Leigh Reads - 28/07/2013

Hey everyone,

So yesterday I managed to do another 50 pages and so can do a little post on what I read.

I read 50 pages of Here Come The Girls by Milly Johnson.

Did quite a bit of reading this weekend but had an absolutely brilliant weekend with the family and baby. 

Thanks for reading 

Leigh xoxo

Leigh Reads - 27/07/2013

Hey guys,

So yesterday I got another good bit of reading done and decided it would be a good idea to update you all on what i've read.

I managed to read more of the Red Queen by Philippa Gregory which is going well however having the point of view of Elizabeth Woodville first, now that I am reading about Margaret Beaufort it's a bit difficult to sympathise with her. I read a total of 50 pages of this book yesterday.

Anyway i'm hoping to finish this book by the end of the week because i'm almost halfway through and at 50 pages a day I should make good progress this week.

I also managed to read 28 pages of Here Come the Girls by Milly Johnson.

I'm hoping to finish this one really soon too but it probably wont happen very soon.

Leigh xoxo

Leigh Reads - 26/07/2013

Hey guys,

So I actually did quite a bit of reading last night and so decided that it might be a good plan to post this.

I managed to read a total of 84 pages of Here Come the Girls by Milly Johnson, so far i'm loving this book and I really want to get a good way through it this weekend.

Thanks for reading 

Leigh xoxo

Update: 26/07/2013

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you know that I wont be posting for a few days,

Have family visiting and so wont be reading much at all.

Speak soon,

Leigh xoxo

Leigh Reads - 24/07/2013

Hey guys,

Sorry I didn't post this yesterday I had a really busy day with an interview and catching up with my besto,

On Wednesday I managed to read 50 pages which is the amount which I am limiting my post to. 

The 50 pages that I read were of the Red Queen, so far i'm loving this book and I really want to read more by Philippa Gregory

Thanks for reading this short post

Leigh xoxo

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson Review

13 Little Blue Envelopes - Review

This month I decided to give this book a go, it's been on my TBR list for way over a year and I just have never gotten around to reading it until now. 

I picked this book up the other day and I fell in love with it, it literally took me 2 days to read this thing it's so amazing.

The back of this book says:

Ginny, aged 17, is left 13 little blue envelopes by her free-spirited young Aunt Peg. Little does she know just how much they will change her life…

• Inside envelope No 1 is money and instructions to buy a plane ticket.

• Inside envelope No 2 are directions to a specific London flat

• Inside envelope No 3 a note to Ginny says: Find a starving artist.

• And because of envelope No 4 Ginny and a man called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous – though utterly romantic – results.

The whole story revolves around Ginny, a 17 year old girl who is left a series of envelopes by her Aunt Peg, in these envelopes are instructions that will take Ginny on a journey of self discovery and put her in situations that she never thought that she would find herself in. 

PLOT:

I love how the whole story is laid out, the idea that each envelope leads to a place and has distinct instructions on what Ginny has to do in that place. The idea of travel has always appealed to me but I don't think that I could do what Ginny is doing, she's adventurous and she sticks by what her Aunt's letters tell her to do and is doing all of this without any form of communication. This books seems to me to outline the fact that it is possible to live without phones and email and that Ginny is doing so. There is such a dependency on electronics in society that this really shows that with a backpack and a map anything is possible.

CHARACTERS:

Ginny - Ginny is a 17 year old girl who loved her Aunt Peg, she always loved listening to her stories of her travels. I really like Ginny's character and it's so interesting to see the development of her character through the whole book. She goes from being shy and scared to a more independent and strong young woman.

Aunt Peg - Aunt Peg was a free spirit, she loved to travel without any real known destination and she traveled all over the world just seeing what happened when she got there, she was an artist and she just loved to meet new people.

Keith - This guy sounds hot, the drama student from London he seems to also be a free spirit much like Aunt Peg was with no real direction in life he just wants to see where the ride will take him.

All in all I loved this book, the plot was interesting and unusual, not like anything else i've read and it's definitely something that i'd like to try again in the future. I recommend this to anyone who liked The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith.

Any questions or comments please feel free to comment below.

