Upcoming book tour

Good evening, bloggers,

I have some exciting/great news! Emlyn Chand (author and president of Novel Publicity) is hosting a book tour starting in October and I'm going to be one of the hosts! Emlyn sent me an advanced copy of her new book, Farsighted and I'm going to review it on my blog later on. The review/book tour is scheduled for November 19th so keep an eye on Books, Biscuits & Tea. ;)

All I can say is, it's going to be great.
In the meantime, here’s the live action book trailer to whet your appetite:

Booking Through Thursday #1

1. What do you think of reading aloud/being read to? Does it bring back memories of your childhood? Your children’s childhood?
2. Does this affect the way you feel about audio books?
3. Do you now have times when you read aloud or are read to?


To be honest, I don't remember being read to when I was a child. I know I loved books even in an early age but I preferred reading myself to being read to. Audio books are not my cup of tea either. The thing is, there's always something that distracts my attention from the text and I just can't concentrate. It might be a good thing if you're always in a hurry but you need to finish reading a text by a given deadline. Then you can listen to audio books while you're travelling to work, while you're cooking, etc. Although if you ask me, I would still prefer to pick up a paperback and read it instead of listening to a pre-recorded voice read it aloud, no matter how much of a hurry I'm in. It's just not my thing...

There are times when I need to read aloud (at university, for example) but I genuinely hate it. I don't like to hear someone speak while I'm reading, including myself. Mainly because - similarly to audio books - it's distracting. I can't concentrate on both reading out loud and paying attention to the story at the same time. I like to be in a quiet environment when I read - where no one's talking to me.

How about you? :)
Feel free to leave a comment with your BTT below.
xxx

Wishlist Wednesday #1

Wishlist Wednesday is weekly event hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper. The aim of this event is to post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our bookshelves.

So here's mine:

The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
 Synopsis:
In July 1942, thirteen-year-old Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of Nazi occupation, went into hiding in an Amsterdam warehouse. Over the next two years Anne vividly describes not only the daily frustrations of living in such close quarters, but also her thoughts, feelings and longings as she grows up. Her diary ends abruptly and tragically when, in August 1944, Anne and her family were all finally betrayed. "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank remains the single most poignant story to emerge from the Second World War, and her diary has come to symbolize not only the horrors of the Holocaust but the strength of the human spirit in adversity.

This book was added to my wishlist quite a long time ago but I've never had the chance to buy and read it. Up until now. I'm determined to lay my hands on the first available copy as soon as I can. I've always been interested in the WW2 era and judging by other people's reactions, it must be a page-turner. A shocking read, but a definite must.

What's on your wishlist? Feel free to leave a comment below. :)

Get to know me :)

Hello!

Just a quick note to let you know that I updated my About page and uploaded a few photos as well. :) Take a look at it if you have a second/ if you're interested. And once again, I'd like to thank everyone for making me so welcome ever since I joined blogger, for all your help and nice feedback, you're the best!

Vicky

Teaser Tuesday #1

What is Teaser Tuesday, you ask?

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly event, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Here are the rules: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. (You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your teaser from, that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!) Remember not to post anything that could spoil the plot of the post.

My current read: 

The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes.

Random page: 154

Two sentences: “Everyone assumed that Angeline had been an amoral floozy with no idea who’d fathered her child, but Fionn produced details and one phone call from the Pokey gardai was enough to conjure up Pearse Purdue. A beautiful man, in Jemima’s opinion.”

Feel free to leave a comment with the link to your own teaser! :) xxx

Musing Mondays (26 Sept)

Musing Mondays is a weekly event hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Each week MizB asks a book related question and bloggers answer with their thoughts about the given topic.

This week's question:

What does it take for you to give up on a book you’re reading?
 
I usually don't give up on books. I've always been quite open minded and patient enough to get through everything I started, although there are exceptions. The last book I simply had to give up was William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury.

The main reason why I just couldn't stand it was that it was compulsory. I had to read it for one of my classes at university, you see.  The thing is, I would have never chosen this book if I had a choice. When I have to read something I'm not interested in, I find it very difficult to get into it - however, it doesn't happen when I'm reading my own books because I'm pretty good at choosing something I like.

If the book and/or the characters aren't keeping me interested, I find it quite difficult to go on. I don't necessarily have to like them or be able to relate to any of them, but I do think that it's crucial to be interested in them and their development. You simply can't read (and finish) a book without being interested in what's going to happen next. If this vibe/interest is missing, I simply can't go on.

Also, many times it has something to do with pacing and the way the story is told. I don't like books with long (and by long I mean REALLY LONG) descriptive paragraphs -or even worse, whole chapters- about a place, a feeling, a colour, you name it. I like my books to include a great deal of dialogues and I like them to move along at a good pace, otherwise I get bored after a while. 

How about you? :)

Feel free to leave a comment with the link to your own post or your thoughts. Thanks! xxx

October '11 Read-A-Thon and Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

Whoop whoop! I just signed up for Dewey’s October Read-A-Thon!

What is the 24 Hour Read-a-thon?
It’s sort of a reading challenge, only everyone participates at the same time. For 24 hours, we read books, post in our blogs about our reading, and visit other readers’ blogs. We also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day and win prizes.

What is the date of the next Read-a-thon?
October 22, 2011, starting at Noon GMT.
If you’d like to participate in this challenge, click here. You’ll be redirected to Dewey’s blog where you will find the latest info on how to sign up and what to expect during the event.


There's another fabulous event I came across today, and it's the Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge, hosted by Book Chick City.

What is the Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge?It's a reading challenge during which you aim to read at least 12 mystery and suspense novels. It's the absolute minimum but of course you can read as many as you like!

What is the date of this challenge?
The challenge has been running since the 1st of January 2011 and it ends on the 31st of December 2011.


If you'd like to participate, make sure to click here or on the event's button on my sidebar.

In My Mailbox #1

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It's our opportunity to get a peek into what books everyone is receiving for review, borrowing from libraries, buying in bookshops and download onto eReaders.

I received two books this week - both of them are for reviews and I can't wait to get started. Here are all the details you need to know about them.

The Case of the Missing Deed by Ellen Schwartz

Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication Date: September 2011
Number of Pages: 200 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-959-7
Category: Action & Adventure

The blurb:

Five cousins are looking forward to their annual vacation at their grandmother’s cottage. None of them knows that this may be their last such summer. A mining company has set its sights on the land and is determined to seize it. Grandma must produce the deed to prove that the property is really hers, but her memory is not what it used to be, and she can’t find it. The children suspect there may be clues to the deed’s whereabouts somewhere in the family’s cherished trove of recipes. But can they solve the mystery in time?

And the second one was sent by fiction author Barbara Forte.

The Secret of Lies by Barbara Forte

Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: April 21, 2010
Number of Pages: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-1608444182
Category: Fiction

The blurb: 




Propelled by an insurmountable sense of desperation, Stevie Burke is recklessly abandoning home, husband, and outwardly contented life under cover of night; at last resigned to defeat in her long battle against the tortured memories of her past.

Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 - The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control - torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.

They both sound great - I can't wait to take a look at them!

That's what I got in my mail this week. What did you get? :) x

Now Reading.
   
     I finally managed to start the fourth title on my To Be Read list – The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes.

     Similarly to all of Marian’s work, it’s quite a long read – 613 pages plus it includes an exclusive interview with the author – but I’m sure it’ll be worth every minute. As far as I know, it has been Marian’s favourite book so far and the public absolutely loved it. Since I go to uni and don’t have much spare time during the week (that is, until Thursday evening – I don’t have classes on Fridays THANK GOODNESS!) I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to finish it but I’ll do my best.

     I’ll post a book review as soon as I manage to read it. Has anyone read it yet? What did you think? Did you like it? x

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie - Book Review

Author: Agatha Christie
Copyright: 1953
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0-00-712097
Pages: 317
Genre: Mystery

     Summary: At the beginning of the story, a certain Rex Fortescue (a supposedly rich businessman, leader of his own firm) is sipping his tea in his office when he suffers a sudden and very tragic death. After the police examines the body more closely, they found a handful of rye in one of his pockets… and no one knows what it is supposed to mean. After our -witty and reckless- murderer strikes again, Miss Marple comes to the conclusion that - similarly to what we have read in And Then There Were None - they are dealing with a crime by rhyme.

“Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Wasn’t that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?

The king was in his counting house,
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes;
When down came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.”

The police think Miss Marple’s suggestion that the criminal is following the lines of this rhyme as closely as possible is crazy. But they soon realize that once again, the elderly lady is right.

     A Pocket Full of Rye was the third title on my To Be Read list - I finished it relatively quickly despite the fact that I didn’t have too much time to spare.

As I mentioned in my previous review, I’ve been an avid Christie fan for at least 3 years now and I’ve read about 15 of her books, if not more. This book was probably not as good as my three absolute favourites, but I would still recommend it to everyone who is looking for a good read.

One of the things I really liked about this book is that it is not a long-drawn-out story. Unlike the Mystery of the Blue Train, for example, where the introductory chapters took up at least one third of the entire book, this one is pretty straightforward in this respect. What I mean is, you don’t have to wait literally ages until someone dies and this is already a good point. For me, introductory chapters tend to be rather boring so this one was great in this respect. Investigation is already in full swing right after the second chapter or so, keeping us all in suspense and making us guess who might have done it, as Christie’s works tend to make us feel all the time.

However, if you are a Miss Marple fan, I have to disappoint you. Although it is a Marple mystery, most of the investigation process is done by the police. As always, she holds the key to the whole business but she doesn’t get involved until the very end. The ending for me was a great surprise - a very witty and cleverly done business and I suspected someone else all along, I have to admit. (who wasn’t completely innocent either, that’s true)

To sum up, it is a well written work and is hard to put down once the first victim dies. You cannot help being involved in the story and keep investigating with Inspector Neele all along. I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

Rating:

4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie – Book Review

Author: Agatha Christie
Copyright: 1957
Publisher: HarperCollins
Includes: Exclusive cast interviews and photos
ISBN: 0-00-719101-4
Pages: 378
Genre: Mystery

From the back cover:

“For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman’s throat. The body crumpled. The the other train drew away.

But who, apart from Miss Marple would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses and no corpse.”

“A model detective story, there is never a dull moment. - The New York Times

“The suspense is agonising.” – Daily Mail


Featuring Miss Marple, the elderly spinster from St Mary Mead, 4.50 from Paddington is a definite must-read. Judging by its title, I expected the story to be set on a moving train, similarly to Murder on the Orient Express, but I was wrong. On her way to visit her friend Jane Marple, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder through the carriage’s window. Although she reports it to the conductor, the station master and even the police, no one seem to take her seriously. Except Miss Marple. But how can she solve the mystery when no one saw what happened, there is no corpse and no one is reported to be missing? She doesn’t give up, however. She firmly believes that what her friend saw did happen and she starts to investigate. She works out a theory where the body might be and who might be connected to the whole affair. Since she’s getting old and is not capable of as much physical work as she used to, she asks Lucy Eyelesbarrow to assist her in the investigation and sends her to the Crackenthorpe mansion, a place with dark secrets and a great deal of tension.

I’ve been a fan of Agatha Christie for about three years now but this book is definitely one of my favourites. If you enjoy a book that keeps you in suspense all along then 4.50 from Paddington is the perfect choice for you. It’s unique in the sense that it was the first (and only) time Christie would introduce a female ‘sidekick’ for Miss Marple. Lucy’s character and Miss Marple’s assistance is so brilliant that you can’t help getting involved in the quest to find the murderer and keep guessing until the very end. Warning: don’t read it if you don’t have much time to spare - it really IS unputdownable.

Rating: