Time for something a bit different, and I am really excited. This is the first in a quite a long blog series which will include one post a week for the near on future; we will be going through the alphabet, talking about some of my memorable books, as well as some on my TBR. But each week, they have to start with the letter of the week. I got this idea for this post from Kate over at Book Lover Kate, and you can see one of her entries for it here.

I know that some letters are going to be harder than others, but I would of thought that A would be easy, but typically I’ve drawn up blank.

Memorable Books I have read beginning with the Letter…

One of my favourite books of the year a couple of years ago just has to be mentioned in this, and that it Alice by Christina Henry, you can see the review here. A chilling, spooky new take on the events that occurred after Alice in Wonderland, this is a must read for any fairy tale and horror fans as it really is superb.

Then one of my most recent reads, After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott is another fabulous book that earnt a four star rating from me. You can see the review here. This is a recent release, but is another book that any and all thriller fans just have to get their hands on.

Books on my TBR beginning with the Letter…

Coming out later on this year, in May I believe, is one of my most anticipated books Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Aime Kaufman. I’m counting this as being on my TBR, as lets be honest, I already have it pre-ordered, so that counts. This is another Sci-fi book by this amazing duo, and it is bound to be amazing.

Then finally, my only graphic novel on this post, Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen is a quirky looking, funny graphic novel all about the truth of being an adult. Or at least what it feels like to be an adulthood. I have wanted to read this for ages, I just hate how expensive graphic novels always are. I would love to know your thoughts if you have read it.

So that’s it for letter A, check back next week for letter B, and feel free to jump on the idea and give it a go. Its a really fun post to write and definitely has gotten me in the moo to read.

Ahhh… I just love a good thriller, that is character led and just sucks you in and refuses to let go. After the Eclipse is just that! Dark, mysterious, and oh so confusing, it keeps you guessing. Thrillers are the only time when books can be confusing, lead you to believe one thing and then throw it back in the air and have you questioning everything- this does just that!

Two solar eclipses. Two missing girls.

Sixteen years ago a little girl was abducted during the darkness of a solar eclipse while her older sister Cassie was supposed to be watching her. She was never seen again. When a local girl goes missing just before the next big eclipse, Cassie – who has returned to her home town to care for her ailing grandmother – suspects the disappearance is connected to her sister: that whoever took Olive is still out there. But she needs to find a way to prove it, and time is running out.

Cassie is one of those characters that you find yourself wanting to shake some sense into while at the same time wanting to wrap her in a blanket, cuddle and say that everything will be okay. She is full of faults, but all ones that you can understand and sympathise with, she’s certainly not had an easy life- and yet she just wants to make things right and help others. You truly can not fault her heart and determination.

Easily my favourite aspect of this book is the different points of view in the chapters. The bulk of the story follows Cassie in the present day trying to get her life straight while trying to work out why another little girl has gone missing. But every so often there are chapters from the point of view of Olive shortly after she goes missing. I find this gives you more of an insight as to what happened that many other thriller books just don’t give you, this way you get to see the two separate points of view as they both feel as if they are working towards the big reveal.

If you like crime, mystery’s or super suspense thrillers then this is definitely a book for you. This is an easy 4.5 out of 5 star read for me, it came very close to being a five star read! It comes out this month, so keep it on your radar and grab yourself a copy!

I have the great honour of bringing you two different posts today as part of the blog tour for this absolutely fabulous thriller. The first post I have for you is a guest post written by the author, Fran Dorricott herself, all about her writing process. I don’t know about you, but I feel that this could be really useful- ENJOY, and keep an eye out for my review later today.

 

Fran’s Writing Process

 

Every book I write is different. I like to switch up my writing process a little bit each time so that I don’t feel like I’m getting stuck in too much of a rut, but there are a few things that never change no matter what I’m working on.

