Review - Past Perfect by Leila Sales

Summer loving, had me a blast……in full on revolutionary gear. Gonna party like it’s 1774 baby!! Okay so Chelsea and her crazy pants parents (who are AWESOME, can I get a what what for parents who actually *don’t* suck?!) spend their summers working as re-enactors at Essex Village. But this year Chelsea wants to be a normal teen and like sell t-shirts at the gap, or even better, work at an ice cream store where she can continue her goal to become an ice cream expert. But her BFF Fiona is like WHAT? NO! and so they go work at Essex together. Which would totes be fine, but Ezra, the guy who dumped Chelsea (for like NO reason because she is AWESOME) is working their too which kinda sucks. Throw in a war against the Civil War re-enactors that put up shop down the road and well, this summer, things are CRAZY and so past perfect (I know, I know, I slay myself sometimes too. And by sometimes I obvs mean all the time).

Honestly you guys…..it’s books like Past perfect that make me SO happy that I’m literate. Because as much as it would blow not being able to read, it would blow more not being able to read THIS book.

Chelsea. Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea….I LOVE HER!!!! If we hung out she’d teach me about the Revolutionary war and stuff over ice cream, because I LOVE ICE CREAM. Fiona would come too because she rocks my face off. We would talk about Ezra, even though Chelsea is so totally too good for him!! Also we would discuss war tactics and how we could use my British accent to go spy on their asses! Like Harriett! If me and Chelsea lived in 1774, I would totes go traitor for her…………without a doubt.

You guys, Leila is so funny it’s not even LEGAL. Like outrageously funny, in a way that’s not forced, she just IS and it shows in her writing. Everything flows from one thing to the next so seamlessly it’s insane, from the whimsical to the hilarious to the heartfelt and insightful. If her writing was ice cream, it would be a solid 10. Because damn is she CLEVER. It’s the quiet funnies that creep up on you, which snap to whip –smart one liners, to the snarky inner monologue and it all just WORKS, because she knows what she’s doing with her words. She never tries to over saturate the pages with gags that make you want to vom, because she’s funny without having to try, and let me tell you it makes ALL the difference.

Also, the war? COULD YOU GET A BETTER PLOT LINE? I THINK NOT. You guys, ever since Jellicoe Road and the war between the townies, boardies and cadets I have been like WHY is there hardly any turf wars in books because IT’S THE BEST THING EVER. And it involves history. SOLD. Any book that lets me live vicariously through people at war, planning strategies and pranks to make total farb’s of them, is like bookgasm worthy. AND I BOOKGASMED MORE THAN ONCE.

I can’t go without the obligatory sexytimes talk. This has that whole will they won’t they, should they shouldn’t they vibe ALL OVER IT. The slow burn baby, it’s back with a vengeance to make your pants melt and your knees weak. JUST SAYIN. And having this all in the wondrous setting of Essex was like KAPOW IN MY PANTS. Because it was like going to summer camp with the cool kids.

Ladies and gents, Sales has done it again. If I wasn’t a major fan girl already because of the amaze that is Mostly Good Girls, then this would’ve sealed the deal. WITH SUPER STRONG GLUE. She is a genius at contemporary literature with relatable spunky smart characters. She is a genius at the funnies and the themes and dialogue and relateableness. Basically, she is a genius full stop.

Struts and Frets Blog Tour - Interview with Jon Skovron

Way back when in 2009, just when i'd not long been doing this blogging business, I read this book.  This book about a boy called Sammy with music in his blood.  I loved it so much I named my then new Macbook - Macbook Sammy - I KNOW.  I bought it because of it's cover and because a story about music is a story I want to read.  And I LOVED IT.  Contemporary fiction at it's best.  So when I found out it was being published in the UK, with a brand spanking new cover, I was THRILLED.  Even better? I was invited to be part of the blog tour and interview the man himself! HOLLA!! So, without further adieu, here's my little interview.....

Struts and Frets was like book mecca for a indie fan like myself, and basically the playlist made my life. SO, if you could make a playlist for your life in 5 songs, what songs would you choose?

Five songs? For my whole life? Argh, you are a cruel woman. Hmmm, ok. So let’s break it down into age chunks.

“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd. Middle school was when I really discovered music. When I first got passionate about it. And my favorite band in middle school was Pink Floyd. I owned every album and knew every song by heart. 

“Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies. I had a lot of “favorite bands” in high school. It changed on almost a weekly basis. But the band that I never tired of was The Pixies. 

