Howdy Bibliofriends!
Happy February! 2024 is well and truly underway! I always look forward to reflecting on my entire month as it gives a real sense of closure. Also thinking about the month ahead is always exciting as I like to be positive about all of the good events that are on the horizon!
Life Update
Life in January started off incredibly well. Having a good chunk of time off over the Christmas period, with a lighter-than-normal schedule, meant that I came into 2024 feeling quite chilled and relaxed! I finally got around to starting up my blog again which had been on my mind for so long.
At the start of the year, I decided that I was going to make a list of 12 day trips to new-found places! The first one of those we did in the middle of January by going to Oxford. I’ve visited the city of dreaming spires many times before, but I’d never visited The Castle and Prison or been there to specifically hunt for bookshops. We found some wonderful stores including The Last Bookshop (which is where I bought a brand new Mexican Gothic for £4!), Gulp Fiction in the Covered Market (a coffee shop turned bookstore) and Arcadia (which doesn’t really have a lot of second hand books, but is predominantly a cute little fairyland/treasure trove filled with loads of assorted knick-knacks).
Work has been somewhat mad this past two weeks for various different reasons, however having the blog to try and keep persevering with is presenting a good distraction from my constant procrastinations over the joy that is being a teacher! I honestly love my job and my class are adorable, but this last month has been Challenging – yes, with a capital C!
The rest of this Wrap Post follows my usual format (Past Reads, Current Reads, Upcoming Reads, Films/TV) so feel free to skip any irrelevant parts!
What I’ve Been Reading in January
The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely adored this book! Having loved the original trilogy so much, I was initially a little hesitant about a seemingly spin-off novel, however I am so glad I dived in! This brought back all of the things I loved from the series but from the fresh perspective of Jameson and Grayson. I can’t wait for the Final Gambit to be released later this year.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
From one 5* read to another… boy am I glad I hopped on this hype train! This book came to me at the right moment and mindset for me to fall head over heels for it. Those closing paragraphs… what a cliffhanger!
King of the Cloud Forests by Michael Morpurgo ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was purely a school-based read. We’re doing a mountains topic and I was trying to find an English text which linked to that theme. I found the relationship between Ashley and the yetis so sweet. The ending was incredibly heartwarming too. I think our children will enjoy discovering Ashley’s adventures in the Himalayas.
A Storm of Swords (Parts 1 and 2) by G. R. R. Martin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After giving up on both the TV series and attempting to read this as a physical book a couple of years ago, I tried my luck with the audiobook and do not regret it in the slightest – I was hooked! And can we talk about that final chapter… 😱 Much has been said about Roy Dotrice’s narration, but I personally found it very charming. He managed to bring the characters to life in a way which just wasn’t happening for me on the actual page. I never realised he holds the Guinness World Record for the most character voices by an individual for an audiobook, but I guess if you’re solo narrating the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire Series’, you’re pretty much guaranteed the accolade right…? I wonder which book series has the most characters in ever? That would be an incredibly nerdy thing to find out! 🤓
#CurrentlyReading
Physical Book: A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas – because y’know… Crescent City 3 👀
Audio Book: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco – this is one I’ve had in my library for a while. I’m only a few chapters in but am quite intrigued the magical elements and the heartglass concepts.
Upcoming Reads
I have that standard bibliophile problem that my shelves are stacked full of unread books. I try to keep my TBR fairly flexible and rather than set a fixed, monthly TBR, I tend to go with my reading mood or something that I’m desperate to either start or finish. As February is a short month, I’m going quite conservative here…
- Taylor Swift The Whole Story by Chas Newkey-Burden (a Christmas gift from someone who knows me all too well!)
- A Feast For Crows by George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones #4 – on Audiobook)
- Rivals by Katharine McGee (American Royals #3 – my friend gave me her copy 😍 thanks Nikki!)
- House of Shadow and Flame by Sarah J Maas (Crescent City #3 – I don’t think I’ll be able to keep myself away from it for too long!)
What I’ve Been Watching
With Six Nations starting this weekend, we recently started watching the Six Nations Full Contact on Netflix. It’s such a brilliant behind the scenes documentary which really showcases some of the men behind their rugby playing personas. I was quite taken aback by the hardships some of them had faced to get to where they are currently. Still in the middle of making my way through the Percy Jackson series, I just had to start Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+. I like that it’s more true to the books than the movies, and that Rick Riordan had more control over it. It does a pretty good job of bringing the series to life.
Movies, we’ve seen:
- One Life (Cinema) – I was actually really taken by this. It was a little hard to get into at first with the flashbacks between time periods, but the impact of Nicholas Winton’s actions and the legacy he created was so heartwarming. Anthony Hopkins is fantastic at displaying that on screen!
- Priscilla (Cinema) – Ever since watching Marie Antoinette, I’m always intrigued by Sofia Coppola’s portrayals of historical events. With Priscilla, she completely nailed the boundary between the love story of Elvis and Priscilla, but also the flipside of how Priscilla was essential groomed into being the type of woman and wife that Elvis wanted. It was mesmerising but uncomfortable at the same time. I came away really enamoured with the film and wanting to find out more about Priscilla’s story.
- Lift (Netflix) – Kevin Hart & Co in an airplane heist… Fast and Furious meets The Italian Job with a little Mission Impossible thrown in for good measure. Harmless, action thrills fun!
- Poor Things (Cinema) – I can totally see why Emma Stone won the Golden Globe for this! Barbie Oscars drama aside, I would totally give Emma Stone the Academy Award for this. The way she fully encapsulated the awkwardness yet vulnerabilities of Bella’s character was just beyond! From her movements, to her facial expressions and the intonations and inflections in her voice… I was blown away! Don’t get me wrong, this film is graphic and rude and slightly perverse on so many morality levels, but it was weirdly refreshing to watch something that wasn’t a biopic or a superhero movie. It’s made me intrigued to now see what the book is like. Overall, the movie is quirky entertainment with a side of twistedness!
And that’s a wrap! How was your January? Are you still on track with your 2024 TBR or reading goals? I’m totally looking forward to my February TBR pile and having the half term holiday to sink my teeth into it! What are you all looking forward to reading in February?
As always, drop me a comment to chat! ☺️
T xx
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