Biblioshelf Musings – The Tortured Poets Department – Part One

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Hola Bibliofriends,

This series of posts if for all of my fellow Swifties out there! You’ve most likely heard of a recent album release called The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift, well there is just so much to unpack from this album that I felt like I needed a place to correlate and collect all of my thoughts together, so here’s my track by track musings and theories.

This will be Part One of several to cover the entire TTPD anthology, (because writing a thought-post about 31 songs is going to make it longer than War and Peace…)… In this block, I’m going to focus on the first eight tracks of the TTPD Anthology album because by the time I got to the end of Florida!!! I realised how long this first bit was! 😂 So many thoughts…!!!!!

I remember setting my alarm for 4.54am the morning TTPD dropped! As I’m not on any streaming services, I initially wasn’t going to purchase the digital album as I knew Taylor normally drops a second version with an added few songs and seeing as I’d already forked out for all 4 vinyl variants and collectors cds, I really didn’t want to screw myself over. However, in all the 4.54am feelings of buzzing excitement and non-awakedness, I ended up downloading it anyway! My first run through was so chaotic and confusing – the thoughts were basically incoherent, I think there was definitely a few tear drops and lots of shocked gasps. Then, the confusion really hit home that the context of the album was way off what I had actually been anticipating!

Fortnight ft. Post Malone – The way this song kicks off the whole album… what a statement! From the final line of the Midnights album, ‘Have they come to take me away?’ to ‘I was supposed to be sent away, but they forgot to come and get me…’ – that is really setting up the state of mind for these next 30 tracks and I am here for it. Not to mention her voice sounds so incredibly smoky and ethereal. It almost has a dirge-like quality which complements the black and white vibes from the music video. There’s some kind of bittersweet paradox about telling someone that you love them, yet they’re ruining your life. I think Post Malone’s voice harmonises really well with Taylor’s and I get totally swept up in the catchiness of it all. I’m not terribly sure what to think of the three Posts theory, whether I quite buy into that analogy but I did love the little features from former Dead Poets Society members Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles, that sneaky black dog, the Story of Us and the Style references.
Favourite Lines:
I love you, it’s ruining my life
Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her
I took the miracle move on drug, the effects were temporary

The Tortured Poets Department – I can’t deny that I’m a little in love with the 80s vibe of this intro. Upon first listening I was so prepared for a J track to link to The Tortured Man Club, but then the second verse made me swiftly shift my theories – and it was at this part that my brain began getting totally confused in the odyssey of who’s who during this anthology. Nevertheless, TTPD is another track that I can’t help but sing out loud. I love the Patti Smith and Dylan Thomas references too, as well as branding themselves ‘modern idiots’ – I feel like I can see Taylor actually saying it! The bridge at the end with the ring imagery… – oh my, my heart was also exploding at this part, but definitely not for the same reasons as in the song!
Favourite Lines:
You left your typewriter at my apartment, straight from the Tortured Poets Department

My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys – The ‘oh, oh’ and elongated ‘oys’ in this are insane! This track immediately grabbed me. The analogy of being a discarded toy is so sad and is written in such an exquisite detail throughout this whole song, I’m a little gutted that it wasn’t actually on the Barbie soundtrack. There’s a real sense of acceptance and determination to get her guy back, especially with the edginess at the start of the second verse and the ‘litany of reasons why’. I can’t help but think back to cardigan from folklore when she feels like ‘an old cardigan under someone’s bed’ and now here she is, being the toy that got left behind. The fact she thinks fixing herself is going to make him miss her is devastating. When Pixar wrote this title over a picture of Sid from Toy Story… absolute class!
Favourite Lines:
There was a litany of reasons why we could’ve playеd for keeps this time, I know I’m just repeating mysеlf
+ the entire outro

Down Bad – This is one of those songs that everyone was immediately buzzing about and admittedly, I wasn’t all that fussed by it on my first few run throughs of the album. As a bit of a potty-mouth, I was totally here for all of the F-bombs, but I think I was in my confused stage of realisation that she clearly had way deeper emotions for someone than those of us on the outside ever really saw or knew about. Now I’ve sat with the song for countless replays, it has massively grown on me and has become such a mood! It’s like a tragic pit of black despair in musical form with a side of passive stubbornness – what’s the point of it all?! The way she cannot bring herself to say the word ‘over’ and the way that she sings ‘Cause f*ck it I was in love’ at the end of the bridge make my heart bleed. I have to train myself not to play this too late into my car journey to school so it gets stuck in my head. It really wouldn’t go down too well with the parents if I kept singing ‘f*ck it if I can’t have him’ around the classroom with the kids…
Favourite Lines:
For a moment I knew cosmic love, now I’m down bad crying at the gym
How dare you say that it’s—-

