Camp Nano Win!!

I did it!!! I achieved my 25,000 word goal - and I achieved it early!! Go me :) So, in true fashion, I obviously set myself an extra push didn't I?? Of course - I challenged myself to fit in an extra 5,000 words in the six remaining days! And guess what?? I did that too - despite taking an impromptu three day break and having to squeeze the last 2,500 words in today. I am very proud of myself.

So, first of all, let me track back to tell you what Camp Nano actually is - for all my non-writer readers (and maybe writers who have not yet found their way to NanNoWriMo) check out the link for a brief description, and to check out their Camp site, and then head on over to their mother site to see what all the fuss is about with NanNoWriMo! But basically, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, which is in November every year, where writers all over the world, both indie and traditionally published, work their socks off to write 50,000 words in 30 days! Sounds a lot right, but honestly, it's not that bad if you're working on rough drafts and just getting words down on a page to edit later! Camp Nano is held in April and July and is exactly what it sounds - an online retreat for writer's to set their own goals and get a wriggle on with those work in progresses!
For me this time, it was finishing off the first draft of the second book in my new series due to launch next summer. I now have a nearly complete draft which I intend on finishing off this week and then printing to go through its first red pen edits! Exciting times...

Wanna see my certificate?? Of course you do!

Thanks for the support guys and girls - till next time x

First World Problems!

As a reader and now a bookseller, my addiction to books is maybe getting a little out of control. I say maybe, because to actually admit to it would mean that I agreed that there was a problem, and then would have to do something about it, like stop buying new ones, and we all know that's not how this works. So, it's not a full on problem yet, it's just becoming problematic. Also, as I have pointed out to my other half recently when he commented on the multiple piles of books that are occupying different parts of the bedroom floor, the main problem isn't the amount of books that I own, per say, but rather the lack of shelf space that I have to keep them on...

Let me break it down a little for you... When I lived at home with my mom and dad, I only had the small bedroom, and that was okay with me, however, it was pretty much all bookshelves. There was obviously my bed, which was only a small single due to the size of the room, and a chest of draws which I kept clothes and what not in. Other than that, there were two decent sized bookshelves, and two shelves on the wall! Doesn't sound like much? Well, you'd be surprised what I could fit in there, I'll tell ya.

The smaller of the two bookshelves sat behind my bed and had books on it that I liked to show off. You know the ones, series' where the books all match, my favourite authors, collections and pretty books, and of course, my multiple copies of books like Alice in Wonderland, and the Grimm Tales! The likes of Tiffany Reisz's entire publishing history, Kelley Armstrong's many different series and Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter Series took up residence on the shelves with the best views, and then there were the odd small trinket and book related ornament on there too!
The larger of the two shelves had double rows of books! The back row was books that I had read a long time ago and probably wouldn't read again, or books that I hadn't gotten around to reading yet, but weren't exactly high up on the to-read list either. Then the front rows were books that I had read and wanted to keep in case I'd read them again, and the books that were on my to-read pile, but weren't linked to a series that put them on the other shelf!
Then there were the shelves on the wall that just had small series or trilogies on to make the shelf look good, but wouldn't be too heavy and pull the shelf down from the wall. For example, my Twilight books looked great up there!

Now, let's bring things forward a few months - I moved in with Simon in January... I used moving (and packing) as a good reason to fettle my stash, and was very proud of myself when I nearly halved my collection at the time. As a Book Fairy, I found a way of recycling books that I had either read and would never read again, or had bought on impulse and would probably never get around to reading. I was brutal, and by the time I moved in with Simon, they fit great in the smaller space I had to shelve them.
I brought with me the larger of the two bookshelves from my bedroom, which is now in our room, and still has a double row of books. The back row are stacked on top of each other, and the front row are displayed. But that was where I came a cropper. There is a beautiful bookshelf downstairs in the living room - you know the type - bigger than me, wide and deep shelves... The only problem? I can't keep the best part of two thirds of my books on there because of their content. We have two young girls in the house and I don't want to be responsible for corrupting their tiny minds!! So downstairs in limited to children's books, and a selected few YA books that I have deemed appropriate for the older of the two, should she be interested enough to pick one up. So far they haven't really paid much attention to them, but the last thing I need is for them to come across Sylvia Day's Crossfire series for example!!

So the upstairs bookshelf is slowly overflowing! There is an ever-growing pile on the floor of new books I have bought from work, plus a read pile that is stacking up in front of the bookshelf because there is no space on it to put them!! What is a girl supposed to do??

I hear the answer clearly - I need another bookshelf!!! The next problem is where to put said new bookshelf though; oh the problems of a bookaholic are never ending!

(The piles in this photo are post sort out, when I tried to shelve them and tidy them up - but literally didn't have the room >>>)


I'll keep you posted on the new bookshelf - I'm going to go run it by the man of the house and see what initial reaction I get :)

V x

My must-read books!

Everyone has seen one of those lists - you know the one; 50 books to read before you die, top 100 books everyone should read in their life, the best books you never read... There are tons circulating at any one time, and invariably, they promote the same books! I bet you could list me ten of them without even having to think too hard - go on try it... Let me give you a hint, it will start with The Great Gatsby, followed by Catch 22 and Catcher in the Rye, there will be at least one George Orwell book on there, plus at least one of the Bronte sisters will appear. You get the gist?!

Well, after seeing Waterstones' 'Best books you have never read' post on their blog, I decided that I was going to write my own list of books that I think everyone should read - and guess what - they're not necessarily what you'd expect!

Here goes... they are in no particular order of readability, this is just a list of books that I think everyone should at least try to read in their life time. There are things to be learned from these, titles that everyone should own a copy of, and others that I believe are important to our personal development as human beings.

• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - the story of the girl who fell down the rabbit hole, into a world of the strange and un-explainable. Carroll's tale is one of illogical ideas and a great example of literary nonsense, but tells the story of one brave, if not a little curious, young girl who learns about who she is as a person through her adventures in a strange and unknown world.

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon - a British mystery novel about a fifteen year old boy who discovers a murdered dog in the front yard of one of his neighbours. Although the book doesn't actually define the character's behavioural traits with label Christopher's condition is assumed to be Asperger's Syndrome or high-functioning Autism. Haddon uses Christopher's character to highlight what it means to be different, and that seeing the world around you in a different way to what others do, is not a bad thing. We can learn a lot about understanding those around us from this book, and I believe that all children aged 9-12 should read this book, and discuss what it means to them with an adult.

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - this historical novel, set during Nazi Germany, follows the story of young Liesel who discovers reading and writing as a form of escapism from the destructive world around her. Stuck between a lost childhood and the demands of a Nazi led town, Leisel finds power in books and starts to steal books that the Nazi party are wanting destroyed. The novel is narrated by Death, and from that, we get a look at how life can mean so much, despite how short it may be.

• Harry Potter Series by J K Rowling - the seven book series, plus the surrounding spin-offs, are a staple in every child's life. The world which Rowling created is one that will live on in generations to come, and the life lessons learned from each of the characters in the stories are ones that every individual will carry with them. For me, it was the lesson we learned from Severus Snape, the seemingly hostile Death Eater who was actually out to protect Harry the entire time. It didn't matter to him what people thought of him, or that he was constantly perceived as the bad guy, as long as the son of the woman he had loved was safe. He taught us that not all heroes wear capes, and that lesson has resonated in me since the moment I found out his dual nature!

• The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida - the stunning novel written by 13-year-old Naoki about his journey in life with a diagnosis for severe Autism Spectrum Disorder. Told through a question and answer format, Naoki tried to enable people to understand what it is like to live with Autism, and to show just how hard it can be to communicate. By reading this book, it helps you to understand, just a little, what life can be like for some families, and I believe that it makes people more likely to show compassion and empathy for those families, rather than the misunderstanding and assumed bad parenting that often occurs when misinformed people see these families out in public.

• Trumpet by Jackie Kay - a debut novel from a Scottish poet about the events after the death of fictional Jazz player Joss Moody. The novel takes place just after Joss' death, when it is revealed that he had in fact, been born female. The story follows the paths of several characters linked to Joss, including his wife, who was the only person who did know about Joss' hidden gender, and their adopted son, who did not know. The characters in the book all discuss how they knew Joss and the impact he'd had on their lives, all of which, by the end of the book, come to realise that despite the shock of the revelation, the fact that Joss had been born female wasn't important, and nor did it effect what they thought of him. Kay's novel battled identity, gender, race and grief alongside the love and relationships that shape a person's life. This book was one that I read at school, and truly changed how I viewed the world around me. Proving that no one really knows another person, despite what they may show to the world, everyone has a personal side to them that you may not know about. This book helps you to understand not to judge people, but to accept them for who they are.

• The Fault in our Stars by John Green - a story about Hazel Grace, a 16-year-old girl living with cancer, who meets 17-year-old Augusts Waters, an amputee at her support group. Green's story follows Hazel and Augustus through their relationship, where Augustus tries to fulfil one of Hazel's biggest dreams; to meet her favourite author. The book highlights the idea of living in the moment and doing the things that you want to do with your life without regret, because you never know just how little time you have left. Hazel and Augustus' story is heart-wrenching and tissue worthy, but one that everyone should read.

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - (There had to be one you'd expect to see on here) This was one of those books that you dreaded having to read, knowing that it was coming up on your school syllabus. I read this for my GCSE English Literature course, and if I'm honest, hated every minute of it. However, it doesn't change the fact that I admired Lee and her story, due to the impact it had on its readers. TKAM is a classic, and Scout is a character that is still talked about today. The book highlighted racial inequality and issues surrounding race and cultural differences, but did so in a way that empowered readers to want to change with it. 

• Grimms' Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhem Grimm - Now there are so many adaptions and rewrites of the popular fairy tales, and which ones you read don't really matter. But I do believe that every child should have fairy tales read to them, and in a way, explained to them, as they all have a lesson to be learned from them. Once we are adults, I think that we should all reread those fairy tales, as our developed mind can see the things we couldn't see in them when we were children. Yes, you can learn from them. Pass on that wisdom to the younger generations, and see what a difference it can make when we learn to accept others for who they are, to not speak to strangers or divert from the path, but as an adult, understand that Prince Charming isn't going to pop around the corner when you're least expecting it, and that you aren't a Princess who will get everything handed to her in life. We work for what we achieve, and that is the message to pass on to our children.

Well, I hope you made it to the end - I know it went on for a while, but I also hope that you go out and look for at least one of the books on this list after reading it. Just one that you haven't read before, maybe never even heard of before. Go ahead and buy it, read it, and then pass it on to someone else. Spread the word on the books that you feel people should read and why. Don't be afraid to stand up and be counted as a book nerd. We will accept you. 

All books are linked to Waterstones' website where you can purchase your copy today! You can by all means find them elsewhere, just remember that the bookshops won't be around forever if you go to places like Amazon all the time!! :)

Vanessa x