needed bitterness and uncertainty
to the oddly Disney-like ending to Sarah and Linda's story. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">There
are some production hangups that I can't quite seem to get over
as well, mainly because they pulled me out of the story i.e. the
small, cramped typeface and the odd additions of illustrations. Also
the strange mix of American and UK English. The cover uses coloured
while the rest of the book uses colored, a rather odd choice in my
book... Or not my book as the case may be. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span ffffff="" style="color: #351c75;">Although
this review may read negatively, I did actually really enjoy <i>The
Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>. It's right up my taste street as I love
anything that explores race in an interesting and tasteful way, which
this certainly did. I have some criticisms about story, and
definitely about the ending, but it is a good, interesting read and I
would recommend it. Though I won't go shouting about it. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i6.ifrm.com/14490/155/pip/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://i6.ifrm.com/14490/155/pip/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i6.ifrm.com/14490/155/pip/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="http://i6.ifrm.com/14490/155/pip/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i6.ifrm.com/14490/155/pip/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a><a href="http://i6.ifrm.com/14490/155/pip/gold_star_sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i6.ifrm.com/14490/155/pip/gold_star_sum.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I bought this book at Waterstones. </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Learn more about the book and buy </span><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/lies-we-tell-ourselves/robin-talley/9781848452923" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-X2hLnkxRU6Y%2FVO-wee2l9wI%2FAAAAAAAAAdA%2Fpldb7wXYvTc%2Fs1600%2F9781848452923.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHIjy35GUl6qikXcRLQTolqEcENNzYKpWsYQDJMjX-ExzmuBk9Q8KQed8aSUyTht_uVUmDEpdgtDjytuS6cyQId2M_Z30usnKsEN7nlRg4Lhg7raAQLL0IQXoKThRp08QNjDQWFP4b90/s1600/9781848452923.jpg" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-8723834648828079242015-03-18T14:38:00.000-07:002015-04-08T15:41:54.615-07:00 #TeamSalvage - Keren David Author Q&A <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>(Collect 1 SchemeScav Point!)</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On the run up to the </span><a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/ya-book-prize/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">YA Book Prize</a><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, I set myself the task of reading as many of the shortlisted books as possible. To date I have made it to 5 (</span><i style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Half Wild, Lobsters, Trouble, Only Ever Yours </i><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and obviously</span><i style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Salvage</i><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">). Not too bad an effort in my books...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/media/activities/gallery_images/Keren_David.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/media/activities/gallery_images/Keren_David.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Salvage </i>is the one that had the deepest effect on me. This is mainly because:<br />- I am part-adopted<br />- I have never met the biological other half of my 'family'<br />- It is something that I have been mildly curious about over the years<br />- I identified very strongly with Cass' middle class, good girl persona<br /><br />I was lucky to meet Keren at the UKYA Extravaganza a few weeks back. At that stage I was only about 50 pages into <i>Salvage, </i>but I was already very interested to have a conversation with Keren about adoption, foster care and what inspired this book. Keren said she was particularly interested to hear my views on it as she had not yet heard a reaction from someone who was adopted. I promised her I would get in touch with my thoughts, and she was kind enough to answer some of my questions. </span><br />
<span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">S</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">o here is our Q&A: </span><br />
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
<b style="color: #500050;"><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1. What inspired you to write about adoption and foster care in </b><em style="font-weight: bold;">Salvage?</em></span></div>
<div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I read an article in a newspaper about birth families contacting adopted teenagers through Facebook, and immediately thought it was a very interesting subject to explore, but that it would be difficult to write because of all the different viewpoints involved. So I filed it away to think about and wrote a different book (<i>Another Life</i>). Then I was watching my son play football, and talking to another mum of one of his teammates, and she said 'I know what you should write about,' and it was the same idea. It turned out that she was a social worker specialising in adoption, so the perfect person to brief me about the issues involved. </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'd wanted to write about foster care for a long time, since I was a journalist on The Independent. It seemed to me that so many social issues that we covered - crime, homelessness, abuse - had their roots in the poor standard of care that looked-after children often suffered. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></span><br />
