Tag: authors

#SixforSunday – Red and White Books

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

It’s finally December!! For the past few years, I seemed to have lost my Christmas mojo and it just became another time of year with an excuse to eat and drink far too much – but this year I am getting super excited for Christmas! Maybe all of the crazy lockdown life has made me grateful for a time to celebrate with family, even if it is “restricted” more this year!

Anyway, before we actually get to Christmas we have a brand new Six For Sunday theme and this month it’s all about Festive Goodness! For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. This month is all about the red and white coloured books – nothing says Christmas than a little red and white striped candy came right?!

Red and White Books

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I binge read this book in less than 24 hours. Mysterious clue-solving treasure hunt for a massive inheritance around a big grand mansion… I sure did love it! If you enjoyed the film Knives Out then you’d probably enjoy this read! You can read my review here.

The Inheritance Games
Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel

I took the opportunity during the first lockdown to actually pick this mammoth brick up and read it. After I got over the narration style it was actually thoroughly enjoyable and incredibly well-written. I’m not sure how long it’ll take me to get around to reading the next two instalments though! 😂

Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1)
The Truth About Ruby Valentine by Alison Bond

This was one of those books where I read the review in a Sunday magazine and just had to have it. I would trawl the second hand bookshops just looking for a copy until I finally got one!

The Truth About Ruby Valentine
Everless by Sara Holland

I loved the concept of blood and time being currency in this book as well as the folklore surrounding the Sorcerer and the Alchemist. It seemed so unique and originally described. A five-star read from me but sadly I didn’t feel the sequel lived up to it as much.

Everless (Everless, #1)
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

It wouldn’t be a Biblioshelf post without a something from Throne of Glass right?! 🙄

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

What a furore this caused when it came out!! I won’t spoil it for anyone wanting to read it but I am glad that they didn’t use this book as the screenplay for the third film – this is one of those instances where I’m afraid I love the movies more than the books!

Mad About the Boy (Bridget Jones, #3)

What are your favourite red and white books covers? What kind of colours make you think of Christmas? Are you looking forward to the Festive Season?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Children’s Books I’d Love To Read

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

We are continuing our Celebration of Children’s Books this November with a post today all about children’s books I’d love to read! We have just rebanded all of our books at school and my class has so many in there that I’d love to read. I’ve given up trying to look at the amount of books on my TBR as I just keep adding and adding and adding to it! I wish I had about 8 heads so I could read 8 books all at the same time! 😂

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Books That I’d Love To Read

The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

So I must confess that I have “borrowed” these books from our school library because I really need to read them before the new series comes out! Thankfully – and almost unbelievably – I have managed to avoid all spoilers for the series so I really need to hurry up and read them before something spoils it for me!

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

We recently bought a new house and the lady who lived there had left all of her stuff due to her being in a care home. Amongst the shelves of railway books were the original Famous Five paperbacks. I never really read anything by Enid Blyton as a child but it would be lovely to make my way through this series.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I have never actually made my way through all of the Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve definitely read The Magician’s Nephew and I think I’ve read a majority of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe but I really do want to read the rest of the series to see if I can identify all of the religious symbolism in it.

A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison

I thought it best to include a fairly contemporary read and I’ve heard so many good things about this book that it makes me want to see if I can read it and link it to our Curriculum somehow.

Wonder by R.J. Palachio

I haven’t read this yet and feel like it’s one of those Kid’s Lit staples that you have to read at least once. I think it kind of marks some sort of turning point or acceptance to discuss disability/differences in children’s lit that we hadn’t quite experienced before.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

I recently watched the Artemis Fowl movie on Disney+ and now I have that need to read the entire series! It was really fun!

Which children’s books do you have on your TBR list?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Children’s Books I’d Love To Jump Into

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

We are continuing our Celebration of Children’s Books this November with a post today all about children’s books I’d love to jump into! One of the biggest reasons I love to read is that ability a book has to make me escape into a completely different world. That’s been a particularly crucial part of my reading in 2020. There are so many fictional worlds I’d love to jump into so it was quite hard to pick just 6 children’s ones for this list this week!

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Books That I’d Love To Jump Into

The Wizarding World – Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I can’t make this list without mentioning the Wizarding World – it gave me such a home away from home in a bookish sense and will always remain one of my comfort reads for ever. Muggle be damned, I’d be escaping to Diagon Alley at the first opportunity I got!

Cheltenham Racecourse – The Racehorse Who Wouldn’t Gallop by Clare Balding

As a massive horse-racing fan I’d be desperate to jump into Charlie Bass’s world! This year has been the first time I’ve missed the opening meeting of Cheltenham for the 2020-21 Jumps Season since I can remember. Racing is such a different world at the moment (like most sporting pursuits I imagine) and I can’t wait until we can all be back watching those parade rings again with my Racing Family!

The Hundred Acre Wood – Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

I absolutely love walking in a forest, particularly during the Autumn when the leaves are a riot of colour. The Hundred Acre Wood must be one of the most famous literary forests but I’d really love to have some tea and ‘hunny’ with some of Christopher Robin’s best friends.

Isle of Berk – How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Vikings – Check
Dragons – Check
Give me my passport to the Isle of Berk! I can’t imagine a better place for a dragon worshipper like me to spend time!

Narnia – The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I think Narnia is one of those typical fantasy worlds that I imagine would be featured on a ‘top fantasy places to visit before you die’ series. To eat Turkish Delight with the White Witch and take a selfie with Mr. Tumnus by the lamppost… I imagine it’d be bookish heaven!

The Chocolate Room – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

I have such a sweet tooth that the idea of being able to visit the Chocolate Room or even just the entire Chocolate Factory then I’m definitely jumping right in! It’s one of my all-time favourite settings and one that I love to use as setting descriptions in our KS2 English lessons!

Which children’s books or settings would you want to dive straight into?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Children’s Books That Would Make Brilliant Graphic Novels

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

We are continuing our Celebration of Children’s Books this November with a post today all about children’s books that would make brilliant graphic novels! Being totally honest, I don’t really read Graphic novels – they aren’t ever a genre that’s really been on my radar until recently so I must apologise to any authors/fans in advance if any of the following are already graphic novels!

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Books That Would Make Brilliant Graphic Novels

Cogheart by Peter Bunzl

I read this with my Year 6 Class as part of our steampunk topic and we absolutely loved it. Bunzl’s writing gave me such vivid images in my head of the world of Cogheart that I think it would be perfect for a graphic novel.

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Karen Millwood Hargrave

The setting and world-building in this book were so inventive that I’d love to see it in the imagery of a graphic novel.

Spies by Michael Frayn

I remember studying this in High School and I became so engrossed in the whole plot and the storyline. It would be nice to have this as a graphic novel so that I could dip back into it whenever I have time without reading the whole book all over again.

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders

I cam across the Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by pure coincidence but it’s another one where the world is so fun-filled and fabulous that I’d love to see someone draw it out in graphic novel form – just to see those decorative chocolate moulds!

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

I think I read Eragon on holiday and became so entranced with the whole idea of dragons hatching from eggs – it really reignited my love for fantasy fiction. The trouble I have is that I haven’t read the rest of the series yet and I can;t quite remember all of the crucial details from the story – having it in graphic novel form would give me the perfect recap so I can finish the Cycle!

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

This is one of those books where I have seen the film but haven’t yet read the book. The whole idea of being able to read a story into existence is so magical and I thoroughly enjoyed the film so much that I’d love to read a graphic novel version of it!

Which books would you want to be transformed into a Graphic Novel? What are some of your favourite graphic novels?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Books From My Childhood

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

It’s a brand new month and a brand new theme today on Six For Sunday and this November we are celebrating all things Children’s Books! As a child I loved kids’ books, as an adult I still love kids’ books and as a teacher I still love and use kids’ books to try and inspire the children in my class to love reading as much as I did. I think it’s amazing to see the differences of how the whole genre has changed and adapted with the developments in our modern-day societies compared with the type of books that were about when I was a child.

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Books From My Childhood

The Witches by Roald Dahl

This was one of my favourite children’s books ever. Clearly my love of fantasy was trying to show itself early! The way Roald Dahl convinced you that ‘real witches’ were just ordinary women mixing around you so you had to look super closely to spot them – pure childhood horror! I thought the 1990 film with Angelica Housten as the Grand High Witch was so uber scary that it would give me nightmares, especially the witch with the purple eyes who tried to lure Luke out of the treehouse with the snake. I have such fond memories of it that I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the new The Witches movie coming out soon – even if Anne Hathaway does look freakishly incredible as the Grand High Witch. Watch this space!

The Wizziwig Series by Gerladine McCaughrean

I wrote in a previous post about how I would spend some time after-school sat in the children’s section of the library whilst my Mum was doing some research for her coursework. Whilst sat in that beautifully colourful, amazing space, I came across a set of books by Gerladine McCaughrean about a witch (another witch…!) called Wizziwig. Those books were so enjoyable. There was one about a crazy cooker, one about a wacky weather machine, one about a singing car but my absolute favourite that I would read again and again was Wizziwig and the Sweet Machine. I loved Wizziwig so much I wanted to grow up and be her when I was an adult! 😂

Care of Henry by Anne Fine

Another one of my childhood library loves! This books was so adorable – it’s about a boy who has to choose which neighbour or relative to stay with whilst his Mum is in hospital having a baby. He practically interviews each one to see who will look after him and his dog the best. It really showed the boy’s love for his dog and was such an endearing read.

The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross

When we were in Y6 at school, we were able to spend out lunchtimes in the ‘common room’ which was a drama studio doubling up as our music room and library. It was right at the top of the school so was fondly named The Treetops and it has this WALL of books! I’d often sit there an enjoy picking my next read. One of the series I loved reading was The Demon Headmaster. I loved school so much (clearly as I now still spend my day-to-day life in them!) and the idea of reading a series about life in a school was so fun. We also had a headmaster who could be pretty demonic at times so we would sometimes try and work out whether he was the Demon Headmaster in disguise! I’m also pretty sure I’ve been to Gillian Cross’ house but my memory of it is getting much hazier the older I get!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

So asides from becoming Wizziwig the Witch, another childhood ambition was to go and live in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory just like Charlie Bucket – I mean… The Chocolate Room is absolute heaven on earth right?! I’d never have to live anywhere else again. The mentions of snozzcumbers and drinks that can make you fly, ever-lasting gobstoppers!! This book was a sweet-tooth’s dream and I think it was the first time I’d ever read something by Roald Dahl as an independent reader. It really does hold a special place on my bookshelves.

Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood

As a child, I was so fortunate to have a Dad who would read me a bedtime story every single night. The one I remember the most was Heckedy Peg. It’s about children who get kidnapped by a witch when their mother goes to market to get more food. The witch turns the children into food and make the mother guess which of her children is which food to try and break the spell. It’s quite a clever story and I loved the illustrations.

Which books are some of your childhood favourites?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Scary Stories / Characters

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

With Halloween just around the corner, we’re continuing the ‘Pumpkin Spice Goodness’ theme for October’s Six For Sunday by thinking of scary stories and characters. Most of my list this week is focused on the classics as I don’t tend to read many contemporary horror novels – however I did read a brilliant article by Silvia Moreno-Garcia on Buzzfeed Books called 10 Creepy Horror Books From Around The World which has me itching to click that ‘Want To Read’ button on Goodreads.

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Scary Stories

Dracula by Bram Stoker

One of the most well-known vampire tales, I’m definitely counting Dracula in the ‘scary story’ camp.

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Again, another one of the original Halloween monsters, Frankenstein is both scary character and scary story for me!

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

This is one of those truly classic gothic horror stories. The whole seance thing I find incredibly intriguing yet really scary. My Nan did a Ouija board once and was adamant that it told her she was going to marry me Grandad – and obviously, she did!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Amazing Amy definitely showed her darker side towards the end of this gripping novel. When my friend saw Rosamund Pike’s portrayal in the cinema he said it was enough to put him off women for life! 😂

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sherlock Holmes

I have to admit, the whole idea of big hounds across the moors glowing with phosphorous kind of creeps me out. I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to be running into those characters.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

I have heard so many good things about this story that the more I hear, the more I want to read it – hopefully I’ll get around to adding it to my TBR at some point.

Which scary books or characters have you trembling beneath the bed?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Books That Gave Me All The Feels

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

Continuing the ‘Pumpkin Spice Goodness’ theme for October’s Six For Sunday post this week, we’re thinking all about books that gave us feels. Some books immediately sprang to mind – one in particular 😉 – and it was quite easy to put this list together. I’ll try not to say too much about each one to avoid all of the inevitable spoilers that just pour out when a book gives you those massive feels!

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Books Which Gave Me Feels

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

If you know, you know! 😉

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

I think I’m officially crowning her Queen of the Feels since I can’t seem to get through any books of hers without bawling my eyes out at the end… and what an epic finale to the Throne of Glass series this was! 😍

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Yet again…! I know I cannot seem to make a post or a list without mentioning this book. I love it! Sorry, not sorry!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Now I’m not swooning at this one but I am in absolute awe of the amount of pop culture and easter eggs one man can fit into 374 pages.

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

I remember reading this for one of my A-Level English classes and it was so tentative and moving that it definitely deserved its place here.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes

I’ve always had a soft spot for Anastasia, but even more so after reading Nadine’s portrayal of her. She really managed get me invested into the lives of the characters in her historical fantasy novel.

Come on, fess up! Which books are giving you guys all the feels?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Characters I’d Be Scared To Meet

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

Continuing the ‘Pumpkin Spice Goodness’ theme for October’s Six For Sunday post this week, we’re thinking all about characters who we’d be scared to meet. This is such a strange one as I can be a highly anxious person at times so I’d be scared to meet various characters for completely various reasons, not necessarily just because they’re the creepy kind of scary!

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Characters I’d Be Scared to Meet

Patrick Bateman – American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

I mean, yes – Patrick is definitely the creepy kind of scary that I never want to cross paths with.

Pennywise the Clown – IT by Stephen King

Clowns give me the wiggins at any point (except for Tweedy the Clown, our local living legend 😍), but Pennywise is seriously scary and there’s no way I’d ever be climbing down into the sewers after my paper boat for this dude. No. Way.

Addie LaRue – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Addie made this list for a completely different reason to be the previous characters – due to her Faustian deal with the devil, I’d just be completely scared of being the one who forgot everything about her after meeting her, when secretly I’m wanting her to be my BFF! 😂

Shelob – The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ginormous spider.
That’s it.
That’s the reason.

Ramsay Bolton

Taking ‘disturbing’ and ‘deranged’ to whole new levels, I think I’d rather take my chances over The Wall than with bumping into Ramsay Bolton.

Aragorn – The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Another LOTR character but a very different reason. He’s made my list of characters I’d be scared to meet because if he didn’t ask me to run away to Middle Earth with him, I’d be beyond devastated! 😂

Which characters would you be ducking behind the bookshelves to avoid meeting and what are the different reasons that you’d be scared to meet certain characters?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Authors I’d Take For Coffee

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

We have a whole new theme for this month in Six for Sunday and it is just perfect for the season ahead! October’s ‘Pumpkin Spice Goodness’ theme has all of the Autumnal feels and I’m definitely feeling those vibes now that the wind has changed, nights are drawing in and the leaves are beginning to turn.

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Characters or Authors I’d Take For A Coffee

This week’s prompt is such a fascinating one as I normally wish that either I actually lived in the worlds of books, or that their characters could actually be my real-world best friends…so coffees for everyone basically! My list of characters and authors would be so immense that I’ve decided to focus on just the authors for this challenge. 

Sometimes I’m thinking about 1:1 coffee sessions in different places depending on each author; then other times this week’s Six for Sunday is breaking all of the UK Covid rules as I’m imagining a complete 7 person coffee gathering!! Because you know, clearly that 7th person will be the one to give us all Covid! 🙄 Anyway, here are my 6 authors I’m taking for coffee.

Neil Gaiman

Master of all fantasy and storytelling heritage, I could totally sit with Neil in a super cosy coffee shop, next to a roaring fire, somewhere in the wilds of Scotland to chat about fairies, the Anansi Boys, the world of Neverwhere and Loki.

V. E. Schwab

Ok if you haven’t heard me spouting off about how I have ‘just discovered’ Schwab, how irrevocably in love with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue I am and how I now have to own Every. Single. One. of this author’s books… where have you been?! 😂 With Schwab, we’d be going for coffee in France of course, probably sat in the sunshine on the banks of a river with croissants and baked goodies!

Kevin Kwan

Heading East to a swanky rooftop bar overlooking the Singaporean skyline, Kevin is bringing us the crazy, rich, high-society gossip with him to have us giggling into our coffee cups. Who needs Hello Magazine when you’ve got a coffee buddy like Kevin?

Ernest Cline

How could I not invite the author of one of my favourite books EVER to coffee? Clearly, we’re not actually going to a coffee shop for this one – instead, we’re grabbing our eco-friendly refill cups and getting a takeout in Cline’s Delorean whilst I grill him on all of the secrets and easter eggs he has planned for us in the upcoming Ready Player Two which comes out in November. I cannot wait!

Rebecca Crunden

I am definitely taking Rebecca for coffee to say thank you for letting me read the first book in her Outlands Pentalogy series, A Touch of Death and introducing me to the thrillingly dystopian Kingdom of Cutta (you should definitely read it! Spoiler-free review here!). I’ve just purchased instalment 2, A History of Madness on my Kindle app and cannot wait to dive into it and find out what happened to Nate and Catherine! Of course, we’ll also be talking about our most anticipated reads for the rest of 2020 and discussing which exciting projects Rebecca has lined up next!

Isabel Ibañez

Forget the coffee this time, it’s only right that we’re sipping on some hot cacao with Isabel Ibañez. I absolutely adored the references to Bolivian culture in Isabel’s debut novel Woven in Moonlight which I read earlier this year. The sequel is definitely on my pre-order list and as my Peruvian adventure was postponed this year we’d have to chat about all things South American and what the future has in store for Ximena and the Illustrians!

Which characters or authors would you be taking out for coffee? Are you more of an espresso person or do you prefer your coffees frothy and sweet – or do you forgo all hot drinks?!
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx