New layout and new blog title

My layout had been bugging me for ages and I was going to wait until Bloggiesta to make a new one, but then I thought I may as well do it now because next week I probably wouldn't feel like it. There's still a bit of work that needs doing on it, like I need to tidy up the elements in my sidebars and stuff, but right now it's 1:30am and I think it's time I went to bed!

Also I changed the blog title to Literary Enchantment. I know it's kind of flowery, but it's a bit more fun than plain old Kat's Books. Anyway, the URL is still the same, so it's really just a cosmetic change.

Well, I really love my new layout, so I hope everyone likes it as much as I do! Thanks for listening to me ramble on... Goodnight! (Or good morning, depending where you are in the world)

In My Mailbox #5

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

I bought Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. I'm currently reading this and at the moment and I really love it.

I received these two in swaps:

The Magic Cottage by James Herbert. I read this when I was 16 and really enjoyed it, so I want to read it again now.

Beryl Bainbridge omnibus including The Dressmaker, The Bottle Factory Outing and An Awfully Big Adventure. I've never read anything by this author before, but the books sounded interesting.

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares + Giveaway

Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short.

Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

A magical, suspenseful, heartbreaking story of true love, My Name is Memory proves the power and endurance of a union that was meant to be.

My thoughts: The book follows the story of Daniel and Lucy through their many lives. Daniel falls in love with Lucy in his first life and in his following lives he is constantly searching for her and trying to get her to remember him. The book starts off in present day with Daniel and Lucy still at high school, the story continues forward from there, but there are also chapters set in the past. At first I was a bit confused, especially as all of the characters except Daniel have different names in each time period. But as the story went on I got used to the way it jumped around through time and it started to make more sense.
My favourite part of the book was the bit set in England in 1918, this was when Lucy first started to believe Daniel about their past lives, and for me it was where the 'love story' really started.
The book seemed to take a while to get started properly, but towards the end things start to get more exciting, the final part of the book is full of adventure.

The author did a great job of describing how the past life/reincarnation works in this story. At the start of the book some things didn't seem to make sense to me, but they were explained throughout the book. So any questions I had, such as do men always reincarnate as men?, were answered further on in the story.

The ending of the book is a bit open-ended and I can't wait for the sequel because I'm dying to know what happens next!

I have an extra ARC of the book to giveaway, so if you'd like to win in it, please fill out this form.
Open internationally! Closing date June 20th.   This giveaway is now closed. Sorry!
Thanks to Hodder UK for providing the book.

Monthly Round-up May 2010

Well, once again I'm disappointed in myself for not posting more reviews. Maybe one of these days I'll get into the habit of posting every couple of days instead of just once a week or something.

Books read in May
A Necessary Evil by Alex Kava
EyeLeash by Jess C. Scott
Quantum Breach by Mark Powell
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging by Louise Rennison
Tracking Down Your Ancestors by Harry Alder
Cover Her Face by P.D. James
The Crows by Amy Hayle
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
East End Tales by Gilda O'Neill
Collins Bumper Play Book (Collection of children's short stories)
Summer, Sun and Stuff According to Alex by Kathryn Lamb
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Total read: 12

Books reviewed in May
EyeLeash by Jess C. Scott
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging by Louise Rennison
East End Tales by Gilda O'Neill

Total reviewed: 4

My favourite book read this month was Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging by Louise Rennison. I found it really hilarious.

Challenge updates
50 books in 2010: completed on 6th May. I'm now aiming for 100 in 2010.

Books received this month: 14
Books added to wishlist this month: 16

What's coming in June?
I'm thinking of doing some features/interviews with other book bloggers. If you're interested in being featured, please fill out this form.