Molly Looby's Blog, page 9
February 8, 2016
Girl of Nightmares - Kendare Blake
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
*Sequel to Anna Dressed in BloodÌý- *
Cas is back! Everyone come read!
"Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-gets-sucked-into-Hell story."
My Review
It's been a whole year since I read Anna Dressed in BloodÌýso it's about time I got stuck into Girl of Nightmares. It's an understatement to say I was excited. I adoredÌýAnna Dressed in Blood, it was one of the best books I read in 2015 and I was hopingÌýGirl of Nightmares would be one of my favourite books of 2016 . . .
So far it is! Blake stood her ground and wrote another phenomenalÌýstory. Watch out, this is going to be a gush fest!
Honestly, I was hooked by the first sentence. I'm not even exaggerating. If anyone's considering reading it, here's the first sentence:Ìý
Go, go read it!
But seriously, spending time with these characters was an utter joy. It's hard to explain but the words and pages just rolled by so easily. I did not want to put it down and I couldn't stop turning pages.
As I reached the end, I felt like I was hyperventilating it was so intense. I was reading with trembling fingers and holding my breath. Just . . . whoa. Magic.
The only possible thing I could think of to criticise was the fact that the adverbs started to annoy me half way through. But that was it. I can't think of a single other thing to say!
Anyway, I loved it. Truly.
Evaluation
Overall 10/10
Would I recommend it? Yes! Just go and read it!
Would I look up the author? Yes! Put a few of Blake's books on my to-read list!
FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2016 SO FAR!
That's another one for the Molten Reading Challenge.
An impulse buy: Girl of NightmaresÌý- Kendare Blake
Girl of NightmaresÌýwas breathless, intense, and phenomenal!Ìý
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
*Sequel to Anna Dressed in BloodÌý- *
Cas is back! Everyone come read!
"Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-gets-sucked-into-Hell story."
My Review
It's been a whole year since I read Anna Dressed in BloodÌýso it's about time I got stuck into Girl of Nightmares. It's an understatement to say I was excited. I adoredÌýAnna Dressed in Blood, it was one of the best books I read in 2015 and I was hopingÌýGirl of Nightmares would be one of my favourite books of 2016 . . .
So far it is! Blake stood her ground and wrote another phenomenalÌýstory. Watch out, this is going to be a gush fest!
Honestly, I was hooked by the first sentence. I'm not even exaggerating. If anyone's considering reading it, here's the first sentence:Ìý
"I think I killed a girl who looked like this once."
Go, go read it!
But seriously, spending time with these characters was an utter joy. It's hard to explain but the words and pages just rolled by so easily. I did not want to put it down and I couldn't stop turning pages.
As I reached the end, I felt like I was hyperventilating it was so intense. I was reading with trembling fingers and holding my breath. Just . . . whoa. Magic.
The only possible thing I could think of to criticise was the fact that the adverbs started to annoy me half way through. But that was it. I can't think of a single other thing to say!
Anyway, I loved it. Truly.
Evaluation
Overall 10/10
Would I recommend it? Yes! Just go and read it!
Would I look up the author? Yes! Put a few of Blake's books on my to-read list!
FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2016 SO FAR!
That's another one for the Molten Reading Challenge.
An impulse buy: Girl of NightmaresÌý- Kendare Blake
Girl of NightmaresÌýwas breathless, intense, and phenomenal!Ìý
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
February 1, 2016
The Third Door - Stephen Lyden
Blurb (as I have no way of explaining this book without confusing myself!)
I died. Now I live. But I live within the boundaries of my head. What happens on the outside is beyond my control.
My Review
First of all congratulations are in order to , one of my Movellas friends, on the publishing of your first book!
The prologue is thoughtful and deep and already has you questioning concepts such as life and death as you are thrown into the narrative. Now readers of this blog will know that I don't like prologues but I found this one interesting, perhaps because it felt more like an introduction than a prologue.
After the first chapter, I was intrigued by where the story was going and I kept reading on and on. There seemed to be so many parts to this puzzle and I wanted to keep reading to try and figure out what was going on. However, I couldn't honestly say I knew what was going on until a few chapters in and then I couldn't imagine how the book could end. I think it shows talent when I can only guess parts of the ending beforehand.
I wanted a little more dialogue and to truly feel some more emotion. Don't get me wrong, those things were there but I just wanted a little bit more. I always love to be thrown so completely into a book that I live there and I felt I needed a little more emotion from the protagonist in order to get there.
The best thing about The Third DoorÌýwas definitely the thoughts that were explored. I've never read a book quite like this before and that's a real achievement. I was left with a sense of melancholy that I felt fit perfectly with what Lyden was trying to achieve.
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? Yes - if you want to read something quite bizarre and different.
Would I look up the author? Yes - to see what other intriguing works he's written/ working on.
The Third DoorÌýwas filled with melancholy and intrigue.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
I died. Now I live. But I live within the boundaries of my head. What happens on the outside is beyond my control.
My Review
First of all congratulations are in order to , one of my Movellas friends, on the publishing of your first book!
The prologue is thoughtful and deep and already has you questioning concepts such as life and death as you are thrown into the narrative. Now readers of this blog will know that I don't like prologues but I found this one interesting, perhaps because it felt more like an introduction than a prologue.
After the first chapter, I was intrigued by where the story was going and I kept reading on and on. There seemed to be so many parts to this puzzle and I wanted to keep reading to try and figure out what was going on. However, I couldn't honestly say I knew what was going on until a few chapters in and then I couldn't imagine how the book could end. I think it shows talent when I can only guess parts of the ending beforehand.
I wanted a little more dialogue and to truly feel some more emotion. Don't get me wrong, those things were there but I just wanted a little bit more. I always love to be thrown so completely into a book that I live there and I felt I needed a little more emotion from the protagonist in order to get there.
The best thing about The Third DoorÌýwas definitely the thoughts that were explored. I've never read a book quite like this before and that's a real achievement. I was left with a sense of melancholy that I felt fit perfectly with what Lyden was trying to achieve.
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? Yes - if you want to read something quite bizarre and different.
Would I look up the author? Yes - to see what other intriguing works he's written/ working on.
