You May or May Not Have Noticed: An Explanation

Things have been a little quiet at Uncorked Thoughts lately. There is a reason for this. At the beginning of January, myself and my boyfriend upped sticks from the green Welsh valleys and moved to London to start my new job in publishing! EEK. It has all been so very exciting and everything that I dreamt it would be BUT... it has meant that blogging has fallen to the side. This isn't intentional, but I have an hour commute each way and it's 7pm by the time I get home. I'm still figuring out a routine where I can inject a bit of blogging into my life (it's part of what helped me get this amazing job!) but to still enjoy it at the same time. I don't want to force myself and lose the enjoyment.

This is just an FYI. Things are going to be a little quieter. I don't have as much time as I used to but I will still be blogging! I've missed you all and I hope you all stick with me :).

Harry Potter #97

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.

GIVEAWAY: Ally Carter's The Gallagher Girls + Make-Up

Today I have an exciting giveaway for you guys! To celebrate the re-jacketing of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series, Hachette are giving THREE of you a chance to win an item of Miss Sporty make-up PLUS one re-jacketed copy of one of the Gallagher Girls books.

The Rules

Prize is 1 copy of one of the Gallagher Girls books by Ally Carter + 1 item of Miss Sporty Make-Up

There will be three winners chosen

Open to residents of the UK and Ireland only.

Fill in the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

I reserve the right to disqualify any rule breakers.

The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email otherwise a new winner will be chosen

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Gallagher Girls #1
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: 5th February 2015

Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses - but it's really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl.

Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can Cammie have a normal relationship with a boy who can never know the truth about her?

Harry Potter #96 - Happy Harry Potter Book Night!

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.

BLOG TOUR: Suicide and My Heart and Other Black Holes

Today I have the wonderful Jasmine Warga on the blog to talk about teenage suicide and the importance of discussion around the topic.

I get asked pretty frequently about why I chose to write a novel about teenage suicide, and the first thing that usually comes to my mind is this: My book is much more an exploration of teenage depression than teenage suicide. Sadly, suicide and depression are often linked, as severe depression is often listed as one of the causes of suicide.

But I would like to focus on depression. I know that it seems like the biggest “taboo” so to speak surrounds suicide, but I would argue that our society has made depression equally “taboo”, which has led to a stigmatism and misunderstanding of this disease. We live in a world of daily memes and platitudes that yell at us to “Just Cheer Up” and to be “Mentally Strong” and while I think at the surface level those messages are benign, the problem lies in what they are implying—that someone who is depressed is not mentally strong, that someone who is depressed can help how they feel.

REVIEW: Weightless - Sarah Bannan

Title: Weightless
Author: Sarah Bannan
Series: None
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 12 March 2015

When 15-year-old Carolyn moves from New Jersey to Alabama with her mother, she rattles the status quo of the junior class at Adams High School. A good student and natural athlete, she’s immediately welcomed by the school’s cliques. She’s even nominated to the homecoming court and begins dating a senior, Shane, whose on again/off again girlfriend Brooke becomes Carolyn’s bitter romantic rival. When a video of Carolyn and Shane making out is sent to everyone, Carolyn goes from golden girl to slut, as Brooke and her best friend Gemma try to restore their popularity. Gossip and bullying hound Carolyn, who becomes increasingly private and isolated. When Shane and Brooke—now back together—confront Carolyn in the student parking lot, injuring her, it’s the last attack she can take.
Sarah Bannan's deft use of the first person plural gives Weightless an emotional intensity and remarkable power that will send you flying through the pages and leave you reeling.

2015 Debut Author Reading Challenge: February Link-Up

Hey everyone! Welcome to the second month of Uncorked Thought's 2015 Debut Author Reading Challenge. I really hope you enjoy it. I've pasted the rules below along with a link to my Goodreads shelf compiled with debut author books if you're stuck for ideas! I'm going for Gold, so reading 20-29 debut author books! :) 

The Rules

1. This challenge will run from January 1st 2015 to December 31st 2015

2. The books have to be the debut book of an author, preferably 2014+ 

3. There will be a linky at the beginning of every month to post up your reviews/ posts on the books

4. Please link up your sign-up posts in the linky below and grab the badge for your blog! 

5. You can read as many or as little books as you like - that choice is yours

6. You must have reviewed a debut author at least once to enter the Debut Author Challenge Giveaway

Levels

1 - 9 - Bronze Reader

10 - 19 - Silver Reader

20 - 29 - Gold Reader

30+ - Platinum Pro-Reader

The Sign-Up post with all information about the challenge.

Check out my Goodreads Shelf for debut author ideas!