City of Heavenly Fire Cover Reveal

AHHHHH Its finally here.

The City of Heavenly Fire cover was revealed last night, its the sixth and final book in the Mortal Instrument series.

I don't think I can express how excited I am for this book to be released May can not come quick enough, even though it will be sad to say goodbye to Clary, Jace and all the gang and I know that we are in for some shocking surprises, I still can't wait to see what happens, espcically after the cliff-hanger in book 5.

The cover is awesome it shows Clary holding a sword dressed in white while Sebastian stands in the background with black wings. We all know that someone (or maybe more) are going to die in this book and I am guessing the Clary wearing white is a reflection of this.

 

What do you think of the cover? Do you have any predictions for the final book?

Top Ten 2014 debuts I'm excited for

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks theme is top ten 2014 debuts that we are looking forward too. I always love reading an authors for the first time, I love hunting down new authors to read. Every year more and more amazing authors are getting published and this year is no exception.

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano

 

 

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page

 

 

Love Letter to the Dead

 

 

The Murder Complex

 

 

Side Effects May Vary

 

 

The Winners Curse by Marie Rutkoski

 

 

Are there any other 2014 debuts that I should be looking out for?

 

Most Anticipated Reads of 2014 (January)

2013 was an amazing year for me in terms of finding new authors and series to read. I discovered the amazing talents of Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss/ Lola and the Boy Next Door) and Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor and Park and Fangirl) who made me realise I do actually like to read contemporary fiction. Fantasy became my new love, Maria V Snyder, Leigh Bardugo, Laini Taylor and Sarah Mass all contributed to this and had my imagination living in far off lands. However 2014 is set to be just as good with so many series reaching their epic conclusions but what about the new authors, new series and standalones. There are so many great book set to be released this year which I why I've compelled by list of my most anticipated reads.

Each month I'll list the books I'm most looking forward to reading this month, the ones I'll be rushing out to buy on release day.

 Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

 

In 1940 after the first book ends, Jacob and his new Welsh island friends flee to London, the Peculiar capital of the world. Caul, a dangerous madman, is Miss Peregrine’s brother, and can steal Peculiar abilities for himself. The Peculiars must fight for survival, again.

 

Taste of Power by Maria V. Snyder

 

 

Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.

But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision.

 

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

 

 

For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over?

 

Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

 

Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones. They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war…

A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights. Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences. And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear— will be hovering on the edge of the grave.

 

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

 

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

 

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

 

 

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

 

What are you looking forward to reading this month?

 

Top Ten Bookish Resolutions

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish


This weeks topic on Top Ten Tuesday are  'bookish resolutions' for the new year, whilst I don't have ten I do have a few things I would like to change about my reading habits.

1. Read More Classics - I used to say that Classics were my favourite genre to read and yet in the past year or so I don't think I've picked up a single one and so this year I want to try and read at least one a month.

2. Read More Non-Fiction - I never read non-fiction and yet when I am browsing bookstores it always a section I find myself looking at, especially the popular science books and so this year I want to try and read at least 7 non-fiction titles.

3. Stop giving up on books - I'm not referring to books I'm not enjoying reading this is for those times in a book when something is going wrong for a character, when the world around them is falling apart. Sometimes I don't want to read about bad things happening to them and so I just stop reading. I really do need to stop this because its part of the experience of reading a book, to experience those emotional highs and lows with a character.

4. Read at least 10 books from my TBR pile before I buy anymore books.

5. Try new things - This goes along with reading more non-fiction but I also want to read new authors and new genres, try something within fiction that I wouldn't normally think of picking up.

6. Finish Series - This is something I've been meaning to do for a while now, I've started tons of series and then neglected to pick up the rest, as I've always found something new and shiny to read instead but this year I want to try and finish some so I can finally put them to bed.

I think is this the year that I try to branch out with my reading, explore new avenues and get lost in brand new and exiting adventures.

What are your bookish resolutions?

Home

 

Wanderlust

Wanderlust
-n
a great desire to travel or rove about

I love to travel, who doesn't. The chance to explore a new place, delving into new experiences and new cultures. I love it all.

A couple of years ago I spent two and half months travelling around America, it was one of the best experiences of my life and now in six weeks time and going back again, this time not for as long, just three short weeks but I can't wait.

I'm starting off in New York, then flying to Vancouver, then off to Seattle, then onto Portland and finally to Chicago. I've been to both Chicago an New York before, I loved both cities so much that I am really eager to return. But Vancouver, Seattle and Portland will be a whole new adventure for me. I've never been to Canada before, but its one place I've always wanted to go and I've only ever heard great things about it. I've spent weeks reading through travel blogs and books trying to find the best places to visit to make the most of my short time. I'm going with a couple of friends from work, and considering we are all book crazy we want to try and visit as many bookstores as we can, from the big mega bookstores to the small independent ones, I want to see as many as I can. I want to experience the American and Canadian nightlife, I want live music and local bars. I want to see the local markets, the parks and museums. I especially want to visit the museums, I love going to museums, (side note: I would love to travel around Europe one day on  tour of museums). There is just so much to see and do and I don't want to miss a moment.

"Travel as much as you can. As far as you can. As long as you can. Life's not meant to be lived in one place."

Are there any places you think I should visit whilst I'm there?

Top Ten Books of 2013

2013 was actually a good year in terms of books read for me I beat my goal of 100 by 4 books and I know if I hadn't of slacked of in December and actually finished some books then that number would have been a lot bigger which is why I have set myself a target of 150 for 2014, if I meet this goal then it will be the most books I have ever read in one year, its going to be quite a feat for me but I think will a little perseverance, I am more than capable to doing it.

Now onto last year, as I said I read 104 books last year, some of them I liked, others I loved and some I actually obsessed over. It was really hard for me to pick just 10 books that I loved and would encourage you to read but here are the ones I would recommend you drop everything you're doing and read right away because I loved them that much.

 

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

 

Rainbow Rowell was defiantly my discovery of the year in terms of new authors, I fell head over heels with both of her books and the characters and worlds she creates. Fangirl spoke directly to my inner book nerd, I loved Caths obsessive behaviour with the world of Simon Snow, she reminded me of my younger self and my love of Harry Potter fanfiction. Rowell created a wonderful world in which Cath learns to grow and enters the 'real world', a world full of magic of its own kind.

 

2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor

 

I remember when I found this book, I don't think I shut up about it for weeks and I think I may have actually have fallen in love with Laini Taylor and her words when I read it. From the minute I read the first page, I wanted, no needed to know more. Taylor created a magical and beautiful world and merged it with our own, her words left me speechless and her characters were beautifully flawed, I don't know if I would recommend another book as much as I would this one. I promise you wont be disappointed.

 

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephaine Perkins

 

 This book was a breath of fresh air, it was beautiful and heart-breaking and made me want to go back to Paris and have the same experiences as Anna. I wish I could express how much I loved this book, it was beautiful and mesmerizing, Stephanie just has a way with words that creates a world and characters that I would love to experience and to know.
 

4. Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

 

 

This book is filled to the brim with action, tension, murder, mystery, romance and with a sprinkling of magic. Loyalty is questioned, battle lines are drawn and it is just the start to what is sure to be an epic series. Celaena is such a refreshing chance from the stereotypical characters we often see in books, she is good looking, smart and extremely skilled in combat and boy does she know it. 

 

5. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

 

 

I hadn't heard much about this book before it appeared in work one day and after finishing Daughter of Smoke and Bone I was eager to read something in a similar vain and let me tell you I was not disappointed. Shadow and Bone was an epic fantasy, the characters, the world building all blew me away, from the prologue to the end I was hooked, the writing was beautiful and kept me captivated throughout.

 

6. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

 

I had been eager to read Eleanor and Park since I had first heard about Rainbow Rowell and I think this book is a contender for being my absolute favourite of the year. Eleanor has to be one of the best female characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about, she individual and quirky. This book gave me those butterflies in my stomach, it made my heart clench and it sent me on a roller-coaster of emotions and the ending, I think I screamed in frustration when I read it, I kept turning the page hoping for something more.

 

7. More Than This by Patrick Ness

 

More than this is an utterly compelling and wonderfully bizarre book, that will keep you hooked from the opening chapter, when our main protagonist dies whilst swimming on the beach and wakes up back in his childhood home. The events that occur throughout the rest of the book will have you second guessing everything you thought you knew. Ness keeps us on the edge of our seats and has created a diverse set of characters that you'll learn to love. More than this challenges the human nature and the fact that we are always searching for 'more than this'.

8. All my Friends are Superheroes

 

I think this was one of the shortest books I read this year and it was recommended to me by a lot of the people I work with and I loved it. It was funny and quirky, I loved all the little descriptions of the different types of superheroes that exist. It was a romantic comedy in a small little package and will leave you feeling warm inside. 

 

9. Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

 

This book was an interesting look and compelling story about a depressed teenager and what he perceives to be his last day on earth, the book jumps between different times in Leonards life and those life changing moments, as Leonard starts to say goodbye to all the people who have changed his life in some way, whether they realise it or not. It was a surprisingly sweet story and made me think about how people effect may our lives in the smallest of ways.

 

10. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

 

This was the last book I read in 2013 and from the moment I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Touch of Power is the first book in the Avery of Kazan series and if you like high fantasy then you should defiantly give it a try. Snyder has created a magical world, full of mayhem and danger, her characters are funny and loyal. Every chapter brings a new threat to Avery so its never boring. I ran out and bought the sequel as soon as I had finished it.

In other news, as I'm writing this post I am actually watching or should I say catching up on some NHL, I haven't watched that many games before but one of my close friends is a major Chicago Blackhawks fan and considering we are heading over to America in a couple of weeks and we are actually going to watch a game I figured I should get to grips with it.

Now if you didn't know I am more an NFL girl myself but I have to say once I got my head around the speed of the sport I am really enjoying watching it, I'm not sure I fully understand all the rules yet but I am sure that that will come with time. It's definitely more of an aggressive sport, its strange that fighting is actually acceptable but boy do these guys have some skill on the ice, I'm more of a grip the sides of a rink girl myself.

 

What were your favourite books of 2013? Do you agree with any of mine?

Let's talk: Reading Habits

Okay so I've got a little confession to make, recently I've been starting books but not actually finishing them now this isn't one or two books its a lot, 11 to be exact.

I don't know why I keep doing this, sometimes is simply because I just am in the mood to read a different genre of book and sometimes its because the story itself isn't keeping me entertained and then other times its because I can tell something bad is about to happen in the story and I don't want to read about it just yet, I just want to keep envisioning everything being perfectly happy for my characters for a little while longer and then in one case its because the subject nature of the story hit a little close to home and I couldn't quiet bring myself to carry on reading it just yet.

Now I will get round to finishing them, that's actually going to be my goal for this month is to finish what I've started to read and this shouldn't be too hard to complete considering I'm over half way through most of these books.

Do you ever struggle to finish reading books?