Tag: bookblogger

#BookTag – Sunshine Blogger Award

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
  1. What inspired you to start your blogging journey?
  2. What is your favourite quote? (It can be a well-known saying/proverb, bookish quote, music lyrics etc.)
  3. If you had to live in any fictional world where would it be and why?
  4. What would the title of your memoir be?
  5. If you had Aladdin’s three wishes, what would you wish for?
  6. Favourite book to film/TV adaptation?
  7. What’s your zodiac sign and do you follow it?
  8. If you were gifted a copy of any book in the world which would you hope for?
  9. Who is your biggest inspiration?
  10. Would you rather go to an all-day beach party in Mykonos or spend the night watching the Northern Lights from an igloo?
  11. 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

Jake is Reading

Tina Reeds

Toastie Books

The Crafty Reader

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

#SixforSunday – Clever Characters

The Biblioshelf6 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

There’s a brand new theme for this month’s Six For Sunday lists and I’m so excited to get stuck in to Characters Ahoy! I think we can really underestimate at times just how important some characters are to stories and the way that we as readers interact with them – particularly those side-kick, lesser-known, periphery characters who can be a tiny cog in the big machine of a story yet crucial to making the whole thing tick.

As I kept filling out these lists each week, I became glaring aware of the fact that my choices of characters/novels seem to be limited to my ‘God-tier’ kind of books – I could literally fill each prompt with characters from my favourite worlds (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Throne of Glass) but then I keep getting bored of picking the same well-known fictional people over and over again. So this month, I’m trying to be a little more diverse in my selections of characters and although I can’t cut out some of my favourites completely, hopefully you’ll start to see a wider range of influences from all across my reading pile!

This week is all about Clever Characters. For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. Steph also hosts a Twitter chat for Six For Sunday each Sunday evening around 6pm but I never seem to make it as I’m always busy! Maybe this month…?! 🤔

Clever Characters

I find ‘clever’ such a tricky bracket to put characters into. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines ‘clever’ as “having or showing the ability to learn and understand things quickly and easily”. The main problem, is that being clever can sometimes be heavily stereotyped, and not always in a positive way. Clever characters are often the bespectacled book-swots, straight A students who don’t have many friends, or plain characters merely exist to retain a lot of information.

So often, we forget about the other definitions of ‘clever’ such as “skilful” or for an object, “something well-designed”. Being a teacher, I think clever characters are important representatives in today’s fiction. We encourage our students to perform their best in a system rigged with exams and gradings when actually, all of us has an ability to be clever in some element of our life and not all of us fit the education-style mould when it comes to proving our cleverness.

So here’s to my six clever characters who, despite being invariably different, are all shining beacons in being their own kind of clever.

Hermione Granger – Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Dubbed ‘the brightest witch of her age’, Hermione’s character maintains all of the ‘cleverness’ tropes: exam success, homework always completed (her own AND Harry’s and Ron’s), good grades, can often be found in the Library, avid reader etc… She even starts of the whole series being lonely and having very few friends. But towards the end, being part of the golden trio and masterminding part of the downfall of one of the greatest villains in fiction, Hermione’s cleverness is celebrated by all – and let’s face it, Ron and Harry wouldn’t have made it through their first year at Hogwarts without her!

Wade Watts – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
I have so much love for this novel! Wade Watts makes it onto this list for his extensive ‘cleverness’ knowledge of James Halliday, 80s pop culture and his brilliant problem-solving mind. I can’t say much else without blurting out spoilers to the whole book, but his ability to try and figure out the reality from the virtual reality, spot the red herrings in a challenge riddled with easter eggs, and try to crack the mind of one of the greatest inventors in the Ready Player One world – he truly deserves his place on my clever characters list.

Magnus Bane – The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
For me, Magnus Bane is the saving grace of the The Mortal Instruments series. I love his quirkiness and the cool edge he brings to the Shadowhunters’ world. What gave him a spot on my Clever Characters list is the fact that he always seemed to know exactly what to do whenever anyone came to him for help. He’s a mightily powerful warlock and I definitely wouldn’t want to be pissing him off!

Gandalf – Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Where do we start with Gandalf’s cleverness? His extensive range of magical abilities, his skills as a tactician, his knowledge of the routes, passes and ways of Middle Earth, his sharp, quick-thinking when in danger… Everyone looks to him as a leader because he is often able to give guidance and counsel – that’s definitely earned him a place on my list.

Robert Langdon – The Dan Brown novels
Similarly to Wade Watts, Robert Langdon is an expert in his field has a vast knowledge of history related to conspiracy theories and organisations around the world. His photographic memory also helps him to quickly solve puzzles and outsmart the antagonists and rivals he’s often working against.

Don Tillman – The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
As a Professor of Genetics, there’s no doubting that Don Tillman is clever. But what I find endearing about Don’s character is that he’s one of those ‘clever people’ who knows everything there is to know about his speciality but really has no idea how to navigate human existence at times – especially when it comes to Rosie!

There we go. Six clever characters, each showing cleverness in different ways and positive lights, but all of them being comfortable and confident with who they are deep down inside.

Which clever characters would make your list? What traits do you think define cleverness?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Biblioshelf Musings Topic: Fanfiction…friend or foe?

The Biblioshelf3 Comments

Hi Bibliofriends,

How has your week been going? A slightly different post from me this week all about Fanfiction. Do you love it, hate it or have you yet to try it? I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot since the beginning of September since re-downloading the Fanfiction.net app and it’s come to my mind that it’s quite a marmite one. I’m intrigued to know your thoughts on whether fanfiction has its place in today’s reading community.

I can’t remember how long it’s been since I first discovered Fanfiction, but I know it must have been at least ten years ago. It all started after the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows –  one of my ultimate book hangovers of all time… to be honest, I’m probably still not over it! I was not ready to part with and say goodbye to a series which had absolutely stolen my heart. When my friend mentioned Fanfiction to me, I initially had no idea what she was talking about until I delved a little deeper onto the internet and discovered the absolute treasure trove that was fanfiction.net! Here, all of my Harry Potter continuation dreams came true with community upon community dedicated to writing their own versions of events or creating the world after The Battle of Hogwarts ended but before 19 Years Later had ever happened. I quickly became addicted and read story after story after story.

So why do I find Fanfiction such a marmite topic?

The Loves

  • For a start it’s such a guilty pleasure – it’s almost like sinking into a massive beanbag with a great big duvet, the ultimate comfort read.
  • I can revisit some of my favourite storylines of fictional worlds and get a brand new take on them, which falls just slightly short of reading the book again for the first time. Like all of my fangirling dreams coming true!
  • tenorYou soon start to develop favourite writers, reading communities or “-ships” that you end up gravitating towards.
  • The stories are often updated a chapter at a time and you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for the next one – which can sometimes takes years… #imstillwaiting!
  • Some of our most well-known fantasy series and other books are all said to have begun life as a fanfiction type of story: Throne of Glass, Shadowhunters, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies …even 50 Shades of Grey. Surely this is where the retelling/fractured fairytale genre comes home to roost?
  • I can read more about my favourite series and even though it’s all unofficial, some of it still feels like reading the next chapter in the actual story – it’s amazing how some of the plotlines that fans have written almost became like a canon of their very own.
  • It’s one way to guarantee that I will resurface from my reading slump!

The Hates

  • There’s only one of my friends who I know indulges in it like me. It isn’t always the biggest conversation starter when you’re talking to the bookish community, especially when people have absolutely no idea what you’re going on about.
  • Sometimes a writer will get your favourite character completely wrong and not how you envisage them at all. This leads to major reader angst! 😂
  • It becomes addictive – quite frankly this month, my little fanfiction addiction has majorly distracted me from my September TBR. I’ve read nothing…but…fanfiction!source.gif
  • Writers may end up abandoning stories that you became strangely invested in and years down the line, you’re no closer to finding out whatever did happen at the end.
  • Even though some stories are novel length, I can’t count them towards my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal!

 

I’m keen to find out your views about Fanfiction.  Do you read it, love it, hate it, have a secret passion for it? Do you write it or ship it? It has definitely become a little faddish obsession for me from time to time, although the ever-growing TBR pile could do with not being neglected for so long.

What are your thoughts? As always drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

May TBR

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…Onyx and Ivory [Spoiler Free]

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Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett

Series: Rime Chronicles #1

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: May 12th 2018

Publisher: Balzer & Bray (Fairyloot Exclusive Edition)

Pages: 512

Rating: 4/5 Shelfie Stacks 📚📚📚📚

Onyx and Ivory is the first in a series of books by Mindee Arnett called The Rime Chronicles.

Synopsis from Goodreads

They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king years ago. Now Kate lives as an outcast, clinging to the fringes of society as a member of the Relay, the imperial courier service. Only those most skilled in riding and bow hunting ride for the Relay; and only the fastest survive, for when dark falls, the nightdrakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. But it’s this magic that she needs to keep hidden, as being a wilder is forbidden, punishable by death or exile. And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by nightdrakes in broad daylight—the only survivor her childhood friend, her first love, the boy she swore to forget, the boy who broke her heart.The high king’s second son, Corwin Tormane, never asked to lead. Even as he waits for the uror—the once-in-a-generation ritual to decide which of the king’s children will succeed him—he knows it’s always been his brother who will assume the throne. And that’s fine by him. He’d rather spend his days away from the palace, away from the sight of his father, broken with sickness from the attempt on his life. But the peacekeeping tour Corwin is on has given him too much time to reflect upon the night he saved his father’s life—the night he condemned the would-be killer to death and lost the girl he loved. Which is why he takes it on himself to investigate rumors of unrest in one of the remote city-states, only for his caravan to be attacked—and for him to be saved by Kate.With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin have to put the past behind them. The threat of drakes who attack in the daylight is only the beginning of a darker menace stirring in the kingdom—one whose origins have dire implications for Kate’s father’s attack upon the king and will thrust them into the middle of a brewing civil war in the kingdom of Rime.

Magists

Ok, we need to talk about the Magists…These guys hold the monopoly on magic in Rime – if you’re not a magist then you shouldn’t be doing magic at all; you’re a wilder and you’re an outlaw. The only way to access magic in Rime is to buy it off a magist. This really struck a cord with me. Somewhere in the World Wide Web is an infographic which shows 10 major companies who supposedly control the world because they own pretty much every other ‘big business’ that’s out there saturating our mass market. Now I’m not going to go on a political rampage here, but I couldn’t help but link the role of the magists in Rime to these top ten companies. The way the magists are able to control everyone, including the royals who run the country, really pulled me into the story. I was immediately suspicious of them and quite incensed to be honest.

Horses

If you have read some of my recent posts then you’ll be getting to know that I love horses. 🐎 I am massively envious of Kate’s wilder ability to talk to them! The horse theme and Arnett’s love for these wondrous creatures definitely came through in her writing and really appealed to the horse-enthusiast in me.

Supporting characters

The band of supporting characters in this novel are absolute gold. Bonner’s loyalty; Signe’s sass; Dal’s dark humour; Raith’s mysterious-ness; Corwin’s Princely charms… I loved them all and they complement Kate perfectly! Each of them had their own role to play in the story and I found myself wanting to learn more and more about all of their backstories. A truly fabulous cast of characters.

The Relay

‘Running the gauntlet’ is the phrase I would use to try summing up what the Relay Riders have to do every day whilst delivering things around the world of Rime. And perhaps it’s my mischievous side coming through but this sounds like such a cool job! You get to ride your horse all across the country whilst trying to avoid the dangerous nightdrakes that come out in the dark…only to find that you then have to start dodging the daydrakes too – Royal Mail eat your heat out, these guys are the badass, tough-nuts of the Postie world! I’m definitely adding Relay Rider to my list of ‘fictional jobs I wish I could do’.

Storytelling

It didn’t take long at all for me to become engrossed in this story. The world building, characterisation and plot devices were everything I wanted from a fantasy story. I liked the suspense of trying to guess who the villains were (and whilst I guessed some of it, I definitely didn’t get all of it). I was rooting for the romance between Kate and Corwin. I was intrigued by the types of magic both from the magists and the wilders. I was thrilled by the fight scenes.

All in all, this made for a brilliant series starter which is why I gave Onyx and Ivory 4 Shelfie Stacks and put the sequel, Shadow and Flame, straight onto my TBR.

Have you read Onyx and Ivory? Did you love it as much as I did? Drop me a comment and let me know! ☺️

Txx

Greek Mythology Tag

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To me, myths and legends form the absolute baseline for the tradition which today we call storytelling. I recently listened to Stephen Fry’s Mythos audiobook and it has reignited my love all things mythical. I was so excited when Umairah @Sereadipity tagged me in this Greek Mythology Tag that she found Lau Reads’ blog, that it didn’t take me long to get started – choosing the books was obviously a lot harder, there’s so much great literature out there!

☆ Zeus: Favourite book

Of all time?! If I was forced to pick just one, I would probably say The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Záfon as it is so beautifully written.

☆ Poseidon: A book that drowned you in feels 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling– I’m one of those “I-grew-up-with-Harry” types of people and reaching the end of this series was like reaching an end of an era in bookish-life terms. The chapter The Prince’s Tale breaks my heart and makes me cry every damn time.
Always.

☆ Hades: Favourite dark book 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding – there’s just something about the realness of it that I find perturbing.

☆ Hera: Cutest couple

Rhysand and Ferye – ACOWAR Chapter 55; need I say anymore?!

☆ Athena: Favourite intelligent heroine 

Celeana Sardothian from the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas. I know that some people may not class her character as ‘intelligent’ necessarily but she is quite cunning and savvy. She always seems to have a plan for everything and if she doesn’t then she makes a point of finding out. She also loves her books.

☆ Gaea: Favourite world building book

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien – I consider it to be one of the true greats in fantasy literature. To create a world like Middle Earth, base an entire collection of stories, poems and histories in it, then inspire someone like Peter Jackson to bring it to life on the big screen – that is some seriously epic world-building power right there!

☆ Aphrodite: Most gorgeous cover

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. The cover was design by a paper-cutting artist called Rob Ryan and I adore his work, it’s so intricate and pretty.

☆ Ares: Most violent book you’ve read 

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis – without a shadow of a doubt.

☆ Hephaestus: Hottest book you’ve ever read 

Sex and the City by Candace BushnellI guess. I don’t tend to read that much fiction that I’d define as hot so this was difficult! 😂

☆ Artemis: A heroine who doesn’t need a man to save her

Manon Blackbeak from the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas. I didn’t really like Manon that much at first, but then Queen of Shadows happened! Manon’s journey in Kingdom of Ash nearly killed me, I was in floods!

☆ Apollo: A book that is an exception to a genre you don’t usually like

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – I’m not really interested in spaceships / artificial intelligence / futuristic planets etc. but I loved Illuminae. (Like a lot of books, Gemina and Obsidio are on my TBR!).

☆ Hermes: A book that stole your heart 

One Day by David Nicholls. The ending played with my heartstrings far too much!

☆ Hestia: A book you go back to for comfort 

Harry Potter – every time! Whenever I visit the Warner Brothers Studio Tour my eyes always well-up when I get to wand shop at the end and I read the quote on the big screen: “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” 💙

☆ Demeter: Favourite book setting 

Anything that takes place in the sea/