Issue 4 of The Fangirl Guide: Arts & Crafts

I have always been an arts and crafts lover, from when I was drawing pictures as a toddler, to sewing my own dresses now. So, when thinking about this guide, and the various book related arty things you can make, I discovered I could combine the two. I have used pages from the internet to create my own simple to follow guides, so I will give credit for everything I find at the end of the guides.

Below you will find links to help indulge your crafty side:

A clutch made from an actual book

A fabric tote to carry your books

Fox Bookmark (because you can never catch the fox!)

Cute Lacing Bookmarks

-Beth

Happy Reading (and crafting!)♥

Review: Summer of Secrets by Rosie Rushton

 

Summer of Secrets is a book by Rosie Rushton, first published in 2007 by Piccadilly Press Ltd.

What would happen if the traumas of teenage life from Jane Austen's 

Northanger Abbey surfaced in our modern day lives?

   Caitlin Morland has always craved excitement and mystery. When she wins an art scholarship to Mulburry Court School, she's delighted to suddenly befriend the glamorous Izzy Thorpe and guarded but intriguing Summer Tilney. 

When Summer unexpectedly invites Caitlin to join her family on a holiday to their villa in Italy, Caitlin readily agrees. But will her dreams of a romantic getaway turn into something so much more?

♥

Caitlin felt as if she was sitting in the middle of one of those TV adverts for Italian cars or jars of pasta sauce. A long trestle table had been set up under the trees at the side of the villa and was laden with bowls of salad, dishes of olives, baskets of garlic bread and jugs of wine. Two barbecues sizzled away at the side, grilling huge shrimps, whole fish and chicken legs doused in honey and herbs. 

Sir Magnus had invited friends from the neighbouring villa to the meal, and Caitlin's ears were assailed with the rapid staccato of Italian spoken so fast that she couldn't understand a single word, despite having scanned the pages of Italian in Seven Days at the airport. 

She felt as if any moment now a Fiat Punto would hurtle through the olive groves, or some fat senora would brandish tomato sauce to background music of Arrivederci Roma and pronounce that it was full of Italian sunshine for just two pounds thirty-five.

♥

   I also managed to pick up this book second hand, luckily, but I did think I hadn't read this one. It turns out I have read it before, also a couple of years ago, but I had no clue about the ending, which means I re-lived this book as if it was my first time reading it. 

I have read other Rosie Rushton books in the past, such as the What a Week series, but I really believe that her true skill for writing comes through in Summer of Secrets and The Secrets of Love. 

Although I have not read the original Northanger Abbey, I think she portrayed the original story, and the romance and mystery is included brilliantly. 

The only thing I would change about this book is the start. Nothing is wrong with it, I would just like to know how Caitlin became friends with Izzy and Summer, as it's not really explained. Aside from that, the plot is great, with enough excitement to get you involved in the novel and make you want to find out what happens.

-Beth

Happy Reading!♥

Review: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

   Where to begin with this book.
 
   Maybe I should start with the fact that I absolutely loved it. I loved the writing, the characters, the setting.

It was awesome.

   It was just so addictive to read. The words, the sentences, the paragraphs... And to think, it contained the adventures over only a night's spread.

   Nick and Norah are both suffering from broken hearts. It all starts with Nick asking the strange girl next to him to be his girlfriend for the next five minutes, and for reasons of her own, Norah agrees.

   There starts the sexy, funny, roller coaster of a story of a first date over one very long night in New York.

   If you haven't read this book, you need to. Like it says, this book is one roller coaster of a story.

Thanks!

- Emma

Happy Reading! <3

Review: Girl (Nearly) 16: Absolute Torture by Sue Limb

 

Girl (Nearly) 16: Absolute Torture is a book by Sue Limb, first published in 2005 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Jess's dreams have finally come true. She is in love. And not just with anyone, with Fred the Perfect. She is the happiest she ever has been, but not for long.

The moment Jess gets together with Fred, the goofy boy of her dreams, her mom decides to take her on a surprise history tour of England. Along with granny, and grandpas ashes. 

Normally Jess would jump at the chance of going on holiday, and especially seeing her dad in St Ives at the end of there trip, but why now? 

♥

'As a matter of fact,' said Jess, in a casual, airy kind of way, 'I've got a proper boyfriend - somebody my own age.'

Mum whirled round, her face transformed in an instant. Her blissful yearning for the spirit of Lawrence of Arabia was replaced by a wide-eyed alarm and terror. As if she'd suddenly seen a snake in a flowerbed. 

'What?' she hissed. 'What's all this? What on earth are you talking about?'

Oh my God, thought Jess, I've blown it. In an instant the skittish, holiday-Mum had gone, and the anxious disapproving old bat of normal everyday life was back in charge. Jess would have to blag her way our of this one. 

'Yeah,' she went on, 'haven't I mentioned him? His name's Siegfriend de Montenegro and his family made a million our of marzipan. They live in a castle on a hill in Transylvania. We're planning a December wedding and I'm going to have a troupe of vampires-in-honour, all in pink and white.'

♥

I have read this book before, a few years ago, but I had borrowed it from the library, so when I saw it in a second hand bookshop, I just couldn't help but want to own it. So, I didn't try to resist temptation. I now own the delightful copy in the picture above.

So, I had a pretty crappy week this week, but Emma has really helped (thank you bookdragon ♥) and so has reading. This book, to be precise. 

I think this book is a really good choice after reading a short one, as it is just so easy to read, and will convince you to read thick books again in no time. 

-Beth

Happy Reading!♥

Notes

Hi bibliophiles!

Just a quick note to say these two things:

We now have a @the_perksinourstars Instagram page! Here you can find shelfies (and other book pictures) along with book quotes and other things! To be featured on our page tag your shelfies #theperksinourstars ! Click on the link at the top of this page to be transported into magical unicorns and become a book dragon.

Also, I wanted to add this:

I use public transport a fair amount, and there is usually someone with a book or reading, especially on long journeys. But the other day, I saw THREE people reading on a train. Yes, three. I didn't see all of the titles, but there was a teenage guy reading the hobbit. Really.

As I sat there, I thought about how sometimes, with the hype of gadgets, social media and gaming, we book-lovers really feel alone. I'm not saying I don't love the modern world, I am a big daily internet user and gamer (fact about me there!), and I enjoy them as much as the next person. But basically, please don't feel alone.

There is definitely a surviving community of bookworms (and dragons), so don't be afraid to admit you are one.

We are readers, and we are proud.

-Beth

Happy Reading!♥

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

   I started reading this book, and I instantly thought, 'yes, this is my kind of book'. And I really enjoyed it, like I thought I would. But unfortunately, I just kind of lost interest at the end. It felt like a chore to finish it.

But don't take that as meaning I didn't like the book, because I did. I liked it a lot. Anything to do with angels instantly captures my attention and heart. I just didn't particularly enjoy the ending, I guess. The epilogue, however, I did like.

Here's the blurb:

SOME ANGELS ARE DESTINED TO FALL.

Instant. Intense. Weirdly familiar...

The moment Luce looks at Daniel she knows 

she has never felt like this before. Except

she can't shake the feeling that she has... 

and with him - a boy she doesn't remember

ever setting eyes on.

Will her attempt to find out why enlighten her - or destroy her?

   This book isn't what I expected, and I liked that about it. If you're into dark books, I think this would be a good one for you! 

Thanks!

- Emma

Happy Reading!❤

Issue 3 of The Fangirl Guide: The different types of books according to us fangirls

   Beth brought up something I found interesting in her review of Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.

She said that although she loved both The Perks of Being A Wallflower and Eleanor & Park equally, the time it took her to read them was different.

   Which led me to thinking about the different types of books a fangirl, or rather just a reader, encounters.


There's the books we adore and take our time reading.

The books that have us so entranced we can't even entertain the idea of putting them down until we have devoured each and every last word.

There's the series we can't live without; the one we just can't stop re-reading.

The ones that, although we enjoyed them, wouldn't want to reread.

The stand alones that make our hearts want to beat right out of our chests just thinking about - but if I'm being perfectly honest, my heart does that about quite a lot of books that aren't just stand alones.

There are more types of books of course, but you'll be here all day if I let myself drone on and on about them. So I'm cutting myself off (for the time being, anyway).



   I thought with this issue of The Fangirl Guide, Beth could give you a little idea into what the different types of books are, and the ones she thinks fit into the different 'categories'.

Let's get started!

   Firstly, the one's that although I loved, I wouldn't really want to re-read.

The Fault in Our Stars. I know many people will disagree with me here, and yes, I understand that it is an extremely well written book, but I just don't think I could go through the sadness again!

First Love by James Patterson. No, the pain. The pain.

Now Is The Time For Running by Micheal Williams. What do we find with this list? They are just too sad. I, personally, just wouldn't want to go through the pain I endured when reading these books, and losing the characters in them. I can almost say the same for Looking For Alaska, but there are parts in that book which I really would want to re-live (the fox, people. The fox.).


  Now, I will tell you about the books I literally could not put down before I reached the final page.

Eleanor and Park. Entrancing is definitely the right word here.

Stray by Monica Hesse. Although I was originally cautious about this book, as I got over halfway, I found it impossible to stop reading. I just wanted to find out what happened on the next page. And the next. And the next. You get my drift.

Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy. Even though it was a couple of years ago that I first read this, I absolutely loved loved loved it.

All The Bright Places! Emma recommended this to me back in February, and it sort of got me interested in properly reading again, which also sort of started this blog. So thank you Em (and Jennifer Niven!)

   Thirdly, the books I can't stop re-reading:

Cherry Crush! I once actually finished this book, turned to the front again, and just re-read the entire thing without stopping. Yep, really.

Drawing With Light by Julia Green. I don't think I've mentioned this book yet on the blog, but let me tell you now, I LOVE IT. I have to say, it is one of my absolutely favorites.

Along For The Ride by Sarah Desson. Do I even need to say anything?

Jane Eyre! Even though this book is so long, I could read it many times over. And even though, yes, it was written in the mid 1800's, I still believe it is a complete classic that should never be forgotten.

   The series we can't live without. I have a confession here. To be completely honest, I have never really been into series. Maybe I just don't have the patience. Or maybe its because I'm a big romantic, and popular series such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games don't offer much in the way of romance. Saying this, I have read most of the Ally's World series by Karen McCombie and The Chocolate Box Girls series by Cathy Cassidy.

However, I am still going to mention a few series I think everybody (including myself) should read:

The Hunger Games
Harry Potter
The Maze Runner
The Divergent Trilogy

    The books we adore and take our time reading;

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Away For The Weekend by Dyan Sheldon

These books are one's you don't have to rush to enjoy. Although they are all amazing, they are sort of relaxing too.

-Emma and Beth

Happy Reading!❤

Review: Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce

 

Framed is a book by Frank Cottrell Boyce, first published in 2012 by Macmillan Children's Books.

Dylan is more interested in the Ninja Turtles than the famous artists they are named after...but all of that is about to change.

When his dad disappears from their garage in the middle of nowhere, Dylan is left to run the family household and business. All when, suddenly, the small town of Manod isn't just the middle of nowhere anymore...

♥

'I was going to write about these visitors,' said Mr Arthur, 'but there's nothing to write. Except that they're here. And everyone knows that already. I'm going to have to write about you, Dylan.'

At first I thought he was joking. But he really did want to write about me. 

'Being the only boy left in Manod.' he said. 'Having no one to play footy with. That must be interesting.'

I wasn't sure it was that interesting actually.

Dad said, 'I play footy with him,' which wasn't strictly true. 'If you're looking for something to write about, why not the absence of a sign for Manod on the A496?'

'The sign is not a news priority, Mr Hughes,' said Mr Arthur. 'Everyone who wants to know about the sign already knows.'

♥

I was lucky enough to pick up this book for free, which is why I tried it. I wouldn't normally read this genre, but it was actually pretty good. 

For a start, it was set in one of my favorite parts of the world - North Wales. Also, it was funny. With that combination, how can you really go wrong? 

I wouldn't say this was one of my favorite books, but it was really enjoyable, and an easy read. Plus, it contained a mini. An original Mini Cooper S. Exactly.

If you're looking for a fun, funny read, this is a great choice!

-Beth

Happy Reading!♥

Review: Stray by Monica Hesse

 

Stray is a book by Monica Hesse, first published in 2013 by Hot Key Books.

Path is a virtual reality experiment. But not just any. Hundreds of children from deprived backgrounds come to Path to have a better 'life'. They spend their first 18 years as someone else. Julian. 

But not Lona. Lona Sixteen Always is no longer going to survive this experiment. One day during Path a familiar face comes onto her screen, promising her more, better. 

Lona is ready to stray from her Path, and forge her own. But will life give Lona everything Fenn promised it to be?

♥

We were screaming. The Path broke and we were screaming. Except that wasn't exactly true, was it? Something about that statement was false. I wasn't screaming. Everyone was screaming but me. I wasn't screaming because even though I was scared, I liked it.

I.

Not we.

In Path, Julian ate a banana, brushed his teeth with a depleted, gummy tube of Crest. Lona barely noticed any of it. She was too thrown by her own thoughts to register anything happening in Path.

Until something happened in Path that didn't belong in Path at all.

For a split moment, so quickly she would have missed it if she had blinked, a face filled Lona's screen. He looked like he was trying to say something, but there was no sound and Lona couldn't read lips. 

His face was thinner. His hair was longer than it had been when she saw him last, or at least longer than she remembered it being, but still the same curls and the same dark color. Still the same green eyes. Still the same serious look in them.

Fenn.

♥

This was an extraordinary book that is indescribable by words. One I literally could NOT stop reading. 

I don't know the word that would best describe what I have just read. I don't think a word fitting enough even exists yet. Some I can think of are amazing, action-packed, interesting, lovable, confusing, on-edge, etc. But these just don't seem enough. There is only one word that seem to describe this book perfectly.

Impossible. 

Don't ask me why, but it just seems to fit. It is the missing puzzle piece. 

This book has been sat on my shelf for months, and I have, I admit, been avoiding it. I picked it up not knowing what I would think: taking a risk. But now, I don't know how I could have kept it there for so long and not read it.

Not reading this book is impossible.

That is where the word fits.

-Beth

Happy Reading!♥

Review: Away For The Weekend by Dyan Sheldon

Away For The Weekend is a book by Dyan Sheldon, first published in 2011 by Walker Books Ltd.

Angels do exist. But some of them have a devil sat on one shoulder.

Remedios Cienfuegos y Mendoza is one of these angels.

Gabriela and Beth are two totally, totally different people. The only thing they have in common is the fact that they're both in L.A. for the weekend, but that's about to change. And all down to two angels.

♥

The elevator rises very slowly, but only one of its passengers notices. Timing is everything. She could make the switch and have them realize what happened in a matter of seconds, but for it to do them any good they have to be kept isolated. She doesn't want them joining forces or making a fuss. And she especially doesn't want them joining forces or making a fuss when Otto's around. The last thing she needs is for him to discover what she's really up to. It's better if the girls don't realize until morning - by which time Remedios and Otto will have gone from the hotel, and he won't have any idea of what they've left behind. 

On the top floor, Otto has finally given up trying to unlock their suit with the electronic key and, with a glance over his shoulder to make certain no one is watching, simply wills the door to open itself. And as the second elevator stops on Beth's floor, Remedios lightly touches both her and Gabriela, and simply wills them to swap. 

Being an angel definitely has many advantages over being a magician.

♥

When I started this book, I just wasn't sure. To be honest, I even considered stopping after the first couple of chapters. But I cannot remember a time when I have just stopped reading. So, I persevered. And I know this is becoming somewhat of a cliche now, but I loved it. I have never really liked fairy-tale style unrealistic books, but this one grabbed me. 

It is very unlike Baby Makes Two, which is also by Dyan Sheldon, and is the reason I picked this book up in the first place, but just as good, maybe even better in a way. This book is happier, more positive. I don't know. It just made me feel kind of like an angel...

-Beth

Happy Reading!♥