Hugo and his magical inventions.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Rating: 5 out of 5 hearts
525 pages
Released: April 2007
Buy it @ book depository

ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

Review 

This isn't just a book, it's an experience! The pictures and story are so absorbing, it transported me straight to Paris 1930's. I love when a book doesn't end when I finish it, it inspired me to want to know more about cinema during that era. At the end of the book in the credits & acknowledgements the author gives you websites where you can find more information. I had fun learning all about the first movies.

I saw 'Hugo' the movie and I adored it! I watched it before I read this which I think it would've been better if I had watched the movie after reading the book because I knew the mystery behind the mechanical automan and I would've loved to see the pictures come to life! I will definitely watch it again since I've read the book. 

Now that I have read this I would like to read 'Wonderstruck' to see what it's like. I loved how the illustrations told the story at times. One of my favourite instances was when Hugo was running from the station inspector through the walls of the train station. I really felt the tension and turned the pages so quickly to see whether he got away!

I recommend this to people of all ages. It's a story of finding yourself, overcoming loss, making friends & having your dreams come true! 

On the cover

Isn't it beautiful! The moon plays a part in this story and the cogs & gears look like a hot air balloon. The border reminds me of a theatre curtain like I'm getting ready to sit down and watch a show.

What I'm reading next: Amber House by Kelly Moore

Yummy Lolly Nails ~ Whimsical by Revlon

I love Revlon nail Polish and I've been wanting this one for ages but have never been able to find it in the shops. So I went to trusty eBay and found a fairly cheap one for sale.

Whimsical #430 is a very light blue jelly like nail polish which it is extremely sheer. It would be perfect for layering over nail polishes to give them that something extra. It has baby blue and pink hex glitter as well as smaller pink hex glitter pieces and even tinier iridescent blue glitter spread throughout.

I decided to put three coats over a white nail polish & pink nailpolish as you can see in the above picture.
I think this would look really pretty over a baby blue nail polish which I might try another time.
The amount of glitter you get each coat is quite good and it's easy to move around the glitter with the brush.

I named these my Lolly nails because they look so edible and sweet don't they? Overall I do like this polish and I think it will be a favorite of mine.

Do you have a favorite Revlon color?

Wickedly boring

Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars




 When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences, leaving a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and spontaneous seduction.







Review: Firstly, let me say the first book in this new series released by Janet Evanovich was really enjoyable. I don't know what went wrong with this one. Was I in a different mood when reading the first one or have I simply read better books since then and this just doesn't make the cut?

It's been two years since Evanovich released the first book and I read it around that time and I can't really remember much of the quality of the book. I did notice I gave the first book 4 out of 5 stars, then why was this one so bad for me? Don't get me wrong it was fun at times and made me laugh but the story was lacking in excitement. I'm used to a book building up the suspense and giving you tastes of what is to come. This on the other hand moved quickly but it all felt too easy for the characters. There weren't any bumps in the road or anything getting in the way of our heroes from achieving their goals. Ok, there were two evil people trying to find the treasure but it never felt like they were in the way and they could be overcome quite easily. See what I mean about it being easy. This book is all about finding clues and figuring them out to move onto the next step in finding your treasure but each clue was figured quickly and simply and then everything was wrapped up nicely at the end of the book - too easy!

Will I keep reading this series or just stick to Stephanie Plum books? I don't know, Evanovich has always delivered a quick book with lots of laughs and a good old mystery but I'm a little let down by this one. So if you're looking for an exciting thrill ride brimming with romance and huge cliffhangers, look elsewhere because for me it wasn't in this book.

If you would like to read my review for the first book "Wicked Appetite" click here

On the cover: I love the font and the cover does stand out with it's bright blue and green but why didn't the book feel as magical as it looks.

What I'm reading next: Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston

Have you read the Stephanie Plum series? What do you think about this new series?

Books I'm pining for! 9/9/12

"Books I'm pining for" is a feature for new and old books that I want to read. So I thought I would share with everyone these books and to find out what books you are pining for. Enjoy!

Saving June by Hannah Harrington
"‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going, California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again."

A friend of mine has raved about this book and I found myself a copy for only $5! So I'm looking forward to this one not only because it was a bargain but because it should be sad and romantic and all those things that make a book good.

The Knife of Never letting go 
by Patrick Ness
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

I've heard a lot of good things about this book. It sounds weird and wonderful.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Fairies, destiny and romance - yes please! Such a pretty cover too.

Endlessly by Kiersten White
Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands.

So much for normal.

This is the final in one of my much loved series. Evie you are awesome and it will be sad to say goodbye to you in this last book.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

How cool does this sound? Dangerous creatures and a main character named Puck, very cool! I enjoyed Maggie's series "Wolves of Mercy Falls" so I know I'll like this one. 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First sight
by Jennifer E. Smith
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

This sounds like a cute, flirty and fun romantic story. What an interesting title too, the whole cover sucks you in.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgentern
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

This has been on my radar for a while now, ever since the cover caught my eye in the book store. But the story sounds amazing, after reading 'Water for Elephants' I've been in the mood for another good circus story.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

How can you not want to read this book after simply reading the title and seeing that cover, It makes you want to find out more. It seems very quirky and maybe even heart warming.

That's it! What books are you pining for?