So Long, London – As soon as the track titles were released and we saw this was the Track 5 – I think we all knew then, that this one was going to cut deep. The intro sounds like the choral music that you expect to hear at Westminster Abbey, which is one of London’s most famous landmarks. It’s probably my favourite intro of the whole album and was naturally likened to wedding bells… Even though this song has been added to the ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’ Playlist on Apple Music to signify ‘acceptance’, for me this song really reflects the entirety of the whole five stages of grief that have been associated with this album even prior to its release. There’s the denial of seeing the ‘fairy lights in the mist’ and carrying ‘the weight of the rift’, then comes the anger at being pissed off about wasted youth and being left at the house by (Hampstead) Heath. The bridge brings about bargaining as she has to explain why she ‘abandoned the ship’ and found it hard to breathe. Depression comes from the third verse where she painfully declares that she ‘died on the altar waitin’ for the proof’ and is ‘mad as hell’ because she loved the life that she’d built there. Finally we get that shattering ending of acceptance when she signs off by realising she’s not the one, it won’t out and ‘(he)’ll find someone’. I mean – what a farewell message! This song has so much to unpack and I feel like Taylor is almost saying farewell to the entirety of the past 7-8 years of her life and the link she has to London. Melancholia to the core!
Favourite Lines:
You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? I died on the altar waitin’ for the proof, You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days, And I’m just getting color back into my face, I’m just mad as hell ’cause I loved this place

But Daddy I Love Him – OMG my love for this song is unreal!!! This is my carpool karaoke track! On first listen, I thought is was so random and couldn’t pinpoint a context for the song at all. Fastforward to the almost 24/7 listenathon this album is having in my ears and this song… It ate! I heard every single word. I dance around my kitchen to this song with a glass of wine in hand. It’s a little prairie town scandal and I am living for the drama! The way she shuts down all those ‘judgemental creeps’ who dare to think they’re allowed to impose an opinion on who she decides to fall in love with… I mean yes, come April 2023 – we all had thoughts, but there’s a difference to spilling the tea with your swiftie friends away from the public world of the internet, to writing an open letter to someone’s mother and preaching over social media… 🤯 She explained this so magnificently that I belt out the post-chorus and the bridge with beaming pride. When I finally get around to putting all the tracks off this Anthology in favourite order, expect this one to be right up there at the top!
Favourite Lines: All the lines. Every. Damn. One. 🙏

Fresh Out the Slammer – This one is definitely a grower on me. That little line, ‘fresh out the slammer, oh’ – occasionally I will sing that line randomly in other songs across the anthology, it’s too catchy! The imagery of being trapped in a dead relationship that you compare it to a prison is haunting, but then so is the forswearing of being ‘at the starting line’ (another MH link?), running to someone new and vowing not to lose them again. With each new listen of this track, I seem to pick up parallels to other songs from midnights and folklore and I love a track can give me so many layers.
Favourite Lines:
Years of labor, locks and ceilings, In the shade of how he was feelin’
All those nights you kept me going, swirled you into all of my poems

Florida!!! ft. Florence + the Machine – For the purpose of transparency, Florence and Taylor are my two GOATs. I have been clowning for this collab ever since I saw Florence Welch post a story on her insta back in 2020 saying that she loved the key change at 2:12 of exile from folklore. Then there was that sneaky post of her in the background of the pic of Taylor and Denise Welch… then she was spotted coming out of the studio in May from a Taylor event which many had rumoured to be a listening party for the Speak Now TV release. From this point, I was manifesting so hard for the collab that when Florida!!! was announced I bounced around the room like Tigger on acid. The song itself I love! Florence’s verse about the hurricane with her name that actually links to the real Hurricane Florence that hit the US in 2018… being haunted and drunk with her ghosts in the bathroom! This is the Florence that I know and ADORE. I am convinced that Emily Jean Stone and her ‘oddities’ come in the form of her singing the part of the song where “Love left me like this and I don’t want to exist, So take me to Florida” is sung… If it isn’t that, then it must be some kind of storyline contribution. What else could those damn oddities be? I’m so intrigued!
Favourite Lines:
Well, me and my ghosts, wе had a hell of a time, Yes, I’m hauntеd, but I’m feeling just fine
So I did my best to lay to rest, All of the bodies that have ever been on my body, And in my mind, they sink into the swamp, Is that a bad thing to say in a song?
At least the dolls are beautiful, fuck me up, Florida
What a crash, what a rush, fuck me up, Florida

And I’m done… for now! Stay tuned for Part 2 where we start with Guilty as Sin? 👀 👀 👀

Have you listened to TTPD yet, what thoughts do you have on the first 8 tracks? Have you got an album favourite yet? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

🤍 [Author’s note: I am a huge Taylor fan and cannot wait to be singing loudly (not screaming) along to all 3 and a half hours of songs at Wembley in August with other swifties. However, I’m well aware that Taylor is also a person just like the rest of us. Songwriting is her own way of communicating her version of events and experiences, therefore we only have the side of the story she wants us to know about. I don’t believe in hating on people over the internet and to be honest her dating life is not really anybody’s business but hers. I’ve tried to keep my personal feelings about certain individuals out of this and just stick to my thoughts of where these songs may have come from. As a former English Literature and History student, breaking down literature, language and symbolism is almost what I’ve been raised to do. Analysing lyrics to try and identify deeper meaning, especially coming from an artist who likes to leave us hidden easter eggs everywhere is seemingly natural. Yes all of these songs are about Taylor first and foremost rather than some guy, but they’re also the message that Taylor wants us to hear and know about, therefore we are going to theorise about almost every line and parallel we can draw from this mastermind’s discography – and boy what a gift we have been given in TTPD! And as we know all too well, theories are all that we can have – they regularly fall into the categories of ‘clowning‘ and ‘delulu‘ so none of this swiftie’s random musings here should be taken as anything other than just that!] 🤍

Biblioshelf Musings – Faebound by Saara el-Arifi

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Hey Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are about Faebound by Saara el-Arifi. Normally I am such a mood reader, however in April I was taking part in the Magical Readathon so had pre-picked all of my TBR and prompts beforehand. Sometimes when I do this, I almost feel like I’m forcing myself to read something just to tick it off the list, rather than because I wanted to – however, this was definitely not the case with Faebound! I was caught hook, line and sinker from the first few pages! It gave me everything I was craving in a brand-new fantasy and I just had to give it the full 5 stars at the end! Read on to find out more in my spoiler-free review!

Book: Faebound by Saara el-Arifi
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: January 2024
Publisher: Del Rey
Pages: 392
Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Two elven sisters become imprisoned in the hidden world of the fae where danger, and love, lies in wait. Faebound is the first book in an enchanting new trilogy from the internationally bestselling author of The Final Strife.

A thousand years ago, the world held three beings: fae, elves, and humans. But now the fae and humans exist only in myth and legend, survived by the elves who are trapped in an endless war over the remaining lands.

Yeeran is a colonel in the elven army and has known nothing but a life of violence and hardship. Her sister, Lettle, is a diviner whose magic promises a different future for her and her sister, but the prophecies have yet come to pass.  

When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven Lands, Lettle, fearful for her sister’s life, follows her into the uncharted territory beyond their borders. In the wilderness the sisters encounter the largest obeah they have ever seen. Part leopard, part stag, the obeah’s magic is harnessed to make weapons for the elven war. It is during this hunt that they are confronted with the impossible: a group of fae who take them captive. Imprisoned in a new land, they must navigate the politics of the fae court all while planning their escape.

Now Yeeran and Lettle are fighting a different kind of war: between their loyalty to their elven homeland and the intoxicating world of the fae, between what duty decrees is right, and what their hearts tell them they need.

My Musings

Sometimes, you just come across a book which grabs hold of you from the very first lines – for me Faebound was that book! I haven’t really read many stories about Elves, other than Lord of the Rings so I had a pretty preconceived idea about what I anticipated an elf to be. Saara el-Arifi completely made my perceptions of the elfish shift and I am so here for how she has represented them in this book!

I adored the sisterly relationship between Yeeran and Lettle. The story was a split narrative between their two perspectives. It took me a little time to find my balance between the two, but further into the story their characteristics were so distinctive that I didn’t need the heading at the chapter beginnings to know who I was reading.

As a Colonel, Yeeran is an exceptional warrior – fierce, strong, smart, always ready for a fight and constantly with some kind of battle weapon or armour. I was thoroughly intrigued by her and the military vibes she was giving off. Add into that the Africanesque, desert style surroundings and this presented my reading brain with an aesthetic I couldn’t get enough of.

Lettle on the other hand, is almost a complete antithesis of Yeeran. Whilst Yeeran is all about strength, mettle and fighting – Lettle reads prophecies about the future. She has a more wistful and romantic outlook on life which perfectly complements her sister. Lettle’s strength comes from more than just physicality, it comes from the devotion and loyalty she feels towards those that she loves, and also the conviction of her beliefs and actions.

The plot was pacy and clearly driving towards goals and revelations. It had me turning page after page, and I was so happy when my train was delayed so I could keep reading those extra few pages! The magic style offered a familiarity that I expected with elves and the fae, whilst still bringing in this breath of fresh air about how they use their magic within their environment.

The obeahs were also thoroughly intriguing characters. I’m a little jealous that I don’t have an obeah of my own in all honesty! The role that they play within the story reminds me of the deamons from Philip Pullman’s The Northern Lights. They are characters within their own right and I loved how these personalities intertwined between the lives of the elves and fae.

Political tensions were well-written, without being dull or long-drawn out. We found out all we needed to know and there was still room for a few plot twists and revelations to see how all of the threads were coming together.

When you think of a story about Elves and Fae, you might think that you’ve heard it all before. But Saara el-Arifi has absolutely smashed that threshold with this amazing novel. I devoured every inch of the wild escapist ride it gave me and am now eagerly awaiting the next instalment to find our what on earth is going to happen to my merry band of el-Arfians!

Have you read Faebound yet or is it on your TBR list? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

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Magical Readathon 2024 – Wrap Post

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Hey Bibliofirends,

April is over, as is the first part of the Magical Readathon challenge for 2024! This readathon is so vast and wide ranging that I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface of the entirety of it, however I’m actually feeling quite OK with just keeping it as an April and August reading quest for myself. I’m guilty of piling heaps of pressure on to complete all of the elements, and usually always end up biting off more than I can chew! I probably would have been a little more successful in my goal had The Tortured Poets Department not come out, however there is no way I am blaming Taylor Swift for distracting me from my reading when she drops a 31-track album that is quickly becoming my favourite!

The Magical Readathon which is hosted by the fabulous G @bookroast! You can find out more information about the Readathon in general, my created character Nárendîl Damenor, chosen career paths and my monthly TBR in my initial TBR post here.

The End Goal

Since my mid-point review, I knew I was pretty much guaranteed to complete one of the six Callings I was aiming for – and I did! I managed to complete the four reading prompts required for the Aeldia Excavationist Calling and I am pretty chuffed about that as it was one of the newer ones. The key traits of being patient, detail orientated, analytical and curious seem to call upon my own natural strengths anyway and I am such a big fan of archaeology – it seemed like the most fitting calling of them all for me to be honest!

Completed Prompts and Books

✅ Animal Studies – A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
✅ Conjuration – Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
✅ Elemental Studies – Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
✅ Inscription – Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
✅ Lore – Reread The Legend of Dia
✅ Restoration – Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

The Autumn Equinox Challenge

In August for the Autumn Equinox part of the readathon, my character Nárendîl Damenor is going to have to achieve a D in Animal Studies and a Q in Restoration. This means completing 5 books which is definitely do-able in August and I’m so excited to see what the prompts are for these.

I haven’t really accessed the Guild parts of the Readathon just yet, perhaps that can be something I look into during August! Anyways, that’s all for Part One at least!

Have you taken part in the Spring Equinox part of the Magical Readathon? Did you manage to achieve your chosen calling this month? Feel free to drop me a comment and let me know where your character is headed next and what you’re looking forward to from the Autumn Equinox!

T xx

The Wrap – April 2024

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Howdy Bibliofriends!

Where on earth has April gone? I feel like the last few weeks have been such a whirlwind and May is literally here and we’re barreling towards the mid point of the whole year…!! 🤯 The first half of my month was so very productive, however this last part has kind of fallen to sh*t in terms of my reading and blogging. More on that below!!

Life Update

Initially April was fabulous because I was on my Easter holidays from school. My partner and I got to visit my parents down in Cornwall and spend some time near the sea – it was blissful. We visited Tintagel castle and I became very obsessed with Arthurian legends. We also took a trip to an aquarium in Plymouth. We seem to be cursed with our aquarium visits as the last two that we have visited, we’ve both had to leave because the fire alarm was going off – thankfully we still got to go back in and see all of the sharks and big fish. After returning from Cornwall, we did one of our 2024 day trip adventures and went to Cardiff on the train. We took a tour around Cardiff Castle and visited an amazing second-hand bookshop! I talked a little about this in my mid-month Magical Readathon review.

Then fast forward to the return to school and the absences have been bonkers, we’re all picking up extra lessons and my parallel teacher is currently on medical leave so I’m doing my best to hold up a whole year group – thankfully I have a great team of helpful colleagues who are all pitching in too.

There is another reason for the lack or productiveness on my reading and blogging part – but I thought I’d save that for the music section! 😉

The rest of this Wrap Post follows my usual format (Past Reads, Current Reads, Films/TV, Music) so feel free to skip any irrelevant parts!

What I’ve Been Reading in April

The first half of April was incredibly productive with my participation in the Magical Readathon. It definitely helped me tick quite a few books off the list!

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved the eerie atmosphere surrounding Hiraeth Manor and the way the surrounding waters, coastline and mists were almost swallowing up the land. The secrets surrounding the Angharad book were also mystically intertwined to the story and I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A murder-mystery set on a ship… loved it! Everything about Ganymedes Piscero’s character was so endearing. I really bought into the whole blessings part of the storyline and trying to work out not just whodunnit, but also the unique blessings of each of the individuals. The animal references and likelihoods were also cleverly crafted.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow didn’t I just devour this book! From the setting, to the characters, to the idea of magic and war – this book had everything I was craving in a magical escapade. I also loved this representation of elves and fae too as my brain automatically puts them in LOTR or ACOTAR vibes so it was nice to see this varied representation.

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Looking back on this I actually want to downgrade my original rating a little as I feel 3* was too generous. I went into this hoping for a bit of a Tomb Raider style, archeologically driven storyline but about 90% of the story was centred around the character relationship and the smut. It was far too much into the romance box for my liking and I have to admit that I speed read it towards the end.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Without spoilers… I had to reread the final two chapters again because I could not believe what I had read and if I had read it correctly. I still can’t tbh! I have no idea how this story can possibly unfold now… My mind is reeling but I am so irrevocably in love with this series!

#CurrentlyReading

I’m going to take it a little easier in May at deciding what to read. I posted a Top Ten Tuesday a couple of weeks ago about which books are kind of in the starting line, but after being so driven with the Magical Readathon, I just want to let my bookish whims roam free.

I’m currently reading The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni, as well as a non-fiction book about horse racing called The Jumping Game by Henrietta Knight. On audiobook, I’m on A Dance With Dragons to finish off the Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin.

What I’ve Been Watching

As part of a Film Club, we’re often at the Cinema at least once a week so I watch a lot of movies. I’ve been using the app Letterboxd to track what I’ve seen and give them rating. If you’re on the app and want a new follower be sure to add me! My profile name is: tillyj

I finally finished Beef! And watched quite a bit of other stuff…

Movies/TV, I’ve seen:

  • Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Cinema) – I freakin’ love Godzilla! This movie was action-packed, and we saw it in IMAX so the images and sounds were on-point! One of my favourite films of this year so far!
  • Seize Them! (Cinema) – I liked that this was a British medieval-style comedy. Some of it was funny and had me laughing, but it was also a bit of an average watch.
  • Monkey Man (Cinema) – Don’t get me wrong, although this film is gory, violent and quite sad – the storytelling was brilliantly and poignantly done. Films in this style don’t usual capture my attention but the references to Hanuman and Indian mythology throughout sucked me right in.
  • Scoop (Netflix) – Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell as Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew were phenomenal castings! They really got into the depths of their characters and for some strange reason it (almost) made me want to watch the original interview again!
  • Civil War (Cinema) – Wow, oh wow do you have to see this movie! I was blown away and gave it 4.5*! Although you might think this is about war, and whilst it does contain highly graphic depictions of war brutality, the underlying story is about the press photographers on the front line and the dangers they go to just to get their pictures and report the news. Kirsten Dunst was exquisite in her role and did so well at playing the emotionally detached, yet emotionally vulnerable journalist. Spectacular!
  • Back to Black (Cinema) – Marisa Abela did such a stellar job at taking on the role of Amy Winehouse. She showcased everything and sounded so hauntingly like the real Amy without just being pegged as a tribute act. I know there have been plenty of dividing opinions about it, but what I took away from the film was just how deeply one person could feel and the tragic circumstances of how the addictions to whatever love, alcohol or drugs affected her life.
  • Abigail (Cinema) – I can’t help but think of Matilda every time I see Alisha Weir in a film. That being said, she was fantastic as a scary-ass ballerina in this film. It was spooky but funny at the same time and the bloodiness of it all by the end had me squirming in my seat.
  • Challengers (Cinema) – There is something so brilliant in the way this film tells you a story about the lives of three tennis players and then leaves you reeling about how the tennis is almost the fourth character in the whole story. Very cleverly done and engaging!
  • Baby Reindeer (Netflix) – I literally had no idea where this was going. This was dark, twisty yet had some comedic elements at the same time… The fact that it is genuinely a true story and acted by the person who wrote it and lived through it is brilliant. A story I won’t forget in a while that’s for sure!
  • Lost in Translation (Netflix) – This is one of those films where I couldn’t quite decipher what the plot was supposed to be. I was waiting for some major event or storyline to reveal itself but it just appears to be one of those films which follows the ins and outs of a couple of characters and their major life crisis for a couple of hours. I don’t think it’s quite my type of movie!
  • Beef (Netflix) – I finally finished it – the ending two episodes ramped it right up! I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing on my screen at one point (sliding doors – iykyk…!) I can’t help but feel like the characters got what they deserved even after all of the absurdity that it started with a honked horn and a little bit of road rage!

Music

Y’all know this is going to be about The Tortured Poets Department right??? This is the entire reason my productivity has hit the floor and I haven’t read a book or written that many blog posts since mid-April. I have been listening to this album non-stop…. I think it may dethrone Folklore as my favourite TS album! It has grown and grown and grown on me with every listen. I love it, and it’s ruining my bookish life! I’m gathering a post together about my album thoughts – 31 songs is a lot to get your head around so I don’t really want to say too much else about it here, but know that the musings are definitely coming! 🤍🖤

And that’s a wrap! How was your April? Did you have a productive month? I’m really hoping I get my reading groove back this month, especially after my little book buying splurge earlier in April. What are you all looking forward to reading in May?

As always, drop me a comment to chat! ☺️

T xx

#Top Ten Tuesday – Petty Reasons for DNFing a Book

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Hey Bibliofriends,

Happy Tuesday! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is Petty Reasons for DNFing a Book! I have to be super honest here, I’ve only really DNF’d two books in my life. Those books which I’m finding a bit of a drag, I seem to abandon in a pile on the floor until I get too annoyed with the pile and then eventually pick them up to finish them off. Therefore, this post has been quite difficult to compile – however here’s some reasons (I may not get to a full 10!) for why I might put a book down for a bit of a break, or why I’m inclined to give the book a quite low rating. If you don’t already know, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Petty Reasons for DNFing a book, putting it down for later, or giving it a low review score!

The main character is grating on you: Sometimes you come across a character that no ability on this earth can make you bond with them. It could be that their narrative seems whiny or sycophantic or their whole personality and perspective just jars on you. I find it incredibly difficult to plough through a read if I’m not bonding with the MC.

The story isn’t going anywhere: Have you ever read one of those books which seems like you’re reading the off-air parts of a reality TV show where nothing actually happens? This is one of the biggest reasons I’ll give it a low score, especially if the dialogue is meaningless drivel and the plot is minimal.

Books that try too hard: Somewhere along the line you come across that book that seems to be yelling “PICK ME, LOVE ME!” right into your face. Then the storyline is filled with millions of tropes, none of which are original or stylishly interwoven into the story and the whole thing ends up making you roll your eyes with the turning of every page – I find those books particularly hard to persevere with.

Catfish Books: These are the books that say they’re one thing and then they’re not… You’re expecting tons of thrilling history references, links to an exotic country and an ancient civilisation – yet when you get there it turns out all you’re getting is a romp in the jungle…

The writing is overly complicated: We can’t all be Tolkien, expertly winding juxtaposition through our narratives, but sometimes using tons of fancy words to describe the most basic of things just disrupts the reading pace of the story and interrupts my reading flow. It’s a slog to wade through all of the garble.

Copycat Reads: Rarely (but sometimes) I’ll be reading a book and get this sense of deja vu – as if I’ve read it before. Then it twigs that I haven’t actually read it but the story is so similar to a book that I devoured I begin to question whether I’m reading someone’s fanfiction from the story I loved so much.

The ending let-down: If you’ve ever read a brilliant book which keeps you on the edge of your seat but then catastrophically unravels all of that good work in the last 30 pages – you’ll know what I’m talking about!

That’s it! I can’t quite get to an out-and-out 10 reasons to DNF a book or give it a low rating – sometimes if you just don’t gel with it, you just don’t! What are your main reasons for DNFing a book or giving it a lower rating? Feel free to leave me your link so I can visit your own TTT post! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#Top Ten Tuesday – Unread books on my shelves I want to read soon

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Hey Bibliofriends,

Happy Tuesday! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is Unread books on my shelves I want to read soon! To be honest, I could have photographed my shelves and just told you to pick 10 off it! I have so many books that are unread, and because I’m a bit of a mood reader it’s quite hard to definitively line up my next read unless I’m taking part in a readathon with a locked TBR. So I’ve tried, here’s 10 of my unreads that are waiting for meto pick them up imminently. If you don’t already know, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Unread books on my shelves that I want to read soon

  1. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
  2. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
  3. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
  4. What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
  5. Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
  6. After the Forest by Kell Woods
  7. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
  8. Never a Hero by Vanessa Len
  9. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

That’s it! My top ten unread books on my shelves that I’m highly likely to read next! Have you read any of these or are they on your TBR? Feel free to leave me your link so I can visit your own TTT post! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Quarter Year Crisis Book Tag

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Hey Bibliofriends,

I’ve been a little MIA recently due to a certain artist releasing a double album (🤯), with a week’s worth of easter-egg dropping promo before it to boot. Needless to say my brain has been a little bit wrapped up in The Tortured Poets Department and therefore the reading and blogging have been slightly lacking. I have so many thoughts…!

Anyway… I found this Quarter Crisis Book Tag over on Lauren’s blog Little Bit of All That and the prompts were brilliantly centred around reviewing reading habits so far in 2024 that I thought it was a good way to remotivate me and bring me back into the zone! The original tag creator is Roisin’s Reading over at YouTube. I know we’re technically past the quarter point of the year, but I figure we’re close enough to it that this still counts!

How many books have you read so far?

So far in 2024 I have read 24 books. I’m 5 books ahead of schedule to reach my target of 65 by the time 2025 rolls around. April has been quite a successful month for me as I’ve been taking part in the Magical Readathon which you can read more about here and check out my mid-point review of that challenge as well. I’ve got 3 books on the go currently which I’m hoping to complete by the time April is done, however I fear that my audiobook is going to get a little sidelined for the rest of this month.

Have you found a book that you think might be a 2024 favourite?

Having read Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and House of Flame and Shadow in 2024 – they’re going to be very high up on my list. One book I was surprised to love as much as I did was Faebound by Saara El-Arifi. I gobbled up in in about two days! Something about the setting, characters and writing style just resonated with me and I can’t wait for the sequel!

Any least favourite book of the year?

It makes me a teeny bit sad to say this but so far, it’s either going to A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft (review here) or Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura. Although I haven’t managed to get around to reviewing ROTLH yet, I went in it for the archaeology and history but it turns out it was about 10% that and 90% smut… not quite what I had anticipated.

Most read genre?

Fantasy for the win here! It makes up a majority of my reading to be honest. Although I have also read Yellowface which is contemporary fiction, a Taylor Swift bio and I’m currently reading a non-fiction book about horseracing just to ensure that there is some variety in my reading diet!

A book that surprised me?

The Brothers Hawthorne surprised me as I didn’t think I would like this spin-off / continuation (whatever you want to call it!) after the main trilogy had ended. I am so glad I picked it up at the start of the year because it was spectacular! You can read my review here. I guess you could also say I was surprised by how much I took to the Game of Thrones audiobooks. It’s really got me back into the series and I’m currently on the final one!

A book that has come out in 2024 that I haven’t yet read?

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo has been sat tempting me on my shelf, along with A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal. They’ll most certainly be conquered within 2024 – that’s a guarantee!

One goal you made that you’re succeeding at?

Well I’m on track with my 2024 reading goal, but I’m also posting ‘quite’ regular content on my blog which was a mission I kind of rejuvenated a few months back. I’d neglected it for well over a year (maybe even two!) however, my life has recently balanced itself so I’ve been able to find time to write posts and enjoy making content again!

One goal that you need to focus on?

I find that blogging is almost two-parted. There’s the part where you churn out all of your posts and content, but then there’s the other part where you immerse yourself and engage in the community around you. I think that’s the part I need to focus on now, visiting other people’s blogs rather than focusing on my own. I also need to write constant reminders to myself to not leave it too long before actually writing a review of the books that I’ve recently read and just ploughing into the next read! 😂

Quarterly Year Crisis Book Tag is officially wrapped. What books have surprised you so far this year? Have you kept on top of your reading goals or do you have a specific goal you wish you could focus on more? Feel free to consider yourself tagged if you’d love to have your own go at this tag! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#Top Ten Tuesday – Characters I’d Like To Go On Vacation With!

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Hey Bibliofriends,

Happy Tuesday! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is Characters I’d Like To Go On Vacation With! This could be short mini breaks each with a different character, or one big massive party! It was so fun to try and compile this list. I picked the characters first rather than thinking about whether they would all be able to co-exist on the same vacay – imagine putting Snape and Nina Zenik on a Bahamas Beach together…! If you don’t already know, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Characters I’d Like To Go On Vacation With

This list started out in two halves… one part ‘Caribbean Booze Cruise’, one part ‘Ancient City Tourist Super-Sleuthing’ – but then looking at my list in total, I could actually imagine some of these characters stepping out of their comfort zones into the realms of ‘good times’ with a little positive encouragement! 😉 Make of that what you will! 😂

We’d start off my making our way through the secret passageways of ancient cities, being complete tourists and uncovering age-old conspiracies and forgotten treasure. Then we’re heading over to the marina to board the swankiest yacht around, setting our sails for tropical shores to relax and unwind. Any sunphobic creatures can stay below decks with their book haul whilst those of us keen to party will stay up top with endless mojitos and palomas! At some point we’ll discover a remote island with white sandy beaches, possibly go beneath a mystical waterfall and discover more long-lost treasure before ending with a beach bbq, plenty of rum and a possibly cameo from Captain Jack Sparrow to sail us all home! When do we leave…?!

  1. Robert Langdon – [The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Origin, Inferno by Dan Brown]
  2. Nina Zenik – [Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo]
  3. Ganymedes – [Voyage of the Damned by Frances White]
  4. Princess Samantha Washington – [American Royals series by Katharine McGee]
  5. Nesta Archeron – [A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas]
  6. Jameson Hawthorne – [The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes]
  7. Art3mis – [Ready Player One duology by Ernest Cline]
  8. Professor Severus Snape – [Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling]
  9. Mercy Birdsall – [The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen]
  10. Addie LaRue – [The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab]

That’s it! My Top Ten Characters That I’d Like To Go On Vacation With! Who would you be going off on your adventures with? Feel free to leave me your link so I can visit your own TTT post! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Magical Readathon 2024 – Mid-Point Update

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Hey Bibliofirends,

Can you believe we are halfway through April already?! It definitely feels like a ‘blink and you’ve missed it’ one. This month, I decided to do the Magical Readathon which is hosted by the fabulous G @bookroast! You can find out more information about the Readathon in general, my created character Nárendîl Damenor, chosen career paths and my monthly TBR in my previous blog post here.

Current Progress

I feel a bit like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with trying to complete 13 prompts and books, however the challenge has definitely motivated me to try and keep up my reading pace. I’ve completed 5 out of the 13 prompts so far which is almost halfway through. Returning to work today is obviously going to slow my progress so for the remainder of the month I’m honing down on the career paths which I want to take the most.

Completed Prompts and Books

✅ Animal Studies – A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
✅ Conjuration – Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
✅ Elemental Studies – Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
✅ Inscription – Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
✅ Lore – Reread The Legend of Dia

The next half…

Out of the 6 Career Paths I wanted to take, they’re still all open to me as I’ve managed to complete at least one prompt in each one. I’ve kind of ordered my remaining TBR list in the likelihood of what is going to be achievable over the next couple of weeks and which career paths are the most appealing.

Aeldia Excavationist is my most likely path as I only have to complete the Restoration prompt for that career and my book pick is Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros – I’m not going to be able to stay away from that one for too long!

Abjurer and Master of Elements are the two most likely runners up. I only have to complete my audiobook of A Dance of Dragons by George R.R. Martin to finish all of the Abjurer prompts and for Master of Elements there is, Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, Zhara by S. Jae-Jones and The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni to go…

Paths that may fall by the wayside and are being ruled out are: Star Whisperer, Craftsmage and Archmage.

That’s where my character Nárendîl Damenor is headed next on their first trip into Aeldia and Orilium! Are you taking part in the Magical Readathon this year? Feel free to drop me a comment and let me know your career paths or TBR lists! Wish me luck in the next half, I think I’m gonna need it!!

T xx

Easter Holiday Book Haul

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends!

Today marks the last day of my Easter holiday before the Trinity Term starts tomorrow! I cannot believe we are entering the final term of the year already. I’ve had an incredibly relaxing break and got to spend a lot of it with my partner who also took some time off work. We travelled to see my parents who live in Cornwall and also did some day trips around our local area and took a mini train adventure to Cardiff.

With all of that adventuring there was plenty of secondhand book shopping to be done and it’s fair to say that I had myself a little binge and bought 8 books! Here are my purchases!

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

After saying in a previous blog post that I probably wasn’t going to read this before the film (with Blake Lively in it) comes out, I may have caved in and bought a copy. It was only £3 and the spine is still in perfect tact!

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Turns out I’ve had this on my TBR list on Goodreads since 2020! I don’t know why I never forked out for a brand new book, but I was always on the quest to find a secondhand copy. Seeing it on the top shelf of one of my favourite second-hand bookshops earlier this week was like a treasure hunting dream come true!

Temeraire by Naomi Novik

Whilst in Cardiff, we found this fabulous bookshop called Troutmark Books down one of the tiny shopping arcades. If felt like they had miles of books, I could barely see the top shelves, let alone attempt to reach them. I’ve heard that the Temeraire series is supposed to be pretty excellent and after my recent enjoyment of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon film, what better time to start reading it!

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Funny story, I also bought this copy from Troutmark Books in Cardiff, but it felt a little like a forced buy. A few days earlier I had bought ‘One Dark Throne’ back in a charity shop and thought that that was the first book in the series (the title being ‘one’ and all…!). I couldn’t remember which Kendare Blake book I had actually purchased either! Picture me sat on the floor of a secondhand bookshop, amidst the stacks, trying desperately to get enough signal on my phone to load Goodreads and discover the order of the series – reader, I bought Three Dark Crowns anyway! Luckily for me I now own books 1 & 2 in the series! 😂🙈

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

See the above comment for this one! I can’t believe I purchased the sequel before the first instalment in the series but thankfully a quaint little bookshop in a ‘technically’ different country came to my rescue!

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

I have been intrigued by the premise of this story ever since the hardback came out in 2022 and it won the Book Prize. It reminds me of the type of magical realism Salman Rushdie writes about. My secondhand copy is a little battered and definitely well-read, however for the bargain price of 30p I knew that it was destined to be mine!

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

This is not my typical genre but when I was at University I got a First for a paper I wrote all about the d’Este family and the duchy of Ferrara in Italy which this novel is about. Obviously my purchase had nothing to do with the gorgeous cover either…! 👀

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Again not something of my typical genre, but I have heard such amazing things about this writer and this book so I figured now was the perfect time to start! I haven’t seen the Hulu series yet either so I’m going to be completely unspoiled!

That’s my bargain book haul – 8 books for the total price of £18.10! Obviously I have absolutely nowhere to put these having rearranged my shelves once this month already – eek! Have you read any of these? What books have you been buying this month? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx