Book Haul

Hey! Book haul time (...yes I got more books....oops!)
The first book I've had for a while but I realised I haven't put it in a haul. It's Extras by Scott Westerfeld. Blurb below:

These days it's all about the fame. As if life isn't hard enough when you're fifteen, Aya Fuse's face rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An Extra. But when she meets a clique of girls who pull crazy, dangerous tricks in secret, Aya sees a way to get her popularity rating to soar...Aya is sure she's destined for a life in the spotlight, and if she can just 'kick' the story to show everyone how 

intensely cool the Sly Girls are, then the spotlight will be on her. But is Aya really prepared to be propelled out of Extra-land and into a world of instant fame, celebrity...and extreme danger?

I really enjoyed the Uglies trilogy, so I am really excited to read this spin-off, set a few months after the ending of Specials, with completely new characters, setting and plot. 

The second book I ordered in to my library. It's Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Here's la blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

I am so excited for this book! I have been dying to read it for so long but I've had too many other books that I needed to read. I have finally got it! I have a feeling this trilogy will be one I will want to own, but I'm not sure, so I've ordered it from the library first ;) It's a sci-fi, so of course I'm so excited! I can't wait to read the other two books, A Million Suns and Shades of Earth.

The third book is what I am currently reading, and that's Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. It's the second book in the Delirium trilogy (you can read a brief description of the first book, Delirium, here) and I have been wanting to read it for so long! Here's the blurb:

Lena's been to the very edge. She's questioned love and the life-changing and agonising choices that come with it.She's made her decision.But can she survive the consequences?

Not very detailed, I know. But I like it that way - doesn't spoil the book, which I like :) I'm only on page 100 and something but I'm enjoying it so far!

The fourth book is Requiem by Lauren Oliver, which is the third and final book in the Delirium trilogy. I'm not going to include the blurb because I don't want to read any spoilers for Pandemonium, so you can find the blurb here.

Another book I picked up is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Le blurb:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.This was a bit of a spontaneous choice. I've heard such great things about this book, so I decided to order it in to my library (along with Pandemoneum, Requiem and Across the Universe) I was going to order in the sequel, Hollow City, but I decided to try the first one and see if I enjoyed it before ordering in the second book. It's full of these beautiful, vintage pictures that are very peculiar. I am really excited to read it and look through those beautiful photos.

The last book I picked up is for a book award called the Carnegie Medal - information about that here. In my school, and a few others, they hold this annual competition, in which the books shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal are sent to the schools participating. Pupils read these books and review them and one person will be chosen for each book, based on their review. The chosen pupils will then be put into a group with other people chosen for that book and as a group they pick a few scenes to dramatise. The next day, the group performs these scenes, trying to persuade judges that this book should be given the Carnegie Medal. I did it last year and the year before and it was so much fun! This is the last year I can do it, so I really hope I get picked! The book I picked up is Blood Family by Anne Fine. The blurb is below:

Edward is four years old when he is locked away with his mother by her abusive, alcoholic partner, Harris. By the time an elderly neighbour spots his pale face peering through a crack in the boarded-up window and raises the alarm, he is seven.

Rescue comes, but lasting damage has been done. Sent to live with a kindly foster family, and then adopted, Edward struggles to adapt to normal life. Even as a teenager it's still clear to his new family and schoolmates there's something odd about him. Then one fateful day, Edward catches a glimpse of himself in a photograph. What he sees shocks him to the core - a vision of Harris. Was this monster his father all along? And does that mean that, deep down, another Harris is waiting to break out. 

Every step of progress Edward has made swiftly begins to unravel, and he has to decide whether his blood will determine his future. Then one fateful day, Edward catches a glimpse of himself in a photograph. What he sees shocks him to the core - a vision of Harris. Was this monster his father all along? And does that mean that, deep down, another Harris is waiting to break out Every step of progress Edward has made swiftly begins to unravel, and he has to decide whether his blood will determine his future. Every step of progress Edward has made swiftly begins to unravel, and he has to decide whether his blood will determine his future.

I have to say, didn't love this book. It was a little slow to begin with and then it picked up. But just over halfway through the book, I started to find it a bit... eh. The writing was really good, I just wasn't a fan of some of the characters and Eddie, as a main character, was a bit odd. He became hooked on drugs and then on alcohol and I just found it a bit weird. It was okay, but I wouldn't want to re-read this book.

That's all the books! I hope you enjoyed this and have an idea of some books you'd like to read next.

Thanks for reading

xoxo,

Bethan

Happy Mother's Day

 Hi, guys. Happy Mother's Day!

{Daffodils are my mum's favourite flower :) Photo via}

This is just a quick post to say thank you to my mum. For always being there for me. For laughing with me. For holding me when I cry. For picking me up when I fall. Thank you. I love you more than words can say and you mean the world to me.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Bethan

Creative Thursday

Hi, guys! Another poem. Feeling kinda down at the moment :( So I wrote this. Bit depressing, I'm sorry. Just feeling a bit upset, so my writing tends to express it.

{photo via}

I don't know why I

Feel this way.

The tears just keep on

Rolling.

I know I shouldn't

Feel this way.

But the bitter feelings keep on

Stirring.

It's wrong for me to
Feel this way.

You're doing nothing

Wrong.

I wish I wouldn't

Feel this way.

But things just keep on

Happening.

Things that make me

Feel this way

Keep building up until I

Shatter.

I do try not to

Feel this way.

I keep on smiling but my heart keeps

Breaking.

Thanks for reading.

xoxo,

Bethan

The Elemental Book Covers Tag

Bonjour!
Today, I'm going to be doing the Elemental Book Covers tag, as you can see by the title of this post. I saw some Youtubers I watch do this tag and it looked fun - I have a list of tags they have done that look really cool, so expect more of these in the future. I watched Ariel, from arielbissett and Christine, from polandbananasbooks do this tag, but I know so many other YouTubers have done this tag!

Question 1:
Find a book with water on the cover and a book with blue on the cover.

Okay! For a book with water on the cover, I chose City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare and for a book with blue on the cover I chose, of course, The Fault in our Stars by John Green.

See? Water at the bottom :) And blue all over the cover of TFIOS.
I really enjoyed City of Ashes - it is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series. The 6th book comes out May 27th, which I am so excited for! The Fault in our Stars is a brilliant book, you should definitely read it if you haven't - if you haven't, I don't know where you've been...

Question 2:
Find a book with fire on the cover and a book with red on the cover.

For a book with fire, I chose the Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien and for a book with red on the cover, I chose the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

I read The Hobbit a while ago, around when I was ten I think, so I don't remember much. I know I really enjoyed it though! I'm hoping to re-read it sometime this year. Mockingjay...I have mixed feelings. It's definitely not my favourite in the trilogy, but I think it is still a really good book. I don't know how I feel about the ending...I don't know. I did really like this book though, it just wasn't my favourite.

Question 3:
Find a book with something earth related on the cover and a book with green on the cover.

For a book with something earth related, I chose the Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J. K. Rowling. However, I didn't know if this would count because it's a spin off of the Harry Potter series, so I also chose Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, which I read when I was younger. I still have it on my bookshelf because it has a really pretty cover. For a book with green on the cover, I chose Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard has vines and a tree trunk on it, see? But just in case, Anne of Green Gables has a tree on it. Isn't it a gorgeous cover?! I love The Tales of Beedle the Bard - the stories in there are great, with Albus Dumbledore's notes about the stories afterwards. I remembering liking Anne of Green Gables as well and I love Uglies.

Question 4:

Find a book with air on the cover and a book with white/grey on the cover.

Okay, I don't know how you show air...Like fog? Or...I don't know! I picked Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire because Harry is flying, so air rushing around him? I really didn't know for this one! And for a cover with white/grey on it, I picked the Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore. It's the third book in the Lorien Legacies, which is a sci-fi series. I really like them!

Harry's flying, and his hair and robes and being pushed backwards, so air? I was really confused on that one! The Rise of Nine has white/grey sky on it. They are really good books, please pick them up if you're a fan of sci-fi because I really like them!

And finally,

Question 5:

Find a book with blue, red, green and white on the cover.

For this, I chose Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Blue around the title, green for Harry Potter and around J. K. Rowling's name, red for the fire and white for Albus Dumbledore's beard. Success! Love this book as well, the Harry Potter series is amazing!

So that is the Elemental Book Covers tag! I had a lot of fun trying to find these covers. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Thanks for reading <3

xoxo,

Bethan