Amazon Book Wish-List - Part One

As promised, the post that I would write and publish shortly after I introduced it (not that I needed to introduce it, but it sort of happened) and I'm not going to spend forever talking this time, but I'm just going to jump right into it. 

365 Days of Wonder 

 If you know me at all, you will know that I love quotes but I also loved the original "Wonder" book- which took me by surprise, because if there's anything I hate in books, it's high school, drama, and sugar sweet endings. I saw this ages ago, it's a book filled with quotes (that I believe aren't from the books, but I might be wrong on that one) for everyday of the year. It'll be a book that'll be pretty useful. 

The Twenty-One Balloons. 

This also has a probably quite boring backstory, but as everyone knows, I'm a fan of Stacy from StacyPlays on YouTube and she recently made a new Minecraft series on her channel called Bookcraft. One of the first builds that she did was from this book - so, although I already know a good portion of what happens in this book, I was still really interested to give it a try and especially since it's a kids' book (I love kids' books), it interests me even more. It might just be one of those books that I never read, though. 

Alice in Zombieland. 

From now on in this post, it's all about Alice in Wonderland. Which is why I want this book, Alice in Wonderland is my favorite book (because it's just so weird) and I also quite like zombies, although they are never very well represented in books and are just so much better in the movie world, I still really want to give this book a go, although I am always welcome to hearing opinions about what their thoughts on this book are. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Barnes and Noble Edition)

 

I think this one might be self-explanatory, but I already have the slim version of this book from the Barnes and Noble collection on Amazon, and it's only natural I should want my Alice in Wonderland collection to grow...right? Well, keep that it mind for this next book. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Puffin Books). 

I mean just look at that cover, right?

 Thank you for reading, and I hope I can keep this series going, I am really bad at staying on task.

My Amazon Book Wish-List Series

So today I thought I would share five books from my Amazon Wish-list, and right not there will only be eight posts because I have forty books on my list, but as more will be added, when it gets to ten new ones, I can make a whole new Amazon post. Also, this gives me even more posts I can make for when I buy a few and I can tell you the books I bought from my wish-list. I hope that makes sense, I feel rather frazzled this morning. They'll probably be posted every Friday, because on our schedule, today is a free day to post what I want. If Austin picks something he wants to post, it'll be alongside whatever he wants to post on Friday, too.

This is also the Amazon wish-list where some are the first book of a series I want to try, or stand alone's. I'm going to do a seperete series on here for the one's that complete series I already have, which is only going to be four posts long, because I have twenty books on there. Right now, this is the first post, but every post I'm pre-writing because I can't always get onto a computer so on the rare times I can, I write as much as I can and publish them on a different day. Tempting just to post them all on one day though, sometimes.

Also, bare in mind, I'm not a huge "This book just came out, I must read it right away!" type of person, I just hear a book from my friends, or get recommended one on Goodreads, or something and if I like it I will check it out and that's kinda how my Wish-Lists develop, or if I want a specific book cover for a book I already own. 

 

This was just going to be a small introduction at the start of my first post, but it turned out to be long enough to be a post all on it's own, so hello! The first post for this new series will follow shortly after this is published whenever. Probably later on today. 

(also, in the UK today, it was the solar eclipse this morning and my friend did a cool trick using two paper plates so we could see the shadow of the moon, seeing as we couldn't see the sun itself, awesome right?)

The Bookalicious Tag!

I found this tag where I found all the other book tags I have either published or am soon to publish. Unfortunately I am using a computer where Wattpad is blocked, but if I can link her soon, I will. 

1) What percent of books do you get from the library and what percent do you get from elsewhere?

 I get 0% from the library and most of my books from Amazon (both new and used section), bookstores like The Works, Waterstones and WHSmith, and sometimes charity shops - I prefer to own the book then borrow.

2) What charecter would you want to be and why?

Hermione Granger -  because she's smart, a bad-ass, and most people are scared of her.
 

3) What is your favourite book from your childhood?

 Hmm. This one is hard. Probably The Witches by Roald Dahl.

4) What is your favourite book?

I don't have one, there's too many to choose from. 

5) Which series do you have the most books for?

 Probably the House of Night books. I think I have about eight of them. If not, then Game of Thrones (which I still haven't read yet)

6) Do you buy used books?

 Of course. Unless it's a book I really want to buy new, which can be quite often.

7) Who is your favourite/hottest boy or girl?

 I think it's probably ... huh, I don't really know. It used to be Simon from "City of Bones" by Cassandra Claire until he did that "I'm going to date a girl that looks like a model!" that so many people tend to do and he really lose his appeal then.

8) What is your favourite book cover?

 "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by...someone who I can't remember right now, but I have spoken about this book so many times before that hopefully you remember it!

9) What is your favourite type of book cover?

 Where it just has artwork and pictures or just a cool colour scheme, the title of the book, who wrote it and that's it. No other words.

10) What was the first book you read?

 I honestly can't remember, it was probably a book by Michael Murpurgo.

11) What is your favourite book to movie adaptation?

 "Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban" and also "Hugo", the movie from "The Invention of Hugo Cabret"

12) If you could only read three books for the rest of your life, what would they be?

 Probably the first three books from the Harry Potter series, honestly, or maybe one childhood book.

13) What is the longest book you have read?

 "The Passage" by Justin Cronin and "IT" by Stephen King - they were both around 1000 pages each.

14) If you were to write a book, what would you title it and why?

 "The Missing Puzzle Pieces" - because it would be about autism, and that's just what I would like to title it, or something similar.

15) How many books did you read last month?

 Not very many. I think it was only two, both of which I have reviewed somewhere.

16) What is the last book you read?

 "The miniaturist" by Jessie Burton.

17) Do you fantasize yourself in books you like?

 Hell yes. Most commonly, in "The Maze Runner" series.

18) What is your favourite book store?

 Waterstones, but it's too expensive, so I prefer The Works - accept most books, they don't sell there, but you can get five or six not very well known books for £5 (I guess that would be ten dollars). Some of them have proved to be really good!

19) Hardback or paperback?

 Paperback, no competition.

20) Do you have more then one copy of the same book?

 Hell yes. I have three different versions of "Alice in Wonderland", for example.

21) Would you rather read about vampires or werewolves?

 Werewolves. I'm not that interested in either, really, but werewolves because of Professor Lupin.

22) Do you own more then 150 books? If not, would you? 

The last time I checked, I had almost 200 and it's still rising. I hope to fill a whole room with books eventually.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to link your blog.

The Reading Challenge Book Tag!

I have no idea what the actual challenge of this book tag was supposed to be - do I read a book a day for thirty days? I don't know, but I thought I would answer the questions anyway and if anyone reading this has any idea on what the thirty day book challenge is, please let me know.

I'll be joining in on this challenge too! Some of my answers may be games though, as I cannot think of many books, though I have read plenty. I just have a bad memory when it comes to books.

-Austin

1) Best book you read last year. 

Loz- "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs.
Austin- "Knights of the Old Republic" by Dark Horse? Honestly, this one has a bunch of writers, so crediting is kinda difficult for this book.

2) A book you've read more then 3 times. 

Loz- "Marked" by Kristen Cast.
Austin- "The Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle

3) Your favorite series. 

Loz- The Harry Potter series, of course.
Austin- Darth Bane series! Gotta love that evilness.

4) A guilty pleasure book. 

Loz - Any book by Jacqueline Wilson/Cathy Cassidy, my childhood favourites.
Austin-  Any historical novel, and reading history school text books...

5) A book that makes you happy. 

Loz - Most of them, really? To pick a random one, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Selznick.
Austin- An old WW2 diary I read of a guy who couldn't wait to get back home to his wife to hear her play on the piano.

6) A book that makes you sad. 

Loz - I feel like Harry Potter can answer pretty much every single one of these questions but probably "Running Wild" by Michael Murpurgo but if you haven't read the book, I suggest you do, it brings awareness over deforestation and the welfare of animals.
Austin- That exact same WW2 diary, because he died a week before he went home.

7) Most under-rated book. 

Loz - "Dodger" by Terry Pratchett...although I have a feeling that might change soon, R.I.P Terry, you will be missed!
Austin- The Han Solo Trilogy!

8) Most over-rated book. 

Loz- The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Claire, but if I could pick one I haven't read, FSOG.
Austin- "The Fault in Our Stars" S O R R Y

9) A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving. 

Loz - This one is a really hard one to answer. Hmm. "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner, I think, I really love that series.
Austin- Ah uh... Harry... Potter...

10) Favourite classic book.

Loz - "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Caroll.
Austin- Save the Kahn! I love that book to death.

11) A book you hated. 

Loz - "It's kind of a funny story" by Ned Vizzini. I apprechiate the ways in which depression can be helped, but I did not apprechiate the sexualization of every single female, including his own mother. Some may see this as something normal for a teenage boy, but I personally disagreed with it strongly so for that reason, I hated this book.
Austin- I HATED To Kill a Mocking Bird. I just did, eugh.

12) The first novel you remember reading. 

Loz - "The Butterfly Lion" by Michael Murpurgo (beautiful book, by the way)
 Austin- The Cassocks! That was a depressing story for a kid.

13) Your favourite writer. 

Loz - Ramsom Riggs, right now. Or J.K.Rowling because not only did she contibute a lot to my childhood, but "The Casual Vancany" was an amazing book too, proving to me her writing skills expand to more then what I was used to.
Austin- Drew Karpyshyn. He writes the BEST Star Wars novels.

14) Favourite book of your favourite writer. 

Loz - "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" by J.K.Rowling.
Austin- Darth Bane: Path of Darkness!

15)  Book that should be on HS/college reading list. 

Loz - well a lot, but the book I'm reading right now is called "The Hourglass Factory" by Lucy Ribchester, which really shows the brutality of the Women's Rights Movement back in the early 1900's, mostly towards women's rights to vote at this point, and how many people were agaisnt them and what they did for us. It should be on the reading list just so feminism in history is apprechiated, whether or not you agree if it's needed currently anymore in first world counties.
Austin- Anything by HP Lovecraft or Issac Asimov!

16) A book you would reccomend to an ignorant/close-minded/racist person. 

Loz - Hmm. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne. Simply because it shows that racism doesn't exst in the mind of a child, hatred is taught.
Austin- The original I-Robot. Maybe they'd see why treating people horribly is actually BAD for once.

17) Favourite quote from your favourite book. 

Loz - "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to switch on the light"
Austin- "Perhaps you were expecting some surprise, for me to reveal a secret that had eluded you, something that would change your perspective of events, shatter you to your core. There is no great revelation, no great secret. There is only you."

18) A book that dissapointed you. 

Loz - "Marina" by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. The review I wrote for that is on here somewhere!
Austin- Ender's Game. It was just... yeah man, for angsty teens.

19) Favourite book that turned into a movie. 

Loz - "Hugo" from "The Invention of Hugo Cabret", I preach about it quite a lot because I think it was done perfectly. Also, the TV series by the BBC from "The Diary of Anne Frank" was perfect, too.
Austin- Gonna use a game here... Max Payne. For the love of all that is holy, do not subject yourself to that mess.

20) Book turning into a movie and completely desecrated. 

Loz - Most book to movie, honestly.
Austin- SEE ABOVE.

21) Favourite book from your childhood. 

Loz - "Charlotte's Web" by E.B.White.
Austin- The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

22) The book that made you fall in love with reading. 

Loz - I can't really think of one from the top of my head but honestly, an awful lot of books, really.
Austin- Under a Killing Moon! Just, hot damn, MYSTERY DONE RIGHT.

23) A book that you have wanted to read for a long time but still haven't?

Loz - "The Bell Jar" by Sylthia Plath, I honestly don't know why it's taking me so long to get round to that book, probably from lack of money, honestly.
Austin- The rest of Harry Potter, and Discworld.

24) A book you wish more people have read. 

Loz - "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline. It raises awareness on autism/Asperger's, gives more information on Star Wars and gives the pro's of gaming instead of all the negatives you hear in the media so often. They're making a movie, too, I hear. I hope it's as good as the book was.
Austin- Literally anything Star Wars.

25) A charecter you can relate to the most. 

Loz - any sort of misunderstood, chubby and anti-social person I could probably relate to.
Austin- Zayne from the KOTOR books. He's an idiot, gets everything blamed on him, and is clumsy as all hell. It's me.

26) A book that changed your opinion about something. 

Loz - Oh, ooh, wow. A lot of books changed my perspective on things. Harry Potter changed my perspective, though, on abused chilrdren. When I was younger, I thought kids who grew up with an abused childhood would be unable to be kind, caring and loving people. Harry proved me wrong.
Austin- The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy! Boy was that a journey alright

27) The most surprising plot twist or ending. 

Loz- The change of events halfway though the House of Night - the first three books.
Austin- Calling to the Night got me pretty good. Won't say why.

28) Favourite title. 

Loz - I searched through all my read list in my Goodreads profile and I'm a bit far away from my room to go rummaging in there, so for this one, I'm stumped. If I ever remember, I will edit and come back to this.
Austin- Foundation! The name just sounds so grandiose! 

29) A book that made you cry. 

Loz - Every single book by Michael Murpurgo.
Austin- Gonna have to use a game here for this one. Metal Gear Solid and Red Dead Redemption. CHARACTERS WHO JUST DIDN'T DESERVE IT!

30) Your favourite book of all time.  

Loz - "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
Austin- It's a short story written by Issac Asimov, and it's about a robot who felt and didn't want to be shut down. I forgot the game, sadly...

Review Tuesday: X-Rebirth

X-Rebirth; Post Release Review

Well hey there, friends, and welcome to Review Tuesday! Whoa! Wow! Anyways, today's review is gonna be on the fantastic "X" series of games. Well, fantastic to a point it seems. I am a big fan on the previous "X" games, with "X-3 Albion Prelude" being my favorite in the series. The whole vast galaxy set before you! Do what you wanted, make ships, buy ships, trade resources, be a pirate or a military officer, build space stations, advance science, raid traders, the choices were insane. And X-Rebirth was looking like it was going to be more of the same, but with a huge expanse on it!

That is, until it actually came out. Riddled with bugs, lacking content, laggy as hell for most people, systems missing, promises not held. It was a MESS to say the least. If I were reviewing the game when it first came out, I can promise you right now, this would be a 3/10. Below average. By the way, on the subject of ratings, a 5/10 is average. It does not mean it's a terrible game, it means it's a AVERAGE game. Average in the bad way? Yeah. Still average though, it's not an imminent dismissal to me, though. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'd like to talk about X-Rebirth in it's CURRENT state.

All those game breaking bugs seem to be MOSTLY mopped up. There was free content added, and a really cheap DLC came out that really expanded on that and added even MORE content. The lag, of course remains, but not nearly as badly as it originally was. That lag isn't going away until you get yourself a next-gen computer build up, sorry to say. The lag is worth it though, because the visuals are STUNNING!

I love coasting around and seeing the sights

Quite honestly, the game is worth the price of admission just to fly around and look at the gorgeous universe they've created. All the random space battles looks like a light show. A deadly one, though. Anyways, onto the systems, they all appear to be back in place, and any of them still missing are easily mopped up with the new (and desperately needed) workshop system, that lets you slap a mod into the game with a click of a button. They've even added in tons of in-game options to make all the tedious stuff MUCH quicker. Tired of going through eight menus and buying an auto-pilot module just to get a ship to follow you at 1/4th human intelligence? Just hire a captain for your ship, and tell them to follow you! Problem solved. The game is filled with simple fixes giving a breath of life to a series that desperately needed it.

I give the reworked X-Rebirth a 8.5/10

Get out there and make some money, captain!

Dating a Person with (High Functioning) Autism

For Autism Awareness day, I would like to take this time to talk about something a little more personal to me, the idea itself was given to me by Loz, and I agreed that it'd be a great idea and a chance to talk about something a little more serious than my personality usually allows me. Now, starting off with how we met, she always seemed a little different to me, but it was just perfectly part of her charm. It was several months I believe, before she told be she had Aspergers. My reaction? Something along the lines of "Oh, well I guess that'd make sense, alright then". And she told me that had been the best response that she'd gotten from having told someone.

Why, why is that the best response? It's because I didn't make such a big deal about it, because that's all people want. To not have their differences highlighted. Do you like it when someone points out a mark on your face? No? Then why would an autistic person like it when you point out things about them? Don't do it. Just do. Not. They aren't wild beasts, they're people. You don't need to make them feel like they'll never be relateable, or that they HAVE to do something great to be important to someone. Why is it when someone is autistic, people only care when they do something great? Why can't we just appreciate people as people?

Now, dating a person with autism has it's challenges, and do you know why? That's because DATING has it challenges. Dating a person with autism just has DIFFERENT challenges. And in retrospect, it is no different than dating a person you just random met in a mall. I love Loz every bit in the wide open space, and no, it isn't any harder just because she has differences. And honestly, it's most likely harder for her having to deal with my odd likes of things such as planes and tanks. Those are her challenges though. ;)

Sorry I have to cut this one short, I have work shortly though, but I may add an edit later on! Thank you for reading.

The British Tag

Austin can't really join in with this, seeing as he's American and I'm the British one...well, he could, but it would make no sense. Why is there not an American tag? Is it because America sucks? ;) 

1. How many cups of tea do you have a day? + How many sugars?
 
I fail my British buddies by hardly drinking tea, I usually only drink tea when I've ran out of my favourite drink, Coke, but when I do, it's five to six cups per day (I know, I know...) with a tablespoon of sugar, and a little milk. Sometimes, no milk, depending on how I feel that day. 

 2. Favourite part of your roast

 The meat, if it's chicken, and Yorkshire puddings! Not too fond of roasts, either,  as those are the only two things I eat from the plate. Oops.

3. Favourite dunking biscuit

Shortbread, always. Although I do like malt milk sometimes. I don't know what else to call it, but I think that's their actual name.

4. Favourite quintessentially British pastime?
 
 I used to really like watching the soaps, but at some point (among with everything else), I just stopped caring about it. Yes, I promise I'm British.

5. Favourite word?

Hmm..."Make", probably. I know it's not really a British word, obviously, but still.

6. Cockney rhyme slang?

Stuff like "Innit?", right? I've never really spoken like that, and I'm not fond of the idea of speaking like that, either. I'm not judging people who do talk like that, or who like it themselves, it's just not my thing!

7. Favourite sweet
 
Dolly Mixtures (I have no idea how to explain them), or Flying Saucers (which are just sweet paper filled with sherbert). 

8. What would your pub be called?
 
 Ooh, um...maybe something like the Black Cat, and it would have cat decorations inside and cat-themed events. I might even let my cat wander in and out occasionally. Sorry, people who are allergic to cats!

9. No.1 British person
 
 My one and only friend, or if you mean celebrity, Emma Watson.

10. Favourite shop / restaurant
 
My favourite shop is a discount book store called The Works, or the other two bookstores, Waterstones and WHSmith's...I also really like Peacocks and Wilkinson's. My favourite restraunt is Weatherspoon's, it's like a pub, it's awesome. 

11. What british song pops into your head?
 
The theme song to Gavin and Stacy. 

12. Marmite.

No. I just hate marmite, it's disgusting.

Thank you for reading! I don't have anyone in particular that I want to tag so if you want to do it, go ahead.