Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Memories

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish and I was so, so excited for this week's topic! Here are my top ten bookish memories (and I'm sure there's plenty I've forgotten but there's some enough ones in there - I got quite emotional writing this post which is a good sign!).

1. Meeting J. K. Rowling when I was 9 - Literally this is one of the biggest days of my life and something I will remember for ever. When Goblet of Fire was released JKR did a signing in my hometown and I was lucky enough to win a ticket to go and meet her. The story of how I won it was quite funny. I was up way early (this was before midnight releases so I was up before 6am - very early for a 9 year old!) and I queued outside the book shop with the other die hard fans. They were only giving tickets to the first 10 or so people and I missed out. Still, I had my book so I couldn't complain too much, and as my mum and I walked across town we bumped into some other people who let us know Borders (I know - I miss Borders too!) were still giving away tickets to the event. So we hurried over there and sure enough they were! The actual event was crazy - we queued for hours, there were TV crews there and then eventually I got to go in to the train carriage (where the signing was being held) and meet JKR. She said hi to me - something I still remember!

2. Finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Now the above makes it seem like I was a die-hard Potterhead from a young age, but when the 5th book was released I just wasn't in the same place and so I didn't read it right away. Then life got in the way and it wasn't until the release of the final Potter book, when my mum bought me the last few books as a Christmas present, that I actually got round to finishing the series. So I was a bit behind the times and everyone had read the ending a few months before me, but that didn't stop that feeling off emptiness hitting me any less! In the end I made my mum read the books so we could talk about them together. To this day she's as much of a fan as me.

3. The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 midnight showing. - Now this isn't technically related to the book but because I missed out on the midnight book releases I was determined to make it to a midnight showing of a Harry Potter film, and what an incredible experience it was! It was so good to share that moment with die hard fans and see those emotional moments get the reception they deserved. And of course being surrounded by other people who were dressed up was pretty cool too!

4. Meeting Matthew Lewis - Again, not technically related to the book but if I'm using the above memory then I might as well use this one ;) The actor who plays Neville in the films did a signing in my hometown and so I went!

5. Riding the Hogwarts Express - I know, I know, I'm still going on about Potter. But so many happy memories are associated with those books! Last year a friend and I went to the same place where I met JKR and Matt Lewis to actually ride the Hogwarts Express, something I'd never done before! And yes, it was amazing.

 

6. Visiting platform 9 and 3/4 - Last Potter one I promise ;)

7. Meeting Jodi Picoult - Jodi Picoult is one of the authors who I credit with my love of reading, and so meeting and getting my copy of Sing You Home signed by her was incredible.

8. London book shopping! - Last summer I went to London and of course I had to use that opportunity to visit some amazing book shops! I visited Foyles at Westfield Stratford City and Waterstone's Piccadilly and fell in love with both places!

9. Finishing Jane Eyre - So I literally only read this book last month but it was kind of a milestone for me. I'm so bad at reading classics but I was familiar with the story of Jane Eyre so decided to finally give it a go, and I discovered a new favourite book!

10. Reading The Mortal Instruments series - When I first started City of Bones my friend saw my Goodreads update, let me know that she had read the books too and offered to lend me the rest of them. Now we share that love of the series. Recently another lovely friend has started reading the books and that's given us even more to talk about as we fangirl together! I love that a series of books has brought me closer to people <3

July's Book of the Month!

At the end of each month I pick one stand out book (that I've read in that month, not necessarily released that month) that did enough to earn a 5* review and shower it with even more praise!

So without further ado, July's book of the month is...

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer!



This book was everything I hoped for and more. The idea behind the story was wonderful, the book itself was beautiful, I was captivated throughout and I felt it was a book that all book-lovers would appreciate. You can read even more of my thoughts on Between the Lines in my review right here!

My runners up:
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness



Review: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Author: Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer. Website, Twitter

Publsihed: 5 July 2012 (Hodder & Stoughton)

Pages: 384

Buy: Amazon, Waterstone's, Book Depository

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

My Review:
I'm a huge Jodi Picoult fan and I've been looking forward to this book since she first announced she was writing a YA book with her daughter. Jodi Picoult + YA is literally a dream come true for me! I was worried about how I'd review this; whether I'd be comparing it to her other books etc. but this book completely stands out on its own, and it's going to be pretty easy to talk about!

Firstly, this book is beautiful. Not just the cover, but the stunning illustrations that appear throughout the book, and the way the chapters are given different fonts and even different colour text. It's obvious that so much love and care has been put into making this a book that you'll want to treasure. I had to be so careful reading it because I didn't want to damage it at all! (Ok, so I'm like that with all my books but this one even more so). There's several full page illustrations which are just wonderful, and smaller, cute little silhouettes dotted throughout some of the chapters. I just want to stroke this book all day long!

Now on to the actual story. The book tells the story of Oliver and Delilah. Oliver is a character in a fairy tale. When the story is being read he must act out his part in it, fighting to rescue Seraphima and live happily ever after. But when the book is closed the characters are alive, waiting until the next time someone reads the book and they have to spring into action. Delilah is a misfit teenager; unpopular, always last in swimming races and happiest with her head in a book, particularly this one fairy tale. Then she realises that the characters are alive and strikes up a friendship with Oliver.

The whole story is so brilliantly done. It's such a fab little idea! I think what impressed me most is that it's exactly the kind of story a dedicated reader should love. Not only is Delilah a girl who loves reading, but the whole story bases itself on the idea that characters are alive when we're not reading them. I think the best books and the best characters are those where you play out scenes with the characters in your head, long after you've finished the book. Between the Lines really plays on that idea and turns it into something even bigger. What if the characters are only acting? What if you could change the ending of a story? What would happen if you could speak to your favourite character? What happens when you close a book? Plus, if you've ever read a book and been able to totally relate to a character and wish they were real (who hasn't?!) then you will love this story.

The story is told from both Delilah and Oliver's perspectives, with the chapters alternating between the two, and between chapters of the fairy tale from Delilah's book. Not only is the main story between Oliver and Delilah brilliant but the fairy tale itself is an absolute delight to read! I loved reading those parts and escaping into that world just as Delilah does, with the magical tale of a prince and princess, plus added dragon, mermaids and fairies really hooking me in.

I couldn't put this book down. I just loved spending time with the characters and waiting to find out what would happen. It's not like anything Picoult has ever written, but it makes me want her to write more YA in the future. I'm so glad she helped her daughter's idea come to life! (Samantha originally pitched the idea to her mum and they decided to write it togther). It's a book I know I'll want to re-read over and over.

Anyone who loves and appreciates books should absolutely adore this one. If you love fairy tales then it's a must as well!

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.
Books like this: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, Enchanted by Alethia Contis.

Book Trailer: Between The Lines

Ok, so outside of YA fiction Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors (her books include My Sister's Keeper, Handle With Care, Lone Wolf, Sing You Home and many more). So imagine how excited I was when I heard she'd be teaming up with her daughter Samantha van Leer to write a YA novel! (very excited) It's one of my most aniticipated releases of 2012 and now it has its very own trailer, check it out below:

You can pre-order the book on Amazon now. Will you be buying it? Are you a huge Picoult fan? Doesn't it look awesome?!