January Reads; Matched, Life of Pi

Hi Guys,

Been busy studying but still had chance to stick my teeth into some great books this month.

The first was recommended to me by my sister. Matched by Ally Condie is all about a society whereby people find marital partners through a computer generator controlled by The Society. Yet for Cassia something extraordinary happens- she is paired with her best friend Xander- something very rare to happen to any match. She is given a data chip, as is everyone that took place in the ceremony, to read about their partner and the process, yet as she loads up the images another face appears, not Xander, but Ky a shy boy that moved to the city unexpectedly to live with his Aunt and Uncle.
Cassia is reassured that this was a mistake but as the process unfolds she begins to stray from Xander and questions her feelings about romance and her life that is run by Society... nothing will ever be the same again.

This book was an absolute thrill to read, I really connected with Cassia and as the novel unfolded you learn more about how controlled each person is and despite this Ky and Cassia are able to gain some independence. I am on the second of the series (Crossed) and can't wait to find out where the adventure Cassia embarks upon takes her!
Suited for all ages, recommended if you like adventure books similar or those similar to the Hunger Games.


My second book for you all is the renowned Life of Pi that has recently made its way into cinemas. I haven't seen the film yet but the book was incredible!
Life of Pi by Yann Martel follows the incredible journey of a 16year old boy (Pi) and his adventures after the tragic death of his family and crew members on a cargo ship voyage.
Pi, the only survivor, manages to get into a lifeboat but is left facing even larger troubles. He is not alone, sharing the small boat with a zebra, orangutan and more worryingly faced with a hyena and later to discover a tiger on board too...!
Pi embarks on a quest for survival, trying to tame the tiger and protect himself, finding ways to eat and drink whilst in the middle of the Pacific.

The novel explores his hope and survival as well as Pi's relationship with religion. Such an amazing novel, completely believable yet total fiction.
An incredible must-read novel for anyone over the age of 16.

Enjoy! Ell <3 xx

Cheryl: My Story

I was lucky to get my hands on a book by Cheryl (Cole) for this Christmas and I really enjoyed it. I love books about people's lives and enjoyed following along her life story and reading about things that happened in her life and how they were shown in the press- mostly wrongly or made up!!
Recommended read....

November: Looking for Alaska

This book was lent to me by a friend and I absolutely love it. Book of the Month:

Looking for Alaska~ JOHN GREEN
First friend, first girl, last words.

I don't think there is any other way to describe this book more perfectly than the words 'first friend, first girl, last words' that are found on the front of the book.
I would like to include an extract from the book that I found truly moving....

When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible," with that stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, so it cannot fail.
So I know she forgives me, just as I forgive her. Thomas Edison's last words were, "It's very beautiful over there."

A powerful, thought-provoking read from the passionate author John Green. 100% recommended.



Ellie xx

September- why we broke up

Hey Guys,

I'm surprised I've had time to finish a whole book this month because I've been so busy but I've read a few and have finally got a few hours to catch up and write my blog posts!

'Why we broke up' by Daniel Handler
Handler writes about a young girl who has just broken up with a guy named Ed and a collection of items that mark their time together.
A part of the blurb...
'Two bottle caps, a movie ticket from Greta in the Wild, a note from you, a box of matches, your protractor, Joan's book, the stolen sugar, a toy truck, those ugly earrings, a comb from the motel and the rest of it.
This is it, Ed.
The whole story of why we broke up'

I enjoyed the book immensely however it did take me a while to connect with the story initially. I was surprised to find out that Daniel Handler is also the creator of Lemony Snicket novels!

My favourite part about this book is the feel of the pages, bright and colourful images to mark each item and the layout, its a really friendly approachable paperback even if it was quite pricey!

August: The Amanda Project

This month's book is called The Amanda Project. I have yet to read all the books in the series but have read 'invisible i' and think its great. The Amanda project brings together unlikely characters to solve the disappearance of Amanda; its quirky, fun and a mystery- totally recommended.

I found this trailer which can sum up the book much better than I could. There is also an online 'community' all about the Amanda Project which is also worth a look at.

Happy August! Much Love, E xx

Something Blue & I heart...

Something Blue by Emily Giffin is a chick flick summer read packed with romance and happy endings.
Darcy is living the high life; successful and stunning until finding her best friend sleeping with her ex-fiance only days after the wedding was called off. Darcy calls around everyone she knows to escape now finding that she is pregnant and essentially homeless and settles to stay with Ethan a child hood friend in England for 'a few days' which turns into months, romances with doctors, new best friends and even the odd surprise.
I really enjoyed the fun pace of this book and as a hopeless romantic loved the ending too!


This type of book is becoming increasingly addictive as I find myself craving to escape to a much simpler and care free world.
The other series I recently read are written by Lindsey Kelk. The first is called I heart New York and is based along the same lines as Something Blue (minus the pregnancy).
Angela walks into her fiance having sex at her best friends wedding and finds the only solution to leave the UK, fly to New York and eat as much ice cream as possible -but not before peeing in the guy's suitcase.
When Angela arrives in NYC she checks in to the nearest hotel and makes friends with one of the receptionists; they move in together and she teaches Angela how to date; based on these experiences she gains a job at a leading magazine blogging about two guys; one a banker, another a freelance musician. Who will she fall for and how will they react to her blog...?

There are quite a few books in the I heart... series however I read the first (detailed above) and without meaning to skipped to the latest I heart London; if you fancy giving them a go they are really easy to follow so it really doesn't matter which you begin at because they are really accessible. Lots of laughs and smiles shed over this one... just what the doctor ordered.

I heart chick flicks at the moment... what are your recent reads?

Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl by Tracy Quan

I picked this up for pennies in a charity shop purely because there was a buy one get one free offer.
I'm not going to go into detail about the book because if you're into this stuff then you've probably already read it but I did find myself becoming strangely fascinated by this (to me) alien lifestyle.
I'm going to be studying Psychology full time soon and I suppose I became enthralled to find why the characters were call girls and why their clients visited them. I enjoyed how the book challenged some of the misconceptions and stereotypes of girls in similar positions but I definitely do not recommend this for readers younger than 18!!