Book Blogger Month: Music Guest Post by Ria

Hi, I'm Ria (: I'm a 14 year old with a passion for reading, clothes, photography and writing. I love book blogging (http://thebeaucoupreview.blogspot.com/) and have been doing so for about 2 years. Thanks to Beverley for having me on her awesome blog!

Recently, I read a guest post over at The Mile Long Bookshelf on music the author listened to whilst writing. This got me thinking about the kind of music I listen to when reading, so I thought I'd write a post on it. Here's some examples of the music I listen to when reading, writing stories, writing reviews etc:

Taylor Swift:

-Best Day

-White horse

-Stay Beautiful

-Mean

-Enchanted

-Ours

One Direction:

-One Thing

-More Than This

-Torn [cover]

-Taken

-I Wish

[click on the text to go to a Youtube video]

Lana Del Rey:
-Born To Die
-Video Games
-Blue Jeans
-Kill, Kill

Other:
Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine
We Found Love - Rihanna
Busy - Olly Murs
Princess of China - Coldplay
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Hurts Like Heaven - Coldplay
People Help The People - Birdy

I know a lot of people can find it distracting listening to music when they're working/reading/writing, but I find it hard to do those things without it. Though sometimes, if a book is boring, I find myself concentrating more on the music and lyrics than the book...

What about you? Do you like listening to music when working/reading/writing?

Thanks so much to Beverley for having me on her wonderful blog!

***

Thank you Ria for this great guest post!  And if you haven't already visited The Beaucoup Review, get over there now! 

Feel free to comment with your thoughts...

Book Blogger Month: Q&A with Luisa Plaja

  To start off Book Blogger Month, the lovely Luisa Plaja has answered some questions about Chicklish, reading and blogging.  Luisa is such a wonderful author and I would like to take this chance to thank her for... EVERYTHING!  Thank you for showing me how much fun reviewing is by letting me join Chicklish; thank you for helping me realise my passion for reading again; thank you for sending me books to review for Chicklish and A Reading Daydreamer; thank you for being so encouraging when I said I wanted to start a book blog; thank you for being my first follower, for commenting on nearly all of my posts and for supporting me right from the start... I really appreciate everything you do! 

Sorry about the long thank-yous!  If you are still reading, please sit back and enjoy the wonderful answers Luisa has given us!

Hi Luisa, welcome to A Reading Daydreamer!

Hi Beverley, thank you for having me here!

Why did you decide to start a blog that focussed on reviews for teenage and YA novels?

I wanted to talk about the novels I most love reading! Chicklish was co-founded by me and other avid readers of books for teenagers, one of whom is Keris Stainton (author of Della Says OMG! and Jessie Hearts NYC). We started the blog before either of us had novels published. Keris and I were talking one day about a publishing professional who said that YA/teen fiction would probably never be as big in the UK as it was becoming in the States. We asked each other, "But why not?", and we decided to try to do something about it by telling other readers about great British teen fiction.

How did you come up with the name Chicklish?

Keris and I brainstormed together by email. The blog originally focused on 'teen chick lit', which is a term that's sometimes used for YA comedy romance and coming-of-age fiction aimed at girls. We wanted the title to be 'something like chick lit'... but not. We also wanted it to be original and sound like fun.

For anyone who is yet to discover the amazing-ness of Chicklish, how would you describe it?

Oh, thank you! Chicklish is a blog that's regularly updated with book-related contributions from readers, including young people and adult fans of teen/YA fiction. We feature book news, reviews and author interviews, and the main focus is on fiction aimed at teenagers. Chicklish was founded in 2006 and it's run by me, Luisa Plaja, with help from Alexandra Fouracres and hosting and help from Keris Stainton.

You are also the author of several successful novels, how do you balance your reading, reviewing and writing time?

It can be tricky! Well, the reading part isn't - I'm a huge fan of teen fiction and I really enjoy reading as much as I possibly can. The reviewing is much harder. I always have a large backlog of reviews to write, and I'm really grateful for the fantastic help I get from other readers with keeping the site alive. Lately, I've tried to set aside a few hours a week for writing reviews, and the rest of the time I focus on writing my own books.

Are there any books you are looking forward to read in 2012?

Too many to list! And just when I think I have my reading pile under control, publishers bring out more fabulous books! Not that I'd have it any other way...

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own book blog?

Definitely do it! If you want to test the waters by reviewing at Chicklish first, you'd be very welcome - quite a few teen book bloggers have started out this way. Just write to me and I'll try to find a book that suits your reading tastes. Other than that, have a look at some other book blogs and take the plunge! I have written some general book-blogging advice on the Booktrust site, so you could check that out, too. http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/teenagers/writing-tips/tips-for-starting-a-book-blog/

What do you think about the book blogging community?

I love it - it's friendly, supportive and wonderful!

Thank you Luisa!

Thank YOU!

Thanks again to Luisa!  So that's the first post for Book Blogger Month, come again to see more great posts and interviews...

Book Blogger Month Launch!

Happy World Book Day!  Hope you guys had a brilliant day filled with books, books and more books!  What are you planning on spending your £1 book tokens on?  All the special WBD books seem to be aimed at younger children so I might just use it to get some money off another book I fancy. 

  And March is going to be an exciting… I’m happy to announce the launch of Book Blogger Month!!!!!  I have interviews with other book bloggers and wonderful guest posts written by equally wonderful bloggers lined up for you all throughout this month!  Hopefully you will enjoy reading them and finding out more about some of my favourite bloggers!  They are all very friendly people and I must take this chance to thank them for agreeing to take part (despite the short notice and unorganised-ness!)

Feel free to display the Book Blogger Month button on your blogs (it’s to your left on the sidebar!) and come back tomorrow for a Q&A with Luisa Plaja!

Oh, and before I go I would like to say thank you to all of you who are following me!  I never thought that I would reach 50+ followers so there might be a small giveaway soon... watch this space :)

COMING SOON: The Look Blog Tour

Hiya, just thought I'd do a quick post to let you all know that Sophia Bennett will be stopping by on Sunday 11th March for an interview (with a twist!) as part of the blog tour for her AMAZING new book, The Look (click HERE to read my review)!  So remember to come by to read Sophia's wonderful answers and hopefully find out more about this lovely author!  Hope to see you there x

Introducing Alfie the Sniffer Pup!

I'm back, sorry for abandoning you all!  Exams and revision have taken up most of my time for the past few weeks and I still have my Listening and Practical exams for Music to go, then I will be free to post as much as I like to make up for my absence!  So...

Today I would like to introduce you to Alfie, A Reading Daydreamer's newly recruited sniffer dog!  At the end/start of each month, Alfie will be 'sniffing' out upcoming book releases and any news that's related to teen or YA fiction! 

Why Alfie the Sniffer Pup?

This is probably what you're thinking right now!  I am a BIG animal lover (if you've read my About page, you'll know that I want to be a vet!) and I love my chihuahua Alfie to bits, so I thought it would be great to involve him on A Reading Daydreamer and for all my blogging friends to 'meet' him!  But how could I include my little dog on a blog which focuses on books?  Then I realised that a lot of blogs were doing posts about new book releases and things related to reading and I wanted to join in with all the fun. *Eureka!!!!*  It suddenly came to my mind that I could mix Alfie in with the monthly posts!  So that is how Alfie the Sniffer Pup was formed (the name of this new feature is pretty self-explanatory so I'm not bothering to explain it, it just popped into my head!)

The first Alfie the Sniffer Pup post will be up at the end of March/beginning of April so keep any eye out for it!

Please comment to let me know whether you like this new feature and if you would like me to continue with it.  What are your thoughts?  Are there other things you would like to see in this feature other than book releases?  Do you like my dog? (You either love chihuahuas or you hate them, if you don't like him, though I respect your opinion, do not write anything rude or nasty: they will be deleted)

Happy reading and daydreaming,

Feature and Follow Friday #1

 This is a meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  It's where you meet other book bloggers and share the follower love.  A question is also asked every week.  Please Follow me by GFC!

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q: I like unique names for characters and am looking forward to coming up with some when I start writing. What's the most unique character name you've come across?

Renesmee from Breaking Dawn, it's really unique but beautiful at the same time!  I love it, what character name do you think is most unique?

REVIEW: The Look by Sophia Bennett

Name: The Look

Author: Sophia Bennett

Publisher: Chicken House

Date published: 1st March 2012

Number of pages: 328

Source: Chicklish

Rating: 5 stars

Ted is tall. Freaky. When she’s spotted by a model agency, she can’t believe it. At the same time, her gorgeous sister falls seriously ill.  With her world turned upside down, Ted must choose between fame and family. Can she be a supermodel and a super sister?  All in five-inch heels?

Ted Trout cannot believe it when someone from a model agency sees her on the streets and tells her she has potential to become a model.  What is so special abut her?  It certainly can’t be her frizzy, ‘bird’s nest hair’.  And what about the beautiful sister standing next to her?  Confused, she forgets about it until the family discover something shocking: her sister Ava has lymphoma. Through Ava’s encouragement, Ted agrees to try modelling out.  The Look goes on to follow Ted’s new, glamorous career and how a family copes with heartbreak. Will Ted remain faithful to her family or will she choose fame and riches?

I jumped at the chance to read this before its release date and I was so EXCITED to have one in my hands!  After the success of the Threads trilogy, I knew that The Look wouldn’t disappoint and I really hoped that it would live up to my expectations. But WOW, it goes beyond my expectations. Sophia Bennett is back and better than ever; this has to be her BEST book yet!  

The characters are so believable and I instantly warmed to Ted and Ava. Ted is just like any other fifteen-year-old: stumbling through adolescence and life in general. By the end of the book, I have so much admiration for her because she is strong and brave and doesn’t allow people to force her into doing things she doesn’t want to do. Modelling seems to change Ted as a person, it boosts her confidence and shapes her as a unique individual. Her maturity grows throughout the novel and she becomes like the older sister to Ava, supporting her through everything and caring for her after her cancer treatment. Ava is also a very likeable character: she fights against a deadly illness while trying to keep everyone happy.  Despite her bubbly attitude, it was still possible to feel the fragility in the family and the fear that they could lose her to cancer.

The storyline is fabulous, told through Ted’s witty narration which makes the book much more interesting, I laughed out loud in several parts. The novel is quite surreal in some cases because I couldn’t possibly imagine being a model but Sophia describes everything so perfectly that you can certainly imagine it all. There aren’t any particular twists or turns in the plot because most of the turning points come from the actions of the characters but that doesn’t make it less enjoyable.

I LOVED The Look and I would encourage all teenage girls to get it when it comes out. I think it is perfect for Sophia’s older teenage fans (like me!) and is a wonderful step-up from the Threads books. Sophia Bennett has once again conjured up a beautifully glamorous masterpiece, full of dreams, hopes and heartbreak. And yes, it does live up to the bright pink page edges!

Happy Reading and Daydreaming,