This book tag was created by the wonderful people at Chapter Chicks. It looked interesting so I thought I'd give it a go (FYI I've decided to skip question 17 as it is about filming and so doesn't really apply to me!) Let's get this started!

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?

Nope, I actually love reading in the car or on long journeys. When I used to go on holidays with my parents I would bring about 6-10 books for the long car journey alone depending on how far we were going. It was genuinely one of my favourite things to do and I always looked forward to these journeys.

2. Which author's writing style is completely unique to you and why?

Brandon Sanderson. Every single one of his books that I've read feels like a Brandon Sanderson book. His writing still is incredibly unique and his endings are probably some of the most epic I've ever read.

3. Harry Potter or Twilight Saga. Give 3 points to defend your answer.

Harry Potter series. I did like the Twilight Saga when I was about 14-15 because it was such a new genre for me and so fast-paced but I'd struggle to read it now in the same way that I did then because I've changed so much in 11 years. So...
1. Harry Potter is my childhood and I just have so many nostalgic moments of reading these books for the first time.
2. Harry Potter had so many plots twists that carried over the seven books that were just incredible.
3. It still holds up to the same standard when I read it now as it did when I was eight.

4. Do you carry a book bag?

I carry a bag... which always has a book in it. Does that count? 

5. Do you smell your books?

Is it weird to say yes?

6. Books with or without little illustrations?

I'm happy either way, but it's always nice to read a huge fantasy book which has small illustrations here and there to enrich the world (for example, like  Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell).

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn't quality writing?

I think the most obvious answer to this is Twilight (as I mentioned in question 3) or The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris D'Lacey. I'm really struggling to think of anything else I've re-read and found lacking a second time around. There are some other books I loved as a child but when I've read them as an adult I've struggled to enjoy them as much, but that's not the same as the quality of writing not being great.

8. Do you have funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!

I can't think of any funny stories in particular. One that comes to mind was when the fifth Harry Potter book came out so my mum bought my sister and I a copy. We were supposed to 'share' it but were both so eager to read that we kept fighting over it instead. Probably one of the few arguments we've ended up having!

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

I have over a thousand books so I might end up getting this wrong but, after looking around, I think it's The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway which is only 25 pages long!

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?

This was a bit easier to find as I only have about 15 books over 1000 pages. I think it's The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas which is 1462 pages.

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as  being an author?

I do, but sadly nowhere near as much as I used to. I need to get back into a routine with it again. Fingers crossed I can soon! My main issue is that I've needed a new laptop for the past three years and haven't been able to afford one so once I get that, I'll find it easier to write on the go.

12. When did you get into reading?

I've been into reading since I could physically read. My mum read to me until I was old enough to do so myself and she instilled a love of reading into me which i'm forever grateful for. We would go to the library together every two weeks on a Saturday which was one of my favourite things to do. My favourite authors as a child were Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, and Erin Hunter. There are many others of course and I think it goes without saying that J.K. Rowling was later added to this list!

13. What is you favourite classic book?

 I actually have quite a few favourite classics so I'm going to name my top five instead:

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker

2. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

4. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

5. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?

Yes, I loved English! I got 100% at GCSE in both Language and Literature and studied English and American Literature at University where I got a first! My other favourite subject was History.

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated... what would you do?

I would probably say thank you and give the book to someone I know who would like it. I'd probably tell the person who gave it to me a bit later on that I didn't enjoy it as much as I though I would.

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?

Hmm... Harry Potter and the Hunger Games are so different so I assume this means other Middle-Grade/YA books that are good but not as popular? I'd say The Novice by Taran Matharu or the Gone series by Michael Grant.

17. What is your favourite word?

Quintessential.

18. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or, all of the above?

Pffft probably all of the above.

19. Vampires or fairies? Why?

Vampires. I've never actually read a book that's fully sold me on fairies, but I've read a lot of awesome vampire books. Also Buffy. Buffy made me love vampires more than I already did.

20. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?

Going to go with Shapeshifters for this one. Again, not read many great angel books (other than the Northern Lights trilogy). I love shapeshifters especially ones that take on animal forms. One of my favourite urban fantasies is the Stray series by Rachel Vincent which pretty much revolves around this idea. 

21. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?

Okay, this one is tougher. Probably spirits? Although I've never really been sold on either to be honest.

22. Zombies or Vampires? Why?

Again, vampires of course. Literally never been remotely interested in the 'zombie craze' that seemed to happen over the past 10 years or so. The only zombie film I've watched is Shaun of the Dead (and I think I mostly enjoyed it because it's a comedy/parody).

23. Love triangle or forbidden love?

This question is super easy for me because I really don't like the 'typical' love triangles that are found in books. Love triangles seem to only exist in YA fiction (at least I've never seen the same kind of 'love triangle' in adult fiction). I basically find love triangles one of the most unrealistic tropes that is used to cause drama and conflict for the sake of plot. Maybe it was just me who went through my teen years never seeing anyone around me getting into love triangle situations even though every book I read seemed to say that I should be? Either way, I do enjoy the forbidden love trope but I'm not massively into romance.

24. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

Given my answer to the last question, this one should be pretty obvious. I much prefer the majority of my books to be action-packed with a bit of romance here and there. I don't mind the occasional full on romance book but they're definitely not my favourite genre.

Those are my answers for the Ultimate Book Tag! Let me know if you've done this tag and link it below if you have!

BOOK REVIEW | Billionaire's Banquet by Ron Butlin

Genre: Literary Fiction/Humour

Publication Date: 15th April 2017

My Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Page

Link to Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

1985, Edinburgh. Thatcher's policies are biting deep - fat cats and street kids, lovers, losers and the rest struggle to survive. Hume sets up a business catering for the rich and their ever-growing appetites. But by the new millennium, these appetites have become too demanding.

Powerful, challenging and very funny, Billionaires' Banquet is an immortality tale for the 21st century.

About Ron Butlin

With an international reputation as a prize-winning novelist, RON BUTLIN is a former Edinburgh Makar/Poet Laureate. Now over to Ron -

Before becoming a writer, I was a pop-song lyricist (3 records and a brief appearance in a justly-neglected film. I was also a footman attending parties for the great and good, the rich and bad (see my forthcoming novel 'Billionaire's Banquet'), a barnacle-scraper on the Thames and a male model. My work has been widely translated, and 'The Sound of My Voice' has been twice been awarded a ‘Best Foreign Novel’ prize as well been made into a film, a rather short film.

I am a novelist, poet, children's author, opera librettist, playwright - one of these, on a good day. I have been auctioned twice for charity, and put in a cage outside parliament for The Day of the Imprisoned Writer. All very character-building. I have given readings world-wide including at the House of Lords, John Knoz's pulpit in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, and an Arab tent in Bahrain.

I live in Edinburgh with my wife, the writer Regi Claire, and our dog (Note - Nessie, as she's called in the book, features in my first novel for early teens, 'Steve & FranDan Take on the World' which is due out this spring. She is great fun on paper and in real life).

**No Spoilers**

I’m thrilled to be on the blog tour with Love Books Group for Billionaire's Banquet by Ron Butlin today and to have a spoiler-free review of the book to share. Thanks so much to the lovely Kelly from Love Books Group for sending me a copy of this book to review!

This book is a humorous literary fiction novel that follows an interesting group of Edinburgh students living in Thatcher’s Britain in the 1980s: Hume, Cat, St Francis, DD and Electric Boy. All of them are dreaming of wonderful futures they think their lives will hold, while in the present they are enjoying the drink, fun, and shared accommodation of their youth. This is a very character-driven story and focuses mostly on their dreams and hopes. I loved Butlin's characters, they were so three-dimensional and well created. They were all equally flawed but also fascinating to follow. I especially enjoyed the female characters in the book as they were so vastly different and always reacted as I expected them to. Butlin is great at making a social commentary using his characters and that can be seen throughout this book.

One thing that I didn't expect, but still absolutely loved, with this book is the jump to present-day Edinburgh. It was so interesting to see the characters so many years later and to see how much the city and its inhabitants changed (or didn't change) in that time. There is so much dark humour woven within the story as it portrays the measures of 'success' through wealth and how the characters see themselves.

Having only been to Edinburgh a couple of times in my life, I wasn't able to fully appreciate the setting as much as I'd hoped. However, Butlin does create a vivid picture of many areas in the city and I found myself frequently looking them up to see where the characters were in relation to what I knew. I'm sure someone who knows Edinburgh more than me would really appreciate Butlin's beautiful descriptions of the city.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters to be incredibly engaging and the story kept me hooked as I wanted to know what happened next. I found this to be very reminiscent of The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst so I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who was a fan of that! I will warn that there is explicit content in this book so if you're younger then please be aware of that!

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag 2018

The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag is one of my favourite tags to do each year and I always look forward to June/July to do this! This is an original tag was created by Chami so all credit goes to her (readslikewildfire). Basically, the tag goes through the books you've read so far this year to see which are the best/worst/etc. I've read 55 books so far this year (at the time of writing this post), which I'm really happy with and I'm going to try not repeat myself too much with these so hopefully there'll be no books mentioned twice. I'm also going to try and not mention any books that are re-reads so that I can talk about some new books instead (rather than just Harry Potter)! If you want to see all the books I've read so far this year you can click here! Here we go:

1. Best book you've read so far in 2018

For now (not including the book I'm currently reading) it is easily Big Little Lies by Liane Moriaty (and this was the fourth book I picked up in January!). This book is nearly 500 pages but it was so addicting that I read it in one day. Big Little Lies is about three australian mothers (Jane, Madeline and Celeste) who meet and become friends despite being from very different lives. This thriller follows each of their points of view in the months leading up to a murder, as well as including interview excerpts with the police from other parents. The most fascinating thing about this book was not knowing who was killed until the very end and all the other twists that still happened throughout the whole book. I literally could not put this book down and I'm already itching to re-read it. Would highly recommend to anyone, even if you don't think thrillers are for you. There is just so much intrigue in this book!

2. Best sequel you've read so far

This was a tough one as I've read so many series so far this year, but I think this one will have to go to The Battlemage by Taran Matharu. I read the first book in the series (The Novice) in 2014 and this year I decided to give it a re-read and then finally finish the trilogy. This is a YA fantasy that includes a magic school, elves, dwarves and familiar companions. These are all things that I adore in a fantasy so this book immediately pulled me in. You can find my spoiler-free review of the first book here! Although I say in that review that I wish I had read this when I was younger, I still think this is perfect for anyone who loves YA. The series gets darker and more complex with every single book. The characters are wonderful and this finale doesn't hold back like many YA fantasies do. I highly recommend this series! 

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to

There aren't too many books that have just been released that I'm super eager to read. However, I do want to get to the final book in the Illuminae Files trilogy: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I'm really looking forward to the twists in this book and to see what happens to all the characters we've met.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Either A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir or Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. I only recently read Sabaa Tahir's other two books so I'm very excited to continue the series. I've also been reading the Throne of Glass series since Crown of Midnight was released so I'm looking forward to seeing how this series finally ends!

5. Biggest disappointment

Sadly, I've had a few disappointing reads this year, so I'm going to mention a couple. This isn't to say these books are bad, just that they really disappointed me and didn't live up to my expectations. Number one is Artemis by Andy Weir. I read The Martian by Andy Weir a few years ago and absolutely loved the dry sense of humour and setting of that book. However, this one just wasn't for me; the main character felt annoying and the 'heist' aspect of the plot just didn't interest me that much. The second book I have is The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton. I have a full spoiler-free review of this book here if you want to go read it, but generally I found this book to be far too slow-paced. I enjoyed so much of the characters and storyline, but felt like it could've been 200 pages shorter and accomplished the same thing. It usually only takes me a few days to read a book of this length but this one took me over two weeks and I really struggled to continue reading.

