Paper Cut Outs by Raz Rix Review!!

Hi Readers,

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas (if you celebrate it). I'm sorry this post is so late, it's just been a busy time and I have been ill from some kind of bug (before anyone says anything).

Anyways I was sent this book for review (which I was happy about). It sounded just like something I would enjoy, so I was like yes please I would love to. So this is my honest option about Paper Cut Outs by Raz Rix.

This book is about a teenage girl called Teagan, who is having a lot of feelings and emotions and just wants to escape everything (I think we can all relate to this or at least most of us can). Whilst some relationships get stronger or form and others fall apart and they grow further apart all whilst dealing with and finding herself after two tragedies have happened in her life.


First I do want to say I did enjoy this book, but from the blurb, I was expecting it to touch more about how the heart-breaking tragedies that have affected Teagan but it was more skimmed over. It was more focused on her friends and their friendships and her experimenting with smoking and her new friendships and feelings she has always had for her brothers best friend, which is fine if you like that kind of thing but there could have been more to the story then just that.

There were parts of the book that I was really gripped in and didn't want to put it down and the relationships between her friends and their group dynamic were interesting and how they interacted with each other was good.

The thing is I feel the target audience with this is probably teen and if you want to push it YA, I would still be interested to read other works by Raz Rix as I did enjoy it, but I think the problem was that I may just be the right target for this particular books and has nothing to do with the writing or the author herself.

   Best Wishes

and 

 Keep Reading

Stacey the BookWorm 

Autunmn reading suggestion!

Hi, Everyone 

Today I am going to do more of a type of books to read than a specific book. I found this easier to do than deciding on individual books as there are so many that are good and suits the category I will be including a one or two individual books but the rest will be with a picture of a book that will suit the individual category that I own or have read. 

The first book I am going to suggest is: 

Autumn by Ali Smith  

Well, this is an obvious choice and perfect for this topic, it says right there in the title of the book and I am sure a lot of you have either heard of this book or have read it. It is the just the essence of Autumn with some good descriptive sentences with defines the autumn scene well, which plays the backdrop to a love story told through Autumn.

The next is a series which has been extremely popular which is:

Harry Potter series by J.K Rowlins 

Well, you could really read them and time of the year, but there is nothing better than snuggling up with a Harry Potter book and a nice hot chocolate or any hot beverage of your choice and getting stuck into the world of Harry Potter and all the characters. It is always an amazing journey no matter how many times you re-read them as many many people do. 

The next type of book I'm going to suggest is:

Vampire/Supernatural 

This is a taken that these will be included in my suggestion as this is the best time to read them seeing as Halloween is in Autumn, Which for obvious reasons involves vampires and the supernatural things. There are plenty of these about for you to enjoy. You don't necessarily have to go down the Twilight route. 

The next Type of books I am going to talk briefly about kind of goes into the supernatural category, but I thought they could have a part all to themselves are:

Ghost stories 

I just thought ghost stories are perfect for these dark nights and snuggling up to read maybe even with a lamp and some candles on to get the whole atmosphere going. There are some amazing ghost stories out there for any age as long as you like a bit of a scare, I guess you could find some that are not so scary as well if you're not into scary things or what to try a different kind of ghost story.

The Last suggestion will cover a huge amount of books but they are:

Thrillers/Horror

I know a lot of people read these type of books this time of year as it is the perfect time of year to do so things get dark earlier and the weather turns cold and raining. It just feels like a good setting for these reading this kind of book and there are many different authors who write thrillers and horror books and they have their own section in bookshops. I personally do enjoy a good thriller especially crime thrillers or psychological thrillers.  (I guess crime books could be added to this list)

I hope this post is not too late for an Autumn reading suggestion I guess some could be used for Winter suggestions they could be interchangeable.

I hope you enjoyed reading my little post 

         Best Wishes 

      Stacey the Bookworm 

Book Review: Happier Thinking by Lana Grace Riva

Hi, Bookworms

Today I have a book review for you, it is a bit of a different kind of book then what I tend to blog about but I am very happy to make that change.

The book in question is to help you to Think Happier it's not a book that once you read it you will feel happier than you  have before it more of a give you a few tips that have helped the author Lana Grace Riva think happier and become a happier less anxious person and have less negative thoughts because lets face it we have enough to deal with in life without these negative thoughts keep popping up uninvited.

This book has some good tips and tricks to help you, more so if you are beginning to experience the negative thoughts and being a bit down on yourself affecting you for the first time or if like me just needing a little reminder of the things the a can help you and make a difference in your life and change the way you think.

It is written in a friendly and easily understandable way, which I loved and enjoyed reading it definitely made me feel like I am not the only one that feels like this and also the friendly way it was written was like the author was your friend or someone you would comfortable around.

There are some good and easy to follow tips and tricks in the book that have definitely helped me in with keeping the negative thoughts away of late and making me less hard on my self as there is always a positive spin you can put on the negative thoughts or situation the caused the negative thoughts or something else that is positive that you can focus on instead and often things are not as bad as your brain tells you it is.

I would definitely recommend this to others or friend who needed this kind of book. I am happy I read it and enjoyed the read to happier thinking.

Happy Reading 

Stacey the bookworm 

  

Summer Reading Challenge Week One

Hey Guys,

I am here today to tell you about my first week of the Summer Reading Challenge that was put together by Janay at https://janaybrazier.blogspot.com/ and she so kindly invited me to join it. which of course I was very excited about.

So basically the Summer Reading Challenge is in two parts the first being to read 6 books in 6 weeks. These can be any books from any genre and any book you like there is no set reading list, it's totally up to you what you read, Ideally from your library but doesn't have to be. It's to support locally library's as there are some wonderful ones around that don't get used enough.

The second part is a 24-hour readathon that is to raise money for the charity Rays of Sunshine it is a charity that grants wishes for children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have serious or life-limiting illnesses. If you would like to find out more or if you would be kind enough to donate, please click on this link www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rosreadathon

So back to what I read for the Summer Reading Challenge this week was (drum roll please)

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, I do have to tell you that I loved this book and highly recommend it. 

It's basically as a general round up a story where there are two love stories going on, but it is more complicated than just that, plus the story touches on anxiety in a very well written way, as one of the many characters has it and it shows how it affects her and how she copes with it and it all happens when they are at a convention in the U.S and the main characters are from Austraila. 

It is very much a character driven book, which I loved and made the story what it is amazing (or it is in my eyes). 

I am thinking of doing a more in-depth review of this book if you are interested then let me know somehow, please as I like to know what you would like me to write or you find interesting 

Best wishes 

Stacey the bookworm 

  

    

Brooklyn by Colm ToIbin Book Review

Hi Readers, 👋

Just so that you know this is my first Colm Toibin book, I have been interested in picking up one of his books and reading it. So I found this one and it sounded interesting and based on a time period I am interested in, but rarely read anything from that time period which is 1950.

This book takes place in Ireland, which is one of the reasons why I picked it up. The main character is a young girl called Ellis Lacey, like a lot of young girl in Ireland there were not many opportunities and work was hard to come by. So Ellis decides to move to Brooklyn where there are more work and opportunities. Ellis knows that she must go and leave her family and life behind for the first time.

When she arrives she gets very homesick, thinking of everything that she has sacrificed, living in a crowded lodging house, but just as she is starting to form friendships and possibly more. She suddenly gets news that she must go home, taking her back to Ireland which confronts her with a terrible dilemma, a choice between duty and a great love.


I did really enjoy this book and found it very interesting and made me keep wanting to come back to it, to find out what happens next. There were some nice character development in this story and focuses on the main character's point of view of the situations and what is going on in her mind. I really highly enjoyed this book it was a very good read. This being my first Colm Toibin book I will not be my last (I have actually already got another one). I have already passed this book on for someone else to borrow and read. I guess that means I would recommend this book to others.

I rated this book 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best Wishes 

and 

Keep Reading

Stacey the bookworm 

  

Why I Dont Do TBR'S!

Hey!

I was just wanting to do too have a little chat about why I generally don't do TBR's. There are a few reasons why I don't do them and It is in no way saying that they don't work or are a bad idea because they are not just different things work for different people.

One of the reasons I don't have a TBR list is because, I find that often I would make one and feel I have a good selection of books that I am interested in, but I might finish a book and feel like I want to read a completely different genre, then the books I have selected or I don't feel so interested in reading the books on my list and feel like reading something else. Which often does happen if I like it or not.

Another reason is, If I don't read all the books on my TBR list then I have this feeling of guilt or that I have let myself down. Which I haven't If I have chosen something else to read just means my taste at the time has changed or I am more interested in another book at that particular time, which is obviously fine.

There is also the added pressure of getting through and reading all the books you do say you are going to read in that period of time. Which is not always doable, as life does sometimes tend to get in the way or you may not feel like reading and forcing yourself to is even worse than just admitting that your just not feeling it. Sometimes it can be a case of just feeling the book or books you thought you'd enjoy or want to read, but feel that you have to finish it as it on your list too. Which just puts you off reading altogether. Your best of switching books or just taking a break when that happens.

So those are the reasons why I don't hardly make TBR lists anymore.

Please feel free to share your reasons why you make them or why you don't in the comments

Until Next Time 

Happy Reading 

Stacey the Bookworm 

Reasons Why Reading Is Important

Hi, Everyone

Okay, today I thought I would talk to you about the importance of reading.I'm not saying you have to read I'm not going to  forcing a book down your throat forcing you to read it, I am just saying that maybe there might be some good reasons to start reading or encourage your children (if you have them) to read.

1 Imagination 

When it comes to creating and thinking books are an amazing way to do this, they can take you to different places, different situation. That you can paint in your mind using your imagination and can take you anywhere you could think or hope to go and having a good imagination is important in storytelling and writing it can also help you with problem-solving, imagining different ways to solve the problem or thinking outside the box.

2. Focus and Concentration

Reading can really help you with focusing and concentrating on one thing at a time also it helps build up your focus and concentration the more you do it and get used to it the more it builds and develops (simple really). It can also help your body and mind to slow down and take a well deserved chill time.

3.Reading Improves your memory

Reading helps you to flex your memory muscle and in turn, will help you to build it up which is an added bonus if you ask me, which you probably never. Which actually helps to build up your long-term memory that always comes in useful. Since we are talking about reading and books it helps you to take in all of what the book is about.

4. Reading helps with Communication
Books and reading have a way of opening up another way to communicate and talk about different things to talk about especially if you read non-fiction or even fiction can strike up a conversation and develop your communication skills.

5. Entertainment
Books can be a very cheap and affordable hobby or interest, as you do not have to spend a lot on books there are many places you can get cheap or even free book! for example, the libraries, charity shops or car boots are a good place to start for cheap books, or people could give them away or gift them to you,  but try online for free books.

6. Language Development

Reading can be a great way of learning new words adding to your vocabulary and reading to young children helps develop their language skills.

7. Makes You Smarter 

Readers display a greater knowledge of how things work and greater vocabulary and language development. Plus if you read non- fiction then you will also learn new things and possibly some new skills.

So there you have it 7 reasons why reading is important at any age and it doesn't matter what you are reading as long as you are reading.

Feel free to share why you think reading is important and any tips and tricks you have.

Best Wishes 

and 

Keep Reading 

Stacey the Bookworm