October has come already and has caught me quite by surprise! A few days late this month, but I wanted to share the new releases I am excited about because there are a few that have SO SO excited. Here they are: 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Illustrated Edition - October 3rd

An extraordinary creative achievement by an extraordinary talent, Jim Kay's inspired reimagining of J.K. Rowling's classic series has captured a devoted following worldwide. This stunning new fully illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban brings more breathtaking scenes and unforgettable characters - including Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Professor Trelawney. With paint, pencil and pixels, Kay conjures the wizarding world as we have never seen it before. Fizzing with magic and brimming with humour, this full-colour edition will captivate fans and new readers alike as Harry, now in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, faces Dementors, death omens and - of course - danger.

Why so excited: I am absolutely loving this illustrated editions and I cannot wait for the next one. I have ordered my copy and waiting for it! Jim Cay is creating such beautiful and magical images that I feel like I am discovering this beloved world all over again. 

Order it now!

Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan - October 5th

She'll risk everything for her own Christmas miracle…

Determined to conquer a lifetime of shyness, Harriet Knight challenges herself to do one thing a day in December that scares her, including celebrating Christmas without her family. But when dog-walker Harriet meets her newest client, exuberant spaniel Madi, she adds an extra challenge to her list – dealing with Madi's temporary dog-sitter, gruff doctor Ethan Black, and their very unexpected chemistry.

Ethan thought he was used to chaos, until he met Madi – how can one tiny dog cause such mayhem? To Ethan, the solution is simple – he will pay Harriet to share his New York apartment and provide 24-hour care. But there's nothing simple about how Harriet makes him feel.

Ethan's kisses make Harriet shine brighter than the stars over moonlit Manhattan. But when his dog-sitting duties are over, and Harriet returns to her own home, will she dare to take the biggest challenge of all – letting Ethan know he has her heart for life, not just for Christmas?

Why so excited: Well, it is a Christmas book by Sarah Morgan, the queen of Christmas, what else can I tell you? Ah yes! It's set in NYC! Who wouldn't be excited with this?

Order it now!

The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero - October 5th

A timeless fantasy set in the Second World War that weaves together magic, folklore and history, perfect for fans of The Book Thief, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Goodnight Mister Tom. 

One night a little doll named Karolina comes to life in a toyshop in Krakow, Poland, in 1939 and changes the life of the gruff, broken-hearted Dollmaker. And when the darkness of the Nazi occupation sweeps over the city, Karolina and the Dollmaker must bravely use their magic to save their Jewish friends from a terrible danger, no matter what the risks. This powerful story is about finding friendship in the darkest of places and the importance of love in times of great pain.

Why so excited: I received this one already and I cannot even start to describe how beautiful this book is. I am really curious to find out more about this story but it certainly sounds like my kind of book. 

Order it now!

Coming Home to the Comfort Food Café by Debbie Johnson - October 8th

Welcome to the cosy Comfort Food Café, where there's kindness in every cup of hot chocolate and the menu is sprinkled with love and happiness…

Moving to the little village of Budbury, Zoe hopes the crisp Dorset sea breeze and gentle pace of life will be a fresh start for her and her goddaughter, Martha.

Luckily for them both, the friendly community at the café provide listening ears, sage advice, shoulders to cry on, and some truly excellent carrot cake. And when Martha's enigmatic, absent father suddenly turns up, confusing not only Martha but Zoe too, the love and support of their new-found friends is the best present they could ask for.

Have Zoe and Martha truly found their home at the Comfort Food Café?

Why so excited: I fell in love with the Comfor Food Café and its characters last year already so I am over the moon to have the opportunity to revisit this magical place during the most magical season of the year. 

Order it now!

The Treatment by C.L. Taylor - October 19th

“You have to help me. We’re not being reformed. We’re being brainwashed.”

All sixteen year old Drew Finch wants is to be left alone. She's not interested in spending time with her mum and stepdad and when her disruptive fifteen year old brother Mason is expelled from school for the third time and sent to a residential reform academy she's almost relieved.

Everything changes when she's followed home from school by the mysterious Dr Cobey, who claims to have a message from Mason. There is something sinister about the ‘treatment’ he is undergoing. The school is changing people.

Determined to help her brother, Drew must infiltrate the Academy and unearth its deepest, darkest secrets.

Before it’s too late.

Why so excited: this is C.L. Taylor's first YA story and it is SO good. I have loved all her previous books but this one is one of the most addictive, tense and clever books I have read in a while. Review coming very soon!

Order it now!

Christmas in St Ives by Miranda Dickinson - October 19th

A wonderfully festive ebook short that will get you excited for the Christmas season, by the author of the bestselling Fairytale of New York.

'This is Miranda at her sparkliest best. Christmas In St Ives is Christmassy perfection; brimming with romance, warmth and magic. But it’s not just a novella, it’s a tantalizing prequel to Somewhere Beyond The Sea and I can’t wait to read that!' Cathy Bramley, author of The Lemon Tree Cafe.

Heartbroken Cerrie Austin is doing her best to hold it together in the run up to Christmas. Not easy when her cheating ex works in the same school and everyone’s eyes are on her. The last thing she needs is a new teacher meddling in her beloved nativity play, even if he is charming, handsome and a talented musician. The Christmas performance is her pride and joy, and she won’t be undermined.

Seren McArthur has recently returned to her Cornish hometown and is enjoying being close to her family and her oldest friends again. St Ives is at its most magical at Christmas, with fairy lights and tinsel in every shop window, tempting locals and holidaymakers alike as they pick up gifts. But an exciting opportunity is just around the corner: will she stay or will she go? 

Meanwhile, the St Ives Christmas celebrations are in crisis: plans for a giant lantern parade through the starlit streets have ground to a halt. As the snow starts to fall, can Cerrie, Seren and their friends Kieran and Aggie rally around in time to save the big day? 

Christmas in St Ives is a charming novella that introduces you to the characters from Miranda Dickinson’s upcoming novel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Available for preorder now!

Why so excited: I love Miranda Dickinson's books and this year she is releasing this festive novella as a prequel before we get a new full novel next year and I couldn't be any happier! I cannot wait to discover this new set of characters.

Order it now!

This summer, one of the Top Ten Tuesday topics was exactly this. Back then I didn’t do it but I have been wondering since then which authors I have read the most books from and if they were actually my favourite authors.

After checking Goodreads and my memory (as I only started using it a couple of years ago), I was quite surprised to see the authors that came up. Some of them are from before I started blogging. I guess that’s because thanks to the blog I have discovered so many new and fantastic authors that I no longer have the time to read all the back lists of an author I enjoy. This is something I used to do a lot. When I discovered a new author, then I would read all the books they had published until then straight away. But now with all the new releases I want to read I don’t have enough time to do that.

Anyway, here are the top ten authors I have read the most books from:

1) Sophie Kinsella (14 books). No surprise here. I have read all she has written so far except for her latest Shopaholic release (which is on my kindle and I’m planning to read asap. Actually, I have also read one of her Madeilene Wickham books (even if I didn’t enjoyed it that much) which makes the grand total 15 books.

2) Lindsey Kelk (13 books). Also one my all time favourite authors. When I first discovered her, she was on her 5th book so I read them all in a couple of weeks and completely fell in love with her witty style. 

3) Paige Toon (10 books). I first read her books when I started blogging as there were a lot of bloggers that were raving about her and her books and I absolutely loved her stories. In the last couple of years I have read all her books except for two (One Perfect Summer and I Knew You Were Trouble) but they are on my kindle ready for me.

4) JK Rowling (8 books). Obviously I have read all the Harry Potter books. Then I was a bit reticent to read The Vacant as the reviews were quite mixed. Last year I finally read her cosy crime novel The Cukoo’s Calling (written under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith) and really enjoyed it. I now have the other two books on the series and I am looking forward to starting them.

5) Holly Martin (8 books). An author I discovered thanks to blogging and who has become one of my all time favourites. Her stories are so fun and magical! The only books I haven’t read by her are her fantasy books. I have the first one on my kindle so I hope to get to it soon.

6) Marian Keyes (8 books). Another fantastic author. I have loved most of her stories and she is one of those authors I have on auto-buy. I still have one of her older books (The Mystery of Mercy Close) to read though!

7) Meg Cabot (8 books). Internationally known for her A Princess’ Diary Series, she has written tons of books. Although I have to admit I haven’t read any of her books for years!

8) Ken Follett (8 books). One of my mum’s favourite authors, we used to read his books together. I really enjoy his historical fiction novels.

9) Nicholas Sparks (8 books). I remember reading Message in a Bottle for the first time more than 15 years ago (also because my mum had loved it and passed it to me) and since them I have read and loved several of his novels. A bunch left to read still!

10) Aven Ellis (6 books). The fantastic and lovely Aven closes this list. I discovered her thanks to blogging too and I have read and loved all she has written so far. It’ll soon be 7 books as she’s just published a new story and I already have it on my kindle.

So here they are, some of my all time favourite authors are on the list. But I have discovered so many amazing ones lately that I hope to catch up with! But you know, so many books, so little time and all that…

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. And who doesn't love a good list?

This week’s topic is movie adaptations! I do love a good movie adaption. I've been disappointed more than once with adaptations but when they manage to actually do it as you (kind of) imagined, it's just magical. I put together a list with new releases coming soon but also with some old one I haven't got around to watch yet. 

2) Me Before You (Jojo Moyes). My levels of excitement for this one are almost as high as with the previous one. Especially after reading the sequel (After You) last month. It brought it all back and made me think about Will and Louisa so much!

3) The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion). There's not even a date for this one but I loved this book a couple of years ago. I'm sure it'll be a fantastic movie and there are rumors that Jennifer Lawrence is gonna be on it.

4) Papertowns (John Green). I loved The Fault In Our Stars, both the book and the movie so I've been meaning to watch this one for a while but I've not got around yet. Have you seen it? Did you like it?

5) Still Alice (Lisa Genova). I actually haven't read the book yet but I've had it for a long time. I really want to pick it and then watch the movie. Plus, Julianne Moore apparently aces it.

6) Pan. It's one of my favourite stories ever and I've watched all the movie adaptations. The new one is just out and I'm planning on going to the cinema really soon.

7) Beauty and the Beast. Another of my favourite stories as a child. And Emma Watson is gonna be Belle, what else can you ask for?

And that's it for today. I'm forgetting something, I'm quite sure. But if you have seen any good adaptations lately, please let me know!

Blurb: Prepare to be spellbound by Jim Kay's dazzling depiction of the wizarding world and much loved characters in this full-colour illustrated hardback edition of the nation's favourite children's book - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Brimming with rich detail and humour that perfectly complements J.K. Rowling's timeless classic, Jim Kay's glorious illustrations will captivate fans and new readers alike.

When a letter arrives for unhappy but ordinary Harry Potter, a decade-old secret is revealed to him that apparently he's the last to know. His parents were wizards, killed by a Dark Lord's curse when Harry was just a baby, and which he somehow survived. Leaving his unsympathetic aunt and uncle for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry stumbles upon a sinister mystery when he finds a three-headed dog guarding a room on the third floor. Then he hears of a missing stone with astonishing powers, which could be valuable, dangerous - or both. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

Why so excited: It's Harry Potter! Illustrated! I mean, aren't you excited? Already on pre-order. 

Dream a Little Christmas Dream by Giovanna Fletcher - October 10th

Every Time a Bell Rings by Carmel Harrington - October 15th

Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella - October 22nd

Blurb: Becky Bloomwood and a hilarious cast of beloved family and friends (plus one enemy!) set off in a van to find her missing father, last heard from in Las Vegas.

Becky’s father Graham and her best friend’s husband, Tarquin, have disappeared from Los Angeles saying simply they have “something to take care of.”

But Tarquin’s wife Suze who is Becky’s best friend, and Becky’s mother Jane, are convinced the two men are hiding something and are in danger—their imaginations run wild. They must track them down!

Hijinks ensue as husband Luke drives Becky, daughter Minnie, Jane, Suze and other favorite Kinsella characters across country from LA to Las Vegas in search of the missing men.

Becky feels deeply guilty about ignoring her father while he was in LA, in addition Becky feels her enemy Alicia is threatening her friendship with Suze.

Why so excited: Becky is back! One of my all time favourite characters is back to save the day (I hope), after the cliff hanger from the last book, I can't wait to find out what happens next.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Lisa Dickenson - October 22nd

Why so excited: The Twelve Dates of Christmas has all you can ask for in a Christmas book. It's absolutely fantastic and I am over the moon to that it's being published as a paperback this month. One not to miss!

Well, these are my top 5 but I wanted to add that the third Cormoran Strike's novel, Career of Evil, is out on the 20th. I've only read the first one of this series written by J K Rowling, writing as Roberts Galbraith, but I'm quite sure I'll myself a copy of this one. 

I’m really excited to do this because it’s a bit different from your normal ‘tags’! I was tagged by Simona from Sky's Book Corner, you can check out her answers here! Chocolate book tag? I know, I was confused at first too but the idea of this tag is to match books with certain types of chocolate which really did prove to be a challenge but it was a lot of fun so here we go…

I have chosen Me Before You by Jojo Moyes because it is a brilliantly written and engaging story. The topic is hard but the characters show such determination and have such strong believes that it is impossible not to love their story. I read it shortly after watching the fantastic and moving French film The Intouchables, that also deals with the topic of tetraplegia and living with dignity. And although they have very different endings I think that they are both a must. 

This is a difficult one. But I will have to chose Can You Keep a Secret? by our Chick Lit queen Sophie Kinsella. I think it is probably the book (apart from HP) that I have read more times and every time, I laugh out loud. Funny, witty and heart-warming. 

Right now, I guess it will have to be Divergent by Veronica Roth. Everyone says wonders about it and with the movie in the theatres, everyone is going crazy about it. Although I have the Trilogy in my Kindle, I have been avoiding it because I know that once I start reading it I am going to be so hooked that I won't sleep until I finish the 3 books. So I am waiting for the perfect moment to start... 

From Notting Hill with Love... Actually by Ali McNamara. I read it this year and it instantly became one of my all time favourite books. As a movie enthusiastic and Notting Hill fan, with all the movie scenes and the lovely love story (and one of the best endings of chick lit) this book is the perfect chocolate with a sweet caramel centre!

The Guestbook by Holly Martin was a great surprise. Although I had read a lot of good things about it, I didn't expect it to be so original. Definitely one of a kind! 

The fantastic Waiting For Prince Harry by the lovely Aven Ellis. Great book with such a lovely story. I fell head over heels for Harrison, the main male character. I can't wait to re-read it again. 

I have just realised that I have not included one of my favourite authors: Lindsey Kelk. I love her writing and her books are just like a conforting hot chocolate with Cream and Marshmallows. If I had to choose one, I guess I would go with the first one of the I Heart Series: I Heart New York because Angela already feels like family. But I think I have read all her books at least twice. I can't wait for her new book this summer!

I'll just say two words: HARRY POTTER. 

Now I think that most book blogger have already done this. But there are still some that even if they have been tagged before, they haven't done it yet (I think) so I tag:

Ananda This Chick Reads

Maryline M's Bookshelf

Isabell Dreaming with Open Eyes