Introducing...

The newest member of the family,

 Walter Owen.

Born at 7.31am on 25th August weighing in at 7lbs. Can't thank my amazing mum and wondeful husband enough for helping me introduce this little one into the world. 

He already has quite a collection of books so watch this space for a mini lilypad library!

Can't believe how perfect our little man is.

 Looking forward to sharing lots of stories with him <3

The Butterfly Shell Review

Title: The Butterfly Shell

Author: Maureen White

Release date: 3^rd August 2015

Publisher: The O’Brien Press

THERE ARE SOME THINGS ABOUT ME YOU SHOULD KNOW.

1.       I always wear my butterfly shell

-          even when I’m swimming or sleeping

2.       I don’t hurt myself any more

3.       I believe in ghosts.

I’d better start at the beginning.

The beginning of First Year.  Here goes –

THE STORY OF A STRANGE YEAR AND A VERY SPECIAL SHELL.

Marie seems like an average teenage girl, she isn’t one of the popular kids and is dreading having to start a new school. It doesn’t help that she is haunted by a past that her family are unwilling to confront... a past that Marie can’t escape.

This is a strange little novel which I finished in one sitting (it is amazing the reading you can catch up on when you are awake at 2.30am with a little person pressing on your bladder!). The short blurb on the back of the book suggests a range of themes without much detail which made the novel a bit of a surprise (I much prefer it that way than a blurb that reveals all).  While the novel should technically be described as a ghost story (it contains all the required elements), it was unusual in that the ghost isn’t the main plot point. The Butterfly Shell actually offers so much more, approaching the difficulties of teenage life in a brutally honest way. Being defined as the ‘other’/ another Marie, both at home and at school demonstrates Marie’s difficulty at finding her way in the world and how other’s perceptions about us shape our lives. Marie’s narrative of the events that happen in that year are unapologetically tragic and direct but without being off putting.

Marie’s family are keeping things hidden that they don’t discuss, even amongst themselves. But this past haunts Marie and for me, the book was about how liberating honesty can be. Although Marie never reveals to her family the extent of what she kept from them, there are discussions with her mum that offer warmth and comfort. Her family have suffered a terrible loss and it is only through being open and honest with one another that they can begin to move on.

The book has a lovely ending that ties up the narrative and offers reassurance to the reader after such a tough subject matter. The novel does tackle thought provoking issues such as Marie’s self harm. Although this couldn’t be dealt with in too much depth due to the length of the novel, it isn’t forced upon the reader but is just shown as another piece of Marie’s life, just as the supernatural element is.

Although the supernatural element is never fully developed or explained, I enjoyed that and felt that it added to Marie’s naivety as a character; if she doesn’t fully understand what happened, why should the reader get an explanation?  I think that some people might dislike the book because of its lack of explanations or in depth details. However, I didn’t get the impression that the author was trying to cover too many grand topics, more that she was writing Marie’s story through Marie’s eyes. I really embraced that sense of this is what is happening to this character, rather than the reader being encouraged to think in a certain way about what was happening and I think that is a brilliant sign of fantastic characterisation. I also loved the simplicity of the title and the gorgeous cover design.  

4.5/5 Would definitely recommend, a really refreshing read.

With many thanks to O’Brien Press for sending me a copy of the book.

Geek Girl Review

This review is for Colne Primet Academy Teenage Reading Group – thanks for joining the blog and welcome to the Lilypad Library. I hope that you find some inspiration  J

Title: Geek Girl

Author: Holly Smale

Release date: 28^th February 2013

Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books

Harriet Manners knows a lot of things.

• Cats have 32 muscles in each ear
• Bluebirds can’t see the colour blue
• The average person laughs 15 times per day
• Peanuts are an ingredient of dynamite

But she doesn’t know why nobody at school seems to like her. So when she’s offered the chance to reinvent herself, Harriet grabs it. Can she transform from geek to chic?

geek/gi:k/h noun informal, chiefly N. Amer.

1 an unfashionable or socially inept person.

2 an obsessive enthusiast.

3 a person who feels the need to look up the word ‘geek’ in the dictionary.

DERIVATIVES geeky adjective.

ORIGIN from the related English dialect word geck ‘fool’.