“Teardrop” by Massive Attack. Throughout college I was obsessed with trip-hop. Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, Tricky, and the grandaddy’s of it all, Massive Attack. 

“Tango Till They’re Sore” by Tom Waits. My first few years out of college and living in Brooklyn were dark, strange times. Tom Waits got me through it.

“Holland, 1945” by Neutral Milk Hotel. I got married, had kids, moved to Seattle, and rediscovered my love of independent music. There’s so many to choose from this time in my life: Modest Mouse, Sparklehorse, Themselves, Arcade Fire, just to name a few. But for me, the band that owned my mind was Neutral Milk Hotel.

I could go on with other phases, but you did say only five…

I can vividly remember buying my first ever CD, (Spice Girls, I know I know! I cringe now, but when I was 10 they were HIP). What was the first album you ever bought?

Heh. I actually think the first album I spent my own money on was “Fat” by Weird Al Yankovic. Totally NOT hip. Of course, this was before I really got into music. The first album that I bought and I was really excited about was “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd. On cassette, of course.

When I was 17, I went to see The Coral at some dingy club, and their supporting act was The Arctic Monkeys (before they got signed! I still fan girl over that!) and I was so close to the front, the lead singer spat on my face a LOT. It was gross. What’s the grossest thing that’s ever happened to you at a concert?

Well, back in the day when I would throw myself around in the mosh pit, spit and sweat (yours, others) were just part of the experience and I don’t think I ever had much worse. Unless you count this performance art/rock/rave concert thing I saw in a warehouse in the South End of London where a troupe of performers/dancers from Spain threw raw meat at the crowd. That was really gross, and probably not at all hygienic.

I love mish-mashing characters from one book to another, I’m cool like that. If you could place music lover and guitar player extraordinare, Sammy, in a different book, which would you choose and why? (I can totally see him rocking out with The Rat in Cecil Castellucci’s Beige)

Well, at the risk of pissing off Jen5, I think that if Sammy ever met Emily Black from I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert, they would make amazing music together of all kinds ;)

You’re competing in Battle of the Bands! OMG CHECK YOU OUT.....the competition is FIERCE! Your current band members are LAME and decide they don’t want to compete, but dude, this is your DREAM! You have to get a band together quick, who do you pick?

Wow, you mean anybody? That’s huge. Probably Andy Stack from Wye Oak, because he’s amazing at both drums and keyboard, my two weakest instruments. And he can play them simultaneously! And as for a bassist, I’m torn between Les Claypool of Primus and Kim Deal of The Pixies. Les is probably the better bassist (best bassist ever?), but I think Kim’s sound would jive better with Andy and me. Plus, female bass players who can sing are the coolest people in the world, without question.

WOW.....these answers made me smile!! I am a HUUUUUUUGE Pixies fan and if I ever had to do Battle of The Bands I would SO be picking Kim Deal.  Also, I need to meet Emily because we share the sanme surname, plus she sounds like a BAMF.  Tom Waits is a musical genius so I smiled hard when I saw that on the list......the closest i've ever got to hearing where is my mind live was at a placebo concert and they did a cover, amaze, but i don't think it lives up to the pixies concerts i've seen on video.

YAYYYYY THANKS JON.  You can catch the next stop on the tour tomorrow over on my girl jenny's blog, Wondrous Reads.  You can also visit Jon at his website right here or follow him on twitter here. PLUS, if you want to read my review, you can do that here.

Banning Books is like sex with an amatuer....

and by that i mean it is POINTLESS.  And a waste of time because why mess around with someone who doesn't know the ropes when you have bigger fish to fry? like i don't know, instead of trying to BAN a book because it has gay characters why not use all that time and energy to do something more positive, because i am pretty sure all that hate comes with a price.  so here are my thoughts on book banning...

SO, in honour of banned books week, go and do something crazy! open your mind with a banned book! like Harry Potter! and try hard not to be overcome with the urge to practice witchcraft or devote time to demonic activities, because apparently thats what harry potter will make you do. According to the morons who want it banned. ENJOY!

 

Review - Ashes by Ilsa Bick

Before I even get started, I should warn you that this isn’t one of those “tries to be scary and fails. Epically” kind of books. NO SIREE. This is one of those cross your legs so you don’t pee from sheer terror kind of books. The kind of book that you want to put in the freezer. The kind of book that if you read it under your sheets with a torch, well, you’re spending the night in your mums bed (even if you are a grown up).

