Book Review: The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell

Author: Jen Campbell
Release Date: October 2nd 2014
Publisher: Constable and Robinson
Pages: 273
Format: Hardcover
Buy on: Amazon, Waterstones
Add to: Goodreads, Leafmarks

Every bookshop has a story.

We’re not talking about rooms that are just full of books. We’re talking about bookshops in barns, disused factories, converted churches and underground car parks. Bookshops on boats, on buses, and in old run-down train stations. Fold-out bookshops, undercover bookshops, this-is-the-best-place-I’ve-ever-been-to-bookshops.

Meet Sarah and her Book Barge sailing across the sea to France; meet Sebastien, in Mongolia, who sells books to herders of the Altai mountains; meet the bookshop in Canada that’s invented the world’s first antiquarian book vending machine. 

And that’s just the beginning. 

From the oldest bookshop in the world, to the smallest you could imagine, The Bookshop Book examines the history of books, talks to authors about their favourite places, and looks at over three hundred weirdly wonderful bookshops across six continents (sadly, we’ve yet to build a bookshop down in the South Pole).

The Bookshop Book is a love letter to bookshops all around the world.

My Thoughts:

I don't know where to start and what to say about this beautiful book. It's a book for book lovers out there and those who are just starting to read.

For me the Bookshop Book was a travel guide. It lists the most amazing bookshops in the world, from chains like Blackwells and Foyles to small independent both new and used bookshops. For the three hours that I dedicated to reading this book, I discovered bookshops around me that I will soon visit and books that I now want to read like crazy. 

You read stories from customers, bookshop owners but also from authors. Everything from how each person started reading and their first impressions books and bookshops and how would their own (bookshop) look like if and when they opened one. 

Prepare yourself for a trip you will never forget and make sure to have a notebook next to you so to mark all your new destinations and books that you may want to read. 

A great great book that I recommend to everyone who love books and stories.

Waiting On Wednesday #13

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Accidental Reader and it features upcoming book releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

We can't wait to put our hands on:

Author: Jessica Sorensen 

Expected Publication: December 23rd 2014

Series: The Coincidence #7

Emery

You want to know my secrets? What lies beneath the pretty? The scars I can’t let anyone see? The scars tied to my secrets?
On the outside I appear normal. Some might even say perfect. 
They say that I’m a pretty girl. They say I should be happy. They say that I have nothing to be angry about. That I’m popular. A cheerleader. The perfect student. 
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. 
But all they see is what’s on the outside.
On the inside I’m raw, open, bleeding. Scars that can’t seem to heal the wounds. 
And it’s slowly killing me.

Ryler

Tattoos. Piercing. Scars. The guy who can’t speak.
Gothic freak. Mute. Punk. I’ve heard it all.
They say that I’m probably dangerous. That the scars came from myself.
They say people should stay away from me. They say that I’m not worthy to be out in the world.
They say. They say. They say.
But who are they anyway?
To decide what I am.
They don’t know what’s hidden beneath the scars. Beneath the piercings and tattoos. 
Beneath the silence.
Maybe if they did they wouldn’t fear me so much.
Then again, maybe they’d fear me more.

Book Talk: Compulsive Buying

 So, Compulsive Buying Of Books.

 Here is the thing, I think we all in one moment or other browsed through a bookstore searching for some good book to read. Then we see a book with a beautiful cover and an inteeresting sypnosis. We go ahead and buy it. Till this moment- We have the "normal" way to buy books. 

But then it turns out this book is part of a series. Now there are a few options. 

This is where compulsive buying comes in, You see- most times whether I read the book or not I will probably buy all the books in the series. Only for someday read the first book or the second book and realize that I do not love this series and I really do wish I didn't buy it. 

Another option is that I will read the first book and love it and I will buy the other books in the series, just so that one of them in some point will disappoint me and I'll feel like I just wasted my money buying a series of 7 books when at least 3 of them I have no intention to read whatsoever. 

Of course, sometimes you actually do end up liking or even loving the series. Still, I'd say this is about 30% of the cases for me. 

Another aweful thing I do sometimes is buying all the books by the same author just because I read one book and loved it, Sometimes I do find an author to love. Other times I find I wasted money. 

And I wonder.....How can I deal with this problem? 

Right now I try my best to be more careful and buy the other books in the series one at a time. It doesn't always work. 

There are also thos times when I read the sypnosis and I know with great conviction that I'm going to love this book (sometimes I'm wrong), there are also the times when I buy a book and I feel uncertain. Then I do not buy the other books in the series. 

What about you? 

List Land: 10 Paranormal Books We Should Have Read Already

It's been sometime since we left the ''Teen Era'' of our lives, along with emo hairstyles and emotional instability but one thing that we will always love and cherish is Paranormal Themed Books. Despite the fact that we are over twenty we still hold a special place in our hearts for vampires, werewolves, mermaids and everything magical and dark. So we present to you 10 Paranormal Books We Should Have Read Already (both new and old).

1.  The Evolution Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. 
2. Shatter Me by Tehereh Mafi
3. Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
4. Wake by Amanda Hocking
5. Providence by Jamie McGuire
6. Burn for me by Ilona Andrews
7. On The Edge by Ilona Andrews
8. Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
9. Dragon Unbound by Thea Harrison
10. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Book Review:His by Aubrey Dark

Author: Aubrey Dark
Release Date: October 23rd 2014
Pages: 256
Format: ebook
Add to Goodreads

Rating: 3 stars


I never meant to be here: tied up in bed next to a serial killer. When I followed him home, I was just playing Nancy Drew. Trying to find out
his secret. His kiss was intoxicating, and I thought he was harmless.

I was wrong.

Nancy Drew never ended up in a basement, handcuffed to a radiator, teased to the edge of insanity, begging to be let go.Soon, I stopped begging to be let go. Soon, I started begging to be HIS.

Author's Note:
This is a dark romance novel with mature themes that might make some readers uncomfortable. 

My Thoughts:

To be honest, I don;t know what I expected from this book. I don;t know if I expected more violence, more abuse, more sex or just more. Despite the fact that Kat was an idiot and indecisive, I found myself enjoying this book a lot.

Meet Kat, twenty something university student, working at the local public library with her friend Jules. Kat in contrast to Jules, is simple, introvert and simple...or so we think. We get to know the background story of Kat as the book progresses. The author cuts to the chase pretty fast, when Jules dares Kat to kiss the first guy she will see in front of her...Gavriel.

I really wanted to like Gavriel a little more than I did, but something was missing.[ Lately, it seems that a lot of books miss something and I start to wonder about the quality of the books that I read.]

He was dar and disturbed and a total psycho with a dark background, pretty much the same as Kat's, but I think he softened pretty fast and easy.

There is a lot of attraction, pretty much since page 5, but despite all the tension there isn't anything huge there. It was kinda of insta love,for me at least, which I hate but the story progressed steadily. If that makes any sense. The annoying thing was that the days in the book seemed like they were the same. Same routine for Gav and Kat, only some actions changed and the conversations that were pretty interesting. Gav had some interesting ideas for what each person is and how he sees humans. Also, I don;t think I will see a doctor with the same eye again.

The characters were complex but Kat turned me off a lot with her indesicive character and what she thought she knew and what she didn't. She did not know if she pretended to like the murderer or not for pretty much 80% of the book. The story is told in alternative POV's which is awesome and something I L.O.V.E.

The writing was very good and the sentenced inviting and I really enjoyed reading this book. Some sentences and phrases seemed to repeat themselves over and over in both POV'S as well.
I don;t want to discuss the ending which was explosive and then a little weird and dump.

So, 3 stars for this good dark romance!! Hope you enjoy.

Waiting On Wednesday #12

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Accidental Reader and it features upcoming book releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

We can't wait to put our hands on:

Amour Amour by Krista and Becca Ritchie

expected publication: December 12th 2014

Love is a circus

"Every day,” he says lowly, “I hold a person’s life in my hands. The circus is based one-hundred percent off of trust. I give it all to someone, and they give it all to me.”

The best aerial technique won’t land 21-year-old Thora James her dream role in Amour—a sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip. Thora knows she’s out of her element the second she meets Amour’s leading performer. Confident, charming and devilishly captivating, 26-year-old Nikolai Kotova aggravatingly lives up to his nickname as the “God of Russia.”

When Thora unknowingly walks into the crosshairs of Nikolai’s after-show, her audition process begins way too soon. Unprofessional. That’s what Nik calls their “non-existent” relationship. It’s not like Thora can avoid him. For one, they may be partners in the future--acrobaticpartners, that is. But getting closer to Nik means diving deeper into sin city and into his dizzying world. 

Thora wants to perform with him, but when someone like Nikolai attracts the spotlight wherever he goes—Thora fears that she’s destined to be “just background” to his spellbinding show.

This sexy and exhilarating New Adult Romance can best be described as Cirque du Soleil meets the steamy, athletic romance of Center Stage.

*standalone & no love triangles—recommended for readers 18+ for mature content*

Mini ARC Review: No Regrets by Claire Kent

Author: Claire Kent
Publication Date: July 22nd 2014
Pages: 280 approx.
Format: ebook/ e-galley
Add on Goodreads, Leafmarks

Rating: 2 stars

On my last birthday, I made one vow for the year. Live with no regrets. Eleven months have passed, though, and nothing has changed. I still sleep alone, spend my life working, and never move out of my comfort zone.

Then the loss of my dog throws my whole life out of orbit, and I end up in bed with a very hot and slightly-too-young veterinarian, who has recently made a vow of his own. Live with no strings. Josh is more than happy to help me with the things I’ve been afraid to try. Semi-public sex. Spanking. Anal sex. He’s a willing partner for everything I’ve wondered about, as long as I don’t demand more.

He’s serious about his no-strings philosophy. As serious as I am about living with no regrets. I can’t help but fall for him, even though I know better. So my biggest regret might be a broken heart.

My Thoughts:

I received this title by the author/publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will sum this book in one word: Predictable.

Meet Leslie, a thirty something well off woman, single, with a dog who just died and a vow not to have regrets about anything she does anymore. She meets the sex god Josh and together they share a passionate night (they only met that very morning).

I get it that this is a short story but it was really stupid and predictable. I finished the entire book with difficulty since I could not even concentrate. The writing was good but it lacked something important that I cant place. Although, the sex scenes were sexy and hot, for me personally, it lacked something. 

I mean from the book description you can actually tell what's this story is all about. I give this book two stars because of the writing and for the author's attempt to write a book.