Top Ten Tuesday | It's not you, it's me (but also you)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Books I Disliked/Hated but Am Really Glad I Read'. I thought this would be a tricky one because usually if I really didn't like a book I wish I hadn't wasted time on it, and most of the time these days I don't! If I'm really not liking something I'll DNF it. I did manage to find ten books that fit this week's theme, though!

Five I had to read for school or university, and therefore needed to finish, while others I didn't hate enough to put down while I was reading them but I definitely wouldn't say I liked them either. Anyway, on with my list!

Hamlet by William Shakespeare: I had to read this in school and then again in university, and it's probably my least favourite of Shakespeare's plays because I had to read it so much and also because I just find it boring. Hamlet's irritating and the whole story feels like it should be on an episode of Jerry Springer, which I suppose could be said for a lot of Shakespeare's plays. It is said to be the most quoted play in the world, though, so I'm at least glad I can say I've read it. I'd much rather see it performed, though.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: UGH I hate this book so much. I had to read it in sixth form and I despised every minute. The only reason I'm glad I've read it is so I can tell people I don't like it when they tell me I should read it.

The Were-Wolf by Clemence Housman: This one I read for my Victorian Gothic course at university and I found it really interesting! It's one of the earliest examples of werewolf literature that sparked the love for monster stories in the 19th century. I enjoyed studying it, but the story itself I didn't like; the titular character is a woman, interesting when so many werewolves in modern fiction are men, but she's also the villain and to be honest I was rooting for her. The protagonist is so boring in comparison.

Regeneration by Pat Barker: I had to read this one while studying the First World War in literature during sixth form. This is another book that I enjoyed studying more than I enjoyed actually reading, when it comes to historical fiction I'm just not all that interested in modern history, but it's stayed with me a decade later so I guess it can't be that bad!

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie: I read this one for my Popular Victorian Fiction module at university and didn't like it at all, it's so sinister, but I'm glad I know the origins of Peter Pan!

What We Left Behind by Robin Talley: This was Talley's second novel after Lies We Tell Ourselves, which I loved, and sadly I didn't like it very much at all. You can check out my review here if you'd like to know why! That being said I do like that it included a genderqueer protagonist and I'd like to read about more non-binary protagonists, especially characters written by non-binary authors.

Angelfall by Susan Ee: There was so much hype around this one when it came out but I just found it really boring? I also wasn't a fan of the way the protagonist's mother's mental health was portrayed. This book did help me realise I'm just not into angel books, though, so I'm glad I read it.

Among Others by Jo Walton: This is my biggest disappointment on this list, because I put off reading this one for the longest time thinking it was going to become a new favourite when I got to it. I was very wrong. You can read my review here, if you like.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire: I love the concept of this book SO MUCH, I just didn't like the plot. Why it had to become a really obvious whodunnit I don't understand, because I think it would have been far more powerful as character study.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: I'm not going to sit here and pretend I wasn't swept away by the Twilight craze, because I totally was, but I remember finishing Breaking Dawn and being so disappointed that nobody important had died. What kind of finale was that? I'm glad I followed the series to the end, though, and whatever we think of it now it played a huge part in getting publishers to take YA publishing seriously.

Which books made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Playing Dress-Up

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Christmas will always be my favourite holiday, but Halloween is a very close second - which is probably why I love The Nightmare Before Christmas so much. Today's theme is a Halloween freebie and, while I thought recommending you some Halloween reads would be fun, I thought I could do something a little different: today I'm going to talk about couples in books, and who I think they should dress up as, from another book/movie, for Halloween!

Molly and Reid from Becky Albertalli's The Upside of Unrequited as Arwen and Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: Given that Reid is the ultimate Tolkien superfan, I'd be very surprised if he didn't want to dress up as Aragorn with Molly beside him as his beautiful elf queen.

Aileana and Kiaran from Elizabeth May's The Falconer as Titania and Bottom from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: An opportunity for Aileana to be a faerie queen and dress Kiaran in donkey ears - why would she say no?

Cress and Thorne from Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles as Leia and Han from Star Wars: Honestly, can't you imagine Thorne taking great delight in dressing up as Han Solo? And if it meant he got a chance to see Cress dressed as Princess Leia, he'd definitely be all for it. Besides Cress loves make-believe, she loves pretending to be someone else, so I think she'd have a lot of fun pretending to be the galaxy's greatest princess and general.

