This week’s S4S prompt, Characters I’d Like To Swap Lives With, was so much fun to think about! I tried to come up with a range of different lives which offered a bit of variety, it is the spice of life after-all!
For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. September’s theme is ‘The School Month’.
Characters I’d Like To Swap Lives With
Art3mis – Ready Player One It’s no secret, Ready Player One is one of my all-time favourite reads. I’d love to swap lives with Art3mis and spend all my days exploring the endless bounds of the OASIS.
Avery Grambs – The Inheritance Games Imagine finding out you’re the sole beneficiary of a mysterious billionaire and then having to embark on a treasure hunt to find out clues as to the reason why. I love this trilogy so much and binged my way through the first book. The Hawthorne Legacy (book 2) was released earlier this week; I was lucky enough to read an ARC of it and I’m already craving book 3! IF you want to check out my spoiler free reviews for this series you can check them out > Book 1 / Book 2
Rachel Chu – Crazy Rich Asians Rachel Chu’s summer in Singapore is so wild that I’d love to swap places with her!
Robert Langdon – Angels and Demons / The Da Vinci Code / The Lost Symbol / Inferno / Origin I always love a good treasure hunt / clue-style quest so Robert Langdon’s life would be right up my alley. It’s be pretty cool to have a photogenic memory too!
Minerva McGonagall / Professor Sinistra – Harry Potter There had to be at least one HP professor here. I love Minerva’s character as Deputy Headmistress but I also love the subject of Astronomy so I couldn’t pick between these two fabulous teachers.
Rozie – The Windsor Knot Turning detective to solve murder mysteries with HM The Queen – why wouldn’t I want to swap with Rozie’s character?! If you interested in this series click here for my spoiler free review. Book 2 is coming out a little later this year!
What characters do you wish you could swap lives with? Would you base you life swap on differing experiences, opportunities for adventure, opportunities for magic or do you prefer more homespun comforts? As always, leave your links below to your own posts or drop me a comment to chat!
All the September ‘back-to-school-ness’ always has me thinking about Harry Potter and Hogwarts so when I saw this book tag on Lou’s Book Stuff I was just itching to have a go myself! I have no idea who created this Tag and I’m sure there’s so many versions of HP tags out there as well but thanks to the creator!
I love this series so much! I’ve lost count of how many different editions I have of each book and if I ever had a time turner I’d be using it for constant rereads!
What house are you in?
Definite Ravenclaw – every single sorting activity I have ever done (through all those Pottermore variations…) have been Ravenclaw!
What is your Patronus?
My patronus is a nebulung cat, which I find so surprising because *whispers* I don’t actually like cats… Although reading my patronus description actually makes things make sense as in my day-to-day life I am a teacher!
A nebelung cat patronus appears for witches and wizards of amazing souls. They are very friendly and are high achievers. These witches and wizards always strive to be better than they were yesterday and challenge others to do the same. For them you can never stop learning, helping, teaching, or seeing new things. They are loyal and hard working individuals.
What is your wand?
Cypress wood with a phoenix feather core, 10 ¾” and hard flexibility
Rarest core type, one of the least popular woods and a hard flexibility… 😂 Yep, sounds about right! 🙈
What would your Boggart be?
I have no idea what my boggart would be – it would probably change each and every day from spiders, to loneliness, to Pennywise… who knows what the hell could be coming out of that wardrobe! 😂
What position would you play in Quidditch?
Can I be the referee or a commentator? I’m really not very athletic so there’s no way I’m catching that snitch, whacking a bludger or throwing a quaffle through a small hoop whilst clinging onto a broomstick for dear life!
Would you be a pure-blood, half-blood, or muggle born?
My family is so different so it’d probably be half-blood.
What job would you like to have after leaving Hogwarts?
Professor… at Hogwarts! If I ever succeed in running through that brick wall at Kings Cross and actually making it to Hogwarts don’t think for a second I’m leaving!
Which of the Deathly Hallows would you choose?
Invisibility Cloak so I could hide away all day reading somewhere without being disturbed. The wand would just be too scary as people would constantly try to take it from you and the idea of the resurrection stone completely freaks me out (another one to add to the boggart list!).
Favourite book?
The Half Blood Prince – It feels like the deep breath before the plunge and the way that last part ends felt like the biggest cliffhanger of the whole series. I really liked the character development of the Half Blood Prince himself as well! 😉
Least favourite book?
Probably Goblet of Fire – it just feels like a middle ground place where we’re on the cusp of waiting for the inevitable and it took many, many pages to get there…
Favourite Film?
Either Philosopher’s Stone (magical introduction and wonder) or Deathly Hallows Part 2 (heartstopping conclusion to everything!).
Least favourite film?
Again probably the first two for the same reasons as the books.
Favourite character?
It has to be Snape – hero / anti-hero / morally grey? His character arc is so wide and complex that he’s definitely one of my favourite literary characters of all time.
Least favourite/most hated character?
Percy Weasley – I just find him incredibly annoying.
Favourite teacher?
I really liked Lupin’s teaching style – it’s one of the few times we actually saw them having fun whilst learning.
Least favourite teacher at Hogwarts?
I don’t think I could cope with having Professor Trelawney as teacher.
Do you have any unpopular opinions about the series?
I loved Chamber of Secrets and many people seem to hate it so perhaps that’s my unpopular opinion…
Oh… and BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL POTTERMORE! I never made it to the end! 😭🙈
I had so much fun reliving some of my favourite (and least favourite!) Potter moments with this book tag! Consider yourself ‘tagged’ if you’re a fellow Potterhead! I’d love to read your answers!
As always, feel free to drop me a comment to chat!
I kind of neglected the Six for Sunday side of posts last month but September brings a brand new monthly theme and one that is so relevant to my current goings on – The School Month! Today’s six picks are all about fictional schools and universities which we’d want to go to. Surprisingly, despite being a teacher, it turns out I haven’t read that many books based in education settings so trying to put together this list was a little tricky. I’m loving the dark academia vibes of some upcoming and recent book releases so there may be a couple of them featured here too.
For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. September’s theme is ‘The School Month’.
Fictional Schools/Universities I’d Want To Go To
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Harry Potter The school that heightened my love for reading, Hogwarts is definitely one of the places I wish existed in real life!
OASIS School – Ready Player One I love the whole idea of the OASIS world so getting to attend a virtual school is a must!
Sunnydale High / UC Sunnydale – Buffy The Vampire Slayer Buffy is one of my favourite TV shows and I’ve read loads of the series books too. Imagine attending a school on the Hellmouth with Buffy and her pals!
Jordan College / Lyra’s Oxford – His Dark Materials I’ve been to Oxford several times and always get swept away by the dreaming spires, beautiful architecture and the different colleges dotted all over the city. Lyra’s Oxford mixes the stunning educational settings with that extra bit of magic and mysticism I love in my fiction.
Scholomance – A Deadly Education This is one of the Dark Academia reads currently on my TBR. It doesn’t sound like a conventional magic school setting but I love the plot premise.
Dalloway School – A Lesson in Vengeance Dark. Twisty. Witchcraft. Hauntings. This book just found itself right at the top of my “need-to-buy” list.
What fictional schools, colleges or universities do you wish you could go to? As always, leave your links below to your own posts or drop me a comment to chat!
School officially starts again TOMORROW and my brain is full of a weird mix of excitement and nerves. So this final, final day of summer feels like the perfect time to have a go at The Inside and Out Book Tag which I was tagged in by the fabulous Riddhi over at Whispering Stories.
I loved the simplicity of this tag all about reading habits and preferences. It was great to take a break from book lists where I feel like I constantly just list the same books over and over again! 😂
Inside flap/back of the book summaries: Too much info? Or not enough? If it’s a paperback, I always read the blurb on the back of a book so it’s never too much info for me; if it’s a hardcover I tend to skip it – I’m aware there’s not necessarily any logic in that but that’s just what I do.
New book: What form do you want it in? Be honest: Audiobook, eBook, Paperback or Hardcover? I buy audiobooks and ebooks if I feel like I’m getting a good saving on the price. Most of my new books come from book subscription boxes so the majority are hardbacks but if I’m physically going into the bookshop I’ll buy paperbacks which is my preferred reading format.
Scribble while you read? Do you like to write in your books; take notes, make comments, or do you keep your books clean, clean, clean? AArrghhh! I can’t write in books – I think the only books I ever purposefully wrote in were my High School reading texts and even that was minimal. I can’t even bend a spine on purpose so there’s no way I’m taking the weapons of ink to those beautiful paper leaves.
Does it matter to you whether the author is male or female when you’re deciding on a book? What if you’re unsure of the author’s gender? Gender has never been a factor for me when buying a book and it’s not something I’m conscious of paying attention to, it’s the story that matters to me the most.
Ever read ahead? Or have you ever read the last page way before you got there? Guilty! I tend to flip to the final page of the actual story just to see what page number it finishes on without all of the acknowledgements and extra snippets etc… Sometimes though, I end up spoiling myself by catching sight of a word or character name and then my eyes just get sucked in!
Organised bookshelves or outrageous bookshelves? A mix of both! My organised bookshelf in my room is tidy and arranged mostly by size and TBR preference. The bookshelves in my office however are kind of organised, being in that they’re in alphabetical order according to genre but they’re also outrageously double stacked and crammed to bursting.
Have you ever bought a book based on the cover (alone)? Probably not – the cover or title definitely draws me in but I always tend to read what the book is about before buying it. The only exception is if it’s a book by one of my auto-buy authors, then it just goes straight in the bag with no knowledge of cover or blurb!
Take it outside to read, or stay in? Outside in summer, indoors in winter.
That’s a wrap! If this is the type of fun, easy tag that’s right up your street then consider yourself ‘tagged’ and drop me a pingback on your posts! I’d love to see how many of us have outrageous bookshelves or flip to the back pages for a sneak peek!
Enjoy the weekend ahead everybody and as always, drop me a comment to chat!
I found this amazing book tag over at Stephen Writes and as a huge History fan I was immediately tagging myself to have a go! At University I did a Joint Honours degree in English Literature and History so this tag really does combine two of my biggest academic loves!
I think the origins of this tag came from Books Michelle’s channel over on BookTube so big thanks to her for creating it – go check it out!
The Stone Age: one of the first books you remember reading.
Reading was such a huge part of my childhood. I was so lucky to have parents who read to me every night and a Grandfather who would always buy me books from our weekly car boot sales. It’s so hard to pick just ‘one first book’ but some of my earliest reading memories involve Roald Dahl, Wizziwig by Geraldine McCaughrean and Care of Henry by Anne Fine.
Ancient Greece: your favourite myth-inspired book (doesn’t have to be Greek mythology), or retelling.
I’ve always been fascinated by myths and legends, they are the most historical stories of all time. As a child I used to think they were about real beings and creatures and I loved trying to find the balance in them between fantasy and reality. For me, Lore by Alexandra Bracken absolutely embodies this – I really liked the contemporary spin and clash between old meeting new.
The Roman Empire: a book featuring an impressive empire or kingdom.
Lord Of The Rings is my favourite fictional empire in the whole book universe. I live in part of the world Tolkien was living and inspired by so I love seeing elements of the Middle Earth landscape every time I leave my house.
The Middle Ages, (or the Dark Ages): a book that is an absolute bummer.
This maybe a slight #unpopularopinion alert but I never really understood the hype surrounding Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin. I don’t think Lou and Reed’s characters grabbed me enough to get swept away by their story.
The Renaissance: a book that you’ve learned a lot from, or that made you think.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas definitely made a mark on me and made me think. Starr’s narrative and circumstances are so important at raising awareness of racial issues and how important it is that we come together rather than carry on tolerating hurtful segregation.
The Industrial Revolution: a book featuring an invention or concept that you would love to have in your own life.
Ready Player One is one of my all-time favourite novels ever so I have to pick the OASIS for this one. It’s so vast that possibilities are endless. I could definitely imagine spending countless hours inside this virtual world if it were a real concept.
World War I & II: your favourite historical fiction book about the World Wars (or if you don’t have one, your favourite historical fiction book in general).
I don’t tend to read too much World War Fiction as I much prefer Tudor England or Renaissance history. When I was studying War literature for my A-Levels I remember loving Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. It was such a sentimental and lyrical read.
Present Day: a book everybody should read in present day according to you.
I found this prompt so difficult because I’m well aware that my tastes in fiction are completely different to everyone else’s so I chose a non-fiction book instead. A Life on our Planet by Sir David Attenborough really brought my attention to current environmental issues. Some of the facts and figures were quite shocking and devastating. I think it’s an informative book which seeks to give some different solutions and ways that the whole world can make changes to help each other look after planet earth.
That’s a wrap! Please feel free to tag yourself if you want to take part. Don’t forget to link it back to the original tag creator Books Michelle.
Do you like History? What are your favourite historical periods? Have you got a favourite historical read? As always, drop me a comment below to chat!
I was browsing the book blogosphere the other day, when I came across this fabulous Zodiac Sign Book Tag over at And On She Reads and knew that I just had to do it! I wasn’t actually tagged but I’ve been needing to start my tagging game again.
I absolutely love the zodiac and am so into star signs and horoscopes! I read mine daily from Oscar Cainer (nephew of the fabulous Jonathan Cainer who sadly passed away several years ago). His readings are so spookily accurate that I had one of those in-depth charts drew up and everything. I am a typical Taurean bull – sometimes stubborn and argumentative but also stupidly loyal, generous and laid-back at the same time.
The Rules:
Link back to the creator, Just Dreamland – their blog has been taken down but they may still be active on Pinterest.
Link back to the person who tagged you! Thanks you And On She Reads ☺️
Answer all the prompts.
Use the original graphics and credit the creator (I couldn’t find them!)
Tag at least 5 bloggers and provide links to their blogs.
Name your Zodiac sign!
Don’t forget to add #ItsAZodiacThing tag.
Enjoy!
The Prompts:
ARIES: A wild and powerful book, compelling from start to finish. Every page intoxicated your heart with incredible imagery.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – Alix’s writing just created this intoxicating atmosphere in my brain from the very first page; it’s a stunningly written book.
TAURUS: A heart-wrenching story of a forbidden love that could tear a family apart
Romanov by Nadine Brandes – a Bolshevik soldier and a Romanov princess… this one definitely had me reaching for the tissues!
GEMINI: A book that is cheeky, quippy, and witty
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman – I laughed so much during this book. It appealed to my sense of humour so much.
CANCER:A bittersweet book that spoke to your sensitive heart
The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab – This book! 💗💔💗 I adore Addie and Henry, I’m still not really over that ending to be honest!
LEO: A book with drama, love, fancy wear, and hope
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller – As soon as I read this prompt, this was the first book to pop into my head. The attention to detail on the dresses and the sassy attitudes of the characters was brilliant.
VIRGO:A tender story of self-love, self-determination, self-discovery, perseverance, romance, friendship, and family
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – I mean, that’s a pretty big list of things to have in one book and LOTR seems to have all of them in buckets!
LIBRA: A book that has a remarkably refreshing and frank outlook on life. One of the realest books you’ve ever read.
Remember This When You’re Sad by Maggy Van Eijk – A memoir which is so honest and moving. It was so powerful and really put some of my own issues into perspective.
SCORPIO: A book with a good plot twist. A book that is psychologically thrilling and emotionally chilling, and haunted you from the first page to the last.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince / Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling OR Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This prompt was tricky. Those final two Harry Potter books had my head in an absolute spin so that’s the plot twist part – but then Gone Girl fulfils the psychologically thrilling, chilling and haunting vibes.
SAGITTARIUS: An adventurous, summer read
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
I hear summer and I immediately think of the beach, therefore I first thought of Beach Read by Emily Henry – which, whilst being a great summer read, I wouldn’t consider it my type of ‘thrills and spills’ adventure so my other choice would have to be Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I love the whole treasure/clue hunting vibe.
CAPRICORN: A book that has everything to do with friendship
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – I love the way the Crows all stick together, I don;t think there’s any way they would have pulled off half of their stunts had their friendship not been as strong.
AQUARIUS: A quirky and unique book
Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatten – It’s one of those ‘choose your own path’ books. I only ever found this one for adults so it’s definitely unique on my shelves!
PISCES: A book that bewitched and enchanted you with its lyrical words, and transmuted your imaginative mind
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – One of my all time favourite authors. His writing just transports me to another dimension. It’s beautiful!
I’m not great at tagging people but if you’re reading this and want to give it a go then consider yourself tagged!!
Do you believe in star signs? What are some of your favourite books featuring stars and planets? As always, drop me a comment below to chat!
August’s Six for Sunday theme is 2021 Books! I missed last week’s prompt about Favourite 2021 Reads So Far but yesterday I posted about this year’s favourite reads as ice cream flavours that kind of fits right?! You can out that post here!
This week we are listing 2021 Book releases which are on our TBRs. I could so easily do 60 of these rather than just 6 so this was a really tricky one 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. July’s theme is ‘Sounds of Summer’ which I am living for at the minute – bring it on!
2021 Book Releases on my TBR!
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan I received a gorgeous special edition of this in one of my recent book subscription boxes. I know I keep harping on about it but it’s giving me such good vibes that I can’t wait to read it!
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri This is another book I’ve had from one of my subs. I have read so many good things about it and I’m really intrigued by the Indian inspired world.
Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko I feel like I have been waiting for this sequel for so long! I’m dying to return to the world of Aritsar after the ending of Raybearer although thankfully the wait is nearly over!
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas I can’t help but get swept away into the worlds of Sarah J Maas’s books – I’m so curious as to where this sequel will go (and if it’ll beat War and Peace on the page count!).
The Hawthorn Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes I binge-read the first in this series in one day. I’m such a nerd for any kind of clues/treasure hunt style plot line. The ending of the first one wasn’t quite as I anticipated but I’m still keen to see how the story concludes.
Rainbow in the Dark by Sean McGinty I saw this plugged as The Wizard of Oz meets Ready Player One (one of my all-time favourites EVER!) and immediately add this onto my TBR. It’s supposed to be out on August 10th but I haven’t heard too much about it around the book socials so I’m keeping my eyes peeled to get my copy!
What 2021 books are on your TBR? Are you anticipating the start of a new series or are you hoping for some sequels and story conclusions? As always, leave your links below to your own posts or drop me a comment to chat!
I initially thought this was going to be quite easy to complete this week’s prompt – but actually, turns out I’ve only read 3 books with word ‘sun’ in the title so the others had to come from my ‘want-to-read’ pile! ☺️
For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. July’s theme is ‘Sounds of Summer’ which I am living for at the minute – bring it on!
Characters I’d go on holiday with!
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Ignite the Sunby Hannah Howard
The Sunshine and Biscotti Club by Jenny Oliver
Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng
Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh
The Sun and her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
What books have you read that contain the word sun or have sun in the title? As always, leave your links below to your own posts or drop me a comment to chat!
This week’s prompt really got me thinking – who on earth would I want to go on holiday with? My own holidays have been pretty varied: from relaxing on a beach in Cape Verde to visiting (what felt like) every single Church in Florence, Venice, Rome and Milan… Not forgetting my action-packed trip to Disney World too. With that in mind, I’m not entirely sure I’ve read a lot of characters who would do all of those things. I’ve settled on a whole combination with the hope that we can go on six different holidays! Hey, with international travel being put on the back-burner for the foreseeable future, I can still dream can’t I? ☺️
For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. July’s theme is ‘Sounds of Summer’ which I am living for at the minute – bring it on!
Characters I’d go on holiday with!
Addie from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue We all know Addie is pretty much my go-to girl – I think we could definitely make our own fun in any destination!
Bridget Jones from Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding I know I’m probably basing this more on Renee Zellweger’s portrayal rather than the books but who wouldn’t go on holiday with Bridget!
Magnus Bane from The Infernal Devices series (amongst others) by Cassandra Clare He would definitely put the extra into our extravagant holiday!
Daniel from The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon I need someone to visit all those libraries and museums with!
Wade Owen Watts from Ready Player One by Ernest Cline I can just imagine Wade being happy to wait in a three hour line for the Avatar Flight of Passage ride with me (whilst sipping on a Night Blossom from Pongu Pongu!)
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins For two reasons, if we ever got stranded somewhere Katniss could definitely help me to survive but also, she’s probably be happy with taking some chill time on a beach after everything that happened to her in THG!
Which character are you wanting to take on your holidays with you? As always, leave your links below to your own posts or drop me a comment to chat!
I initially thought week’s prompt was going to be a difficult one for me in some ways – most of the books I read take place in fictional lands rather than Planet Earth so I really thought my selection was going to be quite slim; however, browsing my Goodreads shelf it turns out that there were quite a few choices set in ‘real-world’ warm places. Here are a few of my favourites with a couple of fictional ones thrown in too! ☺️
For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. July’s theme is ‘Sounds of Summer’ which I am living for at the minute – bring it on!
Books set somewhere warm!
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie Set in: India and Pakistan
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko Set in: the fictional empire of Aritsar (based on West Africa)
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan Set in: Singapore / Hong Kong / New York
These Wicked Waters by Emily Layne Set in: the fictional island of Viaii Nisi (Greek-based – I think!)
The Lonely Hearts Travel Club: Destination Thailand by Katy Colins Set in: Thailand
The Istanbul Puzzle by Laurence O’Bryan Set in: Istanbul, Turkey
What are your warm destination to travel to or read about? As always, leave your links below to your own posts or drop me a comment to chat!