 

1. The first and most crucial step in any writing journey is making time to write. Quite often the early stages of a project are spent daydreaming. I come up with characters first usually, sometimes a hook. After the Eclipse came eclipse first, and then Olive, and then Cassie. The rest of the plot slipped in afterwards. Once I’ve spent enough time thinking, I make sure to begin scheduling physical writing time into my schedule. I work in a book shop (it’s an awesome job, but I’m often tired from days on my feet) so I often have to write around my shifts. It’s so important to make time and space for your writing! My advice is not to cut out all your other activities and hobbies (you’d be surprised how many plot twists I’ve thought of while watching reruns of The Simpsons or Law and Order: SVU) but to dial them back.

 

2. The other thing I make sure to do during the early stages of writing is to read. A lot. As I mentioned before, I work in a book shop so I’m nearly always reading anyway. The trick I’ve found, though, is to read something different to what I’m writing while I’m in the early stages of drafting. This is to make sure I don’t get my wires crossed! But during the daydreaming and editing phases I like to read in the genre of my project, especially choosing books by authors who really excel at what I’m struggling with in this particular project.

 

3. Next I have to find my ‘writing place’. I like to move around my house a lot, choosing a spot that works for a particular project. I wrote most of After the Eclipse sitting at my kitchen table. The book before that was written in my study (which, uh, I really ought to use more), and the book after I wrote largely from the sofa! It really helps me to compartmentalise if I have a working place I associate with a book, but I do get bored quite easily.

 

4. Another way I get myself in the right mood is by making novel-specific writing playlists and/or Pinterest boards. I go back to these whenever I feel like I’ve strayed too far from my vision and it really helps me to get back on track. Plus it’s a fun way to procrastinate when I get stuck!

 

5. I love to write my drafts as quickly as possible. My ideal drafting time would be around 6 weeks. I let myself obsess over a book, and I live there in the world without any sort of continuous break until I’m done. It helps me to keep in the characters’ heads, but also I have a terrible attention span so I lose track fairly quickly if I take too long of a break. I’m a fan of the phrase ‘write quick, edit slow’.

 

6. The final step before edits is to put it in a drawer. Or folder. I’ll send it to my agent or a friend so I can’t fiddle with it for a while. Then I’ll let it sit until I’m ready to tackle it. I’m always amazed what I miss on the first round!

 

These are just the things that work for me, though. I’m sure there are as many writing processes as there are writers!

Well February proved to be a complete fail when it came to reading. I don’t know if I would count it as my slump coming back, as I did read a fair amount, but I didn’t actually manage to finish a single book.

I worked through two books this month, After the Eclipse -which to be fair I am almost finished with- and a buddy read of The Cruel Prince with Ellie over at Hatterell. You really should check out her blog, its full of really interesting reads and she’s super lovely!

So within the 28 days, I managed to read 294 pages of After the Eclipse and 142 pages of The Cruel Prince, making a total of 436 pages. Hay, that could be a book, so its not too bad. But anyway,  I want March to be better!

So the first two books on my March TBR should be no surprise, I plan to finish off both After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. I’m certain that I’ll have these finished by the end of the month.

At the end of this month I will be going away to Gran Caneria, so I will probably not get much reading done then, as I am going with my partner and his family. So with this in mind, I am only going to be putting two other books on this list before my Twitter Poll book.

Firstly, for the holiday I will only be taking my kindle so as to save of luggage weight. Currently I have Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo on there, and I really do want to get through it so that I can move on to the Six of Crows duology and then King of Scars. I did try to read this when I moved last year, but it didn’t really happen- for some reason I do just really struggle to read on my kindle. But with two four hour flights, I am determined.

Now however much I really do want to pick up The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, I just know that realistically I will not get threw it before I go away. With that in mind I am going to hold off starting on this book until I am back and can adore it like I know I’m going to.

Therefore, the next book that I can not wait to pick up, The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman, is going to be my other TBR book for the month. I don’t know overly much about this, which I have done on purpose, so all I really know is that its a thriller mystery, that I have a feeling has magical or supernatural elements. Thank you to Titan Books for sending me a copy as I really have been looking forward to this one for a very long time! It comes out in stores on the 16th of April I believe.

That leads us onto the twitter poll books for the month; and I have chosen some good ones this month. So you can choose between, A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, The Migration by Helen Marshall, or Zero Bomb by M.T. Hill. I am really gutted that I didn’t get to The Migration last month, but hopefully I will get to it this month if you decide for me to.

 

 

What are you reading this month?

I have seen this tag dotted around for quite a while, but I stumbled on Jenny in Neverlands post today and decided to have a laugh and do this tag. I am a huge Harry Potter fan as many of you will know, so this tag just seems perfect for me. So lets get into it.

1. What House are you in?

Hufflepuff, definitely Hufflepuff. I am very proud of my house, and probably have way too much Hufflepuff themed things for one normal person to own. Message from future me- I did the Pottermore house sorting quiz and I got Hufflepuff, no surprise.

2. What is your Patronus?

I think I would probably have to be something clumsy and awkward, so I’m thinking something like a Panda? I should probably do a quiz to find out for sure. Okay- future me- I did the Pottermore Patronus quiz, and my Patronus is an Otter, I am happy with that.

3. What is your wand?

Rowan wood with a dragon heartstring core, 12 ¾” and reasonably supple flexibility- answer from Pottermore

4. What would your Boggart be?

I am a huge scaredy cat, and am easily scared by many things. Think I would probably say my boggart would be Spiders, bugs, or dirt.

5. What position would you play in Quidditch?

Not so sure I would even play. I used to play forward in Hockey, so I would say probably Seeker, but my lack of mobility may make this hard.

6. Would you be a pure-blood, half-blood or muggle born?

Half-blood, my Dad used to be a big Harry Potter fan, he even read me the books when I was younger. A far as I’m aware though, my Mum isn’t a big Potter fan. Plus I’m always a bit out of the ordinary.

7. What job would you want to have after leaving Hogwarts?

I would love to help young wizards with getting ready for their first year of Hogwarts, maybe helping them find their wands? Or even maybe a role in Hogwarts, but probably not a teacher as such, more just supporting the students. Does Hogwarts have school counsellors?

8. Which of the Deathly Hallows would you choose?

Definitely the cloak of Invisibility. I would love to be able to go about as I want without being disturbed, so often I’m not in the mood to talk to people, but don’t have the heart to tell people that.

9. Favourite book?

Any of the Illustrated Editions, definitely Chamber of Secrets if I had to chose one. But when its just the normal editions then I would probably say the Deathly Hallows.

10. Least favourite book?

I don’t think I have a least favourite book, they are all amazing!

11. Favourite film?

Order of the Phoenix. I adore the Dumbledore’s army thing that goes on in this film, plus you have to love anything with Sirus in.

12. Least favourite film?

The final one, Deathly Hallows part 2; its so epic, and yet so boring. I just don’t feel like there is any story to it once the battle begins. Making it only about half an hour of decent film.

13. Favourite character?

How am I only meant to choose the one? I love so many of them. Luna, Hagrid, Dobby, Neville, Ginny, and that’s just naming a few…

14. Least favourite/most hated character?

I don’t really hate any of them. Even the bad guys have their purpose in the story, and many are still really interesting characters. Like Umbridge is a really nasty character, but she’s also really interesting to read about so don’t think I could say I hate her. Think the only character that I feel could of used more shaping to make me love him was Cedric Diggory. I see the point of his character, but feel it would of been better if he’d been in previous books so he had a more well rounded character.

15. Favourite teacher at Hogwarts?

Does Dumbledore count? He just seems like such a great head teacher. So caring, and willing to go above and beyond for his students to get the best out of them.

16. Least favourite teacher at Hogwarts?

That would have to be Umbridge, she really is an evil piece of work.

17. Do you have any unpopular opinions about the series?

No I don’t think I really do. I haven’t read any of the scene plays, and not so sure if I actually want to?

So that’s the Harry Potter Tag. I am not going to tag anyone, but if you want to take part then you really should. Its a good bit of fun for  a blog post.