So, our Alex is basically the living dead, as in she has terminal cancer and is waiting around to die. Which means her life isn’t all that excitingly fabulous, in fact it pretty much sucks. She decides that she aint going to sit around and wait for death to come a-knocking, so being awesome, she goes out into the wilderness ALONE, to try and figure out what this all means for her. But things get worse, as they do in apocalyptic novels, and a big blast of EMP (electro magnetic pulse) ZAPS all electronic devices and kills most of the grown-ups. The ones left alive are either changed or spared. And by changed I obvs mean they now like their meat a la human. Enter the cutes Ellie who’s like an annoying sister but cuter, and Tom, the hot young soldier back from war are you have your very own survival group! WHO ARE AWESOME. Except Alex is changing into something but WHAT….

You guys, reading this book made me feel like I did when read The Shining. You know, when I had nightmares for almost 3 weeks and had to hide the book because I freaked myself out so much, which DIDN’T stop the nightmares. No I still have them sometimes. AND THE BOOK GOT THREW IN THE BIN. Bick isn’t messing around here, she wants to scare the beejesus out of you with her INSANE BLOODY GORY DESCRIPTIONS. And sometimes I felt sick because they are eating PEOPLE. And you get to witness it all; the smell, the sounds, the GORE. It was disgusting. DISGUSTINGLY AWESOME. Plus, there is no denying she knows what she’s talking about. The explanations for the EMP were plausible and rather believable because she didn’t use all techno mumbo jumbo, she explained what had happened and why in a way that even me, possibly the densest person ever, could understand.

And Alex? ALEX IS AWESOME. You know, for a chick that basically KNOWS she is going to die, she was pretty upbeat and extremely kick ass. I mean, what normal teenage girl would find out they was dying and decide hey, guess what would be fun? Going into the wilderness. Alone. With only a brain tumor for company. ONLY SOMEONE WHO IS AWESOME! Me? I’d wallow and cry and basically live out my Miss Havisham fantasy. And when people start eating other people she is basically just awesome.

Well there you go. I think you should read it and then maybe we can figure out a way together to get my nightmares to stop. Also, you need to experience alex and her awesome, even if it is wrapped up in a gory , scary package. Because there is nothing better than a zombie apocalyptic novel done right. Awesome.

Review - Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Okay, so the amaze The Knife of Never Letting Go made me fall in love with the EFFIN CRAZY INSANENESS that is Patrick Ness.  Then I read The Ask and The Answer (which i just realised i never reviewed.  MAJOR FACE PALM) and well, i got the absolute shit kicked out of me (emotionally, obvs).  Which brings me to what i'm ACTUALLY trying to say, which is, this is one large spoiler fest up in hurrrr, so like, maybe don't read this.  Because i don't want to be the girl who spoils basically the best SERIES EVAH, srsly, i'm not joking around here.  

HEY THERE PERSON WHO IS MY NEW BFF.  Because i assume if you got to this bit then you've read the first two books in this series! YAY! And if not what are you doing? THIS IS NOT A TEST! So, Todd is all messed up from the ending of TAaTA because he had to free the crazy ass Mayor Prentiss because a gigantic army of Spackle was coming to rain on their shitty parade.  And Viola is pretty banged up what with her TWO broken ankles, and all the running to the spaceships she's doing.  Also, there's stuff blowing up all over the shop because the Answer don't know when ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! 

Prentiss (is he evil or not, redeemable or just a plain pshyco! ah i love him and hate him) and Mistress Coyle are still trying to checkmate each other because they're both power hungry in epically different but the same ways.  So, the town is basically falling to pieces around them and they won't stop because they both want THE POWER.  In fact, they're both bat shit crazy about taking over the town that they seem to forget they have a farcking ARMY full of Spackle coming to DESTROY everything and everyone.  So, there's all this crazy fighting and bombs and violence and political propaganda being thrown all over the show and nobody knows whats happening and why and when and OMG I CAN'T HANDLE THIS BOOK.  Basically, Todd and Viola are in a word, FUCKED.  And it's all Patrick Ness's fault.  Damn that man.  And yet, you will not, can not look away.  until something happens that makes you throw up on YOSELF, because you cry so much, then you'll hide the book under your bed for THREE months, until you have fully calmed down.  But maybe that's just me. 