<div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><em>2. </em>What research went into <em>Salvage?</em></b></span></span></div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I talked to my friend the social worker, and to another friend who had adopted her daughter. I read a wonderful book <i>Family Secrets </i>by Deborah Cohen which includes a history of attitudes towards adoption in the UK. I read a lot about children in care and children coming out of care. I also watched several excellent television documentaries about adoption.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>3.<em> </em>Having not interviewed any foster children, did you have any concerns when writing from Aidan's point of view?</b></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I found Aidan very easy to write. I needed him to have a basic core of love and hope which hadn't come from his early life, so I gave him wonderful, loving long-term foster parents who cared for him from the age of 8 to 12. I thought this would also show the positive side of being in care, which should happen for all such children. Almost everything about Aidan stems from his fragmented upbringing, from his outer charm, to his conviction that happiness can't last. He's damaged, but salvageable. </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think if I had interviewed foster children I would have got concerned about telling their stories and not Aidan's.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>4. From my reading, Aidan has a slight victim mentality, whereas his boss has more of a 'get on with it' outlook. What do you think of these two different reactions to being in care?</b></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oooh...well, they were different ages, I suppose. Maybe Clive was more like Aidan when he was 18. Clive had had longer to get a grip on his life, build his own family and business, and put the past behind him. Aidan was only two years out of care, and struggling. I liked the way Clive tried to help kids coming out of care by giving them a helping hand and a bit of guidance. He was doing a lot for Aidan - a job, somewhere to live, driving lessons, and, at the end, encouraging him to do an accounting course. My hope for Aidan is that in thirty years' time he'll be a bit like Clive - a successful business - maybe as an accountant - a secure family, a nice home and no more drinking. And then he'd be strong enough to help kids coming out of the care system in his turn. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>5. What are your personal feelings about the adoption/foster care system in the UK?</b></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think the child's needs should be at the centre of any decisions made about its future. Sometimes children get caught in the court system for years, and miss out on the chance of a new family. For some children though, long term foster care is a better option. Children and parents need a lot of support, pre and post adoption. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>6. If you found out you had a mystery sibling like Cass and Aidan, would you seek them out?</b></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wouldn't be able to resist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>7. Any other personal comments you have that don't fit into these questions about adoption and foster care.</b></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salvage opened up so many questions for me about families, and how we build them. I ended up caring so much about Aidan and Cass and all the other characters - it was difficult to stop myself writing a completely unrealistic sentimental Hollywood ending! I really hope Aidan - and all kids like him - gets their happy-ever-after. </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #500050;">So as you may be able to tell, reading </span><i style="color: #500050;">Salvage </i><span style="color: #500050;">was a very personal experience for me. The story really hit home for me, particularly the idea of extended families getting in touch and what you open yourself up to. In way of a mini review, I really enjoyed the dual narrative, Aidan's very believable characterisation of someone with no self-esteem and the never contrived or forced portrayal of family dynamics. I have to admit, </span><span style="color: #500050;">I wasn't as sold on the ending or on Neil's character but overall I loved <i>Salvage</i>. </span><span style="color: #500050;">Although I have never been in the same experience as these characters, I really feel that Keren hit the nail on the head with the mood, voice and that intangible 'rightness' that all the book I really enjoy have. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #500050;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #500050;">So ahead of tomorrow's announcement of YA Book Prize Winner, I have my fingers crossed for Keren and <i>Salvage! </i></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #500050;"><i> </i></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #500050;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QuD2uPOm_FVeeTJ88OtbKVt9GiMC_8vSCxsNjKigiEMzvlEpTsqAgrQVYnkBUOTGGBYYHE575ZxaKgK55hQUlY294kYL3sCpLWLDc9m5Y3RxpUPqiGRyuQhAdyorhxyxVi8lxDldty4/s1600/Photo+on+2015-03-18+at+20.51+%234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QuD2uPOm_FVeeTJ88OtbKVt9GiMC_8vSCxsNjKigiEMzvlEpTsqAgrQVYnkBUOTGGBYYHE575ZxaKgK55hQUlY294kYL3sCpLWLDc9m5Y3RxpUPqiGRyuQhAdyorhxyxVi8lxDldty4/s1600/Photo+on+2015-03-18+at+20.51+%234.