Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 20159/6/15

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!

So many good books coming up this year, I could definitely fill my top ten with just summer releases! I will do my best not to do that but I'm not making any promises... As always, these are not in rank order but just numbered one to ten. 

1. Afternoon Tea at The Sunflower Cafe 

2. The Cherry Tree Cafe by Heidi Swain

3. Mile High by Rebecca Chance 

4. The Little Flower Shop by The Sea by Ali McNamara

5. Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell

6. Fairytale Beginnings by Holly Martin

7. Grey by EL James 

8. A Better Man by Leah McLaren

9. A Parcel for Anna Browne (no image for this one yet but it is out in Spetember!)

10. The Girls by Lisa Jewell

Ok so I didn't manage to get any further in the year than Spetmeber but the Crhsitmasey books will, start coming out then and that's a whole new top ten so in sticking with it! 

Paperback Summer!

Another paperback challenge? Yes please! I did so well with the last challenge, reading paperbacks so I'm really really excited that Sophie over at reviewed the book has issued us another challenge. I love her blog so if you feel like joining in, you should definitely click the link! http://www.reviewedthebook.co.uk/2015/05/paperbacksummer.html

Now the reality is that I have a whole bookshelf, and then some, of books that I could choose from this summer and I would love nothing better than to sit down in front of my bookshelf here and read for the next three months but it's just not going to happen so I've pulled out a few books that I know I'm going to try and get to this summer. 

First of all I have this fabulous collection of paperbacks, you might notice a couple of these from the last paperback challenge. A few of them have been on my shelf a while and a few of them are actually summer releases! A mixture of finished copies and ARCs here too! I actually have Step Back in Time on audiobook so I may end up listening to that one and giving my paperback to a loving home...

Then I have the hardbacks. Now the summer holidays is the perfect time for me to read a hardback, I tend to have more time to sit in a read (or out in the garden and read) and I tend to be out and about in the car a lot more so I can carry a book in the car rather than having to lug a heavy paperback in my bag! I bought a lot of these in excess of six months ago and a couple in excess of a Year ago-shameful! 

And then we have my YA selection. I don't tend to read as much YA in the summer, I don't know why because it's not like I read tons of it during term time, but it definitely read more adult fiction. It's a bit quicker to read a YA book for me and so , as you can see, there are a few of these on my pile. 

Now there are three realities that must accompany this goal post. Firstly, I have review books that are on my kindle so I'm going to be reading some kindle books and the driving I'm planning on ding this summer will mean that I do quite a few audiobooks as well. 

Secondly, I have another masters assignment that I will be writing over the summer, July and August and so my reading may have to take a backseat to academic reading and assignment writing.

 And thirdly, the majority of my reading will take place in the month of August (when it does every year!) I'm already behind on June, late posting this as well, and things aren't letting up at work so I can't see June being a gret month for me! We break up on 21st July so up until then my reading will be as a limited as it always is but from then on, I've got a few free days before I go away and then I can read all I like! 

I'm excited to start this and hope to do a couple of monthly wrap-ups to let you know how I get on! 

Book Launch: The Silent Hours by Cesca Major

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the intensely glamorous launch of the fabulous book The Silent Hours by Cesca Major. Inspired by a shocking true story in Unoccupied France, The Silent Hours is a heartrending sweeping debut novel of love and loss. 

The Launch took place in The Hollywood Arms in Chelsea so of course there was wine and amazing heron wallpaper feature wall. But the most important things about the launch were Cesca and her book!

We celebrated in a room filled with Cesca's friend (both IRL and twitter), family and glorious bookish people. There was wine, there was book chat and then there were the speeches. Cesca's editor introduced Cesca who then gave a lovely speech about the various people in the room and what they meant to her, it was wonderful that all the people involved along the way during this books conception to birth were there/. When Cesca had wrapped up by thanking the bloggers and reviewers (!) her husband stepped in to present her with this awesome gift to commemorate the publication of this novel. 

It was a great evening and I got chance to chat to authors Amanda Jennings, Tammy Cohen, Liz Tipping, Holly Martin and finally got to meet (and hug) the fabulous Kirsty Greenwood! Cesca signed my book with a lovely message so it can now sit proudly on my signed shelf!

Thanks so much to Corvus for inviting me, I'm halfway through the book so look out for the review coming soon!

Review: We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman

Do not miss me, because I will always be with you…I am the air, the moon, the stars. For we are all made of stars, my beloved... Wherever you look, I will be there.

Stella Carey exists in a world of night. Married to a soldier who has returned from Afghanistan injured in body and mind, she leaves the house every evening as Vincent locks himself away, along with the secrets he brought home from the war.

During her nursing shifts, Stella writes letters for her patients to their loved ones - some full of humour, love and practical advice, others steeped in regret or pain – and promises to post these messages after their deaths.

Until one night Stella writes the letter that could give her patient one last chance at redemption, if she delivers it in time…

Review: I engaged with the structure of this novel right away and so it meant that the moment i opened the first page, I was drawn into its depths. It was such a fab way to structure a story-these letters, people's last letters to mark the end of a chapter and the end of that particular characters section of the story. I also loved the fact that the story centres around 3 main characters and storylines and yet they are all linked together, all linked through the main character of the story-a nurse called Stella.

I like Stella as a character because she doesn't make a fuss. She gets on with what she has to do and copes with the tragedies that life throws at her without creating drama and without complaining why me all the time. She definitely made for an easy read. Hugh and Hope are similar, in a way. They too have had a fair amount of drama in their lives and a fair amount of bad stuff happen to them and yet they carry on with their lives too. Hugh could be considered to be the most dramatic of the trio and yet he is just about as unruffled as Stella. Hope was definitely my favourite of the three characters and I loved her storyline from start to finish!

The letters in this novel are just beautiful. The novel doesn't have a magnificent setting or a long time frame but the letter mean that you are taken deeper and deeper into this novel. Some letters are surprising, some are tragic, some are funny but all are beautiful and are so perfectly timed within the novel. They are a joy to read and inspired me to write my own letters! At points, I admit, I did find myself skimming over the letters to find out what was going to happen next to one of the characters, but I think perhaps one could go back and just read each letter separately to find out what each one holds in its own right!

Overall, it took me a while to get through this book but that's partly because I wanted to give it the time and attention that it deserved. I loved the characters, the plot and particularly the structure of this novel. I think it is something that could be picked up at any time of year like a timeless classic and I think the letters could almost be a book in themselves-beautiful!

Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State — and she would do it alone.

Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wildpowerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her. 

Review: I've been wanting to read this book for ages and even though it's been sitting on my kindle for quite some time now, I decided to download it on audiobook and make it my commute listen for the week. I think I chose a good book for the commute because this story was really uplifting vna demo owing and left me feeling ready to tackle things head on as I arrived at work at 7am so that's always got to be a good thing. 

I have to say that I knew absolutely nothing about the pacific coast trail before picking up this book but I loved the idea of a women going on a. Life changing hike all on her own. A chance to prove her independence and a chance for some real soul searching. It convinced me that I could never do anything like that. Despite the feeling of empowerment that it gave me. 

I really liked the writing style of this book, it was one of those non fiction bos where you feel like you are simply in conversation with the author, those make great audiobooks too, and so you don't feel liked you're being talked at or force-fed information. This style of writing is still definitely worthy of reading every single word and is still of a good level of formality but it makes the reading process much quicker and much more digestible. The facts and figures of this book are peppered with interesting anecdotes and stories of things that happened in the past which are called to question by moments that happen along the PCT. 

I definitely learnt a lot about the trail itself, about camping and hiking and general and about the effect that taking on a solo mission like this can have on you. It was really interesting. However my favourite thing about this book was listening to how Cheryl felt along the way. How she coped when things didn't go so well and the times she felt fear of what was ahead and sadness of what she had left behind. I think this book would have a good appeal to a wide range of audiences because of the two separate aspects to this story and I think it's definitely a book to read if you are a female feeling in need of a little empowerment! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I want to see as Movies/TV Shoes 2/6/15

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!

I love this one. I know I may have done this top ten before but I often put in my reviews that a book would make a brilliant film and so it's fab to be able to showcase some of those books in a top ten. 

1. Single Woman Seeks Revenge by Tracy Bloom. This would make such a funny film-it would be ace! 

2. Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey. This would make and excellent film, it's just so powerful! 

3. The Two of Us by Andy Grey-would make a bittersweet rom com! 

4. The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance by Kirsty Greenwood. The costumes in this would be epic! 

5. I'll take New York by Miranda Dickinson. You could roll this and Fairytale together and make an ace New York film! 

6. Any of Adriana Trigiani's books would make excellent films because of New York and the shoes and the Italy and the food! 

7. Lies we Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley would make such a powerful film-oscar worthy stuff! 

8. The Humans by Matg Haig. Such a funny book-would be such a funny film! 

9. The House we Grew up in by Lisa Jewell. This would be another dramatic powerful one..

10. Two Weddings and a Baby by Scarlett Bailey. If you've read this book then you'll know why and if you haven't the you need to do so now...

Review: Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Summer has arrived in the Cornish town of Mount Polbearne and Polly Waterford couldn't be happier. Because Polly is in love: she's in love with the beautiful seaside town she calls home, she's in love with running the bakery on Beach Street, and she's in love with her boyfriend, Huckle.

And yet there's something unsettling about the gentle summer breeze that's floating through town. Selina, recently widowed, hopes that moving to Mount Polbearne will ease her grief, but Polly has a secret that could destroy her friend's fragile recovery. Responsibilities that Huckle thought he'd left behind are back and Polly finds it hard to cope with his increasingly long periods of absence.

Polly sifts flour, kneads dough and bakes bread, but nothing can calm the storm she knows is coming: is Polly about to lose everything she loves?

Review: gosh this book was high drama, high aww factor and a big dose of food description to make you go rushing to the bakers all mixed in together and then baked in a big Cornish Coastal oven! I loved revisiting the Little Bech Street Bakery, this book was always going to make me smile, and not just because I got to see Neil the Puffin again-his story line in this book by the way-amazing! 

It was great to be back with Polly again. She is a great character because she's so optimistic and so hopeful for herself and the people around her. She needs a lot of determination to cope with everything that is thrown at her in this book and boy does she have it in spades! She never gives up and she is a true friend to those around her. Of course I've already mentioned Neil. He is just ace and is a very close runner up for main character in this novel (and the previous one) as a far as I am concerned. I loved the ending that Neil got, it literally couldn't have been more perfect and that's all you need to go. 

In terms of make characters in this book, there is the hero and the villain and they play their parts just beautifully. Our hero does everything he can to make Polly happy, right up until the last page and some of the things he does for everyone around him will literally have you swooning over this novel! The villain in this book is also truly villainous and totally unexpected for a Jenny Colgan novel. He tries to thwart Polly and her happily ever after at every turn and again, does so right up until the final page (or so)!

Again the setting of this novel is fabulous,in really must get down and visit that part of the world and see this beautiful but dangerous coast line and of course take a trip by the puffin sanctuary to see if I can see Neil's mates! The description of the setting is just gorgeous, as is the description of the food. This book will have you jumping in the car to head down to Cornwall via several bakeries and possibly making your own yeast cultures on the way! I really enjoyed this novel, it is a perfect read for summer and definitely something you should be picking up to help you cope with the miserable British weather!