Category: Reading

  • Z is for … Zoikes, fetch an editor!

    I have reached the end of my Alphabet Challenge! Whoop whoop, crack out the champagne! I’d love to be able to gush over my final, Z book, but that’s unfortunately not possible. There were very slim pickings for the final letter of the alphabet. It took about three searches to find something suitable on Amazon,…

  • Y is really for … young and flawed

    So, I knuckled down and read a Y book at last. I chose Marie Lu’s The Young Elites, and it should have been right down my street, but most of it was just … okay. I think a big part of it was because The Young Elites is written in present tense. I read the…

  • Y is for … why aren’t there more hours in the day?

    I’m sorry, I feel like I’m full of excuses lately. My alphabet challenge went so well for so long I think I thought I was home safe, but it seems to have derailed in the home straight. I should have been reading a book whose title started with Y, but I don’t even have a…

  • X is for … eXcessive fashion reports

    I always knew filling the X slot in my alphabet reading challenge might be difficult, so when I spotted a book titled Xoe early in the year I grabbed it. Due to my lack of choice I wasn’t especially hopeful. Fie on me for a cynical doubter! Actually, Xoe was mostly a fun read. The…

  • W is for … why is it “double” U?

    It’s always puzzled me why “w” doesn’t get its own name, but just gets called “two u’s”. I guess it didn’t need a name until it was written down, and then it does look a little bit like two “u’s” side by side. But in that case, why doesn’t “h” get called “long n” or…

  • W is for … well recommended!

    I joined Instagram recently, on a bit of a three-line whip from a group I’m working with. But I’m glad I got the push because Instagram (or, more accurately bookstagram, since I’m in it for the books) is fabulous. It reminds me of what twitter was like before everyone used it to promote and run:…

  • U is for … Uh oh!

    Okay, so it’s been a mixed week, to say the least. I haven’t found or read a “U” book yet. I tried several and discarded them. There’s another I could pick, but it’s by an author I’ve already read in this challenge and I’m trying to widen my reading experience. So … I moved on…

  • T is for … truly spell-binding!

    There was a bit of a wobble this week, reader, I’ll confess. I had a “T” book that was recommended by a friend whose books I love. Sadly, the book wasn’t half as good as her own and simply wasn’t for me. Referring back to my “speed of reading” measurement, when I’d been reading for…

  • S is for … sand stunner

    My S book for my alphabet challenge is Sand Runner, Vera Brook’s debut YA dystopian. Now, this was a last-minute addition and it offers a fascinating insight into my read/review process. I review over on the Paisley Piranha website, with a group of other YA authors. Vera got in touch and asked if I’d like…

  • Summer Scavenger Hunt

    Summer is nearly upon us. Have you got your summertime reading lined up? If not (and even if you have), check this out. In June, the Alliance of Young Adult Authors is sponsoring a massive young adult scavenger hunt. This is a chance to meet some new authors, grab a bunch of free books, and…