Notes of Life

The lucky winner of a brand new copy of The Accidental Adventurer by Ben Fogle is…….

Jo from The Book Jotter!

Congratulations to Jo! When asked what kind of adventure she’d like to go on, Jo’s reply was:

“I would like to go back in time and have an adventure just like the Famous Five did or perhaps The Secret Seven or even Fatty and the gang in Five Find Outers. That would be enough adventure for me and then coming back for lashings of lemonade and cake after it was all over and I had caught the culprit!”

Sounds like fun to me!

Many thanks to Ben Fogle for doing the “Meet the Author” post with me. Never in a million years did I ever think that one day I’d get to interview a celebrity!

Look out for more “Meet the Author” posts coming soon…

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-0857072276

Before I get started, Silence is the 3rd book in a series by Becca Fitzpatrick, and it pretty much picks up where the previous book left off. The first two books of the series are Hush, Hush and Crescendo.

Nora awakes in a graveyard. It’s cold and dark, and she hasn’t a clue what she’s doing there or how she got there. In fact, it turns out she can’t remember the last 5 months. Summer has been and gone, just like her memory.

This sets Nora on a mission to find out exactly what happened to her while she was missing and who kidnapped her, then she can plot revenge!

Of course, fallen angel Patch never seems to be far away…….

As it had been quite some time since I read the previous book in the series, I found myself with my own memory lapse… I couldn’t quite remember what had happened in Crescendo! Thankfully though, just like Nora’s memory, mine started to come back as I read on and it didn’t have an impact on my enjoyment of the book.

Sometimes a series can start lacking by the third book, but this isn’t the case with Silence and the Hush, Hush series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and there’s another book to come yet. I’ve now begun to feel like I really know the characters. Nora is certainly starting to grow up. Of course, we’re also treated to the appearance of past characters such as Vee, The Black Hand and Scott.

Silence is full of twists and turns, along with tension, action, romance and a little humour. The ending leads us nicely to the fourth book of the series, which I believe will be the final book. (I think this was originally only going to be a trilogy) and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

If you’ve not yet read Hush, Hush or Crescendo, then I would definitely recommend you read this series in order. I don’t think Silence is a book you can jump into without having already read the previous two books.

A must for YA, fallen angel fans.

Buy Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Having read, reviewed and thoroughly enjoyed Ben Fogle’s autobiography, The Accidental Adventurer (read my review), I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to interview the man himself. So without further ado, I’d like to welcome Mr Ben Fogle!

Hello Ben and welcome to the blog. I’m not great with introductions so I’ll jump straight in…

While you’re The Accidental Adventurer, I’m very much an armchair adventurer (in that I love to watch your adventure programmes, as well as others, but having passed the age of 30 I’ve yet to get up and do anything anywhere near as exciting). What advice would you give to an armchair adventurer thinking about giving it a go?

I think the best advice is to plan thoroughly, do your research, then plan again.  There’s always the unexpected of course, as I know, but you can never be over-prepared.

I doubt I’d have counted as a worthy volunteer, but I’d have loved to have taken part in something like the TV series Extreme Dreams. I long to go on trips like those, but think my fears stop me. Would you consider doing a TV series like that again or is it too much of a responsibility?

I loved making Extreme Dreams, and met some amazing people.  Of course it’s a big responsibility, but we made sure that there was always support on hand. I’ve got two young children of my own now, so my responsibilities have changed a lot too.   I’m always looking for new challenges though!

What has been your favourite adventure?

That’s difficult to say, but often it’s the most recent one. I’ve just returned from swimming with crocodiles, which was very scary. It was for a TV series to be aired soon. I still like pushing myself to the limits.

Is there anywhere you’d like to go/explore that you haven’t yet had the chance to?

I’d like to go to Madagascar.  It sounds amazing.

Is there anything you regret doing or turning down the opportunity for?

I don’t regret it, because I have family responsibilities now, and that makes you think much more seriously about your own mortality, but recently I decided to pull out of diving with sharks for my new TV series.  Just too dangerous, in the end.

You’re the new face for the Typhoo tea adverts (nicely done, by the way)… Is acting something you’d like to do more of?

Haha! thank you.  Well, it’s not really my thing.  I liked what Typhoo were offering, it sounded like a fun thing to do (and it was) but I’m not desperate to pursue an acting career, like my mother.

Apart from with a nice cup of Typhoo tea, how do you relax?

Playing with the children, walking the dogs, running.

I hear you’re currently very busy filming A Year of Adventures, can you tell us more about that? Being from Mid Wales, I’d especially like to hear what kind of adventure you were filming here!

It’s based on A Lonely Planet book of the same name and sees me travelling the globe in the pursuit of some pretty wild challenges – swimming from Alcatraz (no prisoner ever escaped the choppy waters!); diving under glaciers in Iceland, and climbing the Dolomites – but you’ll have to watch to see the rest!

So, what’s next on the horizon for you?

There are plans for more travel next year, but for now I’m looking forward to spending Christmas at home with the family and having a little break!

Thanks for your questions, Nikki – Ben.

I’d like to thank both Ben Fogle and Alison at Transworld Publishers for this wonderful opportunity. It’s not often you get to interview a national treasure!

The Accidental Adventurer (My Wilderness Years) by Ben Fogle is out now. You can buy a copy from The Book Depository or you can enter my giveaway below to win a copy!

Giveaway (CLOSED)

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of The Accidental Adventurer by Ben Fogle, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

- What kind of adventure would you like to go on?

The giveaway is international, so you are eligible as long as The Book Depository deliver to your country. The closing date for entries is 5pm (GMT) on Saturday, 17th December 2011 and the winner will be contacted shortly after.

2011 isn’t quite over yet and I do hope to fit in one or two more British books before the year is out, but I’ve enjoyed the British Books Challenge 2011 so much that I’ve decided to continue the challenge for 2012.

Sadly, Becky at The Bookette has decided not to carry on hosting the challenge for next year, but the baton has been passed and we have a new host. Kirsty at The Overflowing Library will be hosting the challenge for 2012 and she’s already had great support from British publishers agreeing to give bookish goodies as prize packs that can be won by entrants to the challenge.

In case you haven’t heard of this challenge, the aim of the game is to read at least 12 books by British authors in 2012. For every book you review you’ll get an entry into the draw to win that month’s prize pack. So the more British books you read the better your odds are!

2011′s British Book Challenge isn’t over yet, but I managed to surpass my target of 12 and so far I’ve reviewed 26 British books this year. So the target is an easy one to reach and there’s so many British authors out there to choose from. In entering the challenge this year, I’ve come across some author’s whose books I’ve never read before, so it’s a great challenge to enter.

Books read so far for the challenge…

1. Something of the Night by Ian Marchant (My review posted 7th January 2012)
2. To Be A Cat by Matt Haig (My review posted 11th January 2012)
3. Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer (My review posted 18th January 2012)
4. Advent by James Treadwell (My review posted 28th January 2012)
5. The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd (My review posted 13th February 2012)
6. The Life of Rebecca Jones by Angharad Price (My review posted 26th February 2012)
7. Catch Your Death by Louise Voss & Mark Edwards (My review posted 7th March 2012)
8. The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price by Wendy Jones (My review 20th March 2012)
9. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman (My review posted 31st March 2012)
10. Alice Brown’s Lessons in the Curious Art of Dating by Eleanor Prescott (My review 7th April 2012)
11. Lost Angel by Mandasue Heller (My review posted 18th April 2012)
12. Island of Bones by Imogen Robertson (My review posted 26th April 2012)
13. Dead Scared by S. J. Bolton (My review posted 30th April 2012)
14. Circle of Shadows by Imogen Robertson (My review posted 13th May 2012)

Keep an eye out on this post to find out what other British books I choose to read in 2012!

Why not join me in this challenge? Sign up at The Overflowing Library.

Apologies, I seem to be a couple of days late with my review round-up post. I only just realised it’s 2nd December and I hadn’t done it. November really did fly by and Christmas will be here before you know it… and I’m definitely not ready for Christmas!

Anyway, here’s what I read and reviewed during November…

7th November – Low Town: The Straight Razor Cure by Daniel Polansky
I loved this one from the start. It combines two of my favourite genres – crime and urban fantasy – and is a dark and edgy read but with a bit of humour. It may be Polansky’s debut novel, but I’m certainly looking forward what comes next from him.

9th November – Cold Kiss by John Rector
Having already read, reviewed and loved John Rector’s Already Gone in October, the publisher offered me a copy of Cold Kiss, saying I’d love that too. I took them up on their offer and was treated to another good thriller full of tension. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up further books by this author.

13th November – Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski
Milo from Milo’s Rambles recommended this book to me and I’m so glad he did! I really enjoyed this Hollywood thriller. It’s the first in a series and I was lucky enough to be able to jump straight into the second book to find out what Swierczynski had in store next for Charlie Hardie, the main character.

19th November – Hell & Gone by Duane Swierczynski
Much like a musician’s second album, an author’s second book in a series can be a difficult one… Will it live up to the first? Hell & Gone certainly did. I’m now eagerly awaiting the third Charlie Hardie book… Point & Shoot.

27th November – Velvet by Mary Hooper
I was lucky enough to win this book through a competition on The History Girls blog. I’d already read and enjoyed a couple of Mary Hooper’s books before and this was no different. Mary Hooper has a real talent for young adult, historical fiction.

All in all, I had a great reading month in November as I thoroughly enjoyed each book I read. Here’s hoping December is just as good!

So what’s coming up in December on the blog? I’m planning a Christmas giveaway (details on that soon!) and a “Meet the Author” post is in the pipeline (hopefully next week), and, of course, some more reviews!

Talking of Christmas, I’ve barely started my Christmas shopping. My mum and my niece are sorted present-wise, but I’ve not got anything for anyone else yet. I haven’t even bought any Christmas cards yet! I’m off down to London on Sunday for a couple of days (primarily to see Gary Barlow in a rare solo concert), so maybe I’ll be able to get some shopping done then (or even just some ideas!).

Right then, time I got back to reading…