Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories by Megan Kelley Hall et al

Target Audience: Everyone
Genre: Non-Fiction/Biographical

I usually review my books in the order in which I read them, but I decided to deviate from that rule because you have to write some review while you have the words to say what you want to say, otherwise you risk never finding those words again.  This is one of those reviews.
Dear Bully compiles some of the most heart-wrenching, moving, inspiring, horrifying and heartbreaking tales of bullying that I have ever read about. Whether the contributing author was the Bully, victim or bystander they are all truly memorable.

I'm not ashamed to say that some of the authors stories made me shed a few tears and as someone who has suffered bullying as a child to some extent, I could relate to some of the feelings these authors have expressed during their retelling's of their own bullying experiences.

What I think is so alarming, and this is something I wish teachers in schools and parents would take note of, is that these authors all remember there experiences of bullying so clearly. This should immediately send alarm bells ringing in people's heads as clearly these experiences are not 'just part of growing up' and clearly leave some form of emotional scaring on the individuals involved as well as awful memories. I think the message is clear, bullying should not be tolerated, it is not something to endure and it should be stopped, no child (or adult even) should have to go through these experiences.

On the brighter side of things, a lot of these experiences have been channelled into positive things such as ideas for books, the strength to move on or even to become a stronger individual but the fact still remains, no one should ever have to endure victimisation in order to become something more in life. Not all stories have a positive outcome and there are some sobering facts about bullying and suicide that will make you think twice about your views.

Whether written in the form of essay, poem or short story these are a collection of stories that everyone should read, whether you've been bullied or not, whether you've witnessed it or not or even if you were a bully yourself. This is a book that will give you an insight into the minds of victims and bully's alike.

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Fiction/Adventure

Rick Riordan is a genius. That's probably more fact than opinion and wow does that guy have a talent for writing clever, funny and compelling stories that are aimed at teens, and yet seem to be loved by adults just as much. For those Who haven't read any books by Mr Riordan I'd start at either Percy Jackson and Lightening Thief or The Red Pyramid as these are the first in both his other series of books and are generally a good place to begin.  For those who have read the Percy Jackson series and the first in this one, then read on.

TSoN joins back up with Percy who is being chased by monsters with no memory of why he's there, why he's being chased and wondering why the only thing he knows is that a girl Annabeth is important to him.  Soon he ends up at a place called Camp Jupiter where he meets Frank and Hazel, two very troubled Demigods holding secrets and troubles of their own.
Soon they find themselves on a quest to stop something that was put into motion a long time ago, well past the their usual territory and into lands even the gods have no control over, as the prophecy of the seven slowly unfolds.

I loved this. In fact, I loved this more than The Lost Hero.. I think having Percy back (one of my favourite all time literary heroes) made this book extra incredible especially as that nearly everything Percy does seems to come out humorous in one way or another. If I were to be stuck in the worst moment of my life, I would like Percy with me, he'd probably make me laugh about it :)
Having said that the humour element does not detract from the adventurous storyline with it's peril and terrifying Greek/Roman monsters. True, there are some monsters that will have you laughing (like the cereal monsters and the cupcake/muffin throwing goddess) but others will absolutely terrify the crap out of you. FYI I do not want to run into any Titans any time soon!

The plot develops quickly and I found myself turning the pages very fast to find out how it would end and I was on the edge of my seat reading most of it. If a book can make me spend nearly the whole Sunday reading it without moving, then the author has done a fantastic job. Well done Mr Riordan you made a restless woman stay still for hours on end :)

As usual though, it's the characters that steal the show and I loved Hazel, Frank and Percy though I did find it a little disconcerting jumping from point of view to another, at least at first anyway. What I admire most is that each of them had their 'weaknesses' and yet still  managed to show incredible strength when placed in the most impossible situations and then come out the other side.
None of the heroes in Rick's novels are perfect and I think that's something both kids and adults can resonate with; the idea that we can achieve anything we want no matter what mistakes we've made and however imperfect we are.

As for the ending? Well it's epic and I'm dying for the next book. I don't want to wait :( I want to read it now! *stamps feet like a child* Anyway, full marks! Like I said, the guys a genius!

Gold, Babies and the Brothers Muldoon by Derek Landy

Target Audience: Anyone ages 8 to 800 that have a sense of humour
Genre: Humour/Fiction

This is another Skulduggery short from Derek Landy and it is very very funny! To sum up, in reading this I found out that Skulduggery has an admirer, goblins hold very long grudges and love their gold.
My favourite part? The bit where Skulduggery is being chased by Peg! Fantastic. True love truly can be annoying!

