Merry Christmas everyone from Book Bug!

I hope Santa brought you all lots of excellent books to read!

Here's to a book filled wonderful 2012!

The Lost Daughter

This the first book I've read by the author Diane Chamberlain and I have to confess I was slightly disappointed. A friend recommended this to me as the author has been compared to Jodi Picoult who is one of my favourite adult authors. Alas, for me anyway, she didn't quite match up. I did enjoy the book ok, it just didn't have enough pace for me basically.
This is the story of a young girl who gets mixed up with a boy who ultimately uses her in his plan to try and have his sister freed from jail. The plan is to take the Governor's wife hostage, demanding the release of his sister for the Governor's wife, however things don't go to plan. The Governor's wife is pregnant and while CeeCee is looking after her, she goes into labour and dies, leaving a daughter behind. A daughter CeeCee ultimately ends up raising as her own.
Twenty years later, Tim, CeeCee's boyfriend at the time of the abduction, is arrested for the murder of the Governor's wife and her unborn child. CeeCee is torn apart with guilt and although she knows she could lose her "daughter" and family, she confesses all, with surprising consequences for everyone involved.
The story mainly revolves around CeeCee but we also get a glimpse into her daughter's life and what it has become and how it has done so based on the mother-daughter relationship; a relationship which has been created through the secret life CeeCee has had to create but where her love for her daughter was always the one main constant truth.


Rating: 3 out of 5
Why? The pace of the book was a little too slow for me. I felt it could have been a lot punchier.I also felt the author could have explored the relationship between the daughter and CeeCee more, this really only got going towards the end of the book. I personally felt the book could have been more polished as the plot line was definitely an attention grabber, I just didn't feel it kept mine at all times.

How do you like my new look?

My new blog look came about by complete accident when I stupidly hit the wrong button on the design page and then couldn't figure out how to undo it!! So I pretty  much had to start all over again. It's pretty similar to before except I've now added in a few colours to match my book bug logo!
I hope you all like it, but I would definitely love to hear if you have other ideas. While I see lots of great things on other people's blogs, I generally don't know how to recreate them on my own, for example combining my logo with the blog name, when I do it the way blogspot tells you to, it doesn't blend but squishes into a corner! Maybe I need to start some webdesign classes! 
Anywho! Please leave a comment with your thoughts! 
Book bug wants to hear from you!

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

As I said on my review of the first Harry Potter book - The Philosopher's Stone - this is the book that made me fall mad, head over heels, in love with the HP series. As I wasn't that bothered about the first book, I only read the second one as my friend lent it to me and I had little else to do. Good job I never turn down a book!

The book starts the same way as all of them. Harry is at home with the Dursleys. It's become one of my favourite parts of the book as its often the only glimpse into the Dursley household that we get but yet they are such an integral part of the story. It's also become a great way to link the muggles with the wizards, providing hilarious insights into the muggle world courtesy of the Weasley family who often find their actions mystifying and amusing.
This book also introduces us to a new character who, while extremely annoying, becomes one of my favourite characters of the series - Dobby the house elf. Rowling, yet again opens up a whole new world, introducing us to the weird and wonderful world of house elves in wizarding households. Dobby appears initially to try and stop Harry from going back to school but fails to succeed when Ron comes and rescues Harry with the help of his flying car (I won't spoil the story, it's definitely one to read for yourself!
It all to soon becomes clear why Dobby was so reluctant to let Harry return to school - Voldemort is definitely back in the wizarding world, although there are mixed reactions to his return, with many doubting it, most likely due to the fear and horrors his return represents.
So, the Chamber of Secrets...again I won't spoil the surprise except to say this: Ginny, Ron's younger sister is in her first year at Hogwarts and like many first years, is often lonely and nervous but finds comfort in a diary that she can write in, only for it to write back. Harry hears voices in the walls of the school corridors. Students, including Mrs Norris, the janitor's cat, are attacked by  being petrified randomly in the school. Hagrid's past is opened up to us and we learn more about the boy who became Lord Voldemort.
Super exciting and fascinating to read as the story and secrets unfold! I loved it!! It's no longer my favourite book in the series but will always hold a special place in my heart as the book that made me love the books.


Rating: 5 out of  5
Why: JK Rowling completely captivated me with this book. While the first was jammed pack with characters, this one introduces even more and their paths are all linked. This is shown throughout all 7 books, and frankly, I don't know how she remembers it all! She opens up the background to the characters and the ways in which she makes the muggle world seem "weird" over the wizarding world is brilliant, completely sucking you in and making you almost believe you too are part of the wizarding world and community. Simply brilliant.

The postman has delivered!

Yahey!! Woohoo!! Fandabbydozy!!
My new books - The Hunger Games - have arrived in the post!
Now I know what I'll be reading during my Christmas holidays, although to be honest, I'm not sure I can even wait that long to start!!
There is just something so exciting about a new book, its pristine condition, the shiny cover, the flawless spine....I'm practically salivating just thinking about it! And I haven't even mentioned the box!
Yep, these will fit in nicely on my bookshelf. There's something special about a boxset when it contains an entire series. I have the first four Harry Potter books in a boxset and I still wish I had one of all seven, although, granted, that would be a pretty big box! 
Bring on the Games! :)