#booklove #bookworm #books – M J Mallon YA Author and Poet

Thank you to Charley from Books and Bakes 1 for tagging me to join in the Book Courtship Book Tag.

Charley has a lovely blog about books and baking, two of my favourite pastimes! I just love to read and to bake and eat yummy cakes too!

Here’s a link to Charley’s blog post about the tag: https://booksandbakes1.wordpress.com/2015/10/18/the-book-courtship-book-tag/

I’ve been super busy just recently as I’m currently been doing two read-a-thons. The first one is a Halloween themed readalong from Stripes Publishing, the #redeyereadalong and I have been reviewing all the awesome #redeye books on my blog, the current book I am reading this week is Dark Room from Tom Becker. The second readathon I’m taking part in is the Trees of Reverie readathon, and for this I’m currently reading Caroline Peckham’s Creeping Shadow. So I don’t get bored I have been doing some photography, and quote challenges too, as well as joining Instagram.

I’m feeling slightly overwhelmed so:

I will be taking a bit of a blogging break in November, to coincide with Nanowrimo, and possibly December to concentrate on my writing, and getting my manuscript Krystallos ready for publication. More about that soon……

Here’s my responses to the book tag:

Phase 1 – Initial Attraction: A book that you bought because of the cover?

I also bought The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton, (Charley did too!) as I just loved this cover so much. It caught my eye in Waterstons and I just fell in deep book cover love. I loved the book too. My review of the Miniaturist: https://mjmallon.com/2015/01/12/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-the-miniaturist-by-jessie-burton/

As well as this I loved the cover of The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell.

More about The Bone Clocks on my review: https://mjmallon.com/2014/12/08/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-the-bone-clocks-by-david-mitchell/

Phase 2 – First Impressions: A book that you got because of the summary?

The Night Circus By Erin Morgenstern.

The summary is all in capital letters and is so engaging, even though it is simplicity itself:

THE CIRCUS ARRIVES

WITHOUT WARNING

NO ANNOUNCEMENTS

PRECEDE IT …

IT IS SIMPLY THERE, WHEN YESTERDAY IT WAS NOT.

Phase 3 – Sweet Talk: A book with great writing?

There are so many authors that would fit into this “Sweet” category. Stephanie Perkins comes to mind. I loved Stephanie Perkins Anna and The French Kiss, Lola and The Boy Next Door, and Isla and The Happily Ever After. My favourite out of these three was Lola and The Boy Next Door. For some reason that I can’t quite recollect I have only reviewed two out of the three in the series, omitting to do the first which is strange but anyway here they are:

https://mjmallon.com/2014/06/09/review-of-lola-and-the-boy-next-door-stephanie-perkins/

https://mjmallon.com/2014/11/16/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-isla-and-the-happily-ever-after-by-stephanie-perkins/

Phase 4 – First Date: A first book of a series which made you want to pick up the rest of the series?

I’m a bit lazy about reading series, on the whole I tend to prefer reading standalone novels but sometimes a series really captures my full attention and then I get hooked. An example of this is undoubtedly the first book in The Old Kingdom Series by Garth Nix, Sabriel. I loved this series, which I read as part of the Hot Key Books readathon.

https://mjmallon.com/2014/12/15/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-abhorsen-by-garth-nix/

https://mjmallon.com/2014/09/23/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-garth-nixs-sabriel/

https://mjmallon.com/2014/10/17/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-garth-nixs-lirael/

Phase 5 – Late Night Phone Calls: A book that kept you up all night?

Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye would fit into this category because when I did finally get to sleep I dreamt that my bed was filled with hurricane winds! I could feel myself being lifted, and buffeted on a bed of sheets, and thrown up and down in the air. Luckily my dream carried me gently up and down as if I was on a trampoline of buffeting air!

My review of Summertime: https://mjmallon.com/2015/02/28/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-summertime-by-vanessa-lafaye/

Phase 6 – Always on my mind: A book you could not stop thinking about?

The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak, which I read a long time ago before I started doing reviews. If you haven’t read this then go out and get a copy of this fantastic book, which is about:

A GIRL

AN ACCORDIONIST

SOME FANATICAL GERMANS

A JEWISH FIST FIGHTER

AND QUITE A LOT OF THIEVERY

and is narrated by a gruesome chap called DEATH!!!

Phase 7 – Getting Physical: A book which you love the way it feels?

The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller, loved this, it’s gold embossed cover is so textured!! Great feels for this one, fantastic read too! Go and get a copy!

My review: https://mjmallon.com/2015/05/16/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-the-song-of-achilles-by-madeline-miller/

Phase 8 – Meeting the parents: A book which you would recommend to your family and friends?

The Italian Chapel by Philip Paris, just loved this book, and recommended it to my mum and dad, and some friends too! Such a lovely book, so heart warming and inspiring, if you haven’t read it then you must remedy that fast.

My review: https://mjmallon.com/2014/07/04/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-the-italian-chapel-by-philip-paris/

Phase 9 – Thinking about the future: A book or series you know you will re read many times in the future?

The Brandon Sanderson’s series, these are just so awesome, if I had a lot of spare time I’d love to read and re-read these as they have so much going for them. Brandon Sanderson has a wicked imagination. I’ve read The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) and The Well of Ascension (Mistborn # 2.) I’ve reviewed Mistborn #1 on this blog:

The Final Empire. Mistborn: https://mjmallon.com/2015/01/31/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-mistborn-by-brandon-sanderson/

Phase 10 – Share the love: Who do you tag?

I would like to tag lots and lots of you lovely book bloggers so here goes:

http://novelreveries.com/

https://ireadnovels.wordpress.com/

http://heenarathorep.com/

http://www.mybookishlife.com/

https://scatterbooker.wordpress.com/

https://heatherreviews.wordpress.com

https://lipsyy.wordpress.com/.com/

https://stephaniesbookreviews.wordpress.com/

http://mylittlebookblog.com/