I've moved!

Hi everyone.

Just a quick post to let you know that Living Between Pages is moving from here and can now be found at www.ek-smith.com. Hopefully you'll continue to follow me there - I know this blog has been a little slow lately, but that's because I was waiting to find the time to move it over. Which I now have.

Thanks!

Review: The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall

Title: The Book of Summers
Author: Emylia Hall
Publisher: Headline Review
Rating: 5 stars

This is, without a doubt, my 'book of the month' for March. It was recommended to me by Lucy, who blogs over at The Unlikely Bookworm, and it had a lot of buzz surrounding it on Twitter at the time of publication, so I was quick to pick up a gorgeous hard-cover copy.

Here is the blurb, taken from Amazon:

Beth Lowe has been sent a parcel.
Inside is a letter informing her that her long-estranged mother has died, and a scrapbook Beth has never seen before. Entitled The Book of Summers, it's stuffed with photographs and mementos complied by her mother to record the seven glorious childhood summers Beth spent in rural Hungary.
It was a time when she trod the tightrope between separated parents and two very different countries; her bewitching but imperfect Hungarian mother and her gentle, reticent English father; the dazzling house of a Hungarian artist and an empty-feeling cottage in deepest Devon. And it was a time that came to the most brutal of ends the year Beth turned sixteen.
Since then, Beth hasn't allowed herself to think about those years of her childhood. But the arrival of The Book of Summers brings the past tumbling back into the present; as vivid, painful and vital as ever.

Split between contemporary London, and rural Hungary of years before, this is an atmospheric and evocative novel that takes you through Beth's childhood in a series of snapshot memories.

It is a story of love and loss, of secrets and lies. It is also a charming coming-of-age story, taking us through the seven summers Beth spent in Hungary as she moved from her childhood into her teens. We feel an intense longing, Beth's need to belong in this foreign country with her mother - and how out of place she feels at home with her father.

We are taken through the creation of Beth's adult (or at least teenage) identity, moving with her as she develops her sense of self. Behind all of this, in the heat of the Hungarian summers, lies a haze of lies that eventually prove devastating, and will threaten everything that Beth has come to know.

This is a fairly leisurely read, filled with lovingly-crafted characters, set against a stunningly vivid Hungarian background, and with a heartbreaking revelation that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

A fantastic debut novel from Emylia Hall, and one that I will be re-visiting time and again.

Review: A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse

Title: A Novel Bookstore
Author: Laurence Cosse
Publisher: Europa Editions
Rating: 4.5 stars

This is February's book of the month, without a doubt. And it couldn't be more different from 'The Daughter of Smoke and Bone'. Here's what Goodreads has to say:

Ivan, a one-time world traveler, and Francesca, a ravishing Italian heiress, are the owners of a bookstore that is anything but ordinary. Rebelling against the business of bestsellers and in search of an ideal place where their literary dreams can come true, Ivan and Francesca open a store where the passion for literature is given free reign. Tucked away in a corner of Paris, the store offers its clientele a selection of literary masterpieces chosen by a top-secret committee of likeminded literary connoisseurs. To their amazement, after only a few months, the little dream store proves a success. And that is precisely when their troubles begin. At first, both owners shrug off the anonymous threats that come their way and the venomous comments concerning their store circulating on the Internet, but when three members of the supposedly secret committee are attacked, they decide to call the police. One by one, the pieces of this puzzle fall ominously into place, as it becomes increasingly evident that Ivan and Francesca’s dreams will be answered with pettiness, envy and violence.

If you like books, you'll love this book.  Part celebration of books, part mystery, part love story... what more could anyone ask for.

Set in Paris, the two main characters (Ivan and Francesca) set up a bookstore specifically selling good books. Initially a great success, it becomes clear that not everyone in the city is as happy with their success. What starts with petty threats takes a decidedly more sinister turn when three members of their book selection committee are attacked.

The mystery which grips the reader at the start of the novel fades into the background at times, as the focus shifts to how the bookstore was set up, and elements of a love story creep in. At the end of the novel a separate narrative voice turns up, which is a distraction, and possibly one of the only things I didn't like about this book.

Ninety percent of this novel was amazing. You are immersed in a world of books, surrounded by characters who really love books, with the streets of Paris as a glorious backdrop. It was only the very end of the novel that let it down a little, as though the author lost their way a little. There are too many unanswered questions, and even the love-story is unsatisfying in the end.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book, and it's one that I think about quite a lot even now, a couple of months after finishing it. If you've ever wanted to spend hours losing yourself in a really great bookstore... then perhaps this is the book for you.

Four-and-a-half stars.

Review: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (2011)
Rating: 5 stars

This was, without a doubt, my 'book of the month' from January. Here's the blurb, taken from Amazon:

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.
The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. 
When Brimstone called, she always came. 
In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.
Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

I've really got back in to the magical, fantasy type books over the last six months or so - other favourites include 'The Magicians' and 'The Magician King' by Lev Grossman, and 'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern, all of which I read last year.

But back to 'The Daughter of Smoke and Bone'. This book blew me away. That's the only way I can describe it. The main character, Karou, is one of my favourite characters that I've found in any book, ever.

So. In 'The Daughter of Smoke and Bone' we find a not-unfamiliar 'angels vs. demons'  (or chimaera, as they're called here) story. It focuses on a young woman - Karou - caught between two worlds. On the one hand, our world, complete with ex-boyfriend problems, art classes and friends. On the other, mysterious errands for Brimstone, the chimaera who raised her, who is the only family she's ever known.

But as well as a wonderful cast of characters, it was the worlds that blew me away. Taking that first step out of the real world and into elsewhere was truly magical, and each world was wonderfully imagined. Taylor's writing is vivid and evocative, and I was swept along from one world to the next, utterly captivated by this story.

I'm trying really hard not to post any spoilers here, so forgive me if I'm being vague. In short, this was one of the most exciting books I've read in a long time, with some really strong characters. The ending was fantastic - it's got me hooked. I can't wait for the next book in the series, which comes out later this year.

Five stars. You all should read it right now.

From the ashes...

Hello everyone. It's been a while.

I've been meaning to resurrect this blog for ages, but it's taken me until now to actually sit down and write a blog post.

I'm still working at Souvenir Press - I'm on a 1 year contract and am making the most of my time there. I'm getting more involved with publicity work at the company, which is pretty cool, and so far the whole thing has been a really valuable experience. I'm due to finish in August, so I guess we'll see what happens.

I moved in with my boyfriend... and then we moved house. This is the second flat we've lived in, and we went from a furnished place to an unfurnished one, so we bought all our own furniture etc and the end result is a place that feels like our home. As a special treat for you, I'm going to post some photos. Of my bookshelves. Because they make me happy, and I'm sure you'll like them.

You'll notice two teddy bears and an easter egg on these shelves... There's a little bit of newly-found bookshelf space, and we needed some storage. The teddy bears are my boyfriend's from when he was little, but his parents are moving house right now so they've come back with us.

 All books here. As a rule, my favourite books go on the top two shelves. The third shelf here is poetry and books I don't really want - all of the orange Penguins here were given to me, and none of them really appeal, so they'll probably be read once and then taken to the charity shop (unless, of course, they end up being amazing).

And this is where living together means our bookshelves have combined. All of the computer/business books aren't mine. Or the DVDs. Lucky he doesn't have many books, really!

So, welcome back. Over the next few days I'm going to post a book review of my favourite book I've read each month so far this year, just as a way of catching up with myself, really. See you tomorrow (or... sometime in the next few days) for January's favourite!

All change please, all change.

You might've noticed that I've been a bit quiet on here for the last few weeks. I've had a lot of things going on, and today-tomorrow everything changes for me.

First off... I've got a job! I'll be working as Receptionist/Publishing assistant (Publicity and Marketing) at Souvenir Press. This is initially a one year contract to cover maternity leave, but who knows where this will lead. It's my first day tomorrow (Monday), so as I type I'm currently very excited-nervous. I feel like my job-hunt went on for ages, though really it was only a few months, I suppose. But it's such a relief to know it's over now, and that I can take a break from looking for jobs for a while! I'm also really thrilled to have this opportunity to join Souvenir Press - the company is celebrating its 60th year of independent publishing this year, which is quite a landmark! I'm looking forward to getting stuck in - fingers crossed tomorrow goes well!

The other big change round here is that I've properly moved in with my boyfriend. My parents brought me over to the flat this afternoon with a car-full of stuff (mainly books and clothes, if I'm honest), and I've spent most of my time since then trying to find space for everything. There's a home for most things at the minute, but we'll see how things go. I've just remembered that I need to go and rearrange my books in a bit, because my parents put them on the shelves, not realising that I at least have some sort of system...

Phew. So all this change is quite exhausting. I'm going to sort my books now.

Job-hunting updates

It's been quite an eventful couple of weeks, if I stop and think about it.

First of all, I got in contact with a woman who lives (as it turns out) just round the corner from me. She runs a one-woman literary agency, and I thought I might be able to help out. It turned out that she also works for a small independent publishing company, so I'm actually involved with that, though on an unpaid basis, because the company has virtually no money. This is sad, but it does mean that I'm getting to do quite a bit. For example, I'm currently putting together their schedule for the Frankfurt Book Fair which is showing that, despite what anyone else might say, I've actually got pretty good organisational skills. Hooray.

But my work with this company is entirely unpaid, and so it's on a very casual basis. I don't feel like I need to be working 9-5:30 every day. I'm working from home, too, which means it's not costing me anything, unlike when I was doing more formal internships in London which cost an arm and a leg... So it's quite enjoyable, and it's giving me something to do with my day.

*

I also had an interview for a proper job today. One with a real salary, and everything. It would only be a year-long contract while someone was on maternity leave, but it would be a start, a step in the right direction. They're interviewing for a few more days, but in theory I should know one way or another by the end of next week. Fingers crossed, I guess!

*

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet for me, which is why there haven't been many updates. I haven't even read that many books! It's crazy. I read a lot more when I'm working than when I'm not, just because I like to read on the train each day.

Anyway. Enough from me. I've got (possibly) conjunctivitis, my mum reckons. All I know is that my eye hurts, quite a lot. So staring at a screen isn't the best thing for it. So I'll stop typing........... now.