Jenny Colgan - Christmas at the Cupcake Café

Due to the Christmas season, I have mixed a couple of my books around so that they work better on this review blog.  Following Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop, I was intending to read West End Girls by Jenny Colgan but I switched that book around with another Colgan book, Christmas at the Cupcake Café.

Christmas at the Cupcake Café is the second book in Colgan's At the Cupcake Café series following Meet Me at the Cupcake Café, but this time there is a seasonal twist to the series which was good for this time of year and seemed suitable to review, especially following a very summery themed book.  Previously in Meet Me at the Cupcake Café, Issy was working a normal desk job, filing, but then she decides to seize the moment and open The Cupcake Café with the assistance of Austin, a bank manager who grants her a loan to begin running the shop.  Struggling at first, Issy then makes a success of the café with the help of her friends, employees, and Austin.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Chick lit lovers

Favourite Characters: Darny - funny and stubborn

Favourite Part: 'Louis, hush about that stupid Advent calendar,' said Issy.  'It's not going to get chocolate in it.'
'It's a very sad Advent calendar,' observed Louis. - Page 118

Good Points: The embrace of Christmas; bringing new places in; introducing Marian to Darny

Bad Points: The cupcake girl in New York - hint of a love triangle

Matt O'Connor - The Icecreamists

A bit after my 21st birthday when my friend gave me Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book I bought The Icecreamists by Matt O'Connor because it looked interesting then my sister asked me to make one of the recipes out of it seen as I had the machine out to make the coconut ice cream and she chose the dark chocolate ice cream, Choc & Awe.

While it wasn't as simple as the Ben & Jerry's book because I could just dump everything in the food mixer then into the ice cream maker but that was because the final product was different; this time it was smoother and thicker, more like frozen custard, rather than like standard ice cream.

Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield - Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Previously, I have reviewed cookbooks from The Hummingbird Bakery after I have made at least one of the recipes so I decided, after making something out of this book, that I would review this one as it was different and I thought others would like to know how good this book was.

Hopefully you know what the Ben & Jerry's company produces because it is a good product, lovely ice cream and frozen yoghurt, and while in the UK we don't have all of the flavours that the Americans do, the ones we do have are extremely popular.  For my 21st birthday, one of my best friends from university bought me this brilliant book because she knows how much I like to cook for others as I used to make cakes for birthdays and such but I had never made ice cream so it was something new to do.

Abby Clements - Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop

Now that we're truly in winter now with the cold weather and as of this moment, it is raining like something out of Noah's Ark, I picked up a book that has a more summer based plot, Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop.  Plus, it mixes it up from the weird and wonderful books I've read recently which may have my intention when organising my bookshelf.

Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop is a novel from Abby Clements that focuses on two young women who inherit their grandmother's ice cream shop in Brighton following her unexpected death.  Clements is no stranger to the book publishing world, having worked behind the scenes for years then beginning to write her own chick lit books such as this.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Those with Holiday book needs

Favourite Characters: Imogen - would love her life

Favourite Part: Anna had never thought of herself as the adventurous type.
[...]
But as she neared Pisa Airport, passing by the houses and churches of a small town, Anna wondered if the story she'd always told herself - about who she was and what she wanted - was still true.  Italy had opened her eyes - to adventure, and a world full of energy, and a life lived with food at the very heart of it. - Page 206-7

Good Points: Sisterly bond; identified with both Imogen and Anna on different levels; the epilogue

Bad Points: Françoise - annoying; Jon storyline annoyed me

Elf

Christmas Day is finally here and though I am rarely one to go crazy at Christmas because I'm not really religious or a child and my birthday is quite close to it, I decided this year to review a Christmas film that I love.

For three years until June this year, I was at university in Leeds and near Christmas, we would sit together on the sofa or the kitchen table (we had a kitchen/dining room/living room) and watch Elf to get us in the Christmas spirit and it became tradition. Now that I've left university, I am intend to carry on this tradition because it brings back good memories.

Elf is the 2003 worldwide-hit Christmas film from Jon Favreau (Iron Man), starring Will Ferrell (Anchorman), James Caan (The Godfather), Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Bob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory), and Ed Asner (Up).  This was Ferrell's first film after leaving Saturday Night Live where he was a main cast member from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s and became his breakout role.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Anyone!  Everyone!

Favourite Characters: Buddy - he's great

Favourite Part: Buddy: Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?

Good Points: Buddy's childlike belief; great story because it's simple; Walter's change

Bad Points: Could have explored Buddy's relationship with his new family more

Gena Showalter - Heart of the Dragon

While I said after The Darkest Angel that I had stopped reading Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series, I also mentioned that I was beginning a new series from Showalter based on the myth of Atlantis just to see what it was like because I was intrigued.

Heart of the Dragon is the first in Showalter's Atlantis series focussing on the long forgotten city of Atlantis and its inhabitants which include dragon warriors, vampires, and nymphs to name a few.  Dragon warriors are meant to protect Atlantis from intruders so their secrets are not divulged, especially the two that are selected to guard the two entrances to Atlantis.

Rating: 7

Recommended To: Paranormal romance lovers

Favourite Characters: Grace - she humanised Darius

Favourite Part: She was poised on the periphery of a vision, gazing down at a bloody massacre.  Men, women and children were lying motionless in pools of their own blood.  The boy - Darius - knelt over one of the children.  A little girl.
[...]
He remained kneeling and gazed up to the crystal dome.  He slammed a fist into the dirt and howled, the sound more animal than human, more tortured than any child should ever have to endure. - Page 175

Good Points: Passionate scenes; the concept; twist to an old story

Bad Points: Everything seemed to go quickly; extremely sex obsessed

Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Angel

This year, Mortal Instruments: City of Bones was released in the cinemas, having been adapted from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, particularly the first book, City of Bones.  I have already read this series but I stole the prequel series Clare wrote from my sister and have decided to review it for you lovely people, if there's anyone out there.

Clockwork Angel is the first in Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series which is a prequel to her already successful The Mortal Instruments series; this world focuses on the hidden world surrounding the normal one with various mythical beings known as Downworlders and Shadowhunters who police them.  Downworlders include vampires, werewolves and warlocks, all with their own leaders and needs and Shadowhunters are half-human half-angels with great strength and reflexes; Shadowhunters use their gifts and runes to ensure Mundanes (normal humans) don't become aware of this strange world.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Mortal Instruments fans; fantasy lovers

Favourite Characters: Will - something about him; Charlotte - true female Shadowhunter

Favourite Part: Slowly Jessamine lowered her hand from her mouth, her face still pale.  "Goodness, my nose is enormous," she exclaimed.  "Why didn't anyone tell me?" - Page 74

Good Points: Expansion on the already established world; hints to the Mortal Instruments characters; Tessa's implied to be a new kind of Downworlder

Bad Points: Not enough steampunk; the Victorian gender roles

Frozen

Disney films were a big part of my childhood; I had pretty much every Classic Disney film on video when I was little and now have them on DVD.  I used to drive my parents mad watching them all over and over again and I can probably recite every word from each film.  After 22 years of Disney watching, I still love them so I took my little sister (who's taller than me) to see Frozen, the latest Disney Classic to be produced.

Frozen is the latest Disney Classic with musical numbers and spectacular animation loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale The Snow Queen.  Frozen stars Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), Idina Menzel (Enchanted), Jonathon Groff (Glee), Josh Gad (Love & Other Drugs), and Santino Fontana (Submissions Only); all of the main cast members have backgrounds in stage musicals, especially Menzel who is a Broadway veteran.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Disney lovers

Favourite Characters: Kristoff - the voice of reason

Favourite Part: Olaf: There's your act of true love - riding across the fjords like a valiant, pungent, reindeer king

Good Points: The way the story began; themes; Olaf and Sven; musical numbers

Bad Points: What happened to Kristoff's family?

Gena Showalter - Dark Beginnings: The Darkest Angel

Now for the third and final short story in the Dark Beginnings anthology that is part of the Lords of the Underworld series.  Each short story takes place before or after certain full length novels with some relevance to the previous one, with harpies featuring in this book like the one previous to this.

The Darkest Angel is the seventh story in the Lords of the Underworld from Gena Showalter which follows a group of immortal warriors; in the full length novels, the story revolves around the warriors who have hosted demons for centuries after opening Pandora's Box years ago and the short stories in Dark Beginnings, the stories revolve around different immortal warriors that are integral to the story but not part of the main group.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Those that like paranormal books, though definitely for an adult audience

Favourite Characters: Bianka - not just a self-serving Harpy

Favourite Part: His eyes narrowed.  She was trying to force his hand, and he didn't like it.  "You steal in secret.  You sleep in secret.  Why not this?"  
"That you don't know the answer proves you aren't the warrior I thought you were.  Have a nice life, Lysander," she said, jerking from his hold and walking away without a backward glance. - Page 258

Good Points: Another new supernatural being; unusual for the man to be the inexperienced one; didn't feel too short this time

Bad Points: Aeron subplot could have stayed in his book

Moira J. Moore - The Hero Strikes Back

It has been a couple of weeks since I've posted a review for a book, or even a film, there has been a good reason.  I got swamped with my job hunting and then it was my birthday this week so I've not had a lot of time to read for an extended period of time.  Fortunately, I finished the hero strikes back when I finally got the time to sit down and just read and now I'm happy again, having some time to myself.

The Hero Strikes Back is the second book in Moira J. Moore's Hero series which is told from the point of view of Dunleavy "Lee" Mallorough who lives in High Scape, working as a Shield, along with her friend and colleague, and Source, Shintaro "Taro" Karish.  Sources and Shields are gifted individuals who are trained to work together to prevent natural disasters from destroying the world they live in; unfortunately, they have no real choice in this matter because it is too dangerous for these gifted individuals to be untrained so they go to the Academy at a young age to gain control of their abilities.  While at the Academy, they are secluded so to prevent spontaneous bonding between Sources and Shields and they rarely see their families.  Once trained, the Sources and Shields are brought together for the first time and lined up to find out if there is a chance they can be bonded with one another so they can use their abilities safely.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Those that like fantasy books; more female orientated audience in my opinion

Favourite Characters: Taro - we all need a Taro in our lives

Favourite Part: I walked to him and put a hand on his back.  He jumped at the contact.  I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his shoulder-blades.  He was so tense.
He shuddered, and he choked off a sound trying to escape from his throat. - Page 161

Good Points: The family; Lee and Taro; Lee's power development 

Bad Points: Cover still crap; the ending was very rapid