M.L. Sparrow's Blog, page 37

The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Andersen, Illustrated by Sanna Annukka   Blurb:   Hans Christian Andersen's magical tale of friendship and adventure is retold through the beautiful and intricate illustrations of Finnish-English illustrator Sanna Annukka. Cloth-bound in deep blue, with silver foil embellishments, The Snow Queen is a unique work of art.       This is a beautiful little book, full of superb and unique art work by Sanna Annukka. I probably would have brought this book for the

Cleopatra's Daughter

Cleopatra's Daughter, by Michelle Moran   Blurb:   At the dawn of the Roman Empire, when tyranny ruled, a daughter of Egypt and a son of Rome found each other... Selene's legendary parents are gone. Her country taken, she has been brought to the city of Rome in chains, with only her twin brother, Alexander, to remind her of home and all she once had. Living under the watchful eyes of the ruling family, Selene and her brother must quickly learn how to be Roman – and how to be useful to Caesar.

The Goddess Chronicle

The Goddess Chronicle, by Natsuo Kirino   Blurb:   On an island the shape of a tear drop live two sisters. One is the Oracle, the other is damned. One is admired far and wide. The other must sacrifice her life to fulfil her destiny. But what will happen when she returns to the island for revenge?       This is a great book! I loved it all the way up until the last few pages, when I was practically screaming "But You Didn't Answer My Question!" Seriously, did he kill her after all, was it some

Simply Red

  Saturday night was the last night Simply Red were playing at the 02 and I'd brought my mum tickets as a birhtday/christmas present, as she'd a fan. She had really wanted to go see them when they were doing their final tour a few years ago, but we couldn't afford it at the time. Clearly it wasn't their final tour though, so when I saw tickets a few months ago I snapped them up. Personally, I think Mick Hucknell and the rest of the band have a bit of a cheek doing a come-back tour after loads of

Matched

Matched, (Matched Book One), by Ally Condie   Blurb:   In the Society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one…until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between

Winter Wonderland

  Yesterday, a friend and I visited Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. We got there quite early and had plenty of time to watch the ice skating, as well as wonder around the fairgrounds and Angels Market. It was a lot bigger than I expected and the atmosphere was great, not to mention the smells of all the great food stalls they had there. Throughout the day, we snacked on chocolate Churros, Crepes and a bap with pulled pork, stuffing and apple sauce, which were all delicious!    As for Angels

Slammed

Slammed, (Slammed Book One), by Colleen Hoover     Blurb:   Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope. Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving

Daemon Madness

Daemon Madness, (Book Two), by S.K. Gregory   Blurb:   Mackenzie Murphy thought her demon troubles were behind her, but with Taryn as her new roommate and his father still out to kill him, it seems there's no getting away from them. When Taryn begins to act erratically, Mackenzie discovers that he has to face the consequences for saving her life. Deadly consequences. So it's up to Mackenzie to save him, while avoiding the attention of a local cop and her homicidal boss. Maybe demons are the

Matilda: The Musical

Today we had a family day up in London. We went to see Matilda: The Musical at the Cambridge Theatre.  As usual the trains were screwed up, so we spent most of the blooming day travelling there and back, which sucked, but the show itself was really good.   I'm pretty sure everyone knows the story of Matilda, by Roald Dahl, even if they've never read the story - I'm ashamed to say I'm actually one of those people - and the musical stuck to the story as far as I know it! The songs were good and I

Daemon Persuasion

Daemon Persuasion, (Book One), S.K. Gregory      Blurb:   When Mackenzie Murphy goes looking for her father she finds herself caught in the middle of a demon war between three rival families. Still trying to master her own demon abilities, who can she trust to help her? The mysterious Lucien? Or Taryn, the son of the enemy? With all three families hunting for a talisman that could shift the balance of power, Mackenzie must get to it first and finish what her father started, or die trying.     I