6. Biggest surprise

For this I'm going with Simon Vs. The Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I 100% did not think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I don't often pick up YA contemporaries, but with everyone talking about the book this year I thought it was about time I read it. This book follows Simon, an in-the-closet teenager, who is being blackmailed by someone at his school. This book really had everything: it was funny, heart-wrenching, and had a mystery aspect that I didn't expect. I constantly wanted to keep picking up the book to find out what would happen next. I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read (also the film is pretty good too!).

7. Favourite new author (Debut or new to you)

There are so, so many and I could mention some of the authors I've already talked about, but I think I'll say Sara Raasch. I found her Snow Like Ashes trilogy to be very compelling. This trilogy had so much that I love in a fantasy and it was so detailed. The wroldbuilding was beautiful and it's portrayal of PTSD was very realistic. I also found the conclusion to be so satisfying. Raasch is a beautiful writer.

8. Newest fictional crush

Meh, I don't usually get these to be honest! Genuinely can't think of any stand-out love interests in any of the books.

9. Newest favourite character

Probably Alabaster from The Fifth Season trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. He is such a believable and flawed character, and I love him for that. He's always sarcastic and interesting to read about. If you haven't picked up this trilogy then I highly recommend you do!

10. Book that made you cry

None yet this year! Although I think Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn came very close. This book is a non-fiction about an extraordinary array of women struggling under profoundly dire circumstances. But we also meet those who have triumphed and those who make it their work to provide hope and help to other women. Through these stories of women in impoverished and less fortunate countries, we can see how we can start to help others. It is so important to read for anyone interested in women's rights and feminism. It is a book that drops you into reality and really portrays the privilege that some of the world has compared to others.

11. Book that made you happy

I'm afraid I might actually have to mention a book I've already talked about here and say Simon Vs. The Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I felt like I had a grin on my face for the majority of my time reading this and no other book has done that to me this year.

12. Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year

I know this will be an unpopular opinion because it's very different from the book but I'm going with Ready Player One. Despite the differences from the book, I really enjoyed this film. I found it action-packed and super enjoyable.

13. Favourite review you've written this year

Probably my review of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. It's always great when a book impacts me so much that I just get the urge to write a review for it. It doesn't happen as often lately so talking about this book made me very happy! You can find my spoiler-free review here if you want to read it!

14. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I just love this cover so much, and my edition has flaps on the inside covers with even prettier maps on them!

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

SO MANY BOOKS. I have a very large TBR Pile. I think I'll limit this list to the top five books I want to read this year:

1. The Stand by Stephen King
2. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
3. The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken
4. Under the Dome by Stephen King
5. The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

Hope you enjoyed this tag! Let me know if you've done this tag and if you've read any of these books, what you thought of them! :) 

Rapid Fire Book Tag

Hello, I'm back! It's been a while as a few things have happened in my life that have kept me busy lately (including getting married!!). So it's been a while since I did a tag and I've been looking for a good one to do for a while now. I saw another blogger do this tag and it looked really interesting so I've decided to do the Rapid Fire Book Tag (original tag by GirlReading).

1. Ebook or physical book?

I definitely prefer a physical book to an ebook. There's just something about seeing the books on your shelves and physically seeing how far you are through the book while reading that I really love. I don't mind ebooks and my kobo is useful for when I'm travelling and can't carry books with me, but I'll still always prefer my physical books!

2. Paperback or hardback?

Easily paperback. While hardbacks look quite nice on a shelf (and are mostly the same height!), they're just too bulky to read and carry around. My favourite paperback is a floppy paperback but they hardly ever sell these in the UK which makes me very sad.

3. Online or in-store book shopping?

Okay, this is a slightly tougher one. I do much prefer being in a physical bookshop and looking at all the wonderful books, but they're just so expensive. I probably do buy most of my books either from Charity shops or Waterstones, but occasionally Amazon is needed for when I want to buy a book box set that is too expensive/not available in stores. I think I will probably always enjoy wandering around a bookshop for several hours even if I can't afford anything!

4. Trilogies or series?

I'm struggling with my feelings for this one. While I prefer trilogies because long series often take years to be released, trilogies often suffer from second book syndrome and are either rushed or drawn out unnecessarily. I think overall I prefer series because they explore so much more of the world than trilogies.

5. Heroes or villains?

I often find that villains are so much more interesting than heroes. A good villain is usually more complex and fascinating than a good hero. Obviously I prefer rooting for a hero, but I feel like villains (and anti-heroes) are more interesting to get perspectives and backstory for.

6. A book you want everyone to read?

God, this is a hard question. I can think of tons of books I want people to read. I think I'll say We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, because it's just such a powerful book and sadly very relevant to this day and age.

7. Recommend an underrated book.

There are so many books I want to recommend that no-one ever talks about but I think I'll limit this to two:

Dr Franklin's Island by Ann Halam - This is a book I read in Secondary School when I was about 13. It's a YA book about three teenagers who end up in a plane crash and are the only survivors on a seemingly deserted island. Semi, Miranda, and Arnie stumble into the hands of Dr. Franklin, a mad scientist who’s been waiting for them, eager to use them as specimens for his experiments in genetic engineering.

In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park - A true story of a young girl and her experiences living in and escaping from North Korea. Trigger warnings for rape and assault throughout this book.

8. The last book you finished?

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (I imagine everyone already knows this books so I won't go into detail as it's the fourth (3.5) book in the series).

9. The last book you bought?

The Extinction Trials by S.M. Wilson

10. Weirdest thing you've used as a bookmark?

To be honest, I nearly always use a bookmark because I literally have about a hundred of them. Other than that, the weirdest thing I've probably used is just an envelope or piece of paper.

11. Used books: Yes or No?

YES. I would't have most of my books if it weren't for used bookshops/charity shop books. So long as the book can still be read I don't know why people wouldn't like them!

12. Top three favourite genres?

Fantasy, Psychological Thrillers, and Science Fiction (including both Adult and YA in these genres)

13. Borrow or buy?

Buy if I can afford it! Good libraries are wonderful though.

14. Characters or plot?

Characters because, for me, a good plot can be ruined by boring characters.

15. Long or short books?

Long book! You can stay with the world for so much longer which I love.

16. Long or short chapters?

Short chapters. I feel like I sometimes struggle through long chapters and feel like I'm not getting anywhere with the book if one chapter is 40 pages long. I don't know why, I just prefer the short chapters.

17. Names the first three books you think of...

The Doomspell Trilogy by Cliff Mcnish

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

18. Books that make you laugh or cry?

Weirdly, I prefer books that make me cry. Whether it's sad or happy crying it usually means it's had more of an emotional impact on me than a book that makes me laugh.

19. Our world or fictional worlds?

Fictional worlds. So much more can be explored with a fictional world (although I do love a good urban fantasy!).

20. Audiobooks: Yes or No?

YES. Perfect to listen to when you're doing something like cleaning and can't physically read.

21. Do you ever judge a book by its' cover?

Probably every book I see, but I do also read the blurb and look up reviews before I make a final decision on if I want to read it. A beautiful cover can really draw me in.

22. Book to movie or book to TV adaptations?

I think I generally prefer book to TV adaptations because less ends up getting missed out, but they're not always great.

23. A movie or TV show you preferred to its book?

I've got a few for this surprisingly(!): Matilda by Roald Dahl, Stand By Me (The Body) by Stephen King, and Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

24. Series or standalone?

I love a standalone if it's done well, but I prefer a series because you get so much more of the world and the characters.

And that's the Rapid Fire Book Tag! Let me know what you think and leave a link below if you do this tag! :D Glad to be back on here!