The Returners - Gemma Malley

I was interested in reading this book purely because I loved Gemma Malley's dystopian series, The Declaration about what live could be like if we were dependent on drugs that made us live forever. It is such an interesting concept and was written so well that I felt sad when I finished the last book.
So, of course, I want more Gemma Malley, so this book appealed to me, so I grabbed it in the library the other day when I saw it.

Synopsis:  London teenager Will Hodge is miserable. His mother is dead, his father's political leanings have grown radical, and his friends barely talk to him. To top it off, he's having nightmares about things like concentration camps. Then Will notices he's being followed by a group of people who claim to know him from another time in history. It turns out they are Returners, reincarnated people who carry with them the memory of atrocities they have witnessed in the past. Will realizes that he, too, is a Returner. But something about his memories is different, and with dawning horror, Will suspects that he wasn't just a witness to the events, he was instrumental in making them happen. Set in the near future, with the world on the verge of a new wave of ethnic cleansing, Will must choose to confront the cruelty he's known in his past lives, or be doomed to repeat it.




Review: The whole idea of what the Returners are is interesting first of all and something that could be quite viable in reality, especially if they are unknown to anyone that isn't one themselves. After reading this book, I liked the idea of them, but I still don't understand the reason for them. Will constantly asks their purpose overall for history but they are always so vague and mysterious. They can never stop the suffering that happens, just live through it as an experience, which I understand so the suffering of those lives on but why have the Returners continuously?
This book is also a political novel and tackles a lot of the social issues that have arisen in England since the recession. Does wealth overall everything fundamentally? Should those that are not English citizens actually be living here? What would happen if an extremist party did get into the government? All these questions are tackled and more and I know that any English person at least would relate to this novel and help understand these topics. There are some racy and taboo like comments said that make you blush throughout but this is all seen as a bad thing, which is the general opinion at the moment.


The book is set in 2016, and nothing really has changed to now. Really, for the political side to the novel, it is showing what effect the recession has just under ten years on. All the things that happen to people in money troubles, happen to Will and it is quite hard hitting for him and the reader with the lengthy descriptions of the fights his parents had before his mother killed herself, both violent and just shouting. This is a book I would say is definitely just for people in their late teens from about 14.


Will was an average character, he was really just a typical boy. I found him neither interesting nor annoying. Although, I found his constant admiration for Clare rather irritating and felt like shouting 'We know you like her!' The characters of the Returners that you met start off rather creepy and scary and I didn't blame Will not wanting to join them. However, they open up and we see the life of a Returner through the grandfather-like Douglas and teenage Emily. Now, I liked Douglas although he was way too philosophical at times. But Emily. To start, she seemed to have hinted to have had a relationship with Will's past self. But nothing ever came out, I have no idea if it was true or not, although I doubt there was something. 
I liked the way it was written. There was never a point where the action and tension dipped, you always want to know who, what, why, how. Although the continuous use of short sentences could be annoying, I liked it. It  made it much more interesting and different to read to me. 


I liked also how Gemma Malley hasn't given everything away at the beginning and made it so what you think will happen halfway through takes a completely different direction by the end. It's definitely not a book to read to relax and feel good about yourself but it is worth a read for those that like dystopian fiction. 
It's not as good and well-rounded as her previous trilogy but for those that are new to Gemma Malley or new to the dystopian genre, it's a good read and enjoyable despite the number of spelling mistakes I found while reading (hewas, just to name a few), one slight pet hate of mine and I'm sure others.


This is a worth while read for those that haven't heard of Gemma Malley before or are new to the dystopian genre but I would read this and then continue straight on to The Declaration series. The idea is a good and rather puzzling interesting one, I'm just not sure if it was executed in the right way yet.
Verdict: Worth a look but not as good as The Declaration by far. However, Gemma Malley does give some interesting things to think about which I think shall stay with me for a while now. I shall leave you with one of them:

'"But nothing Douglas. Everyone has a choice. Everyone. All the time. You can walk through a door or decide not to. You can let your past dictate your future or you can throw two fingers up at it and walk away."'

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

Author's Website: http://www.gemmamalley.com/

Pages: 257

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Challenges: BBC

Check out my review on Gemma Malley's first book from the amazing The Declaration series:

The Declaration (#1)

The Resistance (#2)

The Legacy (#3)

Cassandra's Sister - Veronica Bennett

Because we were rushed off our feet on my holiday and doing lots of different things which meant I was SO tired in the evening, I didn't actually read that much as I normally do so only got through this book while in America.

I have read this book before and from what I could remember I found it interesting and was one of the first books I read about Jane Austen herself and her family. This book is a lot like the movie starring Anne Hathaway, Becoming Jane as it is set around that time, although not in so much detail as the movie. 


Synopsis: Young Jane — or Jenny, as she is called — is a girl with a head full of questions. Surrounded by her busy parents and brothers, Jenny finds a place for her thoughts in the companionship of her older sister, Cassandra. Theirs is a country life full of balls and visits, at which conversation inevitably evolves on one topic: marriage. But the arrival of their worldly-wise cousin disrupts Jenny’s world, bringing answers to some of her questions and providing a gem of an idea. 


Review: This book follows Jane Austen inventing and writing two of her most popular novels, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility as well as some events that we know happens to her in her life, like the idea of falling in love. Sadly and perhaps unexpectedly, Jane Austen never married. She was offered one proposal by the brother of one of her friends who she accepted and then changing her mind the next day. As portrayed in Becoming Jane and mentioned in numerous novels about Jane Austen's life, Jane fell in love with the Irish, Tom Lefroy, the nephew of a family known to the Austen's. If anything ever happened between them, we shall never know, but I like to think they did, mostly for Jane's sake. They could never marry, and they knew that, as he had no money, training to be a lawyer and Jane Austen had to marry for money as her family were quite poor. Jane Austen lived her life with her parents and her also unmarried sister, Cassandra who's fiancée died on a trip to the West Indies. She lived off the money from her books that were published in her lifetime and from money from four of her five brothers. Jane Austen didn't live an extravagant lifestyle and  was never truly rich, she may have been unhappy to write about all her heroines falling deeply in love and marrying, yet she never did. However, maybe this made her loveless life bearable...again, it is something we shall never know for real.


This book follows the relationship with Cassandra and Jane Austen and of how their love lives affect both their relationship and themselves, which is a very different way to other novels like this that I have read which I liked. Other normally go for the romance. 
The only problem with this is that for me there wasn't enough romance, and I don't say this often. I know it's about Cassandra mostly in Jane's life but reading the blurb, you wouldn't think this, you'd think it's the novel that Becoming Jane was made from. The beginning is very slow with Jane starting and stopping many novels like Lady Susan. This is fine, but it did get a bit tedious and boring after a while with this pace. Then, when Tom Lefroy did come into it which is about half way through, we see him once for a chapter and then anything that happened between him and Jane was told after it happened and in not much detail. I have no idea what happened the second time they met, they never say! They just talk about it without giving any information. This annoyed me.


The characters were all likeable and behaved like they were from the 1700's, although there were times when sentences sounded more at home in my living room than at a ball, although this wasn't too often. I liked the friendship and sisterly love between Cassandra and Jane, it seemed like they were confidants in each other but still had that sisterly understanding, which is nice to see. Cassandra seems to be the one to calm Jane down and Jane brings out a rebellious side to Cassandra, this, to me, is the best relationship to have with one another. You both get things out of it.
My favourite scenes were the balls with the amount of detail of who was dancing with who, the dresses, the dances, the small things. These are the things that make me want to be transported now to England 1790 and join in, they were admittedly done very well. 
Mrs Austen, as always, reminded me SO much of Mrs Bennet and Jane of Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. This part made me laugh of Jane's cynicism and her quick wit: 


'"Mrs Fowle, seems very pleased that Charles is going to be a lawyer," said Mama (Mrs Austen). She consulted the letter again, then laid it in her lap. "Now, Jenny, what profession would you have predicted he would follow? I must confess that when he was a boy I always rather saw him as a soldier."
"I remember that he used to march around with a stick over his shoulder for a rifle," said Jenny (Jane). "But then, if you recall, my own favourite pastime at that age was playing with model animals, yet now I have no inclination even to own a pet cat."'


As you can see in that extract, Jane is referred to, until about 75% of the way through, as Jenny instead of Jane. I have never heard of this before for Jane Austen being nicknamed, and it got really annoying after a while. To me, she is Jane. Jenny is not even a shortening of the name Jane. Stick with Jane! I think I know why it was done, but it didn't add anything really.
The other thing that confused me was the passing of time. The book would suddenly jump to three years later without much warning or ending to whatever had happened before. The book was trying to cover a huge period of time, instead of just a small amount in great detail.


I did enjoy this book eventually nearer the end and this book does give information about the only proposal known for her to receive which most Jane Austen-esque books leave out. There are faults in this book but I think it is a good book for those that don't know much about the writer and just want to find out a bit more about her life. It would be the ideal accomplice to writing a essay on one of her books, to reference it to events in her writing. However if, like me, you know a lot about Austen, I would read this knowing you may not enjoy it. It's a lovely little book, but could be better.
Verdict: Recommend to anyone who knows nothing about Jane Austen. 


I give it a 3.5 out of 5


Author's Website: http://www.veronica-bennett.com/
Pages: 231
Publisher: Walker Books
Challenges: BBC, Historical Fiction


If you want are interested in finding out more about Jane Austen herself, have a look at these reviews for other books I have read about her:
I was Jane Austen's Best Friend - Cora Harrison
Love, Lies and Lizzie - Rosie Rushton

A Lovely Surprise

You all met Amy from I Love Smiley Faces and Books earlier in the week through the guest post week with her post on her Favourite Summer Reads.
You've also met Nessie from Queen Nessie's Musings of General Populace this week with her post on Books set in summer. Both are very good friends of mine on the blogsphere so I was delighted to find they had both awarded me 'The Lovely Blog Award'.
This is my second award, so I'm pretty happy and delighted they love my blog so much. It makes everything much more worth while.

So, first in return, I have to give 7 unknown facts about myself:
1. I work at my local Oxfam and I have a secret addiction to work the till, although it happens very rarely.
2. Last year on my work experience at M&S, I bumped right into (literally!) Robert Pattinson who was born in my area. Yep, Edward Cullen himself. He was so obvious though, I mean he was wearing a black hoodie, skinny jeans, a baseball cap, Ray Bans and Converse shoes on a really hot day. Little bit obvious. Also, much better looking in person than on screen.
3. I have an obsession of the sound of the light switch in my father's car. It makes the most amazing tiny noise. Ever.
4. If you put a full box of chocolate Fingers in front of me, I would probably eat the whole packet.
5. I'm looking to getting a weekend job in Waterstones (a bit like B&N), mostly because, erm, BOOKS ALL AROUND ME and the fact I get 33% off in Waterstones then.
6. I judge other people my age mostly on what they're wearing. They look really really nice all the time - I don't like them too much. Look nice sometimes? I love you. I am so vain...
7. I am probably the only person who prefers the Harry Potter movies to the books.

And so these lovely people do I pass it on to:
- Stephanie from Books are a Girl's Best Friend
- Belle's Bookshelf
- Audrey from Holes in my Brain

Day 5: Get Published!

This is sadly the last guest post for this week *Ooohhh* with the lovely Jen from Unedited who writes about everything and anything but mostly her life as a writer and getting published (have a look, a lot of her stuff makes me laugh) which is why she is perfect for this topic!
I know it's the summer holidays/vacation so you have some extra time on your hands, which means you can write more of that story you've been trying to do in in the evenings when you're tired. Or you're sick of staring at the icon in your Documents of that amazing story you wrote last year and want to do something with. Well, here is a guide to getting that story out into the world.
Here's Jen....

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I WANNA BE PUBLISHED!

If only screaming from your canopy style bed “I want to be published” made the publishing gods shine a single light on you and recruit you for duty. Would live be so much easier?

No. It wouldn’t… (Yes that was me crushing your positive bubble).

I’m not here to beat you down. I’m here to give you a swift kick of reality. Don’t worry… staying on your canopy style bed is safer. The fall after all is hopefully on those Egyptian cotton sheets you just HAD to have after finishing your first draft thinking you’d be a best seller. Yeah, you better write your next SEVERAL books there to make up for that bad decision. Don’t forget those Manolo’s on too girl, you better be working with them on since that was your rent money.

Hold the phone. You haven’t finished the first draft?? You mean to tell me you bought those sheets and shoes after telling your parents you wanted to be a writer? Holy heck we’re in trouble.

Let’s cover the basics.

To get to the publishing stage you need…

A completed manuscript – This is not a first draft. This baby must shine (consult with Critique Group – preferably in your genre). Read writing books for assistance.

A synopsis – Or sucknopsis, no, it mustn’t suck. They suck to write… hence the name. For help consult the synopsis gods (oh, right, they don’t exist. For something close visit Query Tracker).

A query letter –Writing a one page letter about how awesome you and your book are without… A) An elevator pitch (since you don’t know what that is), and B) You have no writing credentials isn’t easy. Don’t panic… guidance is available. For query help consult the query gods (found below)

How to get your work out there…

There are several options. Should you wish to be bold and share your novel Figment and Writer’s Digest are great ways to share your novel and writing with others. If you’re looking for query & agent guidance Query to the Call, Query Shark and Query Tracker are great places to be. Curious about publishing deals and agents then Publishers Marketplace is the place to be.

(Rebecca: I've also heard about Wattpad where you can post a chapter and if it's popular you post another one and so on) 

Deciding what works for you…

Whether it’s self-publishing, e-publishing, small publishing or traditional you must write the novel. It must always start at the beginning. So, go on, get started.

For publishing questions feel free to ask below in the comments section!

Day 4: Summery Covers

Welcome to Day 4 of the blog themed week. Today we have Stephanie from Books are a Girl's Best Friend, one of my favourite book blogs around as she has the same taste in books as me. Our reading is very similar, although her reviews are miles better than mine. Check her blog out, it's worth a look for bookish people.

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The word 'summer' brings to mind visions of reading in the sun, ice cream and relaxing in water so when I'm looking for my next summer read, a great summery looking cover puts me in the mood. Especially as the British weather can't always be relied on to produce a sunny summer! Here are some of my favourite summer covers:

That Summer - Sarah Dessen

For me, this cover just sums up the essence of summer: the warm sun shining down on the white sand, the cool blue sea lapping at my feet but most of all having fun- bliss! The girl looks like she's having a great time and this makes it look like the perfect feel good beach read. I also really like the simple look of the cover with the small title font and light blue colour scheme.

Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen

Another Sarah Dessen cover! This one reminds me of the feeling of sand between my feet

and makes me long to be on the beach with romance in the air. I love the cute little heart at the side- it's so adorable.

Forgive My Fins - Tera Lynn Childs

I love mermaid books and they always make me want a trip to the sea to discover my own underwater world full of mermaids and any other mythical creatures lurking down there! They're just right for summer because of their beach and sea settings and hot romances. The pink title of Forgive My Fins makes it look like a really cute read.

The Summer I turned Pretty - Jenny Han 

(Rebecca: Ah, I need to read this one!)

This cover screams 'summer' without a glimpse of sand, sea or swimming costumes not only because it has the word in the title but because of the sun shining on their faces. It totally has the 'fun in the sun' look right with the happy, smiling people and hot looking boys at the side.

Stealing Heaven - Elizabeth Scott

I adore the bright colours of this cover- they're so bold and really giving it a summery vibe. The girl running up the stairs just looks really care-free and relaxed in her summer clothes and flowers remind me strongly of summer too because they're so pretty. All these elements makes the book look like a fluffy read that will put a smile on my face.

Endless Summer - Jennifer Echols 

Endless Summer looks like a sizzling hot summer romance! I like the clean and dreamy blue sky background because it doesn't detract away from the couple but makes me think of wonderful weather that everyone in England hopes will stay for the summer.

Finally,  I want to say a big thank you to Rebecca for having me on her blog and for organising this fantastic summer themed week! I enjoyed writing this post and by the time this post is published, I hope to be sunbathing on the beach in Cornwall with a book in hand =)




Come back tomorrow for the last guest post of the week by Jen at Unedited on how to get published!

London Riots from my perspective.

The last few days have been some of the most scary and unpredicted days I have lived so far.
I live in one of the outer suburbs in West London, England. If you've been watching the news recently, then you will know that there have been dreadful, destroying riots all over London. However, London is a big capital and the riots haven't actually happened in London itself, but the towns that surround it, both dodgy ones like every city has and nice ones where people don't expect it to happen.

It's been mostly teenagers aged 14-18 years-old, although other older people have been involved to. It is mostly men too, although girls have been involved to.

It's scary. I have to be in by 5pm and there's the threat of the summer holidays ending sooner than normal to prevent the rioters from continuing. No, there's not rioters. They're vandals, looters, rats as one woman called them. They are just kids thinking they're making the right choice when they're ruining people's lives, both this generation and the generations past and future, ruining people's businesses and homes.
I'm sitting at home now, a place I should feel safe but after watching the footage, I don't think I am if they came to my town.

Thankfully, the nearest for me it got is Ealing, which is about 6 miles away from me. Or the fact I would so worrying, it's a 21 minute car journey, they could easily have come here. That night, we knew something was wrong with the continuous noise of sirens going past on the motorway trying to get there.
However, yesterday I went to my local shopping centre with a friend. We left around 4pm to meet someone one else but at around 4.30pm that day, rioters tried to burn that shopping centre down, thankfully I think they only smashed some windows.

I work at Oxfam and this morning when I finished there were police officers everywhere, metal barriers put up along the road to stop anyone from the road getting to the shops.
I think it's disgusting what's happening and really shouldn't have happened but no-one could predict it. I hope they're happy for what they did to the whole morale of London, everyone is so scared for their lives and for their families. Call us paranoid, but I think only a few can actually tell you what it is like to live in London at the moment.

I am so ashamed right now of being a teenager like many are too. Even though it's a small minority of teenagers doing this, this ruins it for all of us and we don't have the best image for people at the moment anyway, especially after the Student Protests.
People stare horribly at me in the street, thinking I'm one of them. A woman started having an argument with me this morning in Oxfam and nearly hit me.

I'm not rooting for sympathy but I thought I should say what it's really like, I have read some things where they have no idea by the sounds of it. I appreciate anyone that doesn't think these things about teenagers and is hoping and rooting for it all to stop in London.
If I suddenly start not blogging, it's probably because something has happened in my town. However, I hope it doesn't come to that.

Thanks and sorry to interrupt the guest themed week with this.

Day 3: Summer time settings

Hey, welcome to Day 3 of the themed week. I hope those who have been reading it have been enjoying it.
Today, we have Nessie who I have guest posted for in the past too. She has such a lovely, funny blog all to do with music and her life in Germany. It's definitely worth a look. Anyway, I hand you over in her capable hands!

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Hi everyone! I’m Nessie from Queen Nessie’s Musings of the General Populace, and it’s smashtastic that I get to write a guest post for Rebecca’s awesome Summer of Fun book week. I hope you’ve all read Amy’s entry from yesterday, because I’m building up on it, by introducing you guys to some novels I love that are set in summer.

Because personally I think there’s nothing better than kicking back with a book that perfectly fits what you’re going through right now – the perfect weather, lots of free time, and good excuses to go shopping and later show off the best finds. So here are my novels that could happen in this instant, if you just let your imagination take over.

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

(The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, Forever in Blue)

A staple on every girl’s bookshelf, in my opinion, Ann Brashares’ The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants actually restricts itself to only take place during summer. The story, catalyzed by a magical pair of pants that fits four so differently shaped but similarly minded girls, is incredibly moving. When I put down Forever in Blue there was emptiness inside of me – I was nearly heartbroken by the fact that this was the last I would ever hear from girls that were so like me, and yet different enough that I wanted them as. I think every girl finds a bit of herself in at least one of the girls, and I will never stop recommending the series. (Note: Ann Brashares wrote a fifth book, but I’m not including it as I haven’t read it yet. I also hear it doesn’t quite strike the same note.)

Pants on Fire/Tommy Sullivan is a Freak

Known as Pants on Fire in the US and Tommy Sullivan is a Freak in the UK, this is my absolute favorite novel by Meg Cabot (loved it so much I actually took the time to translate it to German just deal with it longer). It’s about Kate Ellison’s summer before senior year at high school, and it’s almost perfect, if it weren’t for a ghost of the past coming back to haunt her. And it’s a pretty hot, living specimen. Kate is pretty sure that Tommy is coming back to ruin her life, as she now has it all: a hot boyfriend, a hot boyfriend on the side, a well-paying job at a restaurant that is sponsoring her run at the local pageant but serves food she cannot for the life of her stand, and an unblemished reputation with everybody else.

Tuck Everlasting

Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting is a classic about one summer in the life of Winifred about a pivotal choice that changes her future and that of the Tucks – a mysterious family living outside of her hometown. It’s an incredibly romantic story, if you think about it (and maybe a little sad, depending on how emotionally susceptible you are. I was totally tearing up, since I’m in touch with my emotions more than enough). I always wonder if I would have made the same choice as Winnie did, and I can’t say I’m sure.

How to be Popular

Yet another Cabot work. I know. Her writings are basically my bible of life. How to be Popular is the name of a book that Steph Landry finds in the attic of her soon-to-be stepgrandmother, and she hopes the transformations encouraged in the manual will make her popular to boot on the first day back at school. But of course things don’t change smoothly when you spent the previous days of your existence as a huge clutz to the school’s population (minus your two best friends who are outcasts like yourself, but absolutely lovable).

(Rebecca: I love Meg Cabot and I REALLY want to read this one!)

Double Exposure

You could call this one more of a “big girls” book, since Double Exposure, or Charmed Circle, as it is known in the US, is about murder. Several actually. A group of people meet in the summer on a beautiful Caribbean island. Acquaintances quickly become friends and they decide to reunite the following summers. But slowly, as the times transition more and more from summer to other seasons, the secrets of the group come out too, and loved ones die under strange circumstances. One of the friends has to be the murderer. Can you guess who?

Rasmus, Pontus och Toker 

This book holds a special place in my heart, because it is my favorite novel I happen to own in German. It doesn’t matter that it’s for a younger demographic – when you read Astrid Lindgren’s Rasmus, Pontus och Toker yourself, you’ll fall for the honorable character of Rasmus and his friend Pontus, the loyalty of Rasmus’ dog Toker, and their never-ending hope and good spirits (even in their grumpy moments they take the time to laugh). Their most exciting summer comes about when the fair comes to town, and Rasmus’ sister Prick falls in love.

Tom's Midnight Garden

Another classic is Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. Tom is very unhappy about having to spend his summer pretty much locked up at his aunt and uncle’s place, just because his twin brother Peter has caught measles, and Tom could be contagious. However he finds a nightly escape into a garden that does not exist during daytime, and lives as a ghost in the girl Hatty’s world. Or is it the other way around? Or is it all just in fact a dream, that the clock strikes thirteen? I loved this book as a kid, and always begged my Mom to read it. It’s good like that.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Nothing will move me ever like this book has. Harper Lee’s first and only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, tells of a time period that I cannot imagine myself to live in, being a biracial kid. The people Lee creates are so real to me though, from the town drunk with more wisdom than the more esteemed Mr. Ewell, who causes so much trouble in the lives of the principal characters. This is a novel about the summer of three kids who learn so much in this short time span, more than I could at their age. I love this book, and I hope you’ll learn to love it too, this summer!

Now scramble off, check out a book from the library, get your summer mode on, and return for tomorrow’s book blogging dose, provided by the lovely Stephanie from Books are a Girl's Best Friend!

Day 2: Favourite Summer Reads

This is Day Two in the Summer themed week and here Amy is guest posting about her favourite summer reads. I know a lot of my favourites are ones recommended to me by others, summer is a great time to try new books that you wouldn't necessarily read normally.
Amy runs a great blog, mostly about her life in Ireland as a teenage girl and always has some interesting things to talk about whether it be books, typical teenage things or her love for Harry Potter. It really is a lovely little blog and she always has some amazing photos that I love to look at.
So I hand you over to the lovely Amy:

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Hello everyone! I’m Amy from I Like Smiley Faces and Books and I’m absolutely delighted to be guest posting here today for Rebecca!   So without further ado, here is my Favourite Summer Reads!

(http://weheartit.com/entry/12760128)

For me, summer is one of the best times to read.  During school time, I always have a big pile of books waiting to be read, and once summer comes around I can finally delve into them! I think books mean something different to every single person, but to me books help me escape into a different world, help me meet new characters; help me to fall in love with words.

(http://weheartit.com/entry/12095116)

Ok so first off, we have the incredible Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I know a lot of people have already read these, but this summer it is particularly good to read them (or re-read them!) as the final movie has just come out.  In case you didn’t know, the Harry Potter series is about a boy wizard and his friends, who have to defeat the Dark Lord. The thing I love about this series is that in all the books there are little clues into the lead up to the finale. This is my favourite series ever, and my favourite in the series is probably Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire or else Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  Brilliant books!

A book I think is great for summer time is ‘The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants’ by Ann Brashares. This book is the first book in a series. I love this book as it is easy to read, funny and has great characters. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants is about four best friends who all spend their summer in different places, but they send these pants to each other to symbolize their friendship. This book has also been made into a movie starring Blake Lively!

I was Jane Austen’s Best Friend is really great. It is told from Jenny Cooper’s point of view (who is supposed to be Jane Austen’s cousin) in diary format.  When Jenny goes to live with the Austens, she is surprised and delighted to find that Jane’s world is full of handsome men, dances and romance. I read this book when I was away on holidays, as did Rebecca, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. There is also a second in this series, ‘Jane Austen stole my Boyfriend.’

(http://weheartit.com/entry/12652420)

I am not afraid to say that I love Nicholas Sparks’ books, even though I have only read two, Dear John and The Last Song. I love both these books dearly, and I think they are perfect for summer reading, as they are quite light reading, although the story line is great in both. The Last Song is about a girl called Ronnie who goes to live with her Dad for the summer, and ends up falling in love.  Dear John is about a boy in the army, who comes home on a break and meets Savannah and ends up falling in love, but he soon has to return to the army. I think I prefer Dear John, as it has quite a twist. Both are great!

Water for Elephants is one of my favourite books of all time. It is about Jacob, a college boy, whose parents die. He leaves college and jumps on train, which turns out to be the train of the Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Here he meets Marlena, the wife of a strange and evil man named August, and he falls hopelessly in love with her. He finds out that ‘life is the most spectacular show on earth.’ This book was also recently made into a movie, which I really want to see!

(http://weheartit.com/entry/9978022)

The Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison will forever be one of (if not the) funniest series I’ve ever read. They tell the tale of a typically British teenager and her quest in finding herself, and a boyfriend. With great characters, handsome boys and hilarious lines, this is an ace series. Great for summer, as these books are funny, light and easy to read.

 The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot is my second favourite series (with only Harry Potter in front). The books, which are written in diary format, are about Mia, a 14 year old high school freshman who finds out she is a princess! Mia then has to juggle high school, boys, her artist mother and princess lessons from her slightly ‘evil’ Grandmother. These books are great, and with ten in the series there is plenty to read!

(http://weheartit.com/entry/6983708)

So there we have it! My favourite Summer Reads of 2011.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer (well, what’s left of it!),

full of sunshine, fun and books.

Love Amy xxx

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Thank you so much Amy. I agree with 'The Princess Diaries' series and 'I was Jane Austen's Best Friend' - very good summery ones. Also, have a look for any Sarah Dessen books, always a good bet for the summer.

Come back tomorrow for the next Guest Post by Nessie from Queen Nessie's Musings of General Populace with her titles of the best books set in summer! 

Day 1: Book Festivals this summer!

Now, I have always always always always always ALWAYS (I think you understand) wanted to go to a festival, mostly a music one. Mostly I would love to go to Glastonbury but the mud scares me and the prices are ridiculous that I have no idea how people go to that AND the Reading festival each year - I have actually thought about this.
Anyway, when I heard about the Hays Festival in Wales a couple of months ago, I realised there are tons of book festivals both in the UK and in other places around the world. I did not know this! And the best part? They're much cheaper than music festivals as you only attend the events you want to go to with the authors you want to see. Genius!

So here is my list of the best of the best Book Festivals around the world happening this summer (and partly Autumn), divided by country. The authors mentioned are ones confirmed so far or just some of the ones that are talking.
Lets just say, doing this makes me want to go to a festival even more...a book one! Ah, I love being a blogger...

England
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival - 5th to 29th August - Authors: Patrick Ness, Darren Shan
- Bath Festival of Children's Literature - 23rd September to 3rd October - Authors: Ally Carter, J Caroline Lawrence, Mary Hooper, Meg Rosoff, Annabel Pitcher, Marie-Louise Jensen
- Cheltenham Book Festival - 7th to 10th October - Authors: Malorie Blackman, Meg Rosoff

South Africa
- Open Book Festival - 21st to 25th September - Authors: Patrick Ness

USA
- Brooklyn Book Festival - 15th - 18th September - Authors: Libba Bray, Judy Blundell, Gayle Forman, Eoin Colfer
- Texas Book Festival - 22nd to 23rd September - Authors to be announced soon
- Miami Book Fair - 13th to 20th November - Authors to be announced soon

China
- Beijing International Book Fair - 31st August to 4th September

Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro International Book Fair - 1st to 11th September - Authors: Alyson Noel, Hilary Duff, Lauren Kate

Russia
- Moscow International Book Fair - 7th to 12th September - Country Guest of Honor is Italy.

Sweden
- Goteborg Book Fair - 22nd to 25th September

Spain
- LIBER Madrid - 5th to 7th October

Germany
- Frankfurt Book Fair - 12th to 16th October


I hope that was useful for anyone that wants to go to a book festival like me. There are some great festivals happening this summer with great guests, it's amazing how many actually go on. I would love to go to any of these, they all sound fantastic for anyone that visits. And some of them are free!

Come back tomorrow for the first guest post from Amy at I Love Smiley Faces and Books on her Favourite Summer Reads!

Some News.

I am BACK from Los Angeles which was amazing, I loved every minute, well most of it. Apart from the fact I was ill to start off with and I sprained my ankle (long story) but apart from that it was great and really enjoyable. I shall post some bits up about the trip at some point with some photos I took.
(BEST PART: Seeing Courtney Cox filming & Universal Studios tour - so great).

Anyway, the biggest news, all next week on Rebecca-Books will be a themed week with guest posters from other blogs (both for books and in general), all to do with the theme of Summer to get everyone (if not already) in the mood and choosing those summer reads for your holidays.

So here is the line-up for the week:

Monday: Rebecca from Rebecca-Books on Book Festivals around the world.
Tuesday: Amy from I Love Smiley Faces and Books
Wednesday: Nessie from Queen Nessie's Musings 
Thursday: Stephanie from Books are a Girl's Best Friend
Friday: Jen from Unedited

So come and have a look everyday this week and comment whenever on your favourites for the summer or any other suggestions of your own on the topic.
Have fun and you'll see the first post starting tomorrow! :)