Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’ve Read This Year So Far

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.

Woah, the year is half way done already! So, naturally, this week’s topic is the top ten books we’ve read this year so far! Let’s get to it!

Links go to my reviews

10. Frozen Charlotte ~ Alex Bell

9. Rebel Belle ~ Rachel Hawkins

8. Fairest ~ Marissa Meyer

7. Cruel Summer ~ James Dawson

6. Red Queen ~ Victoria Aveyard

5. The Heir ~ Kiera Cass

4. Blood Red, Snow White ~ Marcus Sedgwick

3. The Quality of Silence ~ Rosamund Lupton

2. The Darkest Part of the Forest ~ Holly Black

1. Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe ~ Benjamin Alire Sáenz

I can’t wait to see what made everyone’s lists this week. Leave a link and I’ll come take a look!

The Bones of You by Debbie Howells

Title: The Bones of You
Author: Debbie Howells
Series: N/A
Edition: Digital ARC, 320 pages
Publication Details: June 30th 2015 by Kensington
Genre(s): Thriller; Mystery
Disclosure? Yep! I received a free, advanced copy in exchange for an HONEST review!

Goodreads // Pre-order/Purchase

When Kate receives a phone call with news that Rosie Anderson is missing, she’s stunned and disturbed. Rosie is eighteen, the same age as Kate’s daughter, and a beautiful, quiet, and kind young woman. Though the locals are optimistic—girls like Rosie don’t get into real trouble—Kate’s sense of foreboding is confirmed when Rosie is found fatally beaten and stabbed.

Who would kill the perfect daughter, from the perfect family? Yet the more Kate entwines herself with the Andersons—graceful mother Jo, renowned journalist father Neal, watchful younger sister Delphine—the more she is convinced that not everything is as it seems. Anonymous notes arrive, urging Kate to unravel the tangled threads of Rosie’s life and death, though she has no idea where they will lead.

Weaving flashbacks from Rosie’s perspective into a tautly plotted narrative, The Bones of You is a gripping, haunting novel of sacrifices and lies, desperation and love.

Review

I was totally hooked on The Bones of You from page one. Kate is a down-to-earth woman (literally – she’s a gardener), wife, and mother who is shocked and saddened at the disappearance of the girl next door, Rosie.

Rosie is the same age as Kate’s daughter, and although they were not friends, quiet, little Rosie would often visit Kate and help her look after her horses. It’s only when she disappears that Kate realises that Rosie had kept it a secret about visiting Kate, and all of a sudden, Kate is involved in the chaos that is a missing teenager.

It’s not long until Rosie’s body is found, in the exact place where Kate and her horse got spooked just days before and from there things just get weirder and weirder and the perfect family become much less perfect, page by page.

There were a lot of things that shouldn’t have worked in this book: The switching of narrators, the flashbacks and fluctuating timeline and the ghost of Rosie telling her side of the story from both before and after her death, but I thought it really did work.

The pace was fast, and I was dying to know (not really, don’t kill me) who had killed Rosie even though at times it seemed obvious. I also found it really easy to read and follow despite all the previously mentioned things which usually prevent that from happening where I’m concerned.

The Bones of You is a dark, interesting mystery turned psychological thriller, which ticked lots of boxes for me.

Lazy Saturday Review: Cruel Summer By James Dawson

Title: Cruel Summer
Author: James Dawson
Series: N/A
Edition: Kindle Edition, 336 pages
Publication Details: August 1st 2013 by Orion
Genre(s): YA; Mystery
Disclosure? Nope, I bought it!

Goodreads // Purchase

A year after Janey’s suicide, her friends reunite at a remote Spanish villa, desperate to put the past behind them. However, an unwelcome guest arrives claiming to have evidence that Janey was murdered. When she is found floating in the pool, it becomes clear one of them is a killer. Only one thing is for certain, surviving this holiday is going to be murder…

Review

It took me so long to pick up a James Dawson book, and I won’t be leaving it so long the next time, promise! I liked Cruel Summer a lot!

In one respect it was exactly what I was expecting – a YA murder mystery with a few LGBTQ characters, but I wasn’t expecting it to remind me so much of 90’s gems like teen slasher movie I Know What You Did Last Summer, and the of likes the Point Horror books. I could tell that that was Dawson’s inspiration even before reading his acknowledgements.

It was a quick read that was so perfect for the beach, I can’t even tell you! I was disappointed with a few things though. Such as not really clicking with any of the characters – they all seemed a bit shallow and self-involved and the whole ‘life is a TV show’ did fit with Ryan’s personality, but I found it a bit annoying after a while.

That being said, I was pretty hooked and the pages seemed to turn themselves. I look forward to reading his other offerings.

On a side note, congratulations America – FINALLY! #EqualMarriage #LoveWins

Book Promo: Little Sacrifices by Jamie Scott (including a free download)

Welcome to another book promo on Lipsyy Lost & Found, where I’m always thrilled to support independent authors and publishers.

This promo comes from Jamie Scott who is better known as chick-Lit author Michele Gorman of Curvy Girls fame!

Established in her own right, Gorman, writing here as Jamie Scott has turned her hand at Literary Fiction, and launches Little Sacrifices, an atmospheric coming-of-age women’s fiction novel set in the 1940s American South.

Keep reading to claim your free download!

About the book

Title: Little Sacrifices
Author: Jamies Scott
Editions: Paperback/Kindle/e-Book
Publication Details: First published March 2012 (relaunched June 2015)
Genre(s): Historical Fiction

Goodreads // Amazon UK // Amazon US // Amazon Australia // Amazon Canada

How much would you risk to stand up for your beliefs?

When Duncan and Sarah Powell move with their daughter, May, to Savannah Georgia in 1947, they hope against hope that they’ll be welcomed. But they’re Yankees and worse, they’re civil rights advocates almost a decade too early.

At first May can pretend they’re the same as everyone else. It means keeping quiet when she knows she should speak up, but it’s worth the sacrifice to win friends. Unfortunately her parents are soon putting their beliefs into action. And when they wake to find that they’re the only family on the block with a Ku Klux Klan cross blazing on their front lawn, the time comes for them to finally decide between what’s easy and what’s right.

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a Rom Com like Michele Gorman’s books under her own name, Little Sacrifices contains adult themes that some readers may find uncomfortable.

Meet the Author

I write romantic comedy, including SINGLE IN THE CITY (the first in The Expat Diaries series) and BELLA SUMMER TAKES A CHANCE. Born and raised in the US, I lost my heart to London 16 years ago, where I’ve lived ever since. I’ve also turned my hand to upmarket commercial fiction under the pen name Jamie Scott.

I spend way too much time on twitter and facebook when I should be writing, so please come say hello there. I’m @michelegormanUK on twitter, and we can connect on facebook through https://www.facebook.com/MicheleGorman

Secret Free Download (Shhh)!

Michele has been kind enough to let me (and therefore you) in on a little secret. If you go on Amazon’s Little Sacrifices page (see the above links) and click on “Look Inside”, you can download her book Single in the City for free, and be sure to check out Little Sacrifices too, of course!

If you are an author, publisher or agent and would like to be featured on Lipsyy Lost & Found, drop me message on lipsyylostnfound[at]gmail[dot]com

This Week in Books 24.06.15

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

Now: The Bones of You ~ Debbie Howells

I was hooked on this straight away! It’s out at the end of the month.

Then: The Testimony of a Hanged Man ~ Ann Granger // There is no Dog ~ Meg Rosoff

I finally finished The Testimony of the a Hanged Man, which I was reading at lunch times. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t massively exciting. I also finished There is no Dog, which I was a bit disappointed in.

Next: ???

I really don’t know this time actually. I have Horns by Joe Hill, Reckless by Devon Hartford, and whole load of reveiw requests at the top of my list!

New on the Shelf

(Linking up with Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews) and Friday Finds hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

Purchased: The first thing I did when I got home from my holiday was to buy book 2 in the Samantha Smith series by Devon Hartford. The first one was totally addictive.

Now that Samantha Smith has confronted the demons from her dark past in Fearless, she’s excited to jump into adulthood with newfound confidence and friends Romeo, Madison, and Kamiko.

Samantha passionately hopes that her dreams of becoming an artist are more than girlish fancy. All she has to do for them to come true is change her major from Accounting to Art, but she fears her parents will fly off the handle when she reveals her intentions.

Christos Manos, the ultimate bad-boy boyfriend, is committed to staying by Samantha’s side, nurturing her and helping her discover her potential, no matter what obstacles are thrown in her way.

When Samantha’s life starts to unravel, Christos is the only person she can turn to for the emergency support she needs. But Christos is fighting his own dark demons, tangled secrets he’s kept hidden from the beginning.

Samantha will be tested to the limits of her resilience, and must discover how truly Fearless she can be in the name of love.

Netgalley: I didn’t make any requests this week.

I’m Waiting on…

(Linking up with Breaking the Spine)

Sky Key ~ James Frey & Nils Johnson- Shelton

Ahhhh I can’t wait for the second Endgame book!

Endgame is here. Earth Key has been found. Two keys—and nine Players—remain. The keys must be found, and only one Player can win.

