WORLD BOOK NIGHT 2014

I am a massive bookworm ,books have been my saviour in many dark times in my life but also something that fill me with joy .I love books always have and always will ,libraries make me feel calm amongst all the hectic bustle which is life .I love how through books Im able to live many lives and experience lots of things right in comfort of my own home .Books have the power to make u laugh ,cry ,smile and challenge your thoughts.  I have been reviewing books since early this year and am now very lucky to be getting sent review copies  and this has helped my cloudy head by giving it a focus 🙂

So with all my passion for books and reading I applied straight away to be a world book night giver and chose to give out one of my favourite authors books . I was very pleased and excited to be accepted and even more so when I got my big box of books ! I was like a kid at Christmas!!

The event was Wednesday 23rd April 2014 ,due to me having kids I gave my books out during the day and the rest of that week .I sent some to some friends and twitter followers ,gave to mums  at school ,mums at gingerbread gathering even at the hospital a&e department .

I felt very honoured and proud to be explaining the event and giving these books as I felt I was sharing my love for books and it gave me  a boost .

Hope all who took part and those who received books enjoyed 🙂

 

BOOK REVIEW .THE LIST BY JOANNA BOLOURI

Phoebe Henderson may be single but she sure doesn’t feel fabulous. It’s been a year since she found her boyfriend Alex in bed with another woman, and multiple cases of wine and extensive relationship analysis with best friend Lucy have done nothing to help. Faced with a new year but no new love, Phoebe concocts a different kind of resolution.

The List: ten things she’s always wanted to do in bed but has never had the chance (or the courage!) to try. A bucket list for between the sheets. One year of pleasure, no strings attached.

Simple, right?

Factor in meddlesome colleagues, friends with benefits, getting frisky al fresco and maybe, possibly, true love and Phoebe’s got her work cut out for her.

I was very lucky to have won a signed copy of this via twitter ,I was thrilled as had heard great things about it .I read it in one day resulting in me staying up way past my bedtime !

This book is absolutely hilarious , with some parts I really laughed out loud too. However there were parts that made me feel quite choked up and made u hope that phoebe got what we all want …a  happy ending 🙂 I loves the characters in this book especially Oliver ,I was swooning after him .

The style of the book being in a diary format was really refreshing and enjoyable to read .

Go and read this ,I promise it will be one of the funniest if not the funniest book of 2014 you will read.

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Book review a place to call home by Carole Matthews

In the dead of night ,Ayesha takes her daughter ,Sabina ,and slips quietly from her home ,leaving behind a life full of pain.Boading a coach to London ,all Ayesha wants is a fresh start .
Hayden ,a former popster ,has kept himself hidden away for years.hes only opened up his home to two people -crystal,a progressional dancer with a heart of golf ,and joy ,an ill tempered retiree with a soft spot for waifs and strays .
When crystal asks Hayden if Ayesha and Sabina can stay with them ,he reluctantly agrees and as different as they may be ,they quickly form an unlikely bond .So when enemies threaten their peaceful home ,they will do all they can to save it and each other .

I love Carole’s books that I’ve read before .
This book is beautiful and emotional and brought me close to tears more than once .Its a subject close to my heart and was amazing to watch AYesha grow and flourish and the impact she had all each character was so important .
Her daughter Sabina is like a wounded bird trying to find her feet again .
The character crystal is loud and brash ,the complete opposite to Ayesha however they help each other out to become new women .

This is a story of heartbreak and pain but also love and hope .
A beautiful powerful read .

BOOK REVIEW -SEARCHING FOR SOMEDAY BY JENNIFER PROBST

 

Kate has given up on love – at least for herself. She is both blessed and cursed with the ability to sense a romantic connection between two people – a gift that her family has passed down for generations. When Kate launches her own matchmaking company, Kinnection, with her two best friends, she has to put aside her own romantic disasters to make her business succeed. When a furious man stalks into her office and accuses her business of being a scam, Kate is given the ultimate challenge to prove herself. Slade puts himself in her hands and asks Kate to prove she can find him love. Enraged at his arrogance but stubbornly eager to prove herself . Kate agrees, dedicating herself to the journey of finding him love…only to find herself falling  for him along the way.

 

First of all a big thanks to Kate over at hotbed books for sending me this as my first ever book to review for them .Thing is now any following books have got a lot to live up to as this book is brilliant .

The cover entices you and its so cute as a pocket size which make it all that easier to carry in handbag. Even though the book was small the writing was still a good size.

I  loved everything about this book the storyline which has a magical twist ,the characters and the steam that seemed to be leaping from the pages !

I finished the book feeling quite sad I didn’t have slade in my living room as I fell in love with him and how he made Kate feel 🙂 There were some moments reading on the bus I had to shield it from nosey onlookers ,im  sure it brightened up their day .

I could really relate to both characters and their attitudes to love and life and its so interesting to read how their paths cross and watch what happens .

It makes you think is there such a thing as a soulmate ??

A brilliant hot sexy clever book

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy every day??!!!

So I took part in a little something called 100 happy days challenge where for 100 days you have to write something positive and happy with a picture.Ill b honest I did think my god that’s going to be difficult as let’s face it it’s soo much easier to moan and groan .we all do it and before you know it it’s hard to be positive .
As someone who suffers with mental illness I was really up for this challenge .
It was really interesting to see other
People’s pics and what made them happy .
There were some days I did forgot so did it the next day . And some days were harder than others .
However it really did make a difference on making myself pick even one small piece of happiness .

Go ahead and give it a go 🙂
I’ve included a few of my latest pics x

BOOK REVIEW THE ACCIDENT BY C.L.TAYLOR

you took my child .Now I’ll take yours ….

Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she has to face a very dark reality .
Retracing her daughters steps she finds a horrifying entry on charlottes diary and is forced to head deep into her daughters private world .in her hunt to discover the truth ,sue behind to mistrust everyone close to her and is compelled to delve into the murky depths of her own past .
Sue will do anything to protect her daughter .
But what if she is the real reason that Charlotte is in danger ?

Wow ! I have just finished this amazing book and feel like I havnt breathed for about a hour ! This book grabs you straight away and like Sue you don’t know who to trust and what is the truth? I loved having the diary accounts they added extra depth and danger to the book .

When I found out that the author wrote this in the midst of pnd that caught my attention . You can feel the anxiety in this book but it’s remarkable it’s been used to write a story !
It’s also been highly recommended by fellow book bloggers .

Can’t rave enough it’s dark gripping and will keep you guessing to the very last page !

wtf?????????????????

Excuse the title but this was my thought at about 2pm this afternoon. I had been happily enjoying my easter sunday kids were happy ,everyone was chilled and I was cooking dinner .Then bing my phone sent me a  facebook notification saying I had a friend  request from my adoptive mum????????? This woman  has not spoke to me since  I was 17 and im now 31 so do the maths .

I have had a mixture of emotions all day mainly confusion and anger . I felt completely out of sorts and knocked me for 6 .Its partly because of her im as much of a screw up as I am .I have major self esteem and rejection issues .Im still seeing a counsellor as a result and find it very hard to let anyone in to my life often pushing people away .

The thing is it may  not be her as there was no photo and I don’t know if that makes it worse that someone may find that funny?

I needed a hug today and instead I was faced with Estelle back from week at her dads with a scowl .

So of course in true Charlene way I took it out on her .

I feel like I really want a quiet happy life but there’s always something ! I am exhausted  in every way .

Of course I messaged this person resulting in no answers really .

So Easter Sunday was a mixed bag for me and don’t quite know how im feeling .

 

Book review skeletons by jane Fallon

Jen has discovered a secret .its not hers to share ,but is it hers to keep ?
If she tells her husband Jason ,he might get over the which but will he forgive her for telling the truth ?
She might drive a wedge through their marriage .
If she tells someone else in Jason’s family-the family she’s come to love more than her own -she’s not only tear them apart but also find herself on the outside :she’s never been one of them ,after all .
But if she keeps this dirty little secret to herself ,how long can she pretend nothing is wrong ?how long can she live a lie?
Jen knows the truth -but is she ready for the consequences ?

As far as I remember I don’t think I have read any of james books before .this really caught my eye with the colourful eye catching cover and knowing it was about family secrets really intrigued me .

I found the book slow to start with and I think it did drag a little bit .However the storyline was really good and something that could easily happen to any body especially to a family that in the surface looks perfect . I’m terrible for that comparing my life to others and I think this book shows do we ever know what’s really going on behind closed doors?

This book makes you think what would do with a big secret ? It shows the impact of a secret being revealed and shows the complex issues surrounding families .

A book that makes you think about morals .

BOOK REVIEW -TINY ACTS OF LOVE BY LUCY LAWRIE

Surviving motherhood? It’s all about having the right support network.

Lawyer and new mum Cassie has a husband who converses mainly through jokes, a best friend on the other side of the world, and a taskforce of Babycraft mothers who make her feel she has about as much maternal aptitude as a jellyfish.   Husband Jonathan dismisses Cassie’s maternal anxieties, but is he really paying attention to his struggling wife? He’s started sleep talking and it seems there’s more on his mind than he’s letting on. Then sexy, swaggering ex-boyfriend Malkie saunters into Cassie’s life again. Unlike Jonathan, he ‘gets’ her. He’d like to get her into bed again, too…   And on top of all her emotional turmoil, she also finds herself advising

a funeral director on ghost protocol and becomes involved in an act of hotel spa fraud, never mind hiding cans of wasp spray all over the house to deal with the stalker who seems to be lurking everywhere she looks. Marriage and motherhood isn’t the fairytale Cassie thought it would be. Will her strange new world fall apart around her or will tiny acts of love be enough to get her through?

I was asked to review this by Sharon over at shazsbookboudoir.blogspot.co.uk   I had seen few people discussing it on twitter but had no idea what the storyline was. I knew I liked the cover and in all honesty it’s not what expected …but in a good way! I was expecting a very light easy chick lit which I adore but from first page I knew there was more to this book than a happy ever after.

From the first couple of pages I instantly connected with the main character Cassie who has just returned home from giving birth to her first child. I felt like the words on the paper could have been from a diary of mine when I was in those first few days and weeks after the arrival of something small yet so huge!

So I already knew I would enjoy this book as I felt a genuine connection.

The book explores emotions that maybe some other books are scared to. Its funny, thought provoking and very real!! Becoming a mum is hard and this book shows how hard and how much of a upheaval to your life this small arrival has.

I whizzed through this book in one day and will remain with me as a book that put into words some of the difficult emotions I felt as a first time mum.

Thanks Sharon for letting me be a guest reviewer.

 

 

unexpected guest this easter ……

Well I say guest but he lives here lol.I was supposed to have my monthly break this week with both kids packing their bags and visiting their dad. However that didn’t happen because for some reason their dad my ex likes to be awkward and play games .You name it he does it and I have no idea why only to annoy me and make my life difficult. If truth be told he has made my life difficult since I was 17 and when he starts I get emotionally and physically drained  often leaving me feeling utter useless and fed up .I get cross at the fact he still has soo much effect on me but when it involved my children its hard not to get annoyed .

So in true Charlene fashion my body is starting to get run down with possible water infection and a sty and general tiredness. The break I get when they are at ther dads I use to rest and sleep and be Charlene s with lynx being here I cant do that .

Of course I adore him being here and tbh I think he’s happier here because he feels safe loved and secure and I also am probably the only person who gets him because of his autism .However id be lying if i didn’t say realising I wasn’t having a break made me feel fed up and question a lot ??  and then of course in true mum fashion feeling guilt about having those thoughts and feelings .I had to cancel several plans which left me feeling frustrated .

We are enjoying our quality mummy and son time and its very chilled .We have laid in because unlike his sister lynx lays in! lol  we went swimming ,have watched dvds ,baked ,read stories ,been to the park and today went to see THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 !! its amazing. We have a few other plans lined up though lynx would often rather stay in all day I know the benefit on both of us to get out . Tomorrow we are seeing my sister and her mum (complicated ) and im looking forward to that adult interaction !!!

I will leave it at that despite having lots to say mainly coz right now I need a bath and read 🙂

Hope you are having great Easter holidays 🙂