Review: No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

I got this book from a thing we do...a pass a book around thing. We choose a book, read it, then pass it on to someone...in turn they must pass it on, and so on and so on. It's a thriller. I do enjoy a good thriller/mystery and the summary was enough to get me really interested.

Cynthia is 14 years old. She has a fight with her father one night after breaking some rules. She wakes up the next morning and her entire family is gone. Twenty-five years later, the mystery seems just that...a mystery. Cynthia is still feeling the loss of her family and the affects it has posed on her life. Are they dead? Why was she spared? Did they leave? If so why leave her behind? One day a letter arrives which sets the mystery solving wheels in motion. Before long it seems delving into the past may completely shatter her future. It could be her worst mistake yet.

There are many reasons to read this book as there are many aspects of the book I loved. But as much as I enjoyed, there were things that annoyed me, took away from the suspense and damn near pissed me off. I suppose all things considered that's what makes a good...great book exposing the reader to a myriad of emotions whether they be good or bad. It must draw you in like a good drug to the point where you must either get your lit fix in one sitting or at any free moment you can get.Well that was a mouthful ;)

Booking Through Thursday: Restrictions

A weekly meme where you simply go to Booking Through Thursday, and make a post answering the question.

This week on BTT:
God comes to you and tells you that, from this day forward, you may only read ONE type of book–one genre–period, but you get to choose what it is. Classics, Science-Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Cookbooks, History, Business … you can choose, but you only get ONE.

What genre do you pick, and why?

This is a tough one...I tend to read Historical Fiction, YA, Chick lit and Thrillers...I even enjoy some Supernatural stuff. So choosing only one= MAS DIFICIL! Seeing that I have to choose... I'm going to do what I do best...ANALYSE/ OVER THINK THINGS! I'll assess the pro's and cons of each and make my decision based on that! Historical Fiction can be both informative and fun, especially books set in periods and cultures I love. Then again that's just it...it's set in a specific period/ space in time. 

YA is simply fiction published for adolescents and young adults...DUH! It's great because it's young and can cross over genres. It can be girly, have some history in it,elements of suspense, thrills and even be supernatural. For example, Anne of Green Gables is considered to be YA but it is also classed as Historical Fiction. The Sisterhood of the Travelling pants...chick lit and YA. However some YA books can be too simplistic and easy to read...I'm a challenge girl :)

Chick lit's also good. It's similar to YA in the sense that is can cross genres. I hadn't really thought of that and decided to do some quick research. I always assumed it concerned all things females. I'm more of a guy's girl...not really girly but I do lurve chick lit books. ANYWHO! There's drama, romance..it could even be supernatural. I mean did you know Alice Walker's The Colour Purple is chick lit with a historical twist. Cons some books can be too fluffy and frivolous and if I'm to choose ONLY 1 I may be forced to read some of them.

Thrillers...I love a good suspense book- the page turner. There are different kinds of thrillers. There's suspense, crime, psychological, mystery. The Silence of The Lambs is a knock out thriller. Con I don't necessarily want to be thrilled every time I read. I don't always want to ove rthink or get caught up in a mystery. Sometimes I just want to escape.Thrillers are usually puzzle solving stuff and there's nothing wrong with that but I won't be able to only read this genre...sometimes I want no brainer reads!

So I'm going to go with Chick lit. Now tat I know how extensive the genre is...that's the one for me. It's a tough choice. I mean YA and HF I love but if a choice has to be made Chick Lit's it for me. Sorry I made you read so much :D I did include some pics.

I hope this never happens I don't think God will ever do that...He's all about Freedom of Choice anyways...right?!

Waiting on Wednesday: 3 for 1!

Waiting on Wendnesday is hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a weekly event all about upcoming release we can't wait to get into!

This week I have 3 WoW books, 3 books that I MUST have!I am so excited...I'm doing my best not to squeal as I type. I cant wait for them to be released though I have to wait a month or 2. Le me know what you think?
Other by Karen Kincy. This book just screams 'READ ME!' It's a supernatural YA book, jam packed with elements of action, romance and drama.
From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Gwen hides a dangerous secret: she’s Other. Half-pooka, to be exact, thanks to the father she never met. Most Americans don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Others, especially not the small-town folks of Klikamuks, Washington. As if this isn’t bad enough, Gwen’s on the brink of revealing her true identity to her long-time boyfriend, Zack, but she’s scared he’ll lump her with the likes of bloodthirsty vampires and feral werewolves. When a pack of werewolves chooses the national forest behind Gwen’s home as their new territory, the tensions in Klikamuks escalate-into murder. It soon becomes clear a serial killer is methodically slaying Others. The police turn a blind eye, leaving Gwen to find the killer before the killer finds her. As she hunts for clues, she uncovers more Others living nearby than she ever expected. Like Tavian, a sexy Japanese fox-spirit who rivals Zack and challenges her to embrace her Otherness. Gwen must struggle with her own conflicted identity, learn who she can trust, and-most importantly-stay alive.

Teaser Tuesday: This is how it Happened.

Teaser Tuesdays, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.It's very easy to get involved. Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page...

NO SPOILERS! SO BE CAREFUL! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teasing today is This is how it happened by Jo Barrett.

"At one point he attacked me with his fists and threatened to kill me. I knew this wasn't Ronnie. This was the drugs. My brother was a good soul."

The Cloth of Heaven (Song of Erin #1) by B.J. Hoff- Review

I was given this book from a friend a few years ago. It's been so long that me reviewing it just wouldn't be right. Luckily my little sister (she's only 11 months younger...but younger is younger right?!) read this book a couple of weeks and wanted do a review.

Release Date: 1st September, 1999.
Publisher: Tyndale HouseGenre: Fiction
Pages: 382
#1 of the Song of Erin series.
Source: Gift (me), Loaned (to my sis)

Here's my first official guest post; I am willing to overlook the fact that her room is just down the hall ;)
So here she goes:
At first I was reluctant to read it. Sa has been trying to get me to read it a few months now, something about breaking out of my bookish comfort zone and into a new genre. So I did, mostly because I was desperate I had yet to but a new book; funds were low and I've lost my library card :( Turns out it was actually a pretty good book and I'm glad I listened.

It's an emotional and dramatic story set in old Ireland and America. The story is centred around 3 families working to achieve happiness in different ways. Like financially or having a complete, close knit family. It's a marvellous story of unknowingly, intertwining lives on two different continents.

I love the idea of the story and how it is told from different characters' perspective. The characters are colourful yet realistic so I felt connected to them almost instantly. The best two being Jack Kane and Theresa Sheridan. It's not just romance and drama, it's full of excitement, alot of humour and action. 

B.J.'s writing was so clear I felt like I was right there with them in the book. I also like the cover is simplistic and sweet; with a gorgeous green for Ireland. it's just right, not over the top as some book covers can get.

Verdict: It's a book worth the read. It's very good and I want to finish the series. I went through so many motions reading this book to the point, I even felt Irish. I think every historical fiction lover would enjoy this. I'm not an HF fan but I really liked it so, it's really for any book lover.

Cover: Lush
Story: Lush
Characters: Ooh la la
Writing: Wow
Ending: Lush

Back to me now: Considering my sister isn't historical fiction's biggest fan but still thinks this book is lush-worthy, MUST mean it's really worth the read!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This is a weekly event, where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It's hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World of Books.

I'm glad I'm finding so many more book blogs to follow and memes to participate in. This is one of them. It's kind of like a recap/what's happening next meme.

I'm going to keep it fairly short and simply sweet!

Upcoming Reviews, can be seen in the marquee above all my posts...it moves :) 

Last week I finished reading: The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips.It will be reviewed before the week's over!

I'm Currently engrossed in: This is how it happened (not a love story) by Jo Barrett. It's yummalicious...so far!

On Deck for Next Read: The Jeremy-Snaps Of The Dragon by Jo S Wun. Can't wait...I'm storming through my book right now so I can crack into it!

Any new books?...Why yes simply click my Mail on Sunday, sidebar pic, all new books will be pictured there. It's to your left :)

What are you reading?!

Mail on Sunday #6

AKA In My Mailbox is a meme inspired byAlea of Pop Culture Junkie and hosted by the lovely Kristi over at The Story Siren. It's a look at all the books we've acquired during the week.

This week, I've got 3 books. Bought them all. From my local charity Scannappeal. This week is a  'I judged books by their covers week'. Yep all these books found their way to me purely on their covers!

Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki. It's biographical...not my usual choice of book but I love all things Geisha. I would love to go to Japan...I'm a little obsessed with it! The cover of the book is what drew me in...then I read the synopsis at the back and paid for it!
Goodreads
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters.It's naughty, sensual with some twists...it had me at naughty!
Goodreads
The Secret Shopper's Revenge by Kate Harrison. This cover is absolutely gorgeous. The pics just don't show how lovely it is. It's embossed, shiny, glittery...I hope it's as great as the cover! I love the frupy underdog versus the always skinny, sexy, perfect girlies. Story of my life...lol!
Goodreads.

Off now to scour the many mailboxes out in the blogospere...

Filmage Friday # 2

 Filmage Friday is a weekly feature about upcoming films based on books, already released films based on books and books that I think should be turned into films/movies. I will also review both the book and film either before Friday or on Friday...as long as I've read it!

I have yet to create a pic or graphic to go with it...ideas are welcomed! This week its Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief. Feel free to check out the book review. I lurved the book...it's a keeper! I decided to read it after watching the film...that way the book would only add to what I saw as film adaptations often subtract bits from books.


Here's the trailer.

Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I decided to get this book when I heard the film was coming out. I was very determined to watch film before reading it. Films have a habit of not being an equal to its literary counterpart and I didn't want to read it and have too high expectations before the film. So I watched and then I read.

Release Date: 1st April, 2006.

Publisher: Miramax

Age Group: Young Adult (the official website says 10 and up)
 #1 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Source: Gift

From Goodreads: Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I lurve Greek Mythology. They were our bedtime stories as children...my sis and I. Yeah we're a bit geeky but we were told a different one each night and sometimes our favourite ones were repeated. So a modern day take on Greek Myths is 'my thing'. I thought it pretty clever how Rick...I say Rick like I know him :D intertwined the mythology with the story...like Percy having dyslexia because he's hard wired to read Ancient Greek.

Booking Through Thursday #2

A weekly meme where you simply go to Booking Through Thursday, and make a post answering the question.

This week on BTT:
It’s Earth Day … what are you reading? Are your reading habits changing for the sake of the environment? What are you doing for the sake of the planet today?


I am reading This Is How It Happened (not a love story) by Jo Barrett, and so far...I'll just say I'm lurving it! I have an official 'book bag'...one bag that I take to and from book shopping, so I don't use the plastic bags the give. I can't find my USB cord atm so when I do I'll upload a pic. It's a canvas bag.
We are also 'serious' recyclers. We shred all our paper to make full use of the recycling bins. We also use energy saving lightbulbs. Something that really helps, according this show I watched on telly...is switching all/most appliances off when going to bed....not just leaving them on standby. Like here in the UK sockets come with an on/off button...switching it off stops the flow.


Happy Earth Day...to the earth and to everyone! x

Seers of Light: What Light Means to ME

The lovely Book Crazy Jenn is having a giveaway. The book-Seers of Light by Jennifer DeLucy. I already love the cover and the synopsis is one that screams "Come get me and read me!"Jenn wants to know...What does light mean to me?
I'm going to type what I think as I think it!
Light is a form of measurement...passage in time and distance; often used when planets are involved. Light is the ease in which we can do something..anything. Light is the illumination of darkness.Light is the crack of dawn, where the sun's trying to act all shy even though she knows and we know she'll be up for all to see. Light is colour. Colours that fill the sky when the sun's about to sleep. Light's a sliver of a thing in dusk...twilight. Where the sky becomes ;concoction;of every shade of blue.

Light is everything good in the world. Light is love, joy, happiness, peace. Light is when someone, whether you know them or not crack you a smile and you smile back. Light is the feeling you get when someone you love gives you a hug. Light is faith. Light is God for those who believe. Light is a noun, an adjective, a verb, a feeling. Light...the first time I say my baby bro, tiny little thing in a onesie. Light is knowing my sister will always have my back even when we fight. Light is my family. When we all get together and Scrabble or any board game till the morning or chat till our throats are sore.