Review! I Heart Christmas by Lindsey Kelk

Angela’s planning her very own fairytale of New York…

• Enormous Christmas tree

• Eggnog

• Eccentric British traditions

• Gorgeous man

But Santa’s throwing her a few curveballs – new job (as if it’s not mental enough already), new baby-craze from her best friend Jenny, and Alex determined they should grow up and settle down. Once friends start turning up uninvited on her doorstep (and leading her astray), can Angela really have a merry little Christmas? So much for happy holidays – something’s got to give…

Review: I love an I heart book and I really enjoyed the latest offering from Lindsey Kelk. I'm such a massive Angela fan and what I got here was a large dose of her scattiness, her clumsiness and her all round whirlwind of a personality. I have to admit that I found the beginning of this novel a little hard to get into. It wasn't until abut 50% of the way through that I was completely hooked by the usual mixture of mayhem and happenings that this tutors writes. I don't know if it was because I read this book quite far away from Christmas and so I found Angela's preparations for the festive season a title dull but there was certainly enough actions in the second half of the book to make up for the slight dip in goings on in the earlier part. 

Angela is now settled down and married and so talk of babies and families does rear it's ugly head making for some interesting concentrations between her and her fabulous husband Alex and also between her and her crazy impulsive friend Jenny. Angela has also become more settle din her career and so in this book things really hot up there for her, among for some extremely stressful scenes in this novel. I love Angela but she was awfully self centred for a a large part of the book, I felt a bit like I was judging her when I really didn't want to. Her Christmas preparations were also somewhat hampered by he unexpected arrival of best friend Louisa and her toddler Grace. I thought this as a rally good addition to the storyline because it gave all of the baby discussions a whole other level. Angela is also preparing to welcome her parents to New York I the new house the Alex springs on her right at the start of the novel.

There is a good dose of Alex in this book which was pleased bout because I love him, but because Angela was being fairly self- centred, readers be warned, there are some tense scenes where I was just waiting for the two of the them to have a massive bust up, perhaps this is another reason that I couldn't get into the book right at the beginning, that's just how much I love these guys! There were some really dramatic scenes involving characters who have taken much more of back set in previous novels, and ms Lopez seems to be growing up in this book, it's about time but I really really don't want her to change and hope that she doesn't in any future novels. 

Overall this is a welcome addition to the I heart family and something that all fans of Lindsey Kelk will very much enjoy. I think that this book would also work whether you are encountered Angela before or not, it's fab for the festive season as well- what could be better than a New York Christmas? My advice would be to read this nearer to the festive season and if you get chance to read the other I hearts first, do so because they're all wonderful! I heart I Heart Christmas and I Heart Lindsey Kelk, roll on the next Angela Clark/Jenny Lopez instalment! 

Review! Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone

Calling Anna and Bennett’s romance long distance is an understatement: she’s from 1995 Chicago and he’s a time traveler from 2012 San Francisco. The two of them never should have met, but they did. They fell in love, even though they knew they shouldn't. And they found a way to stay together, against all odds. 

It’s not a perfect arrangement, though, with Bennett unable to stay in the past for more than brief visits, skipping out on big chunks of his present in order to be with Anna in hers. They each are confident that they’ll find a way to make things work...until Bennett witnesses a single event he never should have seen (and certainly never expected to). Will the decisions he makes from that point on cement a future he doesn't want?

Told from Bennett’s point of view, Time After Time will satisfy readers looking for a fresh, exciting, and beautifully-written love story, both those who are eager to find out what’s next for Time Between Us's Anna and Bennett and those discovering their story for the first time.

Review: I was very excited for starting this sequel, having just finished reading Time Between us, I was desperate to find out what was going to happen between Anna and the lovely Bennett. I wasn't disappointed by what I found! Firstly I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this story was actually from Bennet's point of view-it was interesting to have a change of voice for the sequel! I had to adjust my focus having just finished reading about their story from Anna's point of view but if you read these books separately, this won't be a problem for you! It was wonderful hearing Bennett's thoughts on things that went on between him & Anna and I was delighted to find that he over thought everything as much as Anna did and he wanted things to work as much as Anna did!

In terms of the storyline, this sequel had just as much content and action as the first novel. If anything there is slightly more going on in this book because things have got a lot more serious and just a little darker! I liked the fact that the storyline was slightly more intense in this novel as I thought this was realistic in terms of this coues relationship. The issue of Bennett's time travel is also dealt with a little more in this novel, we get to hear about some of the pitfalls of his 'gift' and also what his family really think about his travel. Brooke becomes more of a main character this time around and I rely enjoyed learning a little more about her and what happens when she meets Anna.

Anna really comes into her own in this sequel, she seems to deal with everything that is thrown at her in a much more nature way than in the previous novel, she has grown up and seems much more trusting that Bennett will do the right thing. Emma and Justin are still around providing a little more comedy to counteract the darker aspects of the novel.

The storyline with Bennett and his grandmother is dealt with much more this time around and this, combined with some of the other darker areas of the novel, meant that I did shed a few tears, readers should be warned about this! Overall this was a rely great sequel, I am very disappointed that this is the end of the road for Anna and Bennett, I would love there to be another book to sort everything out. I'm sure, whilst not being disappointed with the ending, you will feel the same way too. A great sequel and a must read if you were a fan of Time Between Us, I thoroughly enjoyed my Tamara Ireland Stone Marathon!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Would Recommend to...my Boyfriend

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

This is an excellent top ten this week and perfect for people thinking about Christmas gifts or recommending books for people to read during the holidays. I decided to recommend some books to my boyfriend because he doesn't read a lot of fiction, so thinking up some fictions for him to read is actually really useful. There are actually some chick lit novels I think he would really like and find funny, so here goes...

1. One of my favourites-Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding. This was the first book to ever make me laugh out loud and I think he would really like the well-written humour! 

2. Another favourite of mine... One Day by David Nicolls. I also like the other books written by this author and so I think that he would like any of these but this one is obviously my favourite! 

3. Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, he really liked the film of this so I think he would like the novel just as much! 

4. The Stag and Hen Weekend by Mike Gayle. This was a great dual narrative and I think he would find the different perspectives really interesting. I reviewed this on the blog a couple of months ago so take a look at what I thought! 

5. I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk. I keep telling him how much he would love New York and also how Angela's now husband reminds me of him (or rather he reminds me of Alex as Alex came first) and so I think it'd be a really quick intro into some great chick lit! 

6. Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell. Another dual narrative that makes this novel totally male friendly! 

7. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I really liked the historical aspect to this novel and found it a very compelling read, something I think he would find easy to get into... 

8. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. This was a read I enjoyed earlier on this year, so take a look back for my review of that. I found this to be a really funny but quick read and so I think this would be something he would really enjoy! 

9. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I think he would find this a really interesting read and a assists part of me would like to see if he cries or not.. 

10. Finally, this isn't fiction and so I've kind of defeated the object of this whole top ten but I do keep trying to make him read everything Bill Bryson has ever written so that is going to be my final recommendation... 

Let me know if you can recommend anything else for boyfriends who don't normally enjoy reading fiction, especially if its something I've missed that was released this year! 

Review! Time between us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.

Review: I was so surprised by how much I liked this book. I loved the sound of the blurb and I was urged to read it by a couple of other bloggers, but I just wasn't sure I would be able to get my head around the time travel aspect of it. What I found though was that the time travel part of this book was perfect and supported what was a gorgeous contemporary romance story, one which I simply couldn't put down! I began reading this book on a plane and was gutted when the plane landed because it meant I had to put it down! I had read over half the book in just over 2 hours! 

The characters in this book are really strong. Sometimes I find females in YA novels to be whiney and your typical teenage girls, but I really liked Anna. Although she did make some silly choices and react to things in typical teenage fashion occasionally, she was generally fairly sensible and a really likeable character. Bennet was a lovely character, mature beyond his years, he was the perfect pairing for Anna I think. I loved his name and his sense of decency not to break the rules of his time travel, I thought this was really cool! 

There were a host of great supporting characters too, I felt like best friend Emma was my best friend and could only picture her as I read...This to me is the sign of some good writing! I loved the settings in this book too. Mainly set in a frozen Michigan, but with trips to many other places inside and outside of the United States. Everything was well described and even when Anna and Bennett were in school, I felt like I was there with them! Despite it being set in a school, this really didn't feel like a clear cut YA novel. It had adult romance aspects and yet I raced through it at the pace I would a normal YA novel.

All in all I completely loved this book and am about to start its sequel Time After Time now, I love an author marathon! I think even those of you who don't normally enjoy YA or contemporary romance, will love this book and it is a real treat for any YA  fans! This book had a great storyline, totally believable and some loveable characters, I highly recommend it to anyone! 

Review! Mad About The Boy By Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones is back!

Great comic writers are as rare as hen's teeth. And Helen is one of a very select band who have created a character of whom the very thought makes you smile. Bridget Jones' Diary, charting the life of a 30-something singleton in London in the 1990s was a huge international bestseller, published in 40 countries and selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Its sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, published soon after was also a major international bestseller. Both were made into films starring Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.

Set in the present, the new novel will explore a different phase in Bridget's life with an entirely new scenario. As Helen Fielding has said: "If people laugh as much reading it as I am while writing it then we'll all be very happy."

Review: I was very much looking forward to the release of this book and despite headlines slating it, and reviews being very much mixed, I definitely wasn't disappointed with the newest offering from this fabulous author. I was always going to be slightly biased coming into this review because Bridget Jones Diary is one of my all time favourite novels. The novel that got me into chick lit and the first book to ever make me laugh out loud, so this novel had a lot to live up to. You'll be pleased to know that I laughed out loud several times at this novel, and on a packed flight to Sicily nonetheless! This book had all the wit and charisma of the original, and the same fabulous storyline. 

The structure of this novel is very much the same as its predecessors which I was happy to find out. I loved the little extras telling us her weight at the beginning of each day. Calories consumed and also the number of headlice found. The headlicd thing was a slight issue for me, as I have a massive phobia of them, I can spot them a mile off on a child in my class, but I managed to overcome this because of the compelling storyline. Because the structure was the same diary format as the previous novels, I raced through this book, finding it to be a real page turner! As well as making me laugh, it also made me cry which is definitely the sign of a good novel in my book! 

Bridget is just as loveable as ever. The naivety is still very much there, despite the fact that she is now a mother and a fifty-something. She still has the same kind of romantic problems that she always had and her relationship with twitter is nothing short of genius, of course Bridget could t quite cope its modern technology. There are some brilliant bits in the book where she struggles with the various technological gadgets that are in her house, thankfully her children her her out when it comes to this aspect of life. I was so pleased to find out that Bridget's mum and of course Una were still around to features in this latest instalment, it just wouldn't have been the same without their occasional appearances, and they are just as funny and interfering as usual!  

It's quite hard to write a review of this without any spoilers, so I will just summarise by saying, although there aren't exactly any major events in the novel, I still really loved the storyline and found it to be a real page turner. The characters are full of humour and rediscovering Bridget was like sitting down for a cup of tea with an old friend. I really enjoyed this novel and am would recommend this to any Bridget fan old or new! 

To grab one and see for yourself, just click here

Review! I'm Dougal Trump Where's my Tarantula?

Laugh out loud at the boy who is a bigger trouble magnet than Bart Simpson and Just William stuck together. The second instalment of Dougal Trump's ridiculous life has arrived.
"Mum," I yelled. "Sybil the Goliath birdeater spider is no longer in my room."
Somebody has stolen Dougal's tarantula, Sybil (named after his sister - they both have very hairy legs), and she is being held to ransom. Dougal must fulfil the kidnapper's demands before poor Sybil is tortured - one leg at a time.

I read this book with one of my pupils, we read it together and so I am going to let her tell you what a wonderful book this is. Before that I'd just like to say what a fab books it was to share with a child. I enjoyed what was going on in the book, Dougal Trump is a great character who is really easy to get along with and reminds me very much of the kind of antics that Jennings or Just William would have entertained us with! These books have great illustrations a d a structure similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and so this was a really quick read. I thought the story was well thought out, amusing and st delivered a very real moral message as well. Here is a review from a very descending 10 year old to tell you more...

This author came to visit my school and sign copies of her books as well as do a workshop with our children. Here is what I had to say about that...

Review: this book is based on Dougal Trump and creaturs that keep appearing in the hollow tree. Dougal is very excited with what he has for all of these creatures like the slithering snake; the eight-legged, hairy spider; the huge, stinging scorpion and the bumpy, grey lizard! 

I liked all of the book because it was funny and I wanted to read on more and more. The author put so much description into it so it was more interesting than you might have thought! 

I wanted to read more and more so I can get into it and then read the other book. That will be exciting for me to read, and to get to ow the story more! I think this is my type of book because it is funny and sad, but I like it to be twisted with funny and sad so it is my type of book! 

To get your copy of Dougal Trump simply click here.

You can also read my post on what happened when this lovely author came to visit us at school. Just click the link at the side.

Jackie Marchant and Andrew Weale visit my school...

At the end of September I was lucky enough to have two lovely children's authors come in and visit my school. I arranged for them each to spend a day in a year group working with every class in that year group doing various activities and sharing their books with them. 

Red House prize winner Andrew Weale visited years 1 and 2. He read through his book with the children a d kept them therapy entertained thoughtful each sessions. He answered some questions on his books and his writing and got them to make predictions on what might happen next and even had them l,ah about with the spellings on their names to get their imaginations flowing! 

When he worked with the year 2 children he actually made an audiobook of his book with them and then sent it back to school so they could all listen to the great product they had made. 

The children were all really inspired and did some lovely pictures and writing based on his visit! 

Author of the Dougal Trump series Jackie Marchant came to visit the year 4 and 5 children. She did a wonderful workshop with them where she to.d the a not how she had been hit on the head with a big bin bag full of rubbish and how the owner of all these things in the bin bag turned out to be Dougal Trump. She had spoken to Dougal about his adventures and written them down for him and that is how her books were born! 

She also did a great activity with the classes where she had them think about what might be inside a wooden box she had brought with her. She asked the. What might be in the box. Then asked them to the about what was in the box and who out it there. Finally she asked them what was in the box, who put it there and why. 

This got some great responses from the children and really inspired them to do some writing of their own.

At the end of the school day, children were and to buy books and have them signed by Jackie which they loved. The queue was quite literally out of the door and children come up to me regularly in the corridor telling me they are reading one or both of the books.

Thanks very much to these two great authors, if you haven't read their books u suggest you give them a go now, there are two great picture books and two super chapter books that can be loved by children and adults alike.