May 2016 Wrap-Up!

May 2016 has been an interesting month – I’m putting the finishing touches to the last assignment in my 16-year academic career, my thesis in Biophysics. I didn’t think I’d be able to get through many books or blog posts, but it appears instead I’ve broken records. Huh.

Blog Posts

I hope you’ve all been enjoying the YALC Reading List books as much as I’ve been enjoying writing them – they’re a great way of figuring out what books I want to read and get signed before the big weekend in July. I’m so excited to see the timetable tomorrow (1 June) at 9am!

YALC Reading List: Part 3!

YALC Reading List: Part 4!

YALC Reading List Part 5!

YALC Reading List Part SIX!

I’ve also been helping with the UKYA BookBlogger Awards. Here are all the posts from the awards, including the announcement of the winners earlier this week.

2016 UKYA Book Blogger Award Nominations!

UKYA Book Blogger Awards Longlist!

WINNERS of the UKYA Book Blogger Awards!

I also wrote about the boxsets I am so excited to buy, featuring the lovely new boxsets from Leigh Bardugo:

I want ALL of the boxsets!

Books Read

Here I would insert a nice photo of the books I’ve read, but I’m too lazy this month. Next month however…

The Inventory: Iron Fist by Andy Briggs – review and my stop on the blog tour here.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin – review here.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

I read this after doing the play at school many years ago, and in preparation for the BBC adaptation (which I’m not entirely sure I’m going to watch – any opinions would be welcome)

The Crown and the Arrow by Renee Ahdieh

This is a *really* short story bridging the gap between the two books in The Wrath and the Dawn duology.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

OMG. This book. Just go and read this book. 4.77 rating on Goodreads. (I’m planning on publishing my reviews for ACOTAR and ACOMAF over a weekend sometime soon.)

My Favourite Manson Girl by Alison Umminger – review here

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout – review here

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I read this in anticipation for the movie – hoping to do a book/film comparison this month!

The Girls by Emma Cline – review here

So that’s NINE books, in a month I wasn’t really meant to be reading…

I’m hoping June will be just as productive!

What have you read this month? Have you read any of the books on my list? What did you think?

Annalise xxx

WINNERS of the UKYA Book Blogger Awards!

It’s already the 30th of May (even though I genuinely thought it was the 31st…) and so it’s time to announce the winners of the UKYA Book Blogger Awards!

Without further ado, let’s unveil the UKYA Book Blogger Awards winners:

Best Adult Blogger

Winner – Michelle – Tales Of Yesterday
2nd Place – Jim – YAYeahYeah
3rd Place – Sally – The Dark Dictator

Best Teen Blogger

Winner – Amber – The Mile Long Bookshelf
2nd Place – Lucy – Queen of Contemporary
3rd Place – Georgia Dalton – TeenBookHoots

Blogger Spirit Award

Winner – Michelle – Tales Of Yesterday
2nd Place – Viv – Serendipity Reviews
3rd Place – Lucy – Queen of Contemporary

Best Male Blogger

Winner – Jim – YAYeahYeah
2nd Place – George Lester
3rd Place – Andrew – The Pewter Wolf

Best Female Blogger

Winner – Grace – Almost Amazing Grace
2nd Place – Michelle – Tales Of Yesterday
3rd Place – Miriam – Hello I Am Miriam

Best Team / Co-op Blog

Winner – Serendipity Reviews
2nd Place – Bookish Brits
3rd Place – The Big Book Project

Marvellous Blogger Award

Winner – Grace – Almost Amazing Grace
2nd Place – Michelle – Tales Of Yesterday
3rd Place – Luna – Luna’s Little Library

Best Overseas Blogger

Winner – Cait – Paper Fury
2nd Place – Jamie – The Perpetual Page-Turner
3rd Place – Lili – Lili’s Reflections

Best Booktuber

Winner – Lucy – Queen of Contemporary
2nd Place – George Lester
3rd Place – Stevie – SableCaught

Best on Social Media

Winner – Michelle – Tales Of Yesterday
2nd Place – Mariam – Hello I Am Mariam
3rd Place – Jim – YAYeahYeah

