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.

Happy Halloween

To celebrate the day, I've compiled a list of some of my 10 favourite supernatural fictional people - most of whom are also creatures that go bump in the night, and that would love to be out and about on Halloween!

1. Selene from the Underworld movies. Topping off the list is one incredible lady which, sadly, will not be returning to the next movies. Still, she was one badass vampire, and took no crap from anyone; I wouldn't want to be on her bad side, that's for sure! She's definitely more likely to kill first, and ask questions later.

2. Second on the list of awesome Halloween-ish creatures, is one dhampir that holds a very dear place in my heart. This Russian God, as he's known throughout his world, goes by the name of Dimitri Belikov, and to quote Rose, 'alive or undead... [he] was a badass'. Couldn't have said it better myself, Rose! Dimitri gets to be on here, even though a dhampir isn't technically so terrifying, because he spent a book and a half as an undead, evil vampire whose sole mission was to enslave all of humanity, with Rose by his side as his Queen of Darkness. Deliciously horrible. I even sometimes miss what me and my friends call Strigmitri, his soulless vampire side!

3. How to follow up from Dimka, right? Well, this is another incredible lady who, even though most people will say they hate her - because she's a psychotic maniac, and you're supposed to hate those people! - the entire fandom actually loves to hate, and I know it. It is, of course, the terrifying Bellatrix Lestrange. In all fairness, much as I love what her character represents, and I absolutely adore the way Helena Bonham-Carter portrays her, I'd be more scared if I bumped into her in a deserted alley than if I did with Voldemort. Dis bitch be crazy...

4. Next is another vampire - they seem quite popular these days haha! - and one that I have loved for all the wrong reasons for way too many years. I fell in love with the bad Salvatore in the books, and of course Ian Somerhalder playing Damon did nothing to diminish my love (on the contrary, in fact). Still, despite his tortured soul and deep-down good heart, you don't want to run across him on a night he's had a fight with Elena...

5. Moving away from the vampires now, let's talk witches again. She's a classic because she was Merlin's nemesis. Beautifully portrayed by Katie McGrath in BBC's Merlin, Morgana Pendragon started out like a lovely, sweet and innocent girl in a court where magic was seen as treason (I still can't look at Giles in Buffy without hearing the echoes of 'SORCERY!' in my head. Uther really needed a chill pill. Or twenty). But she found her magic, turned bad, and by the end of the series, was almost as powerful as Merlin himself. And yes, she does look lovely in a crown.

6. Another good girl-gone-bad situation with magic and a crown involved, comes in the form of the stunning Lana Parrilla, playing the Evil Queen (yes, the one from Snow White), in today's world known as Regina Mills, the tyrannical mayor of the little town of Storybrooke, Maine. Another case of really unfortunate parenting, Regina sets loose a curse that ends all happy endings and brings all fairy tale characters to the human world. She's another lady you don't want to catch on a bad day; and never, ever accept an apple from her, not even if she slips it into your trick or treat bowls! NO APPLES!


7. Moving on to the traditional Halloween costume, we find Helena Ravenclaw, more commonly known as The Grey Lady. The ghost of Ravenclaw House, she's a tad short-tempred, as Harry found out the hard way in Deathly Hallows, but hers is another sad story - and one worthy of Halloween: she was the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, but stole her mother's
magical diadem, hoping it would make her smarter. On her deathbed, Rowena sent for her daughter. The man who went searching for Helena, was a Baron (aka The Bloody Baron, the ghost of Slytherin House. Must make for awkward meals!) who harboured amorous feelings towards Helena. Enraged, he killed her when she refused to return with him to her mother, then proceeded to kill himself in despair at what he had done. Hence the blood all over him... That's a tale and a half!

8. Next is one devilishly clever and dangerous imp. We all know him - he's even been in Shrek, for crying out loud! He is, of course, Rumplestilstkin. I'm looking at that name and hoping I spelt it right. It's easier to say than to spell, honestly. But this little guy (or not so little, depending on which version we're talking about!) is not to be trifled with. If you don't avoid any of the others in this list, maybe consider keeping away from him - he'll have you signing away your firstborn before you even know what's going on.

