Lost in a Good Book

The Tenth Hero by Barry Klemm

26 Jan 2014 1 Comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General, Young Adult Tags: barry klemm, five stars, the tenth hero, young adult

Published: 7 September 1997
Publisher: Addison Wesley Longman
Pages: 204
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

“An ordinary kid, an extraordinary adventure…”

Lee Parsons has been dumped at Finchley, a stuffy boarding school in England, by his arrogant TV star dad, Trevor. Back home in Melbourne, Australia, all hell is breaking loose – his mum is falling apart and his best friend Scottie is struggling to cope. There’s only one thing for a guy to do.

Get on your bike, Lee!

So what if it means riding halfway around the world, getting rained on, shot at and arrested. And with Trevor in hot pursuit. Lee is on a mission, and nothing and no one is going to stop him…

I adore this book. Nothing else to it. Even though I read it a dozen times or more in high school and know how it plays out I adore it. I still get so nervous and excited and angry and involved, it is rather astonishing. Granted it has been a fair few years since I last read it until now (since it is so bloody hard to track down!) but that isn’t the point.

This book, this little book, packs so much into it, so much sadness and tension and excitement and wondrous storytelling. It is amazing. The story itself is very straightforward and not too glamourous or deep exactly, it is the story of a 14 year old Australian boy who has been forced to move to England with his father and enrolled in a boarding school he hates. When a letter from his best friend back home in Melbourne arrives it sparks the beginning of a daring feat and a mission that will see Lee attempt to leave England behind him and set his sights on returning to Australia by any means necessary. I have seen this classed somewhere between JF and YA but based on the content it is definitely teen/YA, though possibly a bit different than the YA novels of today.

The journey Lee takes is adventurous and exciting, he gets help from a range of people and gets caught up in dangerous and exciting situations with pure determination to keep him going. The characters are also something that makes this story what it is, away from the ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ notion there is a lot of heart and emotion and struggle that Klemm captures without it being overpowering or distracting. The complex simplicity of the issues involved in this novel are beautifully played out, the perspective of both Lee and Scottie are what keeps the serious nature of some elements as serious, but with a youthful perspective.

Trevor as a character was someone I always found it very hard to deal with. What Klemm offers us is not just Lee’s opinion of him, we see his character for who he is and how others notice his arrogance and behaviour as well. This creates wonderful emotion as you read because you can get so infuriated and a tad disgusted at him and it wills on your support for Lee, giving us a villain in disguise. This noticeable dislike and off-putting side of Trevor is one of the key reasons this book works, spoiling nothing but I believe a lot of it would not have worked if Trevor had been portrayed differently. Having said that, it’s also wonderful that Klemm did not fall into the trap of showing Trevor as the perfect father around others and then reveal his true self when he was alone with Lee. I thought this was clever, and it really plays into the fact Trevor was arrogant as a whole and this reveals the bad father more than any conscious deception would.

Truly this book should be made into a movie, I would watch the crap out of this if it was a movie, but with the risk of a movie ruining what we love we’d best leave it alone. The book provides plenty to fill you with joy and images and descriptive storytelling, and even manages to offer great action without actually having a lot of real action.

The description and the places described are amazing and the contrast of it being viewed through a young boy’s eyes is incredible without the story focusing on that alone. Klemm’s writing manages to describe everything exceptionally, we do not get descriptions of random or unnecessary things, we follow Lee and we see what Lee sees and how it affects him. Lee has a mission and he sees what he sees and we get it all from him. The journey itself is incredible but the people who help him are incredible as well. If you think about it now, the events described in this book would never be possible today whatsoever. Maybe not even a couple of years after it was published.

The perspective does not solely follow Lee however; one thing I always love was that Klemm alternates between third person and second person point of view throughout. This second person point of view is where we see Scottie’s side of things, Scottie becomes us as Lee goes on his journey and we gain a lot of Lee’s history through Scottie and his experience and memories. The ‘You’ Klemm uses makes it feel like someone is retelling Scottie’s own story to himself, narrating it to him as he lives it, or making us become Scottie as we read. It allows us access not just to Lee’s history, but another side of what is happening while Lee is away by giving an emotional connection, something that third person possibly couldn’t achieve to the same level, and where it does occur concerning Trevor, the emotion required is achieved adequately through dialogue and actions alone. This three point system works extremely well because each style gives us what we need depending on which character it concerns and which person the story is focusing on.

Every time I read this book the ending still pisses me off slightly, not the ending itself which was fairly cool but leading up to it. The whole thing infuriated me but that is perhaps the point, the result of this chase and the suspense and this notion of what did it really achieve while possibly achieving a lot. It is amazing, Klemm doesn’t really resolve anything concretely as there is not really a looming thing to resolve, but he does at the same time. You are left making up your own ending while still having one provided for you; it is extremely clever.

Note: Unfortunately if you want to read this book you are going to need an awful lot of luck. The book is no longer in print but you may find it at a second hand bookshop, most likely one online (anything outside Australia I have my doubts). Other than that if you have an awesome library they may have it as well. I spent about eight years tracking this book down and I finally found a copy (which is now never leaving my sight) only a couple of weeks ago from an online secondhand bookshop, so good luck!

Sun Poisoned (Sunshine #2) by Nikki Rae

25 Jan 2014 1 Comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, General, Romance, Sunshine Series, Young Adult Tags: four stars, nikki rae, paranormal, romance, sunshine series, young adult

Published: June 28, 2013
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 229
Format: Ebook
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal/Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Note: I was asked for a review by the author

Sophie’s life has changed. She’s moved to New York, she’s playing music for new people, and she’s making new friends. Then there’s Myles, and the fact that he is now her boyfriend—and everyone knows it. There are a lot of new things to take in, but Sophie has no problem adjusting.

She’s not exactly normal, living in a half-human, half-vampire world, but she’s finally, truly happy. But some parts of Sophie and Myles’ old life still hide in the dark, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

Sophie’s having nightmares again, but they aren’t about her; Myles is hiding something that she’s not sure she wants to know. And one lie will change everything.

No matter how hard she tries to cover up the marks her monsters have left behind, they never truly go away, and Myles’ monsters are no different. Once again, Sophie’s caught between life and death, but this time, only she can save herself.

Rae did a wonderful job building up my affections and emotions towards her characters…and then she goes and brutally crushes them. But alas, spoilers. But honestly, my emotions were totally and brutally crushed in this book.

In the second book in the Sunshine series we see Sophie living in New York, playing at Midnight with her band, and working at the club selling merchandise. She has escaped her mother, she is doing what she loves, and she has boyfriend Myles plus her friends Boo and Trei to enjoy life with.

But Sophie is still haunted by her past and now she is also now haunted by other people’s as well. The incident with Michael has brought Sophie into Myles’ world even more and she is resisting as much as she can. With Myles’ help she tries to forget the events six months ago and tries to focus on her new exciting life, but the past is never far behind.

We learn a bit more about the supernatural world this time around, Sophie learns more from Myles and situations that she becomes involved in reveal additional rules and elements of the vampire world, though this time she tries to stay away from it, unprepared to become involved after what happened last time.

The events from the first novel are not forgotten and are revisited, and we also see Sophie become more involved with the paranormal side of her life. What was done well was that those who have not read the first book are explained a few things in fractured recaps throughout the second. While some things are explained, others are simply hinted at and require construction from various comments and references. This is good because while you are left in the dark about a lot of things that occur in the first book, especially specific details or certain characters and histories, the reminders are there, keeping the timeline in check, while also filling in a few gaps and questions at the same time. This also acts as a reminder to readers that the past events are still vivid and that they have not been forgotten. Book two is not a new adventure, it is a continuing saga that began in Sunshine and will continue in this book and through the lives of Sophie and her friends and family.

The plot style is curious, the element of mystery is not strong per se, but the drawn out nature and untold information keeps you going to try and find the answers. There is a curiosity that has been created to get you involved with these characters once again, and I did find myself getting further attached to these characters, I will say not to all of them, but it did not entirely matter. Each character is unique in their own way, all with stable development behind them that is adequate to their needs in the story and ours, even if it is revealed slowly or straight away. As with Sunshine the characters drive the story and their experiences and lives keep you wanting more and whether that is day to day life and struggles, or whether it is something phenomenal is unimportant.

As a result of this curiosity and mystery it does make you a tad suspicious as you try and work out if people have ulterior motives and where the story is possibly leading to. As we follow Sophie we again only learn as she does, and when events happen around her we only catch glimpses and must piece things together or be patient until they are revealed. There was the slightest hint in Sunshine I thought that there may be something special about Sophie, these theories were reignited and annoyingly and skilfully only hinted at again in Sun Poisoned which leaves a lot to the imagination.

There are again various incidents and events in this book that occur, some are more complicated and severe compared to those in the first book and Rae writes about these and the experience just as well as before. There are descriptions and emotions used that are excellent at helping us to see and understand them from Sophie’s perspective, even if they are not always about her specifically. This adds to the nice uncertainty because we only know what Sophie knows and what people tell her. I think, especially for the latter half of the book, this is incredible important and something that third person could not achieve with the same level of satisfaction. There needs to be an emotional connection in this story and these books because characters are the key and readers need to understand them more than a third person point of view could adequately provide.

The beginning feels a little bit slow but we get a lot of information in the first half. We learn more about Myles’ life and world, as well as a few outcomes of the events in the last book. Characters are being re-established, a few new ones are introduced, and there is development of Myles and Sophie’s relationship.

The good thing about this development we see of Sophie and Myles’ relationship is how Rae has approached it. Instead of focusing on the romance element on its own, instead it is shown through other events and the actions of others. This is a clever move because it protects the story from being purely about their romance with other things happening around them, or having moments of story, and then moments of their romance. This is where their connection shines, intertwined through life and the people around them.

There is a defining halfway point where it feels a switch is flipped, but it isn’t sudden either. It is like things have gradually been getting more intense without you realising and then all of a sudden something happens and you never come back down. I really enjoyed the story from this point, there was a lot of investment with what was happening and Rae writes drama so well, especially for characters so it was highly emotional to read.

Similarly to the first book, the language is casual on occasion; the tone Sophie uses connects with the continual descriptive nature of the story. She recounts what she does and she describes almost exactly what she sees and feels. In that sense it works together. There is a consistence in the writing style which doesn’t make anything stick out in particular as you read, but certain elements can be identified looking at the story as a whole.

Rae has again created a wonderful slow reveal story with a thread of hidden secrets, and while it may not feel gripping initially it is by the ending I assure you, the suspense and uncertainty that fills most of the last half of the book keeps you on edge as you are eager and impatient to see where it leads. And in between then you still get intrigued and involved with these characters, this is what keeps you going to the excitement and excellent ending that inevitable develops. I could easily reread this series right away. This is a strong temptation stopped only by the pile of other books I have to read. I impatiently wait for book three.

One year ago…

23 Jan 2014 3 Comments

by Amy in Rambles Tags: aurelio voltaire, blogaversary, call of the jersey devil, kerry letheby, mine to avenge, one year anniversary, rambles, Voltaire

Whose idea was it to start a blog with Uni, a holiday, life, all within the first year of creation? Hmm? Who? My organisational skills have failed, my reading has failed, and my dedication has faltered. Always with intent or bringing it back from the lonely corner where it was continually pushed. Always hoping that what I had built up over the fractured year would remain when life got sorted again, I think it’s still there? Well as there as it was before, granted it wasn’t all that there to begin with if we’re honest.

One year ago I launched this blog. I had wanted to do it for so long, I wanted to write reviews about books I had loved, I wanted to explain what was exquisite about them and how they made my world a wonderful place. I wanted to read books that I hadn’t read before and if I hated them I wanted to figure out why, what was it that made me dislike it and find cause instead of just disliking it overall.

I never used to write reviews. I have been a Goodreads member for about five years and I never wrote reviews there either. It wasn’t a conscious decision, exactly, I just didn’t do it. But then a couple of years ago a friend of mine discovered Goodreads and she said that she looked forward to exploring the site and reading some of my reviews. It was then that I almost went to say to her that I hadn’t written any reviews and then I thought, ‘well why not? If she wants to read my reviews, my opinions and thoughts on a book I should probably start writing reviews’. So I wrote short reviews and long reviews and emotional reviews and all kinds for awhile and the idea of the blog grew. It had been there for awhile, popping up on occasion, but I never thought I could manage it, it seemed so hard and confusing. Funnily enough it wasn’t until a Uni course about 18 months ago that I realised blogs are not that complicated. The premise is there, it just needed to be started and so I took the plunge, a year and one week ago today I created my blog, technically, but today was the day it was released out on its own. Thinking back, before the chaos the rest of the year was to bring, it was beautiful. I had fun, people who read it enjoyed it, and I realised as it got more lost as the year progressed, just how much fun it was. Being able to escape for awhile and tell people about a book, just a simple book, that had had an effect on me.

In this year however I have had some wonderful opportunities I will remember forever. When I was still in the early months I was offered a chance to be part of a blog tour for the wonderful author Kerry Letheby. Her novel Mine to Avenge was a wonderful read and being part of her tour made me feel like I was helping something worthwhile. The second excellent thing was the amazing chance I had to not only get an advanced copy to review one of my favourite singers Aurelio Voltaire’s debut novel Call of the Jersey Devil, but I also got to interview him about it as well which was seriously the highlight of the year if we’re honest. I then subsequently ruined it by missing the chance to tell him I did all this when I met him, but we aren’t dwelling on that. I also got to do some great cover reveals, I have been asked to review people’s novels for them, and I also got to run a giveaway which was really wonderful.

But away from these great things, this has not been the best first year I will admit. There were teething problems (understatement of the year) with the old site, and then so many interruptions and problems for the latter half of the year. Ignoring the three month Uni block, as well as the three week holiday, the other time I had seemed devoted to simply recovering from the emotional and work overload and suffocation I was feeling. I would look at these half finished reviews, of books I adored but I could not find the devotion to finishing them. What I realise now is I think I needed to recuperating time. I needed time after Uni finally finished to just gather myself up again after the mess of the last six months and try and hold myself together with more than sticky tape and safety pins. As I say, not much of a smooth start to this first year of blogging. But I will say that I have realised something in all this: the fact that through all of this I never once wanted to throw in the towel. I always felt guilty for neglecting my posts and for feeling like I let people down. That shows me that I do want to keep doing this. I know now that it’s going to take some time, I need to balance my time once more and work around things like Uni and slowly build myself up again before the new semester starts. Finding the passion again for what I like doing, gradually bring myself back.

I know this is not the most wonderful or uplifting of blog anniversary posts you may have seen, but this is where we’ve ended up. I’ve let out as much of my emotions as I am willing and I can’t really sum up this year without all the cracks. I am very grateful for those who have read my reviews this past year, and all those who found me on Twitter and Facebook and Tumblr, it is wonderful to feel supported and to be able to share things with you about books and reading and crazy things like fireworks and emotional instabilities.

I look forward to making this a better blog in this second year and building up my reviews once again. In the meantime I will quietly celebrate this one year anniversary because even after everything we cannot simply let it pass by unnoticed, and I hope you’ll join me in continuing this journey of reading and the world of books.

Sunshine (Sunshine #1) by Nikki Rae

21 Jan 2014 2 Comments

by Amy in 4 Stars, General, Romance, Sunshine Series, Young Adult Tags: four stars, nikki rae, paranormal, romance, sunshine, young adult

Published: January 28, 2013
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 330
Format: Ebook
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal/Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

18 year old Sophie Jean is pretty good at acting normal. Sure, she’s not exactly happy, but happiness is nothing compared to being like everyone else. She can pretend she’s not allergic to the sun. She can hide what her ex-boyfriend did to her. She can cover up the scars she’s made for herself. Ignore anything. Forget anything. Then Myles enters her life, and he has more than a few secrets of his own. When accident after accident keeps happening to Sophie, she can’t help noticing that he’s everywhere. That he knows too much. That she’s remembering too much.

Suddenly, those who were monsters before are just people, and the monsters? They’re real. Now being a normal human being is the least of her problems. Now she has to stay alive.

Note: I was asked for a review by the author.

I was interrupted by so many things reading this book (apologies Nikki it took so long!) but by the end of it I was engrossed, and that was something I was not expecting. This was an excellent book, and if we’re honest it was extremely hard to find the words to review it. I did so many drafts, the ability to ramble about what makes this a great story seem endless, and the fact I was trying not to simply describe the book to you was hard, hence the multiple retries.

Sunshine is about a girl called Sophie who has Solar Urticaria, meaning she is allergic to the sun. She lives her life as best she can, as she always has, trying to be normal when she constantly feels abnormal. As the story begins we’re introduced to Sophie and we’re immediately introduced to her condition and how she deals with it. In these opening chapters we see an insight into Sophie’s life through her eyes, about her condition, her mother, her sisters Laura and Leena, as well as her brother, Jade.

As a character Sophie is an anxious girl, she is wary of relationships and trusting people and that comes across clearly. It is mentioned a lot, especially around her developing friendship and relationship with Myles, but her reasons are explained and you can understand it more as the thought process of what goes through her mind when it happens. Where we see more of the real Sophie is around her friends Boo and Trei, when Sophie is around them there is a different side to her, one who jokes and rocks out in a band. The difference between the two levels is evident and we get a feeling of how Sophie feelings change through Rae’s descriptions and Sophie’s reactions.

The introduction Rae’s given us to the world as a whole is not flawless but it is done quite well, and the paranormal and supernatural elements in this book are there but not an overbearing feature. Having read nothing else similar as a comparison, I enjoyed the pace and the balance between the regular and the paranormal. Nothing is rapidly sprung on reader (or character) with no real instance of instant acceptance and understanding by characters which can be a downfall when colliding reality and the supernatural, but Rae manages this balance well.

The various relationships in this book are well written and diverse. The relationship Sophie has with her mother is tense, but her affection for her stepfather is wonderful. Rae captures the family dynamic between Sophie, her brother and sisters quite well and there is a strong sibling connection that shows even through the arguments as well as the love and support.

I really adore some of these characters. Myles is a character I was surprised to like almost instantly. His own secrets and uncertainty make him quite wonderful as he tries so hard to fit in himself, while still trying to be there for Sophie, make new friends and try and make sure everything is going to be ok.

He and Sophie are very similar which is why their relationship works. They both are people who have close friends but feel separated from the rest of the world as well. Their relationship moves from constantly waiting for the other one to realise how strange they believe themselves to be and run off, until finally understanding that they can help one another.

You have to pity Myles for his initial meeting with Sophie but when we get to see her side of things it balances things out. Embarrassment and defense mechanisms are hard defaults to override and the way we see Sophie break these down over the course of the book are excellent. There is a slow emergence after numerous hasty retreats and second thoughts and seeing her character grow is really nice.

Other characters I adored are Stevie and Jade. Jade’s relationship as Sophie’s brother and the relationship he has with his boyfriend Stevie is wonderful. What makes Jade and Stevie exceptional characters is that Rae doesn’t make them imposing but they show understanding and support in other ways and in simple gestures like being there at key moments and helping Sophie when she doesn’t even ask. The sibling relationship is beautiful; it makes and develops Jade’s character and position as a brother by how he sees Sophie and how he acts with her. Rae uses their conversations and gestures as a way to show not tell and while it seems basic, it actually shows much more than if they were more prominent.

Content wise there are some serious personal issues shown and discussed in this book but Rae does it without making it an overbearing factor, but she also doesn’t shy away or glorify it either. The way it is shown and talked about seems to be handled with care and realism, something that brings the emotions and understanding to the surface and reduces the risk of making it dramatic or flippant.

What I love particularly is the ending and the way Rae has written it, especially the moments of confusion and uncertainty. The fact we see all of this from Sophie’s point of view we experience everything she does and with the chaos of the concluding chapters I love that we don’t really know what is going on because Sophie doesn’t know what is going on.

Rae writes these moments of confusion very well, and the emotions and feelings and moments of fading and unconsciousness Sophie experiences are well described. What Sophie goes through is captured without telling or rushing. Again, the length of time that passes in this book makes the story better. Nothing is brushed over or rushed and this adds to the reality and the suspense the story generates. Because we are seeing this through Sophie’s eyes we gain a lot more than if it was a third person narrative. The room for deeper emotions adds more meaning to the story, especially crucial in one that explores things Rae does in this novel.

In terms of writing there are a few description sentences where things like clothing is explained, they stand out slightly but not in an annoying way but perhaps there is room for a more fluid inclusion as they occasionally have purpose behind their mention. Though really, with her writing and storytelling Rae draws you in with character and plot so well that the rest is pretty much unimportant. Characters drive this story and they bring the intrigue, mystery, and excitement along with them that leave you hanging out for the next book.

To learn more about Nikki and her work here are the usual suspects
Goodreads
Twitter
Blog
Author page
The Sunshine Series page
Tumblr

Where to find her books
Sunshine on Amazon
Sun Poisoned (Book #2) on Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble

Top Five of 2013

03 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in Top Five List Tags: a.s. king, eoin colfer, jasper fforde, john green, neil gaiman, stephen chbosky, top five, Voltaire

New year means time for my 2013 Top Five list. Like last year these are the books that were real surprises and completely unexpected in just how wonderful they’d be. They managed to get me excited, engaged, emotional, and managed to change how I saw the world just that little bit.

Because I read some pretty wonderful authors as well as books in 2013 I am mixing things up a bit and compiling a top five authors as well as books. I only managed to read 45 books in 2013 because of Uni, other commitments, and “things”, but there were some absolute gems within those 45. Looking at it now, it almost seems like the year of the Young Adult novel which is interesting.

2013 was also the year I read a lot of particular authors or series which was very rewarding, however it also makes choosing a simple 5 rather hard. I am not going to number them because really, it won’t mean all that much, they all could be number one.

Top Five Books

First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
It was hard to find the right Thursday Next book to choose from those I read, but this won out. The entire nature of the narrative was weird and bizarre as per usual but offered something new and different to the series. Being the fifth book in the series a lot has come before it and a lot comes after it in the next two books but while each book brings new stories and people, there is a common thread through it all and a great sense of familiarity despite each book being very different from one another. It also made me read Pinocchio so that was a bonus experience right there.

Looking For Alaska by John Green
Oh do not talk to me about this book. This like The Book of Lost Things have had messed up my life so much, I mean really it is quite unfair. This is a beautiful story, it is about finding out who you are, trying to find a place in the world, and about friendship and life and all the crazy unknowns about being a teenager. And you truly have to listen to his brother Hank’s song ‘Looking For Alaska‘ which is about the book because it is just as wonderful and emotional as the book itself, and while you can listen to it before reading because it doesn’t contain any exact spoilers, it has so much more meaning once you’ve read the book.

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer
If only an entire series could be selected this would be one I’d pick. This is the eighth and last book in the Artemis Fowl series, and I could easily have also picked the seventh book to accompany it in this list but I didn’t. I think, remembering back to the moment when I finished, this was a much better choice because while the seventh book was emotionally involving and wonderful, I think this one rides of the back of that and brings it to a whole new level combining everything we’ve seen from the series so far. A really exceptional read.

Please Ignore Vera Deitz by A. S. King
I had been trying to find this book for awhile. I cannot remember exactly what made me want to start reading it, I think I may have stumbled on one of A. S. King’s quotes and went from there. Throughout the book there are certainly a number of wonderful quotes about life, society, being a teenager, a friend, someone’s child. However I found it it was worth it on so many levels, I got so much out of this book that made me look at the world just a little bit differently. And after all, isn’t that what a good book should do really?

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I have wanted to read this for awhile, and with the movie being released now was the time. Like Please Ignore Vera Deitz, this book was filled with so many wonderful insights and poignant moments about life, being a teenager, trying to find your place in the world. Chbosky has a way with words that suit his characters so well. You can picture everything and with Charlie as our eyes you just follow him and watch the world go by. It is really beautiful. There is a mystery around the whole thing and it just sits quietly as the story goes on, offering us an occasional snippet. But the pleasure is really just following Charlie and seeing him experience life, make friends, and uncover things about himself he never thought possible.

Top Five Authors

John Green
I read all of John’s wonderful books in 2013, from his first book An Abundance of Katherines, to his most recent release The Fault in Our Stars. His writing style is pretty wonderful, he can express the voice of a teenager extremely well, while also offering multiple profound and insightful moments in deep or seemingly mundane moments and strange circumstances. Away from Looking For Alaska, Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Paper Towns had to be my other favourites.

Eoin Colfer
If we don’t already adore him for his entire Artemis Fowl series, we love him a little more for his new series W.A.R.P. Colfer has a wonderful humour in his writing, the witty nature of his characters and the absurdness that can occur is his books is a joy to read. Colfer’s imagination is captured in his books and there is no end to the surprises that he comes up with in his work.

Jasper Fforde
Jasper Fforde was introduced to me by a friend and here we are a year later and I have been sucked into his books and numerous series and I don’t really feel like coming out. The humour, pure imagination and creativity, not to mention the complete literature focus is more than enough the adore his Thursday Next books, but even others like The Last Dragonslayer have the same Fforde style and engaging nature that bring you into this constructed world and you just cannot wait to see where it’ll lead and through which twists and surprises on the way.

Neil Gaimain
Neil is on this list because it is Neil basically. But I read his novel The Ocean at the End of Lane and it was just excellent. It was such an awesome book that mixed magic and reality, as well as childhood memories and mystery that you really are quite moved by the whole thing. I’ve also included him because his short stories in M for Magic were so haunting and wonderful that you just admire the skills that exists in one person to make you so moved and affected without seemingly doing anything too grand and extraordinary, but in facts hide the extraordinary and magic in the seemingly simple.

Aurelio Voltaire
Getting to review and interview Voltaire about his new book was a serious highlight of 2013 I cannot tell you. Having fallen in love with his music it was no doubt I loved his book as well. But it wasn’t just my love of his work that makes him great, it is also his wonderfully storytelling abilities. For a first time writer he did an excellent job with his book Call of the Jersey Devil, and his history as a song writer really shines in his descriptions and his narrative. I’m not sure whether Voltaire plans on writing another fiction novel anytime soon, but if he does, I’m sure it will be just as wonderful.