YALC Adventures!

On Saturday, I went to the Young Adult Literature Convention in London, and oh my gosh, it was amazing! This was the first convention I had been to, so I wasn't sure what to expect; a part of me was terrified that this event - the event I had been looking forward to for three months, the event that had made me happy when exams were bringing me down - would be a let-down. But thankfully, YALC surpassed my expectations and the trip was worthwhile.

My friend and I had to get up at 5:30 AM. I am not good on a morning. Really, I'm grumpy if I wake up at nine, let alone five, but then I remembered where I was going and my mood instantly improved! Our train ride was uneventful - apart from a woman complaining very loudly about croissants - and we arrived at Olympia in what we thought was good time: about twenty past ten.

Oh, how wrong we were! The queue just to get into LFCC (as the YALC was only open until ten) must have been at least two miles long, and we ended up stuck pretty close to the back in a leafy suburb of London! This made us both very worried, as one of the main reasons we came to YALC was to see the Shadowhunters talk with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan. The talk started at half eleven; by ten past we were only just turning the corner onto a street where we could actually see Olympia. This resulted in a lot of frantic time-checkings, complaints (on my part, I'm not a patient person!), and about three extra runes on our arms and legs. There were some good things about the queue, though. For one thing, it was a lovely Summer day so we were nice and warm, and we moved quite quickly. It also meant that we could see some of the incredible costumes people were wearing, and every time we saw a fellow Shadowhunter we flapped a bit!

This outfit gets five stars at least!

We arrived at the YALC entrance at 11:24, but we sprinted up the staircase and managed to slide into some seats for the panel just in time. The actual panel was great, as you could tell that Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan were really good friends, and they kept making jokes. I liked how Sarah knew so much about the Shadowhunting world as well, and how she had opinions about all of the characters. The panel gave an insight into how co-writing works, and what lies ahead for the characters in The Dark Artifices and The Last Hours.

The Shadowhunters Panel

Then came the next problem. As we had literally just aimed for the panel, we hadn't found the person with the tickets for the virtual queue for the Cassandra Clare signing. This meant that when we did take our tickets, we were far behind. Like, really really far behind. 358 and 360 out of 400 to be exact. The end time of the signing came, but Cassandra Clare decided that she would take a break and then come back and sign one of everyone remaining's books! It was so kind of her, and I just hoped that I remembered to say thank you, as I think I was a bit star-struck and I can't exactly think of what I said! I know that I said Will was my favourite character, which resulted in the two authors joking about what Will and Jem would do if one was ahead of the other.

Apart from those two times when we were scared we would miss something, YALC was EXCELLENT with a capital everything! There was such a variety of books for sale at the YALC bookshop, and the publisher stands were well-stocked too. There was also two tables full of freebees, so now I have various samplers, badges, bookmarks, and lanyards! Near the line for the Cassandra Clare signing there were two Shadowhunters giving out postcards of the beautiful new UK covers of The Mortal Instruments, which I've stuck on my bookcase.

All of the free things I collected

Overall, the one thing that really made me enjoy YALC - aside from meeting Cassandra Clare - was the sense of community in it. When I was walking around, I just felt like, ah, I have found my fellow booknerds! I had a great conversation with one of the sellers at Hot Key Books about Vivian Vs the Apocalypse, and another about Shadowhunters with someone at Atom Books, and it was refreshing to know that everyone in the room shared a love of books. There were so many people buying books, talking about books, reading books, which was wonderful to see!

However, there were some things that could have been better. Personally, I feel like the YALC should be open until eleven, as some people (i.e. Me and my friend) live miles away from London and I don't think we could have gotten to London any sooner! Also, I think that the Reading Zone could have been a bit bigger; by the end of the day people were sat everywhere.

This bookhaul could have been a lot, lot bigger.

Next time, I plan on going for the full weekend, and I plan on being braver! There were so many times when I wanted to strike up a conversation with someone about books, but I felt too shy to do it. Were you at YALC? What did you think?

Overall, YALC was fantastic, and I couldn't stop smiling and talking about it until at least eleven! The next day, I read the tweets about Sunday and just wanted to be there. For those thinking of going next year, I would definitely definitely definitely recommend it, and I hope to see you there next year!
Thanks for reading(:

YALC 2015!

YALC is fast approaching, so I thought I would let you know my plans for Saturday, the day I'll be going!

If you didn't know, YALC (or the Young Adult Literature Convention) is a book convention held in the UK. This year is only the second year it's been running, but I've heard that last year it was very popular. YALC was brought to life with the help of Malorie Blackman, who was Children's Laureate in 2013. This year it's being run alongside the London Film and Comic Con in - unsurprisingly - London, which means that, for people like me who live nowhere near the capital, there will be a long journey for some!

This will be my first ever convention-type-thing, and I am so excited! One of my best friends and I have had our tickets booked for months, ever since I found out that Cassandra Clare will be there on the Saturday, and even though we'll have to get up at a ridiculously early time, I think it will be worth it. There is a small part of me that's nervous, though; I've heard that last year YALC was quite crowded.

In honour of going to meet one of my all-time favourite authors, my friend and I have decided that we're going to cosplay as Shadowhunters (which I'm sure will earn us some funny looks on trains!). I'm channelling my inner Isabelle and wearing a white dress, my Isabelle necklace, and a Lightwood replica ring that I bought from Hebel Designs. However, unlike Isabelle, I will not be wearing seven-inch heels, as a) I can barely walk in three-inch heels, and b) I anticipate lots of queuing and standing around, and it would be nice to be able to still walk by the end of the day.

I plan on taking a lot of photos and blogging about the day, and I might even try my hand at vlogging, if I'm feeling brave. I also plan on bringing back a LOT of books! Seriously, I'm thinking of bringing another bag with me in addition to my rucksack, which will be full of snacks and water as apparently food is expensive. I'm already going to bring at least three books for Cassandra Clare to sign: Clockwork Princess, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels. And I might even bring The Bone Season if I finish it on time (452 pages in 4 days - challenge accepted!).

As you can probably tell, I don't know what to expect from Saturday, but I can't wait to find out what a book convention is like. The amount of times I've looked at pictures from BEA and Bookcon and envied everyone for being there...! Are you going to YALC? Did you go there last year? What did you think?

Bowlerhatgirl Recommends...Historical Fiction!

Hi everyone!
My recommendation post will be about historical fiction, because I think that it's one of my favourite genres, and I was looking at my bookcase today and realised that I have a lot of historical books! Quite a few of these I read a few years ago so some of them may not be YA, but they're still really good!

1. Any historical book by Mary Hooper. Mary Hooper has written so many books set in the past, from At the Sign of the Sugared Plum, which takes place in 1665 during the Plague, to Fallen Grace, which takes place in Victorian London. Her books really got me into reading historical fiction, and while the writing is kind of aimed at the lower end of YA, some of the subjects covered are quite dark. She doesn't sugar-coat the past, and has realistic, likeable main characters.

2. The Cat Royal series by Julia Golding. This series follows a girl called Cat Royal (surprisingly), who was left on the doorstep of the Drury Lane theatre when she was a baby. Throughout the books, Cat gets into various different adventures, having to evade the police, becoming a - reluctant - member of the Royal Navy, and pretending to be a ballerina. Cat is so feisty and brave that you can't not like her, and you learn quite a bit about the events that were happening in the late 1700s, like the French Revolution, slavery, and life in a mill. There isn't a lot of romance in these books (although I ship Cat and Frank), but the adventures Cat has are fun and exciting. You also experience what society was like just before 1800.

3. The Jane Austen duology by Cora Harrison. I'm not sure what this set of two books is called, but it consists of I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend and Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend, and they're so sweet. It centres around a fictional character called Jenny - although she was apparently based on a real person - and Jane Austen when she was a teenager. Together, Jenny and Jane try to navigate the tricky waters that is society in Regency England. These books are written in the form of Jenny's diary and come complete with illustrations. Jenny is a lovely narrator, and it was really fun to read about a young Jane Austen (even if it is a fictional account). If you love Jane Austen, or a lighter historical read, I would definitely recommend these two books.

4. The Red Necklace duology by Sally Gardner. These two books - The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade - are set in the French Revolution and centre around Yann, a boy who possesses magical abilities, and Sido, who is trying to keep herself and her father, the Marque de Villeduval. I remember absolutely loving these books when I read them; there's just the right balance between magic and history, and I loved Yann, Sido, and Tetu the dwarf. It's also set in France, and I love books set in France. If you like your historical books to have a bit of fantasy in them, I would read these!

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Oh hey, Libby managed to include The Night Circus in a post! She's never done that before! Anyway, The Night Circus is set in the 1800s, and though it doesn't focus on the historical side of the story much, it wouldn't feel as magical as it does. And it's just a good book...I would put it in any recommendation video to be honest! My review is here.

6. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. By far one of my favourite series ever, the Infernal Devices is set in Victorian London and focusses on Tessa Gray as she arrives in the city and begins to realise that she may not be all that she seems. It features rich settings, Shadowhunter awesomeness, and WILLIAM HERONDALE AND JEM CARSTAIRS AKA BEST FRIENDS IN THE UNIVERSE EVER. The characters are so strong, and the plot will ultimately break your heart in an amazing way. Like The Night Circus, this series wouldn't be the same if it was set in present day.

7. In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters. If you didn't know, I love Cat Winters' books, and this was just amazing. Set at the end of World War 1 during the Spanish Flu epidemic, Mary Shelley Black begins to question if the paranormal really doesn't exist after she does something desperate. There are pictures in the book, which adds to the atmospheric story, and I think Cat Winters' writing is great. As it is about ghosts, it's actually quite creepy and a little scary at times! My review for her book The Cure for Dreaming is here.

8. The Diviners by Libba Bray. I love all things 1920s; there's just something about that decade that makes me adore it, and if I could time travel I would go back to 1920s New York. So when I found The Diviners, which is set in the 1920s and contains paranormal aspects and people who can do cool stuff, it was bound to become one of my favourites. If you didn't know, The Diviners is about Evie O'Neill, a girl with supernatural abilities who is sent to New York, where she has to stop an evil that threatens the city. It's true that Evie is quite selfish and can be annoying, but there is such a wonderful cast of characters - Memphis, Theta, Henry (I love Henry and he was literally in about three scenes), JERICHO - and there are quite a few moments when Evie is endearing that you stop minding. With the sequel Lair of Dreams coming out soon, you have the perfect excuse to start reading The Diviners!

9. The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough. I recently just finished this book, but it's amazing. I won't say much about it because I've just done a review, but if you like strong independent female leads, the perfect fictional boyfriend, romance, angst, the 1930s, and books which personify Love and Death, this is the book for you. My review is here.

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. An obvious choice, but rightly so. It was so interesting to read about World War 2 from someone living in Germany's point of view, and Liesel and Rudy and Max's story is wonderful.

11. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. This is such a heart-breaking but good book. It follows Verity, an agent who gets trapped in Germany during World War 2, and Maddie, her best friend who was flying the plane they were both on when it crashed. With a massive plot twist and a sad, shocking ending, Code Name Verity is wonderful. Cross My Heart by Carmen Reid is also about spies in World War 2 and another very good book.

Those are my historical fiction recommendations! And of course there would be eleven instead of ten, because why have a nice rounded number? Have you read any of these? What did you think?
Thanks for reading(:

May Book Haul & Wrap Up!

Despite being in the middle of exams, May has been quite a good reading month for me! I read four and a half books, and all of them were really good. I also seemed to have been in a reviewing mood this month; I reviewed three out of the four books I read! And yes, I know I said I was on a book-buying ban, and yes, it does say book haul in the title. BUT, I only received two books: Rook by Sharon Cameron, which I pre-ordered in April and looks STUNNING, and Night School by C.J.Daugherty, which I received from Atom books. So that's progress, right? Let's be honest, fellow booklovers, when we say, "I'm on a book-buying ban", we really mean, "I will be less books this month, but not none."