Harriet Manners doesn’t really fit in at school and when she is dragged along on a school trip to The Clothes Show Live in Birmingham, it’s just another opportunity for her to show how socially awkward she is but she didn’t realise that this would  involve having her photo taken by someone from Infinity Models. Whisked into a world that is definitely not her own, Harriet wants to re-invent herself … but that might be harder than she thought.

Despite being a bit predictable, I did enjoy this book. Sometimes, I find, when you want an easy read, predictability is a good thing, like walking down the street and knowing home is just around the corner. That’s not to say that the book didn’t offer some surprises but it’s an easy, read in one sitting kind of book, suiting readers who are after something light-hearted.

Harriet Manners is a brilliantly constructed laugh out loud character (almost as good as Georgia Nicolson- although Georgia is definitely NOT a geek!)  which is demonstrated through her narrative and continues list and plan making. In fact all the characters are well developed (even though some of them are a bit too eccentric – but this only adds to their charm).  Toby (Harriet’s stalker) and Wilbur (from Infinity Models) are hilariously weaved into the story, adding humour and a touch of the ridiculous to Harriet’s world.

For me, it was definitely a girly book, showing an insight into how fickle and mean teenage girls can be (for anyone who has never experienced that!) as well as a love interest, although for me, these are not the main focus of the story. Harriet has to learn to accept that she can’t change who she is and it is only the realisation of this that will make her truly happy – along with the love and support of her family and friends.

A typically teenage read about the struggles with loving who you are and the difficulties of growing up, with lots of laughs and an absorbing plot - I would definitely give the second book a go.

3.5/5 A fast paced, easy read that will make you giggle.

New bookworm arriving soon!

Just to update all the Lilypad Library lovers out there - there will be a new addition to the family arriving in August! So excited about welcoming our little bookworm, no doubt he will love reading just as much as his mummy and daddy ♥

Unfed Review

Title: Unfed (Book 2 in the Undead series)

Author: Kirsty McKay

Release date: 6^th September 2012

Publisher: Chicken House

THEY’RE BACK... AND THIS TIME THEY’RE HUNGRY.

THE GOOD NEWS: BOBBY SURVIVED HER UNREAL SCHOOL TRIP. THE BAD NEWS: HER BEST BUDDY SMITTY IS MISSING, THERE ARE UNDEAD EVERYWHERE AND THEY’RE GETTING HUNGRIER ...

IT’S A NO-BRAINER. SOMEHOW SHE MUST FIND SOME LIVING FRIENDS – AND THE ANTIDOTE – BEFORE EVERYONE’S TOAST.

Bobby wakes up and realises that maybe the worst is yet to come. Having survived the coach crash and not (yet) being bitten by the undead, she’s one of the lucky ones. With her mum and Smitty missing, Bobby must carry out a search through zombie –ridden Scotland. But with more than just zombies hot on Bobby’s tail, will she ever escape and find her loved ones?

The novel manages to maintain a fast paced chase momentum throughout detailed locations, taking the reader along for the ride. Unfed offers typical zombie story tropes, Bobby wakes up in a hospital which is also a holding/ testing facility for zombies and she gets chased across Scotland by military style mercenaries that clearly work for some evil pharmaceuticals company... ring any bells?  I’m not suggesting that this story is boring or predictable, just that it offers a comfortable narrative security (at least at the beginning of the novel) and this allowed me, as a reader, to settle into the story before it all really kicks off! As the novel progresses and Bobby searches for her mum and Smitty, clues are revealed as to what has happened with the zombie outbreak, why her mum and Smitty are gone who exactly is chasing her and why. It’s almost a murder mystery but with more intrigue!

I think my favourite part of the book was Bobby’s internal conversations with Smitty. Smitty was Bobby’s love interest in the last novel and in this book, it’s clear that Bobby misses him very much. He is the driving force urging her not to give up her search and at times their conversations are really touching (as well as funny). Without revealing too much, he doesn’t make a physical appearance until towards the end but these little occasional one liners mean that he has become my favourite character. He is the typical teenage bad boy but his clear affection for Bobby (both in her head and when they meet again) create multiple layers to his character and offer some light relief amongst all the mystery and horror that Bobby faces.

Similarly to Undead, the audience are left on a cliff-hanger… much to my annoyance! If you are a fan of apocalyptic zombie novels you’ll definitely enjoy this but I think it would also appeal to mystery lovers. There are codes to crack, clues to unravel and lots of adventure. Those who Bobby is relying on to help her often have ulterior motives, keeping her and the reader on their toes. This book kept me hooked because at each turn the danger increases and despite some mysteries being solved, there are always more in their place!  

4.5/5 Another really good book by Kirsty McKay.

Parasite Positive Review

Title: Parasite Positive

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Release date: 7^th June 2007

Publisher: Atom

One year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying in New York City than in attending class. Then he met a girl called Morgan, they had a fun night together and she passed on a parasite that turns people into ravenous vampires. You know how it goes.

Cal himself is only a carrier, but he has infected the girlfriends he has had since Morgan, and it’s now his job to hunt them down before they can create even more of their kind.

Cal is carrying an infectious parasite which has completely ruined his social life! As a carrier, Cal has become part of the Night Watch to track down those who have not been so lucky and have been turned into murderous beasts by the disease. But when the parasite begins to change and adapt, using different hosts, can the Night Watch save New York?

This review is for my brother, Kane, who would love this book! Kane is currently off doing the student thing at Bangor University and I am very proud of him. He is very interested in Science-y stuff (he is studying Zoology with Marine Biology) and this is definitely for anyone who likes an element of non-fiction to their novels.

This book was relocated to my local library recently and it was the unusual title that made me pick it up. I know it is quite a few years old but I am so glad I gave the book a chance! I really enjoyed it because it offered me something different as a reader. In between the chapters there are brief scientific interludes which offer more details about parasites.... which is weird.... and a little disturbing... but also really interesting and (I hate to use this word again but) different! It is almost like a crime novel with the background to the characters being revealed, adding another element to the tale and allowing us to see more than an average bystander would. Well in this novel, the background to parasites is given. Like I said, it is a little disturbing and eeewwww! at times but really useful for the rest of the book, giving it context and also expanding the novel in a way that I have never seen any other vampire novel do. These chapters also allow the reader to understand the situation just as Cal does as a member of the Night Watch so that we can ground the novel in real 21^st century science.

The character of Cal is really easy to engage with because he is so realistic and unapologetic. He is a young man, hungry and horny and frightened and raw and the author really captures his spirit and instils it in his actions and reactions. Written from Cal’s point of view the book is one long flow of emotional energy.

I know I have stressed the science element of the book, and I think that made the story for me, but there are so many effective layers which Scott Westerfeld brings together, his characters are engaging and believable and the story is rooted in fact, this could happen. It is also an unusual look at the vampire, their lore and mythology and links myths with the historical facts, not just the scientific ones.

I want to recommend this book to anyone who likes reading (and that isn’t a flippant remark). What I mean by this is that Parasite Positive offers something unusual in the way that it is written and so even if you aren’t keen on the content, I think that you would enjoy the form. If  you like traditional vampires, you might be taken aback but I am a big fan of the vampire (as much as you can be of a blood sucking maniac!) and I enjoyed it.

5/5 If you are a tiny bit squeamish then avoid this book but otherwise YOU MUST READ IT! I am looking forward to getting the sequel!

It is winter... and the time for snuggling up with a good book!

Hello ladies and gentleman and welcome back to my blog. Apologies for not writing for a while... I have been busy being ill (bad back which meant time off work to read but also lack of ability to sit at a computer and type for any length of time), decorating my home (although we have only got one room actually painted, I have been choosing carpet colours etc which is really exciting and not at all boring!), rehearsing for a pantomime (I am playing villager number 5 and the part of the bear) and just generally snuggling up with a good book/film, attempting to ignore the cold weather and hiding beneath the duvet. This is in fact the first time I have picked up my laptop in a while!

If I am honest, I have missed you, my lovely, committed blog readers. I have read some great books and I look forward to sharing my thoughts on these with you over the next few days amid my hectic schedule of Christmas shopping, panto rehearsals and visiting family and friends (I am lucky enough to be spending the weekend with my lovely Grandma next weekend to shop in Blackpool!).

Much love and happy winter wishes to you all !

Georgia x