L.A. CANDY | LAUREN CONRAD

This book was almost like a re-living of Lauren Conrad's reality-star lifestyle on the show 'The Hills'. It centres around the lives of two girls, Jane and Scarlett, who move to Los angeles to start fresh and jump start their careers. Jane gets herself an internship for renowned event planner, Fiona Chen, whilst Scarlett muddles through her classes at USC deciding what to do with the rest of her life. 

Whilst out at a club one night, Hollywood producer Trevor Lord approaches the pair and convinces them to come for an audition for his new show named 'L.A. Candy'. The girls impress at their auditions and interviews and the show begins with their every moves being filmed and re-staged. You really do get an insight into all the things reality TV shows try to hide, from the non-existent spontaneity aspect to the staged conversations. 

This book very much reminded me of The Hills which is not always a good thing! The first thing I noticed was the over use f description, Lauren Conrad really went to town with describing every detail and at the very beginning of the book, this really did not make for a great read; it did seem like she got more into the swing of it though as the story progressed. 

Another thing I noticed was that there is some serious name-dropping going on throughout. Whilst all the celebrities mentioned are fictional, the brands and businesses were dropped throughout the pages like fullstops. This book rally does have the typical 'Chick Lit' feel to it and is a really lighthearted easy read. I'm still undecided whether to read the rest in the series; yes/no?

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DIVERGENT - VERONICA ROTH

Long time no book review; I'm sorry about that. I've been trying to juggle working and finishing books which is difficult when you get home and just want to do nothing haha. I did eventually finish divergent though and wow what a brilliant book! 

One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs and determines your loyalties...forever. 

Divergent is a dystopian story set in the future of Chicago where society is divided into five factions all with one, different, specific trait - Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), Dauntless (the brave) and Amity (the peaceful). Every year on a set date, al the sixteen-year-olds must take an aptitude test to steer them in a certain direction of choosing which faction to spend the rest of their lives in. For Beatrice, the choice is between two; she can stay with her born-to faction or leave her family and all she has known and go to the faction she really belongs to. Her choice surprises everyone including herself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it's definitely a real page-turner, I found myself unable to put the book down all the way through (I did manage however, sleep did end up taking priority).The characters were so believable and we really got a sense of who each individual was and why they belonged with their chosen faction.

One thing I didn't like though was the ending. Without giving away any spoilers, the most enjoyable parts for me really focused on the characteristics of each faction, their members and the initiation process showing the rules, ranks etc etc. And most of the book does follow that route. 

However, towards the end the book suddenly takes on a new direction and focuses on uprisings, military style wars and politics surrounding the factions. It almost felt like just as we were getting to know each faction, the book pulled them all apart, and far to soon in my opinion. I think this sort of thing would have best suited to the end of the series, rather than the end of the first book. I do still this this is a brilliant read and would highly recommend this book.

The ending aside, I found myself left with a real interesting question and discussion point: If you had to chose only one faction to live in for the rest of your life, which faction would you choose? 

Abnegation - the faction that values selflessness. 

Candor - the faction that values honesty.

Erudite - the faction who lives in pursuit of knowledge.

Dauntless - the faction who tests their bravery by attempting death defying tasks.

Amity - the faction who values peace.

or

The Factionless - the group of people who failed their initiation process and now live in poverty doing the jobs no one else wants to do. 

Which faction would you choose? 

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THE SINNER - TESS GERRITSEN

I've been a bit slow on the reading front lately what with having a million essays to complete! Now that my first year is completely finished I should be able to make up some reading during the summer.

Anyway, I finished Tess Gerritsen's The Sinner at the weekend and to sum it up in a few words: an absolutely amazing book! I think this has to be my favourite book I've read so far, it was brilliant and had me completely gripped, so much so, that I read it in three days which for me is pretty quick!

This book confirmed that Tess Gerritsen is my favourite author. The way she writes is just so gripping and you literally find yourself involved in the book. At one point I was so involved that when my phone beeped I nearly fell off my bead haha. 

This book is the third in the Rizzoli and Isles series (the first two are also great). It tells the story of a murder and an attempted murder of two nuns who live behind the walls of a convent. Dr Maura Isles is put on the case and during the autopsy of nun she discovers a shocking secret. Side by side to this is the murder of another woman whose killer has gone to the trouble of removing her face, hands and feet. Working alongside Detective Jane Rizzoli, they lead an investigation into the deaths of both women making a shocking discovery about the killer. 

Thats basically the story in a nut shell, what I liked is that the book didn't just focus on one murder, and instead focused on two (three sometimes) which added weight to the book whilst still keeping each case relevant to one another. Also what made me like this book more than the first two was that we got a real insight into who Jane and Maura are as characters - more so Maura as this book mainly focuses on her - which was lacking in the first two. Maura has her personal life to balance with her work in the form of her ex-husband Victor who turns up unannounced and tries to get back in her life. It is them revealed he has more business in Boston than just seeing Maura. 

Jane's life is further explored more in the latter half of the book when Agent Gabriel Dean turns up and she is faced with confronting her feelings for him and her new 'situation'. 

I can't express enough how much I enjoyed this book. Tess has a certain way of writing that just keeps to completely gripped without it being predictable at all like a lot of crime thrillers can be. A word of warning for people that get scared easily like myself, do not read this book at night in a quiet room...I jumped out of my skin several times haha. 

As I have said, I would highly recommend this book, even if crime/thriller isn't your thing. I didn't think I'd enjoy reading these types of books  but since have found I enjoy them more than any books in have ever read. 

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CATCHING FIRE - SUZANNE COLLINS

I finished the first Hunger Games book a while ago - read review here, then watched the movie (which was awesome by the way) and then thought it was about time I read the second book in the trilogy, Catching Fire. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and had real high expectations for the second after hearing so many positive things about it; I was actually rather disappointed though. 

The first book was basically about Katniss Everdeen's journey volunteering and surviving The Hunger Games at the Capitol. It also followed her romance with Peeta, from District 12 like Katniss. After I finished this book I don't really know what I expected Catching Fire to be about but I just expected it to be as gripping as the first when in reality it fell short in that department and left me having to push myself to continue reading in parts. It started off as a very uninteresting read and only thoroughly engaged me towards the end during the Games themselves. From the beginning where I was reading one chapter at a time, to the final part where I couldn't put it down, it's definitely a mixed read for me.

One thing about the book I did like was the introduction of the previous victors and how we actually got to know some of them on a far more personal level than we did with the tributes in the first book. I particularly liked Finnick as he was a very witty and likeable character throughout the latter half of the book, I found myself being more involved with reading about him than some of the more prominent characters.

Overal I did enjoy this book, and on reflection, I think I enjoyed the Games portion more than  I did in the first book. It was a lot less dragged out (mainly because it started late into the story), and it left me on the edge of my seat at the turn of every page. I just wish the rest of the book had been as gripping. I would recommend The Hunger Games series so far and I am truly looking forward to reading the final book of the trilogy after being left at such a cliff-hanger at the end of Catching Fire.

**I have since discovered that I have left the final book, Mockingjay, at home so I won't be reading that for a while :( ** 

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THE DESCENDANTS - KAUI HART HEMMINGS

It's been too long since I last finished a book from my list and the main reason for that is because I just didn't enjoy the book. I chose to read The Descendants because I had been desperate to watch the film - that never happened - and so I instead compensated for this by reading the book. 

Much to my disappointment, the book was so so slow and I never really got a sense of who the characters were. The story is told through the voice of Matt King, a man whose wife is left in a coma after a boating accident. Matt is left in charge of their two daughters, and pretty much the while first half of the book is just various hospital scenes with Matt and his daughters. I know that these scenes are necessary for the story but they never really explored each character as an individual so I never got a strong image of who they are. 

Matt discovers that his wife has been having an affair and then decide to uproot himself and his daughters to the road to find the man so he can say his last goodbyes. It is a very compelling story with some serious emotional twists but the author has tried to put a real comedy slant on it in the forms of the conversation between father and daughters. I think that the dramatic comedy mix didn't really work all that well and the tone of the book was completely altered. 

I wish I had watched the movie before I had read the book - this will anger some people I know! Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this book as it was a very slow starter and it took me twice as long to read because of that.

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Poor Little Bitch Girl - Jackie Collins

Poor Little Bitch Girl is the first Jackie Collins book I have read and although I'd heard lots of great things about her books, I still wasn't quite sure what to expect. I bought this book on a whim after finding it in ASDA for only £2...£2 for a book nowadays is something you don't see often! 

The title of the book refers to Annabelle Maestro, the daughter of two famous Hollywood movie stars who goes off on her own to New York to run a 'high-end' call girl service with her drug addict boyfriend Frankie. Annabelle is the character the title refers to but in the book she is only a piece of the puzzle, the main character is Denver Jones, an up-and-coming lawyer to the stars. These characters and the other high-flying individuals are all thrown together when Annabelle's mother is brutally murdered in her LA home.

The story is told through the eyes of Denver and she is supposed to be the character the readers can relate to most' being a working, confident and smart woman. I found it hard sometimes to really relate to her though, I feel her character was a little confused, in parts unsure of herself but in others very confident and opinionated. Whether this was Jackie Collins aim or not, I was left wanting more of a sense of who Denver actually is as a character.

