Category: Fae Friday

#FaeFriday – Favourite Books by Women Authors!

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Hey Bibliofriends!

I know it’s Saturday but better late than never right for Fae Friday?!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!
March 5th prompt:

Happy Women’s History Month! Since it’s the first #FaeFriday in March we’re going to start off with the prompt:

What are some of your favorite books written by women?  

I recently listened to the first ever episode of the podcast Breaking the Glass Slipper where they discussed how women authors were overlooked when it came down to compiling ‘top rated’ book lists for SFF and horror genres. That episode took place several years ago and although there are still gender and equality arguments out there in the publishing world today, just looking at my shelves and my anticipated reads and seeing them filled with women authors puts a smile on my face as it seems that we are inching closer to some sort of equilibrium.

When I got to thinking about my list for this prompt, I wanted to try and move away from some of the authors I continuously profess my love for (Sarah J Maas/V.E. Schwab/Leigh Bardugo etc…) and think about some of other women authors on my shelves whose books have left a special mark on my bookish heart.

  1. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter – I first discovered Angela Carter when I was writing my dissertation at university and her book The Bloody Chamber was just so intoxicating that she fast became one of my go-to authors. That level of gruesome darkness was spellbinding and it reignited my love for fairytales and fantasy all over again.
  2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Book of Fours by Nancy Holder – I am a MaHOOsive Buffy fan and I loved the narrative Nancy wove with the slayers and the elements in this story. It was really different to the other types of Buffy books I had read.
  3. To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – the language and vocabulary in this book was just – wow! I devoured every single word and sentence of the story and world that Christo built. It’s one of the only standalone books I’ve read that I wished were part of a series and I really need to know more and Elian’s and Lira’s kingdoms.

What are your favourite books by women authors
As always leave me your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday – History Books by Black Authors!

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Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

It’s finally the weekend which can only mean one thing… (well lots of things really 😏) but one of my favourites is Fae Friday!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!
February 26th prompt:

It’s the last Friday in February (Black History month in the US), and this week’s prompt is: 

What are some of your favourite history books written by Black authors? 

Despite half of my degree being History based, over the years I’ve gravitated away from reading non-fiction / history books preferring to get myself lost in the pages of fictional worlds instead. I genuinely couldn’t tell you of many up and coming history writers today other than the ‘big names’ or those I studied whilst doing my degree, let alone any history writers who are Black (shameful, I know!). That being said, the prompt this week gave me the perfect opportunity to start learning, go book hunting and add some titles written by Black historians to my TBR! Some of these are more like memoirs rather than what I’d call a History book, but who better to learn from than the people themselves?

  1. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou – This is one of those classic must-reads that I have never got around to reading so this would definitely be on the list!
  2. Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur – the story of the real Black Panther has fascinated me for some time so I’d absolutely like to read this one!
  3. Voices of the Windrush Generation by David Matthews – such an iconic generation of people and the impact immigration had on them, it deserves to be read.

I do have a little bonus curveball that I came across whilst browsing and I can’t include it in my list above as it is written by a white person however it does discuss Black history from one of my all-time favourite Historical periods and it’s called: Black Tudors: The Untold Story by Miranda Kaufmann.


I can’t wait to discover more so please feel free to leave me your recommendations!

What are your favourite history books by black authors? Have you read any of these on my TBR yet?
As always leave me your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday – Black History Month!

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

It has been half-term week and I have really loved having the time to catch up with my reading – and one of those books came at the absolute perfect timing for this week’s Fae Friday!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!
February 19th prompt:

February is Black History Month in the United States, which is why this week’s prompt is:

What are some of your favorite books written by Black authors? 

One of my reading goals for 2021 was to start reading more diversely and to try and celebrate all kinds of voices rather than sticking to the same-old YA fantasies. So far this year I have read three incredibly exceptional books by authors I can’t wait to read more of! They are:

  1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  2. Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
  3. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

The Hate U Give conveyed such an important and powerful message; Raybearer had an intoxicating world filled with folklore and magic; The Gilded Ones featured a stellar main character with a development arc wider than the biggest rainbow – I loved the way every single one of these stories and voices made me think more deeply whilst at the same time giving me that amazing reading experience.
I can’t wait to discover more so please feel free to leave me your recommendations! One read already on my 2021 TBR is A Song of Wraiths and Ruin so I can’t wait to get around to reading that later this year.

What are your favourite books by black authors? Have you read any of my favourites yet?
As always leave me your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday – What book didn’t live up to the hype?

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

How are you getting on with your reading goals? It’s always around this time that I feel my goals start to slip a little, however with the continuation of lockdown into March, I guess I still have no social life so I may as well keep persevering with my goals! 😂 Thankfully, it’s time for #FaeFriday again!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

February 12th prompt:

It’s #FaeFriday and I bet you already knew what this week’s prompt would be based on last week! 😉

What book didn’t live up to the hype?

This question always fills me with a little bit of dread as it’s usually always accompanied with an 🚨 unpopular opinion alert 🚨! I also find it really awkward at having to say that book just isn’t for me – I’m too much of a people pleaser sometimes! 🙈

My immediate thoughts go to Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin. I first read this series when the book came in my Fairyloot subscription box and it was mega-hyped as the best witchy book you’ll have read in a long time… so I went into it with major hocus pocus vibes only to find that the thing I enjoyed most about the book was the constant references to sticky cinnamon buns. I know some people have major love for the series but it just wasn’t my thing at all.
I have since found my perfect witchy book that definitely WAS the best witchy book I’ve read for a long time, but that’s a different story… 😉

Other notable mentions include:
The Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo – which is so odd as I LOVE Six of Crows!
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

What books didn’t quite cut the mustard and live up to the hype for you? As always, leave me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday – What book lived up to the hype?

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

We’re finally in February and getting closer to Spring! Don’t get me wrong, I love how pretty everywhere looks when it’s covered in snow but I will be so glad to have the warmer weather and lighter evenings back! And hopefully less rain too! But for now, it’s time for Fae Friday!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

February 5th prompt:

It’s #FaeFriday! That means it’s time for this week’s prompt!

What book lived up to the hype?

This is such an amazing prompt because I could think of so many possible choices and probably talk about the for ages!

One of the first ones that came to mind is the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. I remember when I had just started venturing into the bookish social media world by signing up to subscription boxes etc… and everyone was raving about this author. So when it popped up that she was doing a live event at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, I thought I’d book a ticket and see what all the fuss was about – despite the fact that I hadn’t read any of her books! 😂 That kind of backfired on me a little bit as there was talk of a character called Sam and also one of the major spoilers from the ending of the second book so I was a little bit spoiled but also really confused when I finally did start reading the series! 🙈 Needless to say I am so glad I just went along on a whim because otherwise I don’t think I’d have necessarily picked up the books as soon as I did and I absolutely ADORE this series. It really got me back into loving reading and fantasy/YA fiction again.

Other notable mentions include:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwa
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

What books lived up to the hype for you? As always, leave me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday – Least Favourite Genre

The BiblioshelfLeave a comment

Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

How has your week been? We have a Wellbeing Day today for the children, parents and staff which has been fabulous as it’s allowed me to catch up with the backlog of Assignments marking on Teams as well as actually catch up with some housework (and catch up with Fae Friday!)! 🙈 I’m so excited to be doing Fae Friday again, I love how fun this tag is!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

January 29th prompt:

It’s #FaeFriday, and it’s time to start a genre war… (not really, please be nice).

What is your least favorite genre, and why?

I covet books so much, it really is like some kind of addiction or chemical brain message which tells me I need to try and own a copy of every single book ever. So, as I’ll literally read absolutely anything, I don’t really have a ‘least favourite’ genre. I guess I could do without modern crime fiction, like murder mysteries or disappearances – only because there always seems to be so many of them on the shelves and they also always seem to have a ‘cover-type’ that can make them come across as quite generic. I’m not really incentivised to read them. It’s either that or any stories to do with family dramas, tragedy or illnesses – they’re just far too emotional for me to make it through without bawling my eyes out!

What are your least favourite genres? Which type of stories (or maybe not even stories, could you do without? As always, leave me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday – Foodie Fairies

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

How has your week been? We are creeping ever closer to half term and I cannot wait to have a chance to switch off and recharge my batteries – this term has been something else! But enough of all that… let’s focus on the fairies in this week’s Fae Friday! 😍

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

October 16th prompt:

This week was created by the brilliant Nery from postcardsfromlalaland.com! Faeries are known for their love of food, so we’re wondering:

What books have such fantastic food descriptions that you’re hungry after reading them?

Not gonna lie – Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye popped straight into my mind as soon as I read this week’s prompt. The food descriptions in that book made me dedicate an entire paragraph to it in my review (which you can read here, just to check out how much I love the food in this book! 😂) – don’t blame me if you come away from it craving Asian food!

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal is another book which, although it doesn’t necessarily make me crave the hot chilli goodness inside its pages, has to be a notable mention here for the brilliant incorporation of food into fiction. It’s quite a unique read which has stuck in my memory for a long period of time.

And finally, I could not talk about food in books without an honorary mention to Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin.
Those.
Cinnamon.
Buns.
I would not be embellishing the truth when I say that I drove all the way to the supermarket just to buy a box of cinnamon buns. The only ones that have come even close to what I imagine they really taste like in the book is Morrisons. I rarely ever shop there and even then I only got to try them once as they always seem to be unavailable every time I get to the store!

And now I am utterly starving. AGAIN! Thanks Fae Friday!! 😂🙄🙈

What are your favourite foodie books? Has any description of food in a book been so powerful that you’ve had to go out and buy it right away? As always, leave me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday – Autumn Vibes

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Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

I know I said last week was ‘what a week’ but boy, oh boy, this week definitely put the WHAT in WHAT a week! I’ve been working so late at work that I even forgot to watch Bake Off on Tuesday night – just totally sat there at home and forgot the show was even on! I’ve also been letting my posts drop a little lately but hopefully this weekend I’ll find some time to get back on track!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

October 2nd prompt:

Autumn is in the air, and the autumn court is in the spotlight. They’re celebrating the season change by gracing us with the beautiful gift that is the changing of the leaves. That is why this week’s prompt is:

What genre gives off that perfect autumn vibe to you?

For me Autumn is all about cosy nights in, leaves changing colour on the trees, sunset drives down country lanes, hot chocolate by warm fires and of course – good books!

I’m not terribly sure that I associate a particular genre with Autumn, but there is definitely something bookish which gives me all of the Autumnal vibes!

This time of year always brings the Cheltenham Literature Festival which is one of my absolute favourite things to do in our town. I usually try to attend an event each evening and then spend my whole weekends either at events or sat in the book tent reading! This year is a little different obviously with Covid, so I’ll be watching a majority of the events online on the catch-up player instead.

Normally they have a special event at the Festival every year for the announcement of the winner of the Man Booker Prize and it’s this that makes me associate Autumn with all different kinds of books from various genres. The Literature Festival always inspires me to read more broadly and explore books/authors I wouldn’t usually experience so that’s why I can’t just pick one particular genre.

What type of books or genres do you like to read during the Autumn? Do you have any local Literature Festivals that you love to attend? What are your favourite things about this wonderful season? Feel free to leave me links to your own Fae Friday and I’ll check them out!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday – Hurts So Good

The Biblioshelf8 Comments

Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

What a week this has been, in various ways of good and bad! Work has been hellish but book mail has thankfully saved the day as my Fairyloot September box AND my Fairyloot Daevabad set both arrived this week! They are all so so gorgeous and I cannot wait to dive into those reads!

Speaking of fairies… Happy Fae Friday!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

October 2nd prompt:

Autumn is in the air, and the autumn court is in the spotlight. The autumn court is full of strange and beautiful faes who can have a slight sadistic side. This week’s prompt is dedicated to those sadists, which is why this curious wannabe fae wants to know: 

What are some of your go-to authors that make it hurt so good?

So from my first reading of the prompt I’m immediately having flashbacks to reading Fifty Shades of Grey…! Purely because of the wording within the prompt and not my dirty voyeuristic mind!!! 😂🙈😂

Moving on – I tend to cry at lots of different things in books so there isn’t really a set ‘go-to’ author that I’d pick-up when I need a good cry, however… Sarah J Maas‘ books should totally come with a free box of Kleenex or something! The amount of times she’s had me in tears… but I just absolutely love her, there’s not a single thing she’s written that I don’t want to read.

The only other thing I can really think of that I would go to for a good cry is Fanfiction. There is a particular ‘ship’ in the HP fan fiction community (it’s secretly my one true pairing and ultimate guilty pleasure) that never fails to send me sobbing but it so worth the pain just to read those stories. You can guarantee if it’s a sad ending then I’ll be sobbing! 😂

Do you cry a lot at books or stories? Which authors make all that sobbing worth the pain? Feel free to leave me links to your own Fae Friday and I’ll check them out!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#FaeFriday

The Biblioshelf1 Comment

Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

What are you all up to this weekend? I hope it’s something fun-filled and fabulous!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

September 25th prompt:
Music is something that faeries are known to enjoy. That is why this week’s prompt is:
What kind of music do you listen to when reading?

I’m not very good at all with listening to music whilst reading. If it’s something with lyrics or a catchy tune, I’m always trying to sing along or tap my feet and move to the rhythm which distracts me from actually reading the words on the page.
If I do listen to any music at all it has to be classical or something from a movie soundtrack. Recently those tracks have been: Portals from Avengers Endgame; the theme from Jurassic Park and the end credits from Ready Player One.

Do you listen to music when you read? Feel free to leave me links to your own Fae Friday and I’ll check them out!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx