Book Trailer of the Month: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

You have all probably seen this by now but I just love it! Er... especially around the 1:25 mark:) It's a great trailer and I love who they cast as Alex and Carlos! Can't wait to read this one:)

My So-called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray

From Goodreads: "I knew it was time to move on when a tramp peed on my Uggs..."

Meet Lucy Shaw. She's not your average fifteen year old - for a start, she's dead. And as if being a ghost wasn't bad enough, she's also trapped haunting the men's toilets on Carnaby Street. So when a lighting engineer called Jeremy walks in and she realises he can see and hear her, she isn't about to let him walk out of her afterlife. Not least until he's updated her on what's happening in her beloved soaps.

With Jeremy's help, Lucy escapes the toilet and is soon meeting up with other ghosts, including the perpetually enraged Hep and the snogtastic Ryan. But when Jeremy suggests Lucy track down the man who murdered her, things go down hill. Can Lucy face up to the events of that terrible night? And what will it cost her if she does?

I found this a really fun, quick read. Although it does have some dark moments it’s mostly a very light and humorous read. I really loved the characters and the ‘afterlife’ world was brilliantly created – so many small details were added to make it feel really believable. I really liked Lucy – really sassy and witty - and her relationship with Jeremy was so sweet. I really enjoyed their friendship and the way she completely takes over his life (and TV!) Her budding friendship and later ‘intervention’ with Hep was really poignant for me and definitely the part of the book that stood out for me. There is also a really sweet romance between Lucy and Ryan that I loved.

I did feel as if some things were a little too convenient or were achieved too easily. One example is Lucy's murderer and how that storyline is resolved. But, having said that, it does all add to the overall ‘feel good’ factor of the book. Although there was definitely potential for the story to be a much darker and longer read, I worry that had this been done it may have lost the quirky cuteness that really made it for me.

Overall a really enjoyable read, with great characters, and fun dialogue. I’m really looking forward to reading many more books by this author.

I want to read that...

Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
From Amazon: The year is 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. His life is that of a perfectly ordinary army officer’s son: boarding school, good manners, a classical education – the backbone of the British Empire. But all that is about to change. With his father suddenly posted to India, and his mother mysteriously ‘unwell’, Sherlock is sent to stay with his eccentric uncle and aunt in their vast house in Hampshire. So begins a summer that leads Sherlock to uncover his first murder, a kidnap, corruption and a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent . . .
The Death Cloud is the first in a series of novels in which the iconic detective is reimagined as a brilliant, troubled and engaging teenager – creating unputdownable detective adventures that remain true to the spirit of the original books.

I really like the sound of this. It's published 4 June 2010 by Macmillan Children's Books.

In My Mailbox (32)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

This week I bought:

Captivate by Carrie Jones (Yay!)
From Goodreads: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR NEED
Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.


Go Figure by Jo Edwards

From Goodreads: Ryan is not obsessing....

But she does want to lose weight. Ever since she was outted as a "fat girl" at chearleading camp in fifth grade, Ryan's been on a mission to shed more than a few pounds.

Lately she's also on the hunt for a new relationship. Now that her ex-boyfriend is a rock star - currently posing on the cover of Rolling Stone - Ryan seriously needs to move on. They haven't spoken in months,but in the magazine Noah's wearing the bracelet Ryan gave him. She can't wondering what that means...Not that she wants him back or anything.No, Ryan's plan is to make the most of senior year. After all, she's popular, funny, a talented photographer...she's got a lot going for her.So it's not all about losing weight or gaining a boyfriend. It's about getting what she wants. And it's about time.

Life Swap by Abby McDonald

From Goodreads: Who better than a twenty-four-year-old author to satirize the college experience? An uptight Brit and a hard-partying American swap lives in the smartest comedy of the season. Take an administrative snafu, a bad break-up, and what shall heretofore be known as "The Hot-Tub Incident", and you've got two thoroughly unprepared sophomores on a semester abroad. For American party girl Tasha, an escape to tweedy Oxford may be a chance to ditch her recent fame as a tabloid temptress, but wading Uggs-deep in feminist theory is not her idea of a break. Meanwhile, the British half of the exchange, studious control-freak Emily, nurses an aching heart amid the bikinis and beer pong of U.C. Santa Barbara. Soon desperation has the girls texting each other tips - on fitting in, finding love and figuring out who they really are. With an anthropologist's eye for cultural detail and a true ear for teen-speak, exciting new novelist Abigail McDonald crafts a very funny, fast-paced, poignant look at survival, sisterhood, and the surprising ways we discover our true selves. This is a humorous debut novel by young author. It is presented by a sophisticated chick lit.

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker

From Goodreads:

Austin music fest Yay, summer in Austin! Good food, good times. Fun for everyone! Okay, living with my sorority-brainwashed cousin, who willingly goes by "Party Penny," is not exactly what I had in mind. All your favorite bands. But the cute musicians I've met totally make up for it . . . like Sebastian. Swoon. All ages welcome. So why can't I stop thinking about Penny's friend All-American Russ and his Texas twang?? Saturday & Sunday, from noon to midnight. Don't wait up!

And on Wednesday I attended an event at Headline where we saw a presentation and met with authors (including Alex Bell and Dan Wells) It was a great day- a big thanks to Headline for organising such a fun event!

Dan Wells kindly signed copies of his books for me - thanks Dan!

I'm Not a Serial Killer - signed "May you have many horrible nightmares"

From Goodreads: The first book in a darkly comic new series from a debut author John works in his family’s mortuary and has an obsession with serial killers. He wants to be a good person, but fears he is a sociopath, and for years he has suppressed his dark side through a strict system of rules designed to mimic 'normal' behavior. Then a demon begins stalking his small town and killing people one by one, and John is forced to give in to his darker nature in order to save them. As he struggles to understand the demon and find a way to kill it, his own mind begins to unravel until he fears he may never regain control. Faced with the reality that he is, perhaps, more monstrous than the monster he is fighting, John must make a final stand against the horrors of both the demon and himself.

Mr Monster - signed "I appologise in advance for the cat"
From Goodreads:From the author of I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER...John Wayne Cleaver has always known he has a dark side but he's fought hard to oppress it and live a normal life -- separating John from Mr Monster to survive. But after confronting and destroying the vicious killer that was terrorizing his town, his inner monster is getting stronger and harder to contain. And now more bodies are being discovered...With the police failing to catch Clayton County's second serial killer John is going to have to use his secret knowledge of the first demon-killer to trap the second...but will he be able to avoid suspicion falling on him, and, in the face of extreme horrors, will he be able to restrain Mr Monster?

What did you get?

When did my love of books turn into an obsession?

I have loved reading for a long as I can remember – I don’t ever recall it not being part of my life. When I was really young I loved all things Enid Blyton. The Magic Faraway tree was my absolute favourite, followed by the Famous Five and then the Mystery and Adventure series until I discovered Judy Blume. It was ‘Are you there God? It’s me Margaret’ and was given to me by my sister while I was at my grandparents house. I must have been 10 or 11 at the time it was the first time I realised how amazing books could be. Up to that point I had loved reading but it had never captured me in the way this book had. I was transfixed by it – just so absorbed by the characters and story – it’s a feeling I’ve never forgotten.

My reading tastes have changed over the years. I devoured all of Judy Blume's books, loved Paula Danziger and (embarrassingly) sweet dream romances. Point Horror books were a favourite of mind until I moved on to adult books when I discovered John Saul. And then I found Christopher Pike. Again I had that feeling I found when I first read Judy Blume. This time the book was ‘Remember Me’ and I absolutely loved it!

I have had that feeling over and over again in following years. You never know when it’s going to hit and I wonder if it is the cause of my book buying addiction. Am I trying to find that perfect book in the way a drug user gets his fix? I don’t know. All I do know is I love books. I love everything about them. Finding them, what they look like, the promise of what is inside. The magic they could contain!

Which is possibly where my problem lies?

So why do I think my love of books has become an obsession. Well let’s see...

I have a ridiculously high TBR pile yet I still buy more books.

I have acquired 63 books so far this year (and it’s only March!)

I have only read 25 books this year

ER...WTF?

So the question is ... why can’t I STOP BUYING BOOKS?

I wish I could blame this on my blog but in all truth I developed this ‘problem’ years ago. I had a ridiculously high TBR pile before I started I Want To Read That. It’s one of the reasons I started. Perhaps my working in a bookshop and being surrounded by temptation all day is too much to ask? But I even go to bookshops on my day off! And don’t even ask me about charity shops!

So am I alone in this problem? Is there a magic cure or will someone find me buried under my pile of unread books?