Talking about other books for a change!

I'm as much a reader as I am a writer, so I decided that it was about time I spoke about some of my favourite books. There are too many to address all in one post, so I'll try to do one or two books a week.
One particular series that I've loved for a long time, and returned to again and again, is the Ingo series by Helen Dunmore. Even after the hundreds of books I have read, I'd still consider it my favourite. Aside from being immaculately and hypnotically written, with perfectly crafted characters and an exciting storyline, it has been a source of inspiration and companionship to me. I read the first of the books when I was about nine and fell in love with it, and I'm still enjoying them now.
I'm currently reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova. At 696 pages, it's pretty tough-going but incredibly exciting, and a source of fascination for anyone with a passion for history, literature, or Dracula. The plot is so, so clever - I marvel at all the twists and turns every time I pick the book up!
More reviews to come!
Isabel :)

Edit in progress!

My manuscript has been on Authonomy for a few weeks now and not much editing has been done, as I've been focussing on gathering feedback. Kokako (the Authonomy user I mentioned in my last post) spent a massive amount of time searching for typos, and it turned out there were quite a lot! So I've sorted all of those out and the manuscript is a lot tidier.
There is one recurring suggestion to help improve my book, too. A couple of readers wanted some excitement in the gentle first chapter, as the cliffhanger comes right at the end of that chapter. Now, there isn't much excitement in Natalie's house on a Sunday morning, so to get to required excitement I'm going to add a prologue. It has to be tantalising but not obscure - I think I know what direction I'm going to take with this so it will appear on Authonomy soon. Check out the comments on Authonomy to see what people liked, and what points they would improve on.
Isabel :)

Have returned - and my book is doing better than ever!

Alongside some incredibly constructive and promising comments, I found that The Boy From The Next Dimension is now the 8th highest rated book on the site, as well as being 2nd in the Romance genre, 4th in Young Adult, and 4th in Fantasy. I also broke the 1000 barrier in the site's ranking - I'm now at 950!

A new Authonomy user, kokako (Sue) also left me a brilliant comment: "It's a great story, great concept, and beautifully written... With a writing style and voice that fit the YA genre perfectly. This book has a lot of potential."
She also left some very helpful tips to add even more depth and realism - I've written the book and I know it inside out, so I find it hard to read it as a reader would. I forget what readers do and don't know at certain points in the story, so feedback like Sue's is the most helpful kind.

Best wishes, Isabel.