Coveted Cover

I am in love with the cover for Cecilia Ahern's new book - The Book of Tomorrow.  The purple and gold combination is so pretty.  This eagerly awaited novel will be released on October 1st.

New Blog on the Block

One of my Inkwell friends, author Ita Roche, has started a blog.  It is called Simple Words and has some really great tips for writers.  Do go check it out.  

This Weekend.....

I finished Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine.  It is now firmly in my top twenty books ever.  I loved it and would highly recommend it.  It's about a 15 year-old boy called Lucas who comes across the ashes of an old woman called Violet Park on a shelf in a dingy cab office.  He takes it upon himself to find out who she was and to give her a more personal resting place.  It is aimed at the young adult market, but it is such a gem that I recommend it to everyone.  I am a bit late to the Jenny Valentine fan club, as this first came out in 2006 and won the Guardian Children's Fiction prize.  

On Saturday night I watched X-factor, and then went to see Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious.  It was my boyfriend's turn to pick the movie.  I don't have the stomach for extreme violence in films, so I was not exactly looking forward to it.  I was however, pleasantly surprised.  I very much enjoyed it.  It is beautifully shot and the acting is superb and it has a strong story.  The violence is quite brutal but it is not overdone.  The tension, particularly in the first scene, is tremendous.  

On Sunday I had a lazy day and watched Sense and Sensibility on T.V. with my Mum.  We both fell in love with Hugh Grant all over again!  

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  

Literary Style

product info

Artemis Fowl goes Graphic

I was really excited when i heard about the Graphic Novel version of the bestselling children's book Artemis Fowl.  As a devout fan of the series by Eoin Colfer, I just had to buy it.  

'Twelve- year-old Artemis is a millionaire, a genius and above all, a criminal mastermind.  But Artemis doesn't know what he has taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon unit.  These aren't the fairies of the bedtime stories - they're dangerous!'

I thought the graphic novel was a great idea, and I really like the finished product.  The artist's representation of Artemis is strangely like I imagined him.  I imagined Holly Short's features to be much softer though, much cuter than how they look in the graphic novel.  Despite this I found it really fun and a lovely treat for Artemis Fowl fans.

Eoin Colfer will be talking and signing books at the WexWorlds Sci-Fi and Fantasy Fiction Festival in Wexford in November.  More info at http://www.wexworlds.net/

New Books

I went a bit crazy in the Teenage section of Hodges Figgis bookshop over the weekend.  But I convinced myself that I NEED to buy lots of teenage books now, in the name of research.  (above are my purchases)

The rest of my weekend was spent doing rewrites on my debut novel, which is due out next year (more news on this soon).  I also went to my friend Laura's going away party.  She is going to Vancouver for a year.  I'm so excited for her!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Coveted Covers

These really cool covers are from Jenny Valentine's books.  She is a super talented children's author and winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction prize.  I am reading Finding Violet Park at the moment and love it.  It really is something special.  

A Great Read

I just finished Ruth Gilligan's new book and really enjoyed it.  It's about a girl called Alice who goes to study History at the beautiful Cambridge University.  She is convinced she has found her wonderland until one night something happens that threatens to ruin everything.  Ruth herself studied English at Cambridge and like her previous books, she is writing about characters close to her own age, so it is very authentic.   You can find out more about the book on my Hello blog.  I also really like the cover!

Charade

One of my fave blogs celebrates it's 1st birthday this week! Charade is 'a blog for stylish and successful students surviving on a budget.'  

Even though I am no longer a student I still love reading it.  Megan at Charade is giving away lots of goodies this week to celebrate her blog's birthday, so head over and check it out!

The Lovely Bones

I seriously cannot wait for the film adaptation of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.  As many of you know, the book is fabulous.  I just watched the trailer on iTunes and it definitely looks like director Peter Jackson has done the book justice.  Along with New Moon, The Time Traveler's Wife and Alice in Wonderland, this is another adaptation to look forward to!

Super-Cute Stationary

Notebook

Letter Set

Document Folder

I just recently discovered Artbox stationary and fell in love with their really cute designs.  Their letter sets are particularly adorable and very reasonably priced.  I have a ridiculous amount of stationary already, but a writer can never have enough notebooks....right?!

Something Inspirational

Saw this quote on Charade and thought it was so true, i just had to pass it on.

Bag it Up

For years I have searched for a comfortable bag that is big enough for all the essentials and that doesn't get horribly bulky and awkward to carry.  And now I have found one!  I bought this Mischa Barton bag a couple of weeks ago in Debenhams.  The beautiful colour caught my eye, and I fell in love with it even before I realised it was part of her line.  I have been using it constantly for the past few weeks and it has been a delight to carry.  I can even fit my laptop in it if needs be.  I love it and am really looking forward to checking out her new collection.  

The Proposal

Occasionally I post about films that are somewhat book related and that I think writers/book-lovers will enjoy.

My latest pick:  The Proposal

In order to avoid deportation back to Canada, high-powered book editor Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) forces her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her. Like all her employees, Andrew hates the bossy and scary Margaret, but he grudgingly accepts on the condition that she will promote him to editor. Facing prison if their bogus marriage is found out, Margaret and Andrew fly to Alaska for the weekend in order to persuade Andrew's family and friends that they are in fact a loved-up couple.

A fun romantic comedy that has some really hilarious moments. Ryan Reynolds is amazingly comical, and Sandra Bullock is brilliant as always. It is fairly predictable and perhaps a little silly in places, but if you like rom-coms then this is definitely worth a watch.