What I'm Recommending! (#1)

Before I started this blog, one of the things I loved doing was recommending books to friends. I've decided to turn that into a feature on the blog by sharing books I've been recommending recently to friends or people online, along with a brief explanation of why I'm recommending it. That way, hopefully people can discover a few new books without having to always trawl through reviews. I hope you enjoy this new feature!

What I'm Recommending:  

The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer.

Why I'm Recommending it: 

I had a friend who loved retellings and sci-fi and another who loved dystopia so this was a great rec for them both! Book one in the series is Cinder (a Cinderella retelling) and book two is Scarlet (a Red Riding Hood retelling.)

What I'm Recommending:  

Legend by Marie Lu

Why I'm Recommending it:

 Loads of people are reading Divergent right now and I think if you like Divergent then you'll love this.  

What I'm Recommending: 
Hidden Gem by India Lee and Intangible by J. Meyers

Why I'm Recommending it: 

Somebody on Twitter was asking me for Kindle recommendations recently and these are two great self-published novels you need on your Kindle. Hidden Gem is a really fun contemporary with a great concept (girl leading a double life as a pop star!) and Intangible is one of my favourite urban fantasy books - plus the sequel just came out!

What books have you been recommending recently? I'd love to hear your recs in the comments. And check back soon for more of What I'm Recommending!

M.E Awareness Week: Book Recommendations

This is a bit of a different kind of post for me today but a very important one. If you read my blog regularly you'll know I mention having health problems every so often. Since I was fourteen I have lived with an illness called M.E or Myalgic Encephalopathy. It has robbed me of my teenage years, isolated me from friends and most importantly it has caused me many horrible symptoms which affect my day to day life.

This week is M.E Awareness Week (12th - 19th May 2013) and May is M.E Awareness month so I wanted to raise awareness through this blog and hopefully educate people on how devastating this illness can be. But don't turn away just yet! This is a book blog after all, and so at the end of this post I will have some recommendations for books to read to learn more about M.E. I'd really appreciate you taking a look!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the illness, here are some facts:

What is M.E? M.E, also known sometimes as CFS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is an illness that affects around 250,000 people here in the UK. There is no known cause of M.E, although in many people it follows after a virus such as glandular fever.

What are the symptoms? M.E has a wide range of symptoms, the main one being extreme fatigue which is worsened by physical or mental activity. This is not average tiredness but a crippling exhaustion that can make it difficult or impossible to do simple things such as walking and caring for yourself. Often sufferers are left housebound or bedbound. Other symptoms include muscle pain and weakness, joint pain, headaches, nausea, sensitivity to sound, light, touch and smell, cognitive difficulties such as poor memory and concentration, difficulty sleeping and unrefreshing sleep, dizziness and sore throats.

M.E affects people of all ages and has been cited as the most common cause of long term school absence in the UK.

For more information and support, please visit the following websites.

http://www.ayme.org.uk - AYME (The Association of Young People with M.E)
http://www.actionforme.org.uk Action for M.E
http://www.meassociation.org.uk - M.E Association
http://investinme.org - Invest in M.E
http://www.smileforme.org.uk/ - Smile for M.E

M.E Book Recommendations

Falling Through the World by Rachel Clarke
Summary: Behind the tightly drawn curtains of an ordinary house, something strange is happening to Sarah – something she knows simply cannot be. Her body is turning against her, the world she knows falling apart. It seems nobody can help. The doctor’s confused, her parents argue constantly and her boyfriend, Dan looks on bewildered. Even outspoken Ali, her closest friend, seems powerless against the force of events.

Buffeted by ignorance and conflicting advice from the very people who should be helping her, Sarah trawls through her unravelling life, searching for the moment where it all went wrong.

But can she put the pieces of her world back together again, before it’s too late?
Amazon|Goodreads


Verity Red's Diary: A Story of Surviving M.E by Maria Mann
Summary: Filled with mischievously wry wit, this semiautobiographical narrative is an inspiring and hugely enjoyable day-by-day account of a year in the life of a myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome, sufferer. Privy to the notable events, everyday routine, and innermost thoughts of Verity Red, the skepticism and lack of understanding surrounding this recently recognized condition is addressed, as well as the common symptoms--boredom, the feeling of low self-worth, exhaustion, and the craving for comfort foods.
Amazon|Goodreads

One Last Goodbye by Kay Gilderdale
Summary: Watching her child die is the hardest thing a mother can ever do, but for Kay Gilderdale, saying a final goodbye to her only daughter Lynn was exceptionally painful: she'd played a part in her death. Lynn was just 14 when she was struck down by the crippling disease ME, leaving her paralyzed and in constant agony. Over the next 17 years, she became desperate to escape her miserable existence, even begging her mother to help her die. So, one night, when Kay found Lynn attempting suicide, she was forced to make an impossible decision. Continue watching her child suffer or help her end the pain? Eventually, fighting her every instinct, Kay helped her precious daughter take a fatal overdose. But while Lynn was finally free, her mother faced a fresh agony—a possible lifetime behind bars. The highly controversial trial that followed opened a fierce public debate on assisted suicide. Is it murder or mercy? Here, in her heartbreaking story, Kay reveals the harrowing truth behind the headlines and the desperate lengths a mother will go to for the love of a child.
Amazon|Goodreads

The State of Me by Nasim Marie Jafry

Summary: It's 1983 and 20-year-old university student Helen Fleet should be enjoying the best days of her life, but while all her friends go on to graduate and have careers in London, she is forced to return to her parents' home, bedridden with vile symptoms that doctors can't explain and often don't believe. She is eventually diagnosed with M.E., a cruel illness that she must learn to live with over the next decade.All of her relationships are tested -- and changed -- by her condition, but Helen's story is so much more than an account of her suffering. At times sad and at times funny, the author skillfully leads the reader through the trials and tribulations of Helen's life, perfectly capturing her unusual experiences as a twenty-something woman living in 80s Scotland with a mystery illness. 

Amazon|Goodreads

A Beginner's Guide to M.E/CFS by Nancy Blake
Summary: The Beginner's Guide to ME/CFS states unequivocally that it is complete rest from the very beginning of this illness which creates the necessary precondition for progress towards recovery. Currently recommended treatments - Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Graded Exercise Therapy - can wipe out this possibility, sending patients down a path towards severe and long-term disability - for which the patient can then blamed. The Guide contains useful advice about how to maintain a semblance of normal living while conserving physical exertion. Les Simpson's research - ignored by the medical community - provides additional recommendations which can improve your well-being.
Amazon|Goodreads

Thank you for reading this post and if you could share it and spread the message it would be much appreciated!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Recommend The Most

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week is the top ten books you recommend the most. I love sharing bookish recommendations with people so I <3 this topic! Here are my ultimate recommendations.

1. Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty

This is one of my first ever YA experiences and I have such fond memories of reading this book and the rest of the series in my teens. It's one I don't think enough people have read which is why I recommend it so much!

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This was the first John Green book I read and so far it's been my favourite, so it's the one I always want to recommend to people.

3. Matched by Ally Condie

I love post-apocalyptic/dystopian type novels and this trilogy is pretty high up on that list for me. If people are looking for that type of book I send them this way.

4.  Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I love Lauren Oliver's writing style and the concept behind this trilogy is so unique and awesome that it's a must read.

5. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I have to recommend people read this because it's so hard to say anything about the plot without spoiling it, so basically go and read it so we can talk about it!

6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

I love this series and it's one of those I'd recommend to people seeking to fill that Harry Potter shaped hole, because there's five books so far and one more to come! Plus there are so many people to ship which is always a good sign.

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth 

This is my standard "if you liked The Hunger Games" recommendation, and with the film adaptation coming up I'm starting to recommend it to more people so they can get ahead of the game!

8. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

 I loved this book so much when I read it. I'm always excited to come across exciting and different love stories and this ticks all the boxes.

9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

 I just adore the writing in this book and trilogy so much that I think everyone should experience it!

10.The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Another book that was one of my first ventures out into the wider world of YA (although when I was slightly older!) and probably one of the books that inspired me to write this blog, so a book I want to share with people.

What are your all time favourites you just have to recommend to people? Let me know in the comments or leave a link to your top ten and I'll check it out!