Honestly you guys, this is one screwed up rollercoaster ride of crazyness.  I've got the sweats even writing this review because I still can't even handle the shit that went down.  Because Ness and that sneaky talent of his, Todd and Viola are like MY FICTIONAL CHILDREN.  And I have NEVER felt that way about any character ever.  I wanted to look after them, I wanted them to stay safe and happy and not to have seen all this crazy horrid stuff that just rains down on them NON STOP.   Todd is one of those characters whose development has been a gradual thing over the three books and to see him come into his own and really grow into this man who tries to make everything okay made me go HELL YEAH.  Because even though it's all INSANITY ALL OVER IN YOUR FACE, he is such a strong and passionate guy, and he wants to do whats right, not just for Viola, but for everyone.  

And Viola? GIRL IS PRIME TIME BADASS.  Not only did she land on ANOTHER planet and watch her parents die, but then she killed some crazy ass dude, met Todd and dealt with all that noise business with style, she also got shot, got separated from her only friend, got branded which got INFECTED, she got tortured, she saw her friends die and the people she love got hurt, and she also got BOTH her ankles broken, and YET she continues to fight.  Y'all if that was me, you best believe i'd be dead in chapter one from crying too much.  Death from tears.  That would be me.  Viola is the epitome of what it means to be a true fighter and dang it man, Ness just keeps pulling the punches like a machine of fucking terror.  

Ness is one clever gent.  For serious.  just like TAaTA and TKoNLG, MoM is all about choices and that by making choices we can and will be defined by them.  And we get to see how one choice can have a domino effect on everything around you, from the choice Todd made in the first book to use the knife, to the choice him and Viola have to face that could affect the outcome of the war raging around them.  And some of the choices will make you maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad, like book throwing mad, because you'll be like what in the WHAT NOW? WHAT YOU DOING?! 

Basically, MoM was OFF THE HOOK AMAZE.  And I have never read a book where I have NO clue what is going to happen.  It was like fighting in the dark.  It hurt and I took a lot of punches because I didn't know where the blows were coming from next.  Plus, all wrapped up in the ongoing carnage of my heart, Ness managed to drive home a message that didn't feel preachy or convoluted.  And the fact that he stayed true to the characters made me happy, like i'd come full circle back to the beginning, when Todd was just a boy that didn't know the horrors the world could hold.  because it showed me that Ness wanted us to remember, and showed that he didn't forget.  And because he didn't forget, he made me put faith and hope in humanity, and realise that the one constant throughout the book was not that actions have consequences, it was hope.

Review - Saving June by Hannah Harrington

"If she'd waited less than two weeks, she'd be June who died in June.  But I guess my sister didn't consider that"

Harper is more than a little fucked up.  For one, her sister - her gorgeous, perfect sister- takes her own life, with nothing so much as a goodbye post it note as an explanation.  Her life has been thrown into the theoretical tumble drier and no one can tell her why.  For seconds, her divorcing parents want to split her ashes into his-and-her urns.  I KNOW.  So, my girl Harper goes all nancy drew in her sisters room and uncovers a postcard, with the words "California, I'm coming home" scrawled on the back, in June's writing.  Clearly, this means she must steal the ashes and drive cross country, with her amaze friend, Laney, to the one place her sister dreamed of. 

But things are not so simple, especially when you've got the rather arrogant, beautuche, music snob, Jake Tolan on the scene.  Who obviously has NOTHING in common with Harper's perfect sister, June.  But they had a connection apparently, so Jake decides that the journey to Cali won't go ahead without him.  And well, you can bet Harper's still in the desperate denial stage, so she let's him come along.  BUT, she's not counting on him having a secret too.  

You know that awful feeling you get sometimes when something really horrible has happened and you feel a little sick, but all you want to do is laugh? That's basically the whole first chapter of this book.  Because even though we begin at June's wake, its dealt with in this kind of shocking way that doesn't dwell too much on the complete and utter destruction June taking her life has caused.  It's heartfelt and comforting and like a breath of fresh air, which is so bizarre but then not all at the same time.  I was expecting my heart to be attacked with a grief machete, but damn y'all Harper is fucking prime time.

And well, Harrington completely slayed me with her dialogue.  Like a farcking word NINJA.  And you know, it's so refreshing and damn mind blowing to read a book that flows so effortlessly from one scene to the next, like that's how it was always meant to be.  That strange feeling you get when you know that this was how the story had to be told plus the face cracking grin you get when you feel thankful that you get to read a story so amaze.  And this is her debut novel.  It was just all so easy and gorgeous.  

