Musical Moments: The Soundtrack to My Life: Childhood Memories

This is where I am definitely going to show my age. this week I am going to share some of the songs I remember playing at home during my childhood. I am a child of the seventies and the musical taste within my family is extremely varied, with a large age gap between myself and my siblings (12 and 10 years respectively) I was introduced to a wide variety of music from a young age.

I don't know if anyone else can remember Jimmy Saville's Golden Oldie Radio Show that used to be on every Sunday around lunchtime when I was a little girl. I remember my mum having it on in the kitchen while she cooked the Sunday Dinner. the range of music played was vast and really stuck in my head as a Sunday tradition, I was really sorry when it stopped.

See what I mean by diverse.

My sister was a teenager in the seventies, when I was 2 she was 14 with a serious crush on Bay City Rollers and Donny Osmond. I remember her bedroom walls being covered in posters of them. She had tartan trousers, platform boots and the requisite tartan scarf. She even went to see Donny Osmond a few years ago in Cardiff, lol. Isn't it amazing what sticks in your mind.

My brother, 10 years older, was a rock fan (hmm sounds familiar) his tastes ran to T-Rex, Jimmy Hendrix and Mott the Hoople. Come to think of it he actually looked a bit like Marc Bolan when he was a teen, lol.

I could add more and more but I shall refrain. Goes to play with childhood songs on YouTube [ : D ]

Review: Darkness Falls by Mia James

Title: Darkness Falls
Series: The Ravenwood Mysteries #2
Author: Mia James
Publisher: Indigo
Publication Date: 29 Sep 2011

Synopsis From Amazon

Highgate When April's family moved to the sleepy North London village of Highgate, everyone told her it was the start of an amazing new life. They didn't know the half of it. Weeks later, her father was the latest in a series of brutal killings, someone has tried to kill her, and now her boyfriend, Gabriel, is dying too . . . Murder April couldn't save her father, but there's just a chance she can save Gabriel. There's an ancient recipe, hidden in a forbidden book, which holds the cure. All April has to do is find it. Somehow. Vampires But she has to keep a low profile. In a school full of vampires, where one of their own has been killed, they're beginning to suspect they have a Fury in their midst. April's blood might be deadly to vampires, but even that won't save her if they figure out who she is. Time is short, the stakes are high, and surviving school has never been so tough . . .

REVIEW

Please bear in mind that this is Book 2 in the series and may therefore contain spoilers from the previous book, By Midnight review here.

The prologue of this book brings to mind images of Jack the Ripper, the scene is set immediately just by the chapter heading, however I had trouble reconcile the image of Jack the Ripper as a vampire. This notion could just be my over active imagination adding 2 and 2 together to make 5.

The story picks up a few weeks after the stunning ending of By Midnight. The relationship between April and Gabriel is intense yet see-saws between suspicion and mistrust to devotion. A roller-coaster of emotion,   there are hints placed within the narrative as to the direction of the characters, if these do transpire I think I will cry. Nice recapping of the story helped keep the plot fresh in my mind while developing the storyline further. 

The friendships portrayed and the trials and tribulations April has to face made me realise how hard it really is to find good friends, how necessary they are as a support network throughout life and I was really glad that April had such wonderful friends and was able to realise it. April's increase in self confidence via her makeover was easy to relate to: don't we all feel better about ourselves if we look good. The way in which superficial beauty was portrayed hiding a rotten, evil core was profound. Emphasising the point that beauty isn't everything, inner beauty is far more important.

I really like the introduction of the witches into the plot and would really like to see it developed further. the history and inclusion of Queen Victoria's library and the carefully concealed interest in the paranormal was just brilliant to imagine. I want to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum and search for that library now. Can someone give me one of those cards please. Jack the Ripper is mentioned further within the narrative with respect to the links to Queen Victoria, layering the plot.

I will be truthful and say that there were some aspects of the plot that I thought were quite obvious but this might just be me as I am good at this sort of thing. The action is really fast paced and dramatic. April's character development towards the end of this book more than makes up for her indecision at the start. In typical teenage mode she tries to ignore what needs to be done, yet at the end she really comes into her own by accepting herself.

There are still a lot of questions left to be answered from the first book, especially those surrounding April's family, I seriously need the answers to these questions, I eagerly await the last book in the series to tie it all together and hopefully not make me cry *Gabriel* you'll understand if you have read it.  

Is Book 3 ready yet. Now maybe? how about NOW?????

Trailer Tuesday: Between by Jessica Warman

Title: Between
Author: Jessica Warman
Publisher: Egmont
Publication Date: 3 Oct 2011

Synopsis from Amazon

Only the good die young. Right? Elizabeth Valchar has it all: friends, money, beauty, a cute boyfriend and assured popularity. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she is found drowned next to her parents' boat. Everyone thinks it was a tragic accident - teens drinking on a boat, a misstep leading to a watery death. But Liz is still here after death, and she doesn't know why. There are gaps in her memory. Her only company Alex, a boy killed by a car a year earlier, Liz sets out to piece together her life. But their small coastal town is hiding many secrets - about families, boyfriends and friendship. Plus, Alex hates Liz for being mean when they were alive. Was she as squeaky clean as she thinks she was? Could it be that she herself is hiding the biggest secret of all? Can Liz discover the truth? And if she does, who can she tell? An engrossing, compelling thriller that peels back the layers of small-town life to expose true, ugly, cruel human nature.

I have this to read the book trailer looks fabulous.

MG Monday: Guest Review: Book Break-ups: Far Rockaway by Charlie Fletcher

Title: Far Rockaway
Author: Charlie Fletcher
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 
Publication Date: 1 Sep 2011

Synopsis: From Amazon

Cat Manno and her grandfather Victor made a pact that one day, just for the hell of it, they'd take the subway and stay on the A-train until the very end of the line where the last narrow spit of land runs out into the ocean at Far Rockaway. This isn't that day.
On the first page Cat is knocked down by a speeding fire truck whilst crossing 55^th St and 3^rd Ave in Central Manhattan. She wakes up in a world made from all the books her grandfather used to read to her, peopled by some of the most memorable heroes of classic adventure fiction, brought vividly back to life. Cat must earn their friendship and help as she begins an odyssey and epic quest to find the mythic Castle at the World's End. And the name of that distant, mythic, wave-tumbled fastness? It is, of course, the castle of Far Rockaway ...
If you enjoy reading good books; swashbuckling adventures with sword fights and pirates - then Far Rockaway is the book for you. Join Cat as she embarks on the journey of a lifetime ...

GUEST REVIEW

When I received this book from Emma, I hadn’t heard of it or its author but this wasn’t something that put me off as I hadn’t heard of some of the others she’d sent me before and had been pleasantly surprised! First impression before even opening this book was mainly “uh oh” as it didn’t strike me as the kind of thing I’d like to read from its cover and there are very few books I’ve have read whose covers I haven’t judged and been right haha.

Now the summary/outline made me think this book COULD be for me. It sounded magical and fantastical and there are elements of it that definitely are. In her fantasy world Cat meets all manner of weird and wonderful fictional characters from Long John Silver of Treasure Island fame to Chingachook from Last of the Mohicans as she strives to save her Grandfather who is also alive and kicking in her fictional world. The fictional journey mirrors Cat and Victor’s attempts to regain consciousness in the real world and  there is always that backdrop to remind you how the fantasy tale is linked to their real destinies. It’s a really clever concept.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. I didn’t warm to Cat, although I thought her Grandfather was a fantastic character. I think one of the reasons it didn’t work for me was basically that I didn’t enjoy or read adventure stories when I was younger, Treasure Island and Last of the Mohicans were tales I knew of vaguely but never read and so some of the magic was missing for me! I have no doubt many many people would absolutely love the adventurous fantastical journey Cat goes on and this book would definitely be a great read for them. 

Saturday Spotlight: Guest Post: Darkness Falls: A Reading List by Mia James

It is my great pleasure to welcome Mia James to Book Angel Booktopia today to share a reading list inspired by Darkness Falls the 2nd book in the Ravenwood Mysteries Trilogy. We all know how much I love reading lists and squeed out-loud when given the opportunity to host this post. Over to Mia: 

As this is a blog devoted to sharing books you have found and loved (or otherwise), I thought it might be a nice idea to write about the books I discovered as I was researching my new book Darkness Falls.

I'll be honest, when I wrote By Midnight, the first book in the Ravenwood trilogy, I didn't really need to do a huge amount of research into the vampire genre as I wasted away my youth watching horror movies and reading schlocky books (everything from Jaws to James Herbert to Jackie Collins!), but Darkness Falls, as the name suggests, takes April on a journey deep into the shadows, so I needed inspiration from other writers who had taken their characters out there in the dark.

A very nice lady called Professor Avril Horner, one of the country's leading experts on gothic literature, gave me a lot of ideas, starting with Jane Eyre. I was initially surprised when she suggested it, but she was right: it's the story of a young girl trapped in a creaky old house who suspects a very sinister man (who she's actually madly attracted to) might actually be evil. That could describe April's relationship with both of her leading men - Gabriel and Benjamin - in Darkness Falls.

Another cracker was Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier which if anything is even more creepy and atmospheric - the house at Manderley is almost another character, which was something I attempted to do with Highgate Cemetery in the books.

Slightly more modern, I also read the Little Stranger by Sarah Waters which is a master class in slow-burn paranoia and Salem's Lot, Stephen King's brilliant tale of a small town over-run by 'Suckers'. Looking back on it, Salem's Lot was the only book I read that featured vampires, but the overall theme that united all the stories: trust no one...

Especially good advice if you fall in love with a vampire!

I'll be writing more about the creepy movies I watched as 'research' over at Readeraptor on 11 October 

- Mia James, October 2011

Title: Darkness Falls

Series: The Ravenwood Mysteries #2

Author: Mia James

Publisher: Indigo

Publication Date: 29 Sep 2011

Synopsis: From Amazon

Highgate When April's family moved to the sleepy North London village of Highgate, everyone told her it was the start of an amazing new life. They didn't know the half of it. Weeks later, her father was the latest in a series of brutal killings, someone has tried to kill her, and now her boyfriend, Gabriel, is dying too . . . Murder April couldn't save her father, but there's just a chance she can save Gabriel. There's an ancient recipe, hidden in a forbidden book, which holds the cure. All April has to do is find it. Somehow. Vampires But she has to keep a low profile. In a school full of vampires, where one of their own has been killed, they're beginning to suspect they have a Fury in their midst. April's blood might be deadly to vampires, but even that won't save her if they figure out who she is. Time is short, the stakes are high, and surviving school has never been so tough . . .

Website at www.ravenwoodmysteries.com

Saturday Spotlight: Library Lessons: Greek Mythology in YA

This week in the library I have been doing Greek Mythology because it is Olympian Week with Rick Riordan.
Check out the terrific interview over at Book Zone For Boys.
So I wanted to show how Greek Mythology was being utilised in the current selection of YA books on the market.

Greek Mythology


Plus one of my Year 13 Librarians loves Greek Mythology and he put together the following presentation and work-sheets for me. He has been rewarded with cake and sweets [ ; D ]

GreekGodsppt[1]
Matching Gods[1] Matching Gods to Roman[1]
Wordsearch(1)

Please feel free to use the presentations but I would be grateful if you credit the hard work done by my Year 13 Librarian.