9. Our favourite DADA teacher makes this list because of his... ah... extracurricular activities. By which I mean, of course, he makes a habit of turning into a giant stinking wolf every month. Luckily, Lupin is one of the few people on this list that are on the good side. Still, don't stick around to chat if he's in his wolf form - he won't recognise you, and neither will anyone else once he's done with you!

10. This one actually didn't make it into the movies, but he's my favourite ghost ever, and I think cutting him out was a complete travesty. Especially since they actually did film some scenes with him - the image is one of the few actual footage pictures we have of Peeves the Poltergeist, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. From water bombs on terrified first-years, to chasing Umbridge out of the castle to the sound of hooves, Peeves, in my opinion, truly embodies the spirit of Halloween of having some spooky fun.



Now I'm going to curl on up on my bed and watch The Corpse Bride, followed by The Nightmare Before Christmas (both because it's about Halloween, but also because it's also about Christmas, so what's not to love?), to get into the mood for some Christmassy fun!

Book Covers: Ignite Me, The Selection Stories and The One

I'm doing some hasty catching up here, and putting together all the beautiful covers we've been given of late:

"The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end."

Now if that doesn't pique your interest, here, have the blurb for The Selection Stories, out February 4th, right along with Ignite Me (above):

"The two novellas set in the world of Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series are now available in print for the first time. The Prince and The Guard both offer captivating views into the hearts and minds of the two men fighting to win America Singer's love. This collection also features exclusive bonus content, including a sneak peek at The One, the eagerly anticipated final novel in the Selection trilogy.

Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon's life. The Prince opens the week before the Selection begins and follows Maxon through the first day of the competition.

Raised as a Six, Aspen Leger never dreamed that he would find himself living in the palace as a member of the royal guard. In The Guard, readers get an inside look at Aspen's life within the palace walls--and the truth about a guard's world that America will never know."

No? Still not good enough? FINE, then. Here, have the breathtaking cover for The One, out May 6th. And yes. That does look suspiciously like a wedding dress.

Sadly, no blurb for that as of yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Thief

Title: Thief (Love me with Lies #3)
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Genre: Adult
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 8/10 (seems fitting, as Caleb seems to have spent 1/3 of the book shirtless, ahem)


Jesus. F*cking. Christ.
The second I saw this book was out, I knew is was in for a long night. Five hours later, I can safely say... what. the. hell?

The thing about Thief, though, is that throughout the entire book, you just know that Caleb is going to fight for Olivia. So, no repeats of that god-awfully painful ending to The Opportunist, which ripped my heart to shreds; no goddamn bomb like the end of Dirty Red. So you'd think the pain factor would be smaller, right?
God, no.
Olivia... there's this one scene, towards the end of the book, when she bitchslaps Leah (which I absolutely loved, and have to say - long time coming, that was), when I remembered why I loved her so much in The Opportunist. The girl is feisty, she doesn't take shit from no one, and she doesn't hold back at all. But oh my god, I wanted to strangle her so much. I can't blame her for marrying Noah (though I'm seriously done with him. I really liked him, too...), and I appreciate that for the longest time, her relationship with Caleb wasn't actually cheating. Still, it was cheating emotionally, even though it kind of just felt like Noah got what he deserved (he even admitted it, ffs!), it still wasn't cool.
Caleb... ugh. Stupid, stupid, gullible man. No wonder Leah and Olivia jerk him around so much. The poor bastard knows shit-all about women. His one redeeming quality (which kind of got lost along the way when he married Leah and dated Jessica, but we don't talk about that) is that he loves Olivia so much, I actually think it's unhealthy. I'm still trying to reconcile gentle, sweet, caring and patient Caleb to the dude who is apparently into bondage and read Fifty Shades of Grey (I actually thought that was a reference to Jane Eyre, by the way, until he mentioned Fifty. That's how clueless I was about his kinky preferences).
Leah, to quote Olivia, is the "same stupid slut" as before. Nuff said. (strangling desires amped up to maximum here. I seriously could NOT believe this woman. The bitch is crazy.)
It's easy to understand why it's called Thief, though I'm not sure that's quite the right word, considering...

In short: read it. You know you want to. Because once you've heard Olivia's side of the story, these books become what Olivia and Caleb's love for each other is: codependent and totally unhealthy. And we - just like them - fucking love it.

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."

The Great Gatsby

Title: The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Rating: 4/5

Cover: (way too many. I do like the Penguin Classics edition one, though. Hate the original blue one)

With all the hype surrounding Gatsby because of the movie (and, let's face it, DiCaprio), reading Gatsby took me completely by surprise. 

I'm not sure what it was, exactly, that I was expecting, but whatever it was... it definitely wasn't what I got

Fitzgerald creates believable, flawed characters that, despite our misgivings, we can't help but fall in love with. In a clear light, Gatsby is an obsessed, dangerous man who uses his illegally earned money to throw huge parties. But the view presented to us of Gatsby by Nick is that of a lovesick man, who wants nothing more than to be loved by the woman of his dreams. And we can all relate, on different levels, with that kind of unrequited love.

Even more interesting are the other characters, as well as Fitzgerald's narrator choice. When you read the title, you instantly think that the book will be narrated by Gatsby, or at least have him introduced immediately. But the book does neither, and that is the first hint that nothing about this book is what it seems. 

Fitzgerald played smartly with the conventions of a society used to debauchery, and showed us, without ever actually saying he was doing so, the dark side of love. Reading Gatsby, it's easy to understand why Fitzgerald described the 20s as the 'biggest orgy in the world'. 

Gatsby is delicious, enticing, sad and frustrating. A definite must-read.

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Confessions of a Book Worm #1

Well now, I know I've been slacking in the review department lately, but it's common for me to have a rant about one book or another, or even about a TV series, or... just anything, really, about monthly. So, I've decided to start up a new thing on Book Worm. It's the Confessions of a Book Worm rant, in which I talk fictional characters and all other cool stuff.


        I once saw this beautiful picture of all the most famous and loved contemporary books, and it said “I laughed with you, I believed in you, I followed you, I cried with you, I fought for you, I grew up with you, I was you, and all along you were never really there”. And while I started out reading this with a smile, the last sentence nearly made me cry. 
It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. To quote Tessa Gray in Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Prince, “If no one knows you, do you even truly exist?”. And I wonder. Because I have friends. So, so many friends. But 90% of them live in my head. 30% of those 90%, I invented myself. The other 60%, other authors have given me. And they know me. They know me better than I know myself. And I did laugh, believe, follow, cry, fight and grow up with them. I was them, each and every one of them, for a short period of time. 
But saying that they were never really there? Well, that’s akin to saying most of my life has been a lie.
What brought on the thinking I mentioned earlier was yet another quote. This one stated “Legitimately being unable to identify if a memory if yours or from a book character”. Now, at first glance, that sounds stupid. I mean, who could possibly confuse their own life with that of a fictional character, right? 
The thing about books is just that: the really good ones are the ones that mess with your emotions, your thoughts and beliefs.  And if they mess with those things, well, eventually, after countless of good books doing that to you, the emotions start to blur together. You remember what brought them on, and you remember the feeling - but that’s the thing. You never truly experienced what the character did, so those emotions can’t be yours, because you’ve never been through that. But you felt it. 
So as the feelings blur, when something triggers a memory of that emotion, you feel it as strongly as if whatever happened to the character happened to you. So, yes, to an extent, you are the character. You experienced a little of life with them, and now, that part of them will always be within you. But how do you tell the difference, after thirteen years of “false” emotions piling up, how can you possibly tell the difference between an emotion or experience lived by you in the physical world from an emotion or experience lived by you as a character in a fictional world? 
You can’t.
It is not possible.
Does that mean I’m going mad? Maybe.
Maybe not. But, as Lewis Carroll has said, “You know what? The best people are”.
So to those people who try to tell me that my friends aren’t real; that they aren’t there just because they’re fictional, well then, Dumbledore has something to say to you: “Of course it’s happening in your head... But why would that mean that it’s not real?”. And you’ll never convince me differently.