Books – Page 64 – The Constellation of Moon

Harry Potter Spells Book Tag

Posted on October 20, 2017

Anyway, I was tagged by Taiwo @ Stuffed Shelves. You should go check out her own post on this tag and her blog as is 🙂

This tag was created by Kimberlyfaye Reads. All spell graphics are credited to her.

AN UPCOMING RELEASE YOU WISH YOU COULD GET YOUR HANDS ON RIGHT NOW!

This one is hard to answer with just one. I have a huge list of books I want to get my hands on. There is: More Than We can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer, Renegades by Marissa Meyer, The Invasion by Peadar Ó Guilín, The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross, … the list really is long…

FAVOURITE SERIES STARTER

I love A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It starts off with the line “It was a dark and stormy night” because Madeleine thought she could pull it off despite it being so “cliche” and she did.

A BOOK THAT GAVE YOU ALL THE WARM FUZZIES

This is a very hard one for me. I rarely ever read warm fuzzies books (and it is only when you ask me to name one that I realise this). I guess the Redwall saga has a lot of moments when I’d love to be part of their banquets and be tasting their food and it has adventure and animals and it is just amazing, so I’ll go with that.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

This is an easy one to answer. The one that always makes me cry is A Ring Of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle. It focuses on grief and death. The other one I would say is up there with ARoEL is Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer.

BOOKISH HERO OR HEROINE YOU WANT AROUND TO PROTECT YOU IN REAL LIFE

Can I choose someone like Aragorn or Eowyn? My life isn’t that crazy that the hero needs to be so amazing. I guess in a way, I’ve always wanted The Captain to be there which is why I created him, but he isn’t exactly a hero but he also isn’t an anti-hero.

A BOOK YOU INTENTIONALLY SPOILED FOR YOURSELF

Does reading the book and going like “I am sure this is going to happen” then skipping some chapters and “yes it is! see? I am sure now this will happen” and keep doing this until the end count? Because this happened most accutely with Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody. I generally can guess plot and plot twists but this was one where I was like “nope, it can’t be” and it was every time, so I spoiled it for myself.

A BOOK YOU WISH YOU COULD MAKE EVERYONE READ BECAUSE YOU LOVED IT YOURSELF

After the Fire by Will Hill. It is blunt and it is brutal but it is also beautiful and amazing and so human and I just wish everyone would read it and try to see life a little bit different.

A BOOK OR SERIES YOU WISH NEVER ENDED

Dragonriders of Pern. I love Anne McCaffrey’s books and they are amazing, I wish she was still around and could keep on writing. I mean, it is dragons, it is space, there is time travel, there is a “shoulder” dragon (fire lizards), it is amazing!

A BOOK WITH AN UPLIFTING ENDING OR MESSAGE

There are several of them, I am trying to think of one I haven’t mentioned here already (because several on this post would also be candidates for this spell). I think I will say, Franklyn’s Flying Bookshop was an amazing ending and it made me happy.

A BOOK YOU WISH YOU COULD FORGET YOU EVER READ

There are few and far between and I can’t remember one I wish I hadn’t read though I am sure there are a few. But I probably have forgotten them already.

AN AUTHOR WHOSE BOOKS ALWAYS GET YOU OUT OF A SLUMP

There’s 3 amazing ladies: Anne McCaffrey, Madeleine L’Engle and Robin McKinley.

A SWOON-WORTHY HERO OR HEROINE

I love both Corlanth and Harimad in The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. And Aerin is kind of a hero in her own being for me (The Hero and The Crown by Robin McKinley).

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU TO STOP DOING ALL OTHER THINGS UNTIL YOU FINISHED IT

There are so many of them, but the most recent one was Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer. I had meant to read just a couple of chapters before bed and somehow stayed up late until I had finished it in one go.

A BOOK THAT WAS PAINFUL TO READ (FOR WHATEVER REASON) OR BROKE YOU

Lies Like Love by Louisa Reidd made me very thoughtful. It was kind of scary and at the same time, it could be true. Books with topics that are too close to some traumas in my life sometimes make it hard for me to keep reading but I try to keep up with them.

A BOOK THAT HAD YOU LAUGHING AT LOUD

Comics, I recently read Mikki’s Comic Book by Mikiko and it is so cute and funny, but of course, it isn’t the only one.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU WANT TO SEND IT (OR YOUR E-READER) FLYING

Given to the Sea. Too many POV and not all of them in first person, and one of them is basically just filler because it is irrelevant to plot (part of plot but it could’ve done without it and not made a difference). The ending was atrocious and I kept trying to read and to like it but I just couldn’t.

BOOKISH WORLD YOU WISH YOU COULD VISIT

Pern. Damar. Deema.

A BOOK WITH A SHOCKING TWIST OR ENDING

Everless by Sara Holland. It was more unexpected and it actually was a pleasantly “oh wow” twist.

A CHARACTER DEATH THAT DESTROYED YOU

I don’t think any character death has destroyed me. I like characters but it doesn’t destroy me if they die.

BEST SERIES CONCLUSION

Would it be too geeky to say Return of the King by Tolkien? I think he ties things up amazingly, and specially for some of the characters like Faramir and Eowyn. It was a good mix of different endings, an ending that isn’t all the same for everyone but that “fits” each character. I liked that.

So now I’ve made all these book spells. Would you like to do some? (I will tag some of you on Twitter)

Please do tag me in your post and if I didn’t tag you but you’re interested in doing this, remember to link me to your post too!

Book Review

Everything, Everything Review

Posted on October 18, 2017

I borrowed this book from a friend because the film was coming out and I had to have read the book before, but then didn’t give it much thought. I grabbed it because I felt I should read it and that was that.

Want to guess who finished it in one sitting?

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Rating:

At first glance and after finishing this, I was pretty happy with the book. It is an easy read with a lot of space and is basically a love story. It also filled me because I had just been mentioning a day before reading it that I wished there was a book that talked about living with photophobia/light sensitivity (which is not the same as being allergic to the world). So I was in a good point to read this at the time.

However, I saw the plot twist early on and part of me feels bad about how the illness was handled. I admit I struggled to understand why the mother had to be a doctor, and how they managed to have the airlock, and then why they had a nurse coming and going, all those comings and goings, and all the food Maddie was having.

Either way, I’d say that it could’ve done better representing illness but as a light read it was good and a little bit different than usual.

Moon recommends

This book is the light and fluffy version of Lies like Love by Louisa Reid. Somehow I managed to read Lies Like Love first which is why I probably guessed pretty much all the plot here (the one in Lies Like Love is a bit more dark and slightly different). If you are in it for the romance then stick to Everything, Everything.

Disclaimer: There is an Amazon Associates link, but if you choose to use them and buy from them, know that you’re just helping me buy more books and feed my reading needs. Book synopsis is from Good Reads.

Book Review

Franklin’s Flying Bookshop Review

Posted on October 6, 2017

As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to buy it.

Franklin’s Flying Bookshop by Jen Campbell and Katie Harnett

Franklin the dragon loves stories and loves reading stories to people too, but everyone is too scared to even talk to him. One day, he meets a girl named Luna who, rather than being afraid, is fascinated to meet Franklin, having recently read all about dragons in one of her books. They instantly become friends and talk nonstop about what they’ve read: books about roller-skating, King Arthur, spiders, and how to do kung fu. Together they hatch a plan to share their love of books with others by opening a bookshop―a flying bookshop, that is―right on Franklin’s back!

Franklin, a well-read and peace-loving dragon, and Luna, a young girl with an independent spirit and an insatiable love of reading, make fantastic role models for young children. Franklin’s Flying Bookshop brings the magic of classic fairy tales into the twenty-first century through exquisite illustrations, and will enchant children as well as anyone who loves books.

Rating:

Reasons I loved this book:

This book has a lovely green dragon, Franklin.
Franklin loves reading. So many books to read.
Franklin wants to read to people.
Luna listens to Franklin.
They both love to read.
There’s books in it and fun things like a mice band.
Franklin makes his dream come true with help from Luna.

It is a really cute book with gorgeous illustrations (it is also a BIG book) and the wording is perfect for read out loud storytime. It made me laugh and it made me want to go to Franklin’s town and fly in the bookshop (how cool is that?).

Moon recommends

You try this book out, it is utterly gorgeous. I’m not that good at recommending children’s books but I can recommend the Dragonology book which is about the same size and makes a great companion. Any extra dragon books are a good idea. But do get this one, it is ever so lovely, and the illustrations.

(Moon showed this book to one of her friends and she ended up recommending to book to one of her friends and now we are a chain of “hey, go buy it, it is awesome, even if we are adults”).

If you’d like to buy a copy for yourself, you can find it here.

Books

The Guilty Reader Tag

Posted on October 2, 2017

So I wasn’t tagged to do this at all but I found it fun so decided to do it anyway. I am curious to see how “guilty” I am.

Question Number 1: Have you ever regifted a book?
Yes. I have had to move a lot and strip down to basics in the last 5 years, so I would gift away books I had finished reading that I thought would find a good home. Some of those were gifted books, some weren’t. Of course, none of them had deep meaning in having received the book, the ones that are a special gift I have kept.

Question Number 2: A book you’ve said that you read but you haven’t.
This one is tricky, because I don’t usually say I have read a book I haven’t. What may happen is I think I have read it and I actually haven’t and I am thinking about a different book. Usually this is because a) another book has the same/similar title or b) the plot is so much the same that I think it is that book.

Question Number 3: Have you ever borrowed a book and not returned it?
No. If I have kept a book it is because it has been gifted/given to me. I wouldn’t want someone to lose their book because of me.

Question Number 4: Have you ever read a series out of order?
Kind of. Some series I have started with the core books (like for Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series, the core is the Dragonflight trilogy but they are not the first chronological books to be read) and gone from them and grabbed here and there. I would read them as I got hold of them. I sometimes just want to read a certain book in the series and that is that.

Question Number 5: Have you ever spoiled a book for someone?
Not sure. I don’t think so. Most of my life there weren’t many people to discuss books with so there was no one to spoil. And nowadays I usually ask before dropping spoilers. Maybe I have without realising it?

Question Number 6: Have you every dog-eared a page?
Yes. For as long as I can remember I wouldn’t write notes or do anything to books, then a friend lent me Carlos Castañeda’s books and asked me to make notes on the margin, dog-ear the pages and all that since he wanted to find those notes when he re-read it. There were also his notes there so it was very interesting to see what had sparked his interest and some of the thoughts he had while reading it. After that experience I am more lenient, but it will depend on the book. Non-fiction, poetry and things like that are more prone to get marked than usual YA fiction.

Question Number 7: Have you ever told someone that you own a book but you actually don’t?
Probably. Mostly because as I mentioned before, my books were doing a quick turnaround and moving forward at some point in my life, so I may have had it then given it away and forgotten. But this is rare and I can’t remember a time this happened.

Question Number 8; Have you ever said that you haven’t read a book but you have?
No. I have read odd books and books that spark reactions like Twilight series or Flowers in the Attic (if you do not know what I am talking about, one word: incest) and don’t deny it at all. Don’t see why I should. My tastes have refined and some books I read genuinely because I was trying to find what the hype was (nowadays I mostly keep away from some rather than make myself go through reading it so I don’t DNF).

Question Number 9: Have you ever skipped chapters or pages in a book?
Yes. The most recent one was Daughter of the Burning City. As early as she has breakfast with her “father” I had suspicions and skipped a few pages and realised that I was right so my suspicious took better shape and I kept skipping until I had half read the book and half skipped it (and my suspicions were so point on that it was sad and annoying and I spoiled myself for it). I sometimes skip parts if I am considering DNFing the book and want to read forward to see if it is worth reading and it’ll get better. Usually, if I decide to keep going I will read what I skipped. Also when I was younger, my mum would only let me read adult fiction if I skipped the sex pages, so I would.

Question Number 10: Have you ever bad-mouthed a book?
So what exactly does this mean? Said bad things about it? I try not to but if the book is bad, it is bad. Can’t change that.

This is all my guilty reader tag, and I tag Maja and Nikki (once you read this, try doing it on your blog).

I guess I am a not too guilty about guilty things.

Book Review, Books

Letters to the Lost Review

Posted on September 28, 2017

I bought this book when Amazon had the 3 for £10 offer to complete the 3 books (I had two ready in my basket). Funnily enough, the book arrived damaged and Amazon had to replace it (I am so grateful for quick replacement, I had a new book the next day and they didn’t require I return the damaged one, so I ended sharing that book with a friend).

I just have to say I didn’t know what to expect from this book at all. I hadn’t read another of her books before.

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Juliet Young has always written letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother’s death, she leaves letters at her grave. It’s the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn’t the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he’s trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can’t resist writing back. Soon, he’s opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither of them knows that they’re not actually strangers. When real life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart. This emotional, compulsively-readable romance will sweep everyone off their feet.

Rating:

I wanted some light reading when I chose this book. I didn’t really know what I had just decided to do and how wrong I was going to be.

It is a light read in the sense of “you end up reading it in one seating and you don’t realise time has gone by”. But on the other hand it is anything but a light read. It is a book full of emotion.

Both Juliet and Declan are dealing with grief and issues stemming from it, having lost someone in their lives. The letters (and then emails) they start exchanging help them find themselves, and it gives them a safe space to talk about things they wouldn’t have otherwise.

The intricate details of relationships (and I am not talking specifically of romantic ones but just human ones) blew me away. Specially as you get to understand more about them alongside Juliet and Declan, and start to see things with new eyes just as they do. It also meant I kept asking myself if I wasn’t doing some of the same prejudice/ didn’t think of it that way kind of things in my own life.

One more thing I’d like to add is that this is a book about grief and loss, and it does so in a gentle way, full fo compassion, showing you grief is seen in many different ways, can affect many different aspects and show itself in many ways. Each one of us goes through it in a different way and we heal in different ways, and as we heal (or not) we may be ignoring the giref of someone else. Definitely an eye opener.

Moon recommends

You go and read this book right now. Seriously, please read it. It is worth it. The only other book I know that deals with grief in such an interesting way is A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle and it’s “prequel/companion” The Arm of the Starfish. I also recommend you read them in the order mentioned despite the fact Arm of the Starfish is a prequel, mostly because part of the things Adam decides to do are influenced by what happens before but knowing why he does them changes a little the feel of the book. Either way, try both.

You can buy a copy of Letters to the Lost here. (Also, apparently there is a sequel on Rev’s story!)

Books, Subscription Boxes

Outlaws Book Box Club

Posted on September 26, 2017

The long awaited Anniversary box for Book Box Club arrived and it didn’t disappoint.

Happy (late by the time this is published) Birthday Book Box Club, Kate & Libby, you’re awesome!

Since this is the anniversary box, let me tell you a little about my year with Book Box Club. I remember finding about the Enchanted Forest Box last year through Instagram. They had apparently sold out so I commented that it was a bummer I had missed out, but it turns out there was one last one left… So I obviously went and bought it there and then (I was at work and I snuck to buy it).

At the time I hadn’t tried as many book subscription boxes as I have today, but I was still unsure if this would be a box I would want to keep. The idea of the Clubhouse (a private group chat with the author, a month later) intrigued me and the fact that the girls were all up for the community aspect, which for a tiny account as I had at the time, I hadn’t seen much of that feeling and feltmore the blunt end of it.

The box surprised me, and I absolutely fell in love with it. That charm is still one of my favourite necklaces (considering I was and still tend to be an adamant “please do not send jewellry in book boxes” kind of person) and I am so happy about it.

You can see their first box and my not very polished bookstagram unboxing skills for taking pictures. I think they have improved in a year for sure (please, don’t tell me they haven’t if they actually haven’t, let me think I am improving, don’t burst my bubble).

Of course, the Clubhouse absolutely blew me away and the community has been one of the best things about Book Box Club. Destiny definitely had it for me to be part of the history of this box, including being part of one of the boxes and now making a bookmark set (maybe I will make a bookmark per box, how about that?).

And now, here we are a year later…

Starting from the theme card and going clockwise:

Maraunders/HP cards by The Imaginative Illustrator. They are utterly adorable and I am dividing between never wanting to use them and using them because they are so great.
A pair of Sante socks, which are really cute (too big for me). I have to say, one of the things I liked is that even though the socks are too big, they are not too girly, so I asked my bf if he would like to wear them and he was very happy to have a new pair of socks.
A personalised letter from Kate and Libby (see? Moon has stars around it. *swoons*) to celebrate their anniversary.
A shortbread biscuit by Nila Holden that looked so delicious I took the unboxing picture as quickly as possible so I could chomp away. It didn’t last long but it was delicious.
For this box, the girls also sent a second book, an ARC. They sent me Witch Born but there were like 10+ different options of the book you could get.
On top of the ARC is an Inej (Six of Crows) lipbalm by Oriandle. This is my absolutely utterly favourite lip balm. Caramel and cinnamon. Two of my favourite flavours/spices. I have been keeping it in my coat pocket to use when the wind dries my lips and then add a little bit and every time I do this it makes me smile and lifts up my mood.
There were also two samplers and a postcard from publishers.
The book for this month is a Jigsaw of Fire and Stars by Baba Yadoe and it sounds very interesting, plus that cover is gorgeous!
John Green promoting pencils since there’s a new book coming out (you can see I am not his biggest fan, I think if I had been younger when I read his books I’ve loved them but not now sadly).
And finally a cute Robin Hood magnetic bookmark that is exclusive to Book box Club by Marked by Hephaestus.

It is a cosy, lovely box and I was very happy to receive it. I am looking forward to another year with you girls (because we’ve become friends and I have met good friends through this box!).

If you’d like to subscribe, you can subscribe here, or you can try Purely Books which is just the book and access to the Clubhouse. Also *wink, wink* you can use code MOON17 for 5% discount on you subscription.

Book Review, Books

Nyxia Review (Proof Version)

Posted on September 22, 2017

Today I am reviewing Nyxia. I received this proof copy on my Illumicrate box (August 2017). I was not sure what to expect to be fair. Also, be warned that this review may include spoilers.

20170918_190755

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.

Forever.

Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.

But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.

Rating:

I debated a lot between 3.5 and 4 fox rating. In the end I stood it up against my other 4 fox books and it wasn’t just there (maybe a 3.75? 3.80 but I don’t have enough foxes for that).

I will mention the things that bugged me the most first, and then load you up with those that I really liked. On the thing that jumped to me the most is Emmet’s mental file system. From what the book explains, this is for when you are angry and you file it away under a letter. But through the whole book, Emmet files SO many things away and a few that I would not have considered “anger” (they were things that would have made me suspicious or curious or bothered me or even that I would consider useful). Either Emmet has serious anger issues (so that almost everything makes him angry) or the file system isn’t explained as well as it should (I am seriously hoping for the latter). Also, it bugs me a lot that Nyxia is this unexplainable substance that can protect you from being harmed by itself but also when it pleases it, lets you get injured by more nyxia. Yet there is a lot of mind control. And everything is solved by Nyxia. Maybe it just needs to be better explained or something, but I am not pleased with how Nyxia is (but that can be just that I like science to back my sci-fi).

On the good things is the diversity, both in gender, colour, race, country, etc. but also in personality. The characters were mostly unique though I admit with so many of them, at times I wasn’t sure who responded to which name (I could remember that the character doing X had done Y before, but what was the name was beyond me).

It was interesting to see all the interactions between them. Also, this has an Ender’s Game feel (much more than a Hunger Games one) but thankfully it is not the same.

One of my favourite things was how mercy, compassion, teamwork, relationships and competition were explored throughout the book. Kaya, Morning and Vandemeer are my favourite characters.

This may not make my utter favourites but I am really looking forward to the next book and to learn what Eden looks like. I don’t think that they are actually prepared at all for what is to come but we shall see.

And Babel is horrid, but this is just a part of making a good villain (not in a villain that is good but rather making one well), with lots of layers and secrets.

Moon recommends

To read this is you like sci-fi and challenges. Maybe a competiton is interesting or corporations with hidden agendas. You may also be interested in Ender’s Game or maybe one of Anne McCaffrey’s books, a) if you’d like to explore how we deal with a planet that has another race in it and we want to keep it, then try Donna’s series starting with Decision at Donna, b) or if you prefer to wonder about strange substances and mining them I’d recommend the Crystal Singer series, starting with Crystal Singer, or c) if you’d like to explore what happens when humans are slaves of another race and part of an experiment on freedom try the Freedom series starting with Freedom’s Landing.

If you’d like to grab a copy of Nyxia, you can get one from amazon here.

Books

Moon List: WWII Books

Posted on September 20, 2017

Welcome to the very first ever Moon List.

In this edition I will be listing books on WWII. All of the books listed here have been read by me unless otherwise stated. This list will include title, author, a link to purchase on Amazon (if I own the book, a picture taken by myself), and maybe an extra fact about it if I have one available.

Please note they are in no specific order. An asterisk will be added to those I consider unmissable. Feel free to ask about any of them (or about WWII in general).

The Most Common Ones

Here are the usual recommendations I get when asking for WWII books (I’m going to gloss over these since they are quite popular and there is a LOT of information on them and some have films/docummentaries too).

Young Adult/New Adult

There is a surprisingly good amount of fiction about WWII (and the Great War, but I will cover that on the next list) for readers that aren’t adults and most of these books are amazing at telling stories during such a difficult time.

A Little Love Song by Michelle Magorian

This is by the same author of Goodnight Mister Tom. She has a few more books regarding WWII but this little gem stayed in my heart. The story is mostly told not on the battlefield but about those that stayed behind, specially young girls and how they had to be sent away to be kept safe. There is a bookstore involved if my memory doesn’t fail me. Very sweet, quite endearing, easy read. You can buy from Amazon here.

Codename Verity by Elizabeth Wein*

This is a story of friendship, of women, of being a prisoner of war, and of course, pilots. It is not exactly the happiest story but the writing is powerful and gripping. A must read that you can buy from Amazon here.

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein*

This book alongside Shades of Grey (it is included further down the list) were the ones that opened a world of WWII YA fiction to me that I didn’t know existed. It also helped me find out a lot more about concentration camps and start learning more about Ravensbruck and the Rabbits. You can buy this from Amazon here.

Cross my Heart by Carmen Reid

I admit I have not read this one yet but it is in my TBR list and I have heard great things about it. You can find on Amazon here.

The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner

A strange one in the mix and probably my least favourite one of the ones included, it is set in Britain and touches on cinematics and film alongside happenings during WWII. Very difficult to describe withoutgiving a lot away, so you can buy it here.

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys*

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This was my first WWII YA fiction book, and I remember going to the bookstore and asking for it and the lovely assistant asked me if I really wanted this one or maybe I was looking for ’50 Shades of Grey’. You can’t compare the two at all. This is about surviving being deported and thrown into a train alongside your mother and brother during WWII. Ruta Sepetys has a magical way of writing even if it is quite raw and can be sometimes brutal but there is such beauty in it, it goes into the must read list. Buy it on Amazon here.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys*

The story is told through the eyes of four different people and it tells their journey to get to the Wilhelm Gustloff. The ship was sunk in port in early 1945 it had over 9000 civilian refugees, including children, on board, so this is based on truth and it makes the sinking of the Titanic a banal thing. A must read again you can buy here.

A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson

This one surprised me. The writing is like a fairytale and it tells you the story of a young woman who wants to teach and how she moves from England to Austria to an experimental school. There she helps with the children and meets a young man who intrigues her. Yes, this sounds more like a non war story but trust me it gets quite interesting as the story progresses and Hitler’s troops advance through Austria. You can find it here.

The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson

When Hitler’s forces invade, Ruth’s family flees to London, but she is unable to get a passport. Quin, a young professor and friend of the family, visits Ruth and, in an effort to bring her back to London, he offers a marriage of convenience.This becomes quite interesting and get convoluted as time goes by, once again it is not just a romance story but history. You can find it here.

The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

Sent to boarding school in London to avoid the war, Tally isn’t very happy. But this is a story about friendship and endurance. You can buy it here on Amazon.

A Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman*

Gretchen has a secret she doesn’t know is secret. She is Hitler’s ‘niece’ and dotted on by him, until an anonymous letter makes her start to question everything. You can find it here.

A Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman*

Continuation of A Prisoner of Night and Fog, Greatchen has to decide fi she will go back to Germany and break her rules to save Daniel and clear his name. Don’t miss out on it and buy it here.

Adult Fiction

My choices for adult fiction are less cheerful and deal more on how adults took and reacted to the war. They may be in a way less heroic stories but are equally gripping and interesting.

Meet Me Under the Clock by Anne Murray*

This is my favourite one of her books but she has so many set around WWII, that half of the list would be only about them. Instead, I will tell you about the sisters that are making an effort to move through the hard times of WWII at the home front and how each copes with the changes and makes her own effort to contribute. You can find it here.

The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

This is a story where little things have huge after effects in a subtle way. See what a little kindness can do during WWII. You can buy a copy here.

Pattern of Shadows by Judith Barrow

An interesting story telling us about Mary, a nursing sister at Lancashire prison camp for the housing and treatment of German POWs. It follows her, and her family alongside one of the German POWs and how life was at the home front. This is a series but can be read as a standalone and you can buy it here.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

A tragic story of good intentions and set in two different times, the past and the present. (There is a film for this one, or you can buy the book here).

Spitfire Girl by Lily Baxter

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This one has been on my TBR for a little bit and it is about Susan who dreams of flying and helping her country. Of course I like planes, so it was a must. You can find a copy here.

Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole

This kinda shouldn’t be here but at the same time it should. It spans the years between WWI and WWII and follows the story of a young poet and a soldier as they exchange letters while the war wages. You can find a copy here.

Non Fiction

Most of my non fiction is based on Aircraft, specifically the Lancaster Bomber. I promise there is a good reason for that and it will be revelead soon enough on one of the “Meet the Character” posts. Meanwhile, enjoy some interesting non fiction.

My Dear Bessie: A Love Story in Letters by Chris Baker

This doesn’t need much of an explanation, the title says it all. It is a moving read. You can buy it here on Amazon.

Odette by Jerrard Tickell

During some of the darkest days of the Second World War, a young Frenchwoman living as a mother and housewife in England left her ordinary life to become a British agent, working covertly in France to aid the Resistance. This is her story, and you can buy a copy here.

If This is a Woman by Sara Helm*

Of all the non aircraft related non fiction books featured on this list, this is my favourite one. Sara does an amazing job at showing how Ravensbruck and concentration camps came to be and how life was there. This is a tough read because of the topic, but the writing is good. I took this one slowly but it is a must read. You can buy it here from Amazon.

The Female Few: Spitfire Heroines of the Air Transport Auxiliary by Jacky Hyams*

Through the darkest days of the Second World War, an elite group of courageous civilian women risked their lives as aerial courier pilots, flying Lancaster bombers, Spitfires and many other powerful war machines in thousands of perilous missions. Very interesting information here.

The Lancaster at War: Books 1 to 5 by Mike Garbett and Brian Goulding

A compilation of books on the Lancaster Bomber. Absolutely worth it. You can it here.

The next few are ones I’d recommend but since they are non fiction and cater to specific interests, will only add title and link to the book.

Famous Bombers of the Second World War by William Green

There are also other alongside the series likie Fighters instead of Bombers. You can find it here.

The Secret Life Of Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay

I am always interested in code breaking and cyphers so Bletchley Park should definitely feature here. I have loads of books about it on my wishlist but this is the one I actually own. You can find it here.

Handbook of Great Aircraft of WWII by Alfred Price and Mike Spick

One of the most illustrated and easy to digest handbooks for aircraft of WWII I could find (as you may notice this is not the only one I have but it is the easier to approach and learn from if you’re not as crazy about the topic as I am). You can find it here.

Blooper Book

This little guide is an original I found on an antique bookshop so I don’t expect you to want this one, but I found it interesting and have added it to my collection. There also some Penguin original editions still making the rounds through odd bookshops (manuals for pilots, ration books, etc). It is interesting and amusing to see how they tried to get the soldiers ready for the continent and being in France.

Set during WWII and mention it but aren’t specifically about it

The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy
Narnia books by C.S. Lewis

This last part of the list may get expanded on as my mind remembers books that fit this category.

And I admit that as I wrote this list, more and more books came to mind. Some I only remember a tiny bit of the story or the feeling that reading the book gave me, so I did use synopsis from Amazon/GoodReads to help me out. Others I remembered but didn’t want to give much away. Still, I hope you find a lot to read here and a lot that you hadn’t heard about before.

Disclaimer: There are Amazon Associates links, but if you choose to use them and buy from them, know that you’re just helping me buy more books and feed my reading needs. All these books are recommended solely because of my own research and looking into the topic.

Books, Subscription Boxes

September’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy Leafer Box

Posted on September 18, 2017

Since I was very happy with Leafer Box last month, I messaged them and asked if there was a way to bundle up the Sci-fi and Fantasy boxes into one. Skip one of the chocolates (since technically each box comes with chocolate) and if there are ever repeat items between boxes, skip those too. I also really liked their logo sticker so I asked if they would kindly send some so I could use them to decorate my drawing clipboard and/or laptop, and they did!

Also, drum roll please, after promoting them unofficially, I am now an official rep for LeaferBox which absolutely made my day once we agreed on it. (They are quite small so there was no rep search but I have seriously been recommending them after being impressed with the boxes).

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So the contents of my mixed box are as follows (I tried to leave Fantasy in one side and Sci-Fi on the other but it is also a mix so there you go). Starting on top left corner with the book.

The Fantasy box book was A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall. It has a female main character and sounds like a great read that I will probably want to read quicker than is humanly possible.
A bath bomb that smells delicious (I have yet to try it but oh, scented items just make my day, specially bath bombs and bubble bars/bombs).
Thorntons Classic Selection chocolates which I have been enjoying at work to make the time go by.
The Sci-Fi book, The Echo by James Smythe. Space adventures and once again, sounds quite interesting.
In the little bag there are some space stickers (I didn’t take them out because they are small and I was dying to have the chocolates so wanted to take picture quick. This seems to be a repeating thing with this box).
Super cute and adorable and I am dying to use them and just look gorgeous on my desk Earth sticky notes.
A small sampler of Ginger Green tea which I am happy to try soon.
A sword and gem keyring, for a second I thought it was a letter opener and then realised it wasn’t but it is still cool. This is probably the only item I won’t actually use, and this is mostly because I have more keychains than keys currently so limiting the amount of them. But this one is quite cool.
3 pens with galaxy/space decoration. My boyfriend ended snagging one so he could make notes about the power for one of his model airplanes and he liked it. I have yet to try them but they worked quickly and easily on top of several not ideal surfaces (why keep paper around when you can use scrap, right?)

Overall I was very happy with the box(es). Each box is almost half the price of most other subscription boxes (£12.99, shipping is not included but for UK is £2.99 , keeping still very affordable) and the only “downside” is that the book isn’t a super hyped YA read that is about to release or has only just been relased. I can live with that, since most of the time, by the time I get to those books they are not that new, woops (hey, I read Book Box Club books first and whatever my mood wants).

If you think this is the box for you and would like to give it a go, there is an even better pro: you can buy it any day of the month. To get September’s box, any day in September that you submit your order, you will get the September box, it can be the 1st, 12th, 26th or 30th and you will still be able to get it. They usually are quick to ship boxes and mine usually arrives next day or two days after shipping (not bad at all).

Are you convinced now? You can choose from Historical, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Chick-Lit, Comedy, Thriller or Surprise. And you can use code KESTREL10 for 10% off whatever you buy (1 month, 3 months, 6 months). Just remember this does not renew automatically so you have to visit their etsy page to buy the next one.

Book Review, Books

Ronaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy Review

Posted on September 16, 2017

Today I am going to review the complete opposite of my last book review, a children’s book.

Cover RFA

Ronaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy by Maxine Sylvester

Ronaldo is the top flying cadet at the prestigious Reindeer Flying Academy. He dreams of getting his flying license, just like his hero, Vixen.
In this first exciting chapter in the ‘Ronaldo’ series, our hero is faced with his toughest flying test ever – The Endurance Challenge!
Can Ronaldo triumph over mean bully, Dasher, and win the ‘Golden Wings’ medal? Spurred on by Rudi, his quirky, loyal best friend and with a belly full of his favourite carrot pancakes, Ronaldo takes on the challenge of his life!

Rating:

When I first saw this I hoped it wouldn’t be too much of a Christmas read, but decided to put that notion aside and give it a go. Oh boy was I wrong! This was a really cute read and my only complaints are a) there is no physical copy of this book available and b) I wish it was longer.

Of course, neither is actually a bad thing. The story is the right length for young readers (if I am not mistaken the target reader is 5-10 years old) and it is nicely broken up into little digestible chunks by illustratons of what you are reading. This brought a smile to my face as I was reading and made it even better. I think as a younger reader, the pictures in the book will encourage them to read it and not feel like it is a ‘boring book’.

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This is most certainly not a boring book and now I am curious what other adventures Ronaldo and his friends get into (also, I am ever so grateful I don’t have a knitting reindeer granpa).

As an extra thing that made me very happy, all the references to actual flight academies and flight training were good and my aicraft crazy self was like “look, this is the right term to use, oh that one is a good use for this situation, I like this”.

Moon recommends

I recommend this book for anyone young at heart (or in actual age). It is also a good read aloud book, with a lot of room for “voices” and fun sounds. It has a Christmas vibe but in truth can be read anytime (it did make me wish it was winter and I had a fire next to me and some hot chocolate).

If you are interested in reading this, it is currently available for Kindle on Amazon here.

Disclaimer: This book was provided for free by the author in exchange for an honest review, which I have done. There is an Amazon Associates link, but if you choose to use them and buy from them, know that you’re just helping me buy more books and feed my reading needs. Book synopsis is from Good Reads.