WINTER READS AND POPPY LOVES BOOK CLUB

At the beginning of last year, I told myself I wanted to do something different, something outside of my comfort zone, find a new hobby. Poppy Loves runs a Book Club for women all over the world, who can join in online and discuss the book they have been reading that month with others and the Author. One day Poppy Loves commented on one of my Instagram photos, I had taken a photo of the book they were currently reading and she said I should join! I had read Poppy Loves blog before but didn’t realise there was a book club. I had never really considered joining a book club, I have always loved reading but there didn’t seem to be one out there for me. As there wasn’t a book club in my town she asked if I wanted to be the Captain Book for my club, this just means you organise where everyone meets and have the questions ready to go. Being part of a book club is great as it means I broaden my choice of books and pick up things I wouldn’t normally read. Not everyone is going to enjoy the same book so it’s good to discuss different opinions and also ask the Author questions about the book. The online book club has over 2700 members and has 70 book clubs over the world. Some of my favourite reads since joining Poppy Loves Book Club have been In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware and One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis. We are currently reading Paulina & Fran By Rachel B. Glaser, which I’m just about to start. I love looking back at all my photos, remembering where I was when I was reading a certain book. You can join Poppy Loves Book Club here.

I have set my Goodreads target of 25 books to read this year. I gave myself a target of reading two books a month, I try and read a little bit each day even if it is just a couple of pages. Hopefully I can reach this by the end of the year! As Winter has arrived it’s nice to cosy up with a hot drink and a book or run myself a Lush bath and read for hours in there. I have really been enjoying Thrillers at the moment. I have also really enjoyed listening to books via Audible, especially if I'm on the go. Some other books I want to get to this Winter are; The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Birald, The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin and The Women in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware.

I have also really been enjoying watching Book Tube videos, some of my favourite channels have been Lauren and the books and Blabbering about books. I have also brought a book journal after seeing it on Lauren’s channel. I thought it would spare me on to read more and review my books so I don’t forget about them in months to come. This Busy B Book Journal is great as it has separate parts for book club, books read, books to read and books on loan. I have got a bit creative with mine and have really been enjoying it. I used to post some of my book reviews on here, I might start that up again.

Do you have any reading recommendations or any tips to read more?

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BOOK REVIEW - PIECES OF YOU BY ELLA HARPER

Pieces of You By Ella Harper

Published – 14/08/14 Publisher – Avon

Pages – 400  Genre – Click Lit/Romance

Synopsis – 
Lucy. I don’t even know how to start this letter. 
Something happened. Something terrible . . .
Lucy was always sure of one thing – her future with husband and soulmate Luke. But after eight long, heartbreaking years trying to have a baby, that future is crumbling before her eyes.
When a terrible accident puts Luke into a coma, Lucy is forced to reassess everything she thought she wanted.
Then a woman arrives with a shocking secret that will force Lucy to make the hardest decision of her life.  

My Thoughts – 
It did take me a while to get through this book, but I just loved the whole story line. I haven't read anything similar in the past, but the story felt so real and I really felt for the main character, Lucy. This book took me through lots of different emotions and I liked how we saw the many relationships in the book through many different eyes and changes between the past to present. I also liked how the book showed how you're life can change just like that, without notice and to not take the people closest to you for granted. This was a difficult story which dealt with matters such as grief, pregnancy, divorce, miscarriage and infidelity. I felt it was really well written and I still have lots of questions after finishing the book. I would definitely read more of her books in the future.

My Rating - 4/5

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BOOK REVIEW - WE WERE LIARS BY E.LOCKHART

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Published – 13/05/14 Publisher – Hot Key Books

Pages – 240 Genre – Young Adult/Contemporary

Synopsis – 

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends - the Liars - whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.
My Thoughts – After hearing a lot of hype about this book, I decided to give it a go. This is a coming of age story which reflects on topics such as race, background, wealth and relationships. The writing style is really unique and made me read more and more. Quick sentences and even quicker chapters, although I know this isn't for everyone. The events left me shocked and shows how life can seem pretty good on the outside, but you know something's not right and you have to keep reading to find out. For me, the last part of the story made it for me, you are left guessing what has happened to the main character and it all becomes clear nearer the end. I feel like I should read this again and really appreciate the earlier part of the story more, before the plot unravels itself. I also really liked the way the author used fairy tales to describe the story. It's worth a read, don't let anyone spoil it for you.

My Rating - 4/5

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BOOK REVIEW - THE ONE PLUS ONE BY JOJO MOYES

TheOne Plus One By Jojo Moyes

Published – 27/02/14 Publisher - Penguin

Pages – 516 Genre – Chick Lit/Romance

Synopsis – One single mum - With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it's hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn't. Because you have to...
One chaotic family - Jess's gifted, quirky daughter Tanzie is brilliant with numbers, but without a helping hand she'll never get the chance to shine. And Nicky, Jess's teenage stepson, can't fight the bullies alone.
Sometimes Jess feels like they're sinking...
One handsome stranger - Into their lives comes Ed Nicholls, a man whose life is in chaos, and who is running from a deeply uncertain future. But he has time on his hands. He knows what it's like to be lonely. And he wants to help...
One unexpected love story
The One Plus One is a captivating and unconventional romance from Jojo Moyes about two lost souls meeting in the most unlikely circumstances.
My Thoughts – If I'm honest it did take me a while to get into this book. I purchased the Hardback version but ended up reading it on my Kindle as I seemed to be having a reading slump. Each chapter followed a different character which I liked, it is a steady story but one which is totally believable and could be reality. I love that two very different people can be joined together through certain events. I love all the main characters, especially Tanzie and Norman. I was so emotional in the last third of the book and the characters really opened up to the reader. It wasn't just chick lit for me, I finished this thinking of the real meaning behind every page. This is the first Jojo Moyes book I have read and I was left wanting to read more.
My Rating - 4/5

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BOOK REVIEW - ELEANOR & PARK BY RAINBOW ROWELL

Eleanor & Park By Rainbow Rowell

Published - 12/04/12 Publisher - Orion

Pages - 336 Genre - Young Adult/Romance

Synopsis - Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.
Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he's made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor... never to Eleanor.
Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.

My Thoughts - This book is such a cute, romantic 80’s love story. It follows the lives of two teenagers, switching character from chapter to chapter. It took me a little while to warm up to the characters, but once they opened up more to each other I just wanted to read more. Everybody has a first love, and this is the story of theirs as opposites attract. I like that the story was simple and most of the chapters were on the school bus or at each other’s houses, which I’m sure many people could relate to. It made me feel quite nostalgic, I felt all the emotions of a teenage again, their lives aren’t perfect, but they had each other. I didn’t give this book five stars because of the ending, I felt it was a little rushed but bittersweet at the same time. It finished and I needed more, I look forward to reading more from Rainbow Rowell in the future.

My Rating - 4/5
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BOOK REVIEW - ABOUT A GIRL BY LINDSEY KELK

About A Girl By Lindsey Kelk

Published - 04/07/13 Publisher - Harper

Pages - 416  Genre - Romance/Chick Lit

Synopsis - Tess Brookes has always been a Girl with a Plan. But when the Plan goes belly up, she’s forced to reconsider. After accidently answering her flatmate Vanessa’s phone, she decides that since being Tess isn’t going so well, she might try being Vanessa. With nothing left to lose, she accepts Vanessa’s photography assignment to Hawaii – she used to be an amateur snapper, how hard can it be? Right? But Tess is soon in big trouble. And the gorgeous journalist on the shoot with her, who is making it very clear he’d like to get into her pants, is an egotistical monster. Far from home and in someone else’s shoes, Tess must decide whether to fight on through, or ‘fess up and run…

My Thoughts - I haven't got round to reading any of the 'I heart...' series, so this was my first taste of Lindsey Kelk. At the beginning I did find it hard to enjoy the main character Tess, I found her attitude a lot more immature than her actual age. I found the plot clever, funny and liked the fashionista route it took. This is a great summer read, which is full of emotion as well as lots of humour. I’m really looking forward to reading the next instalment to see how the story follows, as the first one finished on a teaser cliffhanger. If you’re looking for an easy summer read and a great piece of chick lit this is a good place to start.

My Rating - 3/5
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