2018: New year, new books

There are some brilliant books coming out this year. Some of these titles I found out about at YALC, others I've seen a lot of buzz about on twitter. All of them sound amazing. I've narrowed it down to a top six, and I'm going to post about two each week. 

 

The Belles 

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. 

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

Would you look at that cover? So pretty. I read an excerpt of this on EW a few months ago and I can't wait to read the rest. The Belles easily tops my list of most-anticipated novels of 2018. 

Everless

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

Another beautiful cover and a really exciting concept. It reminds me a bit of the film In Time, and I'm hoping Everless will be just as exciting. 

Best Books of 2017

It's the time of year for reflection and rest, ahead of what's shaping up to be a very busy January, so I'm taking a moment to look back on my favourite reads of 2017.

I really struggled to narrow down the 50 books I read this year into a top five, but here they are:

 

  

Crooked Kingdom One of the most amazing fantasy series I've ever read. I love all of the characters in Crooked Kingdom and the plot was just as exciting, fast-paced and emotional as Six of Crows.

Strange the Dreamer Laini Taylor tops my list of must-buy authors. The way she writes is beautiful. 

A Conjuring of Light Another fantastic conclusion to a superb fantasy series. 

The Hate U Give Easily the most important book I've read this year. I can't wait to see the film. 

Editing Emma So funny! At one point, I laughed so hard my husband rushed downstairs to check on me as he thought I was crying. 

2017 Reading Stats

This year, I read 51 books, totalling almost 20,000 pages.

The shortest book was We should All be Feminists and the longest A Court of Wings and Ruin.

I read four non-fictions books on writing and am part way through a fifth.

I still read more YA SFF than anything else (21 books) but I also read 9 adult novels this year, which is really high for me.

There were two plays: The Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts, so with a re-reading of Philosopher's Stone, there's been a fair bit of Harry Potter this year too.

Next year I'm going to try to read a few more classics and also keep increasing the number of adult novels I read, although I'm sure I'll still be reading more YA than anything else, especially as I got a kindle voucher for Christmas and there's a long list of YA novels I want to buy with it!

Christmas Books!

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you had a lovely time and have lots of brilliant things planned for the New Year. 

We had a book filled Christmas, so expect plenty more book reviews in the New Year, particularly picture book ones - we're loving the Baby University series at the moment with our 11 month old. 

I've waited so long to read Book of Dust, but this beautiful signed Waterstones edition was worth the wait - although I'm a little nervous about starting in case I spoil it in some way! 

One book I've not waited to dive into is A History of Magic, which has been amazing so far. I didn't make it to the British Library exhibition, so I'm enjoying getting to experience it through the book. 

Gilded Cage

Firstly, I would like to say that any novel which mentions the Isles of Scilly is a major winner in my eyes. The fact that some of the next book might take place on Tresco has me giddy with excitement.

The Britain of Gilded Cage is dramatically divided - skilled 'Equals' rule the lower classes, who are forced to complete ten years of slavery in order to become full citizens. Abi and Luke Hadley have just begun their slavedays, hoping to complete them as a family while they are young enough to survive. But family secrets, rebellion and magic mean their days are anything but easy. 

I loved the multiple perspectives this novel was written in; they weaved together so well and kept the pace of the story fresh and exciting. The world James creates was terrifying, but detailed and enthralling. 

There was a fantastic focus on sibling relationships and I looked forward to seeing these developed further in book two.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

I was lucky enough to pick up an early copy of the Loneliest Girl at YALC and I am SO pleased that I did - it is phenomenal.

Romy Silvers is the loneliest girl in the universe - until she finds out that another ship has just launched from Earth, one that's traveling fast enough to catch up with her.

I'm actually not going to say any more than that about the plot, because I think the less you know going into this, the more exciting you'll find the book. The Loneliest Girl is a gripping page turner that kept me guessing to the end - I made some big assumptions at the start of this novel which turned out to be completely wrong, and made watching the story unfold even more exhilarating. 

I felt Romy's loneliness quite keenly - this probably isn't a book to read when you're home alone, and is best saving for when you're with other people, otherwise it might bring you down a bit. The novel is character driven and Romy is a fantastic character to follow.

My mind was boggled by the message dates. James says at the end that she kept a spreadsheet to work them all out, and I think that shows just how detailed and brilliant the sci-fi elements of this novel are. Setting is so crucial to the plot of this novel and it's a while since I've read a book where that's the case - possibly not since Way Down Dark.

Everyone should read The Loneliest Girl - it is definitely one of the best books I have read this year. 

Faber Writing Academy: Plot

I meant to post this months ago, but it somehow got stuck in my drafts!

This summer, I took part in Faber Academy's Plot writing course, which is one of the mini, two month long online courses Faber offers. At £120 per course, Faber's mini courses are considerably cheaper than the longer, more intensive courses offered by Faber, Curtis Brown Creative and The Writer's Academy.

I decided to sign up for this course after reading a few articles on why people often forget to treat writing as a hobby, so feel guilty spending money on it. If I was into cycling, I wouldn't think twice about spending birthday money on a bike, or new kit. If I was a musician, I'd happily pay for instruments, lessons and sheet music. But for some reason I've always been reluctant to spend money on my writing. I'm trying to rectify this (and change my entire mindset on my approach to my writing) by investing in a few books on writing, a Mslexia subscription and this Faber course. 

I really enjoyed this course and it was a lot of fun to take part in, but you do get what you pay for. Feedback is provided by other members of the course (you can pay extra for tutor feedback) and you're mostly left to your own devices. Some of the participants didn't feedback on anyone else's work, which was a shame as I found leaving feedback was a really useful process and I loved seeing everyone's unique and talented responses to the tasks set. 

I thought the resources were brilliant and I picked up some really useful tips and tricks, which I'm using on my current WIP. I think taking the course has helped with my writing process and also stopped me panicking about some of the aspects of my writing I worried about previously. I've also been able to join an alumni forum to keep in contact with some of the people I met on the course. The daily email updates I get from the forum serve as a great motivator to keep writing.

Faber offers mini courses on character, research and setting for the same price. It's also worth pointing out that CBC now offer some great scholarships for people who would like to apply to one of their courses but can't afford them. You can find out more about them here.