Friday Feature: Spell your name out with fictional characters!

I was trying to think of a fun post for today and I came up with this!

Seeing as I missed this week’s TTT which was all about your favourite heroines, I thought I’d share some of my favourite characters with you today.

Why not join in and do your own name (link me if you do)!

LIPSY

Laureth Peak (She is Not Invisible ~ Marcus Sedgwick): Laureth Peak thinks her father’s on the verge of a breakdown. He’s supposed to be doing research in Austria, so when his notebook shows up in New York, Laureth knows something is wrong. On impulse she steals her mother’s credit card and heads for the States, taking her strange little brother Benjamin with her. Reunited with the notebook, they begin to follow clues inside, trying to find their wayward father. Ahead lie challenges and threats, all of which are that much tougher for Laureth than they would be for any other 16-year old. Because Laureth Peak is blind.

Iseult (Tristan & Iseult ~ Various): Isuelt is the name of several characters in the Arthurian story of Tristan and Iseult. The most prominent is Iseult of Ireland, wife of Mark of Cornwall and adulterous lover of Sir Tristan. Her mother, the Queen of Ireland, is also named Iseult. The third is Iseult of the White Hands, the daughter of Hoel of Brittany, sister of Sir Kahedin, and eventual wife of Tristan.

Peter Pan (J.M Barrie): A mischievous boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang, the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Native Americans, fairies, pirates, and occasionally ordinary children from the world outside Neverland.

Sarah Williams (Labyrinth ~ A.C.H Smith): 15 year old Sarah is on a quest to reach the castle at center of an enormous otherworldly maze, beyond the goblin city, to rescue her infant brother Toby, who has been kidnapped by Jareth, the Goblin King.

Yvaine (Stardust ~ Neil Gaiman): The fallen star. In Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, stars are living creatures. Yvaine appears to be immortal, but not invulnerable. She is pursued by the Lilim and the surviving sons of the Lord of Stormhold, who want her for their own reasons. When Tristran realises his love for her, he abandons his courtship of Victoria Forester, and Yvaine marries him despite their inability to interbreed.

Book Promo ~ Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl

Welcome to another great book promo post here at Lipsyy Lost & Found! I’m excited about this one, because y’know…ZOMBIES! 🙂

Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl is the first book in a four-part series published by Permuted Press. Book 1 was released at the beginning of the year, and book 2 just last week!

First-time author A. Giacomi has kindly told me everything you need to know about your new favourite Zombie Girl!

About The Series

Title: Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl
Series: The Zombie Girl Saga #1
Editions: Kindle, e-book, 277 pages
Publication Details: January 25th 2015 by Permuted Press
Goodreads

Eve used to be an ordinary girl, from an ordinary town, with ordinary dreams, but her dreams rapidly turn into nightmares when one grave mistake leaves her a little less than human and a lot less average.

Eve’s not quite the same girl she used to be. She desperately clings to her humanity as new desires, new abilities, and new urges take over with each passing day.

Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl is a tale that takes you on an emotional and terrifying journey as Eve struggles to cope with her new life and find a cure for her strange illness before time runs out. She desperately clings to her humanity as she tries to control the monster she knows is lurking inside her.

Turns out living was the easy part.

Title: Eve Brenner: Zombie Agent
Series: The Zombie Girl Saga #2
Editions: Kindle, e-book, 224 pages
Publication Details: February 17th 2015 by Permuted Press
Goodreads

In the second installment of The Zombie Girl Saga, Eve teams up with CSIS to find out more about the Azrael Virus coursing through her veins. As she learns about the dangers of the virus, she also learns that there are some advantages to being less than human. Eve is quickly thrown into fieldwork to stop the spread of a virus that is spreading silently on a global level.

She might be the only hope the world has, but she’s running out of time.

Six Things You Need to Know About Eve

Written by A.Giacomi

Where is Eve from?

Eve is a twenty year old Canadian girl from the small town of Little Lake, Ontario. She dreams of breaking free from her small town after University. She attends Guelph University where she majors in archaeology and secretly hopes to be the next Lara Croft.

Eve’s interests?

When she’s not drooling over her favourite Professor’s new findings, she loves hanging out with her two best friends Alexandra and Cameron. Eve is very athletic and enjoys the outdoors; she’s the former swim team captain, a title she regrettably had to give up given her current illness. She loves superheroes, especially Spiderman, her all-time favourite. She’s not a girly girl but she does enjoy the occasional shopping expedition…she also really loves a good steak, and make it rare.

Relationship Status?

It’s complicated. As I’m sure you can imagine real life doesn’t stray far from fiction, but when you’re a zombie girl looking for love, it couldn’t be more complicated! Eve’s always had a thing for her good friend Cam, but for the sake of the friendship she’s never pursued it. Now that she’s a little less than human Cam seems to be more intrigued than ever, he couldn’t have worse timing!

What’s her secret?

No, this has nothing to do with make-up tips. Eve has a BIG secret that she’s very reluctant to share with anyone. She’s been bitten, by what, she’s not exactly sure…but what she’s certain of is her ever changing appetite.

Does she have an Arch Nemesis or Frenemy?

Perhaps a few, but in Book 1 be prepared to meet Claire Bear, the Regina George of your nightmares. If you thought Eve was dangerous, this girl is really going to make your skin crawl! They have a common interest…Cam…something about him is so…delicious.

New Virus, New Zombie…

Eve is not your typical zombie. The Azrael Virus manifests differently in each host and Eve is quite the specimen. In addition to her hunger for flesh, she’s picked up a few interesting powers. She might be dead, but she’s not someone you want to mess with.

Ready to bite into the book? Get your copy here: http://permutedpress.com/books/eve-brenner-zombie-girl-the-zombie-girl-saga-book-1

About the Author

A. Giacomi is a wife, and mother to one small human child. She is a Canadian born writer, educator, and artist. She proudly waves her York University Alumni flag and continues to thirst for knowledge and devour books. She is a zombie enthusiast, lover of all things Tim Burton, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Marvel, Star Wars and just generally just loves film, essentially she’s a fangirl.

Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl is A. Giacomi’s debut novel. You can catch the latest updates about her writing on her blog: http://www.poeticzombie.com and Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/agiacomi/info?tab=page_info

This Week in Books 25.02.15

Welcome to my Wednesday post, where I sum-up what I’ve been up to in bookland the past week.

I’ve been a bit AWOL lately, sorry about that. But real life has been a bit crazy and I literally didn’t get longer than 30 mins all week to pick up a book, never mind do any blogging. But hopefully all that will change soon as…wait for it… I finally GOT A JOB!! I’m not going to announce what it is yet, as I haven’t had the paperwork through and it depends on some security checks, but what I can tell you is that IT INVOLVES BOOKS. Eeeeeeeek…finally!

Anyway, back to this week. I’ve cut this one short as my blogging activity has been so limited. Hopefully normality will resume next week.

Now: The Ghosts of Heaven ~ Marcus Sedgwick //The Martian ~ Andy Weir

It’s been slow-going on The Ghosts of Heaven because of time constraints, not because of the book. I wasn’t entirely sure about it at first, but I’m half way through now and loving it!

The Martian is one I’ve heard so many good things about so I have high hopes. Early days so far, but it’s compelling already.

Then: When Mystical Creatures Attack ~ Kathleen Founds

I had to give up on this one. I kind of appreciated the ambition of it, but I just didn’t get it. It probably didn’t help that I had no reading time so felt like I had to be more selective than usual. I’ll still try to do a mini review of this soon as it was a Netgalley approval.

Next: ???

Same as my last post I’m afraid: As always, I’m not sure. There are lots of options; Heir of Fire, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and The Girl with all The Gifts are at the top of the pile at the mo.

I hope you guys did better than me this week?

Sixteen, Sixty-One by Natalie Lucas

Title: Sixteen, Sixty-One
Author: Natalie Lucas
Series: N/A
Edition: Kindle, 320 pages
Publication Details: June 6th 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers
Genre(s): Non-Fiction; Memoir
Disclosure? Nope, I bought it.
Goodreads // Purchase.

Natalie Lucas was just 15 when she began a close relationship with a man in his early sixties. Matthew opened Natalie’s mind and heart to philosophy and literature. Within months they had entered into the intense, erotic affair that they would disguise as an innocent intergenerational friendship for several years. Together they mocked the small-town busybodies around them, laughing at plebs like her parents and his in-laws, who were all too blinkered by convention to live pure lives. Only Natalie and Matthew were truly free.

Or so she believed. But when Natalie left her hometown for university and decided she wanted to try to live a normal life, Matthew’s affection soon turned into a consuming obsession.

Written with remarkable candor and grace, Sixteen, Sixty-One is more than an account of suburban grooming: it is the gripping story of a young girl’s sexual awakening and journey into womanhood.

Review

It’s been a while since I finished this book, and I’m still not sure how much I enjoyed it.

I definitely did enjoy parts of it, and I liked Natalie’s voice in terms of the narration, but I found it all a bit odd.

A fifteen year old Natalie meets sixty year old Matthew – a friend of the family, and all of a sudden her eyes have been opened to a whole new world. Matthew draws her in with intellectual discussions regarding literature, art and philosophy, and Natalie is completely taken in. She’s thrilled to have someone in her life to inspire her and talk to her as an adult, as she doesn’t really feel connected with others her age, or her family.

By the time Natalie is sixteen, her and Matthew’s relationship has turned into more, with him making the first move, and her not objecting. Talk has turned from the arts to that of “Uncles”, people who are not bound by society’s rules – clearly all an elaborate grooming technique to make Natalie feel like all of this is special, but not wrong. It left a bad taste in my mouth, as you’d expect.

The book moves at a good pace and covers a lot of ground. Sometimes I couldn’t put it down, and at other times I just wanted it to end.

I really did feel for Natalie. She went through some really horrific times, but there are moments of joy and happiness too.

I think my main problem with it was that it read as fiction. Which is a good thing in terms of readability, but a curse in the sense that I wasn’t convinced by how real it all was. At times I was stunned by Natalie’s decisions, and it’s like she had to keep reminding the reader just how naive and young she still was to justify her actions.

But overall, I have nothing but respect for her in writing this book (if indeed it is all true – could this be another A Million Little Pieces?), as she has told the world about the most intimate details of her young life – even the things she lied to herself about for so many years – and she’s done it in a eloquent, interesting manner.

It certainly makes for a thought-provoking read if nothing else.

Sixteen, Sixty One is available now in paperback from Waterstones.

Me & Mr J by Rachel McIntyre

Title: Me & Mr. J
Author: Rachel McIntyre
Series: N/A
Edition: Digital ARC
Publication Details: March 5th 2015 by Electric Monkey
Genre(s): Contemporary YA; Romance
Disclosure? Yep! I received a copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an HONEST review.

Goodreads // Purchase

Fifteen-year-old Lara finds her soulmate. There’s just one problem – he’s her teacher. Lara’s life has changed radically since her father lost his job. As the eldest, Lara tries to keep upbeat, and the one outlet for all her problems is her diary where she can be open about how dire everything is at home, and worse, the fact that she’s being horrifically bullied at school.

And then a shining light comes out of the darkness – the new young and MALE teacher, Mr Jagger. The one person who takes Lara seriously and notices her potential. The one person who is kind to her. The one person who she falls madly and hopelessly in love with. The one person who cannot reciprocate her feelings … can he?

Review

This book confirms my suspicions that I’m just kinda over Contemporary YA. I don’t mean that to sound harsh on the book itself, it’s a perfectly good book, written well, but I’ve just had enough of traumatic school-days stories.

There would have been a time when I’d have lapped Me & Mr J up. It’s the story of Lara “titless” Titliss as she navigates her way through her final year of high school. She is bullied quite horribly and as the book goes on, the more horrific the bullying gets. The only person who makes school bearable for Lara is the new English Teacher, Mr Jagger.

Me and Mr. J is written in ‘diary entry’ style which is great in sense that we get to see Lara’s amazing ability to shrug off and rise above everything the bullies throw at her. But the downside for me was that the language was way too cringe-worthy at times. Don’t get me wrong, it was believable and represents how teenagers talk and think but that doesn’t make it any less annoying to read. There was a lot of eye-rolling and sighing from me.

Oh, Mr J. My life would be a desert of complete unbearability without you as my metaphorical oasis/ watering hole”

My heart was saying, Mr Jagger, you are the only decent thing in my life. I can’t stop thinking about you. If I didn’t have you, I’d probably kill myself”

I thought this book was going be about a sordid affair between a teacher and student but I found it mainly to be about bullying, and discovering who you are – which I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy – I just wasn’t in the mood for it.

I did enjoy seeing how the relationship between Lara and Mr J eventually developed, despite the obvious repercussions. I also thought Lara was a strong character who could certainly inspire teens who have had problems with bullying, regardless of her mistakes, but I was hoping for something more.

Book Promo: Dumped ~ Stories of Women Unfriending Women

Title: Dumped; Stories of Women Unfriending Women

Author: Edited by Nina Gaby

Genre: Non-Fiction; Anthology

Publication Details: March 3rd 2015 by She Writes Press

Amazon // Goodreads

About the Book

Getting dumped sucks—and no, we don’t mean by a significant other. We’re talking about the atom bomb of abandonment: Getting dumped by a best friend. Millions of women who know the universally-experienced-but-rarely-discussed trauma of being dumped by a close female friend can relate to the candid stories in Dumped: Stories of Women Unfriending Women.

Twenty-five celebrated writers—including Jacquelyn Mitchard, Ann Hood, Carrie Kabak, Jessica Handler, Elizabeth Searle, Alexis Paige, and editor Nina Gaby—explore the fragile, sometimes humorous, and often unfathomable nature of lost friendship.

The essays in Dumped aren’t stories of friendship dying a mutually agreed-upon death, like falling out of touch. These are stories of suddenly finding yourself erased, without context or warning. There should be an Adele song for this—and now, the millions of women who have cried over the inexplicable loss of a friendship can bond over the raw, charming, funny, and soulbaring stories of women who know how they feel.

From teenagers to soccer moms, teachers to friends, Dumped is for women who enjoy Bridesmaids as much as Little Women, or HBO’s Girls as much Anne Lamott and Alice Munro. It will make women ages 16-70 smile, cry, laugh, and best of all, say “Me too!” as they learn that being Dumped by a close friend doesn’t mean going it alone.

Meet the Editor

NINA GABY is a writer, widely shown visual artist, and psychiatric nurse practitioner whose essays
and fiction have been published by Lilith Magazine, Creative Non Fiction’s In Fact imprint, Seal Press,
Paper Journey Press, Wising-Up Press, The Prose-Poem Project, and on Brevity.com.

What People Are Saying About ‘Dumped’

Brilliant, charming, heartbreaking, truth-telling, soul-baring, extraordinary…I defy any woman
not to identify with at least one of these stories.”

—Amy Ferris, author of Marrying George Clooney and co-editor of Dancing at the Shame Prom

New on the Shelf

(Linking up with Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews)

I was relatively well behaved this week. I’m still waiting on the arrival of Fairest by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles). Where are you??? And I bought a second hand copy of Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin which was my wishlist pick from last week.

I didn’t make any Netgalley requests or borrow any from friends.

New on the Wishlist

When My Heart Was Wicked ~ Tricia Stirling

I saw this on the wonderful Over the Bookshelf’s WWW Wednesday post and I WANT!

“I used to be one of those girls. The kind who loved to deliver bad news. When I colored my hair, I imagined it seeping into my scalp, black dye pooling into my veins. But that was the old Lacy. Now, when I cast spells, they are always for good.”

16-year-old Lacy believes that magic and science can work side by side. She’s a botanist who knows how to harness the healing power of plants. So when her father dies, Lacy tries to stay with her step-mother in Chico, where her magic is good and healing. She fears the darkness that her real mother, Cheyenne, brings out, stripping away everything that is light and kind.

Yet Cheyenne never stays away for long. Beautiful, bewitching, unstable Cheyenne who will stop at nothing, not even black magic, to keep control of her daughter’s heart. She forces Lacy to accompany her to Sacramento, and before long, the “old” Lacy starts to resurface.

But when Lacy survives a traumatic encounter, she finds herself faced with a choice. Will she use her powers to exact revenge and spiral into the darkness forever? Or will she find the strength to embrace the light?

I’m Waiting on…

(Linking up with Breaking the Spine)

The Ship ~ Anotonia Honeywell

Thanks to Cosmochicklitan for bringing this book to my attention!

Children of Men meets The Handmaiden’s Tale: a dystopian epic about love, friendship and what it means to be free.

Welcome to London, but not as you know it.

Oxford Street burned for three weeks
The British Museum is squatted by ragtag survivors
The Regent’s Park camps have been bombed

The Nazareth Act has come into force. If you can’t produce your identity card, you will be shot.

Lalla, 16, has grown up sheltered from the new reality by her visionary father, Michael Paul. But now the chaos has reached their doorstep. Michael has promised Lalla and her mother that they will escape. Escape is a ship big enough to save 500 people.

But only the worthy will be chosen.

Once on board, as day follows identical day, Lalla’s unease grows.
Where are they going?

What does her father really want?
Expected publication: February 19th 2015 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson

So, that’s my week in books, now how about yours?

If you still do a similar WWW post (or just want to join in, leave your link/answers in the comments, OR why not tweet using #ThisWeekInBooks, and I’ll come and visit!

January 2015 on Lipsyy Lost & Found // February Releases

Better late than never, right?

Well, what to say about January…it came and went in the blink of an eye as always. It was a slow start for me as I took the first two weeks off from blogging, for a much needed rest, but I’ve thrown myself back into it with gusto. I also posted less in order to build up some content for the future in an attempt to BE.MORE.ORGANISED. Seems to be working so far…ahem.

January 2015 Stats

Total Posts: 12
Books Read: 5

Reviews (3)

Mr Miracle by Debbie Macomber, 2/5 (View)
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black, 4/5 (View)
Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell, 4/5 (View)

Read But Not Yet Reviewed: 2

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell
Sixteen, Sixty-One by Natalie Lucas

The Breakdown

Most Surprising: Frozen Charlotte
Most Disappointing: Mr. Miracle
Most Exciting: The Darkest Part of the Forest
Most Swoon-worthy: The Darkest Part of the Forest
Most Beautifully Written: The Darkest Part of the Forest

Genres: YA (3/5); Fantasy (2/5); Romance (1/5); Horror (1/5); Non-Fiction (1/5)

Formats/Sources: Advance Copy (3/5); Digital (4/5); Hardback (1/5); Owned (2/5)

Friday Features:

It’s all about the ~~bass~~ Thrones & Thorns (View Post)
Moustache Questions: About Me! (View Post)

Guest Posts, Promos and Other Highlights:

This Week in Books (RIP WWW Wednesdays) (View Post)
Lipsy Lost & Found Vintage Bookshop Now Open! (View Post)

Awards

February Releases

Here are the Febraury releases I’m most excited about:

The Sin Eater’s Daughter ~ Melinda Salisbury – 5th
Second Life ~ S.J Watson – 10th (OUT TODAY)
Red Queen ~ Victoria Aveyard – 10th (OUT TODAY)
A Darker Shade of Magic ~ V.E Schwab – 24th

Available to buy or pre-order from Waterstones.

Top Ten Tuesday: Valentines Schmalentines

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish (click the link to visit them) who pick a different topic each week.

The topic for this week is: Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books, but I couldn’t really think of much considering I don’t read a whole lot of Romance. So I decided to do a list of Romance books that I actually do want to read.

