Book Review - Glacial Eyes by J. K. Walker

Murders, mystery, fantasy and romance... Glacial Eyes promises it all. But when push came to shove I just couldn't connect. 

 

SYNOPSIS:

"After a weekend party gone very, very wrong, third-year university student Jasmine Bedeau finds herself a "person of interest" to far too many parties. Now she has to bring a family-inherited curse—and powerful new abilities—under control or risk the consequences of the supernatural community to which she suddenly belongs. But between the police and the paranormal, the campus and the council, how's a girl to rise to the challenge of just holding onto a normal life? Werewolves, vampires, and witches—and now a serial killer targeting the supernatural, setting his sights on Jasmine and her new-found friends. It's a good thing she's a werecat, because she's not rolling over."

Music Mondays - Translation of Alento by Luisa Maita

I've been a really bag blogger. *smacks own hand* Sorry guys! I promise I'll do better this week. *puppy eyes*

If you follow me on Twitter (follow here) you will have picked up on the fact that I'm currently visiting home - Brazil. And this week I have some amazing things lined up for you so I can share the heat to all my fellow British citizens missing it as the days get shorter and the weather gets colder. Winter definitely trying to get her claws on our bones. 

Luisa Maita is a Brazilian singer songwriter who has featured on Music Mondays before (see it here). Since I'm in her city, her song is about living here and her video is full of footage from Sao Paulo, I thought it would be a good one to start this week. 

I love her sexy vibe and sound mix with a still very Brazilian beat. I hope you like it too! 

Have an amazing week and stay tuned for the Brazilian inspired few days I have lined up for you. 

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Bookish Gift Ideas {1} - The Willoughby Book Club

It's not rocket science. You have a bookworm friend, what do you give them? Books! The Willoughby Book Club just makes it special.

The WBC is essentially a virtual bookshop. Except, they provide a service as well as the books. What on Earth am I going on about? Well... Here is how it works...

You want to give your bookish friend a gift, but you don't think you're being imaginative just giving them a book or a book voucher. You want to give them something special. So you go into The Willoughby Book Club's website and chose a package to suit your friend's taste. Fill a quick form about what they like to read, pay for the package and voilà!  For the next 3, 6 or 12 months your friend will receive a surprise, beautifully packed title especially hand-picked for them every month. It's like having Christmas or your birthday on replay! 

Book-Turned-Movie {5} - Skyfall, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Liberal Arts, Sinister, Shakespeare's Globe on Screen, On The Road, Private Peaceful

Books and writing are truly in vogue. This month it seems that the rule of thumb was - if the movie isn't based on a book, the main character had to be a writer. So the pickings are rich my friends.

3rd Oct ~ saw the debut of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is not only based on a book by the same name, but was also directed by its author - American writer Stephen Chbosky. And just for a good measure of bookish, Harry Potter's Emma Watson is in it. 

5th Oct ~ was the release of Liberal Arts. While this film has no book connections, it's about two people brought together by their love of literature, despite their massive age gap. An unlikely, complicated and sweet romance. Unfortunately, it was only released in key cities and the closest cinemas screening it near Lancashire are at the Didsbury and Sheffield Cineworld Cinemas and Sheffield Showroom. For more information regarding locations visit the film's Facebook page here.

Music Mondays - Translation of Garotos II by Leoni

I've just realised I've never featured my top favourite songs on Music Mondays. So here is my all-time favourite.

Garotos II by Leoni came out in the radio when I was 12 and had just started secondary school. For that reason alone it marked a period in my life. It spread like wildfire. Everyone loved and sung along to it. Everyone with a guitar wanted to learn how to play it.

But at 12, I was also figuring out what it was like to be a girl and this song talks about a very powerful type of woman. The type that evokes and demands admiration and an all-consuming type of passion. Back then I had decided that, if I was going to be any type of woman at all, I wanted to be this type. :) Funny what your mind thinks when you're young and foolish! 

Well... Not much has changed since then. I'm still foolish. ^_^ In a good way, of course!

I hope you enjoy it. Have a great week and happy Monday! 

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October 2012 - Events for Book Lovers, Writers and Curious Souls

There is plenty going this month, including numerous festivals, workshops, exhibitions, signings, Halloween activities, Global James Bond Day, and Dyslexia Awareness Week. So take your pick!

FESTIVALS

Lit Festival season has started people!!! And there are a lot of exciting things lined up for you.

First and foremost, let's not forget that Bath Festival of Children's Literature is still in full flow until October 7th. You can find out what is still to come here.

The Times' Cheltenham Literature Festival needs no introduction. It runs from today (the 5th) till the 14th of this month and includes guest appearances from big names such as J. K. Rowling, Caitlin Moran, Salman Rushdie and many more. Also watch out for events by Harper Collins and OUP authors Derek Landy, Emma Chichester Clark, Clara Vulliamy, Korky Paul; as well as a variety of workshops for writers. For more information click here.

Manchester Literature Festival starts on October 8th and goes through to October 23rd with a lineup of world literature, new commissions, events for children and families, walking tours, poetry, new writing and the Blog North Award ceremony on the 17th. To find out more download the brochure here.

And last but most certainly not least, Lancaster Litfest takes over from the 17th to the 21st, including a whole sections on Gothic YA Fiction, poetry and prose writing; a BBC Writers Room Workshop and picture book master class; More Music Songwriter's Circle;  and events for children and teens. Read the brochure here.

EXHIBITIONS & OTHER INTERESTING EVENTS

To celebrate 50 years of James Bond films and the upcoming new movie Skyfall, today is Global James Bond Day! There will be events happening all over the world, including an auction of James Bond movie memorabilia for charity at Christie's in London and tickets for the new movie, due for release on October 26th, going on pre-sale. If you're a fan check the Facebook Page or tweet them at @007. 

4th of October - National Poetry Day

Today it's National Poetry Day. Herray!!! 

And there were all sorts of wonderful events happening all over the country to celebrate it - readings, competitions, film screenings, launches... The Telegraph newspaper even had a Poetic Tweet Competition going on. You can read more about it here. I love the one by Naele Denaro.

As a writing form, Poetry is one of those elusive skills I wish I could conquer. I can't tell you how jealous I am of some of my writer friends who seem to just burst into rhymes at their lunch break inspired by nothing but the cafeteria's blank walls. Annoyingly talented people, I'll tell you... In a good day, I tell myself it's because English is not my first language. On a bad one, I just admit I can't do it. 

Throughout history, England has been filled with great poets - from Lord Byron to the more current Jane Duran. And when I say that, I also include lyricists who not only write poetry, but can make them into songs. More annoyingly talented people!!! 

When I was thinking of how to celebrate National Poetry Day I realised that, for all my talk about writing and reading, I have never let you see any of my own writing. It would be far easier (and possibly much better) if I just quoted one of the most well known English poems. But I decided I was going to do my little bit for this special day - take a deep breath and commit verbal suicide by letting you read one of the very few poems of mine I would actually let anyone read. Since prose is really my forte, I'm sure you won't be surprised if I say it's free-verse poetic prose. By that I mean it tells a little bit of a narrative and it doesn't rhyme. *whispers - the easier type of poetry!!!*

This one was written last year, inspired by a writing exercise where we were given a situation and asked to pick one of the emotions elicited by it to write a poem. I picked 'Anger'. And I hope it doesn't make you angry to have wasted your time reading it! *_* Good luck and may the force be with you.

Book Review - Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Vanish is the second book on Sophie Jordan's Firelight series and it released in September.

I was left on the fence with Firelight, the first book of the series (read my review here), and wasn't sure if I enjoyed it or not, so did Vanish change my mind?

SYNOPSIS

"I remember Will’s promise: ‘It’s not over. I’ll find you . . .' Then it dawns on me. He won’t know what happened. He’ll just think I left. Vanished.

Jacinda did the unthinkable for love: she betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Exposed for what she really is, she must return to her fellow draki knowing she might never see Will again. But Jacinda can’t forget what she’s left behind. So when the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything?

The hunter and the hunted have fallen in love but how can Will and Jacinda ever be together?  Find out in this sizzling sequel to the sensational Firelight" 

Music Mondays - Wonderful by Angel

This track is not new to the charts, but I can't seem to stop playing it. So it was about time I gave it some recognition.

Angel, or Sirach Charles - as his parents might call him, is a singer-songwriter and producer from West London known for working the Grime scene with Wretch 32 (see Wretch's Music Monday feature here).

I love this song's lyrics as well as its mixture of rock and rapping. If you have a minute, also check the acoustic version as it's equally impressive.

Happy Monday peeps! Hope you all have a fantastic week. ^_^

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