REVIEW: Quidditch Through the Ages - J. K. Rowling

Title: Quidditch Through The Ages
Author: J. K. Rowling/ Kennilworthy Whisp
Series: Harry Potter Companion
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Purchased
Publication Date: March, 2001

If you have ever asked yourself where the Golden Snitch came from, how the Bludgers came into existence or why the Wigtown Wanderers have pictures of meat cleavers on their robes, you need Quidditch Through the Ages. This edition is a copy of the volume in Hogwarts School Library, where it is consulted by young Quidditch fans on an almost daily basis.

7 Deadly Sins Tag

[Image: Irresponsible Cactus]

This is a tag I've been seeing floating around quite a lot lately, so I thought I'd give it a go! Feel free to take part if you want to - I'm not going to tag anyone in particular :)

Greed – What is your most inexpensive book?

Probably my Garth Nix set. I got Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen and Across the Wall for £2 from a local charity bookshop. So just 50 pence each! They're books I'd wanted for ages too so I was over the moon.

Wrath – What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
Ohhh good question! Probably George R. R. Martin. The man is a phenomenal writer and I am completely addicted to his world but he can be SO CRUEL. WHY TAKE THOSE PEOPLE AWAY FROM ME?!

Gluttony – What book have you devoured over and over with no shame?
Harry Potter. This is probably everyone's answer. I don't even know how many times I've read the first four. I love to binge read them!

Sloth – What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?
I signed up for a Jane Austen reading challenge this year... and I've read none of them. I've read Emma in the past and parts of Pride and Prejudice. They are books I definitely want to read but they can take a lot of effort. So that's definitely laziness. That and I feel so guilty for neglecting ARCs etc and I know JA is going to take a long time to read. Tha always makes me think twice.

Pride – What book do you most talk about in order to sound like an intellectual reader?
It's not something I do intentionally to be honest. Rather than books themselves I talk a lot about the underlying themes in the books e.g. gender issues, societal etc. Rather than sounding intellectual it's more a hang up from my university days! That and I enjoy gender studies generally. If I HAD to pick a book it would probably be 1984 by George Orwell. Love that book.

Lust – What attributes do you find attractive in male or female characters?
A sense of humour, charisma, being caring. Ash in The Jewel is amazing, as is Arin in The Winner's Curse, Chaol and Dorian in the Throne of Glass series, Nick in About a Girl. All sorts really. I'd say Jon Snow but I think that's more Kit Harington than Jon haha!

Envy – What book would you most like to receive as a gift?

At this current moment in time I would say Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas or the second book in Amy Ewing's The Jewel series. Generally though? The latest Scholastic and/or Bloomsbury Harry Potter box sets or this amazing compilation of Potter: Film Making Journey related books. I think I'd swap my soul for that. Haha!

Harry Potter #75

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 for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All I ask is to link back here, to my blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come in the Harry Potter section of my blog here.

REVIEW: As Red As Blood - Salla Simukka

Title: As Red As Blood
Author: Salla Simukka
Series: Lumikki Andersson #1
Publisher: Hot Key Books 
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: August 7th, 2014

Seventeen-year-old Lumikki Andersson is hardly your average teenager. She lives by herself in the city of Tampere, Finland, and has a firm rule to mind nobody's business but her own. But that rule is put to the test when she happens upon five hundred washed euro notes hanging up to dry in her school's darkroom, and it is shattered once Lumikki realises who owns them.

Caught in an increasingly tangled web of deception, corruption and danger, Lumikki finds herself navigating the Tampere's dark underbelly in the search to expose its shocking connection to the international drugs trade. Lumikki is smart, but is she smarter than a master criminal? Can she bring down the infamous 'Polar Bear' - or will she become another one of his victims?

The first part of a thrilling new Nordic crime series, AS RED AS BLOOD will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page is turned... and then some.

REVIEW: The Winner's Curse - Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2014

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

REVIEW: The Queen of the Tearling - Erika Johansen

Title: The Queen of the Tearling
Author: Erika Johansen
Series: The Queen of the Tearling #1
Publisher: Transworld
Type: Review Copy
Publication Date: July 17th, 2014

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...
And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive...

Harry Potter MOTW Needs You!

Hey guys! A quick post to ask for you lovely peoples assistance. There are roughly two months worth of topics upcoming on my weekly meme; Harry Potter Moment of the Week. I really want to make sure everyone is getting a chance to talk about what they really want with Potter so I'm opening this up to you guys too!

 

I'm looking for some new topics Potter related. It can be absolutely anything! Here's a link to what we've had in the past and if you guys want to go again on one we've done previously let me know. I'll also be brain storming alongside you guys so please let me know what you fancy! There's no limit, throw as many ideas as me as you want - the more the merrier!

 

Thanks guys and I look forward to seeing what we can all come up with :).

 

xxx