Becky's Book Reviews

In which a lovely friend of mine confesses why she’s not big on lending her books out to other people… because let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than someone who does not return the book that someone lent to them. Thanks lovely SAHedgehog (not her real name obviously)   Disclaimer: This post was also featured on Women24.com   I don’t like to lend out my books. I don’t believe that makes me a terrible person but it isn’t something I’m wildly proud of. When I was 12 I lent a book to my bestie who (when I asked for it back) told me she’d lent it to a friend of hers. I know it has been almost 2 decades but I still remember the mild flutterings of panic for my Sweet Valley Twins book that was lent out without my permission. Yes I got it back and the friendship continued smoothly. I’m not THAT awful. But fast forward to adulthood and I’m a very hesitant book lender.  Years ago a work friend e-mailed me asking to borrow a book and hinted heavily at my prized Marian Keyes coll...

Welcome to another mini book reviews edition of my blog. For this section of my blog, I usually feature reviews of books that don’t really require them – books bought, books I’ve borrowed from friends and books I’ve taken out at the library. Because they’re not must-review books, my format of these mini reviews differ in that I don’t work the summary into my review in my own words; instead, I feature the Goodreads summary, followed by a few thoughts on my reading experience. In today’s mini reviews feature, I share my brief thoughts on Glimpse by Kendra Leighton. Glimpse summary from Goodreads (published in 2014, by Much-in-Little, an imprint of Constable & Robinson) Liz just wants to be normal. Her life is anything but. Seven years ago Liz lost her mother and ten years' worth of memories. When she inherits the infamous Highwayman Inn, she hopes the move will be a fresh start. Then she meets Zachary. Zachary who haunts her by night and in dreams; who makes her question everyth...

Today I’d like to welcome author Natalia Jaster to my blog today.  Natalia, who is the author of the recently released YA novel, Touch (which is a retelling of the Eros myth), is here to talk about how she went from writing fanfiction to writing original fiction. Now as a self-proclaimed fanfiction junkie, I have to admit that when she first contacted me, the first thing I did was go and search for her on Fanfic (because that’s what we readers do, right? I’m not a stalker Natalia – I promise). If you, like me, are a Hunger Girls, fan – you should definitely go check out her profile and stories on the site – they’ve been getting some amazing reviews.  Now you’d think that because one write’s fanfiction, it would be easy to write fiction, right? Not so, she says.  Which is why, in today’s guest post, she tells us a little more about her transition and what it was like to take a fanfic story she’d written  and transform it into something that would become Touch, her de...

A seductive and imaginative urban gothic fantasy novel that warps the world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and transforms it into a world that you’ve never known before. Disclaimer: A shortened version of this review also appears on Women24.com , a South African women's lifestyle website where I manage, amongst other things, an online books section. Splintered by A.G. Howard (Published by Amulet, an imprint of Abrams & Chronicle Books) Alice in Wonderland – a delightful little classic that saw many of us take an imaginary trip into a world filled with all sorts of fantastical nonsense.  It’s a world in which most of us can easily envision ourselves living in; and one where stumbling upon a tea party is an everyday occurrence. This, however, is not that book.   While Splintered certainly pays tribute to Alice in Wonderland, the book takes it one step further. It pays homage to Alice Liddell - the girl who originally inspired Lewis Caroll’s classic. If I had t...

Hi book lovelies So, a huge, huge thank you for those of you who entered the Fangirl giveaway.  Given all the lovely responses, I would send you each a copy of the book if I could, but alas… that decision doesn’t fall to me. Without further ado, the winner of the signed copy of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl as well as the Fangirl necklace is:   Munira Hoosain , whose response to my question (Which book have you recently been fangirling over) was as follows: I've been fangirling over Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy! It has mind-blowing magic systems, unforgettable characters and breathtaking fight scenes. The plot twists are unexpected and provide all the feels. The books are 700+ pages long but you don't notice the length until you finish it and give your arms a break. It's an excellent YA high fantasy read. Congratulations Munira! You have 48 hours to send me an e-mail with your details (tammybell78(at)gmail(dot)com, thereafter which another winner will be chosen shoul...