HARPER.  I LOVE YOU GIRL.  If I met Harper, I would probably squeeze her into a hug.  And then she'd punch me in the face, because she's not down with unnecessary touching.  Ironic that she likes the song "Touch Me" so damn much.  And I totally wouldn't blame her for being a whiny and weepy and all woe is me.  But that's the thing.  She's not.  She's sarcastic and funny in her own special way, and yeah she's kind of angry and keeps things bottled up, but whatevs.  She made me full belly laugh.  She made me cry so much I had to stop reading.  She made me want to appreciate all the little things about my own sister that I take for granted.  It could have been easy for Harper to fall into the mould of grieving sister who needs saving from everyone, who needs to fill the boots of the sister that was always SO good.  And yet she doesn't and that's a credit to Harrington, because Harper is real in a way that works.  

And the romance? OH BABY.  It is all about the slow burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn.  And it's axactly how I like it - snark, topped with sexytimes, with a side of good music taste, sprinked with enough sexual tension to make you hyperventalate until you're shouting TAKE OFF HIS SHIRT AND LICK HIS TUMMY.  Damn, I have never seen so much restraint in the development of a relationship before and I LOVED it, y'all the slow burn gets me, each and every time.  I didn't know if I wanted Harper to attack Jake with her tongue verbally, or y'know, sexually.  I love the whole searing hatred that turns into searing fire in yo pants.  And bookgasm? GIRL, I had about 50 .  Just sayin.  

Music.  Oh god the music.  It was ALMOST as good as the i-hate-you-now-i-dont-now-i-do-no-wait bit.  Because this is MY music.  MY MUSIC YOU GUYS! I want to live in a Hannah Harrington mix CD.  I really do.  JUST LET IT BE.  Honestly, holy shit.  And the fact that his choice of music was as much a character trait for Jake as the fact that he had gorg piercing green eyes made me want to curl up in a ball and cry at the beauty of it all.  I am one of those people who think there is a song for every defining moment in you're life.  Even the small defining moments, like whether to have cereal or fruit for breakfast.  THERE IS A SONG FOR EVERYTHING.  And jake gets that.  He gets it.  So I dug him like woah, take this quote for example (and his excellent whispering skillz), this quote sealed the deal.  SEALED IT SHUT.

"He took his pain and turned it into something beautiful. Into something that people connect to. And that's what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you."

If you like your contemporary books to have a whole lot of heart.  If you like them to be heartfelt, genuine and swoonworthly.  If you like them to make you want to listen to class rock at 3am.  If you like them to make you burn through all of your pants.  Damn, just if you like books, then Saving June is the book for you.  Because it may be a book about overwhelming loss and life shattering grief, but it's a book that will make you want to live.  A book that will make you want to believe in hope and in love.  And above all, a book that will make you want to have sex to nineties rock.  

BBAW Day One - All You Need is Love

So, Book Blogger Appreciation Week is FINALLY here! YAY!! And it's beginning with a bang, because y'all, I get to go all mushy and sentimental on yo asses with today's prompt "Community" -

While the awards are a fun part of BBAW, they can never accurately represent the depth and breadth of diversity in the book blogging community. Today you are encouraged to highlight a couple of bloggers that have made book blogging a unique experience for you. They can be your mentors, a blogger that encouraged you to try a different kind of book, opened your eyes to a new issue, made you laugh when you needed it, or left the first comment you ever got on your blog. Stay positive and give back to the people who make the community work for you!

It's kind of ridiculous how many friends i've made in the two short years that i've been doing this "blogger" thing.  And it's not like i'm short of friends in "real life" - I have a group of friends that basically rock my face off on a daily basis.  I've had the same best friend for 23 years.  Literally, there is no other person in the world who could ever know me as well as she does.  She "gets" me.  And yet, she doesn't read.  It's kind of hard to tell you how strange it is for me NOT to be able to tell her about a book i've just read, or a fictional character that I simply must farking have sexytimes with.  So, for me to be able to form friendships with people I have known in such a short amount of time, blows my mind.  It really does.  I don't see these girls as "other bloggers", i see them as my lifelong friends.  Friends I could go to with personal things. Friends I could lean on, who would lend me a virtual shoulder to cry on.  Friends I never thought in a million years I would EVER be lucky enough to have.  It's because of them that I carry on even when I want nothing more than to just forget what a blog even is.  It's because of them that I smile so much my face hurts.  IIt's them that make it all worth while.

