A lovely love story

The Gargoyle
by Andrew Davidson 
Rating: 5 / 5

Goodreads ⎪ Wikipedia
“You are mine, I am yours; you may be sure of this. You've been locked inside my heart, the key has been thrown away; within it, you must always stay. ”

Before I started reading this book, I had no idea what it was about. The back of the book only gives us a vague explanation of what it is about, and after some research I only knew that it was either fantasy, contemporary or historical fiction. When I'd finished the book, I understood that it was a brilliant mix of them all.

It tells the story about a man, who hasn't had the best life. He gets really bad burn injuries in a car accident, and has to stay in the hospital for months. There he meets the mysterious Marianne Engel, who tells him that they were lovers in the 14th century, and that she has been waiting to meet him again for 700 years.

The plot was very original. We follow the unnamed main character as he recovers from his injuries, but we get to hear many fantastic stories along the way. Marianne has many tales to tell about her friends from different time periods. Including the story about her and the main character in their first life together. I really liked reading these beautiful love stories, and loved Marianne as a character. You really have to decide for yourself whether you think she really tells the truth about her long life or if she's just some psychotic woman with schizophrenia.

The Gargoyle isn't a book for everyone though. It was more of a very slow paced feel-good love story than an action filled fantasy. Some people might not like it, and will only find it weird and boring. But I loved it, and felt like the pace, the stories and the characters made it a interesting, and almost magical, read.

Top 10 best books of 2011

2011 has been an amazing year. I started bookblogging, wrote half a novel for NaNoWriMo, tied many new things, got many amazing memories and read a lot of books. I've read 69 books and only have a few pages left in the book I'm currently reading, so I'm going to accomplish my goal of reading 70 books, even though I've had many no-reading periods!

Of those 70 books, I've tried to make a list of the 10 best books. The books that were the most special, beautiful and just awesome. The ones that instantly pop to my head when I think about the books I've read this year.

10. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

I'd heard a lot of good things about this series before I decided to pick it up this summer. All of the books were amazing, with a lot of action, romance and paranormal creatures. It was a paranormal romance that had so much more than the rest of the books in this genre, which gives it a place in this list. Also, team Simon all the way!

9. Wither by Lauren DeStafano

With this amazing cover and tons of five star reviews I just had to read it, and got a beautiful story about love, sacrifice and hope. This is a special dystopian that everyone has to read.

8. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

A beautiful, heartbreaking tale that I love every single page of. I want more of these historical books about had and sad times, it shows how you never should stop hoping, things will eventually get better.

7. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

This is a book that I was really excited to read. My expectations were high, and fortunately, I just couldn't stop reading the book when I got it. It was really good. I want to see more YA science fiction!

6. Enclave by Ann Aguirre

I just loved this book. The fighting scenes were so good, the monsters scary and the world they lived in terrifying.

5. Feed by Mira Grant

An adult zombie book where bloggers are the new news-people, and big celebrities. Amazing characters, an original concept and different writing got this book a fifth place.

4. Cirkeln by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergman Elfgren

Yes, I'm going to put a Swedish book into this list. But don't worry, it's going to be released in English next June (more about that later). This book has been really been one of the most talked about books this year here in Sweden. It's been sold to 27 countries, the movie rights have been sold, as well as the right to do an American remake! And I really can see where the hype is coming from, this book is just brilliant.

3. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

I read this book in one day, on breaks, in class and when I should be doing other important stuff. It was so good that I couldn't put it down for even a few seconds. It made me, literally, both laugh out loud and cry, sometimes at the same time. 

2. Looking for Alaska by John Green

This book is just pure awesomeness. Just read it, you'll understand.

1. The Gone series by Michael Grant

We're finally at number one, and which other books would it be, if not the Gone series by Michael Grant. Nothing can compare to the greatness of these books. The action, the writing, the characters, the scary stuff, the mysteries .. I love everything about these books.

2011 End of Year Book Survey

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Books


1. Best Book You Read In 2011?

Oh God. If the first question is this hard, I'm scared of doing the rest of this survey. I won't pick a book now, come back for when I do a blogpost about my top 10 favorites of the year!

2. Most Disappointing Book/Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did?

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I had too many expectations and was prepared to read a really emotional book, which I didn't.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?

Angel by L.A. Weatherly. I'm not the biggest fan of paranormal romances, it feels like I read the same story over and over again. But this book was simply amazing.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2011?

Probably Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. 

5. Best series you discovered in 2011?

I don't even have to think twice. The Gone series by Michael Grant of course!

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2011?

I have known about John Green for a while, but didn't read any of his books before this year. And isn't he just one of the best authors ever? I can't believe I've been waiting this long to read his books!

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

I've never read manga before, but read Sailor Moon vol 1 this year and loved it!

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?

All the books in the Gone series! Seriously, they're the best.

9. Book you most anticipated in 2011?

Plague  okay, I'll shut up about the Gone series. Other than Plague, I think I was the most excited for Divergent and Wither.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?

Enclave looks GORGEOUS in real life. But on pictures on the Internet? Not so much .. But it's still one of the best cover I've ever seen.



11. Most memorable character in 2011?
Tiny from Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I love his personality!

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2011?
This is a hard one .. Probably the Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (review coming soon!)

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?

Between Shades of Gray, so sad and yet so beautiful.

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to finally read?

All books by John Green and the Mortal Instruments.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2011?

“Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” Looking for Alaska by John Green

16. Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012?

Oh god, now I'm going on and on about John Green. But probably Looking for Alaska or Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.)

Many, many scenes in the Gone series.

Blogging / Reading

1. Favorite review that you wrote in 2010? 

Maybe my review of Hunger by Michael Grant (there's the Gone series again) of my review of Anna and the French Kiss.

2. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I went to two singings, one with Holly Black and one with two Swedish authors, Sarah Bergman Elfgren and Mats Strandberg. Both of them were AMAZING. it was really fun meeting some of your favorite authors. A virtual event I liked a lot was Armchair BEA.

2. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My Why I Read post has almost six time more views than my second most read post!

4. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

The same post as above, it has a ton of views, but where are the comments people? ;)

5. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

I can't live without Goodreads.

6. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

My goal was to read 70 books this year, and I'm going to make it! I only need to read one book to complete the challenge! Other challenges I participated in are the Debut Author Challenge (I only need to finish one more book to complete the challenge), the 20 11 challenge (which I haven't completed) and the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge (which I completed).

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn't Get To In 2011 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2012?

There's a lot of them. I have many classics that I want to read (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre). Also the John Green books I haven't read.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2012?

The Fault in Our Start by John Green! Only a few days left :D

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading In 2012?

I am going to try to read 100 books, read more classics and read books instead of buying/collecting them, haha. I have a problem with buying more books than I read ..

Some words on books I haven't reviewed

I've read a lot of books that I for some reason haven't reviewed. Either I didn't want to, or didn't have the time to write a review. But that doesn't mean that I don't have anything to say about the book, or don't want to recommend it to anyone. So this is me talking about some of the books I've read and want to share my thoughts on!


Looking for Alaska by John Green

I simply just loved this book! It was my first John Green novel (exempt for Will Grayson, Will Grayson) and every single page of it was pure awesomeness. The characters wonderfully realistic, the writing everyday-ish but still so poetic. The before / after idea, and oh my god the thing it was counting down to. I want to marry everything in this book. I'm not kidding.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

This is something as unusual as a YA science-fiction novel, so reading it was quite a new experience. I liked the book a lot, Amy was an amazing character (and a redhead, yay for redheads!) and I liked seeing the different world on the ship through her eyes. I liked the Elder parts as well, especially all the lies and mysteries he tried to solve. This is a book I recommend to everyone.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

This was a really touching story about how horrible a family had it in the Soviet Union during the second world war. It was really sad hearing about how bad they were treated in the work camp. The writing was really good, and I loved that the chapters was short, it fitted the story very well. Reading about the hope that Lina never lost and how she documented everything that happened was just amazing.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

This was a very special paranormal, and one that I enjoyed a lot. First of, it was told from a boy's point of view. Secondly, he was not a vampire, angel etc like in all other paranormals. He was a new type of monster, which was really interesting. It also had that creepy horror feel over it. It was very original, and I liked it a lot.

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Taylor Swift on the Hunger Games soundtrack

This song got released on Taylor Swift's twitter about 6 hours ago, and is one of the songs on the Hunger Games soundtrack. It is called Safe and Sound and is by Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars.

I really didn't have high expectations for it (I kind of have a problem with Taylor Swift) but I really, really like the song. The lyrics, the melody and the whole feel of it, so amazing! I can really see this one fitting perfectly to the Hunger Games.

I still haven't got any idea about which part of the movie the song would fit the best, I think it could be played in a lot of different scenes. I'm really excited to hear more of the songs on the soundtrack. What do you think of the song?

Christmas reading

For me christmas means reading. Of course it also means family, gifts, santa and all those other things as well. But during christmas I read a lot. It is just that amazing feeling of sitting with a book in a house decorated for christmas, everyone happily running around and you are just filled with the whole christmas spirit. There is no better time to read a good book, especially now when you're on your christmas break and don't have to think about school! This is my list of some books that I'm hoping to read this christmas:

Paper Towns by John Green
I recently read Looking for Alaska and am in love with John Green's writing. It feel horrible for not having read all of his books, so I'm trying to read through them all.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
I got this book at a book blogger meet up and instantly fell in love with the amazing cover. When I then read the synopsis of it, I got even more eager to read it. Because I have no idea of what it is about. It feels like a mix of fantasy, romance, historical and some wonderful writing, so I'm really excited to see what it brings.

1984 by George Orwell
I love dystopians and I've heard that this is one of the best (and first!) dystopians out there. So of course I have been dying to read it. And when I found a nice copy at a second-hand market for only 10kr (about 1,5 dollars or 1 pound) and didn't even think twice about buying it.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
I still need to read two more books to finish the Debut Author Challenge, and this is one of the two I'm hoping to read. I'm usually not a big fan of paranormal romances, but I've heard that this one is supposed to be really good.

Debut Author Challenge 2012

We are soon entering a new year, which means many new reading challenges! I've just started to look through which ones I want to participate next year, and the debut author challenge was an obvious choice. I participated in it this year as well, and only have to read two more books to complete it. The challenge is hosted by the awesome Kristi from the Story Siren and is very simple, read 12 MG or YA books from authors that publish their first ever book in 2012.

I have a few books that I'm looking forward to reading, and am going to update this blogpost every time I read a new book for the challenge. 

I'm back!

Finally! I know it's been a long time since I posted anything, and I am going to change that. I took a break when NaNoWriMo started, because I wanted to focus on writing. I got to about 20 000 words during the first week, and only wrote about 5 000 words after that. Why? Because of school. These last few weeks have been crazy, we've had about three exams a week. Plus a bunch of homework and other things that needs to be done. So during November I had no time for either NaNo, my blog or anything else. I didn't finish a single book during the month (except for one we read in class)!

On Wednesday our teachers have to officially decide our grades, so after that there won't be any time-consuming exams or homework! Although during the first three days of next week we will have two tests, one oral presentation and two papers due .. School ends in not even two weeks and I just can't wait!

I hope to get back into my blogging routine and not let my blog get this quiet, I have really missed blogging! I have a few reviews to post and will also do a bookshelf tour! I have a lot of time for blogging and reading now during the winter break, I am exited!

I have missed you guys!

NaNoWriMo

Okay, I’ve been neglecting my blog for a while. That is stuff that happens, sometimes you just have to take a break and take care of other things instead. And I am not here to tell you that I am so sorry and promise to start blogging more often. Nope, I am here to tell you that I won’t blog much during November.

Why? I am doing NaNoWriMo baby!

Yes, I have thrown myself into this whole crazy thing. I hope that everything will go fine, and that I get to 50 000 words by November 30th. But as they say, even if I don’t get that far, I have written several thousen words that I wouldn’t have written otherwise.

It’s the beginning of day four, and as off the end of yeasterday I had 8000 fricking words! It is crazy! I have never attempted to write a big thing like this (not seriously anyway) and it has been a dream of mine for a long time to write a book. Ever since I was eight I have wanted to be an author (although now I have started to think about more likely carreers).

You probably won’t hear much from me here on my blog. So if you want to hear things from me, follow me on twitter! I am magical_books and I tweet a lot about my NaNo word count. You can also add me as a writingbuddy on NaNo’s website. My name there is oliviaherber.

Are you doing NaNoWriMo? Do you have any tips for a newbie NaNo:er like myself?

Happy writing!