Tag: bookblogger

Books to Film / TV adaptations I’m anticipating!

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Hey Bibliofriends,

With the release of Dune Part 2 making headlines in the cinema world, I thought now would be a great time to think about some of the other Film and TV book adaptations that I’m highly anticipating. There will be a combination of confirmed projects which are coming out this year and also a some dream projects that I would love to be made into a reality.

Confirmed Releases

Dune: Part 2

Each week, my friends and I run a film club in our local town. This Friday’s night’s movie is Dune Part 2, in all of its IMAX glory. I read Dune for the first time a couple of years ago and although I can appreciate the vast, sweeping landscapes of Arrakis and complexities of the characters and plot – it was a real struggle to actually make it through the whole book. Unpopular opinion alert: I wasn’t completely bowled over the movie either… Our entire film group loved it and it became one of the club’s top ten films of that year, but I think there’s just something about the story that didn’t grip me. I’ll be rewatching Dune Part One before this Friday, but I’m really hoping that something in Part 2 awakens a little more love in me for this epic, Sci-fi classic.

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3

I was totally swept away by The Summer I Turned Pretty, whilst I haven’t actually read the books yet – every single episode of this programme hit me in the feels. I’m not normally a fan of love triangles but I genuinely didn’t know whether I was Team Connor or Team Jeremiah – I still don’t! The finale of season 2 had me in floods and I desperately need to know what happens in the final instalment. Even though the third season was greenlit due to the increasing success of the show, writers’ strikes in America slowed down the production timeline. An article from February in People Magazine believes that filming make take place in Spring 2024 with a possible 2025 release date. I wonder if I can wait that long or if I cave in and read the books first!

It Ends With Us

There has been so much hype surrounding this book series. Admittedly I haven’t read it, and as it’s not my typical genre, I’m not actually sure I’m going to be adding it to my TBR anytime soon. So why am I hyped about the film you might ask…? Two words: Blake. Lively.
I adore Blake and her acting so much. From Gossip Girl to A Simple Favour, she manages to command an entire screen whether she’s actually got any dialogue or not. It will be intriguing to see whether the film makes me want to read the book after I’ve seen it and it will be interesting to hear the verdict of people who have both seen the film and read the book to hear their comparisons of the two. With Sony Pictures at the helm and Justin Baldoni of Jane the Virgin fame as director, this promises to be a blockbuster release. Due to the strikes, the film’s release date of February 2024 had to be pushed back and the film is now expected for a June/July 2024 launch depending on your territory.

Damsel

This Friday sees the launch of the Damsel film on Netflix! It’ll definitely be on my weekend watch-list. Originally written as a screenplay for Netflix, The Hollywood Reporter stated that Netflix had been working with Random House and Evelyn Skye into a novelisation to be released ahead of the film. Initially the film was scheduled for a 2023 release, with the book being published in March 2023, however the project was delayed until 2024. Again, whilst I haven’t read the book yet, I really love the worlds that Evelyn Skye creates so to hear of her involvement in the novel part of the project, makes me keen to see what this film holds.
Netflix blurb: A young woman’s marriage to a charming prince turns into a fierce fight for survival when she’s offered up as a sacrifice to a fire-breathing dragon.
With a stellar cast involving Millie Bobby-Brown, Ray Winstone, Robin Wright and Angel Bassett to name just a few, I’m incredibly excited for this – bring on the dragons!

Rumoured / In-Production Projects

It’s no secret that I love the Maasverse and anything written by Sarah J Maas. Long has the rumour-mill been swirling about adaptations of the ACOTAR and Throne of Glass series. And with that picture circulating the internet, getting all kinds of tongues wagging – I may be delusional, but if Margot Robbie and SJM are collaborating on a film project (rather than just having a friendly cup of coffee), the squeals of joy may not be contained! Whilst Hulu are claiming that things are still in development with the ACOTAR project, there has been no news about the rumoured TOG TV adaptation. With the hype surrounding this author’s work, someone somewhere has to bring this to the big screen right?!?!?

The Inheritance Games

Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures snapped up to the rights to this series for a potential TV series adaptation way back in 2020 although news has since stalled. The show is still marked as in-production and I am majorly hoping for some news about this soon now that the series is going from strength to strength!

Ready Player Two

I adore Ernest Cline’s duology and whilst the film version can never match up to my love for this book series, I think Spielberg and co. did a tremendously, fabulous job on bringing it to the silver screen – now I just need the sequel! I remember in the additional bonus content at the time of the DVD release, some of the actors hinted that their contracts practically bound them to doing a sequel should it be commissioned. Back in 2020, author Ernest Cline told readers that Ready Player 2 was in-development, but we are yet to hear any further news.

Fourth Wing

Unsurprisingly, with the hype surrounding Rebecca Yarros’ novel, acquisition rights to the development of Fourth Wing into a TV series were snapped up by Amazon MGM Studios and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society. There’s no further news about this series yet but you can read a little more behind the deal at (weirdly…) Town and Country’s magazine article here.

Books to Film/TV Adaptations I’m Craving!

There are some books on my Read shelf that I’m just dreaming/craving to be made into a film or TV adaptation, and whilst there may be some small hints about these possibilities out there in the corners of the internet, I haven’t heard about them yet…

  • The American Royals series by Katharine McGee – if you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know how much I adore this series. I would love to see it brought to life on the screen in all it’s glitzy goodness!
  • Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross – This Letters of Enchantment series would make such a brilliant historical fantasy series. I’m already picking Matthew Goode as my perfect Roman to Katherine Waterston as Iris!
  • Geekerella by Ashley Poston – I feel like we need a new contemporary YA series to get obsessed over and the sci-fi / fairytale retelling links that Geekerella can offer is just that! It has enough content to create several seasons and the costume department’s efforts for those Starfield and comic-con scenes and would be heavenly!
  • The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen – I’m really not sure why, but the cosiness of this novel seems to me like it would make a brilliant film. You could have so much fun creating the different sets of this world – from Tanria’s monster creatures to Birdsall and Sons Undertakers, there would be so many cool things to bring to life on screen.

That’s a wrap! All of my film and tv adaptations of books that I’m anticipating or dreaming of! What books to movies are you highly anticipating this year? Which novel is high on your list of projects that you wish someone would bring to the big (or little) screen? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

The February Book Tag

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Hey Bibliofriends!

It’s the start of a brand new week and the final days of February! I’m rapidly trying to sprint through my current reads to try and round off the month fully and start a new book in March. I’m not quite sure I’ll make it though… When I was plotting out February’s blog posts, I came across The February Book Tag created by Lynn at Lynn’s books. She originally created it as part of a Love Freebie for Top Ten Tuesday, and as February is the month of love, it provided me with the perfect tag to wrap up the month with.

The shortest month of the year – A short story or novella that you would like everyone to know about

There is a collection of horror stories called Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap who is a Filipino/American author. Obviously it’s not quite in-keeping with the romance element of this book tag, but the stories are incredibly well written and atmospheric. If you’re a horror-lover, they’re going to be right up your street.

Valentine’s Day – your favourite romance novel

I feel that the Romance genre is getting more and more tricky to identify. Lots of stories have a romance element in them that aren’t defined solely as romance novels, and now we’re getting hybrid genres like Romantasy, it’s getting harder to know what’s romance and what isn’t. I don’t tend to read too much of the ‘chick-lt’ style romances however, I am very partial to an Emily Henry novel and People We Meet On Vacation is very close to my heart!

Leap Year – ‘One Ring to Rule Them All’ – the year for proposing.  A book with your favourite couple

A couple that is being mentioned more frequently than Taylor and Trav this month is Iris and Roman from Divine Rivals! Excuse the double negative, but I can’t not choose them again here! Their romance is so endearing! When I’m reading Roman’s parts, I can’t help but seeing him as Matthew Goode who played Henry Talbot in Downton Abbey!

Romeo – Could be a book boyfriend, could be your favourite male character

I don’t even know if I have a book boyfriend anymore?! Back in the day, I used to say it was Rhysand from the A Court of Thorns and Roses Series, but now I’m not entirely sure who I’d pick or if I’d have one at all.

Juliet – Could be a book girlfriend, could be your favourite female character

Favourite female character – Aelin Galanthynius is winning every time! I love the sass, the vulnerabilities, the sacrifices, the strength – she would definitely have to be my no.1 gal pal!

Love Triangle – love it or hate it

Done right, a love triangle can be a great plot twist to mess with my reading brain. I always end up falling for one pairing, then get devastatingly upset when it swings in the other direction. In the right author’s hands, the love triangle is dynamite – in the wrong hands, I’ll be rolling my eyes until that element is over. I’m not going to say spoilers but there’s a pretty hardcore love triangle in the Throne of Glass series that I was not on board with until about book 6 out of 7… 😂 Thank god, it all came good in the end! I should have trusted SJM more!!

Enemies to lovers

In my brain, Jude and Cardan from Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series are the ultimate enemies to lovers pairing. The hate in that first book, followed by the love story that unfolds within the rest of the series, truly turns their hatred into adoration. That’s not to say that it’s all plain sailing and happily every afters from there on out.

Sweet like chocolate – a book that is positively delicious

Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye had so many tasty food references, that it’s hard not to think about the deliciousness of it! I’m a big fan of Japanese cuisine so parts of this literally had me drooling.

A Rose By Any Other Name – a book with a romance that you didn’t expect

I’m going to say the Comoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling). For starters, these are crime novels and although we’re on book 7 (which I still have yet to read) the relationship between Cormoran and Robin is so tentatively dangled in front of us…! It isn’t so much the fact that it’s an unexpected romance, but it’s more a case of being ambiguous as to whether they’ll actually end up together or not!

A book that broke your heart

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows Duology Book #2).

Me: Leigh Bardugo, how could you?! This was so not how the story was supposed to play out! Where was their happy ever after? They deserved it after everything they went through! I’ll cannot reread this duology ever again. I will never forgive you for this!
Also me: Ooh – brave, gutsy risk-taking with that ending… You’ve got some writer’s balls there Bardugo! Well done!

How are you wrapping up your February? Have you read any of my books picks above? Do you like romance in books as the main course or as more of a side dish? If you’d like to take part in the February book tag, then consider yourself tagged! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

The Mardi Gras Book Tag

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Happy Wednesday Bibliofriends!

We are halfway through the week already! Whilst I was planning out blog posts for this month, I came across an entertaining book tag over at Randomly Bookish Gina’s channel on YouTube linking to Mardi Gras. Being from the UK, our Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) takes place on the same day as Mardi Gras, however it is quite a different type of celebration so this was a brilliant opportunity for me to learn about other worldwide traditions.

Designated Driver: What re-read book is reliable to get you out of a reading slump?

To get me out of a reading slump, I have to effectively pick up one of my ‘God-Tier’ books which I go on and on about to anyone that will listen. Think Sarah J Maas, Addie La Rue, Harry Potter, the Inheritance Games, Emily Henry… anything from that list will banish my reading slump to hell!

The Drunk Best Friend: Which character(s) would you like to grab a drink with, or simply hangout with for a night on the town?

Who am I partying with…? Princess Samantha from American Royals! I’m positive there will be plenty of drama and drunken antics!

Fat Tuesday: Which book on your TBR can you not wait to devour?

Crescent City 3 is sitting on my bookshelf as we speak and is sending my little winks and pouty faces! I also bought a 10th anniversary edition of The Bone Season which I managed to get signed and dedicated by Samantha Shannon at a literature event last year so that would also qualify as a good pick too.

Lent: Which genre would you give up reading for 40 days?

I could probably give up Romance or Science Fiction easily for 40 days. I don’t think I could live without a little mystery or fantasy in my life for that long though!

Masquerade Masks: Which book do you mask that you have read? (Ex: a book you’re embarrassed about, a book or author you’re embarrassed by having not read yet, a guilty pleasure book, something you hide behind etc.)

I’m embarrassed to have read the entire Fifty Shades of Grey series – I mean, it’s not even really my genre. I just got swept away on the hype train. I also have some very promiscuous covers on my iBooks bookshelf, but to be honest I don’t think they’ll ever get read!

The Annual Mardi Gras Party/Parade: What classic could you read time and time again?

Taking ‘classic’ in the classical literature sense, I would pick Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. The rural landscapes are exceptionally well written and the very provincial love triangle is so at contrast with the time period. There’s a brilliant range of characters and it has a balance between tragedy and redemption too.

New Orleans: Which fictional place would you like to party?

The Green Dragon Inn of Bywater in The Shire, mixed with some of Gandalf’s epic fireworks of course!

Jazz Music: What book just makes you want to dance? (Could be when you received it or as you read it)

Geekerella by Ashley Poston makes me want to go to a massive Comic Con and dance the night away at the after-party.

The Colors of Mardi Gras:

Purple represents Justice: Which character do you feel got justice at the end of the book or series? Holland from the Darker Shades of Power series by V.E. Schwab. He’s such a morally grey character but I feel his ending was somewhat deserving.
Green represents Faith: Which character would you put your complete faith in, no matter the situation?
Aelin Ashryver Galathynius from Throne of Glass – every damn time!
Gold represents Power: Which book gave you a very powerful emotion after reading it?
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill – the evolution of the characters, the attitudes to women. It was pretty heartwarming.

Show Your Tatas, Get Those Beads!!! Which character would you throw beads to?

I genuinely had to look this up to work out in what context the beads were being thrown in! Now that I know that, I would be throwing beads to Jacks, the Prince of Hearts from Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart series. I can only imagine the initial scowl he’d have from having something thrown at him. Then I can imagine him smiling sardonically, joining in and throwing beads right back!

BONUS: Southern Hospitality: Give an example of a time when you received beyond exceptional service in a bookstore!

I was away in London for the weekend when I finished reading American Royals #1. I immediately had to have the next book in the series and one of the only bookshops that had it in stock was Waterstones on Strand! When I took it to the till, the cashier’s face lit up when she saw it and we both had a little fangirling moment over the series! It was pretty sweet!

That’s a wrap! This tag was so much fun that it makes me wish we had a little more carnival atmosphere in the UK for our own Shrove Tuesday celebrations! Do you celebrate Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day or Mardi Gras? Do you have different traditions for your own celebrations in the run up to Easter? If you fancy like continuing the tag and creating your own prompt answers, consider yourselves tagged!! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

The Pancake Book Tag!

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Happy FriYAY Bibliofriends!

The weekend is almost upon us. Have you got any exciting plans to look forward to? With it being Pancake Day earlier this week, I thought it was a great opportunity to do this fun Pancake Book Tag created by Becky on Blogs of a Bookaholic. Images are Becky’s original graphics.

I recently finished the novella ‘We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep’ by Andrew Kelly-Stewart. There were some really beautiful segments of this book describing the whale song and relationships between the characters. The plot itself is fairly dystopian – think metal submarine prison, but Remy’s narration was so delicate in comparison to combat this harshness. The choral incantations and songs also gave a beautiful juxtaposition to the masculine attitudes of the characters.

Rather than thinking of the acerbic side of a sharp character, I picked a character that offers a ‘smart cookie’ take on the sharp wit dynamic. This has to go to Art3mis from Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. She’s often one step ahead of Parzival in almost every way and offers an encyclopaedia of knowledge to the quest. Without her, there would be no way that the ending of this book would have come off!

Without fail, a book I can turn to at any time which can comfort my deepest of woes is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. I go on about this book so, so much, but it really is like my bookish soul-mate – it’s perfection in every last syllable and I love it and its characters very much.

House of Sky and Breath is one of those books that you almost need a defibrillator to get yourself through. There’s constant danger lurking at every corner – and then just when you think we’re about to wrap up the last 900 pages, Sarah J Maas throws the MOTHER of all curveballs in there and decides just to end the book. I remember sitting on my bed after having finished this and actually questioning whether I had just read the ending correctly. Then in all my shock, I had to immediately phone a friend only to realise that I didn’t actually have any words to describe the ending. All that came out of my mouth was mono-syllabic ‘what-how-why?’ sounds! Seriously hanging after that one!

Reading Fourth Wing was pure indulgent feels all the way – there was chemistry, tension, dragons, magic wielding, secrets, friendship dynamics, dragons, betrayal, defiance, politics, loyalty, a mini-heist and did I mention the dragons?? I’ve read varying reviews on Fourth Wing’s quality as a ‘fantasy novel’ and what it brought to the genre which I can totally understand and justify, however at the time this book came into my life – it gave me everything I was wanting and needing in that current read!

There were so many characters I could have chosen for this prompt. Namely, Severus Snape and even Sadie Green from Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. However, the ultimate character that deserves this accolade just has to be Nesta Archeron! She starts off as some acerbic, waspish individual with a chip on her shoulder that’s the same size as the iceberg that sank the Titanic. Yet in spite of all that, I found her character arc heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The journey she goes on in A Court of Silver Flames is wide ranging and filled with devastating lows and dramatic highs of healing.

This was a difficult prompt for me as I always tend to pick the same book (I’m looking at you Inheritance Games…). Instead, I went for a crime/mystery series which I don’t think gets enough love and that is The Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series by S.J. Bennett. These are cozy mysteries where Queen Elizabeth and her sidekick Rozie solve murders that take place around the Royal Palaces. The thing I particularly love about these stories is the way S.J. Bennett encapsulates her late Majesty’s voice. I can literally hear dear old Lizzie saying her lines in my head. I’ve never correctly guessed the culprit in one of these yet! They’re so much fun!

Oh boy did I struggle trying to work out who to include as this prompt?! My first thoughts were Jude and Cardan from Holly Black’s Elfhame series – but then I questioned myself – are they the perfect match??? I’m not so sure… Then, without spoiling it for anyone, I considered Manon from Throne of Glass and her subsequent other half but I always felt like I was rooting for them from the outset! So, I finally settled on Hades and Persephone from the Lore Olympus series. They aren’t meant to be destined for each other, but there’s something about them that just fits!

Apollo Arcadian from the Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber actually had me crinkling my nose up in disgust when reading this trilogy. There wasn’t any single part where I actually liked him as a character.

The Illuminae Files sum up this prompt to perfection. It has a whole host of diverse characters, some human… some less so! There are also some brilliant plot-twists, artistic illustrations, world-building, threat, peril, humour, symbology – it really offers the reader a little bit of everything!

That’s a wrap on The Pancake Book Tag. I hope you’ve had chance to tuck into some pancakes this week. What did you think of my picks? Did they match your expectations or are there some you think are way off?! If you feel like having a go yourself, consider yourselves tagged! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Auto-Buy Authors

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Happy Monday Bibliofriends!

This week is the half term holiday and I am so happy to be able to sink into a little book cocoon for the week and catch up with some reading!

Whilst I was looking through various blogging things on the internet, I came across Jo Lindsell’s website. Jo discusses a range of different topics on her blog from fashion and lifestyle to travel and books. She had a really interesting post about a variety of book blogging topics for the whole of February and ‘auto-buy authors’ was one of the prompts!

I had a fair bit of fun thinking about this! When I first sat down to write my post, I began writing a list of author names in my journal, but the more I sat and pondered over how to compile these together, I started to really consider why I had chosen these particular authors above all of the others I have read.

What makes an author an ‘auto-buy’?

For me to add an author to my auto-buy list, I have to be completely, irrevocably swept away by the world they have created in my mind. I am one of those people that sees images in my head when I’m reading (I only recently learned that some people don’t do this, which is another intriguing topic in its own right). The crafting of a world, especially in SFF can sometimes be one of the most integral parts of investing into a story. The ability to do this well, fills us with hope that an author’s follow-up novels might be just as fleshed out and vividly appealing as their predecessors. If I can picture that world, as clearly as if it were a real-life place, then I can guarantee that will go a long way to making me fall in love with an author’s work and buy more of it.

Writing style is a hugely important factor. As a self-confessed logophile, the ability to balance elaborate and intriguing words in a way that doesn’t distract from the action of the plot is going to be a winner in my eyes. I teach English to 9 year olds and you can tell when they’ve regurgitated half the thesaurus into their writing just to try and make it sound more fancy – especially when half of the words are then out of context!

Appropriate word choices also go a long way in contributing to pace. Sometimes, all we’re in the mood for is fast-paced action which gets the characters from beginning to end in a way that doesn’t involve investing over half of our brain-power to it. Other times, the metaphors, imagery and language are actually what links us to the characters on the page and the emotions they’re going through. A heartbreaking scene can either be intensely heightened or left to fizzle out based on the vocabulary used to describe it.

Other times, all it takes is a series starter whose characters, plot, world-building, pace and narrative voice mix together in a wonderful cocktail of perfection, that we just can’t help ourselves going back for the next book, and the next book, and the next book… hoping they’ll be just as good as that first read. Then the author might branch out with a new series, or even a different genre altogether and we’re still picking up those works in the hope that we get to chase that flawless story which kicked off our passion in the first place.

So without further ado, here are some of my auto-buy authors and a few of the reasons why I’ll blindly follow their writing into the dark.

Carlos Ruiz Zafôn

Despite the fact that we sadly lost Zafôn in 2020, he was one of my first ever auto-buy authors and deserves his spot on this list as I own every single one of his books. My Nan had given me a copy of The Shadow of the Wind for my birthday and I had never heard of it before. Initially, I actually gave up reading it as I found it so hard to get into. However for some random reason, that book found its way back to me again, and when I dived in this time, I just couldn’t put it down! Zafôn’s beautifully lyrical writing style had me spellbound. He was an absolute artist with words and knew how to bend the magical realism genre in such an ethereal way. I’m so glad I gave his writing that second chance!

Sarah J Maas

Maas is the author I had in mind when I mentioned that perfect cocktail of perfection. Each of her books feel like they have imprinted themselves into my brain. Throne of Glass, ACOTAR and Crescent City are some of the most beloved books on my shelves. When my reading habits were cast slightly adrift after the ending of Harry Potter, these series gave me everything I was pining after and dragged me out of my mega reading slump. They gave me back my passion for reading and created this weird kind of soul-bond with their characters and worlds. Apart from the increasingly graphic smut scenes (ahem…), there is nowhere S J Maas can take her books that I wouldn’t follow. She could probably write a cookbook and I’d still have to buy it!

V.E. Schwab

Addie La Rue is emphatically one of my GOAT characters. She introduced me to the universe of Schwab’s writing and I haven’t looked back since. The thing I love about Schwab is that she is very upfront in telling her readers that her books have completely different vibes. The things I loved in Addie La Rue will not be the same things that I loved in the Shades of Magic trilogy or in Gallant. Schwab manages to create such multi-faceted characters and worlds which constantly surprise and intrigue me. It’s for this reason that she is on my auto-buy list and I’m gradually making my way through her catalogue.

Emily Henry

Romance isn’t my usual genre at all – however, Emily Henry does such a brilliant job at making you fall in love with her characters. So much so, that you want to put yourself in the book to try and ascertain that character their happy ending. To me, Emily’s books are the perfect balance of comedy, tragedy and those heartwarming feel-good moments. Her characters are usually book-lovers, or are written in a way which mixes their inner complexities with a relatable persona. Her author’s voice feels way beyond just generic chick-lit that I appreciate every single chapter, and they always leave me wanting just that little bit more!

Notable mentions…

I wanted to include some other authors who I’m ~95% likely to buy their new books, but it might be for a particular series or because I’m still making my way through the rest of their works.

  • Leigh Bardugo – I’m yet to read the Hell Bent series, but I already have The Familiar on pre-order because it sounds right up my street! I enjoyed the Six of Crows duology way more than the Shadow and Bone series. The ending of Crooked Kingdom still breaks my heart and I would adamantly campaign for justice for one particular character!
  • Ernest Cline – Ready Player One and Ready Player Two are probably in my Top Ten Books of All Time! I’m hoping to read Armada at some point this year but if it’s just as good as RP1 then I can see myself automatically buying whatever Ernest Cline writes next! Fingers crossed there’s something soon!
  • Jennifer Lynn Barnes – any of Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ books in the Inheritance Games series is on my auto-buy list. I’m not too sure that her Debutantes or the Raised by Wolves series will be appealing to me but the Naturals series may also be worth me taking a punt on.
  • J.K. Rowling / Robert Galbraith – any new Cormoran Strike novel is always in my shopping basket, although I usually wait until it comes out as a paperback. I’m too invested in this crime series to stop now!
  • Stephanie Garber – I feel like I buy Stephanie Garber’s books for the hype surrounding them – I don’t want to get FOMO when nearly my entire bookish feed is filled with them! I initially got both Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart as part of my Fairyloot subscriptions and bought the sequels just to keep reading on. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy her books and the whimsical characters she creates, but I’m not sure I would have bought them as an ‘auto-buy’ if I hadn’t received them through book boxes first.

That’s pretty much the core of my auto-buy authors! Which writers would make it onto your list and why? Let me know in the comments, I’m intrigued to see what you come up with!

T xx

The Lunar New Year Book Tag

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Happy Lunar New Year Bibliofriends,

Whilst I was trawling the internet for a new Book Tag to sink my teeth into – this fantastic Lunar New Year Book Tag popped up! This tag was originally created way back in 2017 by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit and Josh @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts. Both of their blogs seem to have been dormant for some time so I’m not terribly sure if there’s an updated version of this somewhere in the ether, however I’m using the original 2017 prompts and graphics from Tiff’s post.

Back in 2017, we were celebrating the Year of the Rooster which had the prompt of ‘Most Anticipated 2017’ release; obviously in 2024, we’re celebrating the year of the Dragon, but I decided not to swap any of the prompts around as they seemed to fit so well with the personalities of the animals. Therefore, the Rooster prompt will read as most anticipated read of 2024.

You may have already heard me rabbit on about this book before, so it should come as no surprise that my Royalty book prompt is the American Royals series by Katharine McGee! I love the drama, it’s like a bookish reality show!

No pun intended, but The Once and Future Witches had me absolutely spellbound from the very first page. There was something so magnetic about the spooky atmosphere that Alix E. Harrow created, that I just couldn’t help but be drawn into the world of James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna.

My own Zodiac animal, the snake! Hand on my heart swear, that when I was choosing the book for this prompt, I didn’t intentionally match up The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes with the snake, purely for all of the snakenesssss… I genuinely saw this cover on my Goodreads list and thought, yes – this book is filled with manipulating characters from every corner! Is there even a character in here who doesn’t manipulate someone at some point?!

I am an absolute sucker for an eye-catching cover! As you can see, animals tend to be a running theme on these selections, however anything that is pattern-based, popping with colour and with a minutiae of intricate detailing is a winner with me!

Xander Hawthorne from The Inheritance Games is winning this prompt for me. He can always be relied upon to sneak up on a character, just at the precise moment to call them out or offer some witty one-liners and backchat.

This is my edited prompt to read ‘Most Anticipated 2024 Release’. With Crescent City 3 – House of Shadow and Flame already out in the world, it feels a little like cheating to mention that… Another read that I am desperate to get my hands on this year is The Grandest Game which is the fifth instalment in The Inheritance Games series! Out in August 2024! You can read my review for the previous book in the series The Brothers Hawthorne here.

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue. Always. This book occupies a really special place in my bookish heart. Addie’s character captivated me in a way like no other and the bittersweet elements of the plot keep me coming back to this read over and over and over again.

When I first read Midnight in Everwood, I was astounded at the level of detail M.A. Kuzniar had put into researching her main character Marietta Stelle. In this Nutcracker retelling, the author not only created an in-depth world filled with all of the fantastical elements of this wonderful, well-loved ballet, but she also took a deeper look into the actual ballet dancers who shaped the role and used this to inspire her main character. It’s a fantastic piece of craftsmanship which I definitely feel needs a little more love. You can read my review for it here.

Erm… my book subscriptions themselves! Does that count?! I thought it wasn’t too bad to start with as I only get Illumicrate and the Fairyloot YA and Adult Combo each month, but then I started having to get the matching sequel editions to match… then came the gorgeous collector editions of books I already owned… it’s definitely a sickness. I’m in desperate need of a bookaholics anonymous society!

I could have gone with a multitude of characters for this. It seems like strong morals and ideals are an unofficial prerequisite for fantasy heroes on a crusade to save the kingdom. However, as my mind wandered, there was one character in particular who was exactly kind-hearted and resolute, even in the face of the darkest dark – step on up Samwise Gamgee! 💜

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution – whilst I found the academic writing style a little tricky to get my head around, the powerful and poignant messages leaping from every corner of this book had me writing this down as my prompt pick almost immediately. Even R.F. Kuang’s brutally honest author note really put it out there. I wanted to high five for her reiteration that yes, although this book is set in a very real Oxford, the fictional liberties taken with dates and architecture were for the actual storytelling and not intended to be verbatim fact.

I mean, how can I not pick Divine Rivals for this…? For starters, that enchanted typewriter! 😱 Without sounding like Veruca Salt, “give it me now!” The way and Iris and Roman are drawn together, every element of their journey is so tender that is totally encapsulates the ‘sweet romance’ part of this prompt. I can’t wait to read the sequel Ruthless Vows!

That’s a wrap! Twelve Zodiac animals, twelve bookish prompts, twelve book selections! What do you think of them? Are you celebrating the Lunar New Year and do you know your own Zodiac animal?

As always, drop me a comment below to chat!
T xx

Characters of the Year Tag – 2023 Reads

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Happy Thursday Bibliofriends!

I was still reminiscing about last year’s reads when I stumbled across this great Characters of the Year Book Tag on Books are 42 blog. With it being Awards Season at the moment, this tag felt like a brilliant way to celebrate last year’s reads.

Favourite Male Character of the Year

This has to go to Jacks, the Prince of Hearts from the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy by Stephanie Garber. I really enjoyed trying to work out the motivations behind his character and the complex hero/villain vibes he gave off.

Favourite Female Character of the Year

This was quite tough as I read some pretty fierce famous characters this year. After scrolling through my reads, this accolade just has to go to Alex from When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill. I totally fell in love with her character arc. From her naivety of the world around her, to the sheer maturity, resilience and determination she imbued to try and overcome her obstacles – I absolutely devoured her narrative!

Most Relatable Character of the Year

Reading so much fantasy, this was probably the most difficult of all of the prompts to be honest. If I had to pick one character, I would say Xiomara from The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo – purely the facet of her that works so hard at trying to live up to the expectations put upon her by others. If that isn’t a relatable trait then I’m not sure what is!

Couple of the Year

Be still my beating heart… Iris and Roman from Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross were such a shoe-in for this role. I wouldn’t quite call them ‘enemies‘ to lovers, but the rivalry between them definitely adds to the building chemistry and tension. I can’t wait to find out what happens to them in the sequel which is very near the top of my 2024 Reading List.

Villain of the Year

This was another prompt which really made me think. Ian Hammond from Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton definitely caused a fair bit of villainous chaos! I was originally going to go with the dinosaurs themselves, but thought that wasn’t very fair to them considering they didn’t really ask to be brought back from extinction…! 😂

Most Disliked Character of the Year

Again, another difficult one… Sirscha from Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee was my pick for this, only because she was a main character which I never really bonded with or bought into when reading. Something about her, and pretty much the whole novel to be honest, just didn’t click with me.

Royal of the Year

Hands down, Princess Samantha from the American Royals series by Katharine McGee wins Royal of the Year. I’m so glad I stumbled across these books. Sam brings the perfect antithesis to the rule-abiding Princess Beatrice, and whilst I could have chosen them both as Siblings of the Year (along with Prince Jefferson, of course!), Sam’s refreshing bursts of rebellion and rule-breaking add some fantastic humour to the story. I’ve really enjoyed her transformation and character journey and can’t wait to read about what lies in store for her in the remaining books.

Sidekick / Non-Main Character of the Year

I mulled over this one for ages but I think I have to give it to the entire Bestiary from Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. This is such a wonderful book about an archipelago of fantastical creatures and the creatures themselves steal the show. From Gelifen the Griffin, to the Sphinxes and the Ratatoskas, this book was filled with so many wondrous side characters who brought this magical world so vividly to life.

Siblings of the Year

Camino and Yahaira from Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo deserve this siblings of the year award. I was so taken by this found family story and how both of the girl end up coming together and making space for each other in their respective lives. It was a really heartwarming ending to what began as quite a tragic story.

There you have it, my characters of the year from my 2023 reads! Have you read any of the books these characters came from? Which characters would make your own character of the year awards? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

2023 Reading Wrap

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Happy Saturday everyone!

How are you spending the weekend? I am off to the dreaming spires of Oxford to wander round and see if I can spot any little bookstores hidden away!

I know we’ve passed the middle of January but I haven’t quite got around to wrapping up my 2023 reading year just yet. I set myself a Goodreads challenge to complete 60 books and I literally just completed it on New Years Eve!

2023 was a fairly busy year for me but although I read 5 fewer books than 2022, I managed to read about 3,000 more pages (25,067 in total). On average, my typical book length was about 400 pages. I made my way through a range of genres including SF-F, Crime, YA and Literary Fiction.

I read Heartburn by Nora Ephron because, at some point in my memory, it had been a book pick for the Between Two Books book club. If you haven’t come across it before, they are a Florence + the Machine fan-based book club, Florence even picks some of the chosen reads for it herself! Although The Ink Black Heart was an absolute door-stopper of a book, I felt like it was a real achievement to make it all the way through to the end – I also like to think it acted as a bit of subtle weight lifting too… 😂

The Books…

First read of the year: Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries by Alan Rickman
Last read of the year: Congo by Michael Crichton

My Favourite Reads and Highlights!
Looking back at what I actually did read in 2023, I could rant on about why I read these particular books and even some funny stories about how/where I bought them from, but here’s just a few of my best bits!

  • Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries by Alan Rickman – I’m a huge Alan Rickman fan and devoured his diaries. The end-notes from Rima were almost too heartbreaking to read but I found this to be such a fascinating insight into his life.
  • Happy Place by Emily Henry – Oh how I adore Emily Henry’s writing! She has such an ability to craft a plot and characters in a way which make my heart melt!
  • Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton – One of my favourite movies, I’m so glad I took the chance on reading this. If I didn’t love the film so much, I’d say the book was better!
  • When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill – I listened to this on Audible and for some reason it completely had me hooked. I don’t think I fully got my head around the ‘women as functioning dragons in society’ part but Alex’s character completely sucked me into her narrative.
  • Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross – This was one of those reads that was definitely worth the hype! Magical typewriters, rivals to lovers, weird mystical creatures relating to some sort of world mythology… I can’t wait to read Ruthless Vows!
  • Throne of Glass rereads – This was the year I also finished my Throne of Glass rereads on Audible. It’s one of my all-time favourite series and I’m so excited for Crescent City 3 coming out later this month!
  • American Royals by Katharine McGee – I stumbled across an ARC of this in a charity shop and bought it on a whim. Boy was I glad I did! It’s one of those guilty pleasure reads and once I started, I just couldn’t put it down!
  • Darker Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab – After my little pilgrimage to the Portobello Book Shop on a trip to Edinburgh, I finally made my way through this series! I’ve finally been introduced to Lila Bard and the infamous Kell! I’m excited to see where Schwab takes the next part of the series.

And that’s 2023 all wrapped up! Have you read anything on my 2023 list? Are some of these on your never-ending TBR? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T – The Biblioshelf 🤗

2024 Reading Goals

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Hey everyone!

So… it’s been about 2 years since I’ve last posted anything and it’s fair to say that the poor little blog was under threat of being abandoned forever. 😱 BUT, for some reason I cannot seem to let my little scrap of the blogosphere go. I really missed the bookish community and having an outlet to share my favourite reads. So here I am, attempting to resurrect my blogging passion, even if I’m typing into the void!

2024 Reading Goals

For 2024, I’ve set my Goodreads Reading Challenge to complete 65 books. I’m already 3 down so it’s been a somewhat positive start! In the background of this, I’m also going to track the number of pages I read compared to last year (25,067) just to see the how it varies compared with the number of books completed – I’m a bit of a stats nerd. I’ve only ever hit 65 reads once before so it’s going to be interesting to see if I can match it, or even go beyond it!

Epic Reads Next Page Reading Challenge

When I stumbled across this year-long reading challenge on Epic Reads, it felt like a perfectly attainable mission to complete whilst still keeping a flexible TBR. The checklist has one main prompt per month, as well as some off-the-page challenges such as visiting indie bookstores or buddy reading with a friend. You can find the challenge tasks below.

I’ve technically already completed January’s prompt by reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 🐉 and I’ll probably choose February’s book towards the end of this month.

Clearing the Shelves

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a bibliophile tends to have some kind of book-hoarding or book-buying addiction… hello my fellow bookwyrms! With subscriptions to Illumicrate and Fairyloot, as well as the old ‘Tik-Tok-Made-Me-Buy-It’, my shelves are bursting at seams with unread goodies. I’m working hard this year to try and power through those that have been sitting on my shelves for far too long! Seriously, it’s like my books have they Gemino Curse and they just keep multiplying! Every time I move one off the shelf, another three magically take its place!

That’s it! I’ve tried to keep it fairly straightforward so I can try and put maximum effort into actually reading books. I’ve only ever hit 65 books in a year once before so I think that is probably going to be my biggest challenge!

What reading goals have you set for yourself this year? Are you looking forward to discovering new genres, following particular prompts of reading challenges, or are you just trying to cling on to keeping reading as a daily habit? 🙈 Let me know in the comments, I’m always happy to chat!

T – The Biblioshelf 🤗

#SixforSunday – Books I’m Too Scared To Read!

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends!

We’re finishing off the seasonal Ooky Spooky Bookys theme this month on Six for Sunday with a post all about books we’re too scared to read! I had so much fun putting this together and browsing for some good old fashion horror stories to include!

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. November’s theme is ‘Ooky Spooky Bookys’. 

Books I’m Too Scared To Read!

Some of my favourite orange books that I’ve read or are sitting on my physical TBR pile! ☺️

  1. The Shining by Stephen King
  2. It by Stephen King
  3. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
  4. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
  5. Button, Button by Richard Matheson
  6. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

As always, leave your links below to your own posts or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx