#BookTag – The Anonymous Bookaholics Tag!

September 29, 2020September 27, 2020 The BiblioshelfLeave a comment

Happy Tuesday Bibliofriends,

I was tagged by the amazing Ashlee at Books Are 42 to do this super fun Anonymous Bookaholics Tag! I kind of did this in a bit of a rush, so I’m sorry if my answers come across as slightly out there or snarky…? When I get stressed out, my brain seems to resemble Roadrunner from the Looney Tunes trying to do everything at hundreds of miles per hour!

1) What do you like about buying new books?

Everything! From entering the shop, to browsing the shelves, to picking it up, to giving it a new home, to reading it, to staring at it on my bookshelves, to talking about it with friends – what book lover doesn’t like buying new books??

2) How often do you buy new books?

Erm…
To be honest, with Covid etc I haven’t been shopping in town more than I normally would but every time I go somewhere you can guarantee that I’ll HAVE to enter at least one bookshop and I will probably ALWAYS come out with at least one book. My last shopping trip was Sunday and I may have been to Waterstones and I may have bought 5 books… whoops!

3) Bookstore or online book shopping: which do you prefer?

Bookstores for the experience, online for the prices.
Again this sounds so wrong now with Covid etc but… I love being able to go into a shop and ~~touch everything!~~pick up a book that looks interesting, read the blurb, skim the pages for the font style and size…

4) Do you have a favourite bookshop?

One of my favourites is called a second hand bookshop called Moss Books in my local town. It is STACKED with books. They’re double stacked on the shelves then there are piles and piles all over the floors and so many genres! It’s my book-loving dreamworld!

5) Do you pre-order books?

I don’t as a rule but the exception to this is the Waterstones signed, exclusive version of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (and yes, I am totally aware how much I am mentioning and loving and hyping this book!).

6) Do you have a monthly buying limit?

Um…I’m sorry, a what?? 😂

7) How big is your wish list?

You know that proverb, how long is a piece of string…? Do you see where I’m heading with this? I want so many books, in fact I want all of the books! 😂

8) Which three books from your wish list do you wish to own right now?

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline – the wait is becoming agonising!
The entire Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab
The Poppy War trilogy

TAG – you’re it!! Feel free to have a go at this tag yourself and link it back to my blog if you want! Drop me a comment and let me know which 3 books you’d be wanting from your wishlist!

Have a great week people!
T xx

#BookTag – The Bookish Baking Tag

September 22, 2020September 20, 2020 The Biblioshelf7 Comments

Happy Tuesday Bibliofriends!

Do you ever have one of those serendipitous moments when you’ve just been doing something and then you read about it somewhere…? Well that happened to me just this weekend!

Basking in the glee of having the whole house to myself, I launched a massive Tesco mission to buy baking ingredients for THREE of Jane’s Patisserie’s recipes (Malteser Tiffin, Biscoff Rocky Road and Mint Aero Brownies 😍)! Mid-bakeathon, I’m scrolling through WordPress Reader and I come across this super-fun Bookish Baking Tag over on Ms. Victorious’ blog Victorious Pages and knew that I had to do it!

As if that wasn’t serendipity enough… *drumroll please*
GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF IS BACK TONIGHT!!! We’re still in the midst of a global pandemic, yet Bake Off 2020 has been saved! I’m overjoyed! 😂 Without further ado, scroll on for the awesome Bookish Baking Tag – images from Victorious Pages because they’re super nicer than anything I could make (thank you!).

To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of blueberry muffins but as soon as I read this prompt, there was only one book on my mind – The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow. I read an arc of this (thanks Netgalley!) and the beginning was on point! It sucked me into world so fast that I already knew it was most likely going to be a 5-star read. Review coming soon!

Being from the UK and thanks to our Great British weather (the word ‘great’ is definitely a pun there) holidays to me are sunny, warm places so I would have to go with Summer at the Lake by Erica James or Beach Read by Emily Henry as I read both of them by the sea.

Can I say Gollum for this? Is that allowed? I know he was driven by the power of the ring and his greed for is it what turned him into the Gollum as opposed to Smeagol, but I don’t think he’s a definite ‘villain’ to the story.

Another Italian themed read, Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch. Florence, sunshine and ice cream – what could be more summery than that?

Gangsta Granny by David Walliams reminds me so much of growing up and reading Roald Dahl books. It’s really funny and lighthearted and reminds me of those old childhood memories when you’d be staying with your grandparents and playing games in the garden.

