It's Monday What Are You Reading (1)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, where I show you what I have read this past week and what I plan to read in the coming week.

Read Last Week

Currently Reading

Plan To Read This Week



What are you reading this Monday?

Dewey Readathon

So as many of you may have noticed I have been M.I.A for the past few months. Life just managed to catch up with me and I have been so busy but that doesnt mean that I havent been reading. I have still being reading with the same zeal as before and now I'm ready to get back to blogging and sharing all my thoughts with you. What better way to kick things off again than with The Dewey 24 Hour Readathon. As many of you will already know the Dewey 24 Hour Readthon is the the biggest readthon out there. This is the event that started and inspired many other readthons. Well its that time of year again where we settle down somewhere comfortable with an enormous pile of books and an equally large statsh of snacks and get our read on.

The Dewey 24 Hour Readthon starts in the UK at 12pm GMT (and 8am EST) and runs through until the next morning. With all the mini challenges and bloggers who take part this is set to be a fantastic event. I can't wait to find out what books all my fellow readers will be delving into and whether we can last the full 24 hours.

My Reading Pile

Bunheads by Sophie Flack
Alice Brown's Guide To The Serious Art Of Dating by Elanor Prescott
Switched by Amanda Hocking
The Playdate by Louise Millar
Partials by Dan Wells
The Wedding Writer by Susan Schneider
Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Summer With My Sister by Lucy Diamond
Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris
The Charm Bracelet by Melissa Hill
Fever by Lauren DeStefano

What are you all planning to read during the readathon?

YA Friday: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

When Was It Released?:  3rd January 2012

Where Did I Get It From?: From the publishers in exchange for a review. Thankyou!
Who Published It?: Feiwel And Friends
Number Of Pages: 390 pages

Now I have a confession to make to you all, I'm an absolute sucker for fairy tales. I know, I know, I'm a grown women, I'm supposed to have realised by now that fairy tales never come true, right? I just can't help it though, there is just something about getting lost in a story so far away that from reality that really draws me in. So of course when I heard that Marissa Meyer was writing a retelling of Cinderella with cyborgs I just knew that I had to get my hands on this book.

Cinder is one of New Beijing's best mechanics, but much more than that she is also a cyborg. She is viewed as beneath everyone else and detested by her stepmother who blames her for everything that goes wrong. When Cinder encounters the Prince at the market one morning her whole world is thrown upside down and she becomes involved in a intergalatic battle and an inner struggle much larger than she could ever have dreamed.

Sometimes, in fact sadly more often that not, fairy tale retellings end up being a disappointment as too much emphasis is placed on the original story and not enough on making the story stand out on its own. Well Cinder by Marissa Meyer, was definatly not a disappointment, in fact it was such an interesting read that I was completely drawn into the story and unable to put this book down. I love that Marissa Meyer created such a unique retelling of Cinderella, which although predicatable, as we already know the story of Cinderella, had its own twists and turns. The creation of New Beijing where Cinder lives is so creatively brought to life that I was instantly swept away in this futuristic world of disease, cyborgs and Lunars.

As a heroine, and our very own cyborg Cinderella, I adored Cinder. She is such a strong, smart and totally brave character, who screams independance. She really wants to stand on her own two feet and overcome the obstacles that are placed in front of her. What a role model for any girl reading this novel! All the characters within Cinder stand out in their own right and are multi dimensional with so many different layers, you will constantly be questioning who everyone really is.

Overall, Cinder was an enticing, unique, beautifully written story of disease, heartbreak and evil queens. This is Cinderella on a more gritty level, you definatly won't find any glass slippers or fairy godmothers in this retelling. Cinder is the first novel in the Lunar Chronicles series and I cannot wait to read on with the next book to find out what happens next. I would highly recommened this book to everyone, in fact go out and buy it now, you won't be disappointed.

Winner: Ciara Geraghty Book Bundle

My giveaway to win the fantastic prize to win a book bundle of all three of Ciara Geraghty's books ended on Tuesday. I was astounded by the number of enteries, and want to thank everyone so much for their support. I have now picked a winner a random.

The Winner Is:

Helen

 

Congratulations to our lucky winner Helen, who I have also emailed so that she can claim her prize. Thankyou so much to everyone who entered the giveaway for your support of Chick Litaholic. I will be bringing you lots of giveaways in the future. Please stayed tuned for the latest giveaway, that you will not want to miss, which will be announced on Monday.

The Fat Chance Guide To Dieting by Claudia Pattison: A Review

The Fat Chance Guide To Dieting by Claudia Pattison

When Was It Released?:  29th December 2011
Where Did I Get It From?: From the publishers in exchange for a review. Thankyou!
Who Published It?: Penguin
Number Of Pages: 383 pages

What could be a more entertaining read than the perils of a group of women at a slimming club? After all, you always hear such horror stories about diet groups; they couldn't possibly all be true, right?! And what a fantastic time, around the New Year to have released a book focused around diets, even if completely fiction, it is still the time we are all trying to lose a few pounds after gorging ourselves over the Christmas period.

Holly, Naomi and Kate, all join a slimming club desperate to lose those last few pounds and get healthy. With chocolate and pizza definatly off the menu, the girls form a bond trying to reach their all important goals. With a little push from their team leader Amanda, the women are determined to win the Slimmer of the Year Awards this year. Will the temptations prove too much, with buffet table, ruthless competitiors and many other suprises lurking around the corner?

If you have ever attended a slimming club with the resolve to lose weight, be it Weight Watchers or Slimming World, you will be laughing out loud at Fat Chance Guide To Dieting. While the diet group in the novel is purely fictional, and a little extreme, with all the worst parts of slimming clubs thrown in, anyone who has ever been on a diet will be able to relate in some way. While there are some extremely funny moments within the novel, especially during boot camp, I really enjoyed the way in which Claudia Pattison also dealt with the distress that being overweight can cause to women. Holly, Naomi and Kate, are clearly unhappy in their lives, even though they may put up an affront to the outside world, and I enjoyed reading the events that led them to their weight gain, as is usually the case with women piling on the pounds.

Naomi, Holly and Kate are all three very different women, who are thrown together each trying to reach similar goals. While I liked all the characters, admittedly Holly and Kate a little more than Naomi due to her life choices, I did find all three characters a little hard to relate to. Not due to the fact that they are all trying to lose weight, which I'm sure most of us have been through at some point in our lives, but because of some of the choices that they make in life. There were, however, each very real and I really enjoyed the way the story is told from each friends point of view, therefore giving  a real insight into each of their lives.

Overall, I found Fat Chance Guide To Dieting, to be a fun, light, entertaining read, that dealt with issues women face everyday in a hilarious way. I absolutly adore the cover and think it would be extremely hard to resisit picking this one up off the shelf. I would definatly recommened Fat Chance Guide to dieting if you are looking for a light hearted read. I look forward to reading more from Claudia Pattison in the future.

Manhattan by Ronni Cooper: A Review

Manhattan by Ronni Cooper

When Was It Released?:  22nd December 2011
Where Did I Get It From?: From the publishers in exchange for a review. Thankyou
Who Published It?: Sphere
Number Of Pages: 433 pages

Sometimes, I come across a book that I am sure I will enjoy, but I'm a little reluctant to start. Theres never really any reasoning behind it, other than thinking that I am not going to enjoy it as much as I perhaps would other books in my TBR pile. Well, before I picked it up and started to read, Manhattan was one of those books. Once I started reading, I soon realised that the old saying of "you should never judge a book by its cover", could not have rung more true. (Not that I don't like the cover, I actually do!)

Manhattan centers around three women; Raine, Mei Ling and Stevie who all own the hottest nighclub Manhattan. The story centers around their lives before the nightclub and how they came to be in that position. Raine, was born in Brooklyn and clawed her way up from the bottom to become the queen of the city. Mei Lei. a high class madam, whose American dream started out as a nightmare. Lastly, Stevie, once the lead singer in one of the biggest rock bands, she has now fallen from grace with a secret that could destroy her .Now all three women are about to discover that payback is the biggest bitch of all.

Manhattan, is a novel filled with drama, glamour and the outrageous, reminding me a little of a Jackie Collins novel. The storyline and the characters were so different from the lives of most normal girls, yet you know events like this and people like these, really do exist. I was instantly transported into the lives of Raine, Mei Ling and Stevie from the very first page. The novel is split in narrative, alternating between each of the characters, which gave a real insight into each of their lives as well as their true feelings. The story mainly focuses on each of these women's past and how that led them to where they are in the present day. I really enjoyed learning about each one of these women, and even though who the story is told from changes throughout the nove, it still flows easily and quickly. The music knowledge that Ronni Cooper has, and injects into the character of Stevie, was fascinating, making me feel as though I could have been in the 80's along with these rock bands. I felt this added another layer to the novel that perhaps would not have been there without the depth of the music knowledgeI will warn any readers that do not enjoy any explicit content within their novels, for example sex scenes, that perhaps this is not the novel for you. Ronni Cooper is very frank about exactly what each of her characters get up to, which adds another layer of gritty reality to the novel, which some readers may not enjoy.

Usually, when reading a novel that is told from the viewpoint of more than one character, I find I like some characters more than others. In the case of Manhattan, however, I found that I loved each of the characters as much as the next. Raine is such a strong, independant woman, who even though she has many difficulties and tradegies in her life, still manages to pick herself up and continue on with her life. Mei Ling, may appear vunerable at first, but once it becomes clear the extent of the horror she has been through in her life, her strength really shines through. I found Stevie to be the most relatable, even though she becomes the most well known of the three women, she still stays grounded and most like the normal girl she was in the beginning of the story. I really felt true emotion for each of these characters, while they are all strong, beautiful women, they each have their own inner demons to contend with. At times I felt like crying along with each character as they struggle through the hard times in their lives.

Manhattan was a novel that I always expected to like but never expected to love. This is why I was so pleasently suprised with how much I truely enjoyed reading this book. The storyline was so intriguing, intense and fast paced I found myself unable to put Manhattan down, telling myself I would read just one more chapter, before finishing the entire book in one sitting. . If you are apprehensive in any way about reading Manhattan than I suggest you pick this book up straight away, because trust me you will not be dissapointed, and if you already have the book then move it to the top of your reading pile. Trust me, Manhattan is going to blow you away.

Waiting On Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that and looks upcoming releases that we cant wait to get our hands on.

This week's pre-publication I really can't wait to read is:

The Great Escape by Fiona Gibson (16th Febuary 2012)

For one weekend only, Hannah, Sadie and Lou are determined to give it their best shot. Hannah’s getting married… and has serious pre-wedding jitters. She adores Ryan but can’t figure out how to fit into his grown-up, family-sized life. There’s that fridge, for starters. That, too, is family-sized, with a gadget on the front that spits ice in her face. More alarming still are Ryan’s children, Daisy, 10 and Josh, 13, who clearly don’t relish the prospect of Hannah, a free-spirited greetings card illustrator, becoming their step-mum.So she fires off invitations to a hen weekend – just the ticket to get her into the marrying mood. Trouble is…New mum Sadie is leaving her twin babies for the very first time with their terrified dad…Lou is unaware that her long-term man Spike is desperate to bundle her onto that Glasgow-bound train so he can hot-foot it round to see his secret fling Miranda…And, unbeknown to the girls, Johnny, their sexy upstairs neighbour from their art college days, is still frequenting those haunts, desperately in need of a little magic to happen.

This sounds like such a fun read that is such to have anyone who reads it laughing hysterically. I cannot wait to find out what escapades the characters all get up to.

Waiting On Wednesday: All The Single Ladies by Jane Costello

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that and looks upcoming releases that we cant wait to get our hands on.

This week's pre-publication I really can't wait to read is:

All The Single Ladies by Jane Costello (2nd Febuary 2012)

Samantha Brooks' boyfriend has made a mistake. One his friends, family,and Sam herself know he will live to regret. Jamie has announced he is leaving, out of the blue. He is loving, intelligent and, while he isn't perfect, he's perfect for her - in every way except one: he's a free spirit. And after six years in one place, doing a job he despises, he is compelled to do something that will tear apart his relationship with Sam: book a one-way flight to South America. But Sam isn't giving up without a fight. With Jamie still totally in love with her, and torn about whether to stay or go, she has three months to persuade him to do the right thing. With the help of her friends Ellie and Jen, she hatches a plan to make him realise what he's giving up. A plan that involves dirty tricks, plotting and a single aim: to win him back. But by the time the tortured Jamie finally wakes up to what he's lost, a gorgeous new pretender has entered Sam's life. Which begs the question ...does she still want him back?

What are you Waiting On this Wednesday?