Review: Bleeding Hearts by Alyxandra Harvey

Title: Bleeding Hearts
Series; The Drake Chronicles
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: 3 Oct 2011

Synopsis: From Amazon
Lucy's cousin Christabel has come to live in Violet Hill, and adjusting to the difference between life in a small mountain town and her home in the city is difficult. The strict curfew that Lucy's parents enforce is hard to respect. Surely something really dangerous couldn't possibly happen in this tiny town. But Christabel starts to notice some mysterious happenings, and it seems like Lucy, her boyfriend Nicholas and his brother Connor are all in on a secret that Christabel doesn't understand - one that seems deadly serious. Although she won't admit it, Christabel would love to be in on any secret with Connor Drake. When Christabel is kidnapped by the ruthless Hel-Blar vampires, Lucy and Connor finally fill her in on all the undead drama. Together, they must find a way to stamp out the Hel-Blar for good.

REVIEW

Please bear in mind that this is book 4 in the series and therefore may contain spoilers from the previous books.

For anyone who knows me you will be aware that I completely adore this series. I love Alyxandra Harvey's descriptive writing style, the way her dialogue is so realistic bringing her characters to vivid life in my imagination. The use of simile and metaphor added to the descriptions bringing the world of The Drakes into 3D. Being truthful I adore everything about these books so I will not apologise if this is a gushy geyser review [ ; D ] 

This book is concentrating on brother number four Connor, the geeky twin brother to Quinn, who if you remember changed his womanising ways in book 3  for a Helios-Ra agent. I just adores how geeky was portrayed as totally cool in this book. Not only is Connor a computer whizz, he can kick serious Hel_Blar rotting butt. The Star Wars quotes and imagery had me sniggering out loud to myself.  If like me you like The Big Bang Theory then you are going to love Connor - I kept picturing him as a gorgeous teenage Leonard. Plus I had to agree with him that having no Internet connection completely freaks me out.

Christabel is a geek in her own right - a total bookaholic (omg how I can relate to this girl) head stuck in a book even at a party, having to carry a book with her at all times.You can understand the attraction between Connor and Christabel from the moment they meet. They bring out the best in each other.

The first person narrative from differing perspectives within the book provides insight into the story as a whole while providing an opportunity compare the views of the different characters, giving me the feel of being omniscient observer within the story. I fantastic ability to make the reader feel part of the story itself.

I have to say, I love Lucy's narrative voice and have missed it. She provides such light relief with her sarcasm in the most awkward situations you can't help but love her. Her character development from book one to now is wonderful, snarkytastic.

These books provide some terrific female role models, they don't just sit back and wait to be saved, they actually help save the others, there is a balance which I find refreshing. I especially like the way in which Alyxandra Harvey's characters aren't perfect, they recognise their own faults and learn from them. They recognise their own strengths and weaknesses, something that takes a long time to learn in most people. They aren't afraid to admit their weaknesses either or ask for help. Something I still struggle with at my age, asking for help, it really shouldn't been seen as a sign of weakness.

The portrayal of Christabel's mother within the narrative was unfortunately painfully relatable. Go to my catchphrase, Reading is Subjective, how can you not apply real life situations you have been through when reading about the same subject??  I could really understand the reasons behind Christabel's retreat into fiction, I do the same.

I could have kicked myself that I missed the significance of a certain characters name from the beginning, astoundingly clever use of a name, just brilliant.

The beautiful quotes and humorous inner monologues of the characters re-enforce the plot while adding to the realism of the story. I have the notion that Alyxandra Harvey has a impish sense of humour especially with the use of the Wicked Witch of the West and her Winged Monkeys as a comparison to bullies, lol.

Alyxandra Harvey has gained a permanent place in my heart with these books. I LOVE them with a capital L and am feverishly awaiting the next book after a HUGE cliffhanger of an ending in this one. I am pretty sure that I would make an excellent alpha reader for this series - go tell her that now.

Another brilliant addition to The Drake Chronicles, humour, romance, hot vampires and strong female role models what's not to love.