And now here comes the mushy stuff 

Jenny from Wondrous Reads : Jenny's blog is the first blog I ever visited.  Like EVER.  I didn't know this whole book world existed.  I started to read her posts - I admired her, this girl from my home town for being so honest and open about why she loved young adult books.  So I did what I always do, I reached out to her through email.  And she replied.  Y'ALL you won't even begin to understand how amazed I was that this blogging superstar had actually taken the time to email me back.  And the rest as they say, is history.  Jenny is my homegirl, she really farcking is.  I mean, I'm not a emotional person, but damn y'all I love her so hard it's not even funny.  She laughs at my stupid jokes, she understands my excitement when the postman arrives, she gets that i'm going to text her random things and she takes it all in her stride.  I could go on about all the amazing things we've done as friends since that very first signing two years ago but the list is well rather fricking long and well, i can't actually remember to be frank.

Anna from Anna Reads : This girl.  OMG this girl, I swear it FREAKS me out how we always seem to feel the same way about certain books.  It's like i'm in her brain or shes in mine or something.  And well, she did invent the matchstick reviews, so what's not to love? Anna, like me, is rather partial to books with kissing and will infact judge them for not including the sexytimes shenanigans.  WHICH IS THE SAME AS ME.  Honestly, I love this girl something fierce.  She never fails to make me giggle, she understands and feels the same way about Marcus Flutie.  Her enthusiasm and fun personality make her one of a kind.  I was lucky enough to meet Anna in NYC this year and she is just as fabulous in person, which makes my heart happy because I love this chick a LOT.  Anna, SHIT YOUR FAX.  xoxo.

Jen from Makeshift Bookmark - I LOVE YOU JEN.  If there was ever another person in the whole world who loves caps lock as much as me, well, that's for sure Jen.  I've never actually "met" Jen in person, but I know that one day I will.  Clearly.  It just has to happen.  When I think back to my first year of blogging, it seems so bizarre that I didn't know her because her blog hadn't even started yet.  It makes my head hurt to try and think about what my blogging life was like without Jen in it.  I can't ever imagine not knowing this girl.  I don't want to EVER imagine not knowing her.  I value her friendship a lot more than she knows.  She is without a doubt one of the nicest girls ever.  EVER.

anna, me and jamie, a leetle drunked

Jamie from Perperual Page Turner - AHHHHHHHHH fellow Topshop lover and seriously fabulous girl.  During the week of BEA, I probably spent 90% of that in her company.  And you know what, I didn't want to come home.  She is passionate and sweet and caring and above all, much stronger than she gives herself credit for.  To say that she deserves nothing more than the best in life is the understatement of the century.  I have never known anyone to be so kind and friendly and to offer support to anyone that needs it.  If I could move to America tomorrow, I'd probably want to live within driving distance of her, because who else is going to go to Pinkberry five times a day with me?

Capillya from That Cover Girl - I first met Cap through our mutal friend, Adele.  I don't think I could ever thank her enough for being the one to bring Cap's blog to my attention.  This girl makes me laugh so hard I have to cross my legs so I don't pee.  Her blog is one of the few that truly inspire me.  I don't think I can walk past a weird/wonderful/pretty/shiny book cover without taking a photo of it and tweeting it her.  If I tried to rememeber all the times shes been there to offer words of encouragement and advice and just her friendship, i'd fail.  This girl is amazing.  And I truly hope she realises it.

April from Good Books and Wine - April is possibly my favourite person.  Because we have the most basic thing in common.  We both somehow, somwhere at some point lost our brain filters and didn't bother trying to find them.  She makes me giggle something fierce, she makes me believe that being yourself and standing up for what you believe in is the reight thing to do.  She understands why sexytimes are important.  She gets why good writing owns storyline, each and every time.  Her blog makes me proud to be a blogger.  It makes me proud to call her a friend.  Her sense of humour is basically the best thing in the whole world.  No scratch that, this girl is basically the best thing ever.  Because she refuse to be anything other than herself.  Which I admire like woah.


Ginger from GReads - I can't count the amount of times me and Ginger have talked about music, or what bands we both love.  I can't count the amount of times we've swooned over a ficitonal character, or the number of times we've bonded over mundane everyday things.  She is truly a wonderful girl.

All of these girls make me the blogger that I am today.  Crap, even the girl I am today.  Honestly, how lucky am I to call these people my friends?!

In My Mailbox!!

In my mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie

Review

The Isle of Blood - Rick Yancy - I reeeeeallllllly need to read the first book in this series!

The Mortal Instruments boxset - Cassandra Clare - I think we all KNOW what I think of this series!

Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories - various - ahhh omg YEAH!

Liesl and Po - Lauren Oliver - when this finished copy came, i nearlly cried because gosh darn it IT'S SO PRETTY!

Gift

Jerk, California - Jonathan Friesen - this was a total surprise gift from the lovely Capillya from one of my favourite blogs in all the land, That Cover Girl, where she does DOES judge a book by their cover.  THANK YOU LADY!! Honestly, I can't wait to meet you in real life, which clearly needs to happen.  CLEARLY! <3 thanks darling!

Wanderlust Wednesday (2)

Wanderlust Wednesday is a weekly meme that I decided to start because I have well and truly been bitten by the travel bug, and well, I'm basically waiting on a LOT of books and choosing just one made my head hurt.  

this could so be ME!

Great Barrier Reef - Australia

oh my goodness!! I want to go here so badly it gives me tummy ache i want it that badly.  I also kind of want to stay at Heron Island, which is basically this luxury resort ON the Great Barrier Reef.  Holy Shizzballs.  Like basically, if you stayed there, you are right there in the middle of it, in the middle of one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  My head would fall right off.  But really, i would stay ANYWHERE if it meant I could go scuba diving and just exerience the amazingness in real life.  Also, it's off the coast of Queensland, so i could take a quick trip to see Ryan and Carly and they could re-teach me how to surf.  Because it's not every day you're in Australia mate is it?

AHHHHHH LOOK AT THE GORGEOUSNESS!!

finding squirt!

heron island.  omg.

Aussie YA, mate!

Australian YA you guys.  That is most certainly where it is at.  And well not a lot of people talk about the wonder that is the australian novel.  So, after reading raw blue which completely snuck up on me and wiggled it's way into my top five best books EVER in the whole entire fucking world, I decided that I wanted to be where it's at.  Which we have established is Aussie YA.  So I made a list, as you do, which looks like this....

good oil by laura buzo

this is shyness by leanne hall

graffiti moon by cath crowley and basically anything she has ever written!!

the pipers son by melina marchetta omg i love her so much it's insane.  

surf ache by gerry bobsien - i want to be the girl on the cover please.  make it happen people.  MAKE IT HAPPEN.

brown skin blue by belinda jeffrey

girl next door by alyssa brugman (finding grace)

guitar highway rose by brigid lowry - this titles makes me want to cry because it's so pretty.

confessions of a liar, thief and a failed sex god by bill condon - i laughed for like ten minutes after reading the synopsis of this one.  clearly, this is a me book.

tomorrow, when the war began by john marsden

five parts dead by tim pegler

the midnight zoo by sonya hartnett

the life of a teenage body snatcher by doug macleod

alaska by sue saliba - guys, google it.  coolest cover ever!

all i ever wanted by vikki wakefield - dude all i ever wanted was a aussie ya shelf at my local bookstore!

angel creek by sally rippin

saltwater vampires by kirsty eager - oh my fucking god this woman has totally stole my life with her writing.  i don't think i can rest peacefully until i read every single one of her books and dissect every. little. thing.  omg!

OMG I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED THEM!! I have made a promise to myself that I will one day read each and every one of these books.  Clearly this has to happen.  Have any of you guys read any of them? if so where do you suggest I start? (Good Oil has a woolworths, which was basically the light of my life until they shut down, so i'm thinking thats front runner at this moment in time). go!

Review - Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

Published by Penguin
Published 29 June 2009

Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing ... and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago. Then she meets Ryan and Carly has to decide ... Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?

Mate, Raw Blue is well Australian eh? Eeeeeuurgh, mate. (sorry!) You guys, I can't even begin to explain how mind bendingly amazing this book was for being so authentic it made me get all butterflies in my tummy excited.  And I can tell you guys right now this is probably one of the most intensely beautifully written books i've ever had the pleasure of reading.  I'm going to hit it while it's hot and say it's without a doubt, one of the best books I have EVER read.  EVER.  and i've read a LOT of books.  Like it's completely taken over my life.  I've been reading surf blogs.  I'M NOT EVEN JOKING.

Carly (real name Carla which is the exact same name as ME omg) is fucking bad ass.  She is a straight up hardcore surf fanatic.  She literally lives and breathes the surf.  Which is why she works the shitty night shift at the dive cafe she works at with her eclectic work mates, because when it's surf time it can't never be work time, mate.  Like I can't even begin to wrap my head around how much time she wants to spend in the sea, because now i'm pretty much all grown up, I have seen WAY too many shark attack shows to be getting in the ocean on a board shaped like dinner.  So, to me, Carly is kind of a big deal.  And she totally snuck up on me, which is the very best kind.  

You guys.  I think you should read it.  No, I KNOW you should read it.  It has that sultry feel to it, that feeling you get when you're underwater and everything goes all quiet and still and you know that there's a whole world just above your head but this little pocket of silence you have you want to keep for a while.  THAT.  That is exactly how this book made me feel.  Like I wanted to pitch forward into their story for a little while and forget that this whole world exists, and I totally did and it was fucking unbelievable.  

Also, you all probably know that contemporary fiction is my thing.  Kind of like surfing for Carly only less bad ass.  So you know that awkward moment you get when you stumble into a private conversation that's either personal, private or whatever and you have that weird omg do I walk away and pretend I never heard anything, or do I stand being that plant and listen? I got that weird feeling SO many times, like they was REAL PEOPLE.  It was that intense and guys that is what it is all about.  Plus, Eagar is insanely talented.  She's got it by the bucketful.  The surfing scenes blew my head right off because it was like I was there, lay belly down just waiting to catch the next wave and hoping that it'd be a good'un.  And it's all done in this stark way thats just as beautiful as it is raw.  Because you never see any of it coming, it all sneaks up on you.  All of it.  And the pure happiness and joy that carly get's from surfing is so profoundly gorgeous because she has the bleak outlook on life that's pretty devastating but totally understandable.  I want to give her a hug but I don't think she'd be down for that girly shit.  Plus, fuck knows how many 8's are on my hands.

Ryan.  HOLY SHIT.  I'm going to say it again because y'all it is so totally needed.  HOLY FUCKING SHIT.  And you know the best thing? it's a major case of role reversal which makes it all the more hotter.  It's not the girl helping the troubled boy get over his past, it's the hot guy helping the girl deal with her shit by just being there, refusing to be pushed away because he knows she needs someone to listen and to care.  I WANT TO KEEP HIM.  (i have just now realised how toned down my caps lock smushing has been until I started on the Ryan talk).  Character driven novels will ALWAYS be my favourite.  And this was Eager's debut novel.  Head. Exloded. From. Sexytimes.  Because this chick doesn's mess around.  They actually have sex.  yay GO VAGINAS.  Also, phone messages.  I am ruined.

If I could buy all book lovers a copy of this book, I would, without batting an eyelid.  Because there is something special about reading a book that makes you feel different when you've turned the last page.  Because there is nothing better than feeling like you've just read something magical.  Because there is nothing better than feeling thinking to yourself, how good is this?

p.s!! the lovely Linds from Bibliophile Brouhaha has a giveaway to win a SIGNED copy of Raw Blue, plus her and Nic from Irresistable reads are doing a full Kirsty Eager theme week! YAY.

And you know, because the writing in the book is so fucking fabulous I thought I'm going to be that girl.  You know, the girl who posts quotes :)

Surfing’s the only sex I get. Board fins come in small, medium and large. They’re stiff and give you rides that are smooth and fast. Wax sounds like pornography: Sex Wax, Quick Humps, Mrs Palmer’s, The Five Daughters. Surfer chicks like a stick between their legs. Gettin’ a few? Getting any? 

Shame isn’t a quiet grey cloud, shame is a drowning man who claws his way on top of you, scratching and tearing your skin, pushing you under the surface

My first wave is awesome. It’s mine from the start because there is nobody on my right. It surges beneath me and the lip pitches forward, throwing me on my board. I see the shoulder of the wave on my left, walling up, and in that moment I’m nothing more than the sum of sensations: power, push and speed. 

I have two friends here: a fifteen year old who sees people in colours and a salsa-mad Dutch woman. I didn’t pick them, they just turned up in my life, and I’m really glad. I think this and I’m suddenly struck down with gratitude for all the things this place has given me. The break, the ever-changing moods of the ocean and the best surfs I’ve ever had. Tonight my world is a bubble. Clear, round, perfect and fragile.

I let myself feel good for no reason. I let joy happen right there and then, and it’s inside me and around me, it’s the lights on the road ahead, the clean black of the night, the cold air coming through the window.

You just have to see those times for what they are: a chance to look down at your life. And when you do, you see it’s a skin made up of shiny little moments.

YOU GUYS READ IT OMG READ IT RIGHT NOW SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT ONE SCENE, YOU KNOW THE ONE!!