REVIEW:A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison

It’s the hotly anticipated sequel to the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, WITHERING TIGHTS – laugh your tights off as Tallulah Casey and her bonkers mates return for a new term at Dother Hall performing arts college. Boys, snogging and bad acting guaranteed!

Yaroooo! Tallulah’s triumphant Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ the comedy musical was enough to secure her place at Dother Hall performing arts college  for another term. She can’t wait to see her pals again, Charlie and the boys from Woolfe Academy and maybe even bad boy Cain…

Could the bright lights of Broadway be calling? And for who? Find out in the next Misadventures of Tallulah Casey.


Although I wasn't the biggest fan of 'Withering Tights, it was hilarious, and I was eager to get back into the world of Tallulah and her tights, and of course the wonderful Dother Hall! And I am happy to report that I actually liked A Midsummer Tights Dream more than Withering Tights! I love the way Rennison has manged to weave the word Tights into the names of literary classics-very clever! I can't wait to see what she come up with next.


I found A Midsummer Tights Dream a lot less confusing than it's prequel. One of the things I disliked about Withering Tights was that I found it hard to keep up with the excessive amount of characters (who's names all sounded the same! ) But because I knew the characters better this time around and it therefore didn't affect my enjoyment as much. At the beginning though, I couldn't quite remember who was who, but I figured it out quickly enough. A warning, though; you can absolutely NOT read the book without having read Withering Tights - you won't have any idea what's going on! Practically nothing that happened in the last book is recapped!


My favourite character were Tallulah  and Honey. Tallulah was so mad! It's impossible not to like her :) The same with Honey. She is so sweet and lovely (like her name!) as well as being an expert on boys! I'll try not to give much away, but I missed her... I loved all of the girls, the 'Tree Sister's and they are also called!- except maybe Jo. All she wanted to do was talk about herself! But Vaisey was really nice, and Flossie made me laugh so many times!


Tallulah has a busy love life too - forget the old love triangle -  she had a love square! There was dark, mysterious Cain -or as Tallulah would say, a rusty heathen crow! I think he was my favourite! hen there was Alex, 'Dream Boy' who wasn't in the book much. And of course 'The Hugger' the lovely Charlie - I loved him too! There was a lot of boy action in this boy and I am looking forward to seeing how it all pans out in the next book(s).


However, I was a bit lost at times. Since nothing from the last book was explained, and due to the fact that I am pretty forgetful and couldn't remember much from it either,I was pretty confused! A few questions I have, that maybe some of you readers will be able to answer? - are: Was Tallulah from Ireland? What was going on with Dother Hall? Was it a year round school? And how come there was only, like, 20 students???


If I was to describe this book in one word it would be CRAZY! There was absolutely nothing anyway sensible! Everything was so random and out of the blue. I loved it!!!! It was utterly hilarious. I hard noticed myself flicking the pages. Rennisons writing flows so well, it's easy and fun to read, Maybe this is mad, but I'm going to compare Louise Rennison with J.K. Rowling. They are both geniuses, both able to come up with such fantastic characters, settings, and ideas, and original material. With the added bonus in this book that Louise is possibly the funniest author I've ever come across :D


The book was slightly less funny than Withering Tights, but I liked it  more. I understood more of what was happening and the relationships between various characters were explored and developed more, which I enjoyed reading about. Whatever Rennison produces next,I will definitely be reading it!

                                                          Rating: 4/5

Source: For Review - thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 336

Age group: 12+
Official Publication Date: 2nd February 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Childrens Books
Challenges: British Books Challenge, ABC Reading Challenge

P.S. I mentioned in my 'News' post that I would let you know what my Pottermore username was, so it is: GobletSparks18633. Let me know what your username is and I will add you as a friend!

In My Mailbox #28

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers show what book they received that week, via mailbox, library, bought, borrowed or any other way. It's a great way to see who's reading what so make sure you head on over and join in!  


By the way, I'm sorry for not posting any reviews this week! I was away! But I will be posting three or four more this week to make up for it :) Anyway, onto le mailbox!

For review

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
This looks and sounds amazing, and I've heard nothing but rave reviews. I wish I could read it straight away!

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
This sounds interesting, I've read mixed reviews, but I do love dystopia and I am looking forward to reading this.

A Most Improper Magick 
A Tangle of Magicks by Stephanie Burgis
According to reviews by Clover at Fluttering Butterflies, these books are fantastic, and I trust her opinions and reviews, so these will hopefully be great!

Thanks to Random House, Macmillan, and Templar for sending me books to review

Bought
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!! I am SO HAPPY! I've already read the first chapter of this and it was amazing-ness, and I absolutely CANNOT wait to read the whole thing!


I got all of these books yesterday! Happy day for me ;) What did you get in your mailbox? Leave a link to your IMM in the comments and I will stop by!

News

Hey everyone! This is just a little post I'm writing about general, random book news. And news about other stuff too! So here you go:

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

"When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early 40s, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"

Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults."

This is the synopsis for J.K. Rowling's much-anticipated upcoming novel for adults. The synopsis was released last Thursday, and I can't wait to see what the cover looks like when that is released too. The novel comes out on 27th September 2012 and if it wasn't a school day I would be lining up for a midnight release, which there probably will be in many places. Anyway, I am SO excited for this book! When it was first announced I thought it was going to be a crime novel, but it's not! I'm not really sure what genre it is, the synopsis is a bit confusing but whatever, I'll be reading it anyway ! Will you?

The Hunger Games movie

I saw the movie. And...IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING!!!!! OMG! I loved it soooooooo much, it is one of the best movies I have ever seen! I will be doing a full movie review soon, so look out for that. And I will DEFINITELY be giving the books another go too!

Pottermore has gone live!

I know most of you are probably already on Pottermore, as Beta users, because of the Magic Quill challenge that I missed on on cause of holidays. Stupid holidays >:( But anyway, FINALLY everyone is able to sign up! Including me! Yay!!! I can't wait to begin, I;m just waiting for my confirmation e-mail. I've forgotten my username...:) But I'll let you know what it is in my next post

Sorry, I don't have that much news, I just wanted to share a few things in case you hadn't heard! What do you think of the topics in this post? Let me know in the comments!

In My Mailbox #26 and #27

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers show what book they received that week, via mailbox, library, bought, borrowed or any other way. It's a great way to see who's reading what so make sure you head on over and join in! 


I didn't do an IMM last week, so this is two weeks worth of books. By the way, I LOVE THE LIBRARY!!!!!!

By the way, I'm sorry for the sideways photo! I don't know what happened! And I also don't know how to change it, so it'll just have to do! In fact, I think it looks pretty cool. Something different, you know ;)

For review
Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver
EEEEEEEEP!!!!! I am so excited!!!! I love Lauren  Oliver SO MUCH, and this looks A-MAZNG!!! Thank you so much Hodder!!!!


My Big Fat Teen Crisis by Jenny Smith
This looks fab and really funny! The cover is so cool too. Thanks to Scholastic for this.


Soul Seekers: Fated by Alison Noel (ARC)
I've only read one of this authors other books, Radiance, which I didn't like, but this looks great, and the cover is gorgeous so I'll give it a go! Thanks to Macmillan for this.

Library
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
This has gotten amazing reviews, but I'm not particularly engrossed by the synopsis of the book, but it has gotten amazing reviews, so I'll hopefully read it!


I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Wow! Have you read this synopsis? All I can say is 'wow!'. This is very high up in my TBR pile! 


A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly
This synopsis is intriguing, I can't wait to read it!


Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie
This is the sequel to one of my favourite books, Girl, Missing, so YAY!


How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
This is meant  to be good, has anyone out there read it? What did you think?


Yay for great books!!!


I was supposed to get The Fault In Our Stars by John Green from the library too, but I ordered it in and haven't gotten time to pick it up yet, so will hopefully have it next week! (Can't freaking wait!!!)


What did you get in your mailbox? Leave me the link to your IMM in the comments and I will check it out!

REVIEW: Model Behaviour by Jo Cotterhill

'I'm going to be the only one with a rubbish work experience.' Her eyes filled with tears again. 'It is so unfair.'

Lola Cassidy has it all. Model looks, fabulous friends - life is perfect . . .

Until she finds herself Ugg-deep in mud at the local animal sanctuary, that is.

But will the week show Lola that there's more to life than handbags and highlights? And could the mysterious Harry, a boy with his own special talents, change the way she looks at the world?

I really love this series! It's so sweet and the romance is cute. I'm a big middle grade fan and a sucker for a good love story! - as well as being an animal (and fashion!) lover, so 'Model Behaviour' was perfect for me!

Although I didn't feel a real connection with any of the characters, I still thought they were all well-built and believable. The main character Lola was lovely, although she was quite naive at the beginning of the book. She changed a lot throughout the book, becoming interested in more meaningful things, and just generally a better person! Harry was...meh. Not the best love interest ever. I didn't get what Lola saw in him! His character was a bit flat for me. Although I began to like him a little more towards the end of the book, overall he just didn't really do it for me.

I liked the cast of supporting characters. Lola's sisters, Quinn and Sienna, were nice, and pretty funny! Ruth was really kind and lovely. But Naiha and Samir were both utter pains! Samir was so full of himself, while Naiha was an annoying, moaning spoilt brat! She didn't care about anyone but herself, or even the animals - how could she be so heartless???

I liked the 'guest appearance' of Tania Dunn, from 'Ice Dreams', too. Tania is a fab character, one I loved in 'Ice Dreams' and it was a nice touch to add to the book!

The romance in Model Behaviour fell a bit flat for me. It didn't feel like there was much emotion or excitement between Harry and Lola, at least, I didn't think so anyway. Honestly though, I wasn't too bothered! Everything else was brilliant, so it didn't matter that much to me!

The writing wasn't overly complicated or descriptive, but since the book is aimed at a young audience, it didn't need to be. I actually liked it a lot, because the descriptions were short and sweet and there was lots of conversation, which is what I like to read! The writing flowed nicely and I read the book very quickly. It is an easy, light and fun read!

'Model Behaviour' was predictable, I pretty much knew what was going to happen just from reading the synopsis! There was no exciting twists or turns in the plot, but I still loved it. I actually can't explain why I loved this book so much, I don't understand it myself! I just enjoyed everything I read and I just think that deserves five stars! I would really recommend it, to girl of all ages. I must read more of this series soon. It's becoming a firm favourite of mine!

Rating: 5/5

Source: For Review - thanks to Random House for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 304

Age group: 10+
Official Publication Date: 2nd February 2012
Publisher: Red Fox (an imprint of Random House Childrens Books)
Author Website: www.ilovesweethearts.co.uk

Challenges: British Books Challenge, ABC Reading Challenge

Follow Friday #6

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkees View and Alison Can Read. Each week, a different fun question is asked and we bloggers answer it. Head on over to either of the host blogs to read the rules and sign up!


This week's featured blog is:







This week's question is:

Q: Have you ever bought a book BECAUSE of a bad review?

A. Nope! I see why people would, to see if they like it, but I don't buy that many books (well, actually I do...) and I don't wan to waste money on a book that has been rated badly by reviewers who's opinion I trust! What's the point, when there is so many amazing books out there?! Sometimes though, if a book has gotten mixed reviews I would get it from the library to read, but not buy it.

Leave me a link to your Follow Friday, and I will be sure to check it out! If you are stopping by to follow, I would love if you could follow my blog by GFC -the button is at the top of the right sidebar. Thanks for stopping by! :) 

Check out my latest review, Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend by Cora Harrison.

REVIEW: Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend by Cora Harrison

Jane wants to meet a hero worthy of her extraordinary imagination: a gentleman who is dashing and daring and handsome and brave; who can dance like a viscount and duel like a king. Jane and Jenny are whiling away the season in Bath and there are plenty of dances, rumours and scandals to entertain them. But a good reputation, once lost, is gone forever; and Jane is in danger of becoming the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons...


Usually I'm not a historical novel fan, but I did have high hopes for Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend. It seemed like a sweet, easy historical book, and that was exactly what it turned out to be! I really liked it! I loved the concept of the book, it was a fantastic idea. It was a sweet and funny novel that was written wonderfully. The descriptions were beautiful, vivid and I had no difficulty imagining what the characters, setting, and everything else looked like.


I liked the setting of Bath, it seems like such a lovely, elegant city! I really want to go there someday! I also loved the time the book was set in. I've never read a book set in the 1700's but oooh, it was a fabulous time! The dresses, the balls, the romance... I was born in the wrong era! :)


Jane was a great character, so funny and adventurous. I would love to have her as a best friend! She was hilarious, and got the two girls, (Jane and Jenny) into some funny situations!!! I liked Jenny, she was sweet and kind, and I felt sorry for her having such a horrible brother and sister-in-law :/ Her sister-in-law Augusta was such a pain! She was ignorant, mean and controlling. She annoyed me a lot. But no fear, Jane knew how to handle her! Shewas always making fun of Augusta, which made me laugh. I also loved Jenny and Thomas's relationship. Thomas is such a a gentleman, so charming and romantic and kind! He was a lovely change from the moody love interests usually found in books nowadays! I really liked Harry Digweed, 'the boy next door', too. He was a fab love interest for Jane, and was one of my favourite characters! He was so loyal and sweet, and his character progressed well throughout the novel.


Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend was told in a diary format, Jenny's diary. I usually like books told in a diary form, but honestly, I didn't even notice it in this book. The descriptions were very detailed, and not something that you would find in a diary. But I suppose the author had to do this, and it actually didn't bother me! Although sometimes I found it difficult to read, because the language was very old fashioned!


Something I didn't understand, though was why Henry was in Bath for so long, and where was he staying? And did his family not care that he had been gone for almost a month? And why weren't the girl getting any schooling? And another thing was Eliza's French! A lot of the time I hasn't a clue what she was on about! These were all little things that just annoyed me a bit, though, and I got over them fairly quickly! The good outweighed the bad :)


The novel wasn't very eventful for the first half, and I found myself getting a little bored...But in the second half the story really picked up and it was quite exciting! There was some mystery, and a good few plot twists. My heart actually froze and my mouth dropped open at one point, I was so shocked at what happened!


I ended up really enjoying Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend! It had fantastic characters, beautiful descriptions, and a wonderful setting. It has made me really want to read a Jane Austen's novel! I loved the authors note at the back and was quite surprised to find that most of the characters and events in the novel were real, and actually happened! I think it was really clever of the author to draw on real life events for the story. I am now fascinated with Jane Austen! It took me a while to read this book, but I did like it. I would definitely recommend it and am looking forward to reading more of Cora Harrisons books. The perfect read for a lazy, sunny summers day.

Rating: 3.5/5

Source: For Review 

Format: Paperback
Pages: 352

Age group: 9+
Official Publication Date: This edition, 2nd February 2012
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Author Website:  www.coraharrison.com

Challenges: ABC Reading Challenge, British Books Challenge