Monday Amusements 32

My local Oxfam has a lot of paranormal romance and original Virago Modern Classics.

I love this tablet case tutorial at Take Courage.

I'm really looking forward to #PicnicYA, a UKYA-themed meetup on Sunday 18th March! Let's hope the sun shines!

Michelle at Fluttering Butterflies is hosting a giveaway for Don't Even Think About It and Ten Things We Shouldn't Have Done by Sarah Mlynowski. I've just finished reading Don't Even Think About It and I can't really talk about it yet because it's one of the books that my book club will be discussing next month, but I will say that when I got to the end and saw the ad for the upcoming sequel, I was THRILLED.

On the subject of book clubs, Daisy at The Broke and the Bookish wants your recommendations for book club reads! If you'd like to join a book club, try your local library, but if there isn't one near you, the internet is your friend. You can read along with the Bookish Brits Book Club or join one of the groups on Goodreads. I would also recommend the ReadItSwapIt reading group.

Monday Amusements 31

Books I've recently borrowed from libraries! Very excited about all of these.

Saturday was UKYA Day, and several bloggers posted to celebrate:

Michelle at Fluttering Butterflies posted a list of her Favourite UKYA Characters. I love Lyra and Hagrid but to my eternal shame I haven't read the other books mentioned. Well, maybe not eternal shame, as I might get around to reading them someday...

Raimy at Readaraptor wrote about her favourite UKYA authors. I've read two out of the four mentioned, so I'm doing slightly better there.

Cicely of Cicely Loves Books posted a simply amazing list of UKYA Recommendations For The Uninitiated ordered by genre, which is a must read if you're new to UKYA or want more specific recs.

Kath at Sensitivity and Flair listed Six Reasons You Should Be Reading UKYA, I agree with them all!

Andrew at The Pewter Wolf shared his excitement about all the UKYA books on his TBR, and so did Stacey at prettybooks.

I really liked Jim at YA Yeah Yeah's Joint Interview on Hybrid Publishing - Part 1 (and Part 2), I went to a lot of seminars at London Book Fair about self-publishing and came away feeling really inspired. Although I do want to traditionally publish the YA novels that I'm writing, I have been thinking about writing a New Adult series for a long time, and I'll probably self-publish that.

Jim also posted In Praise of Non-Gritty UKYA.

Some writers got in on the action too - Keren David wrote a fab post about her heroes of UKYA and Eve Ainsworth wrote about her UKYA inspirations.

In other news:

If you watch my Bookish Brits videos you'll remember that a while ago I filmed a video about my inability to decide how to organise my bookshelves, Getting My Shelves in Order. I'm still trying to decide so I loved reading the comments on Daisy's post about bookshelf organisation at The Broke and the Bookish!

Jo at Once Upon a Bookcase posted about Novels With Intersex Characters for her LGBT+ Month.

Finally, My Encounter with a Book Snob by Courtney at Literary Escapism made me laugh out loud!

If you've posted something that you're really proud of recently and I haven't included it in this list, please do tell me about it in the comments!

Monday Amusements 30

Getting books out of boxes and back on the shelves! Follow me on Instagram to see more.

Michelle's thoughts on New Adult books echo my own. I was excited about the possibilities that New Adult could offer when I first heard of it, but so far it's been a disappointment, and as far as I can see, hasn't lead to anything new.

Tanya might have changed her mind about book reviews. This is a really interesting post. I do read book reviews in order to discover books that I might otherwise have missed and collect recommendations, but I do like being able to get to know other bloggers and their tastes by following their reviews.

Sophie responds to Michelle's Bookish Brits video about book turn-offs. I'm so jealous! I would love someone to write or record a response to one of my videos! I am actually planning on doing my own list of things that put me off books, so maybe Michelle is just better at me at picking topics for videos!

This list is short and sweet, but I haven't had much time lately to browse the internet and keep up with what's being shared on Twitter. Do you have any bookish links to share with me?

Monday Amusements 29

My #finishitfeb progress - I'm getting there!

Today is the last day of my 27th year - oh yes, it's my birthday tomorrow! Being 26 went quite well so I'm looking forward to what this year will bring. Hopefully even more good books!

Michelle at Fluttering Butterflies has created another book tag line quiz, this one is for YA published in 2014. I could only guess two of the titles but I found it quite interesting seeing all the different tag lines together. They're all very attention-grabbing. Don't forget to enter the Fluttering Butterflies blogoversary giveaway while you're there!

When Should One Quit Reading THAT Book? asks The Pewter Wolf. There aren't many books that I haven't finished, but I think I gave up on them all quite early on. I tend to persevere with most books, even if I'm not really getting into them. A book has to actively annoy me for me to put it down - there has to be something irritating about the style or the point of view.

Keeping Track of the TBR-list is a really interesting post. Daisy is far more organised than me at the moment. I used to have a very strict system but I gave it up at the start of 2014 because I was spending more time obsessing over the order in which I planned to read books than actually reading!

I was ill last week so unfortunately this list is rather short, but I'm better now and should have more time for exploring the book blogosphere in the next fortnight!

Monday Amusements 28

So many books! This is my book haul from the Friday before last - the four from Oxford University Press were given out at their Storm Your Imagination event, and the others were gifts from other bloggers except for The Worst Girlfriend in the World, which came in the post, courtesy of Atom Book.

I have been adding some new blogs to Feedly! Hopefully this will lead to more diversity in my Monday Amusements.

Jo at Once Upon a Bookcase is Desperately Seeking Romance (novels), go comment with your recommendations!

I pretty much agreed with everything Raimy at Readaraptor wrote about the book age certificate debate in Certificates for YA books? Seriously?. This debate seems to rear its silly head every couple of years and thankfully never goes anywhere.

This is Not Why YA is Important - Maggie Stiefvater hits the nail on the head.

I have an enormous collection of writing guidebooks, so I really liked L.K. Hill's mini-reviews of the how-to guides she's been reading recently.

A Daydreamer's Thoughts is hosting a Noughts & Crosses Read-A-Long! I am tempted but I read the first book fairly recently...

My favourite reviews this fortnight:
Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith, at weartheoldcoat
A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki, at Outlandish Lit
Scarlet, by A.C. Gaughen, at Rather Be Reading
Being Sloane Jacobs, by Lauren Morrill, at Geeky Chiquitas

Is there anything you think this post should have included? Let me know in the comments!

Monday Amusements 27

I've been spending a lot of time with these lately, attempting to plan my life!

Everyone seems to have started the New Year determined to post more reviews, and I have several to share!

This review of Pawn by Aimee Carter, at So Many Books, So Little Time makes it sound like a really exciting, interesting read. At the same blog, Sophie is celebrating her fifth blogoversary. Make sure you go congratulate her and enter her celebratory giveaway!

Carly at Writing from the Tub reviewed How to Love by Katie Cotugno, and got me really intrigued with her description of the non-linear narrative. 

Across the Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund, has a beautiful cover and, according to Quinn, a wonderful story with very strong worldbuilding.

Cicely made A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge sound so amazing that I couldn't help but open up my local library catalogue immediately to find out if I can borrow it (I can)!

The reliably amazing Booka Uhu has convinced me to try not just one but two books I might otherwise have ignored: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake and My Friend the Enemy by Dan Smith.

On to discussion posts. Nikki Ramsey at Literary Escapism talks about her and her husband's drastically different views on description in books. Personally, I love description as long as it seems natural and isn't too long winded and avoids purple prose territory. As a writer, I struggle sometimes to work out exactly how much description to include. My first drafts tend to be heavy on dialogue, with some physical action, and minimal description - I usually have to add more in my second drafts!

Tanya at GirlXOXO shares 6 Speculative Fiction Books By Authors of Color Coming Out in 2014 that she's looking forward to reading.

 Is teen romantic fiction bad for boys? Or does it show ordinary romantic heroes? I definitely agree more with the second piece. I think it depends on the book, and that it can be just as bad or good for girls. Some books are full of flawlessly beautiful yet strangely needy characters, while others show teenagers as they really are with their acne, awkward teeth, and emotional ups and downs.

As always, feel free to share the best blog posts you've read recently, or even one you've written, in the comments!

Monday Amusements 26

My latest mini-TBR. I almost always take these photos in the bathroom, can you tell? What do you think I should read first?

I liked this interview with Ruth Warburton at Chicklish, part of the Project UKYA tour. I finished reading Witch Finder for this month's Bookish Brits Book Club on Saturday, and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading the other Witch books now. A Company of Swans is on my TBR, so it's great to see it get an enthusiastic mention!

I bookmarked this list a while ago, but I decided it needed a re-read now that I've started vlogging: 12 Tricks To Looking Awesome On Video.

Psychology in YA - Identity is a great start to the new Psychology in YA series (it better be a series, it's such a good idea!) at Fluttering Butterflies.

Reviews responsible for the sharp increase in the size of my wishlist this fortnight:

Beauty's Daughter: The Story of Hermione and Helen of Troy, by Carolyn Meyer, at Bookish
Boys Don't Knit, by T.S. Easton, at SisterSpooky
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton, at SisterSpooky
Being Sloane Jacobs, by Lauren Morrill, at Rather Be Reading
Magic Marks the Spot, by Caroline Carlson, at Lunar Rainbows
Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A.S. King, at Fluttering Butterflies
Ruby Red, by Kerstin Gier, at The Pewter Wolf
Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman, at The Bookette

Have you read any great posts that I've missed?

Monday Amusements 25

My latest piece of book post! This is such a striking cover, I really like it.

This is a short one today as I've been far too busy over Xmas to spend as much time as I usually do collecting links!

Jo at weartheoldcoat got to interview Melina Marchetta!!! I'm not one to overuse exclamation marks but I think this justifies it. I don't even have time to read it right now (I want to read it properly, not when I have twenty other things on my mind) but I thought I'd include it anyway as it looks fab!

Happy Christmas and Reading Resolutions for 2014 from For Books' Sake, featuring a top ten of women authors to try next year.

It's a sad fact of life that few of us have the space to keep every book we acquire. A Brief Guide To Culling Your Books at Good Books Good Wine is a very sensible guide to completing the difficult task known as the bookshelf cull.

Finally, a bit of humour - How to Write the Perfect YA Heroine (via Malinda Lo).

What have you been reading over Christmas? Have I missed any great blog posts while I've been eating and telly watching and eating and partying and eating?

Monday Amusements 24: Christmas vs New Year

  I'm really enjoying all the Bookish Brits year end videos. I just watched Michelle's latest, above.   Even though I'm really busy with Christmas preparations, I'm desperately trying to read as many books as I can to try to get at least a little bit closer to reaching my 2013 reading challenge goals. I know I won't reach any of them, but I'd like to have a better overall total! This year I was a bit boring and picked things I thought would be achievable or that would get the most of my TBR down, and I really want to get excited about reading again, so I think that next year I need to be easier on myself and simply pick the challenges that sound the most fun! As always I'll be turning to the A Novel Challenge blog for ideas. I'm feeling drawn towards the Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge and I'd love to do the Arthurian Literature Challenge, but we'll see how I feel at the start of January!

I've also been thinking about my blogging plans for next year (I really enjoyed Jamie's post at The Perpetual Page-Turner about her blogging plans and ideas) - I'm longing to try to plan out the whole year in advance, but I'm not sure I'm quite capable of that yet! Maybe six months? Three?

One thing I definitely must do next year is re-read or watch Cold Comfort Farm - this piece reminded me how much I love it.

Back to the here and now - I loved Faye's post 'Watch Out, It’s the Grinch!' - I love Christmas for all the reasons she mentions. I especially love the decorations - every time I'm out I find myself grinning in delight and exclaiming over all the lights I see on buildings, even ordinary houses. I also adored From My Bookshelves / Books for Winter at prettybooks. I would be requesting as many of those books as I could from the library right now, had I not already picked out my reading for the month. Oh well, January and February are winter months too, right?

