So I've been tagged by the lovely Sophie from A Day Dreamer's World and Sunny from A Sunny Spot to do the 50 Facts About Me tag! I hope you enjoy it!

1. I'm 15 years old.
2. My birthday is on the 7th November and, as weird as it may be, I'm extremely proud to call myself a Scorpio. ;P
3. I have a younger brother who hates reading. Sadly, I cannot disown him. Apparently it's frowned upon to ask parents to sell a sibling... My bad. :3
4. The fifth member of our little family is a very cheeky, five-year-old gun dog named Otto. A German Shorthaired Pointer with a German name. Fitting, right? ;)
5. Up until last year, we actually had a sixth member of the family. Taz. Another German Shorthaired Pointer and, in actual fact, Otto's uncle.
6. When I was younger (around mid primary school age) I found a copy of Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Bronte) in the spare room. I started reading it (thinking of how smart and cool I would be reading an adult book) and got practically half way through before realising it was a waste of time - I wasn't understanding anything...
7. I once managed to drop my shoe in the toilet in primary school. And my teacher made me lift it out. Everyone found it hilarious.
8. I love horses and horse riding.
9. I've had a horse on loan before. He was over 16hh (for those who don't understand what I mean by that, let's just say he's talllllll), chestnut coloured and called Harley. I loved him dearly and still believe I do though I haven't seen him in years.
10. I had an obsession with climbing trees and jumping off of crates when I was younger. I roped my bestie, Cat (Through a Cat's Eyes), into doing it with me.
11. I started the eco committee at my primary school and spoke at quite a few assemblies because of it. Funny how I have a fear of public speaking now though, huh? ;3
12. My friends and I got called into the headmistress's office more than I would like to admit... :3
13. The book blogger I go the furthest back with and am still in contact with today is the awesome Zoe from Bookhi! (THREE YEARS, ZOE! *high five*)
14. My favourite colour is turquoise.
15. I have to take the bus to school.
16. I have a lot of favourite heroines but my ultimate favourites have to be Tris (Divergent) and Allie (The Immortal Rules).
17. My favourite hero is without a doubt William Herondale. BACK OFF GUYS, AS I'VE SAID REPEATEDLY, HE IS MINE! DIBS! Muhahahaha!
18. I'd love to travel the world some day.
19. If I manage to fall completely in love with a storyline, I don't pay as much attention to the characters. Though if the storyline is less bold and outstanding, I do need A LOT of character development!
20. Ah, yes. DEVELOPMENT! The most essential thing needed for me to like a novel. Character development, plot develop, relationship development... I just need development, ok?! :P
21.  I'm very much a country girl - having lived in the country for more than half my life. Try and get me to sleep next to a busy main street and you're just asking for trouble.
22. My favourite (not bookish) quote has got to be: "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." :')
23. My favourite  book-to-movie adaptions are Harry Potter (obviously) and the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
24. I hate tea and coffee. I'm a hot chocolate girl. ;D
25. Wooo! Half way! Are you bored yet?
26. I let my friend cut my hair a few weeks ago. CALL ME BRAVE!
27. I detest Maths with a passion yet am currently taking Higher Maths - talk about SUPER hard. :(
28. I love high heels.
29. And getting dressed up with high heels on.
30. Though I tower over six foot when I do this (and I know this by standing next to my dad).
31. Otherwise, I love my baggy t-shirts and leggings.
32. I'm not much of a clothes shopper... A book shopper? YES! Clothes? Not so much.
33. I don't own a Kindle and am not sure if I ever will... I have my iPad for ebooks.
34. My favourite TV shows are Friends, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and The Vampire Diaries. I can quote all of these.
35. I've more or less gone off Pretty Little Liars... The last season was just too boring for me. :3
36. I'm obsessed with all the Barbie and Disney movies. Who isn't?!
37. I really want to work in publishing and/or be an author when I'm older!
38. I love writing short stories for English though we barely do any. :(
39. I've been chased by cows three times. Once, by a bull (where my friend and me ended up hiding in a hollow tree). Twice, by a herd. Yes, a HERD! Third time, from a cow called Cookie because I got too near to her calf. For the record, I was at least four metres away from it!
40. Consequently, I have a fear of cows. As well as mice and enclosed spaces (lifts, in particular, and being locked inside a car).
41. If I have too much sugar, I go really hyper and can't settle... Especially if I'm in class! :3
42. I'm a Shadowhunter and Dauntless initiate and study at Hogwarts.
43. I recently went to see The Lion King musical. Twas good. :)
44. I love me blogging besties loads! ;)
45. As I'm writing this, I should really be writing an essay. Which is due for Wednesday. -.- PROCRASTINATOR RIGHT HERE!
46. I have a new blog design.
47. Do you like it?
48. I'm still not sure... Sorry about the size of the font! I'm working to fix it!
49. Hmmmm, have to make the last fact gooooood.
50. I love Douglas Booth, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jennifer Lawrence and Lily Collins - they're perfect! :D

Since I think everyone I know has already done this tag, it's going to be quite tricky for me to tag anyone... but I'd love to see Kezia (Chapterosity), Beverley (A Reading Daydreamer), Maya (The Book Nook) and Jack (The Book Stop) do it! However, if you've already done it or don't really want to, it's fine! ;P

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

PS: I can now reply to comments! Woooooooop! xD

Celebrating 3 Years of Booktastic Reviews!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BOOKTASTIC REVIEWS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HIP HIP HOORAY, HIP HIP HOORAY, HIP HIP-

MY BLOG IS NOW THREE WHOLE YEARS OLD, GUYS! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! *reaches through screen and cradles blog* I CERTAINLY CAN'T! 368 posts, 110 reviews, 117402 pageviews, 471 GFC followers and 193 Bloglovin' followers later and here we are.

Yep, I can't quite believe it either. I mean, over 100,000 pageviews?! That's amazing! And a combined following of over 600 followers (not including twitter)?! WHAT?! I am SO lucky! Huge thanks go out to everyone who follows or even takes time to browse through my blog! :)

I LOVE YOU ALL!<3

I do want to thank a few specific people though - mainly book bloggers. Now that I think about it, it might be best to grab a cup of hot chocolate or tea because when I say a few, I actually mean a LOT... Also, since I have no idea how I'm going to order this, I'm just going to go alphabetically, here's hoping I don't miss anyone out! :3

Amber (The Mile Long Bookshelf)

I'm not even sure if Amber knows this or not but she's the one who introduced me to the book blogging community. Years and years ago when I was just a life blogger - documenting my very boring day-to-day life - a fellow blogger (HINT: Amber!) started up a book blog. Since I'd had no idea there was such a thing as the bookblogosphere, I instantly wanted to jump on the band wagon! It was the perfect blog for an avid reader like myself to start! So, HUGE thanks go out to Amber as, without her starting up TMLB, this blog probably wouldn't exist! She's also a pretty awesome person in general. :)

Catherine (The Book Parade)

Even though I feel like I haven't talked to this girl in so long - WE SERIOUSLY NEED TO CATCH UP BIG TIME! - she's been a blogging buddy of mine for a good while now and, of course, I had to include her! She's such a lovely person and I adore her blog! :D

Cat (Through a Cat's Eyes)

My goodness, where do I start with Cat?! This girl... Well, if it hadn't been for her, I would never have even come across blogger! She's the one who introduced me to the website all those years ago and helped me start up my first ever blog! She's amazing! THANK YOU SO MUCH, CAT! So happy we've stayed close all these years! xD

Francoise (My Crazy Bookish World)

Francoise is one of my newer bloggy friends and I'm so glad to have met her, she's so nice and I just love her blog! The design is so pretty! I also love it when I see she's left a comment on one of my posts. :')

Hawwa (It Was Lovely Reading You)

Eeeeek, this girl is crazy awesome. Emphasis on the crazy. ;) If you ever need someone to cheer you up, talk to this girl! She's hyper, prone to fan-girling and just so much fun! She's been a blogging bestie of mine for what seems like forever now! Her blog is perfect and her personality shines through every post, you'll love her! Thanks for being awesome, Hawwa! ;P

Jack (The Book Stop)

This is another newer bloggy friend that I'm so glad to have met! His blog is always updated with a variety of interesting and fabby posts and there's something for everybody! I always just want to go for a good ol' browse whenever I visit it (which is often)! He's also great to talk to on twitter! :)

Jessica (Booked Up!)

I absolutely love this girl and her blog. They are both fabby! We came to the realisation we've actually got quite a few things in common (which is why we must get along so well! ;D) and, if I remember correctly, my blogoversary and her birthday are on the same day. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSICA! xD

Lucy (Queen of Contemporary)

You seriously need to check out her blog. Her posts are always interesting and fun to read (I especially love her discussion posts!) and she updates her blog regularly! She's also recently become a booktuber and I just love watching her videos!

Ruby (Feed Me Books Now!!!)

Okay, well, for one, Ruby is amazing with everything and anything technical and so her blog design is gorgeous and she's always so willing to help me out if I'm stuck with a graphic/widget. She also writes amazing reviews - seriously, I don't know how she does it! - and I love just simply talking to her about books and fictional boys and everything in between. She's also quite the Pottermore geek and can best me in all the duels. ;D

Sophie (A Day Dreamer's World)

Another lovely girl with a great blog. I love all her posts (especially her amazing discussion posts)! Her blogger header is so pretty too! She's great at writing stories too! Everyone needs to go visit her blog now - you won't regret it! xD

Sunny (A Sunny Spot)

Sunny is also such a nice book blogger (I know I'm repeating myself but all my bloggy friends are super lovely, okay? ;P) and her blog is a ray of sunshine! I love every post she writes and she leaves such lovely comments on my blog and they never fail to bring a smile to my face! :)

Zoe (Bookhi)

Ohmygoodness, where on earth do I start with Zoe?! She's one of my very oldest bloggy friends and has stuck by this blog all this time. I cannot thank her enough! Especially since my first reviews were dreadful! :3 She's great to fan-girl with and is just, simply, amazing. We have quite a similar taste in books so if she recommends anything to me, I'll instantly look it up. SIDENOTE: More GIFs, Zoe! Are you proud? ;D

A few more shout outs are needed for Beverley, Rita, Kyra, Kezia, Maya, Fionnuala and Amy who are all super awesome and great twitter buddies. I also want to send out a huge thank you to Cliona at Bookster Reviews because, even though she is no longer blogging, she was one of the very first bloggers (along with Zoe) I became friends with and one of the first bloggers to comment on my blog. So thank you for everything, Cliona! I hope you return to blogging someday! :)

So, there we go. I am so grateful to have such fantastic bloggy friends! They make blogging all that more fun! LOVE YOU GUYS! Of course, if you're new here, introduce yourself! I adore making new bloggy friends!

I know I haven't been around much lately (and that's likely to continue *sniffles*) but I hope you stick by the blog! I'll try and get the odd post up whenever I can!

Wish I could stay longer but, alas, I have to prepare the birthday cake...

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

Cover Reveal: The One by Kiera Cass!

Okay, guys, the cover of the last book in Kiera Cass's Selection trilogy, The One, has been revealed... EVERYBODY WANNA SEE?!

 

IT'S SO BEAUUUTIFUL! I reckon it's my favourite cover of the series. I just love the simplicity of it, the white dress and the delicate positioning of the hand near the face... It's just, quite simply, gorgeous! This series definetly has some of the prettiest covers ever! I LOOOVE!<3 :')

 

So, yeah, as for the actual content of the books so far, I'd have to say... Good. Simply because I gave the first book four stars and the sequel, three and a half (reviews here and here). I'm really hoping The One will give the series the extra kick I'm looking for! Here's hoping it'll end with a bang! After all, I'm expecting a lot from it! *crosses fingers*

What are your thoughts on the cover? Is it your favourite of the covers or do you prefer one of the others? What have you thought of the books so far? Looking forward to this one? Oh and, of course, the BIG question: Team Aspen or Team Maxon? ;)

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

Review: From What I Remember

Authors: Stacy Kramer, Valerie Thomas

Edition: Electric Monkey Paperback
Released: 7th January 2013
Series: No, standalone
Pages: 436 approx.
Links: Goodreads | Authors Website | Buy the book!

At midday, class brainiac Kylie Flores is due to give the most important speech of her life. And yet somehow she's woken up in Mexico, in a bed she doesn't recognise, with the hangover from hell and the hottest boy in school - and they're both wearing wedding bands.

She might be a budding screenwriter, but even Kylie's vivid imagination can't come up with the ending to this movie.

Rewind 48 hours...

You are in for one rollercoaster of a ride with this one. Seriously. This story will reel you in, strap you to your seat and throw you in every direction. Never have I had so much fun reading a book as I did reading this one. It's one big whirlwind of adventure. You cringe, you laugh, you feel. You'll whiz through it and come out the other side breathless but with a smile on your face. But don't be fooled, beneath the light-hearted, easy-going premise is a book with more depth than you'd think. It ain't all sunshine and sombreros.

I can't deny the clichéd loner girl/popular boy romance but, come on, it's a classic. You've got to love a She's All That kind-of storyline. And, yes, I just referred to a movie. I reckon Kylie would be proud. Anyway. The book is told through alternating POVs. We have Kylie, Max and Will to name but a few. Will being Kylie's very flamboyant, very sassy, very gay best friend. ;)

I adored most of the characters. They're quite the more-than-meets-the-eye lot. Each with their own issues and struggles. None of the characters affected me enough to say I had a favourite but Kylie's younger brother, Jake, came very close. He's just one of those characters you feel yourself attach to very early on and find yourself wanting to protect. I certainly just wanted to reach through the pages and hug him. Of course I can't not talk about our main duo - Kylie and Max. Our very realistic, down-to-earth heroine is fiery, determined and stubborn while our hot male lead has much more to him than the arrogant, dumb-jock image he projects around himself. Though he doesn't score high on my book boyfriends list, he isn't exactly at the bottom either.

Overall, I really recommend this book. It's a lot of fun and very easy to get into. If you want a break from really hard-hitting novels, go for this one. Though it isn't as fluffy as you'd expect it to be, it's still more light-hearted than it is heavy and you'll fly through it. With a vast range of characters and a whole lot of sub-plots to keep you entertained, From What I Remember is one heck of a rollercoaster. You'll laugh, cringe, smile, empathise and have one whale of a time.

FOUR STARS FOR THIS BOOK! :D

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

Excerpt: Teardrop by Lauren Kate!

As some of you may know, I received a proof of Lauren Kate's up-and-coming release, Teardrop, a few weeks ago. I've yet to read it but am certainly intrigued as to what I'll think about it considering I had a love/hate relationship with the author's Fallen series... Anyway, thanks to Random House, you can read an excerpt of Teardrop here! Before you get on to it, here's some more about the promising book!

Never, ever cry... Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined.

RELEASES 22ND OCTOBER 2013!

 

What'ya think?! Does this seem like something you'd like? Did you enjoy the excerpt? Tell me below!

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

Giveaway: Win a Copy of Amber by Julie Sykes (INT)!

The lovely Curious Fox publishers have very graciously provided a copy of one of their new releases, Amber by Julie Sykes, for a giveaway on this blog. Oh, and did I mention it's an international giveaway?! How amazing is that! It looks like a seriously amazing read (I have it on my TBR pile and cannot wait to get on to it!) so, it goes without saying, I think you should all enter! ;)

How do you live by the rules if you don’t know what they are?

Amber’s lost her memory. She doesn’t even know her real name. The only clues to her identity are a beautiful amber necklace and a broken mobile phone. She’s determined to learn the truth about her past life, and the secrets she’s hiding, but how many rules will she break along the way?

Terms & Conditions:

• You must be 12 years or older to enter this giveaway.
• It is an international giveaway (which is awesome because the book is only published in the UK right now)!
• There will be one winner.
• I will not be sending out the book, the publishers are in charge of that and neither myself or Curious Fox are responsible for any packages lost in the mail.
• The giveaway is open from the 9th September until the 24th September (12AM).
• You must understand that, if you win, I will ask for your address so as I can forward it on to the publishers.
• If the winner does not reply with their address within three days, another winner will have to be chosen.
• To enter, all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter below. There are a number of ways to gain more entries so feel free to enter all of them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! xD

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

Showcase Sunday {23}

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky over at Books, Biscuits & Tea where book bloggers showcase the books they have received throughout the week.

So it's been a while since I've done a book haul, and that's because I've not really received any new books. I'm not taking much on at the moment in terms of blogging/reading due to school and stuff but I'm trying to post at least once/twice a week. Anyway, here are the few books I have received. :P

For Review:

Earthbound (Earthbound #1) by Aprilynne Pike:
This book looks AMAZING! I loved Pike's other series, Wings, so have high hopes for this one. It has such a great premise and just sounds so promising! Hopefully I'll be able to get on to it soon! xD HUGE thanks to HarperCollins for my (BEAUTIFUL) review copy!

A Foot in The Grave by Joan Aiken and Jan Pienkowski:
This one came through the post from Random House as a complete surprise. I believe it's a compilation of ghost stories so I'm certainly intrigued!

Amber by Julie Sykes:
I AM ALSO SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE - IT LOOKS FANTASTIC! And the cover is so pretty! Huge thanks go out to Curious Fox publishing for this one! :D

So that's my haul. What'd you think? I'm not sure when I'll find the time to read any of them but I'm hoping it will be very, very soon! Feel free to leave your own book haul link below! :)

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo