Goodreads Challenge 2016

Hi guys! Happy New Year!!!! With a new year comes a new reading goal with the Goodreads Reading Challenge. This year I am hoping to read 100 books . Last year I planned to read 100 books but exceeded that by reading 260 books which took me by surprise!  2015 was a year of reading a lot and listening to a lot of audible books . This year I listened to books more then ever before and I hope to continue that this year too. 

The first book I am reading this year is this book below by Ali Smith called Public Library. I can't wait! Books about books are really something I enjoy a lot. 

I have lots of exciting review books coming your way too for January , and so far it looks like 2016 is going to be an exciting reading year so keep an eye on here to check out what goodies I come across. But above all else I wish you a happy reading year and may you find many gems, go on many adventures and find many new characters to fall in love with. 

Xxxxxx

Edel

Happy New Year

To all my followers on here I wish you a safe and happy New Years Eve and a wonderful 2016 . May it be filled with everything you hoped for and more . Thank you to all those who read and leave such nice comments on my blog and I look forward to posting lots more in the new year. So with a few minutes left of 2015 I say lets make 2016 our best year yet! Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Underwater by Marisa Reichardt . Review

This is about a teenager called Morgan who develops agoraphobia after a hugely traumatic expierence in her life. We don't learn straight away what happened to cause this but we see what her daily life is like and the thought process she has around being agoraphobic. When a new family move in next door and the son tries to make friends with Morgan it opens up a while new world for her inside those four walls . Morgan begins to realise she has to face what happened in the past if she is ever going to have a future. This was an informative and believable story of mental illness and the many complex sides to it as well as the stigma and treatment . A great read for anyone interested in inspiring stories about mental health. 

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at Lovereading4kids.

This book is going to be published in April 2016 and will be available to be purchased from Lovereading4kids and all other good bookstores then. 

Below please find a link to this book on their website :

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/9781447287360/isbn/Underwater-by-Marisa-Reichard.html

Palace Of Treason by Jason Matthews . Review

If you enjoy books about espionage , or are a fan of James Bond then I think you will really like this high stakes thriller where backstabbing and double agents are just the normal every day life for these characters who are trying to gain information to protect their own government by having one of their rival agency people as their mole. The story is based around the CIA and  the Russian Intelligence Service and how each group are trying to gain information . The men and women they have on the ground are risking their lives daily to do this job and you have to wonder who would do this voluntarily ? Apart from being a thriller it makes fascinating reading imaging all these ordinary people doing these incredible type of jobs in real life even though the story itself is fiction . The main characters are Nate and Dominika , Nate works for the CIA and Dominika works for the Russian Intelligence . Both of these characters are high up their career ladders so their security/ access level is high. Danger lurks behind every corner in this book but friendship and love also have their place here too. Gripping reading!

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at Lovereading.co.uk .

This book is being published in January 2016 and will be available from Lovereading and all other good bookstores then. 

Below please find a link to this book on the Lovereading website:

http://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/15379/Palace-of-Treason-by-Jason-Matthews.html

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard . Review

This is the story of two friends , Caddy and Rosie . They have been best friends since they were children but they go to different schools. When Rosie meets a new friend at her school called Suzanne no one could have foreseen the path of distruction that would follow this beautiful troubled young woman . This new friend joining their little group alters the dynamic and many cracks begin to appear and the story takes us in a direction I was not expecting. Mental Illness, abuse and friendship are all tackled in this story with care , and very realistically . Suzanne is hurting a lot and she has good reason to be ,but my heart went out to this character , I wanted to wrap her in cotton wool and keep her safe from all harm.

I stayed up late into the night to finish this book and I am glad I did. The writing and the way the author makes you feel for these characters is truly inspiring. I loved this book. 

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at Lovereading4kids.co.uk

This book will be published in February 2016 and will be available from Lovereading4kids and all other good bookstores then.

Below please find a link to this book on the Lovereading4kids website:

 http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/9781509803538/gd/Beautiful-Broken-Things-by-Sara-Barnard.html

The Reluctant Journal Of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielson. Review

This is a story about a young boy called Henry who has moved to a different place with his father . We don't know straight away why he moved or where his mother is or why Henry is in therapy , but we do know this boy is hurting. Moving into a new area Henry and his father are quickly introduced to their new neighbours , and at school Henry reluctantly makes new friends with some very cool nerdy kids , all these new people will prove beneficial to his new life no matter howuch he fights it. The story is heartbreaking and at many times bittersweet , seeing the results of bullying from a different angle is enlightening and thought provoking. Henry uses his own mechanisms to cope with stressful situations and we see how others cope with mental illness too making it easier to understand this illness that often has a stigma attached to it. I would recommend this to anyone , especially anyone who needs to read about an inspiring character who is stronger then he realises . 

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at Lovereading4kids. 

This book is going to be published in Februray 2016 and will be available from Lovereading4kids and all other good bookstores then .

Below please find a link to this book on the Lovereading4kids website:

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/9781783443666/isbn/The-Reluctant-Journal-of-Henry-K.-Larsen-by-Susin-Nielsen.html

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins . Review

This story is set in an alternative present day and begins in a luxurious home where we begin to meet the main characters Luz and Ray. They begin a journey in search of water and answers through much changed America. Sand and dry barron areas surround them and there is a real sense of isolation and a feeling of worlds end while reading this. There journey seems hopeless but they come across a toddler called Ig who they take care of and bring with them so the three of them become the most unlikely travel companions . There was a real dream like quality about the story , but it was easy to imagine a world where it could alter so much ,that humanity would have to alter its way of breeding  so the human race could continue and there would be new leaders and life would be forever changed. Definetly an intriguing book for all dystopian book lovers . 

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at Lovereading.co.uk

This book is going to be published in February 2016 and will be available from Lovereading and all good bookstores then. 

Below please find a link to this book on the Lovereading website.

http://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/9781784292867/isbn/Gold-Fame-Citrus-by-Claire-Vaye-Watkins.html