If you read this and like it, check out the rest of Landy's books, they're just as funny and will have you hooked after the very first in the series. Oh, and in the mean time, don't fall in love with any goblins!

The Lost Art of World Domination by Derek Landy

Target Audience: Anyone ages between 8 and 800
Genre: Humour/Fiction

This a very short story set when Valkyrie was 13, so we're talking a few books back now. When I say short, I mean short, my Kindle jumped through the percentages and I read it in about 8 minutes, but boy was it funny!
The summery of this short is that Skulduggery is held captive by Scaramouch Van Dreg who fancies himself as a major villain. His aim? To rule the world.

What I loved about this book? Simply put, watching Skulduggery shooting holes through all of Scaramouch's plans and basically making him feel like an idiot. Enter some seriously funny wisecracks, a funny entrance from Valkyrie and you've got a genius short story that all Skulduggery pleasant fans will love to bits!

Favourite quote: "We need more villains like you, you know that? We need more bad guys who want to take over the world. There aren't enough of them. The others think it's just, you know...silly"

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

Target Audience: Everyone
Genre: Fiction

I decided to kick off my older book reviews with this one, Fantastic Mr Fox. I loved this when I first read it, and I will happily read it again now.
If you want an idea of the plot, read on:

Mr Fox, Mrs fox and their cubs live in their fox hole, with Mr Fox leaving to steal food every night for his family. One ill-fated night Mr Fox gets his tail shot off and the Foxes and the other creatures living in the hill find themselves under siege by the evil farmers; Boggis, Bunce and Bean (One fat, one short one lean lol)
Stuck underground with no exit and no food, Mr fox and Co create a plan that even the farmers don't see coming and it makes for one amazing adventure.

Now, I don't no whether it was the creepy farmers, the daring food stealing plans or the sheer sense of fun that emanates from this book, but I love the story to bits.
It's a very quick read but a very entertaining one, and I still laugh at the image of those farmers stuck on the hillside, what a bunch of dipsticks.

Anyway, this gets:

How to Avoid Huge Ships: And Other Implausibly Titled Books by Joel Rickett

Target Audience: Anyone with a sense of humour
Genre: Humour

I can't really do a long review of this because there's not an awful lot to right about.  I picked this up in Waterstones because I love a random humour book, and this one is pretty random.  To sum it up, this is basically a collection of books with really silly titles.
From tractor obsessed authors to horse related lesbian short stories (don't ask!) and to other truly bizarre and wonderful book titles that I won't mention in fear of spoiling your reading amusement.

So thats all I'm saying!

Universally Challenged by Wendy Roby

Target Audience: Everyone
Genre: Humour/Non-Fiction

Admittedly, some of the funny parts from this went way over my head but for the most part it was just insanely hilarious.

I choked my way through the section on Wheel of Fortune, and i can't believe some of the things people can come up with.

One of my personal favourites was the line from Family fortunes where a contestant, when asked to name a type of bean said 'Les-Bean'. I remember actually watching that episode and was totally choked with laughter. The video is still on You Tube if I remember correctly, and is one of those unforgettable moments in television history.

Anyway, if you think you've seen some really dumb answers given in quiz shows then you haven't seen anything yet. Give this a read, it'll make you feel supremelly intelligent in comparison!

The Customer Is Not Always Right by A.J. Adams

Target Audience: Everyone
Genre: Humour

As someone whose entire work history has been routed in some form of customer service or other (some phone based and some face-to-face) i have to admit there are some idiots out there. So imagine my amusement to discover a book dedicated to basically celebrating the idiocity of that small percentage of customers that no one in my line of work likes to meet.

Seriously, if you've ever had to deal with anyone who thinks they can still watch the telly without taking it out of the box, or had a nude woman run into your store and steal a muffin, or even if you just like a good laugh, this is a most definate must read.

Seriously, laugh out loud funny. Do not read on public transport!

Could Do Better: The Very Worst Howlers by Schoolchildren by Norman McGreevy

Target Audience: Anyone and everyone
Genre: Humour

If your looking to remember your school days with a bit of laughter then this is definately the book for you. From the silliest spelling mistakes to just plain word mix-up these are some of the most amusing mistakes by schoolchildren ever. Definately well worth a read for all those who need a good laugh :-D

I'm going to leave my review at that simply because this is one of those book that i can't really describe to another person. Read it and have a really good laugh.

