books – Bibliophile Book Club

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hi guys,

I’ve got some more mini-reviews for what I’ve been reading lately!

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

The accident that killed Eddie left an indelible mark on Annie. It took her left hand, which needed to be surgically reattached. Injured, scarred, and unable to remember why, Annie’s life is forever changed by a guilt-ravaged mother who whisks her away from the world she knew. Bullied by her peers and haunted by something she cannot recall, Annie struggles to find acceptance as she grows. When, as a young woman, she reconnects with Paulo, her childhood love, she believes she has finally found happiness.

As the novel opens, Annie is marrying Paulo. But when her wedding night day ends in an unimaginable accident, Annie finds herself on her own heavenly journey – and an inevitable reunion with Eddie, one of the five people who will show her how her life mattered in ways she could not have fathomed.

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

I really liked The Five People You Meet in Heaven when I read it so I was eager to check this one out. And while it was still a nice read, I found it to be less enchanting than the first one. I think I just wanted more Eddie because he was such a pillar in the first book. That being said, Annie’s story is still a good read, and I liked how it was all interwoven. I think if you loved the first book, you’d enjoy this one!

Snapshot

Anthony Davis and his partner Chaz are the only real people in a city of 20 million, sent there by court order to find out what happened in the real world 10 days ago so that hidden evidence can be brought to light and located in the real city today.
Within the re-created Snapshot of May 1st, Davis and Chaz are the ultimate authorities. Flashing their badges will get them past any obstruction and overrule any civil right of the dupes around them. But the crimes the detectives are sent to investigate seem like drudgery – until they stumble upon the grisly results of a mass killing that the precinct headquarters orders them not to investigate. That’s one order they have to refuse.
The hunt is on. And though the dupes in the replica city have no future once the Snapshot is turned off, that doesn’t mean that both Davis and Chaz will walk out of it alive tonight.

Snapshot by Brandon Sanderson

I found the premise of Snapshot really clever, but I felt like I never got into it properly. I liked the idea, and its a short book, but it fell a little flat for me. I really wanted to enjoy it, especially as I had never read any of Sanderson’s work before. But I think I’ll be sticking to the sci-fi/fantasy side of his stuff.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

I decided to start re-reading this series because I haven’t read them since they came out, and I wanted a little comfort reading. I can honestly say I loved this as much now, as I did when I read it the first time. It is magical, heartwarming and a really great start to the series. I love it as much now, and I can’t wait to read all of the others!

Loyalty

Don’t look back. That’s where the danger lies.

With Grace left reeling from choosing between Hayden and her family, she knows she needs to accept her decision.

Meanwhile as the youngest leader of Blackwing, Hayden is coping with the demands placed on him to keep the camp alive. Can he protect his friends from their violent rivals? And should he trust himself to do the right thing?

Demand loyalty. Protect your family. Trust no one.

Loyalty by Megan DeVos

I am loving this series. It has so much action, and I love the relationship that is developing between Grace and Hayden. There is a lot of “sexy-tension” (thanks to Ellen, this phrase will always make me laugh!), and in a way, it reminds me of Bella and Edward in Twilight! There is so much more going on than that obviously, but I enjoy watching their dynamic changing as the series progresses. I am eager to read the next book in the series as I find I CANNOT put these books down when I start them!

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hey guys,

I’m back again with another batch of recent reads for review. I swear, I’ll get back to fuller reviews soon, but this is really helping me clear the backlog of books…

I think! 🙂

The Gods of Love

Meet Frida: divorce lawyer, cynic and secret descendant of the immortal love god Eros. She’s about to have a really bad day . . .

When a handsome but clearly delusional man named Dan bursts into Frida’s office and insists that she is fated to save the world, she has him ejected faster than you can say ‘prenup’.

But a creepy meeting, a demon or three and one attempted kidnapping later, Frida is beginning to face the inconvenient truth: Dan is in fact The Oracle, the gods of Greek mythology are real and Frida herself appears to be everyone’s only hope.

The world is doomed.

I had seen this one popping up on social media, and Ellen had read it too so I figured I would give it a shot. I actually enjoyed it more than I expected! It is a super fun read. It reminded me of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it was. Anyway, yeah it was definitely a quirky read, with some unexpected turns in the story. I would happily pick up book 2 whenever its out!

The Gods of Love by Nicola Mostyn

World After

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what’s left of the modern world. When a group of people capture Penryn’s sister Paige, thinking she’s a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige.
Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels’ secret plans, where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can’t rejoin the angels, can’t take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

Ok. So I loved Angelfall. It was a cracking opener to the trilogy and it set everything up really well for the subsequent books. Enter World After. I got about halfway into it and it just kinda got stuck. I found it lost pace, and there was a lot of focus on lesser characters, when all I wanted was Penryn and Raffe! Less explosive than Angelfall, but it was still an ok middle for a trilogy. I will definitely be buying book 3 because I need to know what will happen with these two characters!!!

World After by Susan Ee

Night School

Jack Reacher is having a bad day.

It would be a dumb idea to make it worse.
Reacher sees a West Point class ring in a pawn shop window. It’s tiny. It’s a woman cadet’s graduation present to herself. Why would she give it up? Reacher was a West Pointer too, and he knows what she went through to get it.

All he wants is to find the woman.

He’ll have to go through bikers, cops, crooks, and low-life muscle.
If she’s ok, he’ll walk away. If she’s not … he’ll stop at nothing.

Best advice: stay out of his way.

I love the Jack Reacher series of books, and The Midnight Line was no exception. Reacher is like a dog with a bone in this one. Spotting a West Point Class Ring in a pawn shop while on a bus rest stop, he wants to know who owned it and why it was pawned. So begins a story that ticks along slowly, unfolding layer by layer until we are presented with the unexpected towards the end of the story. I really enjoyed The Midnight Line, it was a great story and it kept my attention. Not quite the Reacher of old, but still a goodie all the same!

The Midnight Line by Lee Child

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (aka Confessions of a Shopaholic)

Meet Rebecca Bloomwood.

She has a great flat, a fabulous wardrobe full of the season’s must-haves, and a job telling other people how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time … shopping.

Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The letters from the bank are getting harder to ignore. Can Becky ever escape from this dreamworld, find true love, and regain the use of her credit card?

I was eager to read a non-crime book, and this one was on my TBR for ages. I actually love the movie, so I was interested to see how different (similar) they would be to each other! I’m not going to lie, I spent a lot of the book comparing it to the movie, so I can ony imagine what I would have been like if I went about it the other way around! I definitely enjoyed this one. It was light-hearted, fun, and it definitely catered to my shopaholic heart. Although I am not as bad as Becky, thankfully! I actually went and bought the others in the series after finishing this one, so its safe to say I enjoyed it!

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Ok! That’s it until the next batch. If I have time, I have a couple of actual reviews to get done so keep an eye out for those too!

Until next time, happy reading 🙂

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hi guys,

I’m back again with the next batch of reviews, and these are all books I have read in the past couple of months. I actually think I’m up as far as August now so YAY! 🙂

Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth

Half Boy. Half God. ALL Hero.

Honestly, blowing up another school was the last thing I wanted to do.

As the son of a Greek God, I’ve had my share of near-death disaster – and now my arch enemy Luke wants to invade our camp via an ancient labyrinth.

If he succeeds, thousands of bloodthirsty monsters will attack. So it’s goodbye sunshine, hello darkness as four of us descend into the terrifying underground and beyond . . .

So I ploughed through these, begging the library to get them in if they weren’t available on BorrowBox and I’m so glad I did. These books are just so much fun, I love the relationships between the characters, and I really enjoyed the plot in this one. Plenty to keep me turning the pages and it made me eager to read the final book in the series!

Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Angelfall

It’s been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Including making a deal with the enemy.

Angelfall had been on my kindle for ages and in need of a change I picked it up one night to read. I was hooked immediately. I feel like I’ve gone through a thing of reading about fallen angels, as Laini Taylor has angels in her books too. And before either of these series, I hadn’t read any! Angelfall was a great opener. Chock full of action, avenging angels, the odd bloodbath, genuinely tons of stuff to keep me reading. I was so glad I had book two waiting for me as well because this one ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. Definitely recommended!

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian

Most people get presents on their sixteenth birthday. I get a prophecy that could save or destroy the world.

It happens when you’re the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea.According to an ancient prophecy, I turn sixteen and the fate of the entire world is on me. But no pressure.

Now Kronos, Lord of the Titans, is beginning his attack on New York City. And the dreaded monster Typhon is also heading our way. So it’s me and forty of my demi-god friends versus untold evil . . .

I was so sad to get to the end of these books. Honestly, it left me a bit bereft because I had devoured them and become wholly invested in everyone’s fate. The Last Olympian was a fitting end to the Percy Jackson books though, and while there are no more of his exploits to read, there is a TON of other books in the Camp Halfblood universe. I can’t recommend this series highly enough, for both kids and adults. Wildly entertaining, and with real heart, these are books that have so much going for them that it’s hard not to love them!

Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Hold Back The Stars

Ninety minutes.

A few years from now, not too far in the future, two people meet.

It is a classic story of boy meets girl.

Except that it’s not.

When we find them, they have an hour and a half left.

Unless they can save themselves, they won’t survive.

The clock is ticking.

Hold Back The Stars confused me a little if I’m honest. I enjoyed it, but I kinda got lost a little bit on the way. I know loads of people have read this and loved it, but I think that because I got lost I found it hard to stick with it. But I did. And it was a lovely story.

Hold Back The Stars by Katie Khan

Have you read any of these? Would you? Let me know 🙂

Recent Reads Rapid Reviews

Hey everyone,

I’m back with the next batch of super speedy reviews, and I’m still catching up so I think these four books were read back in June. It feels like AAAAAGES ago!

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Queen of Flame and Fury, was murdered before her eyes. Ten years later, Theo has learned to survive under the relentless abuse of the Kaiser and his court as the ridiculed Ash Princess.

When the Kaiser forces her to execute her last hope of rescue, Theo can’t ignore her feelings and memories any longer. She vows revenge, throwing herself into a plot to seduce and murder the Kaiser’s warrior son with the help of a group of magically gifted and volatile rebels. But Theo doesn’t expect to develop feelings for the Prinz.

Forced to make impossible choices and unable to trust even those who are on her side, Theo will have to decide how far she’s willing to go to save her people and how much of herself she’s willing to sacrifice to become Queen.

I really enjoyed Ash Princess. I borrowed it from the library as I had seen it pop up on BorrowBox a couple of times so figured I’d give it a go and I’m glad I did. It’s got strong characters, an interesting and twisty plot and I found it really engaging. It’s a YA fantasy book, and it kind of reminds me of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas’s books, so of course I was hooked early on. Definitely recommended if you enjoy these authors!

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

‘I’m still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.‘

Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind’s last hope. Until Darrow discovered that it was all a lie, and that the Red were nothing more than unwitting slaves to an elitist ruling class, the Golds, who had been living on Mars in luxury for generations.

In RED RISING, Darrow infiltrated Gold society, to fight in secret for a better future for his people. Now fully embedded amongst the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his dangerous work to bring them down from within. It’s a journey that will take him further than he’s ever been before – but is Darrow truly willing to pay the price that rebellion demands?

I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t love Red Rising. It was only ok for me, but boy oh boy did Golden Son redeem that! I was sucked back into Darrow’s world, and I was absolutely blindsided with how things went in this one. There is so much going on, lots to take in, but I was absorbed in this one compared to Red Rising. I loved Golden Son, and I am dying to read Morning Star to find out what happens next. Highly recommended if you’ve not read it already!

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Blood Lines by Angela Marsons

How do you catch a killer who leaves no trace?

A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn’t add up.

When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.

Desperate to catch the twisted individual, Kim’s focus on the case is threatened when she receives a chilling letter from Dr Alex Thorne, the sociopath who Kim put behind bars. And this time, Alex is determined to hit where it hurts most, bringing Kim face-to-face with the woman responsible for the death of Kim’s little brother – her own mother.

As the body count increases, Kim and her team unravel a web of dark secrets, bringing them closer to the killer. But one of their own could be in mortal danger. Only this time, Kim might not be strong enough to save them…

Angela kindly sent me a copy of Blood Lines as I was playing catch up with the DI Kim Stone books so I was eager to read it! Not only does it bring back one of my fave baddies, Dr. Alex Thorne, but it’s chock full of tense moments! So much so that I actually had to put this book down for a couple of weeks before I could finish it. It was absolutely brilliant though, and I’m looking forward to reading the next books in the series!

Blood Lines by Angela Marsons

Percy Jackson and The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

Half Boy. Half God. ALL Hero.
It’s not every day you find yourself in combat with a half-lion, half-human.
But when you’re the son of a Greek God, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a Goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.
Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive . . .

Another rip-roaring read here. This series is just so much fun that it’s impossible not to enjoy them while reading. I love Percy and this book was no exception. Witty, fast-paced and with plenty of monsters to fight, the Titan’s Curse was another brilliant read. Super fun for children and adults alike!

Percy Jackson and The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

So that’s it for now. I’ll have another one of these posts up soon as I’m still working my way through the backlog of books to be reviewed! The joys of taking a break 😂

Until next time, happy reading 📚

August 2018 Book Haul

Hi guys,

So I’m a couple of days late with this one as I didn’t want to schedule it over the weekend, and today seemed like the best time for it to go out!

*For any of you who don’t know, this is where I list the books that have made Bibliophile Book Club their new home in the previous month. The books are usually bought books, ARC’s sent from publishers, Netgalley review books and just basically any books I get go on here.

So without further ado, here are the books that I’ve added to my shelves and Kindle over the last month:

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
The Magicians Guild by Trudi Canavan
Sleeper by JD Fennell
The Good Son by You-jeong Jeong
Loyalty by Megan DeVos
Revolution by Megan DeVos
Broken Falls by Derek Flynn
Before Her Eyes by Jack Jordan
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Anarchy by Megan DeVos
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
King of Assassins by RJ Barker
Cracked by Eliza Crewe
Unnatural Causes by Richard Shepherd
Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K Rowling
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling
Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince by J.K Rowling
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling
The Witch of Salt and Storm by Kendall Kulper
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
For The Missing by Lina Bengsdotter
That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger
The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
Safe by Ryan Gattis
The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveinstrup
A Version of The Truth by B P Walter
The Other Side of the Wall by Andrea Mara
Private by James Patterson
Heart of Mist by Helen Scheuerer

June and July Book Haul 2018

Hey guys,

So I didn’t realize this until a week ago, but I didn’t actually do a June book haul. I’ve decided to do this month and last months haul in one post because of that, so it may look big, but it’s only because they’re together 🤣

For anyone that doesn’t know, this post is a list of the books that I’ve gotten during the months of June and July. It includes Netgalley, bought books and proofs that were sent to me. Also, this one includes all the books that I got while I attended Theakston’s Crime Festival at Harrogate recently. I’ll do a separate post about attending Harrogate when I get the chance but as it’s school holidays, I don’t know when that will be!

Without further ado, here’s what I’ve gotten since June 1st…

Nightflyers by George RR Martin
The Thinnest Air by Minka Kent
Mageborn by Stephen Aryan
The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly
Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan
And So It Begins by Rachel Abbott
Blood Lines by Angela Marsons
Overkill by Vanda Symon
Resin by Ann Riel
Believe Me by JP Delaney
A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni
A Thousand Perfect Notes by CG Drews
Light Years by Kass Morgan
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark
The Bitter End by Ann Evans and Robert D Tysall
Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
The Murder of Harriet Monkton by Elizabeth Haynes
About A Girl by Lindsay Kelk
Too Much Time by Lee Child
Ink by Alice Broadway
The Tall Man by Phoebe Locke
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Ravencry by Ed McDonald
Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghard
Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (ebook)
The Afterlife of Walter Augustus by Hannah Lynn
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo
The Bastard Legion by Gavin Smith
The Bastard Legion: Friendly Fire by Gavin Smith
Rosewater by Tade Thompson
Aftershock by Adam Hamdy
The Sisters of Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
One of Us by Craig Di Louie
Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Mort by Terry Pratchett
A Killer’s Mind by Mike Omer
Snowblind (ebook) by Ragnar Jónasson
Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
The Hangman’s Hold by Michael Wood
After The Fire by Will Hill
Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard
Foe by Iain Reid
The Edge of Sanity by Chris Thomas
The Puppet Show by M. W. Craven
A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay
Past Tense by Lee Child
All That Remains by Sue Black
The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett
Match Up edited by Lee Child
The Devil’s Claw by Laura Dearman
Hydra by Matt Wesolowski
The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste
Palm Beach Finland by Antti Tuomainen
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
To Catch A Killer by Emma Kavanagh
Him by Clare Empson
The Lost by Hanna Jameson
The Secrets You Hide by Kate Helm
The Dangerous Kind by Deborah O’Connor
Degrees of Guilt by HS Chandler
Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allen
Jess Castle and the Eyeballs of Death by MB Vincent
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

I’m sure I have other photos somewhere, but I cant find them this morning! 🙂

Have you read any of these books? Would you read them? Do let me know in the comments section!

Until next time…

May 2018 Book Haul

Hi guys,

So I’m a few days late with this one as I had a couple of things on the blog, and today (Monday) is a bank holiday here too so I just didn’t get a chance to do up the post until now.

So without further ado, here are the books that I’ve added to my shelves and Kindle over the last month:

Pressure by Betsy Reavley
Lorali by Laura Dockrill
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas*
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas*
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas*
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
Shattermoon by Dominic Dulley
Adrift by Rob Boffard
The Island by M. A. Bennett
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp
The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
The Dying Detective by Leif G. W. Persson
I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
84K by Claire North
Safe by Ryan Gattis
The Call by Peadar O’Guilín
The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Endless King by Dave Rudden
Noirville Anthology by Various
Problems by Jade Sharma
Skin Deep by Liz Nugent
Rhyming Rings by David Gemmell
Hidden by Emma Kavanagh
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Nemesis by Brendan Reichs
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
After He’s Gone by Jane Isaac
Absolution by Paul Hardisty
The Party by Elizabeth Day
The Last Librarian by Brandt Legg
The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
The Gods of Love by Nicola Mostyn
Dead is Better by Jo Perry
The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
You Saw Too Much by Adam icholls and Jay Nadel
The Extinction Trials by S. M. Wilson
Cause To Kill by Blake Pierce
The Priest of Blood by Douglas Clegg
Trust No One by Anthony Mosawi
The Puppet Show by M. W. Craven
This Is How It Ends by Eva Dolan
Bermuda by Robert Enright
First We Make The Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson
The Devil’s Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch
Pond Scum by Michael Lilly
Sabriel by Garth Nix
World After by Susan Ee
The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
What She Left by T. R. Richmond
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Unrest by Jesper Stein
A Man of Shadows by Jeff Noon
Broken Bones by Angela Marsons
Seven Bridges by LJ Ross

So, there you have it. A bigger haul than usual, but some beautiful books in there. Have you read any? Would you read any? Do let me know in the comments!

Until next time…

🙂