Tag: Autumn

#SixforSunday – Characters I Want To Spend New Years With

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

How was everyone’s Christmas? I hope you all got to spend it in the nicest way possible given all of the Covid “restrictions” etc…

This week’s Six For Sunday is gearing up for one of the biggest party times of the Year with Characters We’d Want To Spend New Years With! Now, as we are still under pandemic times, I’m forgoing the rule of six and turning it into a rule of seven as I would love to go to a massive-non-socially-distanced-rave-style-mosh-pit-party with these guys! 😆

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 Want To Spend New Years With

Addie LaRue

Jesper (Six of Crows)

Gandalf – with Fireworks! (Lord of the Rings)

Peik Lin (Crazy Rich Asians)

Tyrone Lannister (Game of Thrones)

Cassian (ACOTAR)

If only fictional worlds were one big reality where I could actually play that party out in real life!!! #eclecticbunch!

Which characters would be on your invite list for a New Years Party? How do you think you’ll be spending NYE this year? Are you looking forward to finally seeing the back of 2020?!
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Books I Want To Buy As Presents

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

Our Six For Sunday theme of Festive Goodness takes on the dreaded Christmas Shopping element this week! I wish more of my friends love books as much as I do as it would make things so much easier! Nevertheless, here’s the books I be buying as presents – let’s hope Secret Santas aren’t reading this! 😂

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

Books I Want To Buy As Presents

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

I would buy everyone this book! I know it probably wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste but I love it so much; it’s my favourite read of the entire year and one of my favourites of all time.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton

I’d have to buy two copies though… one for my Dolly-loving friend – and one for me! 😂

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

I have a friend who I think would really appreciate the world building the plot concept in this book. It was a really good read and I can see them liking it!

The Space Between Worlds
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

Again, I would have to buy two copies of this and give one to a friend so I had someone to chat about it with! I have to admit, I’m so nervous about finally being able to read the sequel. The first book is one of my all-time favourites so the sequel will have a lot to live up to!

Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

We can list books we’d want to buy as presents for ourselves can’t we?! 🙈

Mexican Gothic
Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

The above comment works for this one too! I actually do have a friend who I would buy this for. She loves YA and I know she hasn’t got around to purchasing this one for herself yet.

The Black Flamingo

Which books would be on your own Christmas list or which books are you buying for other people this holiday season?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Books I’d Like To Spend The Holidays In

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

Our Six For Sunday theme of Festive Goodness is really getting me hyped up and excited for Christmas and New Year. What better way to start thinking about which books I’d want to be spending the holidays in than with this week’s S4S prompt?!

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

Books I’d Like To Spend The Holidays In

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

There’s just something about the world of Narnia which screams Christmas to me! Perhaps it’s the wintry landscape but I could definitely imagine this being a really cosy and twinkly place to spend a white christmas.

Christmas at Hogwarts

Nothing says Christmas Banquet like a Hogwarts Christmas Feast. I would love to go to Warner Bros. Studios to see the big Christmas tree in the Great Hall and sip on some butter beer whilst listening to Flitwick and his random toad choir!

The OASIS from Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

If you don’t know already, this is one of my all time favourite books in the whole universe so it’s no surprise that I’d take any opportunity I could get to go exploring all of the different sectors and worlds within the OASIS. I bet there’s even a planet where it is actually Christmas everyday just so you could sing the Wizzard song and it would actually come true for a change!

Carcassonne (Labyrinth) from The Languedoc trilogy by Kate Mosse

I really love the world building in this series. Kate’s description of the medieval towns really wants to make me visit this beautiful region of France.

Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Party on the Heimdall anyone?? Pre BeiTech involvement obviously…!

The Shire (The Hobbit) by J.R.R. Tolkien

I can just imagine Christmas in the Shire being such a great time where everyone comes together to have a big festive gathering at the Green Dragon or the Prancing Pony! I’d definitely by up for a Christmas party there, especially if Gandalf brings his fireworks!

Where would you want to spend the holiday season?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

November Wrap Post

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Yoohoo Bibliofriends!

I’m finally getting around to writing my Wrap up for November! It was a month of epic proportions, read more below! ☺️

Life Update

This month has been so hectic, it’s unreal! School is just always so crazy and it seems that it’s only my social life that is in lockdown while work has gone full throttle!

In other news… I’ve actually moved house! We have been gradually renovating a property for a few years with the intention of moving into to when it was fully finished but other circumstances had us quickly having to move out of our old house and into our new one in a bit of a rush! It’s because of all those goings on that I have barely had the energy to read, let alone blog or tweet so there’ve been more gaps than I would have liked in my posting schedule this month! Thankfully, we are gradually getting our furniture set up and the boxes unpacked. I now have my own Office/Library space and my new house is just a walk away from the village centre where there is a library AND a bookshop! I’m in book heaven! Haha!

Blog Life

What I’ve Been Reading in November

  • The Savage Garden by Mark Mills – literally… that’s it – this is how my family know it’s a hectic time; I can;t remember the last time I only ever read one book in the month!!
  • I am part-way through reading a book called The Last Gospel but there’s still a fair way to go left in that before I finish it!

What I’ve Been Watching in November

  • The Umbrella Academy – I finally finished it! It had such a strange ending and I have so many more questions so I hope there’s going to be another series coming out soon!
  • We’ve finally caught up with The Crown ready for the new season! We’re such big fans of it in our house that we’ve already finished Season 4! The costumes and make-up are on point; it’s amazing how the actors really look and sound like the royals! Such drama!
  • I binge-watched Emily in Paris on one Saturday (seeing as we were in lockdown 2.0 and all!). It’s such a cute series, nowhere near as fun and original as Sex and the City was but it’s still a wonderful show to watch. I loved the characters and the costumes as well as that glorious Paris scenery. Roll on Season 2 – I need to know what happens next after that cliffhanger of an ending!
  • Little Italy – If you ever need a film that’ll make you crave pizza, this is it!
  • Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island – This premise and location had so much potential – unfortunately, I felt it was bit of a let down.

What I’ve Been Listening to in November

  • What with all of the US Election hype – I found myself addicted to the Americast podcast just to keep up with all of the goings-on.
  • Ready Player One (Audiobook) – deal of the week for just £3.99 – YES PLEASE! Ready Player One is one of my all-time favourite books ever so it’s been great listening to the audiobook before the release of the sequel. I think I missed out on the Waterstones signed editions but it safe to say that I can’t wait until August next year for the paperback to come out! I definitely need to read this soon!
  • Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts album finally dropped – I have been downloading all of the live covers I can get my hands on in the promo run up to this album and I absolutely love it! It’s practically been on repeat with her duet of I Got So High That I Saw Jesus with her sister Noah Cyrus and the Heart of Glass Blondie cover she did too. It definitely feels like Miley has evolved from her chrysalis into a beautiful musical butterfly with this album.

What I’m Looking Forward to it December

  • Spending more time reading and finally finishing some books.
  • Unpacking the rest of my boxes and actually living in our new house.
  • Seeing people from my support bubble.
  • CHRISTMAS!!!

What are you looking forward to reading and doing in December?

As always, drop me a comment to chat! ☺️

T xx

#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

October Wrap Post

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Happy November Bibliofriends!

I would say that it doesn’t feel that long since it was the September Wrap Post… but I never got around to writing one of those! So – it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long since I thought about writing the September Wrap Post! 😂

As usual, everything is in sections so feel free to skip to the ones you want to read (if you don’t want to hear about my boring life! 😂)
Apologies in advance that this post contains my favourite emoji 😂 many, MANY more times! #funnynotfunny

Life Update

Not gonna lie, I’m not in that great a place at the moment and the announcement of Lockdown 2.0 has just made things so much worse – which seems ironic given the many 😂 emojis. Honestly, if I’m not laughing, I’m crying – there is now no in-between on the mood front!

I’m glad we’re keeping schools open as there’s no way myself or my class would be able to access Remote Learning effectively due to wifi and other issues. The fact that I teach Years 3-6 all in one class can be challenging when you actually have the kids in the room with you, but to try replicating that online…?! Cue: brain confuddlement – so yes, very glad schools are open for now!

That being said, it feels like all of the things we enjoy in life have been taken away. All of the things I used to spend my evenings and weekends doing have been shut down or closed so it feels like all I am “allowed” to do is go to work then go home like a good little slave (and work isn’t that great at the moment either… everyone is so stressed and bogged down). It feels very much like ‘live to work’ rather than ‘work to live’.
I know that’s the case for most people, that I’m lucky to have a full-paying job to go to and that there truly are some horrific things happening out there; I’m very grateful that this is pretty much the worst of my problems but being at work like normal when it feels like the rest of the world isn’t is a really strange feeling that I don’t think my brain will ever be used to. Roll on December!

I had just got used to seeing my friends again and October was such a great time for that! I visited a local arboretum with friends I hadn’t seen since last Christmas. The trees were exquisite and it felt great to be doing something outside in the fresh air and in nature! I also went Pokemon hunting on Pokemon Go with some other friends and caught myself a shiny Charmander! It’s definitely made me want to get out and walk more (I’m trying to big up the “health benefits” of playing Pokemon here!). 😂🙈

The saddest part of the month was losing our beloved dog in late October. He’d been with us for over 10 years but sadly he just became so ill that it was unfair to let him decline and suffer. We still have one dog to pour our love into but the house is so quiet now and our dogs really were parts of our family rather than just animals. I still keep expecting to see him running through the door or jumping onto my lap and haven’t quite got used to the fact that he isn’t here anymore yet. I’m devastated 💔

So yes, October has been full of highs and lows, more than any other month. I’m trying so hard to be positive for November but it just isn’t happening at the moment. Hopefully there’ll be some amazing books to read and fictional worlds to get lost in!

Blog Life

These past couple of months have been pretty OK on the blog. I think this has been the longest period of time with regular/weekly posting since I set the whole thing up – so I’m taking that as a mini achievement! 😂

This month I did my very first series of posts about If Lord of the Rings Characters had Modern day Occupations. It’s the first time I’ve written posts like that so I was pleased that I managed to get them all out and scheduled! *mini achievement again – yay!* You can read all of the parts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

I definitely want to do another post like that at some point in the future, maybe with another fandom… any suggestions?!

Sometimes I’ve dropped off doing some Tag Tuesdays (feel free to tag me for any books tags – sometimes it’s the kick up the ass I need to do them!). I started doing Fae Friday which I’m hoping to keep up with more over the next month and maybe I’d like to start doing Top Ten Tuesdays again… so many options!

I was finally nominated by the wonderful Alex at MyBookWorld24 to do my first ever Sunshine Blogger Award! I had so much fun doing it and am thrilled that the lovely Ahaana at Windows to Worlds has nominated me to do it again! If anyone wants to be nominated then drop me a comment below! You can find my first SBA here!

What I’ve Been Reading in September and October

Across the two months I read 11 books which is pretty good going for me considering that the start of a new school term is always busy with less time for reading! Book titles will take you through to reviews (if I’ve written one for it!).

  • Beach Read by Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Hag: Forgotten Folk Tales Retold ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence ⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Thorn by Intisar Khanani ⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Cloak of Night (Circle of Shadows #2) by Evelyn Skye ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
  • A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (review to come)
  • A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and Vision For the Future by Sir David Attenborough ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review to come)
  • The Island by C.L. Taylor ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (review to come)
  • All the Wandering Light (Even the Darkest Stars #2) by Heather Fawcett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review to come)

What I’ve Been Watching in September and October

These last couple of months have been so strange that I’ve pretty much just been watching episodes of TV Shows back to back rather than full-length films. My attention span isn’t long enough for a full-length movie or by the time I’ve sat down in the evening ready to watch TV, the films are too long to watch in one evening so we ended up watching The Crown as we haven’t seen it before. It’s so brilliant – the actors, the voices, the costumes! I love it. Hopefully, the arrival of Season 4 in the middle of November will be something to look forward to in the middle of the month.

The other thing that my TV life revolves around is The Great British Bake Off! It sounds so shallow but I am loving the fact that even a global pandemic could not stop one of my favourite TV shows from happening! Bring on the trumpets! 😂 #wheresmycake

What I’ve Been Listening to in September and October

So we’re still on the Taylor Swift / Dolly Parton / The Dixie Chicks soundtrack from August but then towards the end of October, Miley Cyrus started doing those amazing live sessions and festivals in the build up to her new album which I am so excited about. I love her voice and the way she has changed musically as she’s shed the Hannah Montana skin and found her own fairly winding path through life and adulthood.

Songs that are on repeat the most:
Heart of Glass (Live from the iHeart Music Festival) – Miley Cyrus
betty (Live from the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards) – Taylor Swift
Malibu (Lost Frequencies Remix) – Miley Cyrus
Zombie (Live from the NIVA Save our Stages Festival) – Miley Cyrus
I Got So High That I Saw Jesus (Live recording ft. Miley Cyrus) – Noah Cyrus

What I’m Looking Forward to it November

  • Getting through it???? 🙈
  • Escaping to fictional worlds and more reading (obvs!)
  • Ready Player Two being released!
  • New series of The Crown on Netflix.
  • My new horse should have his debut run for us at some point this month.
  • Potentially moving house…?! *who knows when it’ll actually happen – but it’s getting closer… the packing has started!*
  • Blog-hopping – I seriously need to get my ass in gear and spend more time appreciating other people’s posts! It’s on my Habit Tracker for November – promise!

Writing this list has made me feel slightly more positive now for this month! 😂 Perhaps I’ll have to start writing a daily list of things I’m grateful for and what I’m looking forward to in order to get me out of this gloomy hole I’m in! I am very aware I need to stop whining – sorry everyone! 😂🙈🙃

And that’s a wrap! What have you been reading/watching/listening to/doing in October? How was your Halloween – what were your favourite spooky reads? What are your most anticipated November reads? And HOW are you coping with Lockdown 2.0??? Let me know in the comments!

As always, drop me a comment to chat! ☺️

T xx

#SixforSunday – Books From My Childhood

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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