…AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR? – Holly Bourne

5/5

There’s a reason why people LOVE The Spinster Club girls and this book showcases all three perfectly! Although this is the latest book in the series, it’s a perfect one for people who somehow haven’t yet read the series but would love to see what the hype’s about and who the girls are. I’d love to read more books like this, where you can check in with the girls in a brief story packed with emotion, drama and fun.

I loved this book; it was a quick read taking place on this one night but that doesn’t stop it being an important read for teens and young adults since it’s showing the girls after leaving school/college which is a scary and exciting time! It was so refreshing to read something that shows how not everyone loves uni, not everyone goes to uni and how friendships do inevitably change when people move off to different places and others stay behind, but all of these things are OK!

If you haven’t read The Spinster Club yet, read this and you’ll want to pick up the others straight away to know more about three brilliant characters. If you have…read this one to know what happens next!

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Thank you very much to Stevie at Usborne for sending me a copy of this title!

snailycanflyy Book Award 2018

Last year, I hosted my first snailycanflyy Book Award, where I narrowed down my top books of the year, and after a fab reading year the award is back for 2018! Last year saw some tough competition from some amazing books featuring amazing authors and illustrators with the overall winner being the very worthy The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson which still stands out as one of the best books I’ve ever read!

The award is split into three categories – Best Picture Book, Best Middle Grade and Best Young Adult, with a winner in each category and an overall winner. The criteria is simply that it has to be a five-star rated book published in 2018 and one that I want to talk about, one that has stuck with me since reading and one that I would recommend wholeheartedly. So, without futher ado, here are the category nominees:

BEST PICTURE BOOK:

Oscar the Hungry Unicorn – Lou Carter, Nikki Dyson
The Bear, The Piano, The Dog and the Fiddle – David Litchfield
Ruby’s Worry – Tom Percival
Space Tortoise – Ross Montgomery, David Litchfield
The Story Orchestra: The Sleeping Beauty – Jessica Courtney-Tickle

BEST MIDDLE GRADE BOOK:

The Truth Pixie – Matt Haig
Death in the Spotlight – Robin Stevens
The Eye of the North – Sinead O’Hart
The Light Jar – Lisa Thompson
The Secret Seven: Mystery of the Skull – Pamela Butchart

BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK:

I Was Born For This – Alice Oseman
To Kill a Kingdom – Alexandra Christo
Legendary – Stephanie Garber
Sunflowers in February – Phyllida Shrimpton
The Exact Opposite of Okay – Laura Steven

AND THE WINNERS ARE…drumroll please!

BEST PICTURE BOOK
Oscar the Hungry Unicorn

BEST MIDDLE GRADE BOOK
Death in the Spotlight

BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK
To Kill a Kingdom

OVERALL WINNER
The Truth Pixie

A massive congratulations and thank you to all of the authors who’s books made it to the shortlist! All of these books are so incredible and I’ve loved reading them in 2018!

 

My Year of NetGalley 2018

This year has been the first year that I’ve been properly using NetGalley, and what a year it’s been! I’ve been approved for 86 titles, and have provided feedback for …%. I did go a bit crazy at the beginning; I’d never really used NetGalley before December 2017 and so at first I was requesting titles that, whilst I did have an interest in reading, I wasn’t overly desperate to read. As the year’s gone on, I’ve really learnt how to use NetGalley properly to get the best out of my experience both for myself and for the publishers who so kindly approve my requests. I do still have quite a few books from earlier in the year that are outstanding, and are on my NetGalley TBR, but I am really proud of how many books I’ve been able to read and review!

I’m particularly proud this year of some of my achievements; I’ve been auto-approved by two imprints which I am now on the blogger list for, I’ve had invites to blogger events from another publisher (I think I’m sort of on their mailing list; I get requests every so often!) and I’ve been involved in a blog tour through NetGalley! Through submitting my review of Sunflowers in February on NetGalley, I also gained my highest number of views on a single post on here!

Do you use NetGalley? How has your year been?

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS – Kes Gray

5/5

RELEASED: 04/10/2018
PUBLISHER: Hachette
GENRE: Picture Book, Children’s, Christmas

A brilliantly funny Christmas picture book from the bestselling author of Oi Frog!

It’s the day before Christmas Eve and Santa is ever so busy … he’s got presents to wrap, reindeer to wake and a sleigh to start. But has he forgotten something? And, more importantly, will he be ready in time?

Inspired by Clement C. Moore’s classic festive poem, this hilarious, rhyming picture book is sure to have you ho ho ho-ing!

As soon as I saw Kes Gray’s name on the cover of this Christmas book, I just bought it, and I’m so glad that I did! Along with his typical fun rhymes in a story that’s both fun to read and listen to, Claire Powell’s illustrations are beautiful and really bring the story of Christmas Eve Eve to life!

The Night Before The Night Before Christmas is an enchanting book that’ll bring fun and laughter to everyone’s Christmas preparations, telling the story of how Father Christmas gets ready for a busy night! I can’t recommend this book highly enough and it has immediately become one of my festive favourites!

2018 Titles That I Still Need To Read!

So 2018 has seen some AMAZING books come out, and there are many books that either I own or want to own that came out this year that I just haven’t got round to reading yet! Here’s a selection that come to mind as being high up my TBR:

The Trouble With Perfect – Helena Duggan

A Darkness of Dragons – S.A.Patrick

Peril in Paris – Katherine Woodfine

 

 

 

The Last Chance Hotel – Nicki Thornton

Boy Underwater – Adam Baron

Ella on the Outside – Cath Howe

 

 

 

The Uncommoners: The Frozen Telescope – Jennifer Bell

The Surface Breaks – Louise O’Neill

The Peculiars – Kieran Larwood

 

 

 

Skycircus – Peter Bunzl

Pages & Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers – Anna James

I Stop Somewhere –

 

 

 

And The Ocean Was Our Sky – Patrick Ness

Theatrical – Maggie Harcourt

Editing Emma – Chloe Seager

 

 

Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes – Holly Bourne

Kingdom of Ash – Sarah J Maas

Notes on a Nervous Planet – Matt Haig

 

 

 

Have you read any of these – would you recommend them?

 

 

 

 

My Year of Audible: 2018

It’s scary to think that I’m already over halfway through Blogmas 2018! Today I am going to share with you some of the audiobooks that I have loved this year; although I’ve not listened as frequently lately, I have got some brilliant audiobooks this year!

The Goldfish Boy – Lisa Thompson narrated by Leon Williams

The Truth Pixie – Matt Haig narrated by Matt Haig

Notes on a Nervous Planet – Matt Haig narrated by Matt Haig

The Kissing Booth – Beth Reekles narrated by Cynthia Holloway

I Was Born For This – Alice Oseman narrated by Aysha Kala, Huw Parmenter

The Exact Opposite of Okay – Laura Steven narrated by Laura Aikman

Legendary – Stephanie Garner narrated by Rebecca Soler

To Kill a Kingdom – Alexandra Christo narrated by Jacob York, Stephanie Willis

Daughter of the Pirate King – Tricia Levenseller narrated by Marisa Calin

Although I haven’t got around to finishing listening to all of these, I have loved the freedom of having an Audible membership and having some wonderful titles added to my audiobook library!

Have you listened to any of these, or are there any you’d recommend?

Young Adult Books for Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching, I’ve been looking for some YA Christmas books to read, and was happy to discover that there are a few that I needed to add to my TBR! For day 16 of Blogmas, I thought that I would share those with you!

Almost Midnight – Rainbow Rowell

My True Love Gave To Me – Various

Let It Snow – Various

 

 

 

The Chaos of Standing Still – Jessica Brody

What Light – Jay Asher

All Wrapped Up – Holly Smale

 

 

 

Have you read any of these? Are there any YA Christmas books that I’ve missed?

 

 

 

THE TRUTH PIXIE – Matt Haig

5/5

RELEASED: 18/10/2018
PUBLISHER: Canongate
GENRE: Young Reader, Mental Health

From number one bestselling author Matt Haig comes a hilarious and heartwarming story, brilliantly illustrated throughout by Chris Mould.

Wherever she is, whatever the day, She only has one kind of thing to say. Just as cats go miaow and cows go moo, The Truth Pixie can only say things that are true.

I’ve wanted to write this review ever since I read The Truth Pixie, but I just haven’t quite known where to start!

The Truth Pixie is such a magical little book that I strongly believe everyone should read (I’ve bought eight copies as gifts this Christmas!) and it’s one that can be enjoyed again and again.

To begin with, it’s not a daunting read at all. It’s tiny. But, for such a small book, it carries so many important messages and provides so much comfort for people going through all sorts of difficulties from anxiety to grief. The description of it being “Reasons To Stay Alive for seven year olds” is not wrong! Then you have the fact that it’s beautifully illustrated by Chris Mould. Whilst his illustrations are not my usual type that I would go for, they fit the story and book perfectly.

I can’t recommend The Truth Pixie enough; whether it’s for yourself or as a gift, it’s the perfect little book to have.

 

 

The Christmas Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt

Hello and welcome to Blogmas day 13! Today’s post has been inspired by Hailey, who did a really fun video the other day and so I decided that I’d love to have a go…so, presenting

1. A book set during Christmas

What Light by Jay Asher

2. Five cold words

Frostblood -Elly Blake
Winter Magic – Abi Elphinstone
A Court of Frost and Starlight – Sarah J Maas
The Snow Spider – Jenny Nimmo
The Storm Whale in Winter – Benji Davies

3. A red and green book cover

The Apple Tart of Hope – Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

4. A character with a festive name

A Boy Called Christmas – Matt Haig

5. A festive object

Mistletoe and Murder – Robin Stevens

6. A book with baking in it

Cookie – Jacqueline Wilson

7. A book cover with a wintery scene

Last Stop on the Reindeer Express – Maudie Powell-Tuck

8. A book cover with silver and gold

Cogheart – Peter Bunzl

9. A book that was a gift

The Great Good Thing – Roderick Townley

10. A title that describes how Christmas shopping feels

I’ll Give You The Sun – Jandy Nelson

11. Spell Santa Claus using book titles

Say Her Name – Juno Dawson
A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness, Siobhan Dowd
Nickolai of the North – Lucy Daniel Raby
Tom’s Midnight Garden – Philippa Pearce
All The Bright Places – Jennifer Niven

Can You Keep A Secret – Sophie Kinsella
Legendary – Stephanie Garber
Always With Love – Giovanna Fletcher
Under Rose-Tainted Skies – Louise Gornall
Sunflowers in February – Phyllida Shrimpton

WWW Wednesday: 12th December 2018

It’s Blogmas day 12! I’m still posting daily despite it being pretty hectic! Welcome back to WWW Wednesday, although I’ve not read much this week.

What are you currently reading? 

I’ve just been lucky enough to receive a proof of The Year After you by Nina de Pass which I’m hoping to start this week!

What did you recently finish reading?

I read Last Stop on the Reindeer Express this week which was such a beautiful and lovely picture book!

What do you think you’ll read next?

I need to make my way through my Christmas picture books for reviewing in the next few weeks, so I shall be reading those!