Poor Little Bitch Girl is written in chapters each titled as a character; Annabelle, Denver, Caroline, Bobby and Frankie, showing their connections to each other and to that of Annabelle's mother and her murder. I do really like how this book is written, I really got a sense of who Jackie Collins is as a writer which, having not read any of her books before, was really great for me. The book came across as very 'current' and almost as though it had been taken straight from a newspaper or magazine. There was clearly research done to give a sense of Hollywood and frequently I saw moments where names were dropped which made the book come across as more real and less fictional.

This book was certainly a page turner and from the first sentence 'Belle Svetlana surveyed her nude image in a full-length mirror, readying herself for a thirty-thousand-dollar-an-hour sexual encounter with the fifteen-year-old son of an Arab oil tycoon'; I knew I was in for an interesting and somewhat scandalous read. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for all things Hollywood or anyone who likes a real page turner...or if you simply want a little more of a 'shocking' read about sex, money, power, murder, betrayal and love. 

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The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one more book I can tick off my list meaning I'm one step closer to my 25 book challenge! The Hunger Games is basically about a live television show - set in an unspecified time in the future - that is held each year where a boy and a girl from each of the twelve districts is randomly chosen to compete in a gladiator-style contest which is held in the central city called the Capitol. The winner of the games is the last child left alive. The book follows the point of view of Katniss Everdeen, the tribute representing district 12 after volunteering herself instead of her sister. She is skilled at hunting and her strongest weapon is her use of a bow and arrow. As much as she doesn't want to kill; she also doesn't want to be killed.

I became aware of this book after seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie which really made me want to get the book read before the movie release in March. A friend of mine also read the book and she had nothing but great things to say about it so I thought, taking these both into account, I'd give it a go. 

I will start by saying that I really did enjoy the book as a whole but I found it very very slow. Part one of the book was slow moving and I found that I just couldn't get into it - it took me forever to finish part one. I understand that the background and build-up to the games is needed but I think more drama or life could have been injected into the first part to make it a more gripping read. However, parts two and three of the book were really great and I found myself engrossed in the action and survival of the characters.

Part two went into much more detail and really showed how the characters were developing as the games went on and part three was the ending of the games and the final ceremony which rounded off the first book nicely and left a good follow-on into the next books. I found myself completely and utterly engaged in the story; especially nearing the penultimate end which left me thinking up possible outcomes leading to the surprise end to the games. 

One thing that did surprise me was that this book is aimed at young adults even though some of the scenes in the book are quite violently detailed like the scene where one of the tributes is violently attacked by human/wolf mutations - although the main characters are young adults themselves which is relatable. This type of action however, would be something I'd expect from a more mature and adult targeted book rather than one for young adults. I personally found this book an exciting read and the description was beyond what I'd expected. 

I would definitely recommend The Hunger Games to anyone who doesn't mind a slow starter or a bit of violence. Honestly, just give it a go, I was a bit dubious after reading the first few chapters and finding myself bored but after getting part part one I'm so glad I read this book and it might even be one of my all time favourite books - which doesn't really say much seeing as I've read maybe five books all together haha. 

One more thing, this book is part of a trilogy but I am really unsure as to if I am going to read the other two books. Although I found myself enjoying The Hunger Games towards the end, I don't know I can endure two more possibly slow starting books and also, I honestly cannot see where the author will take the story from here.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have read all three books, or even just your thoughts on the first book and if you agree or disagree with what I've said.

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Many Lives - Stephanie Beacham Autobiography

I finished another book; I'm on a roll with this whole reading thing, I think it's because I'm off at the moment and so have nothing else to do haha. Hopefully when I'm back at university I can still keep up with the reading! Anyway, I finished reading 'Many Lives' which is Stephanie Beacham's Autobiography. 

For those of you who don't know who Stephanie is; she's a British actress who has done TV shows, movies and theatre. She's probably most well known for being on the ITV series Connie and the ABC series The Colbys. However, my favourite of her roles is when she played Phyllida Oswyn in the series Bad Girls. 

Now onto the book; Stephanie really gives you an insight into her whole life from her childhood to her current life by the beach in Santa Monica. I actually really enjoyed getting an insight into Stephanie's life and seeing just how much she has done. I didn't quite realise how much theatre work she has done and how much actually goes into each performance. I also found out that she is a very spiritual person - not religious - just spiritual and she really does believe in such things like higher powers, god and fate. 

Some of the book did go on a lot about spiritual references and so on which at first I didn't mind reading about but after a while it got a little repetitive and I did find myself skimming it just a little. This aside, the book did thoroughly entertain me and had me gripped from the start; when it ended I was quite disappointed and wanted to read more! I really like how the book is not only split into named chapters, but also sections which has some pretty good titles like; 'Being Humbly Arrogant', 'Think Ahead and Eat That Chocolate' and 'Hollywood'. Some of the titles are quite obvious like 'Hollywood' being about her introduction into Hollywood and others are a bit more intriguing like 'The Harsh Reality' which could imply almost anything!

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it took me a little while to get into but after a chapter or so I was hooked and as I said previously, I didn't want it to end. I would recommend this book to anyone really; even if you don't know who Stephanie Beacham is, you will after reading this! I didn't know half of the things she's done in her life but I still enjoyed reading about it. Stephanie seems like a really humble and down-to-earth person which is hard to find in the celebrity world; she talks about her movie and theatre career like it's just any other job. I don't think there's much more I can say about this book; al' I'd say is give it a go! 

'It's been a long journey' and I very much enjoyed reading about it.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

I finished my first book of 2012 last night, 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky, which means I'm one step closer to achieving my goal of reading 25+ books this year - and I can cross one off my list which makes me feel so good! 

I have mixed feelings about this book. I can't decide whether I loved it or I hated it but one thing I do know is that it's not what I expected! I initially wanted to read this book because the movie is due out sometime this year (it has Kate Walsh in it so I must watch it!) and then sooooo many people said how much they'd enjoyed reading it and how I should definitely give it a go so that's exactly what I did. 

The book is about a high-school freshman named Charlie who describes various situations and aspects of his life through written letters to an anonymous person who he has never met or spoken to personally. Charlie is an intelligent but unpopular teenager who is considered the 'wallflower' in the book and he discusses various things such as drug use, abortion, suicide, literature, mix tapes and relationships. This book definitely doesn't leave you feeling happy, in fact it's rather a depressing book to be honest hinting at some pretty intense things. 

The book is written entirely through letters starting with 'Dear friend' and ending with 'Love always, Charlie'; which is what left me with mixed opinions. I find it hard to get my head around the fact that he is writing to a complete stranger about every aspect of his life and the way each letter is written with incorrect grammar doesn't really make sense considering he is supposed to be a talented young writer. Maybe it's just me who's picked up on this but it actually really annoyed me throughout. 

On the plus side though I did enjoy reading the book as a whole and found myself not wanting to put it down. I thought the characters were explored in depth well and the references to classic books, music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show really did leave me intrigued about Charlie as a character and his 'infinite' wallflower existence. I also like the cover - stupid reason for liking a book I know but a cover can say a lot about a book...I know I know, never judge a book by its cover but sometimes, in fact most times, I do...

One question that I still haven't been able to answer yet though is; what is the perk of being a wallflower? Charlie is obviously the wallflower of the story but he doesn't seem to enjoy being the way he is and I can't see any perks to his life to be truthful. He sits back and observes life and others around him and although he questions things, he later just goes with what he is told...am I missing the whole point? 

I would recommend this to anyone who likes a slow paced, easy read type of book which is relatable, but if you want an uplifting read then this may not be for you. It took me a while to get into it so if you do decide to read it, give it a chance before you judge it...

Let me know what your thoughts are of this book. Did you enjoy it? 

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25+ Book Challenge

I wish my books looked like these! (source: weheartit)

I've suddenly become really interested in books. Every time I've started a book in the past I've got a few chapters in and then just given up and never gone back to it. Lately though I've finished two books within a short space of time and I've enjoyed reading them which I never thought I'd say. So for 2012 I've decided to undertake my own challenge to read 25+ books during the year. This will seem like nothing to a lot of people but for me this is a realistic goal because I have never really been an avid reader until recently and I also have to think about university work and other things; if I end up reading more than 25 books then that's a bonus!


I've been reading up on these challenges and pretty much any book is allowed that can be purchased including manga, ebooks, audio books etc. Once I finish a book I will cross it off my list and then review it here on my blog. I really enjoy writing reviews and I'm already getting excited about this challenge to start on Sunday.


Here's my list of the books I intend to read (in no particular order), this list may be edited throughout the year but at this moment this is it...

1. Modelland - Tyra Banks

2. Many Lives - Stephanie Beacham Autobiography

3. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
4. Divergent - Veronica Roth

5. The Descendants - Kaui Hart Hemmings

6. The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama 

7. Fifty Shades of Grey - E L James

8. Changing Grooms - Sasha Wagstaff

9. The Sinner - Tess Gerritsen

10. Body Double - Tess Gerritsen

11. Vanish - Tess Gerritsen

12. The Mephisto Club - Tess Gerritsen

13. Keeping The Dead - Tess Gerritsen

14. The Killing Place - Tess Gerritsen

15. The Silent Girl - Tess Gerritsen

16. Game of Thrones - George R R Martin

17. Matched - Ally Condie

18. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

19. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

20.  Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

21. Poor Little Bitch Girl - Jackie Collins

22. LA Candy - Lauren Conrad

23. The Truth About Diamonds - Nicole Richie

24. Lethal Seduction - Jackie Collins

25. Nights In Rodanthe - Nicholas Sparks

Wish me luck!

xo Emma

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