Winter Holiday Reading!

It's video time again. Just because I can. 

Books mentioned in video:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Trying War by S.D. Gentill

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

(Reviews coming up soon!):

Betrothed by Wanda Wiltshire

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Then by Morris Gleitzman

Hope you enjoyed the video! 

the tippy top of my reading pile/TBR list

This is just a quick little update-y type of post telling you the books that are at the very top of my to-be-read pile that I want/need to read (or finish reading) ASAP! 

There really should be more on here such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars, but anyway, here is the list (for now):

(pretty much in order of urgency)

Rhubarb by Craig Silvey

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Cassandra by Kerry Greenwood

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Trying War by S.D. Gentill

Pan's Whisper by Sue Lawson

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

new on my bookshelf: selznick + gentill

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick

(published 2007; read synopsis)

I first heard of this book after watching the film Hugo, which I quickly became a huge fan of. I didn't realise it was a book to film adaptation until I saw the special features on the DVD. I loved the movie so much that I quickly ordered it online. The book looks huge, but it is jam-packed with beautiful illustrations and pictures galore, as well as words of course.

Below are photos of the hardcover's jacket and the book without the jacket. And I also took a short little video of me flipping through the book quickly, so you can get an idea of what it's really like (awesome is what it's really like!). 

Review: Chasing Odysseus by SD Gentill

Title: Chasing Odysseus (#1 in the Hero Trilogy)
Author: SD Gentill
Genre: Young Adult Adventure
Rating: 4.5 stars!
Format: Signed copy, Paperback, 370 pages
Release Date: March 7, 2011
Publisher: Pantera Press
ISBN: 987-0-9807418-6-5
Source: Won from a competition (Romi @ Where the Writer Comes to Write)


Description: 
1st book in the exciting new Hero adventure series for young adults. Four young heroes in a quest against myth, magic...and betrayal.

1 girl, 3 brothers... 4 daring young heroes...

Treachery, transformations and a deadly quest.

A thrilling adventure of ancient myth, monsters, gods, sorcerers, sirens, magic and many evils...the fall of Troy and a desperate chase across the seas in a magical ship...

Hero and her three brothers - Mac, Cad and Lycon go on this exciting and dangerous quest to prove their murdered father's honour, the betrayal by King Odysseus and the loyalty of their own people to the conquered city of Troy.

My Thoughts:

I was so excited when I found out that I had won this book in a competition at Romi's blog Where the Writer Comes to Write because I knew straight off that this was my kind of book. Chasing Odysseus incorporated so many of my favourite elements -