The Third DoorÌýwas filled with melancholy and intrigue.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
January 25, 2016
Next of Kin - Dan Wells
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
Next of KinÌýis a novella that connects book three of the John Cleaver trilogy, I Don't Want to Kill You, and the first one in the next John Cleaver trilogy - or the fourth book -ÌýThe Devil's Only Friend.
My Review
First of all it's worth mentioning how much I adoredÌýthe John Cleaver trilogy. I would've given all three books perfect tens had I been reviewing when I read them but sadly not. When I found out that Wells was writing more and John Cleaver was back, I put all the next books on my to-read list on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and told my brother right away that this amazing thing was happening!
My review will be like Next of Kin, short and to the point.
I loved Elijah's power and the idea of it! He was a great character I really felt for and his emotions poured into me and I kept turning pages until I was done. I bet no one can read this in any more than one sitting, I just couldn't stop. It was great to be in the mind of a 'demon' for a change and see how they think and feel.
What else can I say? It was flawless. Full of emotion, fantastic human observation, heart, and melancholy.
But there wasn't enough of it! I didn't want it to end! I expected to feel cheated having paid for something that wasn't even 50 pages long but Wells's writing is so fantastic that I didn't.
Next of KinÌýdid what it set out to achieve, it made Devil's Only FriendÌýa mustÌýread! Can't wait!
Evaluation
Overall 9/10 - only because it was so short!
Would I recommend it? Yes! It's definitely worth the read before you move on to book four!
Would I look up the author? Yes!
Next of Kin was full of emotion, fantastic human observation, and heart. I can't wait for Devil's Only Friend!
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
Next of KinÌýis a novella that connects book three of the John Cleaver trilogy, I Don't Want to Kill You, and the first one in the next John Cleaver trilogy - or the fourth book -ÌýThe Devil's Only Friend.
My Review
First of all it's worth mentioning how much I adoredÌýthe John Cleaver trilogy. I would've given all three books perfect tens had I been reviewing when I read them but sadly not. When I found out that Wells was writing more and John Cleaver was back, I put all the next books on my to-read list on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and told my brother right away that this amazing thing was happening!
My review will be like Next of Kin, short and to the point.
I loved Elijah's power and the idea of it! He was a great character I really felt for and his emotions poured into me and I kept turning pages until I was done. I bet no one can read this in any more than one sitting, I just couldn't stop. It was great to be in the mind of a 'demon' for a change and see how they think and feel.
What else can I say? It was flawless. Full of emotion, fantastic human observation, heart, and melancholy.
But there wasn't enough of it! I didn't want it to end! I expected to feel cheated having paid for something that wasn't even 50 pages long but Wells's writing is so fantastic that I didn't.
Next of KinÌýdid what it set out to achieve, it made Devil's Only FriendÌýa mustÌýread! Can't wait!
Evaluation
Overall 9/10 - only because it was so short!
Would I recommend it? Yes! It's definitely worth the read before you move on to book four!
Would I look up the author? Yes!
Next of Kin was full of emotion, fantastic human observation, and heart. I can't wait for Devil's Only Friend!
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
January 18, 2016
Fanghunters - Leo Romero
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
When Dom wakes up to find he's the victim of a vampire, his life is never the same. After escaping the draw of his vampire master he decides the vampire race must pay for what they have done to him and he becomes a fanghunter.
My Review
I was excited about reading a vampire book again when I picked up Fanghunters. I hadn't read a vampire book since July when I struggled through half of the dreadful and I'm pleased to report that FanghuntersÌýwas a whole universe better!
The first chapter had me hooked. I was thrown straight into this universe and that was great. The first chapter was very gripping and action-packed and it made me want to read on.
I had a sort of love-hate relationship with the protagonist, Dom. Sometimes his narration would make me laugh and sometimes I'd be a little offended by his internal monologue but I think that was part of his charm. I was glad he didn't seem to have unrealistic strength or skill, his relatability kept me reading. It was amusing that he didn't really know what he was doing and that he wasn't your normal vampire hunter. It was great to see him learning and not thinking of everything, I think that's really lacking in vampire stories and it was a breath of fresh air.
However, the weird way he talks to himself throughout the entire book was distracting and bizarre. His internal thoughts almost had a personality of their own and I thought this was plot related but it turned out not to be. This other voice calls him 'buddy'Ìýon almost every page and I thought I would get used to this but I couldn't, it was too irritating. I could put this down to the fact that nobody calls anyone 'buddy' where I'm from (Essex, England, where everybody is known as 'mate').
Also, I wanted a little more emotion from Dom sometimes. His fear came across really well and I found myself curling around my Kindle as I read but it was other emotions I was missing. I wanted some more sadness and loss when he escapes from the vampire at the beginning. I wanted frustration at the things he couldn't remember. He seemed numb a lot of the time and I was waiting for something more.
I wasn't too thrilled with the other characters but I'm putting that down to the fact that Dom didn't really have a lot of time to interact with anybody. But I must just say that Beauchamp's typical English manner makes a real life English person cringe. I'm not saying he can't be posh, he can, but I've never ever heard anyone say "my boy" in real life. Some of the phrases he used jarred for me.
When the POV character changed I enjoyed the shake up but I wanted a little bit moreÌýfrom their narration. It was short and sweet and to the point but I wanted a little world building in there somewhere.
There were a few other little things I jotted down. The phrase "baited breath" was used rather a lot and it jumped out at me because I don't think I've ever used it before, not that I'm criticising the phrase itself, just the amount of times it was used. It was at least five times in 120 pages. Sometimes 'The Father' had a capital 'T' for 'The' and other times it didn't. There were just a few little bits like that that jumped out at me but the more I proofread, the more stuff like that I notice.
FanghuntersÌýfelt a little bit too much like a prequel rather than the first book in a series. I felt like I was being set up for something much bigger and this was just the beginning.
But saying all that, I must've enjoyed it because I finished it in three sittings!
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? Yes, if you're looking for a quick vampire read.
Would I look up the author? No, but some day book two might call to me.
FanghuntersÌýwas an entertaining, quick read setting you up for book two.
Happy to have my first book on the Molten Reading Challenge 2016 list!
The first book in a series: Fanghunters - Leo Romero
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
When Dom wakes up to find he's the victim of a vampire, his life is never the same. After escaping the draw of his vampire master he decides the vampire race must pay for what they have done to him and he becomes a fanghunter.
My Review
I was excited about reading a vampire book again when I picked up Fanghunters. I hadn't read a vampire book since July when I struggled through half of the dreadful and I'm pleased to report that FanghuntersÌýwas a whole universe better!
The first chapter had me hooked. I was thrown straight into this universe and that was great. The first chapter was very gripping and action-packed and it made me want to read on.
I had a sort of love-hate relationship with the protagonist, Dom. Sometimes his narration would make me laugh and sometimes I'd be a little offended by his internal monologue but I think that was part of his charm. I was glad he didn't seem to have unrealistic strength or skill, his relatability kept me reading. It was amusing that he didn't really know what he was doing and that he wasn't your normal vampire hunter. It was great to see him learning and not thinking of everything, I think that's really lacking in vampire stories and it was a breath of fresh air.
However, the weird way he talks to himself throughout the entire book was distracting and bizarre. His internal thoughts almost had a personality of their own and I thought this was plot related but it turned out not to be. This other voice calls him 'buddy'Ìýon almost every page and I thought I would get used to this but I couldn't, it was too irritating. I could put this down to the fact that nobody calls anyone 'buddy' where I'm from (Essex, England, where everybody is known as 'mate').
Also, I wanted a little more emotion from Dom sometimes. His fear came across really well and I found myself curling around my Kindle as I read but it was other emotions I was missing. I wanted some more sadness and loss when he escapes from the vampire at the beginning. I wanted frustration at the things he couldn't remember. He seemed numb a lot of the time and I was waiting for something more.
I wasn't too thrilled with the other characters but I'm putting that down to the fact that Dom didn't really have a lot of time to interact with anybody. But I must just say that Beauchamp's typical English manner makes a real life English person cringe. I'm not saying he can't be posh, he can, but I've never ever heard anyone say "my boy" in real life. Some of the phrases he used jarred for me.
When the POV character changed I enjoyed the shake up but I wanted a little bit moreÌýfrom their narration. It was short and sweet and to the point but I wanted a little world building in there somewhere.
There were a few other little things I jotted down. The phrase "baited breath" was used rather a lot and it jumped out at me because I don't think I've ever used it before, not that I'm criticising the phrase itself, just the amount of times it was used. It was at least five times in 120 pages. Sometimes 'The Father' had a capital 'T' for 'The' and other times it didn't. There were just a few little bits like that that jumped out at me but the more I proofread, the more stuff like that I notice.
FanghuntersÌýfelt a little bit too much like a prequel rather than the first book in a series. I felt like I was being set up for something much bigger and this was just the beginning.
But saying all that, I must've enjoyed it because I finished it in three sittings!
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? Yes, if you're looking for a quick vampire read.
Would I look up the author? No, but some day book two might call to me.
FanghuntersÌýwas an entertaining, quick read setting you up for book two.
Happy to have my first book on the Molten Reading Challenge 2016 list!
The first book in a series: Fanghunters - Leo Romero
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
January 11, 2016
Pure - Julianna Baggott
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
I was going to just post the blurb here but I couldn't be bothered to type it out. Instead I'll try and explain what PureÌýis about.
PureÌýfollows Pressia, a wretch, living after the Detonations which fused people to other people and objects.
And a Pure, Partridge, who lives inside the Dome and was safe from the Detonations.
"When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter."
My Review
So you get the picture.Ìý
I was pretty excited about picking up this book because I've always been a fan of post-apocalyptic books. When society gets split down the middle in such an extreme way, it's usually a great read so I knew Pure had great possibility.
And I was right, the idea is really good, fascinating actually. Both inside and outside the Dome the characters had their issues and dreams and fears and it was really interesting to read one and then the other and absorb how different the cultures were and how little they knew about each other.
I didn't have that many issues with the plot. It wasn't perfect, sometimes I got lost, but I was on board.
Once that melted away and I was stuck with what was left, I was less than impressed.
The main problem I had was that the story seemed too big for the author. Don't get me wrong, Baggott is talented but this story seemed far too ambitious and she seemed terrified to be writing it. ÌýI could feel her fear through the words.
There was a lot of telling and not showing, especially at the beginning of the story. About 50 pages in there was a chapter that was pretty much all telling. Pressia just summed up a great big mass of information that she'd just been told. The information sounded pretty interesting but I got lost easily and I had no idea why we couldn't be part of the conversation Pressia was listening to, especially as this was so close to the beginning and I still had no idea what was going on.
The telling and not showing got extremely painful in no time at all. It's one of the first skills I try and teach people about writing. It was incredibly grating to have to read so much of it.
I didn't have any problems with the characters personalities or decisions or back stories or anything like that but I did have a huge problem with the point of view (POV). Each chapter is given a POV character which is not uncommon in YA, in fact, I mostly expect it a book like Pure, but for some reason Baggott felt the need to head-hop. The first time I noticed it was in a Partridge chapter when it said: "she doesn't know why". Hang on, she? Is that a typo? She meant Partridge right? Oh no, actually, she's telling us what Pressia thinks even though Partridge isn't a mind reader! The book might be written in the third person but you can't set up POV characters for each chapter and then start head jumping!
As it was, the third person didn't sound natural and was pretty distracting. Not that I have anything against the third person, it's just at times it sounded like this book should've been written in the first person.
I wasn't sure whether I should put this point in but I'm going to anyway - the action sequences. Now I wasn't going to include this because I've only just started writing real action sequences myself and I know how hard and demanding they are but the ones in PureÌýreally did leave a lot to be desired. At times there were too many words and I got confused about who was doing what and who was hurt and whatnot. Again, I don't think the third person helped here.
PureÌýhad all the ingredients to be a book I truly loved but there was something not quite right in the execution.
Evaluation
Overall 5/10 - I feel harsh putting a 5 but there we are.
Would I recommend it? No. It was too far from perfect to recommend, though it did have some great ideas.
Would I look up the author? No. Like I said above, it was too far from what I was looking for and I won't be reading books two and three.
PureÌýhad the set up to be amazing but there was something off about the execution.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
I was going to just post the blurb here but I couldn't be bothered to type it out. Instead I'll try and explain what PureÌýis about.
PureÌýfollows Pressia, a wretch, living after the Detonations which fused people to other people and objects.