Nix and Kashmir from Heidi Heilig's The Girl From Everywhere as Elizabeth and Will from Pirates of the Caribbean: From one pirate ship to another, I think Nix and Kashmir are both accustomed to having to pretend to be someone else and they'd enjoy playing the part of these two. Then again, Kashmir might think of himself as more of a Jack Sparrow than a Will Turner...

Bella and Edward from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight as Mina and Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula: If the two of them never do this then they're missing out on the one good opportunity their relationship can give them.

Pei and Ashby from Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet as Zoe and Wash from Firefly: TLWtaSAP has been compared to Firefly a lot, and I can understand why - I think Ashby would be missing a trick if he and Pei didn't dress up as these two.

Maxim and Mrs. de Winter from Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca as Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre: I've always wondered if du Maurier was a little inspired by Jane Eyre when writing Rebecca, and I don't want to say much more than that - if you haven't read either novel I don't want to spoil them for you, but they're both great books!

Meche and Sebastian from Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Signal to Noise as Anne and Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion: I can't imagine Meche is a big fan of Austen, but given he's much more of a reader than Meche is I like to think Sebastian has read some Austen and would get a lot of fun out of seeing Meche in a bonnet. Both these novels share the theme of second chances, something I think Sebastian, at least, might appreciate.

Alexia and Conall from Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf: If I was married to a werewolf, I'd take great pleasure in dressing him up as the Big Bad Wolf for Halloween, and I'd be disappointed if Alexia never thought of doing the same to her husband.

Sue and Maud from Sarah Waters' Fingersmith as Carmilla and Laura from J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla: Carmilla is one of my favourite pieces of Victorian literature, a vampire story that pre-dates Dracula and has some serious homoerotic vibes. Given that Sue and Maud are also lovers from the 19th century, I think they'd have a lot of fun pretending to be these two.

What did you talk about this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Native American Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is a Thanksgiving themed freebie, and here in the UK we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd talk about some books that feature Native American characters because I just don't think there are enough out there, not only in books but in films and television, too. The recent film, Pan, is proof enough of that, where Tiger Lily was portrayed by Rooney Mara, who is whiter than milk.

More Native American representation please!

Witch Child by Celia Rees: Celia Rees is one of my favourite authors from my late childhood/early teens. Along with Eva Ibbotson, she's one of the authors I have to thank for sparking my interest in historical fiction when I read her novel Pirates! Witch Child was the second novel of hers that I read, and I loved it; it influenced me in a huge way in both what I read and what I write. Witch Child is told entirely in diary entries, from the point of view of Mary Newbury who is sent to 'the New World' after her beloved grandmother is executed for witchcraft. Once in America, however, she finds herself torn between the community of English settlers she should belong to, and the Native American tribe who seem to understand her abilities better than anyone else ever has. Love this book!

Sorceress by Celia Rees: This is a sequel to Witch Child, set in the present day, which follows a historian who is obsessed with Mary's diary, and Mary's descendent, Agnes, a young Native American girl. I didn't enjoy it as much as Witch Child, but it's still a good book.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie: This book, like most of the books on this list, is one that I haven't gotten around to reading yet. It tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist who leaves the school on his reservation to attend an all-white school where he is the only Native American pupil. It sounds fantastic.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: I'm not even a little bit ashamed to mention this one. First off, I'm never going to deny that I went through the Twilight phase. I loved these books when they first came out, and I think they did a lot for YA in the publishing world. Secondly, say what you want about this series, but it's pretty much the only series I've read with a lot of Native American characters. Even better? None of them are white-washed in the movies. Just gonna throw that out there.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie: I mentioned Tiger Lily before, so I had to give this book a mention. I read Peter Pan for my Victorian Popular Fiction module at uni, but I have to admit I didn't really like it that much. It's sold as this whimsical, childhood story, but it's creepy as eff, man. It's a weird book.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney: This book takes place in Canada, so I guess they're really Native Canadians rather than Native Americans. I started this book and couldn't get into it, but it has such high ratings on Goodreads that I want to give it another try, and given the cold setting I think it'll be a great winter read!

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks: Last year I read Year of Wonders and really enjoyed it. I've been eager to seek out more of Brooks' work ever since and Caleb's Crossing is the one I'm most interested in; loosely based on the story of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard in 1665, Brooks tells the story of a young woman, Bethia Mayfield, who longs for the education that her sex deprives her of. Bethia's father, a minister, wants to convert the local Native American people, and so he sends Caleb, a Native American boy and friend of Bethia's, to university. Bethia finds herself working as his housekeeper, and I think this book'll be so interesting to read.

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden: This is another piece of historical fiction, and what I love about it is that it includes conflicts between Native American tribes as well as conflicts between Native American people as a whole and white settlers.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs: This is the first book in the urban fantasy Mercy Thompson series. Mercy is a walker (skinwalker, I'm guessing, which is a creature in Native American mythology) with the ability to shift into a coyote at will, as well as a mechanic. She sounds pretty darn cool to me!

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich: This is another one that sounds fantastic. It's set in a small town in North Dakota where, generations before, a farm family were murdered. The case has yet to be officially solved but, from the description, I'm guessing the murder was blamed on Native Americans living on a nearby reservation. I can't wait to read it! Also I want to read as much of Louise Erdrich's work as I can, because she seems to write about Native Americans quite a lot.

What did you talk about this week?

My End of Year YA TBR | Twelve Days of Christmas!

I don't think I'd ever say I've grown out of YA because I don't think it's possible to grow out of a genre that isn't meant for just teenagers/young adults anyway. I'm 23 now. I might not be as young as I was when I was 17, but I certainly still think of myself as a young adult rather than an old one.

But I'm absolutely rubbish at keeping up with the latest trends and newest releases in YA, and over the past couple of years my tastes have simply meant that I've been reading more adult books anyway. There are YA releases from two years ago that I still haven't gotten around to reading - never mind the ones from this year! - so as the end of the year approaches, here are some pieces of YA I'd like to try and cross off my TBR before 2015!
 
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: This is the book I'm most eager to cross off my TBR. It feels as though every single book blogger I know has read and loved this series, and frankly I'm tired of feeling left out. I've actually already started this book, and enjoying what I've read so far, so with any luck I'll have it under my belt soon!

Half Bad by Sally Green: I love stories about witches, and I've owned my copy of Half Bad for a while now (though not as long as another book on this list) so it's really about time I read it, especially with the second book in the trilogy, Half Wild, being released in March!

Red Rising by Pierce Brown: In all honesty I initially had no intention of reading Red Rising when I first started seeing it popping up all over the blogosphere, but lately I've been hearing so many great things about it that I want to check it out for myself. Not only that, but lately I've also been getting into sci-fi - a genre that used to intimidate me hugely - so I'd love to expand my sci-fi knowledge just a little bit. I've seen a copy of this in my local library, so with any luck I'll be able to read it soon. Plus, like Half Bad, the second book in this trilogy, Golden Son, is due to be released in early 2015!

The Host by Stephenie Meyer: Behold, one of the longest unread books on my shelf. My sister bought me a copy of The Host when it first came out - I was still a Twilight fan then and I wanted Meyer's new book badly - then I got my wake up call that Twilight is actually a pretty dangerous series, because if you don't just laugh it off and decide to take it seriously what it's really saying is 'you are worth nothing without a boyfriend'. After that I felt less inclined to read Meyer's other book, but even friends of mine who despise Twilight have admitted that The Host isn't half bad (ha, see what I did there?). Ultimately I've owned this book for six years and I really need to read the poor thing.

Do you have any end of year reading goals?

Top Ten Tuesday | My Winter TBR!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find out everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR'. I really enjoyed doing my Autumn TBR, so I jumped at the chance to do another seasonal reading list. I know a lot of people like to read Christmassy books at this time of year - I do too! - but I'm pretty bad at reading things at the right time of year. I read Dash & Lily's Book of Dares during one of my Easter holidays. Oops!

So this year I'm making an effort to read some seasonal books - because I'm in a really wintery/Christmassy mood right now - which is why I've split my TBR into two mini piles. First up I have my Christmas/winter reads, and my second pile is made up of some YA books I really want to cross off my TBR before the end of the year!

Seasonal Reads

A Winter Flame by Milly Johnson: Lately I've been on a bit of a contemporary kick, which is unusual for me because contemporary reads aren't usually my thing. I borrowed this book from my library just yesterday and I can't wait to read it because it just sounds adorable, and I think Christmas is the perfect time for a bit of wintery romance reading!

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan: I read Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams at the beginning of the month purely so I could read this book when Christmas rolled around, and it's another one I'm really looking forward to reading because I loved the first book. Plus Jenny Colgan's latest novel, The Christmas Surprise, is another Rosie Hopkins novel, so if I read this one I might just read that one, too!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: This time of year is the perfect time to reread this classic, which is pretty much the only Dickens story I can push myself through. Victorian fiction is dense, but Dickens takes density to a whole new level...

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent: Okay, so unlike the previous three I hope think this book is going to make me cry, because it doesn't have the most cheerful of premises, but I do think winter is the perfect time to read it because of its barren, Icelandic setting. I've owned this book since Easter and I've been saving it - I can't wait to read it!

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston: First of all, how gorgeous is that cover? With a name like The Winter Witch how can I not read this book at this time of year? Not only that, but it's set in Wales, where I'm currently living, so I'm interested to see how the setting has been described.

YA Reads

Blackout by Mira Grant: As I'm sure any of you who have been following my blog for a while will know, I've absolutely fallen in love with the Newsflesh trilogy this year. I've already started Blackout, but I'm savouring this trilogy while I still can and I'm aiming to finish it soon!

The Host by Stephenie Meyer: Taking part in Sci-Fi Month has really put me in the mood to read some sci-fi, and frankly The Host has been on my TBR pile for far too long - I've owned my copy since the book first came out, so it's about time I read it!

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers: The third and final book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy, another trilogy I've loved this year. I have this book on my Christmas list, so with any luck I'll find a copy of it under the tree on Christmas Day and I can see how this trilogy ends.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I've heard nothing but praise for this series, and a couple of weeks ago I finally caved and bought myself a copy of The Raven Boys. I want to read it before the end of the year and see what all this hype is about!

My True Love Gave to Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins: I own quite a few short story collections, but I don't think I read enough of them at all. I don't own this one yet, but I think I might treat myself to a copy of it nearer Christmas for some festive fun!

Which books made your top ten?

Stories & Songs #4 | Sci-Fi Month 2014

Sci-Fi Month continues, and today I thought I'd post a sci-fi only edition of Stories & Songs. As always, you can find all the songs mentioned here in this playlist!

Nineteen Eighty-Four

by George Orwell

"Mad World"

Gary Jules

All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for their daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses

No expression, no expression

Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow

No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kinda funny

I find it kinda sad

The dreams in which I'm dying

Are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you

I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It's a very, very mad world, mad world

Obsidian

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"E.T."

Katy Perry

You're so hypnotizing

Could you be the devil?

Could you be an angel?

Your touch magnetizing

Feels like I am floating

Leaves my body glowing

They say: be afraid,

You're not like the others

Futuristic lover

Different DNA

They don't understand you

You're from a whole 'nother world

A different dimension

You open my eyes

And I'm ready to go

Lead me into the light

Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me,

Infect me with your love and

Fill me with your poison

Take me, ta-ta-take me,

Wanna be a victim

Ready for abduction

Boy, you're an alien

Your touch so foreign

It's supernatural

Extraterrestrial

Cinder

by Marissa Meyer

"Make Me a Robot"

Tessa Violet

I don't want to be a human anymore,

I'm done

I don't want to make mistakes anymore,

He's won

I'm too old to change.

Take my heart and I'll restart; please just let me fall apart

You may say it's strange,

But I quit, guess that's it; for a human I'm unfit, so

Make me a robot.

Make me a robot.

Make, make me cold.

Make me a robot.

Make me a robot.

Take, take my soul.

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

"If I Die Young"

The Band Perry

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in a river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh, uh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother

She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colours, oh,

And life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no,

Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well

I've had just enough time

The Host

by Stephenie Meyer

"Children of the Universe"

Molly Smitten-Downes

Something's stirring in the silence

And it reeks of passive violence

Hold on tight this opportunity we'll take,

Put an end to all this suffering

Before it gets too late

Hope's on the horizon

I'm not giving in

We're children of the universe, don't you know?

Dancing on the edge of time and it's ours to own

Just children of the universe

We're shining like diamonds

With love in our hearts,

They said it's the end but I've a feeling

It might just be the start

As I am awakened with fire in my bones

Standing beside you I've a feeling

That I'll never walk alone

Top Ten Tuesday | Most Owned Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find out everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Authors I Own the Most Books From'. I didn't think I'd have that many, but I actually filled this list really easily!

Get ready to marvel at my appalling photography (though in my defense I took these pictures with my phone).

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter 1-7, The Tales of Beedle the Bard and The Casual Vacancy.

Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant 1-7, The End of the World and Tanith Low in the Maleficent Seven.

Maria V. Snyder

Study series 1-3, Glass series 1-3, and Healer series 1-2.

Tanya Huff

Vicki Nelson 1-6, Quarters 1-2, and The Silvered.

Garth Nix

The Old Kingdom 1-3, Across the Wall, A Confusion of Princes, and Shade's Children.

C. J. Sansom

Matthew Shardlake 1-5 and Dominion.

Neil Gaiman

Smoke and Mirrors, Good Omens, The Graveyard Book, American Gods, Neverwhere and Stardust.

Celia Rees

Witch Child, Sorceress, Pirates!, Sovay and Blood Sinister.

Natsuki Takaya

Fruits Basket 1-11.

Stephenie Meyer

Twilight 1-4, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, and The Host.

Which authors made your list?

J.

TBR | Bout of Books Edition!

Knowing I was going to be taking part in the Bout of Books read-a-thon this month I decided not to do a May Reads post, instead I'm now going to share with you the books I'm hoping to get through next week for the read-a-thon!

Rebel Heart

by Moira Young

It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba's world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh's freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants?

May means that the final book in the Dust Lands trilogy, Raging Star, has been released, which means it's finally time for me to marathon the rest of the trilogy. I read Blood Red Road last year and absolutely adored it, so I'm hoping that the rest of the trilogy is just as good. Given how brutal Saba's world is I have no idea if the ultimate ending will be happy, but I hope it is!

I've owned Rebel Heart for a while now, so it's about time I read it.

Raging Star

by Moira Young

Saba is ready to seize her destiny and defeat DeMalo and the Tonton...until she meets him and he confounds all her expectations with his seductive vision of a healed earth, a New Eden. DeMalo wants Saba to join him, in life and work, to create and build a healthy, stable, sustainable world…for the chosen few. The few who can pay.

Jack’s choice is clear: to fight DeMalo and try to stop New Eden. Still uncertain, her connection with DeMalo a secret, Saba commits herself to the fight. Joined by her brother, Lugh, anxious for the land in New Eden, Saba leads an inexperienced guerilla band against the powerfully charismatic DeMalo, in command of his settlers and the Tonton militia. What chance do they have? Saba must act. And be willing to pay the price.

As mentioned above, Raging Star is the final book in Moira Young's Dust Lands trilogy. I can't wait to get back into Saba's head and see how her story ends.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

by Libba Bray

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order.

I remember always picking this book up in Borders during my teens, back when Borders was still around, and for some reason I never got around to buying myself a copy. Recently I realised it's about time I got around to reading it - I love historical fiction, and I love historical fiction set in the 19th century that features India in some way - so I managed to find a cheap, hardback edition online and now it's in my possession!

I've heard a lot of people praise this trilogy, so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it during the read-a-thon!

The Blackstone Key

by Rose Melikan

1795, and a young woman called Mary Finch travels in haste from Cambridge to the Suffolk coast. She has been invited to meet her wealthy uncle - and so end a twenty-year estrangement. But before she reaches her destination she discovers a dying man on the road. He is a stranger, and yet he is carrying an oddly familiar watch bearing her uncle's initials. He also seems to know who Mary is, and hints that she is in terrible danger. His whispered warning soon exposes Mary to a ruthless conspiracy that threatens not only her family's reputation, but her very life. Far from home, Mary must learn quickly how to distinguish friend from foe. Can she trust the two men who want to help her? What is their interest in the mysterious Blackstone Key? Does it guard a secret treasure, or might it have a more sinister purpose...?

I found this book in a charity shop last summer. I'd never heard of it or the author, Rose Melikan, before, but as we all know I love my historical fiction, and I love my historical mysteries, too. 

If nothing else this book sounds like it should be a bit of fun!

The Host

by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

I have no idea if I'm going to manage to read this book during the read-a-thon or not, but I'm going to try just because I've owned The Host since its release and I still haven't read it. I started reading it when I first got it, but then I think school got in the way and I just ended up never getting back to it because I started to go off the Twilight series.

I've heard a lot of people say good things about this book, however, so I really should read it soon.

So there we have it! I have no idea if I'm going to get through all these books during the read, but if I can through a fair few I'll be pleased.

What are you hoping to read for the read-a-thon?

J.