January | 2016 | Lost in a Good Book

3rd Blogiversary Celebrations + Giveaway (INT)

23 Jan 2016 12 Comments

by Amy in Giveaway Tags: blogiversary, brom, david levithan, giveaway, heather mccollum, holly black, john connolly, john green, nikki rae, stephen chbosky

2yr Anniversary Where does the time go? Today marks my third anniversary of this blog. It has been an absolute joy, every year has been so different and I am still learning and working out the kinks, and in between that I get to read fantastic books from fantastic authors and share them with the world, literally the world. That’s pretty awesome if you think about it.

Because of this blog I have discovered some amazing authors, some of which have fast become favourites and I am so pleased to have a platform where I can share a few of my all time favourite books and newly discovered ones as well. I am also forever grateful to the numerous authors and publishers who ask me to review for them. It’s an absolute joy and privilege to share your work and read your amazing stories.

To celebrate and to say a big enthusiastic THANK YOU to you all I am giving TWO lucky people the chance to win a book from the selection below. The books I’ve chosen are some of my all time favourites that I’ve read in the past three years. Some I have reviewed others I haven’t, if you want to check out the books in more detail I’ve included some links below.

Because I’m in a celebratory mood I am opening it up internationally — the only condition being that bookdepository.com must ship to your country. If they do, then go ahead and enter!

Thank you again for a great three years, good luck to all the entrants, and happy reading!

The Selection

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Sunshine (#1) by Nikki Rae – Review

Are We There Yet by David Levithan

Siren’s Song (#1) by Heather McCollum – Review

Looking For Alaska by John Green – Review

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly – Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Child Thief by Brom

Giveaway

To enter: For a chance to win one of the pictured books simply enter here and complete the Rafflecopter form.

Please note: This giveaway is international on the basis the Book Depository ships to your country . To see if you are eligible you can check their website.

Giveaway runs until midnight AEDT on Friday 5th February 2016

Winnie the Pooh Day

18 Jan 2016 2 Comments

by Amy in Rambles Tags: a. a. milne, winnie the pooh day

pooh_shepard I have an incredible love and affection for Winnie the Pooh, in all forms – from the books to the movies and the TV show, to appearances in videos games or the various stuffed animal variety. 18 January has become known as Winnie the Pooh Day, as it falls on creator A. A. Milne’s birthday. Having been around for 90 years Winnie the Pooh has cemented himself in popular culture and in people’s lives and memories, both childhood and beyond. In doing so, Pooh has become famous for certain phrases and sayings, A. A. Milne often being credited as creating quotes that are often inspirational or motivating, things to cheer you up or about friendship and love. And while beautiful, poetic and inspiring these are, many of them are not actually from the original works.

There are so many quotes misattributed to Milne, sometimes these are from the Disney films, or misquotes from the books, but sometimes they are completely different altogether. But as JGunn points out, it is easier to attribute these quotes to Pooh or Milne because “Disney Inc” doesn’t sound that profound. Still, even just Winnie the Pooh and the movie reference is better than continually giving Milne incorrect credit in my opinion.

There is a wonderful website, Pooh Misquoted, that helps locate the original references of many misquotes. It’s here I learnt that the phrase, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”, the one from last year I was convinced wasn’t from Milne but couldn’t find a reference anywhere, was actually from a 1975 film called The Other Side of the Mountain, and is actually a misquote of that! Pooh Misquoted is an informative read, and for a bit of fun you can buy your favourite Pooh misquote as a wooden mounted rubber stamp so you can spread the misquote forever more.

Looking around there were a rare few articles about these misquotes that stood out amongst the dozens that list these inaccurate Winnie the Pooh and Milne quotes. “Misquoting A. A. Milne” is a wonderful one where JGunn discusses these misquotes, but also has compiled numerous sites that help clarify true origins of Milne misquotes. Many of the articles Gunn lists also look at the tampering and changes to Pooh over the years, all fascinating reading, but they’re not all about misquotes specifically. I think getting any real chance of changing these misquotes are slim, there are too many motivational images and pillows and art pieces that have these incorrect quotes that it’s probably stuck that way forever.

But away from the misquotes that can ruin a good Winnie the Pooh experience, one thing I adore about Pooh is the amount of fan art that has been created by people; everything from crossovers to realistic portrayals, or just fun little drawings. In honour of Milne’s birthday I am sharing a few of my absolute favourites (click image for source).

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These ones below are not fan art, but they are my favourite pictures.

These came from my favourite episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Donkey for a Day.

You won’t regret watching it, it’s beautiful.

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I could truly sit and write for page after page about what I love about Winnie the Pooh and how it has played a role in my life, but I won’t. Instead, I will leave with the hope that a little bit of Winnie the Pooh has brightened your day today, and maybe you’ve learnt something new; and certainly I am appreciating that even all these decades later, Winnie the Pooh and all of Milne’s wonderful creations are still loved, admired, and appreciated, misquotes or no misquotes.

So in the words of Owl, I say to Milne, HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY!

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All Your Bits and Pieces Needs

50 Facts about Winnie the Pooh (scroll down a bit from the main article)

Pooh Misquoted

Quotes and Facts about Winnie the Pooh Day

Pooh Corner

The Crow Box (#1) by Nikki Rae

18 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Book Bingo, Mystery, New Adult, Paranormal, Shadow and Ink Series Tags: book bingo, ebook, five stars, giveaway, mystery, new adult, nikki rae, paranormal, the shadow and ink series

Published: 15th January 2016
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 164
Format: ebook
Genre: New Adult/Paranormal/Mystery
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

The small wooden box is dirty, the size of a human fist, and sealed with wax. When Corbin takes it upon herself to clean it and break the seal, a voice she has tried to ignore gathers strength. Shadows play on the walls at night, and with a family history of mental illness, Corbin fears the worst. But the voice tells her it is real. That its name is Six and it will prove it in time.

Drawn to this mysterious entity, Corbin isn’t sure what to believe and the line between reality and her imagination blurs more every day.

Some doors should not be opened; can this one be closed?

Note: I was provided with a copy of this book from the author for review.

I think I say this for every one of Nikki Rae’s books, but she is a master at telling a story. Not only are the themes and the plots intricate and unique, but her words and descriptions and vivid and evoke images and feelings, and she places you inside the mind of her characters so well, it’s almost like you are experiencing things alongside them, even minor things like understanding the mind of an artist.

The Crow Box was nothing like I thought it would be, and I am not even disappointed by that. I was not entirely sure what I expected but Rae didn’t let me down. Corbin’s story is filled with mystery and a slow but dangerous decent and watching her struggle against it is enthralling.

When Corbin starts to hear a voice she thinks she is going mad like her mother, and seeing the way Rae introduces Six, and the way it interacts with Corbin, it’s clear why Corbin thinks she is losing her mind. But the wonder of the story is how she functions alongside it, what she does to deal with it, how she reasons with it, embraces it, fears it. Rae’s writing brings you into Corbin’s experience and makes you understand unreservedly what she is going through. Her confusion and attempt to explain what is happening is expressed and explored beautifully.

What makes Corbin so wonderful is that she is practical, she’s had years of stress and worry because of her mother’s condition but she manages to cope and enjoy her art and things around her. Her approach to the strange occurrences around her are reasoned and as Rae brings us deeper into Corbin’s mind you can see this reasoning adjust, but remain.

Rae gradually pulling you into Corbin’s mind is eerie and unsettling. The journey from being an outsider to her inner thoughts is amazing, and it unsettles you in all the right ways. Not knowing what Six is or where it comes from is also part of the experience. The unanswered questions and the non answers given by Six add to the secrets. The gradual development and the mystery is intriguing, and Rae balances the pace and story flow with the not knowing and slow burn mystery very well. There is a balance between the surreal and the real which only enhances the overall feeling because it brings in the idea that the strange and unexplained could come so easily into the every day.

Wherever you think the story is going it isn’t and where Rae takes you is incredible. Theories and assumptions get tossed aside as another thing unravels your thoughts, and tiny twists make you realise you are in much deeper than you thought. The writing is melodic and creative, but not overly poetic or dramatic, the right balance to convey meaning and portray a scene. Rae uses her words wisely and her descriptions are perfect for capturing just the right explanation for a sensation or a feeling. The writing teases you and taunts you, offering hope and answers like dangling a string for a cat.

After the experience Rae takes you on and after those final few chapters, the ending is one of the most frustrating things you’ll endure. The ‘to be continued’ makes you want to pick up the next book immediately and keep reading. From the very first line until the final full stop Rae holds your attention and once you’ve started down this rabbit hole you won’t want to stop.

You can purchase The Crow Box via the following

Amazon

Amazon Aust

Or enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

Self Pub

Release Day Blitz: The Crow Box by Nikki Rae

15 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by Amy in General Tags: nikki rae, release day blitz, the shadow and ink series

Today marks the release of Nikki Rae’s latest novel The Crow Box. Nikki is the author of The Sunshine Series, The Donor, and Animal. The Crow Box is classed as New Adult with fantasy and paranormal elements and is the first novel in Rae’s The Shadow and Ink Sseries.

In honour of the release there is also a giveaway where you can enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card and an ebook of The Crow Box. Details are below.

Synopsis:

The small wooden box is dirty, the size of a human fist, and sealed with wax. When Corbin takes it upon herself to clean it and break the seal, a voice she has tried to ignore gathers strength.

Shadows play on the walls at night, and with a family history of mental illness, Corbin fears the worst. But the voice tells her it is real. That its name is Six and it will prove it in time.

Drawn to this mysterious entity, Corbin isn’t sure what to believe and the line between reality and her imagination blurs more every day.

Some doors should not be opened; can this one be closed?

Giveaway

Nikki is running a Rafflecopter giveaway to celebrate the release.

You can find all the details on how to enter here.
You can purchase The Crow Box via the following

Amazon

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Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2016

12 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags: 2016 books, belinda williams, heather mccollum, melissa grey, philip pullman

Reading There are so many great books due to come out in 2016, I know I will not get a chance to read all of them, I’m behind the ones I wanted to read for last year and the year before, but I will add them to my TBR pile all the same.

However, there are a few exceptions, a select few books that I will be snatching up as soon as possible and reading right away. The first is The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman. This has no release date yet and a late 2016 publication is tentative at best, but I have been waiting for years for this book to be finally finished and so far from what I’ve read 2016 seems like the year it is possibly going to happen. There isn’t even a cover yet I can admire either which is entirely unfair.

The next one on my list is Awaken by Heather McCollum. The third and final in The Guardians series I cannot wait to read this. I adored the first two (Siren’s Song and Broken) and I have no doubt Awaken will be of the same exhilarating and captivating quality.

Third is Wish List by Belinda Williams. Fourth and final in the City Love series, I am eager to hear Cate’s story and revisit the amazing group of women and William’s engaging writing.

Finally, The Shadow Hour, the second The Girl at Midnight book by Melissa Grey. I wanted this beside me ready to pick up when I finished The Girl at Midnight earlier last year so I will be ready to grab a copy and keep Echo’s story going and find out where Grey is taking her.

Many of these are due later in the year, but it won’t stop me waiting eagerly for them in the meantime. I have a myriad of books to keep me occupied while I wait though which is a good thing in itself.