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Showing posts from April, 2016

2016 Reading Challenges Update - April

The first Challenge I will be participating in is the 2016 Bookish Resolutions Challenge, hosted by Laura @  trips down imagination lane  and Michelle @  Because Reading . The challenge runs from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2016 and you can sign up here before 1st March 2016. My 2016 resolutions are: Bookish resolutions Get Netgalley ratio up to 80% January - 57% February - 57% March - 52% (This better start going up real soon!) April - 54% Read 20 physical books I already owned prior to 1st January January - 2 February - 4 March - 8 April - 9 (plus 1 bought since January) Reread 5 books January - 0 February - 2 March - 2 April - 3 Finish 6 series January - Finished/Up-to-date = 2 February - Finished/Up-to-date = 3 March - Finished/Up-to-date = 4 April - Finished/Up-to-date = 4 Reach my Goodreads goal this year (65 books) January - 8 February - 14 March - 23 April - 33 (I've hit the halfway point! I may just have to increase my goa

Book Review: Anything You Want, Geoff Herbach

Title: Anything You Want Author: Geoff Herbach Published: 03/05/2016, Sourcebooks Fire Pages: 320 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 2.5/5 Expect a bundle of joy - er, trouble - in this hilarious, heartwarming story from the award-winning author of Stupid Fast Geoff Herbach. Taco's mom always said, "Today is the best day of your life, and tomorrow will be even better". That was hard to believe the day she died of cancer and when Taco's dad had to move up north for work, but he sure did believe it when Maggie Corrigan agreed to go with him to junior prom. Taco loves Maggie - even more than the tacos that earned him his nickname. And she loves him right back. Except all that love? It gets Maggies pregnant. Everyone else may be freaking out, but Taco can't wait to have a real family again. He just has to figure out what it means to be a dad and how to pass calculus. And then there's getting Maggie's parents to like him. Because it would be so m

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookworm Delights

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by  The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic is top ten bookworm delights.

Book Review: This Secret We're Keeping, Rebecca Done

Title: This Secret We're Keeping Author: Rebecca Done Published: 07/04/2016, Penguin Pages: 480 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 3.5/5 A pupil and a teacher. Is it ever right to break the rules? Jessica Hart has never forgotten Matthew Landley. After all, he was her first love when she was fifteen years old. But he was also her school maths teacher, and their forbidden affair ended in scandal with his arrest and imprisonment. Now seventeen years later, Matthew returns to Norfolk, with a new identity and a long-term girlfriend and a young daughter, who know nothing of what happened before. Yet when he runs into Jessica, neither of them can ignore the emotional ties that bind them together. With so many secrets to keep hidden, how long can Jessica and Matthew avoid the dark mistakes of their past imploding in the present. From debut author Rebecca Done, This Secret We're Keeping is a powerful and provocative novel about the ties which can keep up together - or tea

The Sunday Post (Late Edition) (24 April)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly of  Caffeinated Book Reviewer . It’s a chance to share  news . A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars Author: John Green Published: 03/01/2013, Penguin Books Pages: 318 Source: Bought Format: Paperback Rating: 4/5 Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Laugh

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by  The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic is ten books that will make you laugh (or chuckle). Apparently, I need to read more funny books as I've only come up with 4 this week, so I can't wait to see all your suggestions.

Book Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter #1), Jeff Lindsay

Title: Darkly Dreaming Dexter Series: Dexter #1 Author: Jeff Lindsay Published: 2005, Orion Books Pages: 275 Source: Bought Format: Paperback Rating: 5/5 Dexter Morgan appears to be the perfect gentleman. He leads to a normal, quiet life working as a forensic officer for the Miami Police. He has a nice, shy girlfriend and is liked by her young children. But Dexter has a secret hobby. He's an accomplished serial killer. So far he's killed dozens of people and has never been caught, because he knows exactly how to dispose of the evidence. And there are those who would rather he wasn't caught at all, because Dexter is a serial killer with a difference. He only kills the city's bad guys. Then Dexter's well-organised life is thrown into chaos. Another serial killer is invading his territory - and he wants Dexter to come out and play...

The Sunday Post (17 April)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly of  Caffeinated Book Reviewer . It’s a chance to share  news . A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Book Review: Once Upon a Dream (A Twisted Tale #2), Liz Braswell

Title: Once Upon a Dream Series: A Twisted Tale #2 Author: Liz Braswell Published: 05/04/2016, Disney Press Pages: 448 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 2/5 What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. It should be simple - a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over. With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming eager prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty b

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Every Animal Lover Should Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by  The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic is ten books every X should read. Therefore, I'm giving my list of top ten books every animal lover should read. I've read some of these, but others are sitting on my TBR and I can't wait to read them

The Sunday Post (10 April) (Late Edition)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly of  Caffeinated Book Reviewer . It’s a chance to share  news . A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

My Expanding Bookshelf Double Milestone Giveaway

Source This week has I have hit a double milestone here at My Expanding Bookshelf. Not only did I hit 150 Bloglovin' followers, I also hit 200 Twitter followers! I can't believe it and would like to thank every single one of you for being a follower. Source So to celebrate, I'm giving one lucky winner the chance to win ANY BOOK of their choice up to the value of £10 from the Book Depository. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL (as long as the Book Depository ships to your country) and will run until next Friday (15 April @ 12 a.m.). a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Tragedy Girl, Christine Hurley Deriso

Title: Tragedy Girl Author: Christine Hurley Deriso Published: 08/04/2016, Flux Pages: 240 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 3.5/5 Of course Anne would be drawn to Blake. He's good looking, he's friendly, and they both bring sob stories to the table: her parents died in a car wreck, his girlfriend, Cara, drowned. Of course Blake would understand what she's gone through. And of course they can help each other work through their pain. It's like it was meant to be. But just as Anne starts to feel she's finally found something good in all the tragedy, she can't ignore signs that something's off. Her friends rarely let her be alone with Blake. Even those closest to Blake seem uneasy around him. And then there are the rumors about the death of Cara, whose body was never recovered. Rumors that suggest Blake's pain is hiding something darker than Anne can even begin to comprehend...

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Twitter Accounts to Follow

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by  The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic is ten book blogs I follow on Twitter.

Book Review: Read Me Like a Book, Liz Kessler

Title: Read Me Like a Book Author: Liz Kessler Published: 07/04/2016, Orion Children's Books Pages: 304 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 2/5 Ashleigh Walker is in love. You know the feeling - that intense, heart-racing, all-consuming emotion that can only come with first love. It's enough to stop her worrying about bad grades at college. Enough to distract her from her parents' marriage troubles. There's just one thing bothering her... Shouldn't it be her boyfriend, Dylan, who makes her feel this way - not Miss Murray, her English teacher? A thought-provoking coming out story from a highly skilled author.

The Sunday Post (3 April)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly of  Caffeinated Book Reviewer . It’s a chance to share  news . A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Book Review: Then Comes Love, Lindsay Detwiler

Title: Then Comes Love Author: Lindsay Detwiler Published: 18/03/2016, Hot Tree Publishing Pages: 322 Source: Hot Tree Promotions Format: Ebook Rating: 3/5 Sometimes in life, changes can be good... After losing her husband, her five cats, and her home, Charlotte Noel hates feeling dependent. As Charlotte tries to find her identity in this new stage of life, she comes to realize that drama never ends, dance aerobics can be a war zone, and love is always a possibility. You never know when a midlife crisis is going to strike... Charlotte's daughter, Annie, is going through struggles of her own. Recently divorced, she is feeling frumpy and worn-out. Run ragged, Annie mourns her youth and wonders where her life is headed, all while hoping she can help her daughter Amelia get it together. Settling down can be overrated, especially when you're falling for a rock star look-alike... Amelia is the wild child of the family. Working three jobs, because she just hasn't figured