Book review and giveaway- Delete by Kim Curran

Today, Faber Academy and I are kicking off the blog tour for Kim Curran's DELETE! It's had a bit of trouble getting out, due to the closure of Strange Chemistry, but it's coming and it's having a blog tour! 

Title:   Delete

Author:  Kim Curran

Series:    Shift #3

Published:   31 March 2015 by Xist Publishing

Length:  230 pages

Source: Strange Chemistry ARC

Other info: I reviewed Shift and Control and really enjoyed them! I’ve also had Kim over to talk about shifting in real life, and about her other book, Glaze (which I also reviewed).

Summary : The country is at war. Beset by enemies within and without. And all because of the decisions changed by one boy, Scott Tyler. In this ravaged alternative reality, Scott hardly recognises himself. He's a war hero, a leader of a unit of Shifters and maybe the only one who can prevent the country's frail defences from crumbling.

But all Scott wants to do is find a way back to the world he knew, without losing the girl he loves. With every Shift he makes, Scott edges closer towards oblivion. With no one to trust – not even himself – how much is he willing to risk to get home?

Review: This is the end of a trilogy, so this review will contain spoilers for the first two books (and you really do need to read Shift and Control before this one). Following the end of Control, Scott finds he has shifted to a world where Britain is at war, and Scott is apparently the Commandant of ARES, or at least its present form, and  everything is completely different. However, unlike most Shifters whose realities change when they shift to accomodate for that shift and they accept that shift as being the one true reality, Scott remembers the more peaceful, less treacherous world, and he wants to get back.

I really enjoyed Shift and Control, and thus I was very excited to read this. When I did get to read Delete, I read it so quickly. I think if life didn’t get in my way, it would be a one-sit-read.

You know how I said Control put the plot on a larger scale to Shift? It’s happened again. Majorly. Again.

I loved the different sides of the characters we got to know. Frankie, Aubrey, and Katie  were all changed but also still them, and Scott...woah. in this world, Scott’s personality is rather different to the one he remembers having, and I loved seeing him struggle with what he remembers, what he thinks he is, what what he has to do in this world.  So much character development.

The plot progressed well. It’s fast, but there are also quieter moments. Especially between Aubrey and Scott as  he tries to find the differences between the past Aubrey and the one now. .

I did have mixed feelings about the end. Initially I really disliked it, but after a little time, I realised how wonderful it was because Scott has learnt things and might be able to make things better and maybe it isn’t as bad an ending as I thought.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a brilliant ending to an action packed series examining decisions and their consequences.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Also, there's a tourwide giveaway happening to win all three Shift books. Good luck!
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2014 in Review- The End of Year Book Survey

So, I wanted to do a roundup of this (rather quiet) year.  But I didn’t know how I’d put it together. And then I remembered that there was a giant survey from Jamie (The Perpetual Page Turner). Anyone can do it and I’m sure I should have started earlier as it’s 5 pages spaced and empty, but hey. Let’s try!

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2014 Reading Stats
Number Of Books You Read: 110
Number of Re-Reads: 6 (Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Frankenstein,  The Huger Games, Mockingjay, and The Hobbit)
Genre You Read The Most From: I don’t know because I don’t keep track. I plan to work it out some day though, so watch this space.

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Best in Books

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?
Out of a shortlist of Adaptation, Delete, and this, my favourite this year was probably A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke.  

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
 Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith.  I’d heard many great things about it, but the writing style slowed it down and I couldn’t get into it as much as I wanted.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? 
Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare.  I knew it was bloody, but four deaths within a few lines... well.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?
 Either This Book is Gay by James Dawson, or Persepolis by MarjaneSatrapi.

 5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?
 Series: Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens. Sequel: Inheritance by Malinda Lo. Ender: Delete by Kim Curran.

 6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2014?
 Joe  Hill. I’d seen good things about him, but never bothered to read anything. Then I read Heart Shaped Box and really enjoyed it.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
I read mostly within my comfort zone, but I think I’ll put down Phillip Larkin’s poetry from The Whitsun Weddings, which I read (and analysed) for school. initially thoroughly depressing, but it grew on me.

 

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Delete by Kim Curran. Another of my “cannot put down” reads J 

  9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley for school? Eh, I don’t know. Reread love comes and goes. But maybe Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, in preparation for Carry On.

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2014?
This Book is Gay by James Dawson. It’s bold, eye catching, simple, and it works exceedingly well.

 11. Most memorable character of 2014?
Laureth Peak from She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgewick.  It’s such a good book and so much more than it seems and fuller explanation will follow.

  12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?
Persepolis, again.  Also, More than This by Patrick Ness, even if I really didn’t get on with the book as a whole.

 13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?
Persepolis, again.

  14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? 
Persepolis, again *will try not to use this again*  Also, The Princess Bride by William Golding.

  15. Favourite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?
From Fanny and Stella by Neil McKenna, “French male prostitutes in drag... wore false bosoms made from boiled sheep’s...lungs... “One of the prostitutes complained to me the other day” the Parisian doctor François-Auguste Veyne reported “that a cat had eaten one of his breasts which he had left to cool down in his attic.”

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?
Shortest: The Card Sharp or The Snake Charm by Laura Lam.  Longest: Winter of the Worlds by Ken Follett.

   17. Book That Shocked You The Most
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan because it was SO MUCH BETTER than my expectations that were based on Boy Meets Boy. Does massive improvement count as shock? I don’t know, but it was definitely unexpected.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR
Reese/David/Amber from Adaptation by Malinda Lo.

19. Favourite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
Daisy and Hazel from Murder Most Unladylike. So much love and fun.

 20. Favourite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Delete by Kim Curran.

 21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Can’t think of one.

 22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?
Amber from Adaptation.

 23. Best 2014 debut you read?
Trouble by Non Pratt. Looking forwards to Remix!

 24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Best worldbuilding: The Wall by William Sutcliffe. Most vivid: The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley.

 25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Fanny and Stella by Neil McKenna, or American Savage by Matt Whyman.

 26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?
Can’t think of one. Sorry.

 27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Or one for here.

 28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan because COOPER.

 29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?
Grasshopper Jungle by Alexander Smith.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
More Than This by Patrick Ness. What feels like fifty pages of a character walking around and describing scenery with not much else happening just...ugh.

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Bloggish/Bookish Life

1. New favourite book blog you discovered in 2014? 
I’ve mostly been keeping in contact with bloggers via means other than their blogs, and the people who I love, I can’t think of people who I definitely discovered in 2014. But down the side, there’s links to bloggers! Go check them out!

2. Favourite review that you wrote in 2014?
None of my book reviews stand out for me.  But I do quite like my theatre reviews, so if you’re interested, go have a look.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
Mr. Gove, you are the UK's education secretary. Educate. #saveourbooks
With the help of Georgia’s graphics, there were many of us speaking about against Gove’s reforms to the GCSE and Alevel English syllabus.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Hmm... I loved the Ken Follett and Cat Clarke and David Levithan  and James Dawson talks and signings. Honourable mention for best event goes to the Divergent premier!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?
Some of the many many conversations I’ve had with some people in the past year. You guys rock.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
I think my post on my We Need Diverse Books display counts by views, if you take into account its tumblr notes, after being reblogged by authors and the WNDB team!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
Ugh. Can’t think. Sorry.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? Hmm...shops. Two in Edinburgh which I found on the last day of my trip. Word Power, which does independent things, books I’d never heard of and sadly didn’t have money to buy. And Transreal Fiction, which is all the fantasy/ssf/specfic/pretty books that I’d ever need.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
No. *laughs* (goodreads doesn’t count becasue I’d adjusted it halfway through the year!)

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Looking Ahead

 1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?
 The many on my ex-to read pile of doom. Especially Look Who’s Back by Tim Viernes.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?
Prudence by Gail Carriger because I can’t wait to go back and maybe get bits of Alexia and Maccon, as well as seeing the new things.

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
Tatum Flynn’s  D’Evil Diaries. Looks funny, and has been compared to Good Omens, which I love.

  4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?
Does Carry On count as a tie-in or sequel to Fangirl? It’s going here.

 5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015? Review books once they’re read! A post with further 2015 plans will come soon.

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:
None.

  

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Other things: 
Thank you so much for sticking with me, even though it’s been relatively quiet around here. That goes to all of you-readers, publishers, bloggers, authors, everyone. I hope be blogging more soon, and interact with blogs, not just the bloggers behind them, more. I also hope to pick up some failed projects from earlier on in the year- anyone still up for Bard to Bookshelf? 

Throughout the year, I have  had really bad days. You won't have heard from me about them, because when that happens I take myself off the internet and curl up in my bed. But I get through them, and then I'm back, with the things I've done on my good ones. 

 I've gotten involved in theatre, and did Godspell and Lucky Stiff with two separate, brilliant groups. I got into a program called Pathways to Law. I went to some blogger events and met people. I tried teaching myself Spanish and can now understand basic pieces. I did exams and ended up with a batch of A and A* GCSEs that I'm proud of myself for.  

I have read a  lot  this year, if you take into account the fact that this year I discovered my kindle can download mobi files off the internet and so I read many novel length fanfiction pieces (such as a 280k piece by SaraNoH and the_wordbutler called 180 Days and Counting about the Avengers being teachers at a primary school which is cute and funny and brilliant, which I started at noon one day and finished at 5pm the next).

Thank you, everyone. I hope that 2014 wasn’t entirely awful for you (anyone who says it was entirely brilliant must have had an exceptional year –and- have been ignoring the news), and I hope that 2015 is better. 

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Book Review and Giveaway - Glaze by Kim Curran

Title: Glaze

 Author: Kim Curran

Published:  12 May 2014 by Jurassic Park

Length: 293 pages

Source: author

Summary : Petri Quinn is counting down the days till she turns 16 and can get on GLAZE – the ultimate social network that is bringing the whole world together into one global family. But when a peaceful government protest turns into a full-blown riot with Petri shouldering the blame, she’s handed a ban. Her life is over before it’s even started.Desperate to be a part of the hooked-up society, Petri finds an underground hacker group and gets a black market chip fitted. But this chip has a problem: it has no filter and no off switch. Petri can see everything happening on GLAZE, all the time. Including things she was never meant to see.As her life is plunged into danger, Petri is faced with a choice. Join GLAZE… or destroy it.

Review:  Glaze-the next level of social media. A chip is inserted into your head, and you are on Glaze. You can see everyone's names and stories. You can see the history of an object. You are connected to everyone all the time. Petri is fifteen when she is charged with inciting a riot. As a punishment, she isn't allowed onto Glaze until she's twenty-one, as opposed to the standard age of sixteen. Unable to take being left out, Petri goes to some hackers to get a  chip inserted on the black market. But this illegal chip means she can't get away from Glaze even if she wants to.

I really enjoyed Shift and Control, and I'm looking forwards to Delete coming sometime soon. When I heard about this, the concept and the author made me sure i'd have to read it.

I loved the world of this. It's scary how we're progressing ever faster towards it; google glass is putting our data in front of our eyes, it's only a matter of time before we get data in our heads. And the dystopian element of a company having all the data and controlling you is something that intrigues me a lot. 

The pacing is really good. There's always something happening, and the ways the plot develops keeps you hooked. It was a little predictable as to who did –the thing-- but the reasoning behind it was harder to see, and I still enjoyed reading. 

The characters are all varied and really well done. I loved Petri, and her desire to fit in is not an unfamiliar one for anyone. I didn't really feel anything for any of the romance in this, but i'm glad that it didn't detract from the plot. I liked the characters by themselves though, from the resourceful hackers to the  friendship and to the real social dynamics of the school to the slightly crazy Mimi.

The best thing about this book is the way it connects with contemporary life, the way this kind of thing could happen if the way we’re going is taken to extremes,, and that this is a book about our reliance on the internet and what happens if we let this internet connectivity control our lives.

Overall:  Strength 4 to a fast paced dystopian with a great world and a look at what happens if technology goes too far.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Also, because I forgot on Saturday, there's a tourwide giveaway happening of one of 75 hardback copies of Glaze, plus other stuff like signed copies of Shift & Control, Glaze Bookmarks, Glaze badges and a meet with Kim Curran or Skype chat if you're not able to come to London. Enter!!


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Guest Post for GLAZE- Top 10 Places for Kim Curran to write

Coursework. Revision. Musicals. That sums up what I have been doing to stop me blogging, which is something that will be rectified come the middle of June
. For now though, expect any posts that have been scheduled as part of a thing, but not much else. Apart from complaining on the internet. Sorry.

Anyway, we now have one of my favourite authors, Kim Curran, author of Shift, Control, Delete and GLAZE, talking about where she likes to write.

1) On the top deck of the 243 bus

This is the bus that I used to take from Waterloo to Shoreditch and back in my commute to and from work. It was on that bus that I had the idea for Shift and where I wrote most of it – scribbled in notebooks. I’ve written a fair bit about my bus writing. The combination of being stuck in a boring place with no internet connection, and weird people to avoid, allows me to lose myself in the writing. And there’s also something about the forward motion that gives me a sense of progress.

2) On the train

Since I’ve moved further out of London, it now takes me 40 min to get into Waterloo. Which is just the perfect amount of time to get some writing done. Like the bus, it’s really productive because I don’t have access to the internet. And thanks to my tiny MacBook air, I can type away on my lap – as long as I get a seat. And boy am I grumpy if I don’t.

3) In my office.

I am probably most productive when having a writing day at home. I get up and start writing straight away, without bothering with boring things like showering or getting dressed. Often, I’ll be so lost in the writing that I’ll start at 8am and next thing I look up and it’s 5pm. I have a great chair (courtesy of James Smythe who I bought it off) a terrible desk which I HAVE to change, and a black board, which I scribble motivating quotes on. Oh, and it’s a MESS!

4) In the Royal Festival Hall

The Royal Festival Hall is my home away from home. I’m a member, which gives me access to an area on the 6th floor, which seems to be filled with writers and other creative types. I have a bunch of friends who also work out of there, so I get to have the company and the camaraderie I miss so much when spending days upon days on my own. The coffee is poor but the view is to die for!

5) In a hammock.

I finished Shift in a hammock in Mexico. And I worked on Delete in a hammock in Oman. Once I get my act together, I’ll put up a hammock in my garden and write from there. There’s something about the gentle back and forth motion that’s so soothing.


6) In Topolski

There’s a café near Waterloo that is a pop-up for the Royal Festival Hall. Not many people know about it yet, so it’s quieter, there are more power soc

kets, and it’s cool (the RFH becomes a sweat box in summer). The staff are super welcoming, the coffee is great, and as for the view, well, they project Polish films on the brick walls and the place is filled with the artwork of Toposki himself. So it’s equally as inspiring as looking over the Thames. I love it there, and it’s where I’m having my launch for Glaze.


7) In a park

Until last year, I lived in a flat with no garden but with a beautiful park nearby. And when the weather permitted, I used to go and sit under a tree and write while watching the joggers and squirrels scamper around. I found it more inductive to scribbling ideas rather than clocking up the word count.

8) In bed

Sometimes, if I’m up against a deadline, I don’t even bother getting out of bed before I pick up my laptop and start writing. The one time I attempted NaNoWriMo I did this. I woke up, started writing, and didn’t get up till I’d hit my daily target of 1667 words.

9) In a pub

I recently took part in a writing event called 1001 nights – where writers are invited to create a story that’s 1001 words long, using characters and suggestions from Twitter. It’s run by the super lovely Nicci Cloke and the two of us held up in a pub in Clapham, wine and burgers on hand, and I wrote like the wind. You can read about it here: http://thatnightwheretheydowriting.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/1001-curran-what-happened/

10) ANYWHERE

Basically, I can write anywhere I can sit down. With pen and notebook or on my laptop, it really doesn’t matter. Just so long as I can get the words out of my head. And a change of scene is crucial for me. Often if I’m struggling with a plot issue, moving to a different location


Great post from Kim. Also, great book from Kim. You can read my review of Glaze sometime this week. You can find Kim at her website at her twitter at facebook  and on youtube.
Glaze will be published on 15 May 2014. You can find it on goodreads here.

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Cover Reveal- Delete by Kim Curran

You know how much I love these books, where if you want, you can change a decision you made, even if it's not always for the best...
Anyway, Kim Curran's Shift was released December 2012 and Control was released last August (me: seriously??? How has the time gone past?)   And this August, DELETE is being released. And here's the cover.

Given Control's giant cliffhanger, and the firey colours  on the cover of this, I'm expecting big things from Delete!

I also like the way that the stakes seem to have gotten higher as the series progresses- look at the background- warehouse to modern city skyscrapery things to the Houses of Parliament.  Exciting.

Finally, did I ever tell you about Kim's other project, Glaze? No? Well, check it out here. It looks awesome. 

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