Which of these need to be at the top of my wishlist???

Anyone Can Betray Anyone: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen Trilogy #1
Edition: Digital ARC, 320 pages
Publication Details: February 10th 2015 by Orion / Feb 12th 2015 (paperback)
Genre(s): YA, Dystopia; Fantasy
Disclosure? Yep! I received a free copy in exchange for an HONEST review.

Goodreads // Purchase

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change. Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Review

OMG THIS BOOK!

I’d gone through a whole array of feelings about this book before I even picked it up. Firstly, from the cover alone I was so taken with it I couldn’t wait to read it. Then I started seeing it described as The Hunger Games meets The Selection via X-men, and my mind was blown. BLOWN.

But then, the hype just went a bit mad. It was all over the blogosphere and while I tired to avoid most of the reviews, I started to doubt my first thoughts and wondered if this was just another Hunger Games wannabe; all hype and no substance….

Thankfully, I was wrong. Red Queen, whilst having some flaws, ended up completely surpassing my expectations. And it made me want to throw it across the room (yet another downside to the e-book!), in the best possible way.

In Victoria Aveyard’s take on a dystopian future, there are two classes. The Redbloods, the lowly commoners who do all the physical and menial jobs, and are conscripted to fight in the war, and the Silverbloods, the ruling class, who all have different powers such as the ability to manipulate fire, water or metal – much like the X-MEN (which I LOVE).

I really loved this world. When you break it down it isn’t anything new, but the combination of ideas from other worlds made it original in its own way. It was a little bit Noughts & Crosses (Malorie Blackman) as well as being understandably likened to The Selection and THG.

Mare isn’t talented, unless you count stealing. She doesn’t have a skill like her sister does so she’s destined for a future in the army, just like her brothers and her best friend Kilorn. She hates the Silverbloods as much as anyone for taking them away. But one night she tries to steal from the wrong person – a handsome cloaked stranger – who listens to her story and can offer her a better life.

The stranger… is Cal, the prince and heir to the throne, and Mare finds herself with a job at the palace. But this isn’t any ordinary palace. It just so happens that Mare has arrived in time for the Queenstrial, where silver nobles will fight it out (with their powers) in the arena, for the princes hands in marriage (oh yes, there’s two of them to swoon over!).

Without giving away any massive spoilers all I’ll say is that somehow, Mare finds herself engaged to a prince, disguised with silver dust and the constant threat of execution hanging over her head.

INTENSE!

I seriously couldn’t put this down. The action was good, the whole on-off love/hate romance thing was pretty hot and man, it was just so good. HOWEVER, there were so many things that didn’t make sense. A few of them did by the end, but there were some definite annoying plot holes.

For example, there wasn’t really any need for the noble Silverbloods to train in the arena every day. They use the Reds to fight on the front line, so why do they need to train, and compete against each other so much? I felt like this was just an easy way to get more action into the plot and be a bit more Hunger Games-esque. It was a bit gratuitous.

Also, they change Mare’s identity (making her a Silver Noble) and swear her to a life of secrecy, but it’s not like no one will notice her – she is filmed on a few occasions – which is shown in the Red villages… and they make her fight in the arena, where blood is often spilled, so how do they expect her to not be exposed? ARGH!

Another huge thing which got my goat is that the Queen(the big baddy)’s power is mind manipulation. She can get into your mind and see all of your memories and thoughts, not to mention make you do anything she wants, and yet Mare and others are planning a rebellion under her very nose – errrr how!!!?

And while we’re talking about war and rebellion, I don’t think we’re ever even told why the war began. Something was mentioned about the Lowlanders being the ones they’re fighting against but that’s about it. Maybe this will be explored more in the next book, who knows.

But anyway, I need to breathe.

All of these things added to my enjoyment of the book, because y’know PURE GOLD in ranting material. I was really tempted to give this ALL THE UNICORNS, but the only reason I didn’t is because I predicted a major twist from quite early on. I need to stop thinking so much!