Bogormen

Title: The Crooked Sixpence
Author: Jennifer Bell
Genre: Childrens, fantasy
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 384
Date read: October, 2020

When Ivy Sparrow’s grandmother Sylvie is rushed to hospital, Ivy and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what lies in store for them. Returning to Sylvie’s house, they find it has been ransacked by unknown intruders – then a mysterious feather scratches an ominous message onto the kitchen wall, and a very strange policeman is determined to apprehend them . . . with a toilet brush. Ivy and Seb make their escape – only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world.

The forces of evil are closing in fast, and if Ivy and Seb are ever to see their parents again, they must get to the bottom of a family secret as shameful as it is incredible... before it’s too late.


After a false start or two, I finally got properly into this book at the most recent readathon, where it fit the bill perfectly. In genre and feel it reminded me a bit of "Un Lun Dun" by China Miéville (although not in plot at all). I liked it well enough, but found certain parts of it slightly too disjointed. Some things seemed to happen for the sake of plot, rather than because it made sense in the universe. I might feel differently on rereading it, as I now know the universe.

Title: Alien: Echo
Author: Mira Grant
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~8hrs
Date read: October, 2020

Olivia and her twin sister Viola have been dragged around the universe for as long as they can remember. Their parents, both xenobiologists, are always in high demand for their research into obscure alien biology.Just settled on a new colony world, they discover an alien threat unlike anything they’ve ever seen. And suddenly the sisters’ world is ripped apart.

On the run from terrifying aliens, Olivia’s knowledge of xenobiology and determination to protect her sister are her only weapons as the colony collapses into chaos. But then a shocking family secret bursts open—one that’s as horrifying to Olivia as the aliens surrounding them.

The creatures infiltrate the rich wildlife on this virgin colony world—and quickly start adapting. Olivia’s going to have to adapt, too, if she’s going to survive...


Just as well-written as all of Mira Grant's books. I never really got into the Alien franchise (only saw the first two movies a couple of years ago), but will read pretty much anything Mira Grant writes, regardless of the subject matter ;-) And you don't really need any more introduction to the Alien universe than just one movie (to give you a frame of reference of how they look) to understand the book, as it's nicely self-contained.

It threw some interesting twists at me, but as a whole, ended up exactly as you would have expected it to.

Title: Every Last Word
Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 368
Date read: April 2015, October 2020

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd... until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.


Beautifully written, poignant and real. I'm finding it very difficult to talk about this book without squeeing all over the place, but I don't want to hype it too much, so I will try to restrain myself.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, and pretty much had no idea what to expect - I just liked the cover - but I quickly realized that this was right up my aisle. I loved the writing style, and the plot is YA when it's best. I really liked Sam and the rest of the Poet's Corner, and found a lot of the poetry really brilliant. Especially nearer the end - it was clear that people improved.

I also appreciated reading a book about OCD where the focus was more on the obsessive part than the compulsion part - i.e. more a brain that cannot be turned off, than specifically having to do certain things.

Mostly I loved the ending, and as I finished the last page, I had tears (good tears) running down my cheeks. Definitely a book I'll want to reread.

Title: Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy #1)
Author: Mira Grant
Genre: Thriller, Dystopian
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~14hrs
Date read: May 2013, September 2014, June 2016, October 2020, June 2024

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives - the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will get out, even if it kills them.

This was amazing! Pretty near impossible to put down. I "read" it as an audiobook, and found myself making excuses to bike detours just to read a bit more. To label it merely a zombie-book or a dystopian novel would be doing it a disservice, because it is so much more than that. The true strength of this book is the worldbuilding, and Mira Grant's descriptions of a world post-zombie outbreak. A world where George Romero is considered a national hero, and where bloggers are the true journalists.

The only reason I left out the last half star is because I wasn't too pleased with all the events near the end of the book, but there's no way I'm going to spoil that for you! The ending itself was satisfactory though, and I've immediately started on the second book.

The title is pure genius, even though I'm embarrassed to admit how long time it took me to get the second meaning... I'm blaming this on not having the cover in front of me all the time.