Okay, I'm guilty. Arrest me if you must but I know that I'm not the only one guilty of this crime. So I'm ready to say it ..... I read more than one book at once.

It feels good to get that off of my chest.

I've never really know a time when I haven't read more than one book at once. When I was younger I used to constantly read the Harry Potter series on repeat. Hence why I'm so obsessed with it. But whilst I was reading them I would have a knew book going on at the same time.It was just something that felt natural so I thought why not do it. I find myself still doing it today. If I'm having to read something for College then I will continue to read something else for pleasure at the same time. Or I may just pick up two books and start reading them around the same time. I was doing that at the start of the year because of how big Winter, by Marissa Meyer was that I knew that I would need something else on the side to top me up on my train journeys since I wasn't going to take that beast into College with me.

Surely I can't be the only one who does this?

Now one thing that people always say to me when they see that I'm reading more than one book at once is "don't you get confused?"
Usually, no. I'm used to learning lines for scripts or songs so I have the sort of brain that can remember the difference between two books if I'm reading them at the same time. But if I'm reading something that's very similar then, in the long run, I may get a bit confused. A prime example of this being The Hunger Games trilogy, I was reading something else at the same time as I was reading this trilogy and truthfully I can't remember what happened. That might be because it wasn't something I adored but it could also because I was reading something at the same time.

But that's the only case I can actually think of in which that has happened.

What do you think? Please tell me that I'm not the only one who reads more than one book at once.

-IAMAGEEKINGGINGER!
Book Total of 2016 - 47
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What You Need To Know:
Title: The Glass Castle
Author: Trisha White Priebe
Number of Pages: 259
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Christian Literature
Series/Standalone: First Book In The Thirteen Series
Publisher: Shiloh Run Press
Publication Date: 1st March, 2016

The Plot:
The king is growing old and is concerned about who will replace him. His new wife wants to produce an heir to the throne.  The only problem? Thirteen years ago, the king’s first wife gave birth to a son, and no one knows for sure what happened to him. Rumors swirl throughout the castle. The solution as simple: dispose of all the thirteen-year-olds in the kingdom. Except, it isn’t that easy. Avery and her friends won’t go quietly.   Avery, Kate, Tuck, and Kendrick take charge of the underground network of kidnapped children, inspiring them to believe that their past does not dictate their future and pledging to do the hardest thing of all. . .reunite the children with the homes they left behind.  When they discover that one among them might be the child of a man who wants them dead, will everything they work for be lost?

My Thoughts:
When this book first popped up, I have to admit that I was slightly cautious. The blurb made it sound okay. Sure it could have been described in a slightly better way but there are far worse blurbs out there. It was the fact that it was listed as "christian literature" that made me slightly cautious. I've only read a handful of books that fits in with this genre but I have to admit that they were interesting. One such example was The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. This was written to educate children on the nature of evil and the story of Jesus in the desert. It doesn't spam people with the religion. In fact, I didn't realise it was about christianity until I was much older. So I went into this book with open minds.

Sadly, I was disappointed.

This book was extremely bad. It had randoms sections of religion that made no sense at all, almost as if the author was forcibly pushing religion onto the young children. Not to mention that the plot was extremely flimsy. There were so many opportunities for there to be major turning points in the plot that were revealed in lazy fashion. It made things that should been breathtakingly shocking into a "yeah, you've told me that already" so of fashion. It was just dull.

Not to mention the characters, they were so unbelievable. They were all supposed to be thirteen but they spoke like adults using slang in places. I don't know really. It just annoyed me, so much. There was so much promise with them and at times they were described really well but it just went limp.

Rating:
There were so many opportunities for this book to be great, it had a relatively good plot idea and it was crafted, in a broad sense, rather well. It was just poorly executed and I found myself forcibly reading it. I didn't really care what happened and I doubt that I'll pick up the rest of the series when it comes out. Hence why I gave this book *

-IAMAGEEKINGGINGER!
Book Total of 2016 - 43
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I find that there is nothing better than getting to read when there is a storm going on outside. You can curl up by a window with blankets and candles and some form of hot beverage. You get to read some book with the a soothing noise in the background; a storm. It really is something very beautiful.

At the weekend, we kept getting these sudden storms that would appear and I took that as an opportunity to read. It was so peaceful. I was curled up in my lounge with the lights down low and a large throw draped over my legs. Several fluffy cushions and a hot water bottle around me. A mug of tea sat on the table. I was able o fully submerge myself into the fictional world and forget everything else. And for some reason it was the rain that encouraged me.

Today, however, I had to walk to college. It was spitting when I got off the train and I thought that that would be okay. Little did I know that we were due a torrential downpour. I didn't have a suitable coat or umbrella either. That was a fun experience ..... note the sarcasm! When I was little I would have loved it. I could run round in my wellies and coat, jumping in puddles and just getting absolutely soaked. But then I would be able to get out of the wet clothes and not feel like a drowned rat. I have now got some revision sessions and I know that I am going to be freezing and unable to concentrate for the rest of the day. Great!

So yes, in some ways I love it when there's a storm going on outside. You can listen to the marvel of the skies and in someways it really helps with the creation of different characters or scenes when writing. But not when you have to sit in wet clothing for four more hours. Yeah, I love rain but today, I'm really not feeling it.

-IAMAGEEKINGGINGER!
Book Total of 2016 - 43
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• Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell,
• All The Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven 
• We Were Liars, by e Lockhart
• Beautiful Broken Things, by Sara Barnard 
• The Potion Diaries, by Amy Alward
• Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon 
• The Sky is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson 
• Billy and Me, by Giovanna Fletcher 

What You Need To Know:
Title: Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale
Author: David Kulder
Number of Pages: 230
Genres:Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adventure
Standalone/Series: First book in the Seasons of the Sword Series
Publisher: Stillpoint Digital Press
Publication Date: 15th June, 2016

The Plot:
Although Japan has been devastated by a century of civil war, all Risuko wants to do is climb trees. Growing up far from the battlefields and court intrigues, the fatherless girl finds herself pulled into a plot that may reunite Japan - or destroy it entirely. But she soon learns that her life will not be as simple as she first believed and she will be flung head first into more danger than she could have possibly imagined.

My Thoughts:
I was sent this book to review, and I have to admit that I was cautious before starting to read this book. It's sent in a culture that I don't really know all that well so I couldn't be sure how accurate it was going to be. But I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. This is not quite Middle Grade, not quite Young Adult and it really did show at times but truly that doesn't matter. It was an excellent book; yes it had some faults but it was rather appealing.

"A Kunoichi is married to her duty and death." 

The concept behind this book was extremely interesting. I don't know a lot about the history of Japan other than what I've seen in the occasional film so to see deeply into a history that I don't know. It felt real, like he had done a lot of research. I'm guessing that the whole idea of being a female Samurai isn't really true, but it made it extremely interesting. I liked the disguise that they put them under and the mystery that it created. Yes, it had some faults but it was interesting so that kept my attention throughout. Not to mention the storyline as a whole. The opening of the book was slightly .... childish. But it as the tale progressed, a decent storyline developed and I found myself wondering what was going on. Yes, I guessed it long before the end of the book. But it was interesting. So I have to give David Kulder that.

"The blossoms fall just once each winter, yet in our memories, they fall every day."

The voices of the different characters all sounded like children. Which I suppose is good because some of the characters are relatively young children. But not all of them. There are a fair few adults there and I just felt that most of them were voiced like children. In most books it is the other way round but not in the case of this book. And to be honest, that made me both really like it and really hate it at the same time. It was nice that Risuko was voiced like a child but it just made the rest of the characters really unbelievable!
If I'm being honest it felt like this was the author's first book. If that was the case then I would have been slightly sympathetic but after doing some research I discovered that not only does he have some works out already, but he is an editor so really he should know better.

"Be swift as the wind, 
Silent as the forest, 
Fierce as the fire, 
Steady as a mountain."

Yet, I must say that the world building was excellent. There was never a time that I didn't know what the place looked like. He explained everything to the tiniest detail, meaning that I got a lot of information that I probably didn't need to know. But, hey, better to have too much information than too little.

Review:
Overall, I have to admit that it was a good Children's novel but would not suit a Young Adult audience. It was sweet but not haunting on a second glance. I think it deserved ****

-IAMAGEEKINGGINGER!
Book Total of 2016 - 43
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How did I not know that this existed! Friends has been something that I have loved for the longest time and now I discover a book tag. The two things that I love the most; Friends and Books!

"So No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way" - A Book Which Surprised You
I'm not sure whether surprise is supposed to be used in this sense as in a section of the book in question surprised you or if you found it surprisingly enjoyable. I'm going to pick the latter and say Curse of the Sphinx, by Raye Wagner. I've been raving about this book a lot lately but I just want to  express how beautiful it truly is! This is a book that everyone should read and witness the masterpiece that is Raye Wagner's writing!

Chandler - A Book Which Had You On The Floor Laughing 
Now, I'm not one for reading or watching anything that's too comedic. That's not really my forte. But eventually I will come across something that I simply can't stop laughing about. For me, this has got to be The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. This has always been a film that I love (I mean who can hate Martin Freeman). But I didn't realise it was a book until very very late on. Think I read it back in 2014 and even now I can remember how much it made me laugh. My sides still hurt when I think about it, actually.

Monica - A Book That You Never Want To Be Damaged Or Broken 
This is easy for me, I have got to pick my favourite book of all time. Anyone want to guess what that is? Yes, The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien. This will always have a special place in my heart and if anyone dares to try ti damage a copy around me! Well, let's just say that they will probably end up in the same state as said book.

Joey - A Book That Love And Want To Become A Movie 
This is so difficult. I read so many books and I always wonder what they would be like if they were adapted into a movie. But then there's the fear that it'll be changed so drastically by the directors that it won't even resemble the source material at all! (And yes, I am thinking about the Percy Jackson movies). But I think I'd either have to say Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas or Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell. They are the two books (well book and series) that I have always dreamed of being transformed into an amazing adaption!

Phoebe - A Book That Had Bad Reviews But You Loved 
Okay, so this one may not have had all bad reviews but I feel that the majority of the Bookish community either hate or adore The Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard. This was a book that I devoured in a long journey and it just blew me away. I really don't understand why people dislike it so much!

Ross - A Book That Can't Decide Whether You Love It Or Hate It
Surprisingly, I think this was the question that I have found the easiest to answer. For me it has to be The Heir, by Keira Cass. As I'm sure some of you will know, I adored The Selection Trilogy. I devoured all three books so quickly and when I learnt that she had slightly continued this series with a prequel of sorts, I leapt at the idea. But no matter how heard I try, I still haven't been able to read it. This is a book that I have attempted to pick up a good ten times already and I just can't get past the first chapter. I want to finish it, I just can't.

Rachel - A Character That Had Major Character Development 
This took me so long to think of but I think I'm going to have to say Todd from The Chaos Walking Trilogy, by Patrick Ness. In The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd is a boy who doesn't really understand the world. He has been fed lies all his life and knows nothing about the real world. He hasn't even reached puberty yet. But over the course of the three books he changed so much, in the best way possible. It truly is some of the best character development that I can think of!

Central Perk - A Book You Go To When You're Bored
I probably wouldn't say bored, rather in a slumpy mood. For me this has got to be Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling. It's just something that helps me get out of those slump moments when everything else is too boring or just not what I need. It takes me back to a simpler time. Maybe I should go and read it again now!

Gunther - A Book You Always Hear About But Never Buy 
For me, I think this has got to be For All The Boys I Loved Before, by Jenny Han. Everyone always raves about it but for some reason I just never want to pick it up.

"Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, What Are They Feeding You?" - A Book That Has A Nice Smell
There are so many books that could fit into this category. Every book has a unique smell. But the one that I am going to pick has got to be my paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien. Whenever I smell that book, I feel like I've come home!

"How You Doin'?" - A Book Character That You Love So Much 
I would say someone from a book that I've already mentioned but I won't instead I am going to go with Cinder from Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. I fell in love with the Lunar Chronicles when I started reading the series last year, but my favourite character will always be Cinder. She went through so much and developed so much. It really was beautiful!

"We Were On A Break!" - A Book That You Stopped Reading For Some Reason
Sadly there are several books that I've stopped reading but the one that first springs to mind has got to be The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. I don't know why I disliked this book when everyone else in the world and their mother seemed to adore it so much. But for some reason I just couldn't get into it at all. I just didn't think it was as good as everyone else says. I want to give it another chance but I just couldn't get into it.

And there we go, my version of The FRIENDS tag. Feel free to tag yourself and let me know if you do it!

-IAMAGEEKINGGINGER!
Book Total of 2016 - 43
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