I remember having to read Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy for my English class and being completely overwhelmed by the size of it. I ended up taking it on holiday with me and remember being sat on the bed in our hotel room, listening to Elephunk by the Black Eyed Peas on my CD walkman and becoming so engrossed in Hardy’s world. I loved it, it’s probably my favourite classic I’ve read.

I read an amazing book called The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen through Netgalley and is was so engrossing. Atlantis, Venice, a secret magical archives, (hot) Gods – what’s not to like?! This was right up my street and I’m hoping there’s a sequel or something soon. I’d definitely be reading it!

Probably the book with the most feels on my shelf, A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – it that ain’t fluff then I don’t know what else qualifies!

Billed as an eco-fable, The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott tries to get us to consider how we treat and what we take from nature and the damaging affects it can have on humanity. It’s a powerful read.

When I once convinced myself to broaden my literary horizons, I decided that I had to read something by Murakami so my friend lent me their copy of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I found it so tough to read and try to understand at the same time so it was quite an intimidating read to get my head around.

I keep hearing loads of good things about A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown – my copy of this finally arrived about a week ago so I can’t wait to get around to starting it.

There are so many books on my shelves which are there purely because of the hype but there is one book coming out very soon which I am massively hyping up. I read an e-arc of it, I have on special-signed-edition preorder and I CAN NOT WAIT to read it again – that books is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab – it is exquisite! Review coming up at the end of this month! Honestly can’t tell you how much I love this book! 😍

TAG – you’re it!! Thanks for reading and feel free to have a go yourself and link back to my post if you love baking and books – UK people, don’t forget… BAKE OFF STARTS TONIGHT! 🙂

Enjoy your week Bibliofriends,

T xx

#BookTag – The Fellowship of the Ring Book Tag

September 15, 2020September 12, 2020 The Biblioshelf3 Comments

Happy Tuesday Bibliofriends!

In my quest for more Book Tags, I’m pretty sure I stumbled across this Fellowship of the Rings book tag over at Wyrd & Wonder who posted it as part of their month-long celebration of all things fantasy – bot now I can’t seem to find their original post… You should visit them anyway as they have tons of brilliant fantasy recs!
I absolutely love Lord of the Rings; Middle Earth would definitely have to be on my Bookish Travels Bucket List, I think Tolkien created a really classic and remarkable world. This book tag was originally created by Nandini of Unputdownable Books.

Gandalf – A book that taught you something

Atomic Habits by James Clear
It gave me some form of organization back in my life – I’m an expert at putting things off until tomorrow so it was a really helpful guide at developing some good habits and make me a little more motivated and efficient. I wrote a review about it here.

Frodo – A book that left a mark on you

Remember This When You’re Sad by Maggy Van Eijk
Reading this book gave me a kind of lightbulb moment or wake-up call and kind of symbolizes a bit of a turning point for me on a personal level.

Legolas – A book you finished in one sitting

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
When I went to visit my friend out in Lanzarote, she gave me her copy of this and told me to read it. I became so engrossed in it that I literally sat on the beach and devoured it before the day had ended.

Gimli – A book that features an unlikely friendship

Mirage by Somaiya Daud
I guess there are a couple of unlikely friendships in this depending on how you view Amani’s relationship with Maram compared to her relationship with Idris. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel to find out what happens to this trio!

Merry – A book that pleasantly surprised you

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
I was quite reluctant to continue with this series after the mega-twist at the end of the first book and the fact that this sequel introduced a brand-new character; but overall, I was very glad I continued reading and now I cannot wait to read A Vow So Bold and Deadly – it’s one of my most anticipated reads for 2021!

Pippin – A book that made you laugh

Spectacles by Sue Perkins
I managed to see her on tour whilst she was promoting this book. There’s a particularly funny episode to do with a car park which, when she was signing my book, I asked her to draw the example in the front of it. Never fails to make me laugh whenever I open it and see that title page!

Boromir – A book/series that you think ended too soon

Breaking the rules and having two standalones for this one:
To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – this was so beautifully written that I could have read another 100/200 pages worth of plot and world-building before getting bored.
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He – the hurtling, rollercoaster speed of that ending, plus the strange cliffhangery, twisty ending scene – this is definitely one standalone my brain isn’t ready to leave behind. It appears I’m not alone and Joan He has actually clarified whether any sequels/standalones are in the works (you can read her brief statement here). Let’s just leave it with, ‘if it gets written, I want to read it!’

Sam – A book with memorable side characters who stole the show

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Nina, Jesper, Wylan, Matthias… 💙 Kaz who?! 😂

Aragorn – A good book with a bad/average cover
(side note: I think Aragorn actually has a lovely cover 😉)

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao
When Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao was released it had such an intricate, vibrant cover… then when the sequel appeared… 🤔 they didn’t match at all and after loving the first cover so much I felt that the ambiguity of the sequel’s cover didn’t match up to what a brilliant series this was.

Gollum – A book that had great potential but disappointed you in the end

Evermore by Sara Holland
When Everless came out, I was blown away by the intriguing concept of blood and time as a currency. Coupled with a folklore-style story of a Sorcereress and an Alchemist, the silent megaphones in my head were screeching ‘omg, omg, omg’ when I finished reading that last sentence. When the sequel came out – it felt as if all the sparkle and dazzle of the first book had vanished and it was like reading a sequel to a completely different story.

TAG – you’re it!! Thanks for reading and feel free to have a go yourself and link back to my post if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan! 🙂

Enjoy your week Bibliofriends,

T xx

#BookTag – Sunshine Blogger Award

September 8, 2020September 7, 2020 The Biblioshelf5 Comments

Good morning Bibliofriends,

Last week I received my first ever Sunshine Blogger Award Nomination from Alex over at Mybookworld24! I have seen this going round so many times on people’s blogs that I’m so excited to finally get a chance at doing my own!

Rules
(1) Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog.
(2) Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
(3) Nominate 11 people and ask them new 11 questions.
(4) Notify the nominees by commenting on one of their posts.
(5) List the rules and display the sunshine blogger award in your post.

Alex’s Questions:

One life lesson you want to share?
To not waste time on toxic relationships – you spend more time living their life when you could be living your own.

The next book/movie you want to read/watch?
There are so so many, I always seem to be looking forward to something! Next book: Ready Player Two is one of my most anticipated books for later this year. Excited is not a strong enough word for my feelings on this sequel!
Next movie: James Bond No Time To Die – I am so ready for this now and I keep trying to avoid the trailers so I’m not spoiled too much!!!

What’s your wish for the world?
That humanity doesn’t destroy planet Earth.
We haven’t been around on this planet all that long but we seem to be destroying things quicker than we can rebuild them. It worries me that future generations may not get to see some of nature’s beauties and wildlife because humans never gave them a chance to live and survive here. Robbie Arnott wrote about this in his wonder eco-fable The Rain Heron. You can read my review for that here.

What’s your dream job?
To travel the world in a little book truck selling books and inspiring people to read.

What’s the animal you can connect with the most?
Horses – I’m involved with some racehorses and often spend time down at the stable yard hanging out with them and feeding them carrots. It definitely helps blow the cobwebs away, those early mornings on the gallops.

Ever been on holiday and if yes, where?
I am such an adventurer and love going on holiday! This year I was supposed to be going to Peru to trek Machu Picchu, climb Rainbow Mountain and drink Pisco Sours in Cusco – but then it got cancelled, there’s a global pandemic apparently!
My last abroad trip was Disneyworld Florida and it was incredible! I can’t wait to visit America again!

The most thing you use?
Other than the standard: phone, MacBook etc…
Probably my notebooks and stationery – I’m always jotting things down and making lists, I find it very therapeutic; plus, I’m a stationery addict so I’m always trying out different colour pens and things!

Something you want to do before the end of 2020?
To be honest, I think I’m already done with 2020! I worked through the pandemic but because of lockdown all of the social events/activities just stopped – it really felt like all work and no play…
Although we have planned to celebrate New Year with my extended family in Cornwall so hopefully that can still happen as I’m sure it’ll be a fun and special time.

Your go-to drink?
Gin, Prosecco, Cider, Cherry Pepsi, Tea, Coffee – I’m not picky but I like lots of things depending on the mood I’m in!

Favourite childhood cartoon?
So many noteworthy classics: The Animaniacs, Rugrats, Recess, Mona the Vampire, Cow and Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls, The Flintstones, Arthur… but I think my all-time favourite would have to be Scooby Dooby Doo!

What’s one thing you do to uplift yourself?
Crazy dance-out to Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and The Waves or playing music full-blast through my Skullcandy headphones (they really amplify the sound private disco style!).