Best Oldtimer

Winner – Amber – The Mile Long Bookshelf
2nd Place – Viv – Serendipity Reviews
3rd Place – Lucy – Queen of Contemporary

Best Growing Blogger

Winner – Michelle – Tales Of Yesterday
2nd Place – Virginie – Chouett Blog
3rd Place – Chloe – Writer-On-Wheels

Best Newcomer

Winner – Jo Clarke – Booklover Jo
2nd Place – Hannah Ha – Ninjas Reads Too
3rd Place – Cintia – Reflectionofthebooks

Best Blogger Feature

Winner – 6 Degrees – YAYeahYeah
2nd Place – Secret Serendipity Seven & Blogger Island Books – Serendipity Reviews
3rd Place – Looks on Books – Casey Ann / Dark Readers

The 2016 UKYA Book Blogger Awards in numbers:

Something like 30hrs+ were spent backstage putting the awards together.


More than 100 nominations were put forward…

28 UKYA Bloggers made the longlist

33 UKYA Bloggers were on the shortlist

Over 2600 votes were cast in 14 categories

There were 16 lovely helpers and 1 host

On the 30th May at 6pm (that’s tonight) there is 1 epic Book Lover / Awards Twitter Party and you are all invited!

It’s been so fun helping out with these awards – I hope you enjoyed them and see you next year for the 2017(!) UKYA Book Blogger Awards!

Annalise xxx

YALC Reading List Part SIX!

It’s already time for Part SIX(!) of the YALC Reading List and it’s another cracker.

Catch up or re-read the first five parts here – one, two, three, four, and five!

The YALC Reading List is updated every Sunday evening.

44. Emerald Fennell

Book to read: Monsters

You might recognise Emerald from her roles in Call the Midwife or Anna Karenina, but when she’s not acting, she’s also an author. Her first and second novels, Shiverton Hall and The Creeper, were both shortlisted for the Waterstones Childrens Book Prixe, and her latest novel, Monsters, is an adult novel that was released last September. Monsters has been billed as darkly comic murder thriller, focusing on two twelve year olds who decide to investigate and re-enact some recent murders in Cornwall. This one sounds interesting and has some amazing reviews.

45. Natalie Flynn

Book to read: The Deepest Cut

The Deepest Cut is Natalie Flynn’s debut novel, and centres around Adam, a boy who blames himself for his best friend’s murder and subsequently attempts suicide. Put in the care of a local mental health facility and too traumatised to speak, he starts to write notebooks in an attempt to move on. This book came out recently (May 24th) so expect to see it in bookshops now.

46. Sally Green

Book to read: The Half Bad series

I feel like a lot of people have read this series and loved it so I’m sure it needs no introduction to many of you. Based in a world where humans and witches live together, Nathan, the son of the world’s most powerful and violent witch, Marcus, must escape his cage and track down his father to receive his powers. The third and final book, Half Lost, was released earlier this year.

47. Julia Gray

Book to read: The Otherlife

Another multi-talented author on this list, Julia Gray is an author and singer-songwriter, having released five albums. Her first novel, The Otherlife, is the story of Ben, who has visions of The Otherlife, where gods and monsters roam. Hobie, the school bully, fascinated by Ben’s visions, befriends him. But when, years later, Ben’s best friend and tutor Jason dies, Ben can’t help but feel Hobie has something to do with it… This book sounds like a really cool concept, and it is released on July 7th.

48. Lisa Heathfield

Book to read: Seed/Paper Butterflies

You can find my reviews of Seed and Paper Butterflies here and here. Both of Lisa’s novels tackle difficult issues – Seed is about a girl raised in a cult and struggling with her identity, and Paper Butterflies is about a girl who suffers child abuse. Both these books are hard-hitting and, at times, difficult to read. Seed is out now and Paper Butterflies will be released 30 June.

49. Claire Hennessy

Book to read: Nothing Tastes As Good

This one is one I’m really excited about. Claire’s debut YA novel follows Annabel, a recently deceased anorexic teen, assigned as a helper to Julia, who also has a difficult relationship with food. This one comes out July 14, so I might pick this one up at YALC.

50. Rhian Ivory

Book to read: The Boy who drew the Future

This is Rhian’s fifth novel, and focuses on two boys who live in the same village 100 years apart, but who have the same gift – they can draw the future. Set in the 1860s and the 1960s, this sounds like a cool historical novel, and it has some amazing reviews on Goodreads.

51. Lauren James

Lauren’s first novel The Next Together (review here) is the story of a couple, Katherine and Matthew, who exists in several timestreams but appear to be always doomed. This is such an interesting concept and take on historical romance, and I loved that it featured so much science. Lauren’s next book, the sequel to The Next Together, The Last Beginning, is due out in October.

That’s it for this week’s installment – which books should I be reading immediately? Comment below or tweet me at @annalisebooks!

Annalise x

Review: The Girls by Emma Cline

The Girls by Emma Cline

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Girls—their vulnerability, strength, and passion to belong—are at the heart of this stunning first novel for readers of Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides and Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. Soon, Evie is in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader. Hidden in the hills, their sprawling ranch is eerie and run down, but to Evie, it is exotic, thrilling, charged—a place where she feels desperate to be accepted. As she spends more time away from her mother and the rhythms of her daily life, and as her obsession with Suzanne intensifies, Evie does not realize she is coming closer and closer to unthinkable violence, and to that moment in a girl’s life when everything can go horribly wrong.

Emma Cline’s remarkable debut novel is gorgeously written and spellbinding, with razor-sharp precision and startling psychological insight. The Girls is a brilliant work of fiction—and an indelible portrait of girls, and of the women they become.

**Disclaimer: Copy received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

The Girls is the story of Evie, a 14-year-old recovering from her parents’ divorce and falling out with her best friend, Connie. The year is 1969, and soon she is enthralled by Suzanne, an older girl who lives at a rundown ranch in poverty, with a few other girls, all of whom worship one man, Russell. Based on the story of Charles Manson and the Manson girls, this is a hard-hitting book of a childhood filled with sex, drugs, and cult worship, and ultimately, murder. This isn’t just a story though – it is also a social commentary on the role of girls and the expectations flung upon them.

Emma Cline’s writing is beautiful, full of metaphors and insights that make this world so clear. This book is a little intellectual (definitely not Young Adult though told through a teenager’s eyes), and takes place in two timestreams – present day, where Evie is ambling along, imposed upon by a teenage couple who are up to no good, and California, 1969, when Evie was enthralled by a cult. The events of 1969 still clearly haunt her to this day, and so this story is really the one of her making – how her actions as a girl have impacted on her entire life.

This is the second Manson-based book I’ve read this month(!) – the other being My Favourite Manson Girl by Alison Umminger (review here) which is a YA book of a similar dark tone, but this time about a teenager researching the Manson girls. This book is a lot grittier (it is an adult novel, after all), and gets a little more into the action of this story, told by someone who was actually there.

The Girls is a dark summer read, dancing with sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, and with flecks of a real-life horror that gripped America.

View all my reviews

Annalise x

I want ALL of the boxsets!

My TBR list is genuinely a bit scary – it towers over my bed and I can’t decide which book to read next because they all look so great. And yet I want more – despite the fact I have not yet been offered a job for after I leave uni in TWO WEEKS AAHHHHHHHH and I currently own a complete total of ZERO bookshelves.

It’s all going to be fine. Except I might buy more books. Fine, I AM going to buy more books.

Leigh Bardugo!

These JUST got announced, and I haven’t read any of them, but I know I should. I’ve heard so many amazing recommendations for these books, and the covers are so pretty. The question is whether I should wait for the boxed set…

The *New* Cassandra Clare covers

I own (and read) all of Cassandra Clare’s novels, but I have about half of them on kindle, some in the original UK editions (with the scary faces – google if you don’t know what I mean!), and they’re a variety of sizes. I love these new covers and NEED them on my bookshelf (especially the new TID covers which I couldn’t find a pic of). I’m also considering getting the mangas of The Infernal Devices to read along with.

Puffin In Bloom

These covers, AM I RIGHT? I saw these on HailsLovesNYC’s YouTube channel (I’ve been loving her videos lately), and oh my god, I’m in love. They’re so beaut.

Jane Austen!

I really love these Penguin classic hardbacks, and I should probably read more classics. I haven’t read any Jane Austen, despite owning a huge hefty copy of all of her books in one book, which is completely impossible to read (very small print, very big book problems). I think this set would make me look very sophisticated and make me actually read some of her work (previous attempts seem to have failed).

That’s it from me on BOXSETS I am dying to buy, there are plenty more BOOKS I want to buy, but my hand hurts as I have been writing my thesis (a very painful procedure, let me tell you!)

Love and kisses,

Annalise xxx

Review: The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**Disclaimer: Received from the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I love Jennifer L. Armentrout books (in particular, the Lux series which are wonderful), and so when I saw her new contemporary novel, The Problem With Forever, on NetGalley, I knew I had to pick it up.

Mallory “Mouse” Dodge suffers from PTSD after a traumatic, abusive childhood with dreadful foster parents, where she was protected only by her foster brother, Rider. After an incident, Mallory and Rider were separated, and Mallory found loving and understanding foster parents in Carl and Rosa, two doctors who lost a daughter to natural causes years ago. After three years of homeschooling, Mallory decides she wants to go to school for her senior year to gear her up for the social pressures of attending college. Battling her social anxiety and speech difficulties as she goes to school, she soon bumps into a familiar face…

This book was such a quick read for me, and unlike any book I’ve ever read – it’s a romance, perhaps even a twist on Romeo & Juliet. Rider and Mallory moved into two very different backgrounds, united by a past that they’re both trying to move on from. Mallory is set on college, perhaps even medical school, whilst Rider really isn’t too bothered about school – he hardly even does his homework, too focussed on his art. I liked this unconventional love interest, and the subplot that is his new family and their lives. However, Mallory really does try to mould him into a ‘better’, more academic person – which is understandable but kind of grated on me – he was an interesting character to begin with, and doesn’t need to be pushed into the typical love interest mould.

Most of the characters were developed and had full back stories – especially Mallory and Rider – but I felt Mallory’s school friends were way under-developed, something chronic in YA. Mallory’s best friend Ainsley, however, was fun and had her own storyline – which I believe will be explored further in the next book.

Whilst this story definitely stands out from most romances, it was actually the romance that didn’t quite gel for me. I know a lot of people loved it. It reminded me a lot of my ex-boyfriend in a cringey way (my ex-boyfriend was VERY cringey). It was not discussed at all that Mallory and Rider were foster siblings, and were brought up, for ten years, as brother and sister (albeit in a very messed up household). This was particularly surprising to me as Mallory’s parents do object to the romance (I loved that the parents were realistic and got involved!).

There are some really dark and serious topics in this book (child abuse, drugs, grief, loss, the poor/rich divide,etc.) which I really did like – but the romance and the characters just didn’t click for me. This book has all the ingredients for a great YA novel, but the execution didn’t do it for me – but it did for a lot of other people.

A hard-hitting romance with dark tones but ultimately, a story of survival.
View all my reviews

 

What did you think of The Problem With Forever? Comment below or tweet me at @annalisebooks!

Annalise x

YALC Reading List Part 5!

It’s Part 5 of the YALC Reading List!

You can find parts one, two, three and four on the other side of those links.

The YALC Reading List is published every Sunday evening, but I am currently on a semi-official hiatus (thesis writing!) until the 10th June, so the next few parts may be slightly delayed…

Let’s get started, shall we?

36. Natasha Carthew

Book to read: Winter Damage / The Light That Gets Lost

Natasha’s first novel Winter Damage was nominated for the 2014 Carnegie medal and shortlisted for other awards, including the Branford Boase award. Her second novel, The Light That Gets Lost, was released in October last year, and focuses on a small boy who witnesses his parents’ murder, and years later, ends up at a camp for troubled teenagers. Unfortunately, both of these books have Goodreads ratings in the 2-3 stars range – it appears these books are a real love-em-or-hate-em deal, with an interesting style of prose that some people can’t get through. I try not to read anything with a Goodreads rating less than 3.5, so I think I’ll be giving these a miss.

37. Cat Clarke

Book to read: The Lost and the Found

Cat Clarke has win the Lancashire Book award, the Redbridge Teen award, and was nominated for the Branford Boase award. Her latest novel, The Lost and the Found, came out last July, and is about a girl, Faith, whose sister was abducted at a young age, and whose abduction took over her family’s life. When her sister returns, Faith becomes isolated and paranoid. This book sounds really interesting, so definitely an addition to my TBR list.

38. Keren David

Book to read: Cuckoo

This book is a slightly different addition to the YALC reading list because it comes out on August 4th, but I’m hoping there will be copies of this at YALC (to get signed!). Cuckoo is the story of a boy, Jake, who is a household name due to his starring role in a soap, but whose character has been off air for a while. With family life hitting boiling point (with a father with anger issues, a severely autistic brother and the family finances in bad shape), Jake doesn’t feel like he fits in anywhere. This is one I am definitely looking forward to!

39. Ben Davis

Book to read: The Private Blog of Joe Cowley series

Apparently an older version of Wimpy Kid, these books look really funny, written as the blog of 14-year-old Joe Cowley, who wants to draw comics, and is a self-confessed ‘serial repeller of girls’. These books look like the encapsulate what it feels like to be a weird teenage boy (something I guess I have no experience of).

40. Juno Dawson

Book to read: Mind Your Head

Juno was one of my personal highlights of last year’s YALC in her fabulous Daenerys Targaryen outfit, and I’m so glad she’ll be in residence once again this year. Mind Your Head (review here) and Spot the Difference (review here) have been great reads this year – Mind Your Head is a non-fiction guide to mental health and being a teenager, whereas Spot the Difference is a fiction novella about a girl with severe acne. I’ve been meaning to dive into Juno’s other books (written as James Dawson) so will perhaps pick up one or two at YALC.

41. Catherine Doyle

Book to read: Vendetta/Inferno

The Blood for Blood trilogy (third book coming soon) has rave reviews on GoodReads and has been described as Romeo & Juliet meets The Godfather, set in modern day Chicago. Vendetta is on my TBR shelf (along with pretty much every YA book ever) but after reading some amazing reviews, I think it needs to be bumped up a few spots. As well as (apparently) being gritty, funny, and full of warring families and forbidden romance, the covers of these books are also to die for.

42. Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

I remember Tom and Lucy from last year’s YALC – Lucy is a school librarian and Tom is a journalist. They also used to date. Their first novel together, Lobsters, is about two friends, Sam and Hannah, trying to find their ‘lobster’ i.e. The One, whereas Never Evers, their second novel, is about a French ski resort, where Mouse goes after being kicked out of ballet academy, and where Jack stands in for a famous popstar who happens to be the spitting image of him. Both these books have good reviews, so I’ll probably pick up one or the other soon.

43. Natasha Farrant

Book to read: Lydia, the Bad Bennet girl

Natasha Farrant’s newest novel is a re-imagining of Pride & Prejudice (which I really should get reading, now to think of it), focusing on Lydia, the youngest Bennet sister. This book is out in September, so I’m hoping for some early copies floating around YALC!

That’s it for this week’s installment in the YALC Reading List!

Which books are you planning on reading? Which books should I definitely pick up? Tweet me at @annalisebooks or comment below!

Annalise x

 

Review: My Favourite Manson Girl by Alison Umminger

My Favourite Manson Girl by Alison Umminger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Anna has had a miserable year. Everything feels wrong with her life. And rather than stay and face the mess, she steals a credit card and books herself a seat on the first flight out of town to Los Angeles, to crash with her sister. But soon after she lands, cold reality soon dawns on her: Hollywood isn’t the escape she needs. She is trapped in a town full of lost souls and wannabes, with no friends, no cash and no return ticket.

When she’s offered a job researching the murderous Manson girls for a dubious film, she reluctantly accepts – she needs the money. But soon enough, among the fake smiles and glitter-fuelled parties, things turn from strange, to dark, to dangerous . . .

This is not going to be the summer Anna had in mind.

**Disclaimer: Received from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review**

First off, the cover design is gorgeous – it looks great on my bookshelf and the cover is so summery!

My Favourite Manson Girl is the story of Anna, who, when faced with family breakdown and being forced to move schools, steals her stepmother’s credit card information and flies from Georgia to California, to stay with her sister, Delia, a struggling actress. Soon she is thrust into the Los Angeles scene, researching Charles Manson and his ‘Manson girls’ for her sister’s ex-boyfriend’s indie film, whilst spending time on set with her sister’s current boyfriend as he writes for a cheesy kids show.

Alison Umminger’s writing is funny and fresh, and the whole book feels summery and original. The story turns dark at times, and seems to be a true reflection of Los Angleles (not that I would know, having never been there!). I loved the interesting family dynamic and the flawed characters (in particular, Anna’s mother, her sister Delia, and Anna herself) – each character had good times and bad times, times when they were unlikeable and others when they were perfectly nice. I particularly liked how Anna, the protagonist, was unlikeable at times, making judgments about other people and bullying a girl with her best friend.

The entire book is thought-provoking, with comparisons drawn between the seemingly crazed Manson girls and Anna’s own friends and family, as well as people in general. Anna also questions her own judgments and fascination with celebrity – the rash judgments she makes when first meeting people tend to be wrong, and Umminger perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to be a teenager, making decisions and judgments which feel right, but ultimately tend not to be. The romance especially challenges Anna’s preconceived ideas and was a sweet seam through the story.

Overall, a dark, summery read and a great addition to YA – original, fresh, and true to life. Definitely one for the summer TBR list!

View all my reviews

Have you read My Favourite Manson Girl? Will you be reading it? Comment below or tweet me at @annalisebooks!

Annalise x

UKYA Book Blogger Awards Longlist!

So, apologies for this post being a little late – I’m currently in the last few weeks of my degree (and academic life) so a little bit busy writing my thesis and trying to make the most of these last few weeks.

The UKYA Book Blogger Awards are OPEN!
#awardukyabbloggers

Give a big shout out to the wonderful helpers this year:

Aditi @ A Thousand Words A Million Books

Amy McCaw @ YA Under My Skin


Andrew @ The Pewter Wolf


Annalise @ AnnaliseBooks


Aurelija @ myblinddatewithbooks

Chelley Toy @ Tales Of Yesterday


Chloe @ Writer-On-Wheels

Cintia @ Reflection of the Books


Emma @ Howling Reviews

Georgia Stencel @ The Books Bandit

Jesse @ thatjessebloke


Kaavya @ outlookonabook

Kaisha @ thewritinggarnet


Rachel Kennedy @ Ya-bberingBooklover

Rebecca @ Rebecca McCormick’s Authorial Blog

Virginie @ Chouett

Voting for the SHORTLIST is via Luna’s Little Library who is hosting the UKYA Book Blogger Awards this year. Just follow this link here!
The voting closes on Friday 27th May 2016.
Don’t forget to share the love! #awardukyabbloggers

26 UKYA bloggers made the UKYA Book Blogger Awards LONGLIST year
Congratulations all!

UKYA Book Blogger Awards LONGLIST

Annalise – Annalisebooks
Ben – Benjaminoftomes
Beth – Bibliobeth
Charli – To Another World
Dani Reviews Things
Debbie – Snuggling on the Sofa
Denise – The Bibliolater
Emma – Howling Reviews
Hollie – Hollieblog
Holly – Lost in a Library
Huriyah & Nalisha – SugarQuills
Jenny – Wondrous Reads
Jessica – Paper Utopia
Julianne – This Fleeting Dream
Kaisha – The Writing Garnet)
Katie – queenofteenfiction
Maia – maiaandlittlemoore
Miss Meira Dee
Nicola – Nicola Reads YA
Olivia Mitchell – Rewrite This Story
Rachel Kennedy – Ya-bberingBooklover
Rebecca – Rebecca McCormick’s Authorial Blog
Rita – Weaving Pages
Sanne – booksandquills
Sarah – Feeling Fictional
Sophie – So Many Books, So Little Time
Stacey – The Pretty Books
YA Fictionados

And lastly, there’s going to be a TWITTER PARTY!

Time to get voting for the shortlist! (and thank you to everyone who nominated me for the longlist!)

 

Annalise x

YALC Reading List: Part 4!

Welcome back to part 4 of the YALC reading list!

Here are parts one, two and three, for those catching up or rereading!

The YALC Reading List is posted every Sunday evening.

28. Alex Wheatle

Book to read: Brixton Rock

Alex Wheatle, aka the Brixton Bard, grew up in Brixton, where most of his books are set. His debut novel, Brixton Rock, is about a mixed race teen in 1980s Brixton, who has grown up in a children’s home for most of his life – and when he’s reunited with his mother, he falls for his half-sister, Juliet. This sounds like a really gripping story, and I’d like to expand the diversity of my YA reads, so this looks like one I’ll be picking up. Wheatle’s latest novel, Crongton Knights, is out this year.

29. Alex Scarrow

Book to read: Time Riders / Re-Made

Time Riders won a RedHouse award, a Catalyst award and Hampshire Book aware, as well as being shortlisted for Galaxy Children’s Book of the Year. The series is now on its ninth book, following three teens who are recruited by ‘The Agency’ moments before their deaths, to make sure key moment in history stay constant. Scarrow’s latest book, REMADE follows a brother and sister team as a deadly virus spreads across the world, turning people to liquid before their eyes.

30. Sara Barnard

Book to read: Beautiful Broken Things

Beautiful Broken Things has been one of my favourite books this year (review here) – it deals with toxic friendships and mental illness, and has been a refreshing and original addition to the UK YA literature scene. I’d definitely recommend picking this one up before YALC (especially if you’re bored of the same old YA romance), and Sara has just announced her next novel, which will be called A Quiet Kind of Thunder (and which I will be eagerly awaiting!).

31. Sophia Bennett

Book to read: Love Song

Threads, Sophia’s first book, is a book I was aware of but just never got round to reading. Love Song has been receiving a lot of high praise on Twitter recently, so perhaps I will have to pick some of Sophia’s work up. Love Song was release in April, and is the story of Nina, who has just become the assistant to the fiancee of the lead singer of the hottest band in the world. This one has really good reviews, so it’s probably not long until I cave and buy it.

32. Katy Birchall

Book to read: The It Girl series

The first It Girl book I read as it was included in Chelley Toy’s introduction to book blogger -ing gift bag at YALC, and I really enjoyed it – review here. These are really fun books about a girl whose father happens to start dating one of the most famous actresses ever. Highly recommended for fans of the Georgia Nicholson series, the second book, Team Awkward, was released in the UK in January.

33. Nicole Burstein

Book to read: Other Girl

Nicole’s fist novel, Other Girl, was released in April last year and is a bout a pair of best friends, one of whom has super powers. This sounds like such a great concept, and the reviews for this book have been outstanding, so it’s one for my to-buy list. Nicole’s next novel, Wonder Boy, is set in the Othergirl universe and is out Summer 2016.

34. Katy Cannon

Book to read: Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines

As well as being the author of the Pooch Parlour series, Katy has also written two  YA novels – Love, Lies and Lemon Pies and Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines. Both have excellent reviews, but it’s the latter which has really caught my eye – focusing on Grace, a girl who is stuck making costumes for the school play instead of playing the starring role.

35. Honor and Perdita Cargill

Book to read: Waiting for Callback

Another book which has benefited from Twitter hype has been Waiting For Callback, written by the mother-daughter writing duo, Honor and Perdita (how cool is that?). Billed as Geek Girl meets Fame meets New Girl (and who doesn’t like all three?), Waiting For Callback is the story of Elektra, your average girl-next-door trying to make it in the world of acting whilst also juggling family, friends and crushes.

So those are our additions to the YALC Reading List this week – come back next Sunday for more great YA reads!

Which books have you read? Which books are you planning to read? Tweet me at @annalisebooks or comment below!

Annalise x