Blog tour - Wrapped with a Bow

The Crazy Lady Authors Present A Blizzard of Books - 9 Holiday Stories as Unique as a Snowflake.

Come warm your toes by our fire, relax, and indulge yourself with this box set of amazing tales. In the spirit of the season, the Crazy Ladies present this gift of heartfelt stories that will make you laugh, cry, and give thanks for the many blessings in your life. From our heart to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas. 

Short and cute - Lily and the Christmas Wish by Keris Stainton

Series: N/A, Standalone

Publication date: November 5, 2015

Publisher: Piccadilly Press

Genres: Childrens literature, 

Format: Paperback, review copy

Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review

Pages: 165
Rating: ★★★★★/5

Goodreads ⎜Amazon ⎜Book Depository

Can one little girl and her dog make a town's Christmas wishes come true? 

Christmas is fast approaching, and the town of Pinewood has decided to do something really special to celebrate. Each person will write down a secret wish and tie it to the town's Christmas tree!

Nine-year-old Lily isn't quite  convinced. She's not sure that she believes in wishes coming true - although she really wants to.

But then a strange storm blows in, scattering all the wishes. . . and Lily wakes up the next morning to find that her adorable pug puppy, Bug, can talk! It's a wish come true. . . only it isn't Lily's wish.

It seems the stor has sent the Christmas magic awry, and now it's down to Lily, her younger brother James and Bug to sort out the mixed-up wishes. But can they fix things before Christmas Eve? 

Last month I reviewed another book by Keris Stainton; Counting Stars. You can read my review here. 

I absolutely love Christmas, it's my favorite time of year so when I came across this book I knew I had to grab it! I'm definitely glad I did! It's one of the cutest Christmas reads I've ever read.
I've already talked my sister into reading it and she loved it too! It's definitely going to be cute a used copy!

In Lily and the Christmas Wish we meet Lily, a 9-year-old girl. We also meet her little brother Jimmy, or James, and her divorced parents. Lastly, we meet Esme, Lily's very best friend. Even though we don't really get to know anyone on a deeper level I quite liked what we got to know about all the characters. For this short a book I think it's amazing how well I actually know each character!

The story is about Christmas wishes; everyone in Pinewood has to write their wish on a gift tag and tie it to the town's Christmas tree. Something happens and the wishes start to come true - but for someone else than the person who actually made the wish. Lily therefore tries to sort out all these wishes.

I had expected to enjoy this book but I didn't expect to love it as much as I do, since it is for a younger audience. But I read it in a single sitting and I didn't want it to end. I love the values this book teaches and I love how important family is in the story!
I also love Lily as a character, she's just wonderful and I just admire that she don't know what to wish for - she want the wish to be an important one, so no toys and no childish wishes. I also love how sweet she is and how she cares for her younger brother. She's definitely mature but she's still quite believable and I wish more kids were like her!

I'd hoped to get some illustrations, but there's only a bit in the chapter headings. I still love the story and it can definitely stand on it's own!

If I should summarize this book in 3 words it would be; family, diversity and, of course, Christmas.

Romance for Valentines Day!

I honor of V-day I figured I might as well recommend a bunch of my favorite romance novels and I'll probably throw some - okay, a lot - of contemporaries in the mix as well.

A couple of years ago I practically despised romance book - I just didn't want to read about it but this past year I've gotten really into reading romance and contemporary books - I've even found chick-lit quite enjoying. My favorite romance of all time is probably Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen!

Rainbow Rowell is probably the only author where I've loved every single book said author has written. I've read all of her books and enjoyed all of them. For me they are definitely feel good books - there's romance, friendship and humor and I recommend them to everyone! I'm almost certain that if you find yourself reading one of her books you'll enjoy it immensely! 

My first book by Rainbow Rowell was Attachments, I didn't know anything about it at that point and I just started reading. Suddenly it was the middle of the night, I had just finished reading it and I was craving more Rowell! 

 I recently read and enjoyed A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall. It's quite short but the storyline is wonderful! It's about a couple and the story is told from everyone but them! I laughed when we suddenly are told the story from a bench's point of view - even a squirrel! It's heartwarming and funny and it will definitely put a smile on your lips!




I read The Edge of Never last year and I remember loving it! It's a new adult roadtrip book and it was very surprising. The relationship between the two main characters evolve instead falling for each other the second they lay eyes on each other they start talking and suddenly become friends. For me I loved that relationship, it felt more natural than the ones in other books and I definitely swooned!



I read this a year ago, I picked it up on a whim and suddenly I had read the whole book! The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight surprised me, it was fluffy but deep and I had definitely not expected that. I loved the plot - even though I didn't know what it was about when I started reading it. I fell in love with the characters and I kept wanting to know more - I craved the relationship between the two main characters. It's quite a short read but the story lacks nothing!



The first couple of lines of the summary for this book made me want to read it and I was definitely not disappointed!
This is a love story. But it’s not what you think. This is not a first kiss, or a first date. This is not love at first sight. This is a boy and a girl falling in messy, unpredictable, thrilling love. This is the complicated route to happiness that follows.

This is real. This is life. This is how to love.

This is probably one of the sweetest, funniest, heart-warming books I've ever read. I'd barely read a page before I laughed out loud and I knew I was going to love it. This book draws you in and makes you want to keep reading. The relationship in this book may be one of my favorites EVER - I kept swooning and when I'd finished the book my cheeks hurt from smiling!





Lastly, if you're still in the mood for some Christmas romance I recommend these; 

Cold Feet at Christmas ⎜Dash & Lily's Book of Dares ⎜The Kiss Before Midnight

Do you have any favorite romance books I haven't mentioned here?

Christmas and Winter reads

Sorry I've been MIA for the last month, but life happened and I've been in a reading slump, again. BUT I bring you today a post with a bunch of Christmas and Winter reads since it's my favorite time of year and I want to make the best of it. So let's start:

I don't know about you, but when I think about books to read this time of year it's either classics - because you can actually drink a hot beverage while reading them, and because I love reading classics when it's cold. Books that take place during the Winter or the holiday season. Books with snow. Fluffy books and books with baking - because I always bake my way through December. Oh, and massive books so you can just snuggle up in a blanket and stay there for the rest of the day.




Two years ago, when I first met my boyfriend, I read Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and I absolutely loved it. The summary basically tells you what happens in the first chapter, but the story is so much more. Normally I hate when the summary tells you what happens in the first chapter and not what the whole book is about, but I loved it when it came to this one.
It's such a cute and fluffy read and there's lots of snow and romance involved. (YA)




I read Let it Snow last Christmas when me and my family just moved into our new house and it made the process easier because I had a fluffy read whenever I became stressed or irritated (I hate moving). I remember loving all 3 stories, but I think I preferred the first one. I also loved how the stories where intertwined without it being confusing. This one is also a Christmas and a Winter story with lots of snow and holiday cheer! (YA)



I think the majority of people have either read, seen or just heard about The Grinch that Stole Christmas. I have watched the movie every Christmas season for as long as I can remember but I read the book for the first time last year and I loved it. The movie and the book is at the same time alike but not alike. For once I enjoy both of them and I think everybody HAVE to read this book. (Children's)




I read A Christmas Feast and other stories last month, I think, and I loved it. It's an anthology with a bunch of Christmas stories and I adored it. I read it in a single day and for a person who normally hate anthologies I would say that that is quite fast. If you're intrigued you can read my review here. It will definitely put you in a Christmas mood with all the lovely Christmas romances! (Adult)




You can't make any list without a Rainbow Rowell book! Since her newest one is set during Wintertime it's perfect. I actually read Landline during the summer, since that's when it was released, but it really should be read during the holiday season. Nevertheless I loved it and it's definitely going to be one of my favorites for quite a while. (Adult)
I read Fangirl last Christmas so maybe that's why it reminds me of it, but I do believe it has a Christmas feel to it as well. (YA)





I started reading this the other day and so far I'm really enjoying it. My True Love Gave to Me is another anthology made up of Christmas stories and it's quite popular at the moment. (YA)





Other books and stories:

• Harry's First Christmas by G. Norman Lippert. It's a very short, short story about Harry's first Christmas and you can find it here for free. You can also just read the original Harry Potter series, there's always a part about Christmas in each book and I do love re-reading a childhood favorite during Christmas
• I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas. I have this one waiting for me on my shelf, unread. It's about 150 pages and it's a 'parody' of A Christmas Carol. I can't really recommend it since I haven't read it yet - but I do know that it's about Christmas. 
• 'Twas the Night before Christmas and Other Christmas Stories. I read a third of this last year and I enjoyed it. It's an anthology with Christmas stories for kids. 
• A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books by Charles Dickens. This is another book I have lying on my shelf, unread. I know that I absolutely love A Christmas Carol, but I don't know about the other stories. 
• I absolutely love reading fairytales during the Christmas season. And The Ice Queen by H.C. Andersen is perfect for Winter. Jackson Pearce also wrote a fairytale re-telling of this called Cold Spell. 
• When it comes to classics I think The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is perfect! I also love reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen this time of year 
• Some chick-lit to get in the Christmas mood: Cold Feet at Christmas by Debbie Johnson - I think this sounds so intriguing and I can't wait to start reading it. 
• And lastly a mystery/thriller for Christmas: Dying for Christmas by Tammy Cohen

Are there any books I've forgotten or should know about? 

*

Collective Book Haul

I just realized that I have gotten/won/bought a bunch of books, so I thought I would do a collective book haul, since some of them is late Christmas gifts and others are some I just bought! (I bought some of these in December)


For Review

            

Netgalley (See my post about Netgalley here)

Blood Orange Soda by James Michael Larranaga. I noticed that this was one of the "read now" books, and it sounds interesting. It is about this guy that turns into a vampire whenever he drinks Blood Orange Soda. Release date: March 15, 2014

Ghostly Tales: Poltergeists, Haunted Houses, and Messages from Beyond by Billy Roberts. I love scary ghost stories, and this is a nonfiction book with a bunch of true paranormal stories! It sounds scary! Release date: April 8, 2014

Cursed (Voodoo Nights #1) by Lizzy Ford. I have read some chapters of this, and so far it is okay. It is about this girl named Adrienne, who may be cursed, and something about a Red Man. And by the way, isn't that cover gorgeous? Release date: February 9, 2014. 

Edelweiss

White Space (Dark Passages #1) by Ilsa J. Bick. I am about 10% in, and it is really confusing. I love the premise of it - mostly because it has something to do with books; "Ilsa Bick’s WHITE SPACE, pitched as The Matrix meets Inkheart, about a seventeen-year-old girl who jumps between the lines of books and into the white space where realities are created and destroyed – but who may herself be nothing more than a character written into being from an alternative universe, to Greg Ferguson at Egmont, in a two-book deal, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (NA)" Also, this one also have a gorgeous cover! Release Date: February 11, 2014

From Author

Fractured Innocence (IFICS #2) by Julia Crane. I really enjoyed the prequel, Freak of Nature, so when Julia Crane sent this to me the other day, I could not be happier. I cannor wait to read it!  My review of Freak of Nature (IFICS #1)

Won

   

Eyes on the Bayou by Daniel J. Moore | The Boy From the Woods by Jen Minkman  | Another Space in Time Richard Bunning

I can't really remember what any of these books is about. But a great tip, if you want to have a great chance winning some books, go to booklikes and check out the giveaways, I have one 3 out of 4 books. 

Bought

Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Pocahontas by Susan Donnell
Sex and the City by Candace Brushnell
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Nynnes Dagbog (= Nynne's Diary) by Henriette Lind
The Battersea Park Road to Enlightment by Isabel Losada - this is actually a signed copy! (see picture)

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Efterskrift (=Afterword) by Vibeke Marx
Carte Blanche (James Bond (Extended Series) #37) by Jefferey Deaver

I also bought City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare for my iPad. 

Late Christmas Gifts

The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never #1) by J.A. Redmerski

Mistborn box set containing; The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages all by Brandom Sanderson

Kinoplex by Martin Hall (a book in danish)

2 * Barnes and Noble leatherbound collections; Grimms Complete Fairytales and The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Hans Christian Andersen's Complete Fairytales in danish!








Did you get any great books recently?

What I got for Christmas!

I should probably explain how Christmas is here in Denmark, so here we go. We get our present after dinner or sometime along the evening the 24th of December - also because my parents are divorced, me and my siblings get 2 Christmases, one the 22nd and another the 24th since they live far apart so we travel the 23rd. But on the 22nd and the 24th we prepare a wonderful dinner and then we relax and talk, and then we dance around the tree singing Christmas songs, and then we exchange presents - one at a time. And lastly we have dessert! And then we just talk and I read and check out reviews on Goodreads and read the back of my new glorious books!.

If you have any questions about Christmas in Denmark, feel free to ask in the comments :)

But my presents from the 22nd are: 

• The John Green box set from my dad, which includes; 
• Paper Towns
• An Abundance of Katherines
• Looking for Alaska
• The Fault in Our Stars
• and Will Grayson, Will Grayson - which he co-wrote with David Levithan
• The Millennium Series from Stieg Larsson in Danish which my sister gave me, since they are written by a Swedish author - and Swedish is not all that different from Danish. I actually thought this was a trilogy, but I just found out that a 4th one is to be released in 2015.
• And lastly The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, which my brother bought me- Jonasson is also a Swedish author, which means I also got this in Danish.

This amazing "tea experience"-box from my dad. Which includes 9 different sample sizes of high quality tea, and then I can either choose to get 4*100g of high quality tea of my choice from the company OR I can choose to take on this "tea experience"-tour where some person talks about tea and I get a bunch of different tips and tricks and we get to taste tea and so on. There is actually also a little book in the box about tea and there is also a quiz! 

I am thinking about buying my dad a box like this for his birthday, and then we can go on the trip together. 

The 24th I got:

The "Fjällbacka" series (formerly known as the "Patrick Hedström" series) by Camilla Läckberg, who is a swedish author. My boyfriend's family actually bought me this whole series, it is crazy! All I know about this series is that is a crime/mystery/thriller series - which is something I enjoy reading :)

I also got the snowflake bookmark from my "bookish gift guide" post, along with the John Green/TFiOS cover. Both was gifts from my boyfriend. 

What did you get for Christmas?

Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Series: N/A, Standalone

Publication date:  2012 (first published October 2nd 2008)

Publisher: Speak

Genres: YA, Contemporary

Format: Paperback

Source: Bought from the Book Depository 

Pages: 352

Amazon | Goodreads 

An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve

buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House ( and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.

A trio of today's bestselling authors - John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle- brings all the magic of the holidays to life in three hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and kisses that will steal your breath away.

The Stories

Since this book is 3 different stories that is intertwined, it is easier reviewing each story and then as a whole.

The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson

I LOVED this one, I gave this particular story 5 stars! I really liked Jubilee, she was down to earth and funny. Also, I loved how focused and purposive she is. When she sets herself up to something, she actually does it! For example, there is this big storm outside, and she goes out into the storm and finds the Waffle House - IN THE STORM. 

Stuart is so sweet! I could not help but smile everytime they talked or just sat together. 

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green

This one was not really one of my favorites, but I still gave it 4 stars because it was cute. Tobin was sweet - not as much as Stuart - but still sweet. I really liked the friendship between Tobin, "the Duke" and JP, also their big adventure in the snow is funny! JP is definetely the funny one!

 The Patron Saints of Pig by Lauren Myracle

This one was okay, I did not really get it most of the time, and even though this one is actually the longest, it felt like the shortest one, because not much happened. But I still gave it 4 stars, because it tied the stories together wonderfully!

So all in all this book got 4.5 berries, since I LOVED the first story that much! The ending was perfect and really tied everything together. I loved how intertwined the stories were, the authors did a wonderful job!

Also, I just have to comment on the design of the book! I REALLY love the cover, snowflakes are possibly my favorite thing ever! Also, snowflakes are all over the pages, chapters and around the pagenumbers! It is amazing and so festive!

Winter Wonderland Tag

This tag was created by Jack from JackEatsBooks on youtube. 

1. What book is so happy and sweet that it warms your heart?

Dash& Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, I really really enjoyed reading it - and if I hadn't just read it in February I would probably be re-reading it right now!

Also the part from Maureen Johnson in Let it Snow by her, John Green and Lauren Myracle (halfway through, so I do not know whether the others parts are as good)

2. What is your favorite book with a white cover? 

 

 Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion 

This book is amazing, instead of just being ABOUT zombies, the book is written in the actual zombies PERSPECTIVE instead - that is plain out amazing!

3. You're sitting in a nice comfy chair, wearing a onesie, with a lovely warm hot chocolate but what MONSTER read are you reading? 

Since the next couple of massive/monster books that is on my TBR-list is Under the Dome by Stephen King, The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandom Sanderson and We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen (the original danish version). I will probably snug up in my panda onesie - yes, I have an actual panda onesie, and read one of those.

4. It started snowing so you decided to have a snowball fight! What fictional character would you love to have the snowball fight with? 

Stuart from Let it Snow - he is so sweet, he will probably not be mean! He will be very sweet and not throw hard balls. Also, he probably looks really good in snow... At least he does in my head, and that is enough for me.

5. Sadly, your fire is beginning to go out. So what book would you tear the last few chapters out to throw into the fire? 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower from Stephen Chbosky - not because it is bad, I would just like to have Charlie not know what he knows in those chapters.. because it broke my heart. 

6. What book is so close to your heart that you would gift to someone this Christmas who hasn't read before but wants to get into reading?

Harry Potter!... I will not give them The Fault in Our Stars since it will kill them and that will not get them into reading!

If you do the tag, leave a link in the comments so I can check it out!

Bookish Gift Guide

I wanted to make a gift guide that is not actual books, but still related to books.. I am still debating whether or not I should make a gift guide on actual books.... But lets get to the bookish gift guide



There is a bunch of TFiOS covers out there, but this is my favorite. And it is really cheap on ebay. You can get it for the iPhone 4/4s and the iPhone 5/5s

For the iPhone 4/4s | For the iPhone 5/5s





There is also a bunch of different bookmarks out there

The snowflake  | The "pointing hand" | The "Help Me" bookmark |


The "hooks" | The "Keep Calm and Carry On" | Zipper |


Something for the Austen lover

I Heart Darcy | Mr. Darcy


For the Potterhead

Time Turner | Snitch watch necklace (silver) | Deathly Hallows necklace 


For the coffee/tea-drinker

Banned book mug | First lines litterature mug | Penguin Mugs


Other ideas:

• an E-reader, I have an iPad and I LOVE reading on it, especially since I have iBooks, Kindle and Bluefire (I am not sure but I think there is a Nook app too)
• Giftcards - the easy way out!
• Movies (book to movie adaptations ofcourse)

If you want other ideas then check this video from Beth

What is your biggest wish for Christmas?