Speak soon

Leigh xoxo 

An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson Review

An Autumn Crush - Review

Hey everyone,

As you all know I got this book the other day from play.com for £2.81, who can resist such a bargain and it took me mere days to devour this one because it was so good

The synopsis of this one says:

After a bruising divorce, headstrong Juliet Miller invests in a flat and advertises for a flatmate, little believing that in her mid-thirties she'll find anyone suitable. But along comes self-employed copywriter Floz, raw from her own relationship split, and the two woman hit it off. When Juliet's twin brother Guy meets Floz, he is overcome with a massive crush. But being a shy, gentle giant, he communicates so clumsily with her as to give her the opposite impression. Guy's best friend Steve has always had a secret, unrequited crush on Juliet. After a night of too much wine, Steve and Juliet end up in bed, after moaning about the lack of sex in their lives. Convinced that Juliet doesn't feel the same way, Steve agrees to a 'just-sex' relationship, until they can both hook their dream partners. Just when Guy has finally plucked up the courage to tell Floz how he feels, he finds she has rekindled an old romance. Floz has never had much love in her life and is obviously thirsty for affection. She loves the whole Miller family, from Juliet and Guy's warm, loving parents, to their ancient one-eyed black cat. But can Guy turn Floz's affection for his family into something more - into love for him? Then Juliet makes a series of discoveries which will turn the lives of all four friends upside-down and turns that Autumn into a season where love can be harvested.

This book is set from the viewpoint of 4 main characters with little snippets into the lives of a few minor characters which is why I love Milly Johnson's writing style so much. She gives all these different viewpoints and really makes the story enjoyable. 

PLOT: 

This book revolves around the lives of Juliet, her twin brother Guy, his best friend Steve and Floz, Juliet's new flatmate. This story revolves around love but also contains the message about meeting someone online and the dangers of this. Throughout the book we hear of old flames as well as new with Floz and the guy she met on the internet who has disappeared for 18 months and Guy and his old flame who he was devastated over. There is also characters that people long to be with but can never have.

CHARACTERS:

Juliet - Juliet is a very strong character, she is a strong woman and knows what she wants, when we first meet her she is in love with her boss Piers Winstanley Black, who pays her little attention until he sees her attention drifting elsewhere...I love her character because she is feisty and fiercely independent. 

Guy - Guy is Juliet's twin brother who is a chef in a local restaurant and who falls in love with Floz as soon as he meets her...Guy's character was another really good one because we see that he is a really kind and caring guy who wants to live with a wife and children in a little cottage.

Floz - Floz is Juliet's flatmate and although they haven't known each other long they become good friends really quickly and when Floz first sets eyes on Guy she falls for him...unfortunately they both mistake this love for hatred and both believe that the other dislikes them.

Steve - Steve is Guy's best friend who has been in love with Juliet since they were in school but Juliet most certainly does not feel the same...

All in all this story is a really good one, it's got love as well as tragedy and it makes for a quick summer read

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Milly Johnson, Alexandra Potter or Sophie Kinsella because it's a really good read

Leigh xoxo

Leigh Reads - 21/07/2013

Hey everyone, 

So i've decided to start a new series where I mention what I have read on a more regular basis so that you can keep up to date with what I am reading and when as well as to find out first hand whether i'll be reviewing a book or not.

I have decided that if I read a huge amount in a day then I will do a blog post for you all so that you can read how much i'm reading and of what books and what better day to start than today.

I managed to read 164 pages of An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson which takes me to the end of this one. I really enjoyed this one and it's something that I feel like would be a good book to do a review of in the near future so keep an eye out for that.

I have also read another book today which is The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory of which I read 38 pages.

That means that my total for the day was 202 pages.

Thank you for reading and feel free to leave any requests, questions or comments down below

Leigh xoxo

Read-A-Thon - July 2013 - Day 7

Hey everyone,

So it's the last day of the read-a-thon and I can't believe it's gone so fast. On the last day I managed to read a huge amount again which is surprising.

The first thing that I read was An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson and for this one I managed 119 pages which is certainly an accomplishment for me.

I also read 42 pages of The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory which i'm really enjoying so far, i'm glad to have the perspective of Margaret Beaufort compared to that of Elizabeth Woodville who is the protagonist in The White Queen.

This brings me to the totals today's total stands at 161 pages.

My Total for the Week:

Sunday:                         75

    Monday:                         52     

   Tuesday:                        15     

    Wednesday:                   78      

    Thursday:                      64      

    Friday:                            129     

      Saturday:                        161       

This gives me a grand total of 574 pages which I think is a really good amount 

I'm thinking of doing another series type thing where if I read more than 50 pages in one day I have to do a post about it to let you guys know exactly what i'm reading at the time as well as including Wrap up's so that you can see what I thought even if I didn't do a review.

Thanks for reading these all week, and let me know if any of you took part i'd love to hear what you all read this week...

Leigh xoxo

Read-A-Thon - July 2013 - Day 6

Hey everyone,

Can't believe this week is nearly over already, it seems like just yesterday I was starting this read-a-thon. Anyway you guys are going to be really impressed with this but today the books An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson and Here Come the Girls by Milly Johnson came in the post so needless to say I was pleased.

I managed to read so much of this book with a total of 129 pages which is by far the most that i've read all week.

Bet you guys are all so proud and tomorrow i'll add them all up and see how much i've read over the whole week. 

Leigh xoxo

Read-A-Thon - July 2013 - Day 5

Hey everyone, 

I can't believe it's day 5 of the read-a-thon already...I was convinced that I would give up but this week has been a pretty good week for me reading wise. 

Today I got quite a bit of reading done reading a total of 64 pages of Be Careful What You Wish For by Alexandra Potter. This book seems like it will be another nice little romance much like her other books and i'm glad that I picked it up when I saw it.

In other news today which is actually Friday and not Thursday two of my books arrived from The Works and Play.com. It was all running late due to a technical problem but it's all fixed and even though only one book got here i'm happy to be reading just 2 of the 5 books that I ordered and it will definitely keep me going.

Hope tomorrow's update with have a lot of reading done.

Leigh xoxo

Read-A-Thon - July 2013 - Day 4

Hey guys so it's now day 4 of the read a thon and it was actually an eventful day.

I had an interview in the morning and didn't think that i'd get much reading done but throughout the day I finished Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues by Trisha Ashley which I really enjoyed, i'm considering buying another one of her books to add to my collection.

So to finish this book I read 73 pages which was a good amount,

I then went on to read 5 pages of Be Careful What You Wish For by Alexandra Potter, this book seems to be a good one so far and I think I will really enjoy it.

In terms of the books I ordered online, none of them have turned up yet and one hasn't even been dispatched...needless to say i'm getting restless...

Leigh xoxo

Read-A-Thon - July 2013 - Day 3

Hey everyone,

So today I was looking to read around a hundred pages of Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues but in fact I only managed 15...

I was out with a friend at the hairdressers all day and then went to the pub for a bit where we got chatted up by two guys.

I headed home at about 7pm and so after that I had some research to do because I have an interview tomorrow/today and so that was the most important thing.

Sorry this is a disappointing post but i'll hopefully get to read more over the next few days.

Leigh xoxo

Read-A-Thon - July 2013 - Day 2

Hey guys so today I really didn't read much at all and by today I mean yesterday, confused? I know I am

I only managed to read a little bit and of only one book which was Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues by Trisha Ashley again

I actually only read 52 pages which is disappointing because i'd actually hoped to read a lot more in one day and tomorrows update is going to be even worse because I was out all day with a friend getting her hair done and going to the pub and being chatted up by an old guy

Leigh xoxo

Read-A-Thon - July 2013 - Day 1

Day 1

Hey everyone, today was the first day of the read-a-thon and to be honest I got a little bit of reading done.

The first thing I read was 10 pages of 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

I got so close to finishing this last night and so decide that it just had to be finished this morning, all in all this was an enjoyable little book and is something that i'd definitely like to read again in the future.

The second thing that I read was Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues by Trisha Ashley 



I read just a few pages of this yesterday, ideally I wanted to read about 100 pages every day but with only reading 65 pages of this one and 10 of the other this gives me a total of only 75 pages.

Hopefully i'll read much more tomorrow 

Leigh xoxo

Book Tuber Read-A-Thon

Hey everyone,

So there is a Read-A-Thon happening for book tubers this week which I am going to take part in. Now as you all know I am not a book tuber but the past few read-a-thon's have come up at times that I just couldn't do.

Anyway I have decided that I am indeed going to take part in this one, the read-a-thon starts on Monday the 15th of July and runs until Sunday the 21st of July, however in my case i'm starting a day early because my Mum and Sister are away and i'm hoping to get a huge amount of reading done over the next week.

Anyway i'll be updating you all every day on my progress and how much i've read of each book and of any packages that arrive as they get here.

Hope you all take part too 

Leigh xoxo

Another Cheeky Book Haul

Cheeky Book Haul

Hey everyone, so this week I did something really bad and bought a few books. Fortunately they were from The Works and so only cost me £10 for 4 books, I bought these for the upcoming read-a-thon although because I ordered them online i'm not entirely sure when they will get here. 

The first book that I got was The Birds and the Bees by Milly Johnson

I've been wanting to read this book for a while now because as you all know i'm a huge Milly Johnson fan, I adore her books and I just want to read and read them over and over again. This one sounds really good and i've had it on my TBR list for absolutely ages and I finally got around to buying it. 

The second book that I got was Here Come the Girls by Milly Johnson

 

Again this book has been on my TBR list for over a year and I love Milly Johnson's work so much that I really wanted to read another one of her books and add it to my growing collection of her books, this one sounds like it will be just as good as the rest and i'll be sure to do a little review if I like it as much as I think I will.

The third book that I got was Wedding Season by Katie Fford

Now I am a sucker for anything with romance and naturally I am an avid lover of weddings, there is nothing better than two people coming together in marriage when in love, the idea of weddings has always thrilled me and i've thought about my own wedding since I was a little girl. I really think that this book will be a really good one that will give me an insight into wedding planning with a little romance on the side.

And finally the last book that I bought was A Very Accidental Love Story by Claudia Carroll

This book sounded like it would be a cute little romance book that really appeals to me, I read the back of this one and out of all of the other books that I put into the basket this one stood out the most as being unique. I am hoping that this will introduce me to a new author that I will like and I can then explore more of her work.

Anyway I hope these get here soon and I can make a start on reading them asap,

Thank you for reading, please feel free to leave comments below and i'll get back to you,

Leigh xoxo

Thank you!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to say a huge

THANK YOU!!!!!

Today I looked on my blog and not only do I now have 2 followers but I just reached 900 views,

It's unbelievable to me that 900 times someone has clicked on and read something that i've written,

It's the biggest compliment in the world!

From the bottom of my heart I want to thank every single person who has ever come across this blog and even if you only read one thing you mean the world to me and I really wouldn't have continued on so long without you all!

Anyway you mean so much to me and I really hope that you will all continue to read my posts in the future.

Speak to you all soon

Leigh xoxo

Immediate TBR List - July 2013

Immediate TBR List - July 2013

Hey everyone so today i'm back with another post about 5 books that I want to read as soon as I can afford to buy them.

The first book that I really want to read is Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols.

Now if you read my Upcoming Books in July post then you will recognise this book, the plot sounds like it would be really interesting and i'm a sucker for anything romantic. I've read two Jennifer Echols books and I really enjoy her writing style so I really feel that this could be a perfect little summer read. 

The second book that i'm really looking forward to attempting to get my hands on is Whispers at Moonrise by C. C. Hunter

I read the first 3 books in this series over the past couple of months and I have fallen in love with the characters and the plot, it's exciting yet each book is different and it doesn't get boring as with other supernatural books, this is definitely one of my favourite series that i've ever read and I hope to finish this series soon.

The third book on my list of books that I want to read as soon as possible is 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.



I actually started reading this book yesterday and so far it's been really good, it's a story of travel and an itty bitty bit of romance which we all know that I adore. So far it is a really good book that I want to finish as soon as possible.

I can't really think of anything else that i'm desperate to read this month so these are the three that spring to mind, Thanks for reading.

Any comments or questions just leave them in the comments below.

Leigh xoxo

Upcoming Books - July 2013

Upcoming Books - July

Hey everyone, so today i'm here with a little something new, i've decided to do a little series about new books that are coming out this month that I feel appeal to me and are something that i'll hopefully get to read in the future. 

The first book that comes out this month is Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

The synopsis of this book says:

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

This book sounds like a nice little romance and having already read one of Jennifer Echols' novels I know that this will be another good summer read. 

The next book is Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock 

This book has the following in the synopsis:

They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

This book sounds like a nice little book involving what could be a love triangle and we all know that this is something that I can't say no to. Anyway this is a book that i'm really wanting to get a hold of and find out more.

The next book due out this month is Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

The back of this book says:

Paradise quickly gets gruesome in this thrilling page-turner with a plot that’s ripped from the headlines and a twist that defies the imagination.

It’s Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives.

But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. As Anna sets out to find her friend’s killer, she discovers harsh revelations about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

Awaiting the judge’s decree, it becomes clear to Anna that everyone around her thinks she is not only guilty, but also dangerous. And when the whole story comes out, reality is more shocking than anyone ever imagined..

This sounds like it's going to be a nice little thriller which isn't something that I have really read in the past but this is definitely a new genre that i'd like to explore and I feel like this would be a brilliant place to start.

The next book is Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt

The back of this book says:

Can a road trip repair a romance gone wrong? Find out in this standalone companion to Lauren Barnholdt’s Two-way Street.

Here are Peyton and Jace, meeting on vacation. Click! It’s awesome, it’s easy, it’s romantic. This is the real deal.

Unless it isn’t. Because when you’re in love, you don’t just stop calling one day. And you don’t keep secrets. Or lie. And when your life starts falling apart, you’re supposed to have the other person to lean on.

Here are Peyton and Jace again, broken up but thrown together on a road trip. One of them is lying about the destination. One of them is pretending not to be leaving something behind. And neither of them is prepared for what’s coming on the road ahead…

This again seems like one of those books when you have to work out who has the secrets and what they are, these books are a favourite of mine and so this one sounds really good.

The last book coming out this month is Forevermore by Cindy Miles

The synopsis of this book says:

On a misty cliffside, mystery and romance await. . . .

Ivy Calhoun's life has been turned upside down. Her new stepdad has uprooted Ivy and her mom, bringing them to live in an actual castle in the misty Scottish countryside. There are stone-faced servants and shadowy corridors, and the ancient walls seem full of secrets. Ivy is at once frightened and intrigued.

Especially when she meets Logan, a gorgeous, elusive ghost who has haunted the castle grounds for decades. Ivy is immediately drawn to him . . . but Logan is not the only spirit around. Something dark and deadly is afoot, and soon Ivy finds herself in mortal danger.

Is Logan exactly what he seems? Could his mysterious past be tied to Ivy's present? And can Ivy stop herself from falling in love with him?

I love the fact that this book is set in the Scottish countryside, having family in the Scottish countryside I feel like it would be easy for me to relate to. I love that this book again has an air of mystery and secrets and lies.

Thank you for reading

Talk to you all soon

Leigh xoxo

My Tips For Getting Out of a Reading Slump

Getting Out of a Reading Slump

Hey everyone so today i'm here with a few tips to get yourself out of that reading slump and back into reading.

1. Go to the local library or book shop and spend some time looking at books, have a good look at a variety of genres and see what might suit you best, for me to get back into reading i'd choose something Romantic and light-hearted rather than attempting to read something really daunting that would require a lot of effort.

2. Have a read of the first chapter of a few books on your shelf and then decide which one is the most appealing, this way it makes it easier to choose a book that you will definitely enjoy.

3. Choose something that starts quickly, there is no point throwing yourself in at the deep end  and taking more than 100 pages to get into the book, choose something that appeals to you after the first chapter and makes you want to keep reading.

4. Go onto websites like Goodreads and find other books like ones that you have read and that you think you might enjoy. This also gives you the opportunity to read any reviews although be careful that they do not contain spoilers because I have ruined a book for myself in the past by reading spoilers on websites.

5. Search youtubers and see what they are reading, often you will find that they will do spoiler free book reviews which is always handy because you don't ruin the book for yourself but get a really personal opinion about the book that you want to read.

6. Audiobooks may also be a good idea because these make you feel like you are reading even when you are not actually reading. This allows you to relax and read a book while not having to worry about having lights on, being outside, wearing sunglasses to avoid glare plus it's like a bed time story. I like to listen to The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory before I go to sleep.

Anyway, I hope these tips allowed you to get out of that reading slump and back into the world of books.

If you have any requests or comments please leave them below and i'll talk to you all soon

Leigh xoxo