One of my new year resolutions was to read more. Reading is one of my main hobbies, there's nothing better than curling up with a book and throwing yourself into someone elses world. I've decided to make a series of blog posts about the books i have read, a little about them and my thoughts on each one. I know there are a lot of people out there who enjoy reading, but like me, they don't have the time to sit down every day and read a few chapters. Well this year is the time to find some 'me' time. Hopefully there will be a little something in there for everyone, and i hope it inspires you all to read a little bit more.
Lying About Last Summer by Sue Wallman.
A young girl called Skye is sent to a bereavement camp after her sister died in a tragic accident. She suddenly starts receiving text messages from someone claiming to be her dead sister, whilst trying to figure out if she should face her past, she tries to face the future without her sister.
Now i know what you are thinking, how very Pretty Little Liars of her to write a book about a dead person somehow gaining access to a mobile phone. But don't be fooled! The texting story line only lasts about 1/4 of the book and isn't really a main story line, although it is interesting and adds another factor to the book, this isn't what made it so amazing to me. It tends to focus more on how Skye and the other kids at the camp are coping with loss, guilt and heartbreak. The characters are all very different and it made me able to connect with each of them on a different level. Personally i think the book is amazingly written, it breaks your heart but mends it at the same time. It's all about how a disaster can basically redefine you as a person and the way Sue portrayed that is very clever. There are a few twists and turns which basically had me on the edge of the seat, you basically don't know who to trust.
Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell.
Dunvegan School for girls has been closed for many years, it is now converted into Sophie's cousins family home. The teachers and students are gone but they left something behind... Sophie arrives at her cousins creepy house for the summer, Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lillias with a fear of bones and piper, who seems too good to be true. And then there’s her other cousin. The girl with a room full of antique
dolls. The girl that shouldn’t be there. The girl that died.
This book is one of the best books i have ever read. It is so creepy that it made me throw it to the foot of my bed many, many times, then pick it back up straight away. It is the first real 'horror' i have ever read. Basically Sophie arrives at her cousins and all this creepy stuff keeps happening because of her cousin Rebecca who tragically died 7 years ago, and also because of the EVIL Frozen Charlotte dolls. This book is so cleverly written it made me question if there are such a thing as possessed objects... i'm serious. After watching interviews with the writer i found out that it is a true myth and that the dolls do exist. Before each chapter there is part of the poem surrounding the dolls, which is scary enough for the whole book. The characters are amazing, especially her younger cousin Lillias. Her quirks and differences to the family make her the smartest of them all, and no one believes her.
I have just started a new book, and i've ordered (far too many) more. So every few books i'll be telling you a little bit about them and what i actually thought. There won't be just the ones i loved, if i hated it, i'll be sure to write that too.
Danielle x