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></i></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2214357577889115568.post-56835845106126215682015-03-02T13:40:00.001-08:002015-04-05T14:54:43.898-07:00The First Ever UKYAExtravaganza! <div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So on Saturday 28th Feb I attended the <b>first </b></span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>ever UKYA Extravaganza</b> at Waterstones Birmingham, organised by the formidable </span><span style="; color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Kerry Drewery and Emma Pass</span>.</span><span style="; color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There was a staggering collection of 33 authors with an avid audience of bloggers, vloggers, booksellers, librarians and book enthusiasts of all kinds. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6h0Teg9bCxrzp0L3g06buCSNk-jtIG2DH4MEBqJOzIdN2wLGSk8WjWc1QTUFVw8Xj5pX6O4KLfeAFRjrdrPNap05cAe3LCczm7hZKfPGjq_aGerSBREyi2uLkrA2iR005mZj91FA0Bc/s1600/20150302_184120_HDR+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6h0Teg9bCxrzp0L3g06buCSNk-jtIG2DH4MEBqJOzIdN2wLGSk8WjWc1QTUFVw8Xj5pX6O4KLfeAFRjrdrPNap05cAe3LCczm7hZKfPGjq_aGerSBREyi2uLkrA2iR005mZj91FA0Bc/s1600/20150302_184120_HDR+(1).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First off, thank you to @LibwithAttitude for my ticket. I missed out on the sale of tickets, but Lib sadly couldn't attend so she was very kind to send it on to me, with a lovely little note too. My phone died so no tweets, but this write up is for you Lib, and George who I also promised tweets. My bad... </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sadly I missed the first half hour (traffic in Birmingham... quel nightmare!) but lovely Jim from YAYeahYeah caught me up. There format of the event was mini panels of 5 authors and one minute each to summarise their books, followed by a Q&A. According to Jim, the first panel attempted short readings each, but it soon became clear this wouldn't work. Which was a shame, because I would have been keen to hear more from all the authors. If the event were to be repeated, I personally think it could have done with either being smaller or longer, giving more time to each author. I really won't complain though, because it was brilliant to hear about so many fantastic books and meet so many booklovers. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhsqzgG-G0VLSx9CABFfaBsqV3xOKnBJZ1HSt7Bnynrl1cTJGetz9WEAAeKq_ftWQEeec1WhDPmAIYzNj2m5Fh-Dt6RWFDwNcjYkLGZBG0nJVQiEAAshCJPODdbyf6JxF0M-BBkR07OYfbf4ai0U3QaEbMosHYbQYEsVWgHiqmBIhPCtQiJWafcoJl9dA=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="UKYA Extravaganza" border="0" src="http://www.kendraleighton.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/B8EEF_4CQAAwONq.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If like me, you looked at the line up and saw amazing authors you'd heard of but never picked up, here were some of my highlights and new discoveries: </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><b>Books I brought along with me</b></u></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/salvage/keren-david/9780349001388" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Keren David, author of <i>Salvage </i></span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am slowly but surely making my way through the YA Book Prize Shortlist, so Keren was the only author I had read before this point. </span><i style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salvage </i><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">is the story of Cass and Aidan, brother and sister separated by an adoption. </span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On a personal note, I was adopted by one of my parents and I do not know anything, by choice, about the other side of my parentage. So this subject is very close to me, whilst also being something that I have not really thought much about which makes it a weird but really provoking read for me. I am currently 50 pages in, and I'm really enjoying it thus far. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJG-PpjS8B18wWg51xWgomR6kdeJ9TYJ1nJenC8NXzNsiUMzy3ihvAH-jYLcEXUVGw1uBDD4IRfvQcA7i4ucGzR6t9aLH11kxUOqeOa1SsPLoJjj92st36ZJ-F_dLW6ovc_WH9mYQ-Vks/s1600/20150302_194615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJG-PpjS8B18wWg51xWgomR6kdeJ9TYJ1nJenC8NXzNsiUMzy3ihvAH-jYLcEXUVGw1uBDD4IRfvQcA7i4ucGzR6t9aLH11kxUOqeOa1SsPLoJjj92st36ZJ-F_dLW6ovc_WH9mYQ-Vks/s1600/20150302_194615.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely dedication from Keren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was very keen to meet Keren and was lucky to have a conversation with her about her inspiration. Interesting fact -she didn't speak to any adopted children before writing this story. She spoke to adoptive parents, social workers and other people involved in adoption, but not an actual adopted child themselves. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As she is not adopted herself, Keren wanted to avoid the story becoming too biographical of any child she spoke to. As someone effected by adoption, I'm curious to see what my reaction to the rest of the story will be and have promised Keren to give her my reaction when I'm finished. </span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will definitely </span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">be reviewing it here in due course. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><b>Books I picked up on the day </b></u></span><u style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>(because they sounded awesome </b></u><br />