Onto the books I read in May!

• Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I LOVED this book. At first, I was a little unsure of what to expect as there has been so much hype around The Lunar Chronicles; I was worried that I wouldn't love it as much as everyone else. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised! I gave this 5 stars, and my full review is here.
• Fire With Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian.  It had been a while since I read Burn for Burn, but I really enjoyed it when I did, and this sequel did not disappoint. 4.5 stars. Full review here.
• And then I read Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian, the concluding book in the Burn for Burn trilogy, and...wow. 4.5 stars. Full review here.
• The final full book I read in May was The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan. Overall, I loved each story, and it was so nice to be back in the Shadowhunting world I love. The Bane Chronicles was humorous and full of the fantabulous High Warlock of Brooklyn, before he became the High Warlock of Brooklyn. The writing styles of the authors mostly blended together well, and there were malec feels, which made me very happy! And a certain wonderful Welsh Herondale in it, which made me VERY happy. I would have done a full review on it, but school got in the way. Anyway, I gave this book a 4.5 stars, which seems to be my average review rating of this month! What can I say? I read some great books in May!

The book I'm currently reading is Night School by C.J. Daugherty, and a review of it will be up as soon as I can!


What books did you read in May? What was your favourite? Let me know!
Thanks for reading(:

Book Courtship Tag

This tag has been floating around the booktube community for a few months, and as I don't have a booktube account - yet! - I thought I'd do it on here! I'm afraid I don't know who created this tag, so credit goes to whoever did.


1. Initial attraction - A book that you bought because of the cover.
While a lot of my books could be classed as cover buys, this has to go to The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal. I actually have no idea what this book is about, but I bought it for two reasons: the cover and the fact that it's set in Scandinavia (because how many books have you heard about that are set in Scandinavia?). (Side note: I've just looked at the reviews on Goodread and am now less excited to read it...)


2. First Impressions - A book that you bought because of the summary.
That would be Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. I went to see Wicked a few years ago and kind of became a little obsessed with all things Oz, so when I read that Amy gets transported to Oz and everything is messed up, I had to buy it! I have to say it was a bit of a jolt going from Fiyero to the Scarecrow in Dorothy Must Die, though.


3. Sweet Talk - A book with great writing.
I want to say The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, but that is being used for another question, so I'll pick In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters. It's moving, spooky, creepy and amazing, and the lead character, Mary Shelley (yes, that is her name) is great.


4. First Date - A first book of a series which made you want to pick up the rest of the series.
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. That cliffhanger made it impossible to not pick up the rest...although I haven't technically done that yet...soon!


5. Late Night Phone Calls - A book that kept you up all night.
Probably the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. I used to get one every Christmas, and whenever I woke up (generally five in the morning...I get excited over Christmas, ok?) I would read it instead of going back to sleep.


6. Always on my mind - A book you could not stop thinking about.
The Ruby Red trilogy by Kerstin Gier. Just the whole idea of time travel and the chronograph was so interesting that I constantly thought about it for ages after I finished Emerald Green a few months ago...and still do now, really!


7. Getting physical - A book which you love the way it feels.
This is another book by Cat Winters: The Cure for Dreaming! The hardcover has little circles on the jacket and it feels so cool.


8. Meeting the parents - A book which you would recommend to friends and family.
This will obviously be a big surprise, but...The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern! This is one of my favourite books ever, and whenever I hear that someone might be reading it I have to control my inner fangirl. The writing is wonderful and dream-like, and it's just so good! (See my full review for more adjectives).


9. Thinking about the future - A book or series you know you will re-read many times in the future.
The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. I plan on reading The Mortal Instruments again this Summer, and I know that I'll keep re-reading them; the plot is exciting and the characters are fab (especially Izzy...and Simon...and Alec...oh, and not forgetting a certain gorgeous Herondale in Victorian times).


10. Share the love - Who do you tag?
You, if you want to do it!


Thanks for reading(: