Misery Business

Oh, lads, it's awful!
I am on a book ban.
Sob. Sniff. Cry.

Long story short, my mother was home the other day when my most recent Book Depository order came in and she was not impressed. In my defence, most of those books were for my brothers' birthday on Sunday but...she does have a point.

So. For the whole of September I am not allowed to purchase a single book. I can borrow them from my friends or the library or I can read from my ridiculous pile of to-be-read books, but no new books. None.
With the single exception of the new JK Rowling book, but that's only because a) it is out on the 27th which is basically the end of the month anyway and b) my mother wants to read it, but would rather have me buy and pay for it. Crafty minx.

I don't think I'll make it. I have to walk past the biggest bookstore in the city centre to get to and from work and my place of employment (lolz) has a book department. #Screwed....

I promise to try my best, and that is all I can do...

Crime...and Punishment

Hmmmm.
The crime binge is going reasonably well....I think?
This week, I've read the first three Ruth Galloway books by Elly Griffiths (see book one below):



These were very good, if you're willing to suspend disbelief just a little (the events of book two? The baby? Really?). But now I think I want a break from the hardcore misery and murder (I do have four Denise Mina books to get through but maybe next month?)

So, on a lighter note, this is what I propose I read next:



Like, why have I not read this already? I love the Gallagher Girls to bits and pieces. This is nice crime. I bet nobody dies or gets maimed or shot or stabbed or..well, I bet less horrible things happen is all.

Bad Kitty

I am a bad blogger.
After the disaster that was July, I promised myself that there would be regular interwebz . But no. I have failed. There has been a fortnight of web silence. May I hang my head in shame.

Blame the Olympics. I've been having crazy Olympics sessions, because a lovely thing called GMT means we aren't having the Beijing issue where everything was on at a weird time. I got to see all the gymnastics this year (Beth Tweddle! Gabby Douglas! Aly Raisman! McKayla Maroney in vault silver shocker!). I got to see Usain Bolt take 100m gold live as it happened! It's been very emotional though.

I have, however, read things. My favourite by far was Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. I know it's being hyped to kingdom come but I loooooved it. It was a bit racy though, guys. They do stuff! Read it though, it's a great romance with a real Perfect Chemistry vibe, if you're in to that kind of thing (I clearly am!).

      

I mean, look! Even the covers are a bit similar! And there's going to be a spin off about Beth and Isaiah (read it and you'll know what I mean. That's a direct order. Go on and get it now. And if you're in the UK or Ireland like me you've no excuses, it's been published here too!).

And now, on to the rest of the month. I am on a crime kick, so for the next week or two, I am only reading books where people are murdered or jewels are stolen or something...dastardly happens. Mmmm.

In other news, Mo Farrah has just won double gold and I am weeping.

What I Did In July

Weeeehhhhh.

It has been almost a month of interweb silence. I’m sorry. I’m not a bad person, I’ve just been really busy with work, and then my family were abroad so I was solely responsible for all the household-y things-dude, it takes so long to change the bed sheets and do laundry for five people.

And, of course, they all went off and left me with about a weeks worth of their dirty clothes to look after. I wasn’t home for a few days before they left; trust me, if I had’ve been around, standards would not have slipped to such an appalling low (I’m kind of OCD about cleaning and laundry. Like, I iron our towels).

Plus, during their holiday I had lots of my own friends to stay (not the best plan when you’re working all the time but hey, we had our evenings).

And don't start me on work; Lord, but those ladies are demanding! Weh, weh, weh. 

So I’m sorry.

I have read a bit though.

I got through Dark Water by Tricia Rayburn, which I was so excited about and it was really, really good:

Then, I went on an Artemis Fowl binge, which was fantastic. I forgot how downright awesome those books are. Holly Short is my icon; in fact, as my hair is already kind of auburn and I am very short, I may get a pixie cut and a jumpsuit to complete the look.

                                                                           

Dude, if you haven’t read this series you need to get on that immediately. And there are no excuses as the series is complete, so no waffle about no wanting to be stuck on cliffhangers and so on.

Awesome, awesome, awesome. 

Insert Angry Noise Here

Like, I need to complain.

It's been two weeks, and I have finished two books. Bad. Bad.

Why did nobody warn me about the perils of real life? That instead of reading on the bus home from work I'd be sleeping, missing my stop and having to take buses home from the shopping center very late at night because I happened to wake up there? Seriously, the colleges should be handing out flyers or something.

Pffft. The two books I did read were pretty good. The first was The Night She Disappeared by April Henry and the second was Girl Stolen, also by April Henry.



Both really awesome books on their own-I just made the cardinal error of reading them consecutively  and I SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT, NOT AT ALL.

I apologize for the caps lock and all. I've accepted that most writers have a theme in mind for their books, and April Henry is no exception. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but...sigh. I'll try to explain.

April Henry definitely likes girls who fight. Both of these books feature girls who are taken captive against their will. In Girl Stolen, Cheyenne is kidnapped during a carjacking while she waits for her step-mom to come out of the drugstore. Bad enough. Worse? Cheyenne is blind and suffering from pneumonia. Not a situation I'd want to be in, just saying. Then, in The Night She Disappeared Kayla is attacked and kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity while she delivers pizzas. Also not a contender in my top ten ways to spend an evening. But I digress. Individually, these books are great. Well written, tense, compulsive...but if you read them back to back you start to notice all the similarities. Teenage girl with victim written all over her who has a penchant for fashioning homemade weapons? Check. Boy love interest from the wrong side of the track? Check. At least one girl with rich disinterested parents? Check. Written from numerous points of view? Check. 


I'm not denying that, individually, these books are great. They are both quick, enjoyable and compulsive reads/ Just give yourself a good long break between books. Read them, just not together. 


I need a nap now. I am very, very cranky. 

Book Haul!

Yessssss! I moan about reading ruts, then come home from work and there are packages! Yip yip!

I have gotten:



The Night She Disappeared by April Henry



The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison



Purity by Jackson Pearce 

Aaaaaaand:



Siren by Tricia Rayburn (I already had this but I wanted it in hardcover so that when the new one comes out they all match..I'm just weird that way. Totes soz).

Oh, what to read after the Kody Keplinger marathon?

Rut!

Oh, god.

I think sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. Like, I've read some amazing books in the last couple of weeks that now, every book I pick up is disappointing me.

Well, there's one exception: I read Revived by Cat Patrick last week and that was really good:



I feel like I should have read it before Unravelling, though; they were in a similar genre and now I compare everything to that book (Ben and Janelle FOREVER! Sniff, sob, cry).

This week is Kody Keplinger week. I am aiming to get through The Duff, Shut Out and A Midsummers Nightmare before Friday. Wish me luck!