My favourite review this week is by Debbie at Snuggling on the Sofa (I've been catching up on the other Bookish Brits' blogs, can you tell?). The Naturals sounds so exciting!

Have you thrown yourself into New Year preparations already, or are you like me, determined to squeeze as much as you can into 2013?

Monday Amusements 23

 Everything I plan to read this week. Aiming high, got to read as many books off this list as I can so that next years must-reads can be fresh and new! Okay, maybe not new...

I bought my Nook a few months ago, and ever since I've been wrapping it up in a pair of leggings in my bag! It really needs a proper case, so I'm currently deciding which one I should put on my Christmas list. Unfortunately, most purple Nook cases available in the UK are variations on the same fake leather theme, so I've turned to Etsy for something a little more fun. I like this case's polka dots, but I prefer the kind of cases that you can open like a book. This is very pretty and elegant, much more me than PU leather, but do I go sophisticated-goth or do I go for this case, with an amazing print of cats playing musical instruments? I think I'm torn between the hepcats and this swirly design, which can stand up. I'd better decide soon, before it's too late for shipping from the USA!

I enjoyed seeing Carly's Top Five Paranormal/Supernatural Reads, I've been curious about The Eternal Ones ever since I read Kiki Strike and the Shadow City, I will definitely have to get my hands on a copy. I also liked Sophie's 5 Books I Wish My Little Sister Would Read, as all those books are on my to-read list, and I'll definitely be adding the books mentioned in Michelle's Things I'm Drawn To In YA post.

Bestselling YA Authors Share 'The Book I'm Most Thankful For...' (via @sona_c).

If you consider yourself a member of YA fandom, take this survey to be part of an interesting-sounding piece of research (via @ScottWesterfeld).

Finally, Waterstones put together this adorable response to the Amazon drones announcement:

Monday Amusements 22 and Authors for the Philippines fantasy shopping!

All the books featured in my last Bookish Brits video!

'The Girl Myth in YA Fiction (And Beyond)' is a really interesting look at the way that reviewers judge girl characters as likeable or unlikeable and how this is informed by and impacts upon the way that girl characters are written, avoiding some stereotypes only to create others. I personally love reading about girls that cross the likeable/unlikeable binary - unlikeable girls who still try to do good things, or likeable girls who decide to make decisions that benefit themselves more than others, so I really enjoyed reading this post and seeing the recommendations.

I absolutely adored reading Michelle at Fluttering Butterflies' Top Ten Favourite Reading Memories post, so much so that I'll be writing my own version in the next few weeks!

Daphne at Winged Reviews is celebrating her second blogoversary with a stupendous giveaway.

Anti-Bullying Blog Week has just begun at A Day Dreamer's World - and Bookish Brits is beginning an Anti-Bullying themed fortnight! We're also looking for a new vlogger to join the team - could it be you? (end lottery voice)

Becky of The Bookette attended a School Libraries as Learning Centres course in Portugal and wrote about the experience: Part One and Part Two. I'm not a librarian but as a lifelong library fan I enjoy thinking about the future of all kinds of libraries.

On that subject, Voices for the Library just published a great piece: Why Terry Deary has got it wrong on public libraries and e-readers (via @readingagency)

Emily of the Mira Ink blog reports from an event at Waterstone's Piccadilly, and asks Is any subject taboo in YA literature? I have to agree that the answer is no - and that it is a good thing!

My favourite review this week was BookaUhu's review of Geek Girl by Holly Smale - I'd heard a lot of good things about it but now it really must go on my Christmas list or up to the top of my library wishlist!

I'm sure you must have heard about the Authors for the Philippines auction by now - if you follow me on Twitter, I've been tweeting and retweeting on the subject several times a day! If you haven't heard, all you need to know is that it's a charity auction to benefit the victims of Typhoon Haiyan via the British Red Cross. There are a whopping 468 items currently listed!

All the items that I would bid on have soared out of my tiny aspiring-novelist's budget, so I thought I would pretend I was a richer woman and engage in a bit of fantasy shopping...

My name isn't really pop band material but I'd be seriously tempted to buy item 406, Your name as the name of a popular band in YA author Luisa Plaja’s next book, for my cousin who has just started secondary school. I don't think she's read any of Luisa's books yet but wouldn't it be awesome to discover your name in a book? If you don't fancy making your name or someone else's into a band name, you can choose a character name instead or have your name shouted by a badger.

Various agents are offering critiques, and it would be utterly amazing to have a critique from any one of them, but especially Karolina Sutton of Curtis Brown. Several other people must agree with me as the bidding is now up to £450!

Finally, I would be unable to resist the signed Veronica Rossi books, including an ARC of Into the Still Blue, or the advance proof of It Felt Like a Kiss, by Sarra Manning.

If your budget is bigger than mine, do take a look at the auction site - bidding is open on all these amazing items and many more until 8pm GMT on Wednesday 20th November 2013.

I hope you're having a great Monday!

Monday Amusements 21

I hope you've been watching all the Bookish Brits videos! 

Gender Balance in YA Award Winners since 2000 takes on the idea that female authors 'dominate' YA fiction. Another fascinating read is On Book Packagers and Literary Development Companies (via @catagator). I've known about book packaging since the first time I read an article about Alloy, but it was really interesting to read about the new literary development companies started by well-known YA authors.

I love all this jewellery inspired by books! It's part of an auction running this week and I am really tempted to bid on a couple of items! (via @cloverness)

A letter To My Fairy Bookmother. I would ask for a chair that never gets uncomfortable, perfect recall of all my favourite books (I don't want to waste time remembering my least favourite too), and for Robin McKinley to write a sequel to Sunshine, or better yet, a whole series.

I also enjoyed reading Sex, swears and… er… unicorns? at Author Allsorts (via @Yayeahyeah), which makes a very good point!

I thought that Lit Medicine: 11 Books To Save Your Ass (Or Just Your Weary Soul) was great, especially as I'm planning to make my own list of comforting or inspiring books.

Have you read any really good blog posts or articles about books this fortnight?

Monday Amusements 20 and Bookish Brits Announcement!

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm joining nine other UK book bloggers for the new collaborative channel, Bookish Brits! Here is the introductory video for the channel:


I hope you enjoy it and make sure that you also watch the first of the personal introductions, by Fluttering Butterflies' Michelle! My intro will be going up a week today. I'm scared, excited...and I can't decide which hat to wear.

SisterSpooky presents her thoughts on Book Tours. I agree with all her points really and would add that I almost never read book tour posts for debut authors, but on the other hand I can get excited about book tours for authors whose books I have previously read. I think that reviews and trailers are much better promotional tools for new authors.

I love reading books about characters I can relate to, but also adore reading about people who are as different to me as can be. As Tanya at Girlxoxo points out with her post On Only Reading Books You Can Relate To ... Why? (Dangerous Reads Month), I'd be missing out on a lot of wonderful books if I limited myself only to those I can relate to.

Five Fictional Characters Saved by the NHS!

 If you live anywhere near Newcastle, Holly Black and Sarah Rees-Brennan will be discussing gothic fiction at Seven Stories. If you go I will be very jealous.

Monday Amusements 19

My reading challenge spreadsheet in action.

The Booktrust has put together a list of the 100 Best Books for Children up to the age of 14. Don't forget to vote for your favourites!

If you're in the mood for a shorter list, check out 5 Signs You Are Reading Too Much YA from Book Riot. I exhibit none of these symptoms. Must read more YA ;)

I loved this post about Dream UKYA Collaborations at YA Yeah Yeah.

6 Tricks To Stay Healthy While Sitting + Staring At Screens All Day - because I'd like to be able to type when I'm 90, wouldn't you? Yes, by then typing might be a completely obselete method of inputing data, but it would be nice to have a functioning back and flexible arms and fingers regardless.

If you are a writer in or near London you must check out the Spread the Word Autumn 2013 events programme. There are some really interesting workshops available this season, and I am looking forward to the debate about the new gatekeepers in fiction publishing in December.

How well do you market yourself or your blog? Marketing isn't my number one priority at the moment when it comes to my blog, because I'm focusing on establishing a regular posting schedule. However, it is still something that I think about often. I would love to have more commenters and for my posts to lead to proper discussions, and I know that I will have to have a proper marketing plan in order to achieve this goal.

I love reading all sorts of bookish memes, even though I only currently participate in Top Ten Tuesday, so I was thrilled to see The Master List of Book Blogging Memes at Girlxoxo.

What posts have you enjoyed recently?

Monday Amusements 18

It's a short one today as I've been away and been ill, and I'm about to go out!

SisterSpooky's Blogger Thoughts: Swearing in YA explores an issue that I've been thinking about over the last few days. On Friday I  finished reading Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which has a lot of swearing in it. The f word appears a lot, sometimes several times a page, and I thought it was perfectly normal, but I've read several reviews since by people who find it really offensive. Personally, if I was offended by swearing, I'd give it a one line mention in my review. But it's almost all these reviewers talk about! They don't write about the characters or the plot, just the swearing, and I find that unfair and really quite bizarre. At the same time, when I'm writing, though I'll put in the odd swear word where it seems natural, I'm afraid of putting too many in, in case I'll be asked to remove them all later!

Another thought-provoking post is Relationship History and what I'd like to see more of in YA... at Fluttering Butterflies. It would be great to see more characters dealing with breakups, or long periods of being single. All the talk of soulmates and destiny makes me more than a little uncomfortable.

A list of time-travelling teen fiction, at Stacked (via @strangechemistry).

How To Rekindle The Flame When The Blogging Honeymoon Is Over! - See more at: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2013/02/how-to-rekindle-the-flame-when-the-blogging-honeymoon-is-over.html#sthash.dTQpnTsp.dpuf

How To Rekindle The Flame When The Blogging Honeymoon Is Over! is another great post, with advice for getting over a blogging slump.

The Broke and the Bookish ask: If you had to be a book villain, which one would you choose to be and why?

How To Rekindle The Flame When The Blogging Honeymoon Is Over! - See more at: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2013/02/how-to-rekindle-the-flame-when-the-blogging-honeymoon-is-over.html#sthash.dTQpnTsp.dpuf

How To Rekindle The Flame When The Blogging Honeymoon Is Over! - See more at: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2013/02/how-to-rekindle-the-flame-when-the-blogging-honeymoon-is-over.html#sthash.dTQpnTsp.dpuf

How To Rekindle The Flame When The Blogging Honeymoon Is Over! - See more at: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2013/02/how-to-rekindle-the-flame-when-the-blogging-honeymoon-is-over.html#sthash.dTQpnTsp.dpuf

How To Rekindle The Flame When The Blogging Honeymoon Is Over! - See more at: http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2013/02/how-to-rekindle-the-flame-when-the-blogging-honeymoon-is-over.html#sthash.dTQpnTsp.dpuf

Monday Amusements 17

I love the barcode scanner on the Goodreads app so much.

YA Contemporary is currently celebrating a School Days Theme Week. I really liked this post by Liz Filleul about how British boarding school stories have changed since the start of the millennium.

Jo of weartheoldcoat reviewed Stone Cold by Robert Swindells, as part of her I Dream of Carnegie challenge, and brought back the memories I have of reading it for the first time!

Unpacking why adults read young adult fiction is an amazing piece by Malinda Lo that pretty much does what it says on the tin. I'd really love to steal that PhD idea!

Call Me Maybe – a quiz of literary pseudonyms (via @bookriot). I got 6/10, which I'm quite surprised by! But I can't answer any of the questions in So Many Books, So Little Time's Book Quiz!

The One Thing White Writers Get Away With, But Authors of Color Don't - sadly, not all that surprising.

I could read about cool libraries all day. 4 Innovative Libraries Transforming Lives Around the World, at Mental Floss.

The Bookette's Guide to... Where we are with children and eBooks and School Libraries is really interesting. I loved my school libraries but remember that they didn't seem to acquire new books very often, unless there was some kind of donation promotion event going on. My secondary school library seemed to be mostly stocked with random adult fiction donations (I read some very odd stuff as a teen thanks to that), and this was long before the recession, so I'm not surprised that they're still short on cash.

Monday Amusements 16

Happy Monday! If you're in the UK chances are you might be enjoying a bank holiday right now, just as I am. I'm going to be playing board games again, yay! If you have a job that requires you to work today, you have my sympathies, as my current job is the first job I've had that didn't count bank holidays as an ordinary day of work. Regardless of whether you're at work or play, I hope you enjoy my link selection.

First up is the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of The Book Thief, which I do not like at all.


Maybe it's just the voiceovers, but it looks so cheesy. Yes, I said voiceovers. The man's voiceover at the end is bad but Liesel's introduction at the beginning is pretty corny too. Hopefully it's just this trailer and the actual film will be better!

Why Keep Books? I keep books for all of the reasons listed by Tasha Brandstatter at Book Riot, and also because I want to share them with friends. I like to lend books I loved to other people, so they can enjoy them too. I also lend books that I had mixed feelings about, because I want to know what the other person will think.

I'd love to visit Hay-on-Wye, but I think it will have to wait until I acquire a lot more bookshelves! If I do go, I want to visit The Bookshop Cafe, as reviewed by Anushka Tay. The food and the books look delicious.

I really enjoyed Raimy's thoughtful post about being an adult reader of children's books. I don't read many children's books, outside of the teen age category, but I absolutely loved those that I have read in the last few years.

A Guide to YA Novels with LGBTQ Characters (via @Caroni_Clarke) is a graphic guide that will help you find just the book to match your tastes! If you're looking for a feminist YA novel, Sophie at So Many Books, So Little Time has put together a short list of her favourites. On Twitter (@sophie_waters) she shared this fantastic piece about Sarah Dessen and her recent revelations about her past, which I totally agree with.

Jessi at Auntie Spinelli Reads posted the first review of The Bone Season, by Samantha Shannon, that I've seen, and made it sound so intriguing I must get my hands on a copy!

At Winged Reviews, Jack poses the question Do Authors Deserve a Second Chance? Personally, I am open-minded and will pick up a second book by an author if the reasons I didn't like it were relatively superficial. If I didn't like the protagonist or the ending then I'm happy to give them another go. But if the book was badly written, or if the author was pushing a point of view that made me feel uncomfortable, it's very unlikely that I'll try their work again.

Have you written or read a great post in the last two weeks that I've missed? Let me know in the comments, and check out the Monday Amusements archive if you want more to read!

Monday Amusements 15

Which of these books do you think I should read next? Leave me a comment and help me choose!

Fictional Scenes I Want to Live at So Many Books, So Little Time got me thinking. I'd also love to visit Hogwarts, be Edie for that scene in the Louvre, and go to all manner of 1920's parties.

I loved Eleanor Wood's guest post at Fluttering Butterflies - it's like she read my mind, I relate so much to her experience of being a teenager. I will have to read Gemini Rising.

I could have written most of this post myself: Things I’m Afraid To Tell You – A Book Blogger Confesses ALL! I am gradually reading and posting more but I'm never going to be one of those bloggers that posts a review every day, or even every other day. I have too many other interests and I love list posts! Reviews, though important, are less entertaining to write and promote.

Can you work out which books are featured in the YA Contemporary Covers Quiz?

Onto my favourite reviews! I have so many this week - thanks to some determined Feedly-reading - that I'm just going to list them.

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts, by Robyn Schneider, at So Many Books, So Little Time
Dangerous Girls, by Abigail Haas, at Writing from the Tub
The Beautiful and the Cursed, by Page Morgan, at Lunar Rainbows
The Savages, by Matt Whyman, at Wear the Old Coat
Burn Bright, by Marianne de Pierres, at The Pewter Wolf
Dead Jealous, by Sharon Jones, at Fluttering Butterflies
Ocean of Secrets, by Aimee Friedman, at Cicely Loves Books
Deception, by C.J. Redwine, at Auntie Spinelli Reads
Anatomy of a Boyfriend, by Daria Snadowsky, at Once Upon a Bookcase
Weirdos vs. Quimboids, by Natasha Desborough, at SisterSpooky
See You At Harry's, by Jo Knowles, at Readaraptor
OCD Love Story, by Corey Ann Haydu, at Rather Be Reading
The Distance Between Us, by Kasie West, at Quinn's Book Nook

 Finally, 12 Onomatopoeias from Around the World - is it just me or is 'ghrutu ghrutu' a much better approximation of the noise a pig makes than 'oink oink'?

Monday Amusements 14

Another week has begun, but Once Upon a Bookcase's LGBTQ YA Month has just finished. I've loved reading the reviews but I found Jo's review of Weetzie Bat really interesting as it's a book I have mixed feelings about too. I think that essentially it's too whimsical for my taste but I do like the language and there are some great lines. I also really liked this guest post by Jane Eagland, on Changing the Sexuality of Characters on Editor's Request, which provides some insight into the way that some editors might see works with LGBTQ characters.

Natassia at Literary Escapism wrote about some bookstore renovations that displeased her.

What I'd Like To See More of in YA..., the first in a new series at Fluttering Butterflies, made me realise that although I'm not a fan of playing, or watching sport, I quite like reading YA in which sport plays a major role in the main character's life. How odd!

Two new reading challenges you might be interested in: the Beat the Heat Readathon and the Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter Read-a-thon (check out my review of the first in the series here).

Andrew at The Pewter Wolf re-read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I wonder what I'd think of that series if I read it again now.

I think it's about time that Speak is awarded the title of Most Controversial YA Book Ever. I almost missed this latest round of controversy but for The Broke and the Bookish's round-up. I haven't even read it yet and all this annoys me.

Raimy gave audiobooks a try and is not convinced. I also find it quite difficult to remember what happened unless I go back a bit. I only listen to audiobooks on the move, which usually means on trains, but I still prefer paper books because there are fewer interruptions from tunnels and noisy fellow passengers.

Now I'm off to go to bed and hopefully get some more reading in tomorrow!

Monday Amusements 13

 

Currently reading this but not sure I'm in the mood for it - might be a bit too literary for the moment.

This week's Monday Amusements is mostly about pretty things. I have seen a lot of beautiful bookish stuff online recently.

Such as the Literary Gift Company's line of alphabet mugs. And Storiarts Book Scarves (via Ashe). This edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. All the book necklaces in the Etsy world. The TBR book jar. Harry Potter heels (via @cjredwine).

And oh gosh, this stunning bookshop.

I've also been loving lists. Starting with 'Diversify Your YA: Six Books With Minority Main Characters', at xojane. I'd already heard of most of these but seeing the enthusiasm of other readers moves them higher on my to-acquire list.

Here's a meta-list: The 10 Best Top 100 Book Lists.

A really interesting list from Rookie magazine: Compare and Contrast: Books we love about emulation, imitation, and replication.

Combining a list with prettiness: I loved the image collages in this top ten YA standalones list (via E Lockhart).

15 Young Adult Books Every Adult Should Read (via @simonschuster). As if my wishlist wasn't long enough already.

A fantastic best of UKYA list from So Many Books, So Little Time.

Rather Be Reading has one of the most gorgeous blog designs that I've seen. I loved their recent post, 'Being Married to a Reader: Gazing Lovingly at… Books'. My boyfriend is a reader (and also a writer) and it is one of the best things ever, having grown up in a family of non-or very casual-readers.

Lucy, Queen of Contemporary, has just launched her UKYA fortnight (via @cloverness).

I loved this review of Cold Comfort Farm by Bev of My Reader's Block, which perfectly summed up all the wonderful things about it. You can read my review, from 2011, here.

Have you written or read any great book lists recently?