A Novel Idea

It is all about A Novel Idea these days, stemmed from a pub brainstorm session trying to come up with a bookish hashtag.
The story: a few weeks ago I entered a competition with Mira Ink who are looking for a freelance resident blogger for their YA audience and others in the book world alike.
I entered the first round, excited to have a chance to write a blog post talking about books, but standing out enough from just a standard book review, not thinking.much else of it - or maybe slightly trying to ignore the thought of getting through to not panic myself!
But I made it through to the top 10 into round 2 - this time to make a book video! The thought of sitting in a room talking to a camera about why I love books and should be picked sounded both terrifying but also bit boring. I wanted to do things abit differently, inject some of the creativity into it. Plus the task is to make it as viral as possible across social media and let's face it, noone is going to want to share a video of me talking. I knew I had to make something that people would want to share simply for itself rather than just because I begged them to. And so after a long think about what books meant to me and why I love them so much, my video took shape and a few books tied in trees later, it is done and out there on the big wide web!
I've managed to get to an amazing over 500 views in the past 4 days, but still with 6 days to go I am not slowing down, I have some truly amazing friends and family who are putting all their efforts into sharing it but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve to hopefully get the edge.
Can you tell how much I want this yet?
Check it out for yourself and please share, comment, like or contact me! I'm using the #anovelidea on Twitter along with the MiraInk #blogink one and you can tweet me on @Emzfinn. Let me know what you think, or maybe just what books mean to you?

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2H-1YAHlY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Blood Shadows - Lindsay J Pryor

Blood Shadows is an amazing novel by Lindsay J Pryor, the first of the Blackthorn series.

Summary: "For vengeance - would you trust a vampire? For justice - could you betray your family? For love - are you ready to question everything you believe in? Gifted with the ability to read the shadows of 'third species' beings, Caitlin Parish is the Vampire Control Unit's most powerful agent. Despite that, her mission to hunt down Kane Malloy - a master vampire - comes with a death wish. Many have tried, but few have survived. For Caitlin, tracking Kane is about more than just professional reputation. With her parents both mysteriously killed 7 years apart to the day, Caitlin knows that without Kane's help she is next. She has four days to make a deal with the wicked, the irresistible, the treacherous Kane Malloy, The vampire who despises everything she stands for, Or die."

Living in a paranormal world where humans and vampires along with other 'third species' are in opposition; the humans rule and have Vampire Control Units keeping in line those who don't follow suit. Alongside this is the journey of Kane and Caitlin, him vampire and her human. They both have their own missions and a time limit so they have to work with, and against, each other in order to get revenge for their loved ones' deaths. The book plays with the idea of loyalty to one's own species and how quickly that can be compromised in different situations. It opens a whole world of things to come giving you just enough to understand what is happening but leaving you with this curiosity of wanting to know more and what is going to happen in the next book. It also tests resistance of physical, sexual and emotional desire, you watch as the characters fight against themselves and each other to resist these desires, which makes them that even more tempting. This story is definitely just the beginning and I think it is going to turn out to be a really amazing series.

One of the things that makes it a compelling read is the spark between Kane and Caitlin, it has enough passion and heat that you can really believe it and you can feel the depth of love between them, whether they fight it off or not. It is the kind of depth that made other popular paranormal books like Twilight so compelling, you want to fall in love just like they do. I liked how fun and fierce both characters were, they played off each other in their battles for power and fearlessness, trying not to let the other overtake them but as you are given the story from both perspectives throughout you get to really see inside their heads to know how they really feel and how they perceive each other. There are constant sub-tones of things to come; darker, more political social wars between species and their greed for control and power. Definite intriguing hints of dark, even deadly drama to come in the series.


I found it was written really well and an easy read which kept me hanging on to each page. I literally could not put it down! It combines what I wanted to happen with enough curve balls to make it unpredictable and make me want to find out how it all resolves in the end. I really enjoyed it and am already looking forward to reading the sequel!

Never Judge A Book By Its Movie

I don't know about you, but as a book lover, movie adaptations never quite live up to the books. I am one of those people that goes to see a movie of a book I've read and will spend the whole time comparing it to the book - "the book did this..." or "that didn't happen in the book!" are usual things that get whispered to the poor person next to me who came to the cinema with me.

I don't do this to be snobby or geeky about story-lines  but it is genuinely true, the book is better. Maybe it is because there is so much of the 300 odd pages that you can find into a 90 minute film, or maybe the fact that when I read my head creates an image and I don't want to see a different version of that image. I get attached to stories when reading and so when that is given to me in a different image, I get even more attached to the original image I created. I mean that's the point of reading write? Creating that world inside your head from the words on the pages.
That is also why I will generally refuse to watch the film until I have read the book, if I want to read it. This does mean I always miss out on seeing the films I want to when they're in the cinema, but it pays off in the end I'm sure. If I watch the film first it then takes alot to make me read the book. Not only do I know what is going to happen, but the image is already given to me visually so I don't get to delve into the book as much and create my own world from the words.

This view though, I've found, is only ever shared by book lovers. Those that don't read as much aren't normally as bothered by the book/film differences, they can just watch/read it for what it is - which could be considered a blessing in some ways. Many a story line has been massacred by the films. Twilight for example is a good, if not cliche example to use. I actually found the books really quite amazing to read, even if paranormal isn't my thing. I read all 4 books within about a week, taking them with me everywhere and reading in every spare moment kind of thing. I was entranced by the romance of it all. But the film ruined it for me - not only did it create crazy, obsessed teen fans swooning over the characters to over extremes, but I found that the performance on screen lacked the same kind of passion and love that was portrayed in the books. I know that books are easier to convey emotion and thoughts as you can write in narrative whereas on screen it has to more visual and dialogue but it never seems to quite hold the same magic that reading a book does?

I have however found a few films that live up to the standards set by the book. 'One Day' and 'Time Traveler's Wife' both conveyed the magic and romance told in the story and the choice of actors/actresses were excellent which really brought the characters to life. The only film I have found so far where I have preferred the film to the book is 'The Notebook' surprisingly! I think the book is very good and I would recommend it but it does follow a slightly different route to the film. I think because the film has become quite iconic in its own right, slightly separate from Nicholas Sparks' novel that actually I was quite surprised how different it is from the book. But in all honesty my favourite bits of the film: the 'if you're a bird, i'm a bird' scene for one isn't even in the book! I was both surprised and impressed at the screenwriters for putting such beautiful scenes in that enhanced the story even more.

I think this is a situation that is never going to be resolved for me, the book will (almost) always be better, but then I would pick a book over a film any day, that's what you get for being a aspiring publisher. I like films, but I like watching them in isolation without the books, in order to appreciate them, rather than constantly comparing every word or action and I think that is how it should be.


http://ef64.tumblr.com/post/35801102133/never-judge-a-book-by-its-movie

50 Shades of Chick Lit

Posted on Tumblr: http://ef64.tumblr.com/post/35591732542/blogink

As a recent English graduate with an ambition to work in book publishing, I’m pretty sure I could talk about books all day, in fact I know I can and almost certain it’s what I do spend most of my time talking about. One thing that’s always a debate in literature circles as well as between other readers and those beyond is that of the credibility of ‘chick lit’. I like to say that I am well read (but what reader doesn’t?), I alternate between the current award-winning authors and debut novelists still finding their feet, from absolute classics to the unknown stories that make the heart race and the emotions flow at each turn of the page. However, there is nothing wrong with picking up a romance book in between all of these, a typical ‘girl-meets-boy and falls in love’ story -the kinds of stories that have been deemed ‘trashy’ or a bit of ‘girly fluff’.

In my last semester of university I chose to take a ‘Contemporary Women’s Writing’ module, which is taught by one of the most feminist tutors you could imagine – the angry-at-men-all-the-time kind of feminist - and one day she asked if any of us read chick lit. Out of a class of 15 girls, I was the only one to put my hand up. It has become a taboo - how dare I when studying a module that hates on how belittled women are in literature, read books that promote the women as the man-seeking, happy ever after type? Spending three years studying literature classics, reading a bit of light-hearted fiction is a pleasure. I’m not brainwashed, I understand that sometimes it has to be taken with a pinch of salt, I don’t compare every relationship to the latest romance novel I’ve been reading, but surely at the end of the day it’s a bit of escapist fun? Plus maybe it does convey some reality to it? – Some people do have that fairy tale ‘happy ever after’, some of these books are the most realistic, down to earth stories in the fiction world which make them so relatable and so easy and enjoyable to read. Anyway, where’s the harm in a little light fantasising on the tube home every day?

I don’t think there is anything wrong with chick lit and I think the stigma attached to it is well overdue a re-evaluation. It has become such a massive part of today’s publishing market and there is always demand for the new books from the likes of Sophie Kinsella or Marian Keyes. These are the type of books that women do discuss over coffee, at book clubs, or pass on to each other in the group. These books are becoming an increasing social point amongst women and at the end of the day, if it gets people reading then it is always a good thing, no? Even if it has to be the likes of 50 Shades of Grey!

'The Last Letter From Your Lover'

Once again my posting has fallen behind. It has been an intense summer - having finished my degree, leaving Leicester and moving back home, then graduation and then my amazing Interrail trip around Europe for over a month! It's been abit non stop but I have loved every minute of it! And even better I have managed to read so many books. I loved my degree and the reading choices attached to that (well most of them!) but it is such a relief to be able to read anything now and I'm making the most of it. The problem I seem to have these days is just purely so many books that I want to read all at once and just not enough time in the day!
I am also 52 books through my 100 books Goodreads target for this year, so I've got to speed up and get reading!


I doubt I would have time to review all the books I have read over the summer, especially the ones on my Kindle while I was traveling, but I thought I'd kick off this post by talking about the book I just finished reading today, one that I bought on Kindle with view of reading it across Europe but not having time to. Jojo Moyes' 'The Last Letter From Your Lover' was simply amazing.
I have read Me Before You by Moyes and 'The Last Letter...' has always been on my must read list since it was published, so I knew it would be good but there was something about it that just made it stick with me.

Goodreads summary: "It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply "B", asking her to leave her husband. Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper's archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie's search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance."

I found myself wanting to shout at the characters in the book, so they would do what I wanted them to - stop ruining their relationships and start seeing clearly and following how they really feel (to name a few). I found I sympathised with Jenny's husband Larry for a large proportion of the book having to endure his wife's lack of attention and sympathy towards their marriage, but then when you get introduced to the sheer depth of her love to Boot and how Larry becomes distasteful and a bully towards his wife it suddenly all falls into place and you love the characters you are supposed to and you empathise with all her actions, which just breaks your heart even more so when things don't go the right way.
It definitely became one of those books for me that every time I had to stop reading (during commute train-changes:having mastered the art of reading and travelling across busy stations or at the end of my journey) I was disappointed and wanted to get back to finishing it to find out how things worked out.
My only real criticism of the book - whether it is a Kindle layout issue or just in general, was that I found the transitions between 1960's before and after the accident were quite interchangable and it took me a while until Boot was introduced to realise that they were different times. A more distinguishable time shift would've been helpful, but I got to grips in the end!
I really enjoyed the book and I will definitely seek out some more Jojo Moyes books and recommend this one to as many people as I can so we can discuss it!



I think what makes this such a fine novel is how Moyes manages to completely capture the true essence of the love story and as the modern journalist Ellie falls deeply into the story I felt I did too. Even though I have no real connection to the story - I'm not living in the 60's or part of a adulterous married relationship or anything of the sort, I somehow felt like I could relate to every part of it. I think Moyes has written a true love story, based around the romanticism of the old fashioned love letter.

It's been a long time since I've written a blog post but my past few months have been solidly taken up by revision and final assessments. It's been good to finally break out of the constant 9-6 in the library every day doing revision and essays. Nervous about how they turned out and how it may have impacted on my final degree grade, but I'm relieved that it is all over. Very weird thing to say, after three whole years: My degree is over! Now I just have a few weeks left in Leicester to make the most of being a student and the best thing of all: I get to read books I actually want to read! For fun! With no guilty feelings! What more could you want?

I've started reading loads of books - maybe to combat the lack of it for so long, now reading as many as I can, all at the same time - so I'll try and make my way through some reviews and tweet about them! It's good to be able to read all the time when I want to, although I'm finding I've been so busy getting things together and catching up on fun things post-exams that I've not had as much time as I'd like!

I've also been pre-occupied with sorting out my summer Interrail trip across Europe. Although it needs to be booked up (in the next few days), the trip has been basically planned and it's so exciting! It feels a lot more real  now we've planned it. We're going to: Paris, Cannes, Pisa, Rome, Naples, Florence, Verona, Venice, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Krakow, Prague, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Brussels.
So many places! Going to be the most amazing month ever! I've spent months having to suppress all thoughts about what to pack and what to buy and where to go, but now my finals are over, I now get to go shopping and get super-organised! Although by the looks of things, everything I liked/wanted seemed to disappear from the shops now I'm actually able to buy! Overall it's going to be so amazing, the trip of a lifetime and it's all coming together now! The next important bit is to decide which books to take on my Kindle to read! Hopefully there'll be plenty of time on the train journeys to get some reading in!

It's going to be so so good! Summer is here!

Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams - Jenny Colgan

Wow! Having read Jenny Colgan's Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe before (which is also an amazing read, especially for cupcake lovers like me!) I knew that I would really enjoy this book as I love her style of writing. It's been sitting on my shelf itching to be read, so I finally allowed myself to! and wow!
I think it is plausible to say that I was engrossed from page 1 and have barely put it down since (unless required with much begrudging).

"Were you a sherbet lemon or chocolate lime fan? Soft chewy ones or hard boiled sweeties (you do get more for your money that way)? The jangle of your pocket money . . . the rustle of the pink and green striped paper bag . . .
Rosie Hopkins thinks leaving her busy London life, and her boyfriend Gerard, to sort out her elderly Aunt Lilian s sweetshop in a small country village is going to be dull. Boy, is she wrong.
Lilian Hopkins has spent her life running Lipton's sweetshop, through wartime and family feuds. As she struggles with the idea that it might finally be time to settle up, she also wrestles with the secret history hidden behind the jars of beautifully coloured sweets.
Welcome to Rosie Hopkins Sweetshop of Dreams, a novel, with recipes." (goodreads)

The story itself from afar, at first, seems predictable: city girl moves to sleepy village unwillingly, eventually falls in love with the place, dumps useless boyfriend and falls in love with the man of her dreams, but it is told with such magic that you sit on the edge of you seat wondering if that is how it is going to turn out. You really have no idea until right at the end what is going to happen! I found myself torn between wanting to cry over what was going wrong and screaming at Rosie to not go back to London or leave the man she truly loves!
It sounds exaggerated, but it really isn't!

It's such a wonderful book that offers endless (or not as many if you read it as quickly as I did) hours of escapism and really draws you into such a wonderful story that you don't want to leave! All the characters are so beautifully crafted that even the horrid ones you just have to love! As emotional and romantic as it is, it is also really funny! Don't underestimate the humour in a chick-lit! I found myself frequently chuckling outloud! Especially when Edison says he has a stigmatism and that and wearing glasses means he'll be super clever (my mum believe it as much in my case with my stigmatism!).

Jenny Colgan has really captured the beauty of a story, especially one about sweets! And has really gotten into the minds (and hearts) of those fond, english childhood memories of old fashioned sweet shops!
Not to be read without a bag of sweets of this kind though!!