Introduction response: Between Shades of Gray

So I've just finished reading the first few chapters of 
Between Shades of Gray and I have high expectations for it!

It's one of those stories that throw you straight into the deep end without a chance to come up for air. I was hooked from the first page. 

You are planted directly into the shoes of Lina, a fifteen-year-old. The Soviet secret police come knocking on her door, commanding them to pack in just twenty minutes. Frantically, they gather their belongings and are marched into a lorry, this is the last time they will see their home for years. 

I love the fact that as the reader, we know only as much as the characters, which meant as information was revealed to them it was also revealed to us. Super eager to read more, so I'm going to say goodbye now!

Happy reading, Kate x

New Book: Between Shades of Gray

Title: Between Shades of Gray

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Written: 2011
Set: 1941

Blurb: Taken from the website - http://www.betweenshadesofgray.com

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina's father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost.

Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive.

It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?
Between Shades of Gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit.

First thoughts: I have to admit, I have already read this book however that was around four years ago and I could barely even recall what it was about! The only thing I do remember from reading it previously was the fact that I was hugely touched by it. I'm very eager to get started... And one last thing to add: definitely check out the above mentioned website. It isn't spoiler free but there is a heart-wrenching video from the author about how the book came together. 

Happy reading, Kate x

Hello & Welcome

Welcome to my blog :)  As you may be able to deduce from it's title this blog is entirely about books. I have a passion for reading - I have done since I was little - and I'm really hoping you do too. If you don't, then firstly I must pity you - you're honestly missing out on so much! Reading is an art. In fact it is more than an art. Reading is a gateway to a place which you can explore for the first time, reenter in moments when you want to escape from your own world or meet characters who you can relate to. The underlying reason for people to say reading is 'boring', in my view, is that they have yet to find a book that suits them. Maybe they're looking in the wrong genre or only focused on one particular author or perhaps find it a chore rather than an activity for pleasure. There is an infinite spectrum of writing out there waiting for you to stumble upon it!

Reading is like a never-ending road. It has no final destination, however it can take you in all sorts of directions. When the road forks, it is up to you to choose where it will take you next. You can backtrack whenever you want, maybe there was that special book that touched you and you need to experience it for a second, maybe third, or even twentieth time. Perhaps, you might make a decision that will take you down a path you would never have imagined taking ... The point I'm trying to make is that reading is what you make it. 

So going back to why I decided to start this blog: 

1) I want to share my love of books with you, and hope it might encourage to give something new a go even if it's completely out of your comfort zone. We can do this together as I'm going to be giving the 'Historic' novels a chance - I have always been very put off about this genre as from the surface it appears very (for want of a better word) boring. Dreary. Dull. Disengaging. I might be very wrong!

2) It would give me a lovely feeling inside if I knew this was actually helping people or making them enjoy books more than before (even if it's only a tiny bit!). 

3) This is for a school project, however I have the feeling I might get so into it that I will want to carry on - we'll see how it goes...

If you have any recommendations or advice or comments about any of the books I will be covering feel free to leave me a comment - I would love to read them!


Happy reading, Kate x