Harry Potter Moment of the Week #2

This is a meme hosted by me here at my blog :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP to focus on per week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! This weeks is:

Character of the Week

Neville Longbottom

Not only does this character change so much throughout the series, but look at the transformation of the actor! Not only did Neville have the potential to be the one which Voldemort was after, but also had to put up with the constant put downs of teachers at Hogwarts and other students. Despite his clumsiness his loyalty to his friends and Hogwarts never sways. He is finally given his chance to shine in the final book - he leads the student rebellion against the Carrows and Snape but also beheads Nagini, one of Voldemort's horcruxes. Go Neville!

“I'll join you when Hell freezes over," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort's Silencing Charms seemed unable to hold.” 
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Top Ten Tuesday #6

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at the wonderful blog; Broke and Bookish. This weeks Top Ten is our top ten auto-buy authors! I don't have many auto-buys so mine is literally limited to 3!

3. J. K. Rowling

2. Kelley Armstrong

1. J. R. Ward

I'm just starting to break out but I've yet to find another author which I would just auto-buy if I saw it. It's gonna take a lot to knock these three off their pedestals!

                                                                              xxx

Top 5 Sundays #1

I've just stumbled across this new meme and thought I'd give it a go :). It's a top 5 Sunday meme hosted over at Larissa's Life. Here's her rules for taking part:

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:

1. Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2. Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3. Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4. After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5. If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)
   
   
   
   
   This weeks Top 5: Favorite Female Book Characters in no particular order.

World Book Night 2013

I'm so excited to post that I've been selected as a volunteer for World Book Night 2013! Very happy about this and I will be distributing my first choice too!

What is World Book Night? (Taken from the website)

World Book Night is a celebration of reading and books which sees tens of thousands of passionate volunteers gift specially chosen and printed WBN books in their communities to share their love of reading.

Showcase Sunday #24

 It's Sunday again so we all know that it's time for Showcase Sunday. It's a lovely weekly meme hosted by Vicki over at Books, Biscuits and Tea, and it allows us to show off all the lovely buys this week. I love this meme as it gives a chance for us to show and browse so many books! I haven't done one of these for a fortnight now so there's a fair few goodies to show off :).

Strange Chemistry: New Signing!

The publishing company Strange Chemistry has recently signed Amalie Howard for a two book deal in which the first will be published in early 2014! Here's a little information on the author and her up and coming book :). Welcome Amalie!

Amalie Howard

Seventeen Magazine Summer Club author Amalie Howard grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure.

Twenty-Two countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.

She received a bachelor’s degree from Colby College in Maine in International Studies and French, and a certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. Travelling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive. She currently resides in New York with her husband and three children.

Visit her website at www.amaliehoward.com or follow her on Twitter (@AmalieHoward).

REVIEW: 'Partials' - Dan Wells

Partials - Dan Wells

Synopsis

The only hope for humanity isn’t human.

In a world where people have been all but wiped out by a virus created by part-human cyborgs called ‘Partials’, and where no baby survives longer than three days, a teenage girl makes it her mission to find a cure, and save her best friend’s unborn child.

But finding a cure means capturing a Partial…

My Review: 5/5*

*May contain spoilers*

Feature & Follow #18

So here's Fridays meme: Feature and Follow hosted over at Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The aim of the blog is to gain new followers! :)

How to participate:

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

What sets this Hop apart from others, is the Feature. Each week they will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow the Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy.

                         Featured Blogs: Reading... Dreaming & Jelly's Insider


Q: We always talk about books that WE want. Let's turn it on its head. What books have you given other people lately?

I haven't bought a book for anyone lately but what I have done is buy a Kindle Paperwhite for my Mam for her 50th :). Myself, my boyfriend, my sister and her boyfriend all chipped together and bought her this for her birthday and put a few books on it for her! Needless to say, she hasn't looked back since. She's speeding through her books whereas previously it used to take her ages! SUCCESS :D.
I'm also currently hosting a giveaway! Click HERE to enter :).

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #1

This is a meme hosted by me here at my blog :).The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP to focus on per week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! This weeks 'moment of the week' is:


Harry Potter Quote of the Week

“Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.

Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git.

Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor.

Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.” 

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I love this quote, it makes me laugh every time without fail! Don't you wish you had these guys as friends? (Except Wormtail, obviously). What's your guys' favourite quote?

                                                                         xxx
    

**CORVIDS BOOK ONE BOOK TOUR**EXCERPT & INT GIVEAWAY**

Here's a cheeky little excerpt to wet you guys' appetite for this scorcher of a book!

**THE CORVIDS BOOK 1 BLOG TOUR: Excerpt, Author Interview and INT Giveaway!**

I am delighted to share with you guys the awesome book written by Lisa Ann Brown, The Corvids, Book One: Autumn! This tour is hosted by Dark World Books :). Here's the synopsis of the book:

Arabel Spade, a young girl living in the strange and mystical land of The Corvids, determines to solve a brutal series of murders using her unique paranormal abilities. Through her perilous journey, Arabel learns about herself, the dark secrets which stain her family history and the passions and rigors of first love.

Doesn't it sound great?! Now onto the fun bits, here's a guest interview with the author herself, Lisa Ann Brown!

Waiting on Wednesday #17

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine , which allows us to show off the books we cannot wait to get our hands on :). 

                           Gameboard of the Gods - Richelle Mead

Goodreads || Amazon

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

xxx

Introducing the new Harry Potter Meme!

I've been brainstorming meme ideas for awhile now and I've been feeling really eager to start one!  The ones I participate in are awesome and it's great getting to know other bloggers, so my brainstorming led me to this:

Harry Potter Moment of the Week :)

The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP to focus on per week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! I may put a linky up for people to submit their posts if there is interest in it :) *hopefullyyy*. I love Harry Potter - as do many of you I'm sure - so I thought this would be a nice way for us to express it and keep Potter alive! I doubt I'm on my own with missing new doses of Potter.

This meme will begin on Thursday so this post is just an introductory to see how much interest there is :). I will be posting weekly so if anyone feels free to join me that's awesome!

xxx

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at the wonderful blog; Broke and Bookish. This one showcases our favorite characters from within a genre of our choice. I've chosen the Fantasy/ Paranormal genre: 

10. Karou- Daughter of Smoke and Bone

9. Elena Michaels - Women of the Otherworld 

8. Remus Lupin - Harry Potter

7. Rhage - The Blackdagger Brotherhood

6. Blue Sargent - The Raven Cycle

5.  Jim Heron - The Fallen Angels 

4. Celeana - Throne of Glass

3. Zsadist - The Blackdagger Brotherhood

2. Hermione Granger - Harry Potter 

1. Sirius Black - Harry Potter

                                                                         xxx

Meme Brainstorming

Today I've been having a think about Memes / weekly / monthly things I'd like to start doing in the next few weeks. I thought I'd use this post as a sort of sounding board to see what you guys think of them :) it'd be nice if I can get a few of you joining in with them too but that is totally up to you guys :). My ideas so far are:

• Book of the month/ Author of the month
• Blog of the month/ week (This is inspired by Feature & Follow over at Alison Can Read and Parajunkee). It would aim to promote the blog and will contain a weekly pole for you guys to vote in your favorite blog.
• Harry Potter Meme: Character/ Spell/ Chapter/ Object/ Quote of the week. This one will definitely be happening. I'm going to be doing (hopefully) my Dissertation on Harry Potter so this will coincide with my research :).
• Fictional Character of the week.
• Freebie Friday - a post in which I display a book(s) which are free from Amazon/ Smashwords etc.
• A week of posts dedicated to an author/ book/ genre: This is also something which will be happening. My idea is to aim to post something - big or small - a day, once a month, on something literary. 

These are just brain storms but I am going to begin doing the HP Meme and the monthly post. Any thoughts - positive or negative - would be really helpful :).

xxx

Hey Guys: Poll help!

I've just created a poll asking what you guys would like to see more of on this blog! Please take the time to vote so that I can get a better idea of what you guys like to read! :) The poll is just to the right of this post :). Thank you!!

xxx

Review Copy Cleanup Update

I have literally been sucking so badly on keeping up with this challenge! The only book I've managed to read out of the six so far is Pantomime by Laura Lam. Currently hating on my course getting in the way of my reading! I was initially beginning Black Swan Rising but have put that book to the side for now - Partials is calling! Even though it doesn't look likely that the Review Copy Cleanup will be completed I will hopefully have read and review Fragments before February is up!

Hope everyone else's is going a little better :).

xxx

Review of Pantomime - Laura Lam

Feature & Follow #17

So here's Fridays meme: Feature and Follow hosted over at Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The aim of the blog is to gain new followers! :)

How to participate:

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

What sets this Hop apart from others, is the Feature. Each week they will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow the Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy.

                         Featured Blogs: The Luv'Nv & Ginger-Read Reviews


Q: Write a letter to your favorite character. Rant, rave or gush…just pretend like they are real and you just want to let them know a "few things". - Activity courtesy of author, Kelly Walker

REVIEW: 'Pantomime' - Laura Lam

Pantomime - Laura Lam

Synopsis

R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.

Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.

But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.

My Review: 4/5*

*E-book provided by Net Galley*

Waiting on Wednesday #16

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine , which allows us to show off the books we cannot wait to get our hands on :). 

    The Dream Thieves (The Raven Boys 2) - Maggie Stiefvater

Unfortunately there isn't a proper blurb for this book yet but I absolutely LOVED the first book in the series and cannot wait to get my hands on the next one. It's due to be published mid-way through September this year so it really cannot come quick enough! Also, check out the cover! It's absolutely beauuuuutiful.

xxx

Top Ten Tuesday #4

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at the wonderful blog; Broke and Bookish. This one was particularly difficult as I don't pay all that much attention to romance! So, this weeks Top Ten Tuesday is: 



Top Ten Romances in Books

10. Eddard & Catelyn Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire series - George R. R. Martin

9. Arthur & Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter series - J. K. Rowling

8. Petruchio & Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew -William  Shakespeare (hilarious!)

7. Kinzi & Greg in Foreseen - Terri-Lynne Smiles: a couple that shouldn't work, but work so well. 

6. Jim & Devina in The Fallen Angels series - J. R. Ward (not actually a couple but definitely a lot of sexual tension - Jim's hatred of her makes it even better!)

5. Wrath & Beth in The Blackdagger Brotherhood series - J. R. Ward

4. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte: a classic and probably the most tragic tale ever invented. 

3. The marriage of a Brother to his Leelan in The Blackdagger Brotherhood - J. R. Ward: it's so romantic and sweet, right down to having his wife's name engraved onto his back. 

2. Clay & Elena in The Otherworld series - Kelley Armstrong

1. Zsadist & Bella in The Blackdagger Brotherhood series - J. R. Ward

COVER REVEAL: 'Zenn Scarlett' - Christian Schoon

Today I received an email showcasing the cover for the wonderful book published by Strange Chemistry; Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon. Check out this beautiful cover!

Zenn Scarlett is a bright and occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. She specializes in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars was going well - until there are a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school that Zenn finds herself blamed for. As if this isn't enough to be dealing with, her father vanishes under strange circumstances, and Zenn is worried that she has started hearing the thoughts of the creatures around her...

With the help of Liam, a towner boy, and Hamish, an alien bug also training at the clinic, Zenn must try to find her father, rescue the animals and unravel the mystery of who is behind the attacks on the school. And all without failing her first year.

I absolutely love it! It's due to be released in May 2013 by Strange Chemistry. The cover is beautiful and the story itself sounds amazing. This is the first I've heard of the book but it definitely has my interest :).

What do you guys think of the cover/synopsis?

xxx

Feature & Follow #16

So here's Fridays meme: Feature and Follow hosted over at Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The aim of the blog is to gain new followers! :)

How to participate:

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

What sets this Hop apart from others, is the Feature. Each week they will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow the Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy.

                         Featured Blogs: Blethering About Books & Adria's Romance Reviews


Q: Happy Mardi Gras! If they were throwing the HOTTEST books off of a Mardi Gras float -- what would you do to have them throw to you…?

I'd definitely be diving everywhere or even climb on the float to get one! A big no-no to flashing though haha.

xxx

My Top 20 Harry Potter Moments

I am hopefully about to embark on an awesome task; an MA dissertation on Harry Potter. I thought I'd take this chance to show you guys my Top 20 Harry Potter moments (inc. books and films) as a starting off point. Please feel free to share yours in the comments or make your own post if you fancy! :). It would be really interesting to see if there are any similarities between them.

Top 200 Harry Potter Characters

This is a game I've been playing on and off for far too long than what is healthy, so I thought I'd share it with you guys :). Many of you have probably come across it before at some point.The aim is to name as many Harry Potter characters as possible within 18 minutes. It sounds simple enough! My recent score is 145/200. I consider myself as a mahoooosive Potter fan so I'm gutted that I always end up around the same score despite playing it so much!

Give it a go guys, let me know how you get on :).

Top 200 Harry Potter Characters

xxx

Happy 201st Birthday, Charles Dickens!

Today is the 201st birthday of the great author, Charles Dickens. I felt it important to make a little blog post about such a great author. Before university my only association with this man had been through watching Oliver Twist on the television and The Muppet's Christmas Carol! My first experience with his work was rocky with Hard Times but massively improved with Great Expectations. The next book to be read will definitely be Little Dorrit.

(Definitely had far too much fun making that haha).

List of Dickens' work (found here):

Novels

The Pickwick Papers - 1836
Oliver Twist - 1837
Nicholas Nickleby - 1838
The Old Curiosity Shop - 1840
Barnaby Rudge - 1841
Martin Chuzzlewit - 1843
Dombey and Son - 1846
David Copperfield - 1849
Bleak House - 1852
Hard Times - 1854
Little Dorrit - 1855
A Tale of Two Cities - 1859
Great Expectations - 1860
Our Mutual Friend - 1864
The Mystery of Edwin Drood - 1870

Short Stories & Other Works

American Notes
The Battle of Life  
The Chimes: A Goblin Story 
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Tree  
A Dinner at Poplar Walk
Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions  
A Flight 
Frozen Deep
George Silverman's Explanation
Going into Society  
The Haunted Man
Holiday Romance
The Holly-Tree  
Hunted Down
The Long Voyage 
Master Humphrey's Clock  
A Message from the Sea 
Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy
Public Life of Mr. Trumble, Once Mayor of Mudfog  
Sketches by Boz
The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton  
Sunday under Three Heads
Tom Tiddler's Ground
Travelling Abroad - City of London Churches 
The Uncommercial Traveller
Wreck of the Golden Mary

Incredibly accomplished man! Many of his books are free for Kindle on Amazon or at least incredibly cheap :) everyone should definitely read at least one of his works in their lifetime!

xxx

Waiting on Wednesday #15

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine , which allows us to show off the books we cannot wait to get our hands on :). 

Fragments - Dan Wells



Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

The second installment in the pulse-pounding Partials saga is the story of the eleventh hour of humanity's time on Earth, a journey deep into places unknown to discover the means--and even more important, a reason--for our survival.

Even though I've yet to read Partials (it's sat on my shelf just waiting!) and have received this on Net Galley, I can't wait to get my hands on the physical book. I've heard so many good things about Partials so really looking forward to it .

xxx

REVIEW: 'Silencing Breath' - Joanne Brothwell

Silencing Breath - Joanne Brothwell

Synopsis

Silencing Breath, book two in the Stealing Breath series.

Just as Sarah Ross is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an Indigo Child and settling into a normal life with her beloved Evan, her entire world shatters when Evan disappears without a trace. 

Desperate to find him, Sarah’s search leads her to a sadistic serial killer who confirms her worst fears are true; Evan has been kidnapped, and he is once again in the clutches of his abusive family of necromancers. 

Sarah uncovers not only Evan's dark past he tried so desperately to protect her from, but also The Key of Solomon, an ancient text for summoning the dead. 

Knowing her abilities are limited in the face of this ancient power, Sarah is forced to face the Malandanti in order to save him. However, one question remains: once he is found, will Evan be the same man she fell in love with? 

My Review: 4.5/5*

ARC's and excitement!

 

When the postman turned up this morning it felt like Christmas! I opened up a course book (yay?) but my other parcel had these two beauties inside! These are my first ever physical advanced reader copies - I feel like I've finally settled fully into the blogging community and am being taken seriously :). So, so happy! I requested The Holders by Julianna Scott and had an amazing surprise to see The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke. 

Showcase Sunday #23

It's Sunday again so we all know that it's time for Showcase Sunday. It's a lovely weekly meme hosted by Vicki over at Books, Biscuits and Tea, and it allows us to show off all the lovely buys this week. I love this meme as it gives a chance for us to show and browse so many books!

Books/Course Books

An Unforgettable Lady - Jessica Bird (J. R. Ward)

Soulless - Gail Carriger

The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories - Angela Carter

Shadow Dance - Angela Carter

Fireworks - Angela Carter

White Horse - Alex Adams

Nights at the Circus - Angela Carter

Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling

Starcrossed - Josphine Angelini

Raised by Wolves - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Partials - Dan Wells

Beautiful Creatures - Kimi Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales - Angela Carter

Net Galley

  

Fragments - Dan Wells

Mila 2.0 - Debra Driza

The Lost Dacome Files - Alexandra May

I was very excited to get these books! It has been awhile since I've done a Showcase Sunday post so there is plenty to browse at :).

xxx