Queens, New York. Aisling Kopp believes the unthinkable: that Endgame can be stopped. But before she can get home to regroup, she is approached by the CIA. They know about Endgame. And they have their own ideas about how it should be Played. Ideas that could change everything.

Kingdom of Aksum, Ethiopia. Hilal ibn Isa al-Salt narrowly survived an attack that leaves him horribly disfigured. He now knows something the other Players do not. But the Aksumites have a secret that is unique to their line. A secret that can help redeem humanity—and maybe even be used to help defeat the beings behind Endgame.

London, England. Sarah Alopay has found the first key. She is with Jago—and they are winning.But getting Earth Key has come at a great cost to Sarah. The only thing that keeps the demons at bay is Playing. Playing to win.

Sky Key—wherever it is, whatever it is—is next. And the nine remaining Players will stop at nothing to get it.

Expected publication: October 6th 2015 by HarperCollins

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!

Top Ten Tuesday: Happy 5th Birthday TTT!

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.

In honour of the 5 year anniversary of Top Ten Tuesday, this week we are celebrating by sharing our favourite TTT topics over the years.

10. Castles: This was my first ever TTT published on 13th August 2013. The original topic was Top Ten Book with a X Setting and I chose my favourite books featuring castles…because hello! Castles are the best!

9. Books That Should Be Taught in Schools: I loved this topic as I think it’s really important what schools have on their reading lists! I wish the books I had to read for school were much more interesting than they were, I loved reading but I never wanted to read any of the books on the required reading list. I feel like schools have had the same lists for years and they need to move on!

8. Books I Read Before I Started Blogging: I chose this topic as a freebie, when we were given free rein to pick a topic of our own choosing. I read so many good books before I started blogging that I wished I’d reviewed, so this was a good opportunity to briefly talk about some of them.

7. Books You Should Read if You Like…: Any excuse to talk about Buffy The Vampire Slayer and other favourite TV shows is a winner in my book!

6. Underrated British Authors: I really enjoy spreading the love for British Authors!

5. Ten Adult Books for YA Readers: I liked this topic because I’m obviously a huge lover of YA but I think it’s really important to read a wide range of books, especially those written more for adults.

4. Desert Island Companions: It was really fun thinking about which book characters I’d like to be stranded on a desert island with!

3. Bookish Confessions: This topic was so cathartic. I just hope my friends didn’t read it. LOL.

2. Books to Make You SWOON: This topic was so much fun to do, and I loved seeing every else’s answers too. Who doesn’t enjoy talking about their book Boyfriends!?

1. Things That Make Life Easier as a Reader/Blogger: This was only the second TTT I took part in and it actually helped me with my blogging a lot. Before reading other people’s posts, I hadn’t been using a picture editing site, and a lot of people had put Picmonkey on their lists. I now use it all the time!

The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton

Title: The Quality of Silence
Author: Rosamund Lupton
Series: N/A
Edition: Digital ARC, 384 pages
Publication Details: July 2nd 2015 by Little, Brown
Genre(s): Thriller
Disclosure? Yep! I received a free, advanced copy in exchange for an HONEST review!

Goodreads // Pre-order/Purchase

On 24th November Yasmin and her deaf daughter Ruby arrived in Alaska. Within hours they were driving alone across a frozen wilderness. Where nothing grows. Where no one lives. Where tears freeze . And night will last for another 54 days.

They are looking for Ruby’s father. Travelling deeper into a silent land. They still cannot find him. And someone is watching them in the dark.

Review

The Quality of Silence is an assault on your senses. You can feel the snow, smell the petrol, and see harsh landscape of Alaska so vividly, it’ll have you grabbing for your fur-lined coat, such is the magic of Lupton’s writing.

Ruby idolises her father; he gets understands her in a way that her mum Yasmin doesn’t. But Ruby’s father, a wildlife photo-journo and film-maker has been involved in a terrible plane accident in the remote depths of Alaska and hasn’t come to meet them like he should have. Instead, they are greeted by the devastating news that he is dead. His wedding ring and his jacket, the only things remaining from the wreckage.

Yasmin, who loves her husband yet feels estranged from him, came to Alaska to try to make their marriage work one last time. After hearing the news she refuses to believe that he is dead. She will believe it only when she sees it, but the police refuse to help, and have stopped the search, adamant that no one could have survived.

And so Yasmin and Ruby, set off on the most dangerous road trip imaginable, to find Daddy, to find the husband, to keep hope alive.

This book BLEW ME AWAY. I know people say that all the time, but woah…it was just amazing.

I loved the setting, the characters – especially Ruby – who is AMAZING, and the slow, mysterious reveal of what happened to Ruby’s dad…it was all amazing.

The only thing stopping me from giving this 5/5 and claiming it to be the book of the year, is because it took me a while to adjust to the constant switching of perspective. Sometimes, this style can be a deal-breaker for me, but after an adjustment period, Lupton really managed to pull it off!

You can pre-order The Quality of Silence from Waterstones now.

This Week in Books 17.06.15

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

Sorry I missed last week guys, but I was in sunny Spain and couldn’t tear myself away from the sangria in order to write a coherent post 😉 I’m keeping this one short too, as I didn’t add anything to my shelves or wishlist while I was away either.

Now: There is No Dog ~ Meg Rosoff // The Testimony of a Hanged Man ~ Ann Granger

I started There is No Dog on the plane home and I’m very nearly done. I really don’t know what to think of it. I’m stiiiiiiiilllllll going on my lunchtime read too, but also near the end!

Then:

I finished The Almost King by Lucy Saxon in the first couple of days I was away and posted a short review here. I also made my way through Cruel Summer by James Dawson which I really liked, and Fearless by Devon Hartford, which was a really pleasant surprise for me. In fact I’m so addicted, the first thing I did when I got home was buy a copy of book 2!

Both of these were great picks to take away, they felt Summery and I could NOT put them down when I was on the beach…so cheers for the sunburn 😉

I’ll try and get both reviews done at the weekend.

Next: ???

I’m gearing up to start The Bones of You by Debbie Howells

Normality will resume next week! 🙂 If you’re joining in, leave your link in the comments and I’ll come visit. #TWIB

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my TBR list this Summer

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: The Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet because 1. I just got back from holiday and I’m soooo tired and 2. The list is pretty similar to the Holiday/Beach Reads TTT from a couple of weeks ago.

• The Bones of You ~ Debbie Howells
• Beneath the Lake ~ Christopher Ransom
• The Ring of Morgana ~ Donna Hosie
• Deer in Headlights ~ Staci Hart
• In Your Face ~ Scarlett Thomas

• The Curse of Crow Hollow ~ Billy Coffey
• The Reckoning Stones ~ Laura DiSilverio
• Reckless ~ Devon Hartford
• The Seed Collectors ~ Scarlett Thomas
• Horns ~ Joe Hill

Hmm, they don’t really scream ‘summer’ do they? Shrug. 

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Edition: Paperback, 562 pages
Publication Details: September 2nd 2014 by Bloomsbury Childrens
Genre(s): YA; Fantasy
Disclosure? Nope, I bought it!

Goodreads // Purchase

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth…a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.
Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

The king’s assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

Review

I don’t know what it is about this series. I love it at the time of reading, but then I fall out of love with the idea of it and I struggle to find the motivation to pick up the next book. That’s what happened with Heir of Fire.

I bought a copy not long after its release but it took me this long to pick it up. And even when I finally did, I couldn’t get into it at all! I was pretty close to giving up on the series altogether to be honest…but then I got hooked again. Ugh make up your mind, Woman!

I think I only fell in love with this book about half way through, but then I didn’t want to put it down.

In this, the third instalment of the Throne of Glass series, Celaena Sardothian, the once all-powerful, all-confident assassin is a broken woman. She’s walking the streets in a booze-induced stupor, almost starving, getting into fights and losing most, because her strength has all but gone.

She doesn’t seem to have any direction, and although I found it interesting to see this fall from grace, it was all a bit dull to start with. Until, that is, she meets Rowan.

Rowan, a prince of fae is ordered to train Celaena to control her fae powers so she can once again fight against those who plan on enslaving her and her people. Of course, she’s reluctant at first, tired of fighting for other people, but it’s not long until the fire in her is ignited, and with the help of brutal Rowan, Celaena slowly becomes herself again.

I’m not gonna lie, for a lot of this book I didn’t really know what was going on. I kind of skimmed the beginning because I couldn’t get into it and then when I got to the good stuff I was confused. But I couldn’t go back, because I couldn’t tear myself away.

I loved how the relationship between Rowan and Celaena developed and as much as I wanted them to get in on – he is clearly mega hawtttt – I’m glad that instead their friendship became solid and trustworthy. I felt like Celaena really needed that instead of another romance. It was refreshing.

There were a lot of things I didn’t like about this book, for example, I had no idea what the witch-clan chapters were all about, and I found myself skipping some of them but they are pretty terrifying characters and make great villains so I’m hoping it’ll be explored better in the next book.

Despite everything, I still ended up loving this book. I can’t really explain it. I think I’m just destined to have a love/hate relationship with this series.

As it stands, I can’t wait until the next book, but by the time it comes around, I’ll probably feel differently. Sigh!

Heir of Fire is available in paperback from Waterstones now.