Stacking The Shelves #13

 

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves.

 

This week I have two books to share with you, I was very good again and didn't buy anything this week and it just keeps getting harder! I did get some books for review though :) The first was Insignia by S.J. Kincaid (I've actually had this in my locker for a few weeks) and the second was Shattered Dreams by Ellie James. Both look like really good reads, I started Insignia last night. I know a few of my fellow bloggers have read this one and gave rave reviews.

 

 

Now I'm off to see what you got this week! Happy reading everyone.

 

 

Stacking The Shelves #12

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves.

If you saw my post in the week you will understand why the blog hasn't been very active lately! I think I'm mostly back to normal again and Sal is still having the time of her life in Vegas!

I've been off work this week which has been good for my book buying ban, I haven't bought anything again, I feel very proud of myself. But I did get something AMAZING this week!! In the post this week I received The sample of Laini Taylor's Days of Blood and Starlight.

This was a shock and the best thing ever as far as I'm concerned!! If it was the only book/sample I received all year I would be sooo happy! I just can't wait for the finished book now :)

I'm looking forward to seeing what you received this week.

Happy reading.

Review ~ Catching Fire & Mockingjay ~ Suzanne Collins

     

Will contain spoilers!

I believe these two books need no introduction! After The Hunger Games book and film I was rather excited to read these two books but I was sooooo very disappointed! I have decided to review these two together because well, I was disappointed by both and thought it best to get it over with in one post!!

Now, I try to be very critical with my reviews, if I don't like something I say why and I'm always able to find good points and things I enjoy within a story. However, with these two I'm finding it very very difficult!!

It was obvious Kat and Peeta were going to face repercussions after what happened at the end of The Hunger Games and I kinda like how they were tossed back into the arena with other past champions. But Catching Fire is 472 pages long and I didn't start to really enjoy it until I was 305 pages in. Usually I would give up on a book if I didn't like it after about 100 pages (sooner if I really struggle) but given that the book/series has so much hype surrounding it I had to carry on. So I did, and the last 170 pages were good for me, that's the part I loved and it's those pages that get my 3 stars. Once we're back in the arena things really start to pick up and unbeknown to Kat alliances have already been formed on the outside. The plan is to keep her safe because she is the face of the rebellion, she is to become the mockingjay and nothing can stop that, because without Kat things won't go according to plan! However, she doesn't yet know this.

Things don't go to plan in the arena and eventually Kat and a few other champions are rescued but some are left behind, one being Peeta.

So let's move on to Mockingjay then because all Kat can think about is saving Peeta but as she becomes the people's Mockingjay Peeta is being turned against her, this we know once he has of course, been rescued from The Capitol.

After several 'Mockingjay duties' have been carried out and Kat makes her little videos for the world to see and fights have started and the districts are being crushed, a select few are sent on a rescue mission for Peeta. As I've said he was bought back but he isn't himself, The Capitol have been brainwashing him to hate Kat and well, kill her I guess!! Of all the things I thought would happen in the Mockingjay, that was not one of them! And given the ending we can only assume Peeta becomes himself once more!

I feel Mockingjay sticks out like a sore thumb in this series, almost like we are faced with different characters, or a different author. I also found several mistakes within the book which frustrated me. The problem with a trilogy like this is even when people say don't read book 2 and/or 3 you still will because you need to know what happens. Many people told me not to read Mockcingjay after I had said how I was a little disappointed with Catching Fire but of course I did, and I know you will too if you haven't already because like I said, you just have to know how it ends. I only gave Mockingjay 2 stars and after thinking about the story over and over I really can't budge from those 2 stars.

Another thing I never got was the whole team Peeta team Gale thing that I have seen! The relationship with Gale was only ever stolen moments and honestly I thought them to be to different. I didn't understand how that led to a team Peeta team Gale.

I'm ever so sorry to all the people out there who love this series, I did like The Hunger Games, and Catching Fire was saved by the last 170 pages but Mockingjay just distroyed this series for me.

Work, Holiday & Baby

Baby Thomas Vincent

Hello all, I hope you're having a lovely Sunday! I just wanted to do a quick post to explain why the blog has been a little inactive over the last month or so. Sally has been really busy with work and has been up & down the country for the last few weeks working very very long days. At the moment she is on holiday in Vegas, lucky her. I'm hoping for really exciting presents :D

And I've been working and spending a lot of time with my cousin, the last month of her pregnancy was difficult with a few trips to the hospital. She has two children already so it's not been easy but on Thursday the baby finally arrived after a long labour, considering he was her third child. She had a home birth and I was there for 12 hours on Thursday and have been there every day since. I'll be there again tonight from 6pm so I think I'll try and get some reading done before hand. My cousin is still struggling a little after the birth so I'm happy to help, it's what family is for and it means I get lots of baby cuddles :) Some of you may have seen me talking about baby names on twitter as my cousin didn't know what to call him. After about 5 hours of her son being in the world she decided to name him Thomas Vincent, Thomas after her brother, who was named after our grandad and Vincent after my dad, he was very proud!!

So that is why the blog has been lacking in reviews, both Sally and I do have reviews to write, I personally have about 9, and next week I have a few days off from work so I'll do as many as I can as well as finishing decorating my bedroom.



Stacking The Shelves #11

Carnival, Paris (Woman reading behind stage)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted over at Tynga's reviews. This meme allows us bloggers to tell you all about the books we have added to your shelves over the past seven days whether they be physical or virtual. This means we include books you can buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more then that we loving seeing what books you get each week!! All links will take you to goodreads.

I was almost really good again in the week and didn't buy any books, that was until yesterday when I saw Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire on the table at work! And I still tried not to buy but I just had to have it! I've read and heard so much about it that I needed it!! I've even read some reviews that say don't read this book so naturally I'm going to! I would love to hear what you thought of this book & if you've written a review please feel free to leave a link and I'll have a read.

So just the one book this week and now I'm off to see what you all added to your bookshelves :)

Stacking the Shelves #10

Carnival, Paris (Woman reading behind stage) 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted over at Tynga's reviews. This meme allows us bloggers to tell you all about the books we have added to your shelves over the past seven days whether they be physical or virtual. This means we include books you can buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from  friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more then that we loving seeing what books you get each week!! All links will take you to goodreads.


Bungle's shelf


Bungle has been a star pupil again this week and has managed to keep her purse firmly in her bag.  Having said that, that doesn't mean that she didn't get to add something to her shelves.  Bungle was lucky enough to find Twilight - The Graphic Novel, Vol.2 (ahh Edward.. :) by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim and she also got a special copy of 13, #13 of the Women of the Other World series by Kelley Armstrong.  I think we can safely say the girl done good! 

Sally's shelf


What can I say?  Forget the olympians, this week I have struck gold!  I added three books to my shelf this week.  The first two are my holiday reads. I bought Rebel Heart, #2 of the Dustlands series by Moira Young and Foretold by Jana Oliver.  I really enjoyed Blood Red Road which was #1 of the Dustlands series.  It had a twist on the dystopian theme that I found quite refreshing and I'm keen to find out what happens to Saba.  More to the point, where is Jack?! Foretold is one read I've been looking forward to for a while.  This is the last in the Demon Trappers series so I'm hoping for happy endings for Riley and Beck.  I nearly cracked and started reading this straight away until Jana Oliver told me to put the book straight into my suitcase and not to open it until I got on the plane. I did as I was told but I still hear it calling me at night...

Lastly, and certainly by no means least I got my hands on a copy of The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa from Netgalley! SO excited about this one so prepare to watch as go a tad fangirly for a moment! The Lost Prince is a new series attached to the Iron Fey series (If you haven't read these, you're missing out on something fab!). The Lost Prince tells the story of Ethan, the brother of Meghan.  We have been transported into the future somewhat and Ethan is now 17 and if his story is anything like Meghan's then he's in for a bumpy ride.  Can't wait to get my teeth into this one! (OK, fangirly moment over...)

So, that's it from us this week!  What did you add to your shelves?