Kid's Klangers by Richard Benson

Target Audience: Anyone and Everyone
Genre: Humour

Ok, kids really do say the funniest things. I could go on and on about how funny this book is, but really the best way to find out is to read it yourself. Innocent, cute and unintentionally rude in parts, this is not one to read while on public transport.

Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil by Derek Landy

Target Audience: Kids/Teens/Everyone else
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Humour

As with most books that i totally love, i'm going to struggle to write a review, infact its taken me a few days just to finally put fingers to keyboard.

Mortal Coil begins around about half a year after the end of dark days. Valkyrie is trying to find out how to stop herself from destroying the world and they are still trying to establish a new Sancturary in Ireland. Meanwhile, there's a giant psychotic man in a metal mask running around murdering people. So in short, it's all action from the very start!


There are several things about this series that i love and the first of these is the characters. Stephanie/Valkyrie is one of the most amusing and headstrong female leads i've ever read about. She witty, sarcastic and yet loving and caring at the same time. Her emotional human side clearly has an affect on skulduggery and yet she can hold her own against most things that are thrown her way.
Skulduggery himself is still as funny and awesome as ever. I would love to be friends with him. And the way he converses with Valkyrie just borderlines hilarious in some instances. I loved how their friendship changed in this book, and you see how much stronger there friendship has become because of the events in this book. Fletcher is also just as vain and annoying as in dark days, but he displays a lot more of his caring/loving qualities in this book (particularly in that scene near the end of the novel with Valkyrie, awwwww)
With regards to the plot, it seemed somewhat darker in this novel, but then this is understandable considering that they are dealing with someone who can destroy the world. The atmosphere itself was terrifying and some of the events borderlined disturbing and i felt chills creeping up my spine just imagining what would happen if this actually happened in reality.
Having said that, there isn't any lack of witty banter and humour in this book and i found myself laughing a lot despite the darker tone. Whether it's the geniune laugh out loud funny parts or just the one liners and conversation from Skulduggery and Valkyrie, there's plenty to make you laugh.
On that note, i must confess this is one of the things that never ceases to amaze me about Mr Landy, his ability to blend laugh out loud humour with an adrenaline fuelled adventure/horror story. The guy is a genius (and his dedications at the front of the novel were amusing too!)

Anyway, in short. This is a twisty, emotional, frightening, funny novel that ends with enough of a cliffhanger (or several more like) to ensure that all readers (me included) will come back for more. Whether your 13, 23 (like me) or 103, this book is AMAZING!!!

The Book of Big Excuses by Tracey Turner

Target Audience: Anyone and Everyone
Genre: Humour

This is one of those books you can pick up whenever you feel like it, and continue from where you left off, but i found it so funny i finished it within a couple of days, in which i was off work.

Some of the excuses are so amusing my sides were hurting from laughing and the dating section itself deserves a round of applause. I think i've heard about half of the ending a relationship reasons at some point in my life.

This is an awesome book, it is funny and it's great for conversation starters. My personal favourite excuse for a train being delayed: "The train arriving at platform one is on fire, passengers are advised not to board"

Insane. :-)

Signspotting: The World's Most absurd Signs by Doug Lansky

Target Audience: Everyone
Genre: Humour

As much as i love humour books, i have to admit this wasn't my favourite. That's not to say it's a terrible read by far. Some of the signs shown were so funny i was in stitches, but others weren't to my taste, or i simply didn't get the funny side.
As they say, each to their own, and i'm sure there are a lot of people out there who will find this more entertaining than me. Admittedly though, i giggled like a little girl at some of them. Some are innocent jokes, some are bad translations and others are just plain meant for the dirty minded. Either way, give this a go, it's a very subjective book, and an easy read for those who prefer to see the actual signs for themselves, it even tells you where they were taken!

The Timewaster Letters by Robin Cooper

Target Audience: Anyone with a sense of humour
Genre: Humour

I've only recently discovered how funny the humour genre is, and since then i've been reading a lot of them. I love a good laugh, and this book provides exactly that. Containing some of the most time wasting and pointless letters ever to be commited to paper, this book will both make you laugh and leave you in a rather amusing state of disbelief.

The most amusing thing is that Cooper writes the letters with such seriousness that you can understand why the correspondents actually acknowledged his letters, and it's that that makes them so believably funny.
Whether he's writing to the Archbishop of Canterbury or trying to buy £10,000 worth of gift vouchers, his letters are sure to make you laugh!