Bookshelf Tour: Special Editions

Hey guys! 

It's time for another bookshelf tour! You guys voted over on my Twitter and wanted to see my Special Editions so here we go! Later than planned however, I had kind of a crappy week last week because stuff, and I just wasn't in the mood to edit the photos I'd taken and actually do the blog post, so yeah. This should have gone up last week but I was basically silent all week oops! 

So, there is one missing because it showed up the other day and it's all over my Twitter and Insta but I'd already taken the photos for this so I couldn't include it! These are all special or collectors editions that I have because I'm a sucker for a pretty book and can't resist them! 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Okay so this has been on my shelves for ages and I still haven't actually read it yet but I will I swear! This is  the collectors edition and you guys it's completely gorgeous! It's got sprayed edges, the dust jacket is a poster on the inside and the cover under the jacket is awesome too! Lookie: 

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair anymore - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life. Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She's got a surly room-mate with a charming, always around boyfriend, a fiction writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilised world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words...and she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone. Now Cath has to decide if she's ready to open her heart to new people and experiences, and she's realising that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible. 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame Smith

Soooo I loved Pride and Prejudice and I mean....P&P plus Zombies...what could be better?! I have the regular paperback version, the movie cover and then this edition. Which is completely gorgeous. It's all red and it's got fancy endpapers, and just look at it. It's one of my favourites! 

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all new scenes of bone crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton- and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr Darcy. 

Divergent by Veronica Roth 

I'm fairy certain these where supposed to come in slipcases, but Waterstones just had them in shrink wrap so who knows, hence why mine looks a bit battered on the front! I still haven't actually read Divergent, I'm kind of hesitant because I've seen so many people complaining about the other two books and it's putting me off a bit but I can't resist a pretty book! 

For sixteen year old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs. Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead...

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

I freaking love Game of Thrones okay, so of course I had to get this collectors edition! Except when I discovered this, it was all sold out everywhere and still is so I actually ended up buying this used, and as you can see....it's basically like new so I was lucky! I'm kinda gutted the publisher didn't do the other books but at the same time I'm glad because money! 

Do I need to do the synopsis? It's right up above this! It's readable right? 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Hunger Games, another "OMG I completely love" although I haven't re-read in ages. I only have one set now, the adult ones, but like the black minimalist ones not the new cool shiny ones! I did have two because I had the kids covers but I didn't like them all that much! So this one has a gorgeous slipcase, as you can see, and it's just all nice and clothbound and has cool pages! 

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Set in a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and Twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sisters place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature. 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A beautiful edition of a classic up next, the publisher has done a couple of these and they're completely gorgeous and I need to get the others, I just haven't gotten around to it yet! So anyway, this isn't as fancy as the one I've seen on Tumblr with the legit strike patch for matches, BUT I love it anyway! 

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books. 

Eragon by Christopher Paolini 

Eragon! I remember first reading this when it came out and then pre-ordering each of the hardcovers in to Waterstones! I love dragons okay, and this was one of my favourite books as a kid. Every time I do these bookshelf tours I'm like..I really need to re-read that because I haven't in ages, but this is even more so true with this one because it's honestly been like...forever! So I love pretty books, and this is one of the prettiest! It's all blue and  faux leather-bound with shiny gold all over it....just look at it! 

Fifteen year old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy- until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save - or destroy- the Empire. 

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Of course I got the fancy edition of Lady Midnight. How could I not? You guys know the story with Cassie Clare! Her books are some of the first YA I ever read and through them I got in to loads of other books and so on and so forth. Honestly, The Infernal Devices is my fave, more so than The Mortal Instruments, and Lady Midnight is on par with TID and I loved this book so much! I'm hoping the other two in the trilogy will be given the same fancy treatment! 

It's been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses. Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn't lead her in treacherous directions...

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Couldn't resist buying this edition of TKAM! It's gorgeous, and this year I finally read it and there's a discussion about it on YouTube and on my blog, because I completely loved it. I can't even. I'm so annoyed at myself that it took me this long to read it! Not entirely sure I'll read the sequel though! But this is a gorgeous clothbound and you all need it now! 

Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition.

BOOM! My fancy editions, as I call them! There's a couple more on my wish list that I'm hoping to get at some point in life! Let me know what you want to see next down in the comments! I think leather-bounds came in a close second? 

2016 Classics Challenge: March

Hey guys! 
It's time for the Classics Challenge again! I read this months classic fairly early on, and it's the fastest I've ever read a classic! I literally read it in two sitings! I wasn't too sure in the beginning, but once it got going, I was hooked! 
I've actually read more than one classic this month, as I got to review two completely gorgeous editions of Persuasion and The Woman in White! I'm clearly on a roll! As usual, we'll have the Q&A section, followed by my video with my thoughts on the book! 

"They've done it before and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems that only children weep"

So as you can see, this month I read To Kill A Mockingbird, and I got on really well with it, partly because the writing was more modern, but also because it really hooked me with the whole Boo Radley thing, followed by the trial and so on! 

To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated from Scout's point of view, set in the South in the 1930's. In the book we see Scout and her brother Jem become fascinated with the mysterious Book Radley, and determine to get to see him, along with their friend Dill who comes to town every Summer. But as one Summer begins, so does a trial that will have a big impact on Scout and Jem. Their father Atticus is to defend a black man, in actual fact the real Mockingbird of the book, charged with attacking a white girl. A case that would have been familiar in the time period. 

When I Discovered This Classic

I'm not entirely sure how I discovered this, it's just kind of always been there, as one of the big classics. I'm going to assume I came across it through another book perhaps, or film or TV, or just hearing someone talk about it. Or possibly at school, a teacher may have mentioned it in passing or it could have been on the wall. Our classroom used to have a huge poster with classics all over it. We never did this book at school, but I really think we should have! 

Why I Chose To Read It 

I chose to read it because I always feel like I should have read it long ago. I really do think we should have read this book at school and I'm kind of disappointed we didn't. It's always been on my list of books that I've wanted to read, and I just never got around to it, then I bought it a few years ago determined to read it...and still never got around to it. Then you guys voted for me to read it next and here we are! It's always intrigued me, as everyone speaks so highly of it and now I see why! 

What Makes It A Classic 

The message behind the book, simply. While this is a coming of age novel, in part, it's mostly a book that brings to life a very horrific time period in the South. History is brought to garish light, and is so incredibly real as you're reading it. The message of this book is a warning about prejudice. It shows how nasty people can be when prejudice is involved, and what the consequences of it are. This book shows you all that's wrong with race and class, and warns you against it. The most startling point of the book is that kids can see all that's wrong with this behaviour when the adults can't. It's a very powerful message. There was also some intense hypocrisy in this book at one point that kind of makes you shake your head, as it's so typical of behaviour. 

What also makes this a classic, I think, is that sadly this book teaches us a lesson that is still relevant today. In this day and age. 

What I Thought Of This Classic

Will It Stay A Classic

Undoubtedly. Unfortunately, there are always people who are racist and prejudice to other people, so this book and it's lesson will always be relevant, which is sad, and I do hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it. Especially watching the news these days, I'd love for things to change, but we have a long way to go. 

Who I'd Recommend It To

I nearly said something rude, but I thought I'd best not. In more polite terms, perhaps people who can benefit from reading this book. People who are interested in the history of the time period, people who, like me, haven't read a kids book in ages and fancy reading a book narrated from the view point of a child, but still want to read an adult book, if that makes sense? Definitely teenagers! 

For Those Asking...

I mentioned in my TBR video that I wouldn't be reading Go Set A Watchman, and a few of you where wondering why. Well, I read a lot of articles about the book and how it's publication came about, and I just feel like Harper Lee may have been taken advantage of, and I'm not sure how I feel about the book! 

March TBR

It's Maaarrcchhh!
Which means my birthday is really soon, yaaaayy! It also means my TBR will most likely be swelling even more so than it is now, so I'm hoping that I can get a fair few other books read this month in addition to my March TBR specifically....so that I can start lessening my TBR! This month's TBR is all review books as well as the usual classic and Harry Potter! So all the books will be reviewed on my blog at some point over the course of the month, Broken Sky is actually already up on my blog because I ended up reading it really fast! 

In addition to what's shown in the video, I had a couple of books arrive too late to include in the video, but I have some Little Black Classics courtesy of Penguin to review and Persuasion and The Woman in White courtesy of Alma Classics! 

I've really got some exciting reads this month, and I'm thrilled to read them! I managed to contain my usual  over excitement and manage to do a faster than usual, straight to the point video which I think you guys might like more than my longer videos where I'm talking too much! 

I  hope you guys enjoy the video, and let me know what's on your TBR's for the month, and what your classic of the month is if you're doing the 2016 Classics Challenge!