An Evening With Laini Taylor

On Wednesday the 3rd of September my mother and I made our way to The Library at Docklands for an evening with the amazing LAINI TAYLOR author of the ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ Trilogy.

We caught the train in to the city seeing as I live in the outer suburbs and got off at Southern Cross train station. This happens to be a really pretty train station if you’re ever visiting Melbourne and it’s super close to Docklands which is extremely convenient! So we walked down to the library, which is not in such a convenient location but was none the less a wonderful library to discover. It’s only been open for 2 months and my initial impression was a positive one, it looks like a really great spot to find some good books and to just chill for the day, it’s just a shame that it’s so far for me to get to (an hour each way).

So we headed up the stairs to a large room in which the evening would be taking place, while queuing up to go in Laini Taylor was standing outside the room talking with some people and I approached her because I had this little balloon Karou made for her that I wanted to give her. She loved it! So I was happy, and then I introduced myself and she recognised me from a twitter post I’d posted in the morning and she had favourited. (Let me tell you there was some fangirling at my end when that happened). Which was pretty amazing, someone else then came up to get her photo taken and I went back to the que. In we went, my mother and I sat near the front on the left side, second row from the front in fact because the I’d forgotten my glasses and I wanted to be able to see.

Laini was introduced and then came in and talked about how ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ came into being. It was such a cool explanation and while I’d love to go in to detail about it I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who plans on seeing her in the near future or anything. I will tell you that as an aspiring writer it was incredibly inspiring and it was nice to know that even accomplished writers use prompts to get the creativity flowing. Laini told us about the various notebooks she keeps as well, with lists of words she likes or characters or story snippets etc, which is very similar to me. She was really interesting to listen to, very funny and she answered the questions with enthusiasm and a real sense of honesty.

I will tell you that I asked about the variations in the covers and if she had a preference. Just in case you weren’t aware sometimes a novel can be published by different publishers depending on the country which in turn affects the covers. In Australia more often then not the British covers are the ones released here and not the American covers. The American covers are the ones I have and can be seen earlier in this post. Anyway Laini was telling us how the authors don’t really have any say in the covers of their books, nor the title for that matter, which i was a little shocked to discover. She originally called ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone‘ simply wishbone however it turned out to be a old tv show about a dog that solved crimes. Anyway the publishers who put out the American cover were a young adult publishing house and therefore Laini considers them more YAish and feels they were more aimed at girls, her Uk publishing house is not Ya and so the covers are sophisticated and elegant and unisex in their audience which she loves. She said she loves both covers but it did sound as though the uk/aus ones might be more of what she imagined for her books.

I felt really special to be able to go to an event like this, it feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve been to an author event/signing which is such a shame. I remember going to a Mallory Blackman one in England but I must of been 10 so that was 11 years ago (gee time flies). The ya community is a large one on Instagram, YouTube and blogs and I know Australia is pretty far away from everything but it would be nice if more authors could visit us here! So thank you to everyone who made last night a thing and most importantly, thank you to Laini Taylor for not only writing these wonderful and magical books but for sharing a little insight to your world with us.

Toddles for now peeps!
Rebecca xxx

Dear Auntie Anne: The one where I explain

Hey fellow booknerdigans!

 

Rebecca here and I just wanted to give you guys a heads up to the layout my reviews will be following and a bit of an explanation behind the decision to write them as letters.

 

They will be addressed as letters to my Auntie Anne, because had she still been with us then I like to think I would have written to her anyway, in regards to the books I read and heres why:

Auntie Anne was a head librarian in Dorset, England, and was a lover of anything to do with books. She used to send my family and I books for Christmas and birthdays and they were always my favorite presents. Some would come signed, some would come with a note about how she’d met the author and together they’d deduced this would be a book we each would enjoy, some would be brand new out and she’d ask for our thoughts.

 

My mum always took us to the library as children and as a result my brother and I have always been readers, my sister not so much but different personalities are expected within families. Some of the best holidays I had were when we used to go down to Auntie Annes for a week in the summer holidays and I got to go to her library and borrow books, I then got to read them sitting in her living room, her lovely garden or down on the beach.

 

Without the influence of my mum and my Aunties love of books I don’t know if I’d be the person I am today or the avid reader. My mum is still here so I get to share my love of books as often as I like. She doesn’t always understand it, and sometimes she rolls her eyes as I fangirl over plots and characters but my Auntie was someone who I think would really understand the way I feel and surround myself with books. And so I find it only fitting that I should write to her, now she is no longer with us, to continue to tell her of my love and thoughts of books. This seems the best way to do it.

 

So I hope you enjoy my style of reviews and that you understand the importance and the process behind it for me. Keep enjoying your books my friends and look for reviews coming soon!

 

Love Rebecca xx

The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass- Reviewed by Charlie

I went into this book with some fairly low expectations. I’d heard a couple of mixed reviews from people; however I wanted to read it for myself and to form my own opinions.

 This book is basically ‘The Bachelor’ taking place in a dystopian world. The basic synopsis is that the prince is holding this competition called ‘The Selection’ where 35 girls get chosen to go into the palace and have the opportunity to marry the prince to become a princess. Sounds fairly straight-forward right? Not so much. The world has been split up into different Caste’s. What this basically means is that you are allocated a number and you have to live that lifestyle that belongs to that number. It goes from 1 to 8, and then any family members in your direct line will forever be that number in the system. The One’s are the rich people, the royal family, the actors, the models etc etc.. With each number the jobs and income are downgraded until we get to the Eights; the construction workers, the maid and the servants, with poor income but who are still considered “integral” to the world. We also have the rebels, the groups who will do anything to see the castes be gone, including hurting the royal family, leading numerous attacks on the palace. This makes for fairly interesting plot lines as the books progress.

So, I picked up ‘The Selection’ not expecting anything fantastic or to be blown away, but for the book to be somewhat enjoyable none-the-less. Boy, was I wrong. I immediately fell in love with our 3 main characters, America, Maxon and Aspen. America, belong to the caste of 5 has secretly been dating Aspen (a caste of 6) which is frowned upon. Then one day he decides that he wants America to join the Selection, to perhaps have a chance at a better life. After a few chapters of listening to America complain about Prince Maxon and how much she hates him (a person she has not yet met) we finally get to the palace. Thus begins the love story of Prince Maxon and 35 girls.

I must admit, I love Maxon. It may sound strange saying that you can love a man who is willing to choose a wife out of 35 girls fighting for him, but it’s true, I do love him. He has this soft side that rarely comes out in the first book, but as they progress we see it more and more. I didn’t like his inability to share his emotions with America, it is clear from the first book how he feels, and he keeps telling America that she knows how he feels, yet he never actually says the words out loud. Until (Hallelujah) it finally happens! I loved the times he stood up to the King, although the outcome was never the greatest (Ouch – his poor back), regardless he showed signs of bravery. Often, I did want to punch him for being indecisive and stupid, but I suppose all is forgiven.

Then we go onto Aspen, the guy America was previously secretly dating and the one who basically forced her to go into the Selection. Aspen doesn’t appear a lot in the first book, however he does pop up eventually when he becomes at Guard at the palace in a later book! Uh oh, love triangle you are thinking? Correct! And it’s a big one. Throughout the entire trilogy, my thoughts on the love triangle were completely one sided, and let me say, I was not rooting for Aspen. The fact that he can just leave her broken hearted then suddenly show up at her escape and expect to have her back? Not cool Aspen, not cool. I did however have some moments where I felt for him throughout the trilogy, like when America was being totally indecisive but still he remained there for her through everything.

At last, we have America…. Ah dear America. On one hand she is brave, she stands up for what she believes and she isn’t afraid to be true to herself. She stands up to the King, and she inspires the nation. Even the Rebels like her. Yet, she really doesn’t think before making all the decisions and acting on them. She lacks any kind of control and manages to put herself and others in danger more the once… Even though she may come across as indecisive and could definitely make use of some anger management classes, I like her. Positively her character develops dramatically though out the books.

Overall, I enjoyed this trilogy an insane amount. I do feel as though the dystopian world at times was pushed aside and the romance took over. However, the main premise of these is about the prince finding “The One” so I didn’t feel too disappointed in this. The world itself intrigued me, we find out how the castes were created and certain characters aren’t who you expect them to be, it had some really positive parts. I do feel as though the world could have been built a little better, we know little about it, although America herself knows little about it too so I can only assume it was intentional. I would definitely recommend picking these up if you like romance, as majority of it is based on that. Please don’t into this expecting an epic dystopian with action, because you will be utterly disappointed.

I give this trilogy a 4/5 overall. I loved the conclusion; the last book was my favorite by far. 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my review. – Charlie.

 

Introduction: Who and what?

Hey! 

My name is Bec and my best friend Charlie is the other person who will be sharing this blog with myself. We have decided to start a blog based entirely around our obsession with books. We want to post our excitement at having them turn up in the mail, our excitement at the pretty covers, book tag questionnaires, our to be read lists, our wish lists, our reviews, our rants about plot lines, our fan girling moments and anything else you can possibly do with books.

 

When starting out anything like this it can feel extremely nerve wracking. The idea that you’re about to put your thoughts and feeling out on to the internet where anyone can access them is not the most comforting of thoughts. However when you love something as much as Charlie and I love reading, love disappearing into worlds spun by the words of authors then it demands to be shared with others.

So who are we? Well I thought I’d put together a quick few questions that allow us to introduce ourselves.

 

Name, Age and Nationality?
Charlie: Obviously I’m Charlie and I’m 20 years old. I was born in England but now live in Victoria in Australia.  
Rebecca: And obviously I’m Rebecca and I’m 21 years old. I was also born in England also and I too now live in Victoria, Australia though I moved here a few years after Charlie did.

What do you love?
Charlie: I love tea, chocolate, theater/acting and very obviously reading books! 
Rebecca: I love writing stories, girl guides, theater/acting, British things, music and reading 🙂

Do you remember the first books you ever read? Or which books really got you into reading?
Charlie: The first books I can remember reading were the Winnie the Pooh books when I was little. I could never get enough of them. The next books I remember reading was the Harry Potter series but the books that really got me into reading the amounts I do now would have to be The Hunger Games.
Rebecca: I can’t remember the first books I ever read. I remember one of my earliest being ‘Where’s my teddy said eddy’ but I also remember loving the winnie the pooh series and Fantastic Mr Fox. Harry potter was a huge part of my reading but I also read heaps before that. I’ve always been heavily into reading. I used to read books like Molly Moon Stops the world and the Alex Rider books.

What is your favorite Harry Potter Quote?
Charlie: ‘It does not do to dwell on dreams and to forget to live’- Albus Dumbledore. 
Rebecca: Fun quote: “Just because you have the emotional range of a teaspoon…’ Or anytime Ron swears. Serious quote: ‘Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, If one only remembers to turn on the light.’ Albus Dumbledore.

Where would you most like to travel to in the world?
Charlie: I really want to travel to Europe and America. 
Rebecca: I really want to go to Harry Potter Wizarding world, so America, but I want to travel to heaps of different parts of it. I want to go to Canada. I want to see more of Europe and I’d love to go to New Zealand as it’s super close but I haven’t been yet.

If you could chose to have a super power what would it be and why?
Charlie: I would chose invisibility! That way if I got into any trouble or didn’t want to be somewhere I could just disappear and confuse people. 
Rebecca: This is super hard because there is heaps of things I’d love to have the ability to do. But I think I’d have to chose flight. Then I could fit so much more into my day because I’d be able to get to places super quick and not have to worry about buses or traffic. 

What do you love most about reading/books?
Charlie: I love that I can escape into other worlds, fall in love with characters and the universes they live in. I love knowing it all came from inside somebodies imagination.
Rebecca: For me I think reading has always been about not just escape but the submersion into words and other worlds. It’s been about as much as escaping from real life as it has been about simply enhancing the world I live in. As a result I’ve always had a rich imagination, it’s helped me in school too with my vocab and my writing. Reading is just a way of life for me. I love the way the words wrap themselves around me and pull me into their story, I love the connections or the differences from my own life. I just love everything about both! 

So here is our little get to know us and we can’t wait to get started on talking books with you guys!