Shameless Self-Promotion, some news... mostly just to say I'm alive!

Hello and Happy September!

Hope you're warm and cuddly in your four-poster beds at Hogwarts, and that your first day of lessons yesterday went well.

This year has just flown by; I've been incredibly busy, and sadly, that's reflected on the blog. I know there have been less reviews and posts than I'd like, but I've been scrambling to keep up with all the changes going on. Since last year, I started and finished my first year at university (with really good grades, woo!), had two internships in publishing that went (if I say so myself) really well, got a job at YA Interrobang, moved house, and still tried to fit in reading books somewhere in there.

I didn't always manage to read those books, and, weirdly enough, now that holidays are nearly over, things should get back to normal. Having a schedule for uni really helps make sure things run smoothly in other parts of life.


Also: I have one review on backlog, that will go up later today and have started Queen of Shadows (no spoilers!!), so that should go up, hopefully early next week, as I plan on doing little else over the weekend... wish me luck ;)

Author News: Richelle Mead's New Book

News in the fandom! News in the fandom!
If you're looking forward to The Ruby Circle (which you probably are), but wondering what you'll do when it's over, worry not. Publishers Weekly published an article yesterday all about Richelle's new book, titled Soundless, that will be out November 17th.

According to PW, "Soundless centers on Fei, a girl whose isolated village has heard no sound for decades. Like the other villagers, Fei can neither hear nor speak, until she is suddenly awakened one night by a searing noise, and sound becomes a weapon she can use to save her people from an oppressive regime," and it is Mead's first fantasy novel.

For myself, I'm intrigued by the premise, and look forward to finding out how Fei's world works. What about you? Are you excited for Richelle's new book?

Win a Year's Supply of Books!

Yes, you read that right!

But there is a catch to that - to win this heavenly supply, you need to name all 20 book titles hidden in this picture:

I've got five so far, and probably will stick with that, but if you think you can do better, just hop on over here and give it a try!

Sadly, this is open only to UK and Republic of Ireland residents, but I'm sure it'd be good fun for you guys elsewhere, if you feel like challenging yourself!

National UK Blog Awards!

Hello my lovelies!

If I could have a moment of your attention, I wanted to let you guys all know about something really exciting that's going on right now - the National UK Blog Awards.

BookWorm is nominated in two categories, Young Person Recognition and Arts & Culture.

If you like BookWorm and everything I offer on here, it would be grand if you could take a few minutes out of your day to drop a vote for the blog in the links above.

And if the blog wins in any category, I'll organise a giveaway with a whole bunch of book goodies as a thank you!

Releases to look out for in November

November is a relatively calm month, publishing-wise, compared to the mad frenzy of September and October. Here are three books you don't want to miss out on this month!

Starting out the month with a bang, Mara Dyer is back, and she's out for blood.

"Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.

There is.
She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.
She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.
Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.
Retribution has arrived."
The Retribution of Mara Dyer is out November 4th.

On November 6th, get rid of your Halloween decorations, because Christmas has arrived!
"Running out on your wedding shouldn’t be this much fun!

A remote Scottish castle on a snowy Christmas Eve. A handsome husband-to-be. A dress to die for. It should have been the happiest day of Leah Harvey’s life – but the fairytale wedding turns sour when she finds her fiancé halfway up the bridesmaid’s skirt just hours before the ceremony!

Fleeing the scene in a blizzard, Leah ends up stranded at the nearest cottage, where she collapses into the arms of its inhabitant – a man so handsome she thinks she must have died and gone to heaven!

And when Rob Cavelli suddenly finds himself with an armful of soaking wet, freezing cold, and absolutely gorgeous bride on the run, he’s more than happy to welcome her into his snowbound cottage this Christmas…"
You can read my review of Cold Feet at Christmas here.

And on the 11th, Arcana brings some magic and hot guys.
"A romantic, suspenseful, genre-bending debut set in Edwardian London.

Amid the sumptuous backdrop of the London season in 1905, headstrong Katherine Sinclair must join the ranks of debutantes vying for suitors. Unfortunately for Katherine, she cannot imagine anything more loathsome—or dangerous. To help ease her entrance into society, Katherine’s family has elicited the assistance of the Earl of Thornewood, a friend and London’s most eligible bachelor, to be her constant companion at the endless fetes and balls. But upon her arrival in London, Katherine realizes there will be more to this season than just white gowns and husband hunting.

Through her late mother’s enchanted diary, Katherine receives warning to keep hidden her otherworldly ability to perform arcana, a magic fueled by the power of the sun. Any misstep could mean ruin—and not just for her family name. The Order of the Eternal Sun is everywhere—hunting for those like her, able to feed on arcana with only a touch of the hand.

But society intrigue can be just as perilous as the Order. The machinations of the fashionable elite are a constant threat, and those who covet Katherine’s arcana, seeking the power of her birthright, could be hiding behind the façade of every suitor—even the darkly handsome Earl of Thornewood.

With so much danger and suspicion, can she give her heart to the one who captivates her, or is he just another after her power?"
You can read my review of Arcana here.

J.K. Rowling's Pseudonym

Yes, you read that right.
Remember, this is not the 1st of April, so I have no reason to be pulling one over you. And trust me, this is very much real news. J. K. Rowling, acclaimed author the Harry Potter series, published a crime novel by the name of The Cuckoo's Calling under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith in April this year.
Rowling, who published her allegedly first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy last year, has confirmed the claims. The Cuckoo's Calling has, quite differently from The Casual Vacancy, done incredibly well - apparently a little too well, as quite a few reviews seemed sure it would turn out to be written by an incredibly famous author; if only they'd known! The Casual Vacancy sold well, but mostly received mixed reviews - in large part thanks to constant comparisons to the Potter books, as I commented here.

Here is the blurb of The Cuckoo's Calling for any of you interested:

"A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide. After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, thelegendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this."

Cover Love: The Bride Wore Size 12

It's been a while since this particular lady writer has made an appearance on this blog, but it's that time again - Heather Wells and Cooper are back in September, and wedding bells are ringing...

Here's the blurb and cover for Meg Cabot's latest Heather Wells mystery, out 24th September.

"Heather Wells is used to having her cake and eating it too, but this time her cake just might be cooked.Her wedding cake, that is.

With her upcoming nuptials to PI Cooper Cartwright only weeks away, Heather's already stressed. And when a pretty junior turns up dead, Heather's sure things can't get worse—until every student in the dorm where she works is a possible suspect, and Heather's long-lost mother shows up.

Heather has no time for a tearful mother and bride reunion. She has a wedding to pull off and a murder to solve. Instead of wedding bells, she might be hearing wedding bullets, but she's determined to bring the bad guys to justice if it's the last thing she does . . . and this time, it just might be."

Rowling's New Book

It's been a few weeks already since the news first trickled down through twitter and then burst through to the world: J. K. Rowling, the beloved author of so many, due to Harry Potter, would release a new adult - entirely free from Potter and his world - book later this year.
Well, we now have a title, description, and a date!

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.
Seemingly an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?
Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.

The Casual Vacancy will reach bookstores on September 27th.