<u style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>and I couldn't resist!)</b></u><br />
<b style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></b>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT6Z89pVBNs9PiE48sFwA7afFy559o8zrmMdnvatvqhuE8YLv1BrbxGMDpQw8AL4MPBTXljC-1dXH1M0gevngchM3wHUc9EvHpqNAfQg_l0UE-J4a9WgdRdtWW6bO5zg-CGujLR-RmhA/s1600/20150302_194811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT6Z89pVBNs9PiE48sFwA7afFy559o8zrmMdnvatvqhuE8YLv1BrbxGMDpQw8AL4MPBTXljC-1dXH1M0gevngchM3wHUc9EvHpqNAfQg_l0UE-J4a9WgdRdtWW6bO5zg-CGujLR-RmhA/s1600/20150302_194811.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely dedication part 2 from Christina </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://threeharespublishing.com/project/minty/#book" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Christina Banach</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, author of</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Misty</i></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One morning, Christina woke up to a sugary smell. It was exactly the smell her father a baker, would bring home with him every day from work. She then heard the happy panting of her rescue dog. Trouble is, both had been dead for several months. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And then suddenly, the entire story of <i>Misty </i>where one identical twin watched the other from beyond the grave came straight into her head. Christina's story was so inexplicable and she told it with such conviction that I ran to the table and snapped up one of the last copies.</span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm really glad this comes from indy publisher Three Hares Publishing, and it's right at the top of my TBR pile. </span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Check out Christina's full story here </span><a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/how-spine-tingling-morning-gave-author-5249422" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life</a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAY4bOn2jDDzWEuCUcytHbi-VUQVGMTPTD5ysCKEllJ_JOifmxfKsSNyLcAkvlRjb1vl9461o3GnBxbrcnrFnYwXHbOIys2kukj-dJl7XoIMC5XNHPUTy2TEhzHFyMTF6wVx7Tmi9Ug5s/s1600/20150302_194655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAY4bOn2jDDzWEuCUcytHbi-VUQVGMTPTD5ysCKEllJ_JOifmxfKsSNyLcAkvlRjb1vl9461o3GnBxbrcnrFnYwXHbOIys2kukj-dJl7XoIMC5XNHPUTy2TEhzHFyMTF6wVx7Tmi9Ug5s/s1600/20150302_194655.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My haul for the day </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="color: #990000;"> <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/seven-days/eve-ainsworth/9781407146911" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Eve Ainswort</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">h</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, author of </span></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">7 Days </span></i></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I</span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">'ve heard a lot about this book and the fact that it's a dual narrative told both the victim and bully's point of view made it impossible not to buy. Especially when Eve was the first person I spoke to and she was so incredibly nice. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><b><br /></b></u></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><b>Books I wish I could have bought *if it weren't for my self-impossed limit* </b></u></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><b><br /></b></u></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVXCGQ7NmkX7yl5r9wuRpWQQ9AZKlnonUbpn5f25d-Gge7YznCXv3ROYMwu8p_X7o1VAjmXAEjspOd-oVhTFoHfj97hX63WaMqCU7F3dy4BY_U_hmYNSFGqSJcvMp9twTl9oChWihCME/s1600/20150302_210159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVXCGQ7NmkX7yl5r9wuRpWQQ9AZKlnonUbpn5f25d-Gge7YznCXv3ROYMwu8p_X7o1VAjmXAEjspOd-oVhTFoHfj97hX63WaMqCU7F3dy4BY_U_hmYNSFGqSJcvMp9twTl9oChWihCME/s1600/20150302_210159.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kerry Drewery</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, one of the organisers and author of</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-brighter-fear/kerry-drewery/9780007446575" target="_blank">A Brighter Fear</a> </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-dream-of-lights/kerry-drewery/9780007446599" target="_blank"><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A Dream of Lights</i></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Both of Kerry's books are set in hostile places she has never been able to visit, Afghanistan and North Korea. So I asked her how she could properly represent these places she had never been to. She pointed out that no-one has ever been to the places written about in a lot of fantasy and science fiction, but that as these were real places with real problems she felt a big need to portray them right. So she read lots of different kinds of books on all the places and immersed herself as much as she could into the place. Little writer's note: Kerry writes in an attic room with no windows and a slopped roof. So she covers the slopped wall in front of her desk with pictures of the place she is writing about to really get a feel for it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/acid/emma-pass/9780552566148" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Emma Pass, also an organiser and author of <i>Acid</i></span></a></span><br />
<i style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Acid </i><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">is a dystopic novel about a girl who is busted out of prison by a rebel group, and our heroine has to find out why, and why she was there in the first place. This sounds a lot like a terrible novel I wrote when I was 14, so this is really a curiosity/self-flagulation thing.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
</span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/hate/alan-gibbons/9781780621784" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Alan Gibbons, author of <i>Hate</i></span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This book to me sounded really interesting as it about the murder of a girl by four ignorant lads because she is a goth. The vilification of subcultures like 'goth' is something I find really horrible and sad, so I'm sure this book is going to touch me. Also, <i>Hate </i>is inspired by Alan's meeting with the mother of a girl who was murdered for dressing as a goth. So this is going to be really raw and truthful hopefully. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alan also went on something of a 'middle aged man rant' - his words, not mine - about libraries shutting down in Birmingham. Good to have another warrior on the scene.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-blood-list/sarah-naughton/9780857078667" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Sarah Naughton, author of <i>The Blood List</i></span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b>This story was inspired by a programme Sarah watched about medieval folk stories, where Sarah heard about how parents used to leave their babies out in the woods in the hope that the fairies would replace them with perfect babies. <i>The Blood List </i>is a story about a family this happens to, and the repercussions afterwards when the 'perfect child''s origins start to unravel. This sounds to me akin to <i>Half Bad</i>, which I really enjoyed, so will pick this up next pay day for sure. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4NJpW3-V_2gAVNOsk1XFsXM-rMznqfS6EjYxoTycB1z03dNL7LFIF6P8k6aKkR8lH_80iJbg9nqPv-8M7k-mhbrY1LR7nzY7ie0Su158bxir-MGe-2WPk2TXbpWXA69YkmUyc-qAQns/s1600/20150302_195704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4NJpW3-V_2gAVNOsk1XFsXM-rMznqfS6EjYxoTycB1z03dNL7LFIF6P8k6aKkR8lH_80iJbg9nqPv-8M7k-mhbrY1LR7nzY7ie0Su158bxir-MGe-2WPk2TXbpWXA69YkmUyc-qAQns/s1600/20150302_195704.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://kateormand.wordpress.com/my-books/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Kate Ormand, author of <i>The Wanderers </i></span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Wanderers </i>sounds like a trippy, YA version of <i>The Night Circus. </i>I LOVED THE NIGHT CIRCUS so I am really looking forward to this, but why is September so far away? Time to read <i>The Dark Days</i> in the meantime I guess... </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/glimpse/kendra-leighton/9781472110343" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Kendra Leighton, author of <i>Glimpse</i></span></a></span><br />
<div style="; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. </span></div>
<div style="; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. </span></div>
<div style="; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, </span></div>
<div style="; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And the highwayman came riding—</span></div>
<div style="; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Riding—riding—</span></div>
<div style=": white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.</span></div>
<div style="; color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="; color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="color: #674ea7; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">Glimpse </i><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">was inspired by </span><span style="color: #674ea7; text-align: justify;">Alfred Noyes's poem </span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">'The Highway Man', which I loved in high</span></span></div>
<div style="; color: #505050; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding-left: 1em; text-align: start; text-indent: -1em;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">school, so that may just have to go on the TBR pile too. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/cracks/caroline-green/9781848121683" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Caroline Green, author of </span><i><span style="color: #990000;">Cracks</span></i></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Cracks </i>is the story of a girl who can see actual cracks forming in the world that no-one else can see and how she deals with this. Caroline had a moment of inspiration when she saw a crack in one of her bathroom tiles while brushing your teeth. Moral of the story, brush your teeth more. That's where the magic happens. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/sleepless/lou-morgan/9781847154552" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;"> Lou Morgan, author of <i>Sleepless</i></span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Sleepless </i>is a horror/thriller about what happens when students take performance enhancing drugs. I love the concept, but probably won't pick it up because I am a big chicken and can't read horror without being up for days, rocking in my bed clutching a flashlight. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/ebook/the-weight-of-souls/bryony-pearce/9781908844651" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Bryony Pearce, author of <i>The Weight of Souls </i></span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ghost stories seemed a strong theme at this event, and Bryony's 2nd novel fit in very well. I loved the idea of ghosts marking you and having to find the murderer. I'll be keen to give this a read, because I think the balance of darkness in this could be really interesting. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/code-red-lipstick/sarah-sky/9781407140179" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Sarah Sky, author of <i>Code Red Lipstick </i></span></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I didn't get to hear Sarah talk, but I did discover she went to Nottingham Uni, just like myself and Lauren E. James. So it would be just plain rude of me not to pick up her book. Looking forward to this one, and Lauren's <i><a href="http://lauren-e-james.tumblr.com/book" target="_blank">The Next Together</a> </i>coming in September. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><b>Honourable mentions</b></u></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">CJ Daughtery, author of <i>The Night School Series</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I had heard of CJ and her series before but not picked it up. I was very interested to hear it was inspired by the Bullingham Club and a picture she saw of Eaton. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rose</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mannering, author of <i>Roses</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Roses </i>is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and is part of a wider trilogy inspired by fairy tales. I always like the sound of these allegorical sort of books, and intend to read around them quite widely - <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/fairy-tale-adaptations" target="_blank">handy goodreads list</a> in anyone is keen to do the same. </span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9vvv5h-xAY3UQrVgF3Z9wfw4OMZiFPHx2ztBsklpZrMiWF29ZDQBh5FiDA8pqdmhfBcRQiQ6JSw0p2rCpkHoidUoM3AffADOYEamZUoJ7kWfuodvviBqqSpzcE8fxaUdPp5lKoMmYD8/s1600/20150228_154613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9vvv5h-xAY3UQrVgF3Z9wfw4OMZiFPHx2ztBsklpZrMiWF29ZDQBh5FiDA8pqdmhfBcRQiQ6JSw0p2rCpkHoidUoM3AffADOYEamZUoJ7kWfuodvviBqqSpzcE8fxaUdPp5lKoMmYD8/s1600/20150228_154613.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author line-up (this is only half of them!) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Overall, I had a really good time at the event and as you can tell from the above, discovered some fantastic books and authors. I met some great new people, including Olivia who is a fellow newbie blogger - check out her great blog <a href="http://writeforrealw4r.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Write for Real here. </a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I want to say a massive well done to everyone involved, it was a great day and I would love to go to another event like this. And I'm in luck because... </span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*drum roll*...</span></div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4uRSipJiTLc9pNWZIRk6hLQSiMaJ6XL6pewm6eXyy2xN4_2TxDv15OZFRr1QFp_ywYbOF6XxFtd3Vk7hU4P5O0_hArKTcWRzuVs_JH3YMHIZPSFXsqnG8_NbifozYhGMQlwy7po391s/s1600/Screenshot_2015-03-02-21-17-28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4uRSipJiTLc9pNWZIRk6hLQSiMaJ6XL6pewm6eXyy2xN4_2TxDv15OZFRr1QFp_ywYbOF6XxFtd3Vk7hU4P5O0_hArKTcWRzuVs_JH3YMHIZPSFXsqnG8_NbifozYhGMQlwy7po391s/s1600/Screenshot_2015-03-02-21-17-28.png" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is to be</span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"> another UKYA Extravaganza event </b>in<b style="font-weight: bold;"> October</b> in <b style="font-weight: bold;">Nottingham</b><b>! </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My university town, yay! </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Find out all the details of this second event and watch videos of the event on Saturday </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">over at Chelle's lovely </span><a href="http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/2015/03/ukya-extravaganza-28022015/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Tales of Yesterday. </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bookish love! </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Rachel </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kendraleighton.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F01%2FB8EEF_4CQAAwONq.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhsqzgG-G0VLSx9CABFfaBsqV3xOKnBJZ1HSt7Bnynrl1cTJGetz9WEAAeKq_ftWQEeec1WhDPmAIYzNj2m5Fh-Dt6RWFDwNcjYkLGZBG0nJVQiEAAshCJPODdbyf6JxF0M-BBkR07OYfbf4ai0U3QaEbMosHYbQYEsVWgHiqmBIhPCtQiJWafcoJl9dA=" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13665558939588367633noreply@blogger.com1