Tag: book series

#SixForSunday – Series I Can Now Finish (Because I Have The Sequel!)

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

Can you believe we’re actually in the final weekend of June?! The month has flown so quickly!
I changed up the theme slightly for Six For Sunday this week as I had practically zero to contribute to today’s regular theme so I kind of made one up for myself. This S4S I have decided to focus on series I can now finish reading because I own the sequel! Those that catch up with my blog regularly may know that I’m not the best at actually finishing a series so for last month’s birthday, my bookish wishlist was composed almost entirely of sequels. These are the ones I’m planning to get finished before the summer is out!
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.

  • These Divided Shores by Sara Raasch [sequel to These Rebel Waves]
  • Shadow and Flame by Mindee Arnett [sequel to Onyx and Ivory]
  • All The Wandering Light by Heather Fawcett [sequel to Even The Darkest Stars]
  • Given to the Earth by Mindy McGinnis [sequel to Given to the Sea]
  • Cloak of Night by Evelyn Skye [sequel to Circle of Shadows]
  • Rage by Cora Carmack [sequel to Rage – book 2 of the trilogy]

Have you read any of these series? Got any recommendations on which one I should tackle first? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

#SixForSunday – Favourite LGBTQ+ Characters and Romances

The Biblioshelf3 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

How has your week been? I decided to mix things up a little bit this week for Six for Sunday. When I was planning my posts, I found that a lot of the characters/books I picked for this week’s prompt (favourite LGBT characters) were the same as next week’s S4S post (favourite LGBT romances) so I decided to put them both together. 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.

  • Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood – The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
    I adore Magnus’ character in this series and can’t wait to read more about him in The Infernal Devices (I’m just navigating my way onto Clockwork Prince). He and Alec have such a cute relationship and they’re definitely one of my favourite couples in the series.
  • Bea – Anna K by Jenny Lee
    Bea is one of the more vibrant characters in Jenny Lee’s modern uplift of the Anna Karenina story originally by Tolstoy (you can read my review of it here). She is quite liberated when it comes to her sexuality and comes across as someone who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.
  • Cara and Dell – The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
    This book had such an original story attached to it involving a multiverse and doppelgängers. It really added an extra dimension to the relationship between Cara and Dell – there’s an episode with an earring and I think it really showed how much one meant to another even if there was a lot of angst at different parts of the story! Read the review here!
  • Jesper Fahey and Wylan Van Eck – Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
    Jesper is such an awesome character and I couldn’t write a post about my favourite LGBTQ+ characters without including him in it!
  • Loras Tyrell – Game of Thrones by George R R Martin
    Ah, the Knight of the Flowers – I love the idea of Highgarden and think that it would be an awesome place to visit. Whilst I haven’t finished reading all of the books or even watched all of the series yet, I like the imagery that Ser Loras and his floral armour bring to the books and films.
  • Patrick – The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
    I think Patrick goes through a pretty tough time during The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and I actually think it’s a sad reflection of what a lot of people who are gay go through when it comes to their relationships and coming out about their sexuality to their wider friends, family and in public.

Who are some of your favourite LGBT characters or romances?  Do you feel that the LGBT community are well-represented in modern literature? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

 

#SixForSunday – LGBTQ+ Books on my TBR

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

How are we in June already? 🙃 A new month brings a new Six For Sunday theme and so befittingly for June we are celebrating all things Pride related. 🌈

I don’t tend to read much LGBTQ+ representations in literature and before anyone @’s me I have no prejudices whatsoever but I do feel that whilst YA is starting to feature these voices more and more, there is only now beginning to be a greater representation of these characters within the more mainstream fantasy books that I read. I could be wrong so please feel free to respectfully educate me!

With that in mind, this week’s Six For Sunday is focused on books on my TBR which have an LGBTQ+ representation. 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.
Title headings link to Goodreads.

  • Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
    Anything to do with royals immediately grabs my attention and I liked that this read sounded fun and contemporary which is why it has found it’s way onto my TBR.
  • Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
    This has been on my TBR since it came out in a Fairyloot box quite a while ago. I’m going to use my typical ‘I-can’t-start-another-series-just-yet’ excuse before starting this one!
  • The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
    I recently read Circe and loved Madeline Miller’s writing style. She made me feel such empathy towards the main character and everyone I have spoken to has said that The Song of Achilles is even better so I can’t wait to pick this one up.
  • The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
    This is where I had to start trawling Goodreads to find LGBTQ+ representations in books that I had wanted to read. There seemed to be quite a bit of hype surrounding this series so I’m intrigued to see what it’s all about.
  • Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    I had no idea that this would fit this week’s Six For Sunday brief despite it being on my want to read pile for ages now.
  • The Trials of Apollo Series by Rick Riordan
    Again, another series I didn’t know would be relevant here but I feel like I need to read the Percy Jackson series first before following up with this. All the new hype surrounding the PJ Disney+ series is making me want to channel my inner Camp Half-Blood mindset.

Completio! Would you recommend me any of these series or are there some here that are also on your TBR? What’s your favourite type of LGBTQ+ representation in literature? As always, leave your link below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

 

#SixForSunday – Favourite Series

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

This month has been such a fun month for my reading! I’m really looking forward to posting my wrap post soon! 🙃

This week’s Six For Sunday was supposed to be about my favourite ever series, however as I think we may have already figured out this month… I haven’t read a lot of series all the way through and most of my favourite ones have already been covered throughout the previous S4S May weeks. With that in mind, I wanted to do something slightly different and decided to write about some of the standalone books that I wished were a series. 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. Title headings link to Goodreads.

  • To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
    This book was so beautifully written and I fell head over heels in love it. It felt like there was so much potential to explore some other aspects of the world Christo built and I’d definitely be auto-buying a follow-up if ever there was one.
  • Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
    It was so fun to explore the Thorn and Elisabeth’s world – I need to know more about those grimoires and the libraries of their world… and of course, Silas!
  • The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
    This was such a wickedly delicious book. The Shadow King and Alessandra are probably one of my favourite newer romances in fiction. I would love a follow-up just to see what happened across the kingdom after the ending!
  • The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen
    I read this book on NetGalley and it was billed as a new series however I haven’t heard any info about a future sequel. I don’t think it had a particularly wide release however I really enjoyed reading it. 
  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman
    This was probably one of the first fantasy books to capture my heart and one where I feel the movie almost lives up to the book. It would be fabulous to return to the world beyond the Wall.
  • The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
    Zafón is one of my all-time favourite authors. His stories are so imaginative and he has a very distinct writing style which I love to read. Although The Prince in Mist is technically a series of 3 books, the stories don’t actually link together in any way. The setting for The Prince in Mist, an overgrown garden with a clown statue in the centre, was so mysterious that I’d love a follow-up from this world.

There we go, a slightly different take on this week’s Six for Sunday! What are your favourite series? What are some standalone you wish had a sequel? As always, leave your link below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

 

#SixForSunday – Favourite Characters in a Series

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

I can’t believe we are nearly at the end of May. It seems that so many things have happened this month yet it has been relatively chilled at the same time.

This week’s Six For Sunday is all about my favourite characters in a series. I am a massive fan of all of the big-name series out there which made it slightly difficult to pick just one favourite so there may be a few ‘special mentions’.
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.

  • Severus Snape (Harry Potter)
    There should be absolutely no surprises here. He is dark, complex, sneaky and loyal and although many people disagree, I still resolutely champion him as a flawed hero.
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  • Manon Blackbeak (Throne of Glass)
    When she was first introduced there was no way that I would ever say Manon was my favourite character, but as the series developed and the layers of her character unfolded, she really grew on me. The kinship she had with her coven and her dragon Abraxos was endearing even thought you knew that she had a heart shrouded in steel. Such a great character to read about.
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  • Gandalf (Lord of the Rings)
    What a character arc this guy goes on. I mean, Ian McKellan’s portrayal of him in the films is one of my key reasons for choosing him rather than the writing of him but for me he is one of the greatest wizards in literature.
    Special mentions from this series must go to: Arwen, Aragorn, Eowyn, Elrond… perhaps just everyone (apart from Saruman obvs!)
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  • Nina Zenik (Six of Crows)
    There was so much I loved about Nina’s character. I especially loved how the relationship between her and Matthias’ unfolded. For someone who could be pictured in a superficial way, she had so much depth of character that you knew never to underestimate her by her appearance or looks alone.

    “No, I don’t mean in the big ways.” Nina’s eyes took them all in. “I mean the little rescues. Laughing at my jokes. Forgiving me when I was foolish. Never trying to make me feel small. It doesn’t matter if it’s next month, or next year, or ten years from now, those will be the things I remember when I see you again.”

  • AIDAN (The Illuminae Files)
    Now AIDAN isn’t necessarily on here because I champion him as a character – in a way he can be seen as one of the villains of the series. The reason he makes my list is because of his sheer audacity and resolve. He’s one of the most unique characters I’ve come across and definitely deserved his place on my favourites list.
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  • Cassian (& Azriel) (ACOTAR)
    These guys have bromance down to a tee. They’re such a pair that I couldn’t separate them from my favourites list. I love the humour they bring the tale and they way they support the rest of their group. They bring some pretty special moments to the series and I love them for it.
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There we go, tell me your series faves! Here’s your change to fangirl/boy about them! Are there any of my characters that you just can’t stand? As always, leave your link below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

 

#SixForSunday – Series I’m Dying To Read

The Biblioshelf5 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

Well this weekend has seen a first for me – I celebrated my birthday in Lockdown on Friday! 🎉🎈🎂 It was quite strange not to be able to physically go out and spend time in the sunshine with family and friends as I normally would, but thankfully the joys of technology still enabled me to catch up with them and celebrate.

As a treat to myself and from birthday money generously gifted from family, I went on an almighty book splurging binge! I’ll be doing a haul post at a later date but let’s just say that all the space I cleared out from getting rid of the books I’ll never read again has quickly been filled!

That brings me onto this week’s Six For Sunday prompt which is ‘series that I wish I could get into’. There are loads of series I haven’t been able to getting round to starting purely because I can’t keep up with having so many different ones on the go at once. Here are the ones that I’m dying to read after I’ve finally finished the ones I’ve currently got on the go. Heading links should go to the series page on Goodreads.
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.

  • Nevernight – I feel like there’s so much hype surrounding this series and after loving The Illuminae Files I really want to explore this trilogy. Something tells me I may need to fully concentrate on it which is why I’ve been so hesitant at picking it up.
  • Shades of Magic – For the exact same reasons as above, the Shades of Magic series is one that I really have to pick up very soon. I’m really intrigued to see all the different versions of London and can’t wait to get into this world.
  • His Dark Materials – I read the first book Northern Lights as a child and to be honest, although I remember the gist of the story, I really want to go back to the very beginning so that I can finally read the next instalments. Especially as his newer works in this cycle have been widely praised.
  • Crescent City – This book is now finally sitting on my shelf (birthday treat!) and I know I’ve been saying that I’m holding off starting new series, I don’t think I have that much resoves when it comes to new SJM material.
  • The Daevabad Trilogy – I’ve been recommended this series so many times and there is a very exclusive set of this trilogy coming out very soon which I am keeping everything crossed that I can get my hands on!
  • Children of Blood and Bone – Yet another hyped up series that’s on my list and seems to offer something really dark and different!

There we go, what series are you waiting to buy or get started on? Do you have any anticipated series debuts coming out later this year? As always, leave your link below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

 

#SixforSunday – Heart Wrenching Series Endings

The Biblioshelf4 Comments

Merry Sunday Bibliofriends!

How has your weekend been? I have spent mine reading, reading, reading! I have shocked myself into reading 3 books so far this month and we’re little over a week through May. I think I’m finally getting the hang of this lockdown malarky which is typical as we’ll probably be coming out of it soon. My mother always says that I manage to start doing something well by the time it gets to the end! 🙈😂

Anyway, this week’s Six For Sunday is based on heart-wrenching endings to a series. Obviously there were some that immediately came to mind and others which took a little more consideration. I’m also in that reading phase at the minute where I’ve stopped reading any new series because there’s so many that I haven’t finished yet! Heading links should go to the series page on Goodreads.
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.

Harry Potter

Now, a little bad habit that I tend to do when reading is that I skip to the end to see how many chapters the book has… so obviously skipping to the end of Harry Potter and seeing ‘that’ epilogue title shocked me into wanting to quit my bad habit it didn’t work. Regardless, this is still the series that has given me my biggest book-hangover to date. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it to be honest!

Throne of Glass

Whereas the Harry Potter ending was like the soul-shattering end of a world/era… Kingdom of Ash rendered me utterly distraught in a completely different way. I’m surprised the pages of my book didn’t disintegrate due to me crying through nearly the entire 900+ pages. The chapter with the Thirteen 😭, the bit with the ACOTAR link 😉,  and then just the sheer scope of that ending with my most beloved characters and the journey that they endured… I am definitely going to do a reread of this whole series in the very near future!

ACOTAR

Chapter 55 of Court of Wings and Ruin I remember distinctly. I had to shut the book, wait for everyone else to leave my house and then I had to be alone with that finale. Now I know SJM isn’t for everyone, but there’s just something about the worlds and characters that she creates which keeps my little bookish heart hanging on every last letter.

Six of Crows Duology

It’s almost impossible to say why I found this so heart wrenching without using any spoilers but for one of my favourite ships in this book, the thing that happened to them left me in denial right until I closed the last page. I then had to check the Grishaverse Wikia just to confirm it in my brain. They’d fought against all the odds and I’d been championing them the whole way through the series… devastated!

The Illuminae Files

This series is so wonderful and unique, I’ve never read anything like it before. I included it in this list as it felt that there was so much that became resolved at the end of the third book. What with all of the memos, video transcripts, email messages and all of the different mediums through which this story is told, I really shared in the victory of the characters. And then the ending with the bit in the restaurant Vitalys and then the very very final twist… it was just a brilliant ending to the series!

Ok so my 6th choice I had noted down The Languedoc series by Kate Mosse purely because it was a really meaty series and I felt a sense of achievement at reaching the end… but now I’m here I just can’t explain why I would have found it heart wrenching – therefore, I’m going to sub it for a non-series novel (don’t tell that I cheated)!

One Day by David Nicholls

I can’t quite remember what exact assignment it was but I definitely had a piece of work that was desperately due in, but I’d made the coincidental mistake of reading One Day at the exact same time and it came to the part where I just could not put the book down! I remember sitting at my laptop (essay open on screen) and just bawling my eyes out at what happened. It was such a sorrowful and almost cruel ending to the story but then I guess that’s what Nicholls was going for. The film never did quite convey that scene as well as the novel. A definite ‘heart wrenching’ pick despite not being a series!

Any surprise choices here for you? Drop me a comment, leave me your link and let me know what books ripped your heart out or made you bawl into the pages. Happy Sunday team!

T xx