My Questions

What inspired you to start your blogging journey?
What is your favourite quote? (It can be a well-known saying/proverb, bookish quote, music lyrics etc.)
If you had to live in any fictional world where would it be and why?
What would the title of your memoir be?
If you had Aladdin’s three wishes, what would you wish for?
Favourite book to film/TV adaptation?
What’s your zodiac sign and do you follow it?
If you were gifted a copy of any book in the world which would you hope for?
Who is your biggest inspiration?
Would you rather go to an all-day beach party in Mykonos or spend the night watching the Northern Lights from an igloo?
What has been the greatest experience of your life so far?

My Nominees

I’m rubbish at nominating people for things so no pressure guys!

Just Reading Jess

Journey Through the Chapters

Bookworms Anonymous

Vee_Bookish

Reading Girl Reviews

Life in the Book Lane

And YOU! If you feel like having a go at my questions for the Sunshine Blogger Award then consider yourself tagged! 😉

Happy Tuesday people!

T xx

#BookTag – The NetGalley Book Tag

September 1, 2020August 25, 2020 The BiblioshelfLeave a comment

Ahoy there Bibliofriends,

As all of my reads seem to be coming from my NetGalley shelf at the minute, what better way to mark Tag Tuesday then with the NetGalley Book Tag. I found this over on Andie’s blog It’s A Read Thing. The tag was originally created by Kourtni @Kourtni Reads.

1. Auto-Approved: Who’s one author whose books you automatically want to read, regardless of what they’re about?

Neil Gaiman. He has that wonderfully mystical way of telling a story that’s always a little off the wall. I’ve enjoyed reading all of his books even if I didn’t always understand them on the first read through.

2. Request: What makes you want to request a book that you see on NetGalley?

The blurb/description is the ultimate decider. It has to be in a genre that I like reading and be intriguing enough for me to go ‘ooohhh’ in my head before I click request. Saying that, I’m a sucker for a good or eye-catching cover so to be honest that’s probably what pulls me in first!

3. Feedback Ratio: Do you review every book you read? If not, how do you decide what books to review?

I’m quite a newbie to being accepted for books on NetGalley so at the minute I’m reviewing everything I can, even the ‘read now’ books that I download.

4. Badges: If you could create your own badge to display on your blog, what would it be for?

😂 I haven’t even worked out how to display the real badges on my blog… Linking to the question above I’d probably have to go for an ‘approve me – I always write a review’ badge as I’m still building up my profile and review count!

5. Wish for It: What’s one book that you are absolutely dying to read?

I keep checking NetGalley every few days to see if Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline has been listed for review copies. I know it’s probably a massive pipe dream but it is my most anticipated read for the rest of this year!

6. 2020 NetGalley Challenge: What was the last book that you received as an ARC that you reviewed? If you’ve never received an ARC, what’s the last book you reviewed?

The last ARC review I wrote on NetGalley was for Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton. I love her music so it was brilliant to get the opportunity to read this. My review is up on the blog tomorrow!
I’m currently reading an ARC of The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow which is going to be just perfect for the upcoming Halloween season!

One of my blogging goals this year was definitely to start reading and requesting more through NetGalley and although I’m only up to 10 reviews so far with another 3 ARCs to go, it’s something I’ve definitely made progress on this year! Feel free to tag yourself if you’re a NetGalley fan ad feel like having a go!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

T xx

#BookTag – The Ultimate Book Tag

August 25, 2020August 22, 2020 The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Aloha Bibliofriends,

It’s still technically the holidays for one last week! I am dreading the return to work so so much! Anyway, the perfect distraction from those thoughts was completing this mammoth ‘Ultimate Book Tag’!

I first saw this over at Witty and Sarcastic Book Club and knew that I had to add it to my Tags list. It’s a long one so grab the popcorn (or any other bookish snack!).

Do you get sick while reading in the car?

Weirdly, this completely depends on how I’m feeling. Sometimes I get sick if I’m reading an e-book, sometimes I get sick reading a physical book and other times I’m absolutely fine with either… I take ‘mood reader’ to the next level with that answer! 😂

Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?

Carlos Ruiz Zafón – he just has such a way with words and descriptions. Thing seem so lyrical, haunting and beautiful all at the same time.

Harry Potter or Twilight? Give Three Reasons Why?

Harry Potter – All. The. Way.

I am the age range that grew up alongside Harry Potter and remember the agonizing wait for the next book to be released – it is such a huge part of my life whereas Twilight didn’t have that same impact on me.
The Wizarding World is such a diverse place that you can find different things there each time you visit depending on what you’re looking for: comfort, humour, acceptance, family, villains, nifflers, the Room of Requirement… etc.
In my own very small and humble opinion – There’s only one kick-ass vampire world that reigns supreme and that is Buffy! There’s no way Twilight’s topping that for me!

Do you carry a book bag? If so, what’s in it?

I always carry a physical book in my bag if I’m carrying one – and if not, then there’s always my NetGalley shelf app and iBooks on my phone!

Do you smell your books?

I’m officially enrolled at Book Sniffers Anonymous but sshhh… don’t tell! 🤐

Books with or without illustrations?

Tricky one… I’d probably say either way! The only difficulty comes when the illustration doesn’t match the picture I’ve built in my head, then I’d wish they weren’t there!

What book did you love while reading, but discovered later didn’t have quality writing?

The Given Duology by Mindy McGinnis – I think the story and world was incredibly interesting but the writing style was strange to get my head around. There were so many different perspectives and some would be first person whereas other would be third person. It wasn’t enough to stop me enjoying the series though.

Do you have any funny stories from your childhood involving books?

It isn’t really funny (ha ha!) but my grandparents had a bookshelf in this tiny little room outside their bathroom – I used to hide in there reading all the books and I was obsessed with one called Cyril Fletcher’s Odd Odes (from 1974) – I can’t tell you anything about the book but I can still see every part of that book cover in my mind. Looking back on it now, it seems like the strangest place to put a bookshelf!

What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

I have countless skinny children’s books and picture books – one of my thinnest and smallest amongst them is Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman.

What is the thickest book you own?

The Norton Anthology of Poetry at 2182 pages – I purchased it for a university module and can’t bear to part with it. It’s great for dipping in and out of to get my poetry fix.

Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself becoming an author in the future?

I don’t write other than reviewing and blogging. One of my dreams is to have a book of my own – perhaps a book of short stories or novellas; I’ve got quite a few ideas swirling up there in my head.

When did you first get into reading?

I wouldn’t be surprised if I was born with a book in my hand! My Dad would always read me a bedtime story every night. My Granddad would always buy me books at car boot sales and one of my earliest school photographs is me sat in the book corner reading Thomas the Tank Engine.

What is your favorite classic book?

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. I had to read it for school so it was kind of a ‘forced read’ but it’s one of the first classics I remember really enjoying. Failing that, absolutely any fairy tales (they’re the classics of classics right?!).

If you were given a book as a present that you’ve already read and hated, what would you do?

Smile gracefully then do one of those “leaving books in places as gifts for strangers” type things.

What is a lesser known book you know of that is similar to the Harry Potter series and the Hunger Games series?

Harry Potter – Chloe Shipton and The Quill of LeFay by Lynn Veevers. Lynn approached me back in 2018 to read this. She wrote it for her daughter who loved Harry Potter and wanted another ‘magical school’ type story to read.

The Hunger Games – I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like The Hunger Games but the Divergent series sometimes reminds me of it. I know that’s not quite lesser known but still…

What is a bad writing habit you have?

I use ‘really’ an awful lot and then have to take it out when I read my writing back to myself.

What is your favorite word?

I have so many – I’m such a logophile!

Meadow, effervescence, mystic, ethereal and ever bookishly: vellichor

Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb?

I can’t say that I actually know the difference between them so I’d probably say nerd and then get told that I’m one of the other two!

Vampires or faeries? Why?

Vampires on TV, Faeries in books – I struggle to like bookish vampires and I’m not a fan of TV faeries.

Shapeshifters or angels? Why?

Angels for guidance; shapeshifters for their cool abilities. I can’t pick! I’m so bad at either/or questions!

Spirits or werewolves?

Spirits – I can’t think of a werewolf I actually liked.

Zombies or vampires? Why?

Vampires – at least they have characterisations whereas zombies always seem to just be the literal walking dead.

Love triangles or forbidden love?

Forbidden love – I’m a sucker for a bit of angst! Love triangles always seem to end up with one person being hurt and I just can’t deal with constantly routing for one person then flipping to the other or even both together! They’re just too complicated for me whereas forbidden love brings a much more satisfying kind of dramatic tension.

Full-on romance books or action-filled books with a little romance?

It has to be action-filled with a little romance. I think Fifty Shades ruined ‘romance’ for me for life! I know I sound like Goldilocks but I find romance to be either too chick-lit, too smutty or too predictable or a whole range of too ‘insert-adjective-here’ for me to actually immerse myself in it.

Blimey what a long tag! I feel like I’ve waffled my way through all of it but I guess they don’t call it the ‘ultimate’ for no good reason!

Thanks for reading if you got this far! Consider yourself tagged and give me a pingback to your post! I can’t wait to read your answers!

Have a good week everyone!

T xx

Book Tag – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

October 2, 2019September 29, 2019 The Biblioshelf1 Comment

Hey Bibliofriends,

Any of my friends will know how HUGE a fan I am of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is one of my all-time favourite TV shows in the entire universe and every galaxy from the Milky Way to Far, Far Away! With that in mind, this book tag was at the top of my list to try and get around to doing.

The BTVS book tag was originally created over at Lauren’s Book Slaying blog and has also evolved slightly through Sarah’s blog at Written Worlds too. I think mine is a mashup hybrid of both of the above but I’m having super fun reliving one of my favourite fandoms! Have a go yourself if you’re a Chosen One / Scoobies fan! ☺️

Buffy – A character who lives a double life

Buffy really is one of the all-time saviours of the fictional world. When they ask you at school what you want to be when you grow up, my first thought was always Buffy, until I remembered that I’d probably get funny looks from all of my teachers…nothing wrong with living in fantasy world every now again! The character that immediately came to mind when thinking of this tag was Professor Severus Snape. He is my absolute favourite Harry Potter character, flawed hero, ultimate double agent and I loved the way J.K. left pondering over his loyalties right until the very damn end!

Xander – A character who mostly just provides comic relief

To me Xander provides much, much more that just comic relief. Yes he has some corny lines and sometimes you could just eye-roll at some of the things he says, however he plays a vital role within the gang and the way he grows up and matures from season to season is actually quite remarkable. His role in the Adam storyline and his poignant conversation with Buffy about Riley in the middle of season 5 are some of my favourite Xander moments. I really struggled to think of a book character who merely provides comic relief. After trawling through my shelves I settled upon Simon from the Shadowhunters series. I find it amusing that his role within the series happens really by accident. In that way, I feel that he draws several parallels with Xander.

Willow – A bad-ass witch

I really like Willow’s character arc thoughout the whole Buffyverse. She goes from scared Scooby geek-girl and ends up changing the entire future for slayers all across the world. There’s only one seriously bad-ass witch that could possible rival Miss Rosenberg and that is Manon Blackbeak from Throne of Glass. She puts the scare in scary and is such an awesome character. Like Willow, I feel that her character arc goes through a pretty big shift and that momentous chapter towards the end of Kingdom of Ash just breaks my heart every time.

Giles – A character who fills the role of an absent parent

There would be no Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Giles. As a teacher myself, I can never really get over the fact that he gets caught so many times just ‘hanging out’ with Buffy and Co. and it doesn’t really seem to raise any eyebrows – imagine the safeguarding if that were to happen in the UK! 😂 The way he looks out for the Scooby Gang brings about some of the most sentimental moments of the whole series and I couldn’t imagine it without him. When thinking of a book character who steps into that absent parent role, my mind came up with one person only…Molly Weasley – the ultimate Harry Potter matriarch. The way she looks out for Harry as if he were her own is enough to melt any Death Eater’s heart.

Oz – Name a book with werewolves

I don’t think I ever particularly liked Oz in the Buffy series and I can’t really explain why. Perhaps it’s because I’m not really a werewolf fan. The last book I read with werewolves was called Pinnacle and was one I was asked to review by the author Lynn Veevers on Goodreads. It was quite an interesting read however after reading/watching lots of things with werewolves in, I’ve decided that they are just not my cup of tea.

Angel – A character who is extremely broody

Tall, dark, handsome…hangs out in shadows and dark cemeteries. There’s only one Angel right? His and Buffy’s relationship was like the ultimate forbidden lover’s trope and although he isn’t my favourite of all of Buffy’s boyfriends you can’t deny that he is kinda her soulmate; even SMG herself picked Angel for Buffy over Spike. The broodiest guy I could think of for this character was Cardan from Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series. His attitude throughout both The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King just smacks 100% pure brood. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for this series finale in November and I’m hoping that my ‘Cardan-is-secretly-a-good-guy’ theory actually comes off.

Spike – A character who has a huge redemption arc

I am such a Spuffy fan and Spike is one of my favourite characters within the Buffyverse. Some of those little moments in season 6 and 7 made me cry…a lot! Can I vote for Snape again?! If not him, then perhaps Lucien from A Court of Thorns and Roses. I don’t feel like his redemption arc is huge but I think he comes through in the end.

Anya – A character you just tried to love, but couldn’t

Anya definitely grew on me as a character. The bunnies skit from Once More with Feeling is definitely one of my Anya highlights! One of the characters who I just could not love no matter how far through the series I read was Alina Starkov from the Shadow and Bone trilogy. I just found her annoying and strangely whiny – it’s almost as if her power was greater than the character that she was and I didn’t feel that she justified her hero status.

Tara – A book with a LGBTQA relationship

Tara really grew into her role throughout the Buffyverse. After re-watching seasons 5 & 6 she totally blossomed into becoming a pivotal role within the Scooby Gang. I like the humility and morality that she brings to the group and without discussing spoilers, what happened towards the end of season 6 actually made me quite sad. The book series that immediately came to mind when I read this prompt was Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare. I think Magnus Bane is utterly fabulous and I wish he could be my gay best friend!

The First Evil – An ultimate book villain

The First Evil is pretty much the ultimate villain as it’s almost unstoppable. It’s not corporeal, neither can it die…it can really be overcome. There are so many parallels that you an draw between the First Evil from Buffy and the shadow that the Ring of Power brings over Middle Earth. Therefore, as the creator of that evil, Sauron has to be my choice for being the ultimate book villain. To create something so dark which causes a war involving many races of men, elves, dwarves, orcs etc. almost takes over the entirety of Middle Earth… He’s deliciously wicked but completely got what was coming to his corrupt, evil backside!

Bonus: Sunnydale – A bookish town/city you most definitely would never want to live in

Sunnydale: in Jonathan’s words, “A lot of weird stuff happens here.” Trying to think of a place where I would not want to live in the fictional world… it would be either be Mordor, as one does not simply walk into it – or it would have to be Morath from Throne of Glass. Both places are hubs of evil and contain countless armies of villains and monsters. I’ll definitely be avoiding those places on my fictional travels.

There we have it, my little tag-ode to one of my all time favourite TV shows. I haven’t managed to get around to buying or reading ‘Slayer’ yet by Kiersten White but it’s definitely on my 2020 TBR. If you’re a fellow BTVS fan then feel free to tag yourself and play along!

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

May TBR

May 10, 2019 The Biblioshelf5 Comments

Hey Biblifriends,

We’re nearing the middle of May so I thought I’d better post my May TBR already… 🙈😂

April’s OWLs Magical Readathon was so brilliant and I’m thrilled I passed 11 of my 12 exams, but I’ve got to admit, it’s really knocked the stuffing out of me! It’s almost like I binged on books during April and now I can’t bear to read…or post…or bookstagram. I’ve hit the slump big-time!

To add to this, life has also been hectic. Next week at work, my little darling Year 6 kids are sitting their end of Key Stage 2 SATs exams so we’ve all been revising our socks off trying to get ready. I’ve also been spending my non-working life doing lots of things with friends including catching up with movies, going to our pub quiz and spending almost the entire bank holiday weekend listening to live music at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival (more on that in my monthly wrap at the end of the month).

Hence my little Biblioshelf hiatus – sorry guys!

Anyhow, in a bid to get myself out of my slump, and in preparation for one of 2019’s most anticipated series finales, I’m rereading Caraval by Stephanie Garber which is the first of my May TBR books.

My other three books are: Legendary by Stephanie Garber; Finale by Stephanie Garber; Obsidio (Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

Crates I’m expecting this month:

FairyLoot’s May Unlikely Romances Box
FairyLoot’s Finale Collector’s Edition Box
ShelfLove Crate May Box: We Hunt the Flame and Romanov – this will be my first ShelfLove Box and I’m super excited as I cannot wait to read these two titles!
Wizarding World May Box (which I think is themed around Quidditch)

So it looks set to be an exciting month in bookish terms, here’s hoping I actually get myself out of this slump in time to actually read! 😂

What are you all reading this month? Are there any hot new releases you’re really excited for? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

5 Biblioshelf Musings about… Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

April 24, 2019April 23, 2019 The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Series: The Illuminae Files #2
Genre: Sci-Fi (YA)
Publication Date: October 18^th2016
Publisher: Rock the Boat
Pages: 659
Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Gemina is the second book in the epic YA Sci-Fi trilogy, The Illuminae Files. I’m not typically a sci-fi fan but I was so glad when I succumbed to the hype and picked up the first instalment, Illuminae, last year. It truly offers a reading experience with a difference. I read this for my Arithmancy exam in the OWLs Magical Readathon as it has more than one author. Needless to say, there may be spoilers below for anything that happened within the first book, but I’ve tried my best to hold them back so as not to spoil Gemina. Apologies for any space related puns, jokes or language.

<Synopsis from Goodreads>

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

The format

This series skyrockets the form of the novel to a whole new dimension – pun DEFINITELY intended. Now, I don’t tend to read comics, graphic novels, manga or anything similar so I can’t comment on how much this novel is like one of them, however the format of these books are unlike any other I have ever come across. I love it! The story is told through a dossier of evidence-based files which include video surveillance footage summaries; transcripts of emails and instant messaging programs; scrapbook and diary pages; computer screen graphics and some pretty superb illustrations from Marie Lu. Gemina offers a much more immersive read than normal novels and it also takes the edge off the whopping 659 pages that some people may find daunting. I’ve never read anything like it and it’s definitely a contributing factor into me giving this a 5* rating.

AIDAN is BACK!

After the ending of Illuminae, I wasn’t really sure how I felt about AIDAN. AIDAN: Artificial Intelligence Defence Analytics Network – for me, he’s definitely up there on the morally grey character list. (I also have a bit of a thing about A.I.s developing their own non-programmed thoughts and feelings, but that’s a whole other rant!) The fact that he has the ability to rise from the ashes of the Alexander fleet makes him the mythological phoenix of our story…then again this is Illuminae where plot twists are shooting from hangar bays everywhere and you have to just go with the flow to work who’s really alive or dead. I loved that he appears again in this story along with some of the other characters from Illuminae; it brought the series back into continuity as at the start of Gemina it felt like the two stories weren’t going to merge. But when they did…cue the nebula-style explosion propelling the story light years ahead! It really felt like a mini-family reunion when the casts of Illuminae and Gemina collided! As for the other characters, at first I found Hanna really annoying, especially the way she moons after her boyfriend, but then as the story progresses she really comes into her own. Nik is awesome and his cousin Ella is comedy gold. Special mention to Ella’s little black goldfish – had my heart in my mouth for that little sucker!

Easter Eggs

One of the benefits of a format such as Illuminae means that so much fun can be had within the pages. I adore media easter eggs (little clues or intentional jokes that are hidden in things) and I loved spotting the ones that are littered through these books. I don’t think there were as many in here as there were in Illuminae however I still had fun spotting different authors names in the pages and the graphics. The illustrations matching specific parts of the action or plot also just add to that fun-factor during reading.

Plot-Twists

Just when you think you’ve got a grip on the story, the authors turn it on its head and makes you think again. Sometimes the twists go beyond all reasoning, well I suppose we are in a sci-fi book after all! These books are brilliantly researched and incredibly well-written. Even with all the Science info, which is perfectly explained and diluted for us non-astrophysics types, Kaufman and Kristoff still manage to keep you completely clued up with what is happening in those precise moments that you’re reading. The facts don’t become overbearing and even when we’re discussing the heights of wormholes and parallel universes, we still feel like we’re finding these things out and comprehending them at the same time as other characters in the novel.

Cover-Ups and Conspiracies

At the heart of this story is a corporation trying to cover-up any of its little naughty goings-on in the Kerenza star-system. I’m sure I’m not the only out there in the entire galaxy that thinks this kind of stuff already happens in our real-world everyday. Wiki-leaks anyone…??? Our news is full of stories of fraud, injunctions, hushed-up investigations, and conspiracies and this is one of the major factors I love about these books. I love a good conspiracy, that’s one of the paramount reasons I love these books, and I know this is sci-fi (emphasis on the fiction), but I completely believe that at some point in our future there will be more and more groups like the Illuminae group who are working towards uncovering all of the wrong-doings and cover-ups that happen on our plant and beyond, if they aren’t out there doing that as we speak…

If the children I teach at school were that little bit older, then these books would definitely be on my syllabus! With that kind of story-line, the galactically great format and the absolute, a$$-kicking whopper of an ending, Gemina was always guaranteed to find a way into my heart and onto my elusive 5* Biblioshelf!

Bring on Obsidio!

Have you read The Illuminae Files? Are you as much as a sucker for literary easter eggs as I am? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx