TTT – Favourite things to eat/drink whilst reading

September 17, 2019September 15, 2019 The Biblioshelf3 Comments

Hi Bibliofriends,

TTT was pretty hard work this week, compared to last week’s one. If you don’t already know, TTT is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I don’t tend to eat anything whilst reading. I’m normally always reading a physical book which makes it fairly difficult to eat anything as I’m trying so hard to hold the book up without bending the spine – yes, I’m one of those people…! Also, snackish items that I’d want to eat whilst reading like crisps, chocolate etc. always tend to leave little marks all over the pages which I can’t stand. Therefore, my TTT this week is compiled of drinks only and has been reduced to just 6! As I said, this week’s TTT was hard work!

Tea – a good strong brew with a small amount of milk and one sweetner. I’ve weaned myself off having two sugars as I drink so much tea nowadays.
Coffee – black with one sweetner. The above note about sugar also applies here.
Hot Chocolate – especially in the winter! Galaxy s probably my favourite as I don’t have a proper milk frother and that’s the one that tastes the best when you just add hot water.
A Java-Chip Frapuccino from Starbucks – my all-time favourite Starbucks drink ever!
Wine – a white sauvignon blanc or any rose, especially when reading in a sunny garden.
Gin and Tonic – I don’t need any specific reason to drink one of these!

What do you like to eat and drink whilst reading? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

TTT – Books on my TBR I’m avoiding reading.

September 10, 2019September 1, 2019 The Biblioshelf1 Comment

Hey Bibliofriends!

Top Ten Tuesday was so easy for me this week! Having such a mammoth TBR list also helps. If you don’t already know, TTT is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. My summer holiday project was to try and finish some of the series that I had already started but hadn’t got around to finishing. I managed to tick off quite a few but there are still a couple left that I have to get through before I want to begin any new ones. Additionally, by finishing some of the more hyped book series earlier this year (Caraval, Throne of Glass and Illuminae), I don’t think I’m entirely ready to put my little bookish heart out there again whilst it is still in recovery mode from these epic endings! Therefore my entire TTT list this week is compiled around the books on my TBR that I’m avoiding as I’m not ready to start a new series yet!

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Nocturna by Maya Motayne
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Odeyemi
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
The Beholder by Anna Bright

There we go – ten series which are on my TBR, sat right here next to me as I type…that I am actively avoiding because I’m not ready to start a new series yet. 🙈
Which one do you think I should start with when I finally get around to it? Have you read any of these? What books from your TBR are you side-eyeing and avoiding too? As always drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

TTT – Books outside my comfort zone I actually enjoyed

September 3, 2019September 1, 2019 The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Hey Bibliofriends!

Top Ten Tuesday this week is all about the books we actually enjoyed which were outside of our comfort zones. If you don’t already know, TTT is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Looking back through my shelves to try and compile this list, it became pretty clear that I don’t tend to read outside of my comfort zone an awful lot nowadays. I wonder if this is one of the contributing reasons the infamous ‘reading slump’ seems to take hold every now and again. Most of my list is made up of compulsory books from reading lists of my English Literature High School and Degree Courses. Perhaps it should be my 2020 resolution to read more widely and get my head out of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy clouds for a while!

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith – I don’t normally tend to read crime fiction or detective novels that much, despite one of my English Literature degree modules being crime fiction 😂. If I’m being perfectly honest, the only reason I picked this up in the first place was because it was J.K. Rowling who wrote it, however I soon grew to love the characters and the story that she wove together and now I am a massive fan of this series.

Walking Home: My Family and Other Rambles by Clare Balding – I was gifted this book by one of my students after telling them that I really wanted to read the new Clare Balding book. They bought me this for Christmas and I didn’t have the heart to tell them that the book I actually meant was her children’s book The Racehorse Who Wouldn’t Gallop. Nevertheless, I read it over that holiday and absolutely loved it. The way she merged discussions about walking routes, her experiences with various different groups of people alongside how walking is an outlet/escape from real life was actually quite inspiring and I enjoyed reading it a lot more than I expected to.

The Secret History of the World by Jonathan Black – This book has quite a lot of pages and the font is so tiny that I almost never wanted to put the effort into reading it. At times, all of the esoteric and theological references were a little heavy going too. But when I finally did get into it, it was actually more intriguing and interesting than I’d originally given it credit for.

All My Sons by Arthur Miller – I don’t tend to read playscripts out of choice, other than the Shakespeare plays or Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (which I saw for the first time last month 🙌), but after reading this once upon a time as part of my school coursework I found that it is actually quite a powerful piece of writing with some really memorable and compelling quotes.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks – I can’t even remember how or why I read this book. All I do remember is that it was a type of storytelling and subject matter that I hadn’t come across before and it was weirdly fascinating to read.

Once in a House on Fire by Andrea Ashworth – This was suggested to me by one of my teachers for a piece of English coursework I was writing. Memoirs are also not really a genre I would typically chose to read, unless it’s either a person or subject matter which really interests me. Ashworth’s writing was so poignant and gripping that I couldn’t put it down and still have my copy on my bookshelf to this day.

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks – Yet another one from the days of High School English Literature classes! I don’t read books set in war history from our time but Faulk’s tale moved me to tears.

The Girls by Lori Lansens – When I relocated, this was the first book which I bought from my local bookshop. It is a story about two conjoined twins and how they are on the verge of becoming the oldest living conjoined twins in history. It’s not something I’d normally buy but it was a really endearing tale.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – This book always gives me fond memories of my school days. It’s one of those American classics that I don’t normally go to but I really enjoyed reading it.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake – I like reading poetry but sometimes I find it difficult to become a fan of a poet’s whole works. William Blake was the first poet that made me want to read his entire collection. The Songs of Innocence and of Experience are famous for so many lines and references and they definitely contain some of my favourite poems of all time.

Have you read any of these? What books would make it onto your own TTT list this week? As always drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

September 1, 2019August 31, 2019 The Biblioshelf5 Comments

Hey Bibliofriends!

Happy 1^stSeptember! Whilst my inner child is happily in London at Platform 9¾ to get to Hogwarts, the real me is sat at a laptop screen wondering how on earth September is happening already?!

BREAKING NEWS – I have actually got rid of some books! 😱 Getting rid of books either by donating them or selling them has been one of those ‘never have I ever’ things for me, but considering all of the books I’ve been buying recently, the fact that my floorboards are now actually bending underneath the sheer weight of all of my tomes, and that I barely have time to read a majority of them… I figured it was finally time to part with some of my lesser-loved reads that I know I’ll probably never pick up again. To be honest, I can’t even remember what I’ve parted with – I just know that they have found their way to a community centre where hopefully others will find some enjoyment in them. How do you decide what to part with and what to keep? Do you donate or sell? Any tips would be gratefully received to try and cure my hoarding affliction!

With that all sorted, it gave me a little more room to concentrate on the epic list that forms the ‘never-ending TBR pile’to see which books I could actually start ticking off my list. In case you missed my summer reads, you can shimmy on over to see which series I’ve finally finished reading here. According to Goodreads, the Reading Challenge to read 50 books by then end of 2019 is ‘on track’, which is hilarious considering the amount of time I’ve actually given to reading these past few months!

September’s TBR focus is still trying to complete a few more outstanding series before I start to get cracking on some of the newer ones.

This month I’m aiming to read:
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao – This is the conclusion to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns which was one of the first books I ever reviewed on this site. I loved the atmosphere of this Evil Queen retelling that I have been desperate to finally start it the sequel.

Song of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury – After receiving State of Sorrow in a previous Fairyloot box last year and then coming across a gorgeous edition of Song of Sorrow complete with fancy stencilled edges, it was a dead cert that I’d have to be completing this series.

If I have time:
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson – As this is a standalone it’s been allowed to be bumped up the TBR list! 😂 I’ve heard some wonderful things about it on Bookstagram and the magical library may be just the escape I need from teaching young muggles this month!

What are you all reading this month? Are you on track to reach your reading goal? Is your inner child also on board the Hogwarts Express? As always drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

August Book Wrap

August 31, 2019 The Biblioshelf6 Comments

Hey Bibliofriends…if you’re still out there!

Life has been such a whirlwind of adulting over the past few months which has meant that my poor little blog and actually ‘reading’ books has had to take a back seat. In short, there have been house renovations (still not complete!), a large amount of family birthdays and getting a new job! Life in the jobosphere has been quite tricky over the past 12-18 months so it was a massive relief to be offered a new position in a different school; it comes with a higher workload and a lot more responsibility but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. I’ve also gone from teaching the oldest kids in the school to the youngest ones so September is going to be a pretty steep learning curve for everyone in my class. In the absence of my Hogwarts letter it looks like I’m teaching the muggles again for this year at least!

Books I’ve Read: August has finally handed me some free-time to be able to enjoy reading again. I hastily compiled a Newts Magical Readathon List together at the end of July which I’ll be discussing in a forthcoming post. I think I’m still on track to reach my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal by the end of the year – I’m currently at 33/50.

The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen – This was my first ever Netgalley book to review *mini cheer*and I really enjoyed it! If you love Atlantis, Venice and want a more grown up mystical-fantasy story then this may be the pick for you; keep your eyes peeled – a full review will be coming soon.
Legendary and Finale by Stephanie Garber – With the release of Finale earlier this year there was no better time for me then to finally complete this magical series. I was really intrigued by Stephanie’s take on the Fates and became truly submersed into the world of Tella, Legend and Caraval.
Obsidio (Illuminae #3) by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – Another series I was able to complete was the Illuminae Files. I’ve made no secrets of my love for this series and I’d highly recommend it to anybody. I don’t think you have to love the Sci-Fi genre to enjoy this; I’m not the most impassioned reader of spaceships and galaxies far, far away, but the characters Kaufman and Kristoff created and weaved together through this cleverly plotted and captivating series was absolutely 5-Star and will be one of my favourites for many years to come.
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch – This book really called out to my inner wanderlust. Florence is one of my favourite cities in the world so the fact that this was based here was what attracted me to it. Although I would have loved a little more Florence from the novel, the story of Lina’s journey to the Tuscan city and the relationships she made there created a perfect light-read for Summer.
Evermore (Everless #2) by Sara Holland – Can you spot the theme running through my reads yet…? Everless was another series that I wanted to finish this summer. I loved the first book and the fable revolving around the Alchemist and the Sorceress. Whilst this one didn’t enthral me as much as the first novel in the series, I really enjoyed seeing how it all ended.
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith – I’ve been reading the Strike series since finding out that J.K. Rowling was secretly Robert Galbraith. This latest instalment in the series did definitely not disappoint and I’d even go as far to say that Lethal White is my favourite of all the Strike novels so far. Although I was initially a little scared of its brick-like size clocking in at 656 pages, my need to keep turning the pages to find out what was happening enabled me to breeze through it in about 5 days. I already can’t wait for Book 5!
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw – This book had been on my TBR for ages and being a standalone it wouldn’t have broken the little task I set for myself to try and finish some of the outstanding series I had on my shelves. I thoroughly enjoyed this witchy read and despite working out where the plot was going fairly early on, I still became immersed in the way the story was told and how everything unfolded towards the end. If the town of Sparrow was a real place, then it’d definitely be on my Literary Travel Bucket-List!
The Midnight Game (Episode 1) by Cecilia Dart-Thornton – If I’m being perfectly honest, I read this book as it only had 94 pages and would enable me to complete one of my subjects for the Newts Magical Readathon quite quickly. One of my pet hates in real-life is people who try and talk with a fake accent or use language/words which are almost forced – unfortunately this story did precisely that and I don’t think I’ll be reading Episode 2 anytime soon – it’s definitely not the story for me.
England in Cameracolour, Cotswolds and Shakespeare Country – This was a delightful and surprising find. It was a collection of stunning photographs from lots of places in the areas surrounding where I live. Accompanying each photograph was writing about the history of each place. Definitely an interesting coffee-table style book which appealed to a Cotswold local like me.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – I recently purchased all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe boxsets on Blu-Ray as I hadn’t seen any of the films before Captain America: Winter Soldier. This Summer I’ve been gradually working my way through them in chronological order and the appearance of Thor made me want to dig Norse Mythology from out of my TBR pile. My knowledge of the Norse Myths is very vague and Gaiman is one of my auto-buy authors so it was great to finally tick this one off my reading list. Gaiman really is a master story-teller and this book definitely satisfied all of my mythological cravings!

Now I list them down, I’m actually quite impressed by the amount of reading I’ve managed to do this Summer, particularly as 4 out of my 6 week break has been spent working at my new school to try and get it ready for the new academic year! 😳

What have you been reading this month and what are you looking forward to reading in September? As ever, drop me a comment below to chat!

T xx

Six for Sunday – Books from my Childhood

April 14, 2019 The Biblioshelf8 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends!

What a busy weekend it’s been! I’ve been to a wedding, a rugby match, an evening watching my friend’s band play at one of the bars in our local town and later I’m off to the cinema! I’ll be posting more about where I’m up to with my April TBR and the OWLs Magical Readathon in a mid-month update later this week. But for now, back to Six for Sunday!

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is a weekly list-based meme created by Steph @ALittleButALot and has a different weekly prompt based on a monthly theme. April is all about children’s literature and as a primary school teacher I am definitely ready for ‘Kids Lit Represent’!

This Sunday, we are discussing books from my childhood. There are so, so many books that could go on this list, and they’d pretty much be the same as last week’s Six for Sunday; so this is essentially another six books from my childhood that I love!

A Collection of Woodland Tales by Beryl Johnson, illustrated by Dorothea King

I rescued this book from our garage a few years back and it now sits safely on the ‘children’s books’ section of my bookshelves. The illustrations in this book are absolutely delightful and the tales about fairies having balls and drinking rainbows out of acorn cups are adorable! I used to love reading it as a child.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

A staple of any young child’s reading library. I think my copy had holes in the fruit to show you where he’d been eating. It also used to give you a clue as to what was coming on the next page. The teacher from my very first training placement even bought me a mug with this on.

My Annette Mills Gift Book 1954

This is a vintage book I had from my Nan and Grandad along with some other classics like the old Rupert the Bear annuals. I used to love looking at all the old pictures. I’d read the stories sat on a roll of carpet in their back garden. It’s books like these that bring that have really fond childhood memories attached to them.

1940s Cinderella by Trelleck

Another one of my rescues from my Grandparent’s house. This book is practically falling apart now so I keep it wedged flat between two other books and treat it with a lot of care. I’ve scoured it many times for a publication date but there doesn’t seem to be one and the only ones I’ve found for resale online say it was published in the 1940s. It’s quite worn and I’m sure my Nan even drew in it as a child so it probably isn’t worth as much as the proper vintage ones but it still has a special place on my shelf.

The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann / Buzz Books

As a child I used to love watching The Animals of Farthing Wood as an animated series on TV. They accompanied the TV programme with a set of 16 little hardback books by Buzz Books which were practically in the same style as Ladybird Books. I used to have the whole set all neatly ordered on the bookshelves in my bedroom. Now as an adult I also own the original Colin Dann book which is at an indefinable place on my ever-growing TBR pile.

The Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter

These books were the absolute cutest! We used to travel to Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds very often when I was child. It is a beautifully picturesque place with the River Windrush running through it, where they sometimes play football in the river during the Summer months. They had a shop dedicated to Beatrix Potter andcentredaround the story of The Tailor of Gloucester. Every time we would visit I would come away with another one of those little books to add to my collection. I think Jemima Puddleduck and Benjamin Bunny were amongst my favourites!

What are some books from your childhood? Do you have still have them sat on your shelves at home today? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your Sunday Bibliofriends!

T xx

5 Biblioshelf Musings about…Mirage by Somaiya Daud [Spolier Free]

April 10, 2019 The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Series: Mirage
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy (YA)
Publication Date: 28^thAugust 2018
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pages: 320
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Mirage is the debut novel from Somaiya Daud and is the first instalment in this Middle Eastern style Fantasy/Sci-fi series. There’s friendship, romance, droids, mythology and an epic planetary world for you to get your teeth stuck into. Here’s five spoiler-free musings I had about this brilliant novel.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and will travel beyond her isolated moon. But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place. As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty – and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play princess to perfection…because one wrong move could lead to her death.

Maram vs Amani
Maram is supposed to be the villain of this story, yet somehow I found myself sympathising with her the more her character developed and extra details about her upbringing were revealed. Don’t get me wrong, she starts off quite cruel and nasty, however in reality she is just a product of the Vathek world she was raised in, thanks to her father King Mathis. Whether or not Maram is the tragic hero of the story is subjective but the relationship arc between her and Amani was probably my favourite part of the book. Amani’s character on the other hand was almost the opposite of Maram’s. A humble village girl who is stolen away from her family and made to live amongst the riches of the Royal Palaces. Sooner or later, she starts to embrace the world that she’s been forced into and takes on more than just the ‘body double’. The interactions between Maram and Amani and the role they play within the story was incredibly well-written and I found myself looking forward to the parts of the book where their characters would intersect. With the way Daud leaves the ending of the novel, I’m really intrigued to see what happens next to this pair of characters.

“Could I live my life knowing I’d never stepped close to such a flame? Could I exist in the Ziyaana knowing I had chosen my shadowed half life, had accepted a horrible changing in my soul, instead of reaching out with both hands with something that might remake me? Arinaas’s flame might char my skin and break my bones, but in the end I would emerge remade, newer and stronger and a version of myself no one could snuff out.”

Mythology
If you love mythology and fairytales, particularly those with an Arabian feel, then Mirage should appeal to you. Myths, legends and folklore are the undercurrent within the novel and this is what gives it that fantasy-like feel. The stories of the Tesleet bird and Massinia, to name just a few, help to pad the story out and give what is a relatively thin plot more substance. In turn, they also add to the amazing world-building created by Daud.

“Hope. Hard won, soaked in blood, a hope that burned as much as it lit her way.”

World-Building

First off, the map at the beginning of this book is gorgeous. There are so many places in the world of Andala. If I could hop on a space-shuttle right now, I absolutely would. The Ouamalich Star System is so wide and vast; there are many, many places listed in this fabulous world that Somaiya has created and whilst a lot of them are mentioned and visited, a fair few are left unexplored. I’m hoping that they will have a part to play in the future of the series. To back this up, the writing in Mirage is incredibly rich. It appeals to practically every sense…and then some! I love a story where the writing is lyrical and descriptive so this is probably why Mirage appealed to me so much.

“I could feel the water in the air, cool, thin, but there. It carried with it the smell of lemons and oranges, and the sound of a hundred trees, waving gently in the wind.”

The Vathek
The Vathek are really the main drivers for the plot in this story. After all, they are the ones who have taken over the Andala Star System and imposed their rule. That being said, I would have liked so much more of the Vathek from this book. The storyline is fairly narrow and thin: girl gets taken from her home moon to be the body double of the princess and then faces the challenges that being the heir of an invasive regime brings. There’s a backdrop of a resistance which is lightly touched upon, the beginnings of a romance, which is subtle and twee but that (being honest) I didn’t really buy into. I can’t really explain why the Vathek wanted to take over Andala or what their motivations are within the book. We don’t really see a lot of King Mathis at all and to me, he is supposed to be the real villain as opposed to Maram. Hopefully these will get picked up more within the next book.

“In my experience, fear and hatred are great motivators for great evils.”

Sci-Fi vs Fantasy
Is Mirage Sci-fi? Is it Fantasy?
If you’re not a Sci-fi fan, don’t be put off by the fact that this book takes place in a star system…it really isn’t your classical sci-fi novel. When Maram is first described as half-Vathek, I had some strange image in my head that she was half-human/half-robot. I don’t tend to read a lot of Sci-fi stories and for the first part of this book, I couldn’t really get my head around the fact that all of the characters in the story are human beings. The only real Sci-fi parts are the fact that they live on planets and moons in a star system, travel between those planets and moons on space-crafts and use droids as their servants. (Note to self: Vatheks are not robots!) Other than that, the rest of the novel has a fantasy-like feel. It is rich in terms of characters, both living and mythological. You can easily forget that this story takes place in a star system far, far away.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Mirage. The best way I can think to describe it is like an Arabian Star Wars story (I even pictured King Mathis as a bit like Darth Vadar if I’m being totally honest). It’s got brilliant female characters, an incredibly exotic world and a folklore all of its own. Daud really has the scope and ability to turn Mirage into a thrillingly exciting series, I can’t wait to see if she takes us there!

Have you read Mirage? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Top Ten Tuesday – Outrageous Things I’ve Done For the Love of Books

April 9, 2019April 8, 2019 The Biblioshelf3 Comments

Hey there Bibliofriends,

It’s Top Ten Tuesday time again! TTT is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme was the top ten outrageous things I’ve done for the love of books.

Now there is no way I can think of ten outrageous things I’ve done for the love of books. Being an INFJ personality type I’m only really outrageous in my head as opposed to my actions. In fact, apart from one anecdote which I’ll be sharing with you below, I don’t think I have actually done anything that outrageous for the love of books.

Without bursting into a Cher song, if I could turn back time I probably would have been one of those people in fancy dress queuing up outside their local Waterstones at midnight waiting for the release of the latest Harry Potter…that would be pretty outrageous…

I once got my friend to rip off part of an open wallpaper roll in John Lewis so I could use it as a background for a Bookstagram theme, which consequently was never used. I was worried we’d be chased down by store assistants or the alarms would go off when we left with it but they didn’t. At the time that felt kind of outrageous…

But probably the most outrageous thing I’ve ever done for the love of books is that I stole a book. Confession time! Let me tell you a story…

Once upon a time, there was a young girl called The Biblioshelf. To save her from utter boredom during the long summer break, her friend invited her on holiday with two strangers whom she had never met before. They boarded a flying metal can (commonly known as an aeroplane) where they were packed into plasticky seats like tinned sardines. Less than two hours later they were heaving their suitcases up the steep, cobbled paths of Edinburgh.
By day the girl spent her time wandering alone around the city; taking Harry Potter tours, visiting the Palace of Holyrood, exploring the Castle and climbing Arthur’s Seat. When the darkness came, her friend and the strangers would take her to comedy events and shows which formed part of a festival called The Fringe. From the Underbelly to Cowgate, The Banshee Labyrinth to Stramash, they took The Biblioshelf from place to place making her watch shows where people would tell jokes or funny anecdotes. Afterwards they would wile away the midnight hours and end up in bars along the Royal Mile singing and dancing with yet more strangers and their guitars.
On one of these nights, whilst seeking a table in an upstairs mezzanine of a loud folk bar, The Biblioshelf felt a gravitational pull to a nook towards the rear of the bar. There, hidden in a gloomy, unlit alcove near a large squashy sofa was a grand bookcase which was filled from floor to ceiling with books. Sitting upon the sofa, the girl immediately began perusing the spines, her eyes taking in the riches before her. One such tome seemed to call out to her and she pulled it down from the shelf. The book was all about William Wallace, the famous Scottish Knight most notably played by Mel Gibson in the popular film Braveheart. Now that she held a little bit of Scottish history in the palms of her hands, she couldn’t bear to part with it. It would be the perfect souvenir and memento of her amazing trip.
Upon leaving the bar, before she even knew what she was doing, she slipped the book inside her coat. All night long she carried it around, tucked secretly away underneath the fabric. She kept the book hidden all of the way home, her friends not even noticing the crime that had taken place that evening right underneath their noses.

There you have it – not the most outrageous story you’ll ever hear and I’m sure I wasn’t the first or only person to take one of those books off that shelf from that bar. I honestly can’t even say why I did it but I still have that book about William Wallace sitting on my bookshelf at home. Every time I see it, it brings back extremely fond memories of a great trip to Edinburgh and is definitely the most outrageous thing I’ve ever done for the love of books.
P.S. – please don’t report me to Bibliostealers Anonymous!

What is the most outrageous thing you’ve ever done for the love of books? Share your stories in the comments or feel free to leave me a link to your blog.

T xx

O.W.L.s Magical Readathon – April TBR

April 6, 2019 The Biblioshelf4 Comments

Hey Bibliofriends!

I already posted my Spring TBR in a Top Ten Tuesday post which you can read here.

But then… I discovered the O.W.L.s Magical Readathon hosted by Book Roast, who I must say has put in a commendable and tremendous amount of work to make the accompanying booklets that go with this readathon. As soon as I saw it, all other plans went out of the window! I remember seeing this last year and got super excited but it was far too late to get involved. By happenstance, it popped up somewhere on my feed at the end of March as a sort of ‘divine reminder’ to prep for it this year.

If you don’t know what the Magical Readathon is then you can check out some info Book Roast’s YouTube channel here.

I haven’t picked my Wizarding Career yet so I’m just going to try and work through as many O.W.L Exams as I can and see where that leaves me towards the end of the month.

Here is my TBR for the 2019 O.W.L examinations. I’m still looking for an Astronomy book so if anyone has any suggestions feel free to drop me a comment and let me know!

Subject	Prompt	Title
Ancient Runes	Retelling	Reflection by Liz Braswell [Disney Twisted Tales]
Arithmancy	Work written by more than one author	Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Astronomy	“Star” in the title
Care of Magical Creatures	Land animal on the cover	The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Charms	Age-line: Read and adult work	Five Give Up the Booze by Bruno Vincent
Defence Against the Dark Arts	Reducto: title starts with the letter R	Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Divination	Set in the future	Mirage by Somaiya Daud ✅
Herbology	Plant on the Cover	To Best the Boys by Mary Weber
History of Magic	Published at least 10 years ago	The Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien
Muggle Studies	Contemporary	Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Potions	Next ingredient: Sequel	The Lost Sisters by Holly Black OR Legendary by Stephanie Garber
Transfiguration	Sprayed Edges	Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye

Are you taking part in the O.W.Ls Magical Readathon this month? What career are you aiming for? Which books made it onto your TBR? Drop me a comment to chat!

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday Bibliofriends. Happy reading!

T xx

Friday 56 – Mirage

April 5, 2019April 4, 2019 The Biblioshelf4 Comments

FriYAY Bibliofriends!

In Teacher-life we have broken up for the Easter holidays! I’m really looking forward to having some time to catch up with friends, family and of course…my TBR pile!

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

I’m currently reading Mirage by Somaiya Daud in a bid to catch up with my unread Fairyloot books. My edition has an exclusive cover and vibrant purple sprayed edges.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.

But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.

As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection…because one wrong move could lead to her death.

No longer prey, she said, as if I hadn’t been exactly that from the moment of my arrival. “I don’t understand.”
“Walk with a straight back” – she snapped the thin whip at my back – “with your shoulders and head high,” – another snap at my neck. “Again.”
And again and again.

It’s a bit like a Middle Eastern, Star Wars-esque kind of story and so far I’m really enjoying it. I honestly don’t know what is going to happen towards the end and I’m intrigued to see how the plot develops and where it goes. The scope for dangers is so huge that I’m desperate to find out what happens!

Have you read Mirage yet? What did you think? Drop me a comment to chat!

Happy weekend, whatever your plans are!

T xx