How to Read as a Writer
Read books published in the last five years. ← I.e. Don’t read this. What’s popular in fiction changes so fast—genre, pacing, narrative voice, amount of description, dialogue, what’s controversial and...
View ArticleBook Memory
I read a thought-provoking article last week called The Curse of Reading and Forgetting. As its name suggests, it was about how, unless we re-read books, we gradually forget their content. I realised...
View ArticleBooks Read in July
Wow, is July over already? July was the month of YALC (such fun) and re-reading/editing two of my WIPs, both of which I ‘finished’ quite some time ago. (I always think of more to do. Even when I...
View ArticleBooks Read in August 2015
Remix by Non Pratt — YA contemporary. I loved Non Pratt’s debut, Trouble, and Remix has been one of my most anticipated books of the year. The story of two best mates, their friends and ex-boyfriends...
View ArticleSpooky YA Halloween Reads
It’s that time of year again… I love scaring myself with a creepy book, or immersing myself in a gothic world. If you’re looking for something to read this Halloween, here are some of the best spooky...
View ArticleBooks Read in October 2015 + New YA Book Blog
This month was the second UKYA Extravaganza, which was fantastic. I took my little sister with me, and she was so enthused she’s started her own YA book blog, Bananas for Books! I’m so proud of her, as...
View ArticleMost Read Authors
Today, I’m on the Author Allsorts blog sharing my most read authors. They’re mostly YA writers, as you might imagine, but the top two spots are taken by adult fiction authors. Find out who here, and...
View ArticleReview: WINTER by Marissa Meyer
Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen...
View ArticleBooks Read in November 2015
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix — Adult horror. I picked this up based on a recommendation from Lauren James. Horrorstör is a totally unique book, designed to look like an Ikea catalogue. A group of...
View ArticleFavourite Reads of 2015
This year I’ve read 113 books. Last year I read 84 — go, me! Here are my favourite reads of the year. (Books read, not necessarily published, in each month.) Click the book covers to go my reviews. Let...
View ArticleBooks Read in December 2015
Echo Boy by Matt Haig — YA sci-fi set in a future world where climate change and technological advances have changed life as we know it, and Artificial Intelligence is starting to blur the line between...
View Article2016 Writing & Reading Goals
Happy New Year! Hope you’re all recovered from last night, stuffed with the last of the mince pies, and excited for 2016. I certainly am! Writing Goals I didn’t have much I could shout about in 2015....
View ArticleMost Anticipated YA Books of 2016
I’m sure many more books will be added to my ‘most anticipated’ as 2016 goes on — especially as there aren’t many debuts on my radar yet — but for now, here are the titles I’m excited about. Let me...
View ArticleReview: JUDGED by Liz de Jager
Kit’s job description includes solving crimes – the supernatural kind . . .Glow, a fae-created drug, is rapidly going viral and the suppliers have to be shut down. Teaming up with Aiden and Dante,...
View Article#2016ClassicsChallenge Book One: DRACULA
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client’s castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England:...
View ArticleBooks Read in January 2016
Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivision — YA contemporary. Written by the authors of the hugely funny Lobsters, Never Evers is aimed at a younger readership, so the focus is on friendship and first...
View ArticleBooks Read in February 2016
I didn’t read as much as usual in February, because Life got in the way. Here’s what I did have time for… Long Lankin by Lindsay Barraclough — YA horror. I read this back in 2014 (see my original...
View ArticleBooks Read in March 2016
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova — Adult historical fantasy. The Historian chronicles the search of a number of academics for the tomb of the undead Vlad the Impaler, aka Dracula. It’s the opposite...
View ArticleBooks Read in April 2016
The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kieran — Psychological horror. The Red Tree is about a woman called Sarah who moves to an isolated house after the suicide of her lover. We know from the opening of the...
View ArticleBooks Read in May 2016
Vendetta by Catherine Doyle — YA romantic thriller. I’ve wanted to start this trilogy for a long time as I’ve seen so many rave reviews. Having read book one, I can confirm it’s worthy of the hype!...
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