'Love Hurts' Malorie Blackman and others, collection of short stories

Goodreads * Amazon UK
Random House Corgi Childrens

Book Summary: Malorie Blackman brings together the best teen writers of today in a stunningly romantic collection about love against the odds. Featuring short stories and extracts about modern star-crossed lovers from stars such as Gayle Forman, Markus Zusak and Patrick Ness, and with a brand-new story from Malorie Blackman herself, Love Hurts looks at every kind of relationship, from first kiss to final heartbreak.

Love Hurts is an anthology of short stories written by well known authors (like Gayle Forman, Markus Zusak or Jenny Downham). Most of these stories are simply extracts from already written books. We can read a bit of If I Stay, We Were Liars or The Infinite Moment of Us - most of chapters are parts of different titles, but there are some separate stories as well.

If you didn't read original books it's easy to get confused while reading extracts, because they're simply out of context and we don't know the background of characters or events. On the other hand you can get to know different writing styles, read pieces of bestselling books and decide if you'd like to pick them up or not.

I'm not sure if making a book out of parts of other books is a good idea. I think readers would enjoy it more if these were separate short stories. I have to say that my favourite story was Malorie Blackman's standalone Humming Through My Fingers. It was a solid and touching read. 

I wouldn't call this book a waste of time but it certainly wasn't what I expected it to be. I would recommend it only to those who want to get to know writing style of different authors and decide whether they would like to read their works. If you expect an unique read like My True Love Gave To Me you will be disappointed.

'The Summer I Turned Pretty' trilogy by Jenny Han

Goodreads

Book Summary: Belly has always lived for the summertime because it means all her favorite things: swimming, the beach and the Fisher boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. She has spent every summer with them at Cousins Beach for as long as she can remember. She has always been in love with Conrad and finally, one summer, it seems like he might have feelings for her too. But it turns out, so does Jeremiah.

As the summers go on, Belly has to choose between two brothers who love her as she comes to the realization that she will have to break one of their hearts.

First of all, I've read all three books in Polish translation so I didn't have an opportunity to get to know raw writing style of Jenny Han. I use English on daily basis so I was able to find a few little mistranslations especially of typical sayings or idioms, but overall it was a solid and fair rewording.

I don't want to make 3 separate reviews for all parts of trilogy, so I'll try to shorten and summarize my thoughts and impressions in one blog post.

The story

I liked the idea of adolescent girl developing her feelings to two of her best friends throughout summers she has spent with them. She was always closer to older of brothers - Conrad, mysterious and serious, but Jeremy who was funny and easygoing, had also a very special place in her heart. Throughout the books we follow Belly's on and off feelings to two brothers but also her memories of summers she spent in Cousins beach house with them, their mother Susannah (who was very dear to her) and her own brother and mom. To be fair, these retrospections are the warmest and the most adorable part of the whole series.

We're not only the witnesses of characters' growing up and redefining their feelings and priorities but also of them dealing with loss, pain and life turning points.

In the first book only Belly is the teller of the events, in It's not summer without you we can get to know Jeremi's point of view and in the last book we can finally read the thoughts of mysterious Conrad.

While reading the trilogy we will wonder who will win Belly's heart in the end. Which brother will she pick to be with, which brother she loves more and how it will affect the relationship between Jeremi and Conrad.

Characters

They are likeable but not always mature. They are still teens though so this is their right. Sometimes Belly's choices and decisions were annoying me, because she should have known better, even at the age of 15. Jeremi is a bit reckless, Conrad mysterious till the end and Belly? Belly is just growing up - and we all know what does it mean to be a growing up girl. Throughout the series characters are developing and changing but they're still very young, discovering the world and themselves.

#1 The Summer I Turned Pretty

The first book in the series is a kind of indtroduction to the whole story. We're getting to know all characters, their past and events that led them to this very point in time. It was a very light and even paced read, although personally I think it's the worst of all three. I'd give it 3,5 *stars*

#2 It's Not Summer Without You

It's more emotional than the other previous one. Characters are growing up, stuggling with loss and making hard decisions. Better and more solid than the first book. 4 *stars*

#3 We'll Always Have Summer

While we think everything is said and done and Belly has finally made up her mind... The storm is coming up. The most confusing of all three, having the reader wondering all the time, till the very end. The ending was not a real surprise for me, but how it all happened - was a surprise indeed. 4 *stars*

Overall the Summer I Turned Pretty series is a fun and light read, great for teenagers and great for summertime. It's adorable and easy to get along with. Plus the new covers are incredibly cute!

Check out the Swoonuary Challenge!

Swoonuary! A Valentine's Day Special with the Bookish Groupies - means February is about LOVE

Hello beautiful ladies, and welcome to the Bookish Groupies first annual event, Swoonuary! 

Are you in the mood for a sugary sweet romance? What about a contemporary so cute, you're left squealing like a school girl? If you are, then perfect, because that is what Swoonuary is all about! After reading quite a bit of fantasy and science fiction lately, the girls and I are ready to dive back into the land of hook ups & heartbreaks, happily ever afters, and happily never fucking again . . . well the last part might be something I'm looking for, but you get the idea. All month long, we've decided to read both romance & contemporary novels in Lieu of Valentines day, the day for all things cheesy. But what fun what it be if we didn't have other bloggers join us? That's where you all come in . . . 

To read more CLICK HERE :)

I was invited to this event by Tika and I'm very happy to take part in it :) You can do that too! February is this one month a year when everyone is talking about love... so why not read about love? I'm very excited to finally cross some cute'n'sweet (or sometimes sweet'n'sour) romance books out from my to-read lists :)

What I'm planning to read:

Summer series by Jenny Han

I own the complete trilogy in Polish so I've decided to give it a go in February. I think it will be a light and relaxing read after all my exams and perfect for the season (although it's still winter :))

Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

It's unfortunately on my DNF list so I've decided to pick it up again this month. Hopefully I'll finish this time.

The Right Side of Mr. Wrong by Jane Linfoot

which I've received from Isabell for a guest review. I've been slacking on reading it because of my exams so I think now it's the right time to speed up my reading :)

And hopefully I'll read even more than that :)

'You Think You Know Me' by Clare Chase

Goodreads * Amazon * Amazon UK

Choc Lit

Book summary: Sometimes, it’s not easy to tell the good guys from the bad …

Freelance journalist, Anna Morris, is struggling to make a name for herself, so she’s delighted to attend a launch event for a hip, young artist at her friend Seb’s gallery.

But an exclusive interview isn’t all Anna comes away with. After an encounter with the enigmatic Darrick Farron, she is flung into the shady underground of the art scene – a world of underhand dealings, missing paintings and mysterious deaths …

Seb is intent on convincing Anna that Darrick is up to no good but, try as she might, she can’t seem to keep away from him. And as she becomes further embroiled, Anna begins to wonder – is Seb’s behaviour the well-intentioned concern of an old friend, or does he have something to hide?

Finally I've found a book that combines mystery, dark secrets and a light read. I was glued to it from the first chapter and had a lot of questions in my mind. Anna meets a stranger who gives her a false identity. Despite being warned by people that something's not right, she stays in touch with him and tries to unravel secrets that turn up all along the way.

I had my suspicions about who the bad guy is and what happened after reading about 50% of the book. In the end it turned out I was right, but the last few chapters were very dramatic and dynamic - I didn't expect that and was pleasantly surprised. On the other hand this dynamics wasn't really balanced with few parts of the book which were slow-paced and detailed.

The story line is good and solid and characters are diverse and well built. I enjoyed how author was giving out pieces of information about Sebastian's life and drama he went through when he lost his girlfriend Julia. I also grew fond of Anna's housemates - scenes with them were bringing some refreshment and fun. 

This was my first book written by Clare Chase but I very like her style of writing - it's solid and neat. I would happily give this author another go! And on a side note, as an UK-Lover I was happy that the book was set in London.

I'd recommend this book to everyone that seeks a good, solid but light read with a lot of mystery and questions to answer.

'501 time-saving tips every woman should know' by Georgia Varozza

to be published: 1/2/2015
Harvest House

Book summary: Well-known cookbook author and avid blogger Georgia Varozza has collected tidbits of wisdom and hundreds of how-to skills during her life. She's a master food preserver with a passion for all things natural, time-saving, and simple. Reading this book is like having her as a personal coach to teach you how to be a savvy keeper of your home. After years of use, the baking sheets have built up brown grease deposits. What's the simpler solution to removing those troublesome spots? Want to grow vegetables from seeds? Make an easy, inexpensive cold frame using hay bales to get them started. Plan that road trip with confidence by taking along this list of car games the kids will love.

Whether you're young or mature, married or single, a novice or veteran do-it-yourselfer, you'll find valuable new skills to take from this book and put to good use. With cheery snippets of inspiration and a Scripture verse tucked here and there, all these tips, tricks, and treasures will cultivate a definite "can do" attitude.

Sometimes I like to read self-help books, especially when authors promise that after reading them I'll be more organized. This book sounded like a perfect way to start a new year. Unfortunately I didn't really get what I expected... If you read women's magazines you'll know almost all of these "tips", lots of them are rules that we learn from our mothers or just are obvious . The whole book basically feels like a mash-up of advice found in different sections of periodicals. Tips are organized in chapters: kitchen, house, garden, family life etc. Book is filled with inspirational quotes, some strongly linked to Christianity (the author herself is Christian).

Overall - it can be a good book for a really young girl who just starts to run her own household and doesn't have a clue how to do it. It can also be a good read for those who like to read life advice, but I'm not sure if anyone can find here anything life changing...

*Provided to me by Harvest House via NetGalley in exchange for honest opinion*

'Skating at Somerset House' by Nikki Moore

Book #1 in #LoveLondon Series
Goodreads * Amazon * Amazon UK
Harper Impulse

Book Summary: The first short story in the fun & flirty #LoveLondon series from exciting new chick lit author Nikki Moore!

There’s nothing Holly Winterlake loves more than Christmas and skating, so working as an Ice Marshall at London's Somerset House is a dream come true.

Noel Summerford hates the festive season and is a disaster on the ice, so taking his godson to Somerset House is his idea of the nightmare before Christmas!

Things are bound to get interesting when these two collide…

With a forty foot Christmas tree, an assortment of well meaning friends and relatives, and a mad chocolate Labrador, will this festive season be one to remember … or forget?

I'm still in the festive mood so wintery-Christmassy reads are still on my to-read list. This is the first book in #LoveLondon series by Nikki Moore - second 'New Year at the Ritz' is already released, and the third 'Valentine's at Primrose Hill' will be out at my birthday (15/01/2015). 

'Skating at Somerset House' is a short story, easy to read at one go. Characters are nicely built and even that we know that Christmas-lover Holly will get together with Christmas-hater Noel at the end, it's an enjoyable and heart-warming book. The story is too short to dig deep into both Noel's and Holly's past but I feel like what we've learnt about them is sufficient. In short writings like this fast pace is a good thing - I really liked that there were no unnecessary descriptions slowing down the events.

I love that the whole series has a theme which is London. It will be a nice experience to get to know some significant places in this city by reading Nikki Moore's books. I liked her writing style and I definitely will continue reading #LoveLondon as those light, short, delightful reads will for sure give me some refreshment between heavier books.

*Provided to me by Harper Impulse via NetGalley*

What 2014 gave to me? Few reflections!

Past year had changed my life. I've gained self confidence and faith I can achieve more in life. I've read tons of amazing books in my native language (Polish) and started my adventure with books written in English (with a little help of my best friend - Kindle Paperwhite 2). I was thinking a lot about starting a new blog fully in English and decided to go for it in November. One of my most important New Year Resolutions is to keep it updated, develop it and maybe even begin booktubing (I'm doing it in Polish already). 

Being a book blogger writing in English while it's not even my second language is hard sometimes but I have a lot of faith and support from my other half who is Scottish. Without him I wouldn't even be here so here's a shoutout and thank you to him <3. I take this blog as a challenge and opportunity to develop my language skills and to meet new friends who share the same love for books as I do. 

I hope 2015 will bring me new followers who'll like to come back here, read what I have to say about books, leave their comments and discuss their thoughts with me! I hope among them I will find new friends and I won't ever regret the decision I've made about launching this blog.

xx