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Friday 30 September 2011

Winner Of The 25 Follower Giveaway.



Thank you to everyone who entered this competition. I have the pleasure of announcing the winner of the Chocolate Chunky Munkie 25 Follower Giveaway.  Drumroll please............

The Winner is:
    
Kaydee23



 Congratulations on your win!

You have an email waiting for you in your inbox, please make sure you reply with your address so I can get your prize posted off to you :D

If I receive no reply from the winner after 3 days then another winner will be chosen at random.

* The winner was randomly generated by random.org*

Books I've Read This Month - September 2011

I managed to read about 7 books this month.   I do spend a lot of time reading so I can usually manage at least 6 -10 a month.  Two of my books this month were crackers!!!


 A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan.

Joint Cracker of the month!
Rating: 5/5 - I cannot rave about this book enough.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and it ticked every box for me.

Read my review

GoodreadsSynopsis:
It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone— and her future full of peril.

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all.




Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

Joint Cracker Of The Month!
Rating: 5/5 - This was exciting right the way through.  Had me gripped.

Read my review

Goodreads Synopsis:
'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.



 Bumped by Megan McCafferty


My Rating: 3/5 - Had such promise but had a very shaky start.  Did get better towards the end.


Read my review.


Goodreads Synopsis:

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.
When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.



 Out by Natsuo Kirino.

My Rating: 4/5 - Gruesome and gritty, a thrilling ride into darkness.

Read my review.

Goodreads Sysnopsis:
With volcanic urgency, Kirino's story erupts onto the page with a searing heat, flowing like lava to a remarkable finish. Facing the daily burdens of slavish work conditions, stale marriages, and a society refusing to show them a proper respect, the women on the nightshift at a suburban Tokyo factory are all looking for one thing -- a way out. When pretty young Yayoi takes a beating from her deadbeat husband, her coworkers do little more than help their friend keep pace with the line. But a new kind of sisterhood emerges when Yayoi requires assistance in disposing of her dead husband's body.

Masako Katori emerges as a tenaciously determined leader in the dangerous cover-up, and with the others, provides readers with a disturbing vision of the lengths a human mind will travel in its quest for freedom. For Kirino's women aren't ruthless murderers; they're hardworking housewives with dignity, desperate for respect. 




 The Small Hand by Susan Hill


My rating: 3/5 - A haunting story, full of poetic detail.


Read my review


Goodreads Synopsis:
Returning home late one summer's evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow takes a wrong turning and stumbles across the derelict old White House. Compelled by curiosity, he approaches the door, and, standing before the entrance feels the unmistakeable sensation of a small hand creeping into his own, 'as if a child had taken hold of it'.



 Confessions Of A GP by Benjamin Daniels.


My Rating: 3/5 - A colourful insight into the world of a GP.  Some lol moments.


Read my review


Goodreads Synopsis:
A woman troubled by pornographic dreams about Tom Jones. An 80-year-old man who can't remember why he's come to see the doctor. A woman with a common cold demanding (but not receiving) antibiotics. A man with a sore knee. A young woman who has been trying to conceive for a while but now finds herself pregnant and isn't sure she wants to go through with it. A 7-year-old boy with 'tummy aches' that don't really exist.These are his patients.Confessions of a GP is a witty insight into the life of a family doctor. Funny and moving in equal measure it will change the way you look at your GP next time you pop in with the sniffles.



 Operation Sunshine by Jenny Colgan.


My Rating: 2/5 - I was disappointed in this, I did not connect with the characters.  Not as good as Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe.


Amazon Synopsis:
Evie needs a good holiday. Not just because she's been working all hours in her job as a receptionist for two high-powered plastic surgeons - but also because every holiday she has ever been on in her life has involved sunburn, arguments and projectile vomiting - and sometimes all three at once. Why can't she have a normal holiday, like other people seem to have - some sun, sand, sea and (hopefully) sex? So when her employers invite her to attend a conference with them in the south of France, she can't believe her luck. At last, the chance to hob nob with the rich and glamorous, to party under the stars, to live the life she's dreamed about. It's certainly the holiday of a lifetime - but not quite in the way Evie imagined!

International Book Giveaway - October!!


I'm excited to announce a new feature to Chocolate Chunky Munkie!!  I will be holding a monthly book giveaway, this is open to international followers too.  Just my little way of saying thank you for following my blog.

The winner of this giveaway gets to choose one book from the list below:

 The Forest Of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan 
In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

0.4 by Mike A. Lancaster
My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.'

So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded onto old audiotapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax, but perhaps they contain the history of a past world....If what the tapes say is true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie.

And if everything we know is a lie, does that mean that we are, too?

Wither (Chemical Romance #1) By Lauren DeStefano
Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings.


How to enter :
Click on the 'I Did This'  enter your name, email and say what book you would like to win in the extra info part. 
The Rules:
Open to International Followers.  You get to choose one prize from the books listed.  Closes 31st October 2011.













Grab the button for your blog :D






Thursday 29 September 2011

Monthly Giveaways!!

International Monthly Giveaway - Starting in October!!

COMING SOON!


I had decided to do another giveaway when I reached 75 followers. But ever impatient,   I've decided because I love giveaways so much, I will be hosting a monthly book giveaway. This will be open to all followers - including international followers. The first monthly giveaway will be starting in October. Just keep your eyes peeled for more details of this.  I haven't chosen what the prized book will be yet.  I might even give a choice of books and the winner can choose one from the list.............

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is still time to enter the draw for a chance to win a copy of Elizabeth Chandler's Dark Secrets #1.   Here is the link  25 Follower Giveaway . The draw closes tomorrow night 23:00 GMT.  I will reveal the lucky winner tomorrow evening when the draw has finished.


Thank you to everyone who is following the blog - I really do appreciate it!

***Review*** A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan.


Goodreads Synopsis:


It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone— and her future full of peril.

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all.



My Review:

Wow! Not very often a book floors me like this one did.  I actually feel emotionally and physically drained.  I had to stay up until the early hours of the morning to finish it.  Then it bugged me in my dreams.......

I loved the whole idea about the book; the tale of sleeping beauty with a twist.  A futuristic Sleeping Beauty awakening 62 years later – still at the age of 16 – from a chemically induced sleep.   The life she knew before......... all gone.

 I felt a real connection with the story and the characters. The main character was so sweet and humble that I could feel my heart go out to her.  Some of the actions of her parents were so shocking at times.  I really fell in love with some of the characters, especially Otto.

I highly recommend reading this book.  For me it ticked all the right boxes and I was really sad to finish it.  I feel a bit bereft and haven’t been able to choose my next book yet.  Not many books have had this effect on me.  I had to check out the author to see if there was a book 2 waiting to come out.  Sadly I couldn’t see one 

This book is one of my top ten books of the year.

Cover: 5/5 - This cover is so eye catching, I love the colour scheme and also the flower border around the outside.  Makes you think of Sleeping Beauty with the rose briars.

Story: 5/5 - This was fantastic!  I loved this book so much :)

The Time Will Come #5




Every Thursday, Jodie at Books For Company hosts The Time Will Come, a meme in which we list a book that we really want to read or keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books that have been on the TBR shelf for awhile now but also they can be books that have just come into my home.

If you'd like to join in?

  • Pick a book you have been meaning to read
  • Do a post telling us about the book
  • Link the post up in the linky on Jodie's blog.
  • Visit the other blogs!
  
Here is my choice for this weeks Time Will Come:


 
 Wither (Chemical Romance #1) by Lauren DeStefano


Goodreads Synopsis:


Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings.


I got this book on my recent trip to Birmingham with some friends.  The cover was really eye catching and when I read the blurb on the back cover; well I thought this was definetly my thing.  I'm really into the whole science vs human ethics.  I've recently read Bumped by Megan McCarthy and last night finished A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan which was fantastic (review coming soon), these were very much in the same sort of vein to this book. I really want to read this book soon! 


What are your thoughts on this book?  Have you read it?

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Wishlist Wednesday #3

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Every Wednesday, Dani at Pen To Paper features Wishlist Wednesday, a meme in which you can list a book that you really want to read or keep meaning to get. These are books that you want to add to your wishlist, and believe me there are plenty!  I've decided to use Dani's feature every Wednesday :)
So what do you need to do to join in?
  • Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
  • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
  • Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
  • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.
  • Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.
  • Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

So here is my book for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday:


 Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver.

 Goodreads Synopsis:

We meet Liesl the night after the day her young father has died. That same day she is visited by a ghost, Po, an eight year old boy who lives on the other side, the territory between life and death that runs parallel to the living world. Po has come to tell her that her father is stuck on the other side, and that she is the only one who can help him cross over. A couple of wooden boxes. Some ashes. Some magic dust. A ghost, its pet, and a boy who forgot to wear a hat in the cold. From these seemingly odd, random characters Oliver weaves the enchanting story of how, with the aid of Liesl, these elements come together over the course of one week to restore love and luster to a world gone grey and heartless
I recently added this book to my  wishlist; maybe in the last few weeks.  I have read Delerium by this author and really really loved it.  I hope this one is just as good.  The blurb sounds interesting, I love fantasy books and this one sounds like it will be just my thing.  So hopefully sometime soon I can add this to my bookshelves :D

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Top Ten Tuesday #2


Every Tuesday The Broke and the Bookish  hosts Top Ten Tuesday, a meme in which a new and different top ten list appears.

This weeks Top Ten list is:
 Books I Want to Reread


#1 - Old Yeller by Fred Gipson. - I read this book when I was in high school.  It's one that has stuck in my mind for a long long time.  I want to re-read this now I'm an adult to see if it still has the same effect.  I think I will need a box of tissues again as this one is a weepie.





#2 Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien. - I recently bought a copy of this book.  It's one I remember from my childhood.  It holds so many memories and I want to recapture the magic :D




#3 - Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - This is part of the Dragonlance series.  I basically want to re-read all of the Dragonlance novels.  They are books that first got me into reading.  I love these books!!



#4 -  The Host by Stephenie Meyer - I really enjoyed this book, it was completely different to the whole Twilight thing.  A real pleasant surprise.  




5# - Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris -  I really enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse series.  I think I would like to reread these books as I think there would be things I would have missed the first time round.  I have forgotten some of the story lines already...... shame on me as they were so good.  I've recently bought The Sookie Stackhouse Companion, which I'm soooo looking forward to.


#6 The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan -  How did I not put this as number one!!!  It's my favourite book ha ha ha.  I really want to read the whole series again and again and again :D


#7 - The Lucifer Code by Michael Cordy -  I really enjoyed this book.  A good mixture of science vs religion.  





#8 - Neither Here Nor There - Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson - I'm not normally a fan of travel writing but this author is brilliant and so funny.  I read his books years ago and think it's time for a re-visit.


#9 - IT by Stephen King - I read some Stephen King novels in my teens.  This is my favorite one and I so want to read it again.  This book however gave me a fear of clowns :(



#10 - Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner - Another one I read when I was at school.  I really enjoye this book and fell in love with the characters.  I think it's time I visited Moonfleet again.



Do you think any of these are worthy reads??  What is your opinion of these titles............ What books would you recommend for the perfect reread :D

***Review*** The Small Hand by Susan Hill



Goodreads Synopsis:

Returning home from a visit to a client late one summer's evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow takes a wrong turning and stumbles across the derelict old White House. Compelled by curiosity, he approaches the door, and, standing before the entrance feels the unmistakable sensation of a small hand creeping into his own, 'as if a child had taken hold of it'. Intrigued by the encounter, he determines to learn more, and discovers that the owner's grandson had drowned tragically many years before. At first unperturbed by the odd experience, Snow begins to be plagued by haunting dreams, panic attacks, and more frequent visits from the small hand which become increasingly threatening and sinister ..


My Review:


I’ve never read a Susan Hill book before.  I have heard of this author, but I must admit I wasn’t sure what to expect.  It was marketed as a ghost story – which is something I would not normally go for.

It wasn’t a bad book; it just didn’t really hit the mark.  It was very well written and the writing style was very descriptive so I couldn’t fault it there.

It was quite haunting and spooky in places, but I could still read this at the dead of night and not freak out.  I really liked the suspense and mystery aspect, I was really keen to find out the story about the ghostly hand of the small child.

The story wasn’t very long; it was 166 pages in total.  But I felt the story was well developed and all my questions were answered, I felt satisfied with the ending and it wasn’t rushed at all.

I liked that the main character was an antique book dealer.  I was very interested to learn about that profession.  It tied in well with the story.

I always ask the same question to myself when I read a book by an author I’ve never tried before, would I read anymore of their work?  I can honestly say that I’m not sure.  I did enjoy the story but I don’t think it really blew me away and I can’t say that I am a big fan of ghost stories.  But hey, never say never..........

Cover Rating – 5/5 top marks from me.  This cover is stunning and so artistic. 

My Rating:  3/5 – I liked this book but I just didn’t love it.

 
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