Bed with Books

It’s that time of year again, you fiendish book lovers! As always, I hope you had a Christmas full of happiness, warmth and BOOKS. Whether those books were wrapped up under your tree or bought with some gift cards! Hopefully you haven’t burned through ALL your disposable income, as this my sixth annual Stand-Out Books of the Year post! You know you’re going to want to check out my recommendations… Each year that I post this wrap-up, I seem to be recording less and less reading. Well, that is MOST certainly the case for 2015. Now not only do I have that same full-time job, but I have been doing overtime, went on a work trip and started college courses in September. In other words… yikes! Yet we must face that as we get older and gain more responsibilities and goals, well – our free time sharply declines. So you shall see that reflected in my numbers.   Also: I am only presenting 19 books as Stand-Out’s this year. Standard rules apply – the books I post here do not have to have been...

The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte is the YA historical fiction novel by Jane Eagland. Change is in the air. This is what worries Emily – as she loves spending all of her time with her sisters Charlotte and Anne, as well as her brother Branwell in their small, quiet village of Haworth. Their shared stories, often written down, spurs her imagination and takes her on grand adventures. But when her father falls ill and Charlotte is sent away to school, Emily’s world begins to crumble. Branwell seems less and less interested in his little sisters and Anne may not be as dependable as Emily once thought… The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte interested me in that I love historical fiction and I love Charlotte Bronte. I’ve never read Emily’s Wuthering Heights (though I do own it) and every time I start it I am put off by how much I dislike the characters. Yet I still thought this book may be intriguing. Sadly, Eagland’s presentation of Emily’s unknown childhood with her fellow fa...

TGIF, Bibliophiles! Grammarly.com has provided us with a fun flowchart to figure out who we should be sending a holiday card too. Enjoy!

The Game of Love and Death is a YA historical novel with a mythological twist by Martha Brockenbrough. Throughout the centuries Love and Death have selected their players for the great Game. And always, always, Death wins… This time new players have been carefully chosen as they lay as infants in 1920. One a white baby boy, Henry Bishop, adopted by a wealthy family with a secured future within their expectations. The other a black baby girl, Flora Saudade, orphaned almost as suddenly as she was born and to be raised by her grandmother. Neither knows of the Game they are now a part of. In 1937, Henry is looking to get a college scholarship during the Great Depression and Flora dreams of soaring the skies like Amelia Earhart while singing in her family’s jazz club at night. Their fateful meeting is the catalyst to a Game like no other. A Game that may take turns that even Love and Death do not foresee… The Game of Love and Death was an elegant, ambitious story told from a classic yet fr...

Title: The Two Towers Author: J.R.R. Tolkien Series: The Lord of the Rings (Book 2) Publisher: HarperCollins; Release Date: 30 Aug. 2012 First published: 11th November 1954 ISBN-13: 978-0007488339 ISBN-13: 978-0007141302 (Audio CD) Synopsis The second part of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic adventure THE LORD OF THE RINGS The Company of the Ring is sundered. Frodo and Sam continue their journey alone down the great River Anduin - alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.   My Review Although I didn't really get along with part one, I've heard the story gets better as it goes so I thought I would persevere. I started out without much hope, here I must point out that it is the audiobook that I listened to in my car as it is the easiest way for me to 'read' books these days as I am studying and working so my free time is limited. After the first disc I found myself enjoying the story more and becoming more interested in events. ...

The Lost Track of Time is a debut middle grade novel by Paige Britt. With her mind full of ideas and bursting with imagination, Penelope has aspirations of being a writer. Yet her mother’s plans for her are quite different – and every minute of Penelope’s days are scheduled and planned, leaving no time for her dreaming since she must use time to be “productive.” But when the unexpected happens – a hole in her schedule lasting an entire day! – Penelope somehow falls into it. Suddenly she is in a wonderful place called the Realm of Possibility that is being destroyed by the Clockworkers, led by the villain Chronos. Thrust into a position where her imagination is desperately needed, Penelope begins an adventure like no other – looking to find the Great Moodler, the one person that can save the Realm of Possibility and answer her many, many questions. The Lost Track of Time was a charming, intelligent, warm novel of brilliant wordplay! Anyone who is familiar with my reading habits knows...

Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully cover reveal   DARKNESS HAS FALLEN, AND SHE ALONE WILL SEE THE LIGHT With her mother’s life hanging in the balance, Scarlett is devastated – and done with being in the dark. She wants answers, all of them. But when was her pursuit of the truth ever straightforward? Pulling a single thread triggers a great unravelling. And each revelation will force Scarlett to rethink what she thought she knew about the Ceruleans, the Fallen, her family – herself. All that came before was a mere prelude to this, the last journey. From London to Twycombe to Hollythwaite to Cerulea, Scarlett will be stalked by the ghosts of what has been, what may have been and what may come to pass. Until she reaches the place where it all began, and it all must end. But in the final reckoning, none will survive unscathed. And some will not survive at all. In this explosive conclusion to The Ceruleans series , all must be defined by their actions: sinner, saint… or someth...

A Little Friendly Advice is a YA contemporary novel by Siobhan Vivian. When Ruby’s long absentee father shows up unexpectedly at her sixteenth birthday party, her old buried emotions come bubbling up to the surface. It hasn’t been that long that Ruby has been okay, or at least thought she was okay, with her father’s abrupt leaving of her and her mom. The experience had left little Ruby with a fractured childhood, warping her behavior in such a way that only time and her best friend Beth were able to get her through it. Yet with his sudden return, Ruby wonders how much of that messed up girl was just hidden away in the recesses of her mind – because she feels as though her life is spiraling out of control once again. So when Ruby gets the hell out of her apartment where her dad is standing, to try and enjoy what is left of her birthday, her friends – devoted Beth, daring Katherine and telltale Maria – have all sorts of advice and thoughts as to what she should do. It’s only when she me...