And a Pure, Partridge, who lives inside the Dome and was safe from the Detonations.
"When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter."
My Review
So you get the picture.Ìý
I was pretty excited about picking up this book because I've always been a fan of post-apocalyptic books. When society gets split down the middle in such an extreme way, it's usually a great read so I knew Pure had great possibility.
And I was right, the idea is really good, fascinating actually. Both inside and outside the Dome the characters had their issues and dreams and fears and it was really interesting to read one and then the other and absorb how different the cultures were and how little they knew about each other.
I didn't have that many issues with the plot. It wasn't perfect, sometimes I got lost, but I was on board.
Once that melted away and I was stuck with what was left, I was less than impressed.
The main problem I had was that the story seemed too big for the author. Don't get me wrong, Baggott is talented but this story seemed far too ambitious and she seemed terrified to be writing it. ÌýI could feel her fear through the words.
There was a lot of telling and not showing, especially at the beginning of the story. About 50 pages in there was a chapter that was pretty much all telling. Pressia just summed up a great big mass of information that she'd just been told. The information sounded pretty interesting but I got lost easily and I had no idea why we couldn't be part of the conversation Pressia was listening to, especially as this was so close to the beginning and I still had no idea what was going on.
The telling and not showing got extremely painful in no time at all. It's one of the first skills I try and teach people about writing. It was incredibly grating to have to read so much of it.
I didn't have any problems with the characters personalities or decisions or back stories or anything like that but I did have a huge problem with the point of view (POV). Each chapter is given a POV character which is not uncommon in YA, in fact, I mostly expect it a book like Pure, but for some reason Baggott felt the need to head-hop. The first time I noticed it was in a Partridge chapter when it said: "she doesn't know why". Hang on, she? Is that a typo? She meant Partridge right? Oh no, actually, she's telling us what Pressia thinks even though Partridge isn't a mind reader! The book might be written in the third person but you can't set up POV characters for each chapter and then start head jumping!
As it was, the third person didn't sound natural and was pretty distracting. Not that I have anything against the third person, it's just at times it sounded like this book should've been written in the first person.
I wasn't sure whether I should put this point in but I'm going to anyway - the action sequences. Now I wasn't going to include this because I've only just started writing real action sequences myself and I know how hard and demanding they are but the ones in PureÌýreally did leave a lot to be desired. At times there were too many words and I got confused about who was doing what and who was hurt and whatnot. Again, I don't think the third person helped here.
PureÌýhad all the ingredients to be a book I truly loved but there was something not quite right in the execution.
Evaluation
Overall 5/10 - I feel harsh putting a 5 but there we are.
Would I recommend it? No. It was too far from perfect to recommend, though it did have some great ideas.
Would I look up the author? No. Like I said above, it was too far from what I was looking for and I won't be reading books two and three.
PureÌýhad the set up to be amazing but there was something off about the execution.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
January 4, 2016
Liebester Award Nomination
A little while ago, quite a few months now (okay I'm lying, it's been over a year!), I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by the lovely . Now you should be as confused as I was when I discovered this because, hey, I've never heard of such a thing. That's okay because Fairley explained it on her blog and I'm sure she won't mind if I steal a few paragraphs!
ÌýWell, I took the time to do the research. It's pretty simple!ÌýIn the words ofÌý:Ìý
"The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. So, what is a Liebster? ÌýThe meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Isn't that sweet? Blogging is about building a community and it's a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers/blogs."There are only five rules for this:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs!
So now back to me, hi! Here are eleven things about me.
1. I'm an author who's been writing for six and a half years straight pretty much which has led to eleven books!2. I've recently started up my own publishing company: Molten Publishing3. I'm addicted to NaNoWriMo and plan to take part in it indefinitely.4. I've almost got 50 books on my bookshelf I haven't been able to read yet.Ìý5. I'm more of a fangirl than I let on. But that's okay. It's okay to get so excited about something that it makes you crazy.6. Since discovering Ìýalmost three years agoÌýI've been as involved with the community as possible and I still can't believe that there's such a nice writing community on the internet.7. I've self-published four of my books.8. I wrote a trilogy before I was eighteen years old and still believe this to be one of my greatest achievements to date.9. I love zombies and even took part in a Zombie Run in 2012 which was awesome.10. I love dogs and have lived with at least one from the age of five until two years ago. But I've only written dogs into two of my books.11. I've written a book review for every book I've read for the past two and half years. Now I don't think I can stop.
Q&A
1. What's the number one thing you love about reading?
Disappearing from reality and imagining things that are impossible. George R. R. Martin said "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once" and I don't think anyone's ever been more correct.Ìý
2. Who is your favourite fictional character?
What an evil question! This depends on so much! Mayor Prentiss from the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness is my most ultimate favourite character just because he's so well constructed. Caine and Diana from Michael Grant's GONE series are incredible. I want to be friends with Gaby from the Rephiam SeriesÌýby Paula Weston.ÌýBut I would love to meet Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, Tris Prior and Augustus Waters of course, who wouldn't?
3. Who is your least favourite fictional character?
This is a lot harder than I thought it would be because I like most characters, especially the bad guys. I guess I hated Julian from the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver. I've just realised who my least favourite fictional character is and that's Daisy from Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now which I hated from start to finish.
4. Have you read a book/book series that you felt was underrated?
The Unearthly trilogy by Cynthia Hand was incredible and yet I've never heard of anyone else reading it. I have no idea why this is because I loved the entire thing. I read books one and two in three or four days!
5. Have you read a book/book series that you felt was overrated?
I read the first Vampire Academy book and thought it was just awful. Also How I Live Now, which I've already mentioned. I can't believe how much fuss that book made.
6. What's your favourite book genre?
ÌýYA all the way.
7. Who is your favourite author?
I have a few: Carrie Ryan, for writing what she loves; Patrick Ness for taking me on crazy adventures; Michael Grant for all the action; and John Green for all the emotions.
8. What is your favourite book?
Evil question number two. My all time favourite books are The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan.
9. How long does it take you to finish a book? (depending on it's length, of course.)
If I like the book, between two days and a week, regardless of its size. If I don't like it, possibly over a month.
10. Have you ever cried over a book? (If so, which one/ones?)
Okay, deep breath, here we go. Harry Potter, Mockingjay (The Hunger Games), Allegiant (Divergent), The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Before I Die, Life on the Refrigerator Door, LIGHT (GONE), The Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking), Hallowed (Unearthly), I Don't Want to Kill You (I Am Not a Serial Killer), Son's of Destiny (Darren Shan), The Book Thief, Raging Star (Dustlands)Ìýand probably a million more!
11. What book would you recommend that everyone should read?
This will have to be a list again. The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness, The Forest of Hands and Teeth TrilogyÌýby Carrie Ryan, The Rephiam Series by Paula Weston and The Dustlands TrilogyÌýby Moira Young.
That took longer than I thought! So here are the people I tag:Ìý
SquonkÌý(), Chloe (), Lily Anna () andÌýGeorgia ()Ìý(Unfortunately I don't know 11 bloggers so you have my permission to tag yourself!)
And here are your questions, they're all book related!
1. What book character do think is most like you?2. Do you prefer the goodies or the badies and why?3. Do you ever get annoyed when literary characters do stupid things? Do you have an example?4. What book disappointed you most?5. What book surpassed your expectations most?6. What genre are you sick of?7. What do you prefer to read, a long series or a stand alone novel?8. Where's your favourite place to read?9. Which fictional character would you like to meet?10. If all the books in the world were getting destroyed and you could only save five, which five would those be and why?11. Who's your favourite author that most people don't know of?
Sorry that took me so long to finish! This blog post has been in my drafts for over a year but finally I got round to it.
Thanks to all the amazing bloggers out there and everyone listening to them!
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
ÌýWell, I took the time to do the research. It's pretty simple!ÌýIn the words ofÌý:Ìý
"The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. So, what is a Liebster? ÌýThe meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Isn't that sweet? Blogging is about building a community and it's a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers/blogs."There are only five rules for this:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs!
So now back to me, hi! Here are eleven things about me.
1. I'm an author who's been writing for six and a half years straight pretty much which has led to eleven books!2. I've recently started up my own publishing company: Molten Publishing3. I'm addicted to NaNoWriMo and plan to take part in it indefinitely.4. I've almost got 50 books on my bookshelf I haven't been able to read yet.Ìý5. I'm more of a fangirl than I let on. But that's okay. It's okay to get so excited about something that it makes you crazy.6. Since discovering Ìýalmost three years agoÌýI've been as involved with the community as possible and I still can't believe that there's such a nice writing community on the internet.7. I've self-published four of my books.8. I wrote a trilogy before I was eighteen years old and still believe this to be one of my greatest achievements to date.9. I love zombies and even took part in a Zombie Run in 2012 which was awesome.10. I love dogs and have lived with at least one from the age of five until two years ago. But I've only written dogs into two of my books.11. I've written a book review for every book I've read for the past two and half years. Now I don't think I can stop.
Q&A
1. What's the number one thing you love about reading?
Disappearing from reality and imagining things that are impossible. George R. R. Martin said "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once" and I don't think anyone's ever been more correct.Ìý
2. Who is your favourite fictional character?
What an evil question! This depends on so much! Mayor Prentiss from the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness is my most ultimate favourite character just because he's so well constructed. Caine and Diana from Michael Grant's GONE series are incredible. I want to be friends with Gaby from the Rephiam SeriesÌýby Paula Weston.ÌýBut I would love to meet Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, Tris Prior and Augustus Waters of course, who wouldn't?
3. Who is your least favourite fictional character?
This is a lot harder than I thought it would be because I like most characters, especially the bad guys. I guess I hated Julian from the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver. I've just realised who my least favourite fictional character is and that's Daisy from Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now which I hated from start to finish.
4. Have you read a book/book series that you felt was underrated?
The Unearthly trilogy by Cynthia Hand was incredible and yet I've never heard of anyone else reading it. I have no idea why this is because I loved the entire thing. I read books one and two in three or four days!
5. Have you read a book/book series that you felt was overrated?
I read the first Vampire Academy book and thought it was just awful. Also How I Live Now, which I've already mentioned. I can't believe how much fuss that book made.
6. What's your favourite book genre?
ÌýYA all the way.
7. Who is your favourite author?
I have a few: Carrie Ryan, for writing what she loves; Patrick Ness for taking me on crazy adventures; Michael Grant for all the action; and John Green for all the emotions.
8. What is your favourite book?
Evil question number two. My all time favourite books are The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan.
9. How long does it take you to finish a book? (depending on it's length, of course.)
If I like the book, between two days and a week, regardless of its size. If I don't like it, possibly over a month.
10. Have you ever cried over a book? (If so, which one/ones?)
Okay, deep breath, here we go. Harry Potter, Mockingjay (The Hunger Games), Allegiant (Divergent), The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Before I Die, Life on the Refrigerator Door, LIGHT (GONE), The Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking), Hallowed (Unearthly), I Don't Want to Kill You (I Am Not a Serial Killer), Son's of Destiny (Darren Shan), The Book Thief, Raging Star (Dustlands)Ìýand probably a million more!
11. What book would you recommend that everyone should read?
This will have to be a list again. The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness, The Forest of Hands and Teeth TrilogyÌýby Carrie Ryan, The Rephiam Series by Paula Weston and The Dustlands TrilogyÌýby Moira Young.
That took longer than I thought! So here are the people I tag:Ìý
SquonkÌý(), Chloe (), Lily Anna () andÌýGeorgia ()Ìý(Unfortunately I don't know 11 bloggers so you have my permission to tag yourself!)
And here are your questions, they're all book related!
1. What book character do think is most like you?2. Do you prefer the goodies or the badies and why?3. Do you ever get annoyed when literary characters do stupid things? Do you have an example?4. What book disappointed you most?5. What book surpassed your expectations most?6. What genre are you sick of?7. What do you prefer to read, a long series or a stand alone novel?8. Where's your favourite place to read?9. Which fictional character would you like to meet?10. If all the books in the world were getting destroyed and you could only save five, which five would those be and why?11. Who's your favourite author that most people don't know of?
Sorry that took me so long to finish! This blog post has been in my drafts for over a year but finally I got round to it.
Thanks to all the amazing bloggers out there and everyone listening to them!
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
December 28, 2015
So Long 2015!
Well 2015 has been a huge year! This year I've learnt more from my failure than my successes and I have been braver than I ever have been before (and than I ever thought I could be).
But let's start off with the most important shall we? Books !
I only read 28 books this year which sounds like a lot but not when you compare it to my 32 from last year and 34 from the year before. I was 7 off my target of 35 and perhaps I'll drop my target down to 30 next year. I've got to say, when you're running your own business, there's a lot less time for reading. But that shouldn't be an excuse so next year I'll aim for 30!
I read some incredibleÌýbooks this year but here are the top ten in the order I read them:
HazeÌý- Paula Weston
Anna Dressed in BloodÌý- Kendare Blake
The PassageÌý- Justin Cronin
Just One DayÌý- Gayle Forman
The Rise of NineÌý- Pittacus Lore
An Abundance of Katherines -ÌýJohn Green
ShimmerÌý- Paula Weston
Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan
BurnÌý- Paula Weston
Sinner - Maggie Stiefvater
I knew my favourite of 2015 was going to be BurnÌýby Paula Weston even before it came out. I adoredÌýthe Rephiam SeriesÌýwhich I read books 2, 3, and 4 of this year. It is just an outstandingÌýread and anyone who loves YA should go and read it straight away!
Special shout out also to Pittacus Lore whoseÌýLorien Legacies series I picked up this year. I read the first four and can't wait to pick up book five and six next year!
This year I also put three books down without finishing them for the first time ever. What can I say, life is really getting going for me and I don't have time for bad books! No more terrible reads for me! Be afraid, be very afraid.
Now moving onto the blog . . .
I wrote 33 book reviews this year which is something to do with having books from 2014 left over that I hadn't reviewed yet back in January! This is blog 52 of the year so I have again succeeded in blogging once a week! Go me!
My three favourite posts are definitelyÌýÌý, Ìý, and ÌýÌýso if you want to go back and read something I suggest one of these.
However my most popular post this year was my Ìýpost which isn't surprising seeing as I posted the link to itÌýeverywhere! In fact, it was my most popular post ever!
This year also saw the mark of myÌýÌýwhich is just insanity.
Now blogging isn't my entire life - shocking, I know - I also do some writing sometimes!
I won some in 2015 (Shortlisted for theÌý) and I lost some in 2015 (only wrote 1 book this year.) but I learnt a hell of a lot about writing and about myself.
My NaNo project, Imprint, crashed and burned and I couldn't be more glad. Three days into NaNo I decided enough was enough and threw the thing away. This let me concentrate on what I really wanted to be working on, ZA. (By the way it stands for Zombie Armageddon.)ÌýSome of you might recognise the title from 2013 and yes, it's the same novel in essence but I'm revamping it. More drama, more chaos, more gore. It'll be beautiful and shiny and even more terrifying in 2016 so thank you so much Imprint for being so terrible!
I also wrote Hereafter, book two in my AfterÌýtrilogy which I'm super excited about! I wrote Hereafter in just 23 days and loved every word. The AfterÌýtrilogy is causing so much excitement I can barely contain it but at the moment HereafterÌýis being kept under lock and key until I can give it my full attention.
Thereafter, book one in the After trilogy, is doing fantastically on my favourite writing website in the world, . This year ThereafterÌýreached which is a fantastic sign for the rest of the trilogy. I'm counting on all the movellians buying it when I get round to releasing it!
Oh and I also releasedÌý, the third book in my Immorality of Immortality trilogy. Gosh I have been busy!
But I swear to you, I've been hard at work too!
One of the reasons 2015 has been so incredible is because I started my very own publishing company: Molten Publishing (). We are a dynamic publishing house passionate about phenomenal young adult fiction - what else! - and our first release, ZA, will be out next year!
I also opened my , , and pages!
I wonder what's around the corner forÌý next year . . .
Next year will of course bring ZAÌýand the zombie armageddon and I'm so excited for that I could burst!
As well as that I'm going to write book three in the AfterÌýtrilogy and get round to polishing ThereafterÌýand editing Hereafter.
There are so many books still on my shelf but I'm looking forward to The Rest of Us Just Live HereÌýby Patrick Ness and of course more LorienÌýLegaciesÌýbooks!
And who knows, Molten Publishing might even open for submissions. Definitely stick around for our author events and creative writing workshops though!
Thank you to everyone who reads my blog. Here's to sticking around for 2016!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the most fantastic new year imaginable,
Molly :)
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
But let's start off with the most important shall we? Books !
I only read 28 books this year which sounds like a lot but not when you compare it to my 32 from last year and 34 from the year before. I was 7 off my target of 35 and perhaps I'll drop my target down to 30 next year. I've got to say, when you're running your own business, there's a lot less time for reading. But that shouldn't be an excuse so next year I'll aim for 30!
I read some incredibleÌýbooks this year but here are the top ten in the order I read them:
HazeÌý- Paula Weston
Anna Dressed in BloodÌý- Kendare Blake
The PassageÌý- Justin Cronin
Just One DayÌý- Gayle Forman
The Rise of NineÌý- Pittacus Lore
An Abundance of Katherines -ÌýJohn Green
ShimmerÌý- Paula Weston
Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan
BurnÌý- Paula Weston
Sinner - Maggie Stiefvater
I knew my favourite of 2015 was going to be BurnÌýby Paula Weston even before it came out. I adoredÌýthe Rephiam SeriesÌýwhich I read books 2, 3, and 4 of this year. It is just an outstandingÌýread and anyone who loves YA should go and read it straight away!
Special shout out also to Pittacus Lore whoseÌýLorien Legacies series I picked up this year. I read the first four and can't wait to pick up book five and six next year!
This year I also put three books down without finishing them for the first time ever. What can I say, life is really getting going for me and I don't have time for bad books! No more terrible reads for me! Be afraid, be very afraid.
Now moving onto the blog . . .
I wrote 33 book reviews this year which is something to do with having books from 2014 left over that I hadn't reviewed yet back in January! This is blog 52 of the year so I have again succeeded in blogging once a week! Go me!
My three favourite posts are definitelyÌýÌý, Ìý, and ÌýÌýso if you want to go back and read something I suggest one of these.
However my most popular post this year was my Ìýpost which isn't surprising seeing as I posted the link to itÌýeverywhere! In fact, it was my most popular post ever!
This year also saw the mark of myÌýÌýwhich is just insanity.
Now blogging isn't my entire life - shocking, I know - I also do some writing sometimes!
I won some in 2015 (Shortlisted for theÌý) and I lost some in 2015 (only wrote 1 book this year.) but I learnt a hell of a lot about writing and about myself.
My NaNo project, Imprint, crashed and burned and I couldn't be more glad. Three days into NaNo I decided enough was enough and threw the thing away. This let me concentrate on what I really wanted to be working on, ZA. (By the way it stands for Zombie Armageddon.)ÌýSome of you might recognise the title from 2013 and yes, it's the same novel in essence but I'm revamping it. More drama, more chaos, more gore. It'll be beautiful and shiny and even more terrifying in 2016 so thank you so much Imprint for being so terrible!
I also wrote Hereafter, book two in my AfterÌýtrilogy which I'm super excited about! I wrote Hereafter in just 23 days and loved every word. The AfterÌýtrilogy is causing so much excitement I can barely contain it but at the moment HereafterÌýis being kept under lock and key until I can give it my full attention.
Thereafter, book one in the After trilogy, is doing fantastically on my favourite writing website in the world, . This year ThereafterÌýreached which is a fantastic sign for the rest of the trilogy. I'm counting on all the movellians buying it when I get round to releasing it!
Oh and I also releasedÌý, the third book in my Immorality of Immortality trilogy. Gosh I have been busy!
But I swear to you, I've been hard at work too!
One of the reasons 2015 has been so incredible is because I started my very own publishing company: Molten Publishing (). We are a dynamic publishing house passionate about phenomenal young adult fiction - what else! - and our first release, ZA, will be out next year!
I also opened my , , and pages!
I wonder what's around the corner forÌý next year . . .
Next year will of course bring ZAÌýand the zombie armageddon and I'm so excited for that I could burst!
As well as that I'm going to write book three in the AfterÌýtrilogy and get round to polishing ThereafterÌýand editing Hereafter.
There are so many books still on my shelf but I'm looking forward to The Rest of Us Just Live HereÌýby Patrick Ness and of course more LorienÌýLegaciesÌýbooks!
And who knows, Molten Publishing might even open for submissions. Definitely stick around for our author events and creative writing workshops though!
Thank you to everyone who reads my blog. Here's to sticking around for 2016!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the most fantastic new year imaginable,
Molly :)
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief atÌýÌý/ Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
December 21, 2015
The Power - Rhonda Byrne
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
The PowerÌýis from the author of the crazily successful The SecretÌýand is all about love and positive thinking.
My Review
Now this is a little strange for me because not only is this book not YA, it's also not fiction at all. I'm not sure if this is why it took me so long to read or because I was swimming in the deep sea of NaNoWriMo.
The PowerÌýis unlike anything I've ever read. I've never read a self-help book before (can I even call it that?) but this one made me think that maybe I'd like to read another. It was so full of great positive lines that I would feel fantastic after picking it up and reading a little section. It made me buzz with smiles and try and put the teachings into action . . . but that's easier said than done. The longer I went from picking it up, the harder I found the message to digest. It seems a lot more difficult to action in the real world. Byrne is teaching that you can just ignore emotions like sadness and anger but in reality, this is a mammoth task. I don't know whether this can be counted as a flaw of the book but the further removed I become from it, the more I found I couldn't do what Byrne suggests.
I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on non-fiction books but I will say this:ÌýThe PowerÌýwas incredibly repetitive. Love is the strongest force. Love don't hate. Turn away from hate and negative emotions. If you believe you receive. They are all the basic messages. The PowerÌýseemed to me to be these phrases repeated and re-worded and over-explained over and over again. Don't get me wrong, the message was beautiful, but she seemed to run out of material insanely quickly. Although it is a phenomenal performance of writing so much and saying so little.
Though don't get the wrong impression, I did enjoy it, it just started to exhaust me after a while and I was glad when it was over. I'm grateful for the messages Byrne teaches in The Power, but I felt like I needed a lie down afterwards.
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. If you need a little pick-me-up, this book is for you!
Would I look up the author? No. I think sticking to my YA fiction is the best bet.
The PowerÌýwas a beautiful read though rather too repetitive for me.
*Author Note: I have for so long been proud of saying I've reviewed every book I've read for the past two and a half years but now that I own my own business and am reading non-fiction also it just doesn't make sense. The PowerÌýwill be my last non-fiction review.ÌýI will however continue to review all fiction that I read. The non-fiction will still be added to my 'Books Read' list and given a star rating on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ but there will be no review. If you want to know what I thought of one of these non-fiction books please feel free to ask! Thanks and love to everyone reading my blog!*
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
The PowerÌýis from the author of the crazily successful The SecretÌýand is all about love and positive thinking.
My Review
Now this is a little strange for me because not only is this book not YA, it's also not fiction at all. I'm not sure if this is why it took me so long to read or because I was swimming in the deep sea of NaNoWriMo.
The PowerÌýis unlike anything I've ever read. I've never read a self-help book before (can I even call it that?) but this one made me think that maybe I'd like to read another. It was so full of great positive lines that I would feel fantastic after picking it up and reading a little section. It made me buzz with smiles and try and put the teachings into action . . . but that's easier said than done. The longer I went from picking it up, the harder I found the message to digest. It seems a lot more difficult to action in the real world. Byrne is teaching that you can just ignore emotions like sadness and anger but in reality, this is a mammoth task. I don't know whether this can be counted as a flaw of the book but the further removed I become from it, the more I found I couldn't do what Byrne suggests.
I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on non-fiction books but I will say this:ÌýThe PowerÌýwas incredibly repetitive. Love is the strongest force. Love don't hate. Turn away from hate and negative emotions. If you believe you receive. They are all the basic messages. The PowerÌýseemed to me to be these phrases repeated and re-worded and over-explained over and over again. Don't get me wrong, the message was beautiful, but she seemed to run out of material insanely quickly. Although it is a phenomenal performance of writing so much and saying so little.
Though don't get the wrong impression, I did enjoy it, it just started to exhaust me after a while and I was glad when it was over. I'm grateful for the messages Byrne teaches in The Power, but I felt like I needed a lie down afterwards.
Evaluation
Overall 6/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. If you need a little pick-me-up, this book is for you!
Would I look up the author? No. I think sticking to my YA fiction is the best bet.
The PowerÌýwas a beautiful read though rather too repetitive for me.
*Author Note: I have for so long been proud of saying I've reviewed every book I've read for the past two and a half years but now that I own my own business and am reading non-fiction also it just doesn't make sense. The PowerÌýwill be my last non-fiction review.ÌýI will however continue to review all fiction that I read. The non-fiction will still be added to my 'Books Read' list and given a star rating on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ but there will be no review. If you want to know what I thought of one of these non-fiction books please feel free to ask! Thanks and love to everyone reading my blog!*
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA [email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
December 14, 2015
Secret Life of a Book Blogger
Welcome to my Secret Life of a Book Blogger post! Thanks so much to Georgia from for tagging me!
1. How long have you been a blogger? Two and a half years on this blog. I tried blogging a few times before and could never really get on with it. But now I think it's stuck!
2. At what point do you think you'll stop blogging? I don't want to stop! But I think the busier I get the harder it will be to update weekly. But hopefully I won't stop!
3. What is the best thing about blogging? Writing in a different way than I'm used to. Writing non-fiction posts once a week helps me grow as a writer and of course reviewing all the books I read helps too!
4. What is the worst thing? Having to set it all up the way I want it. Font, size, all that jazz. It's all about the words for me so the formatting really bores the pants off me.
5. How long does it take you to create/find pictures to use? I don't tend to use pictures - like I said, it's all about the words. It would be incredible to be able to create my own artwork thoughÌýwouldn'tÌýit?
6. Who is your book crush? Book crush? Character from a book you mean? Rafa from the Rephiam SeriesÌýby Paula Weston off the top of my head.
7. What author would you like to have on your blog? Any and all of them! But specifically Carrie Ryan, Moira Young, Paula Weston, Patrick Ness, Michael Grant, and of course J.K. Rowling.
8. What do you wear when you write your blog posts? Whatever I'm wearing that day . . . this seems like a bizarre question. More often than not I'm wearing jeans. Scratch that, I'm always wearing jeans.
9. ÌýHow long does it take you to prepare? It depends what it is. My book reviews start off as bullet points as I'm reading a book and sometimes they take me half an hour to write but sometimes they can take me an hour. Depends on how much I loved or hated a book!
10. How do you feel about the book blogger community? I think it's brilliant and I wish I knew more book bloggers!
11. What do you think one should do to get a successful blog? Writing interesting posts that people want to read is a must but I think more importantly getting your personality across. That's the difference between a blog post and an article, right?
I'm tagging ÌýandÌý.
I'm so glad to have been a part of this! Now back to work . . .
Molly Looby
Author / Editor in Chief at / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA Ready
[email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
1. How long have you been a blogger? Two and a half years on this blog. I tried blogging a few times before and could never really get on with it. But now I think it's stuck!
2. At what point do you think you'll stop blogging? I don't want to stop! But I think the busier I get the harder it will be to update weekly. But hopefully I won't stop!
3. What is the best thing about blogging? Writing in a different way than I'm used to. Writing non-fiction posts once a week helps me grow as a writer and of course reviewing all the books I read helps too!
4. What is the worst thing? Having to set it all up the way I want it. Font, size, all that jazz. It's all about the words for me so the formatting really bores the pants off me.
5. How long does it take you to create/find pictures to use? I don't tend to use pictures - like I said, it's all about the words. It would be incredible to be able to create my own artwork thoughÌýwouldn'tÌýit?
6. Who is your book crush? Book crush? Character from a book you mean? Rafa from the Rephiam SeriesÌýby Paula Weston off the top of my head.
7. What author would you like to have on your blog? Any and all of them! But specifically Carrie Ryan, Moira Young, Paula Weston, Patrick Ness, Michael Grant, and of course J.K. Rowling.
8. What do you wear when you write your blog posts? Whatever I'm wearing that day . . . this seems like a bizarre question. More often than not I'm wearing jeans. Scratch that, I'm always wearing jeans.
9. ÌýHow long does it take you to prepare? It depends what it is. My book reviews start off as bullet points as I'm reading a book and sometimes they take me half an hour to write but sometimes they can take me an hour. Depends on how much I loved or hated a book!
10. How do you feel about the book blogger community? I think it's brilliant and I wish I knew more book bloggers!
11. What do you think one should do to get a successful blog? Writing interesting posts that people want to read is a must but I think more importantly getting your personality across. That's the difference between a blog post and an article, right?
I'm tagging ÌýandÌý.
I'm so glad to have been a part of this! Now back to work . . .
Molly Looby
Author / Editor in Chief at / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA Ready
[email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
December 7, 2015
NaNoWriMo 2015 Post #6
Week Four
Day Twenty-Two - 2,019 words, 3 cups of tea - 50k reached! NaNo has been beaten for another year!
Day Twenty-Three - 2,055 words, 3 cups of tea - No time to celebrate. I've got a novel to finish!
Day Twenty-Four - 4,223 words, 4 cups of teaÌý
Day Twenty -Five - 2,094 words, 4 cups of teaÌý
Day Twenty-Six - 2,279 words, 4 cups of teaÌý
Day Twenty-Seven - 4,112 words, 4 cups of teaÌý
Day Twenty-Eight - 2,063 words, 2 cups of teaÌý
Week four has been quite a ride. I reached 50,000 andÌý70,000 words by the end of November. I also stuck to my 2,000 words a day for ZA. I came from giving up a book on day three and starting anew on day four and look at me now. Anything is possible.ÌýI may not have finished yet but . . .
I have WONÌýNaNoWriMo for the fifth year in a row.Ìý
Time for a celebration! And then back to writing . . .
The Extra Days
Day Twenty-Nine - 2,147 words, 1 cup of teaÌý
Day Thirty - 2,268 words, 4 cups of teaÌý
Well NaNoWriMo, you are once again defeated. You are yet to taste my defeat and I've got a lot of novels left in me yet! See you next year . . .
Molly Looby
Author / Editor in Chief at / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger /ÌýWrimoÌý/ÌýMovellianÌý/ ZA Ready
[email protected]
Visit me onÌýÌý/Ìý/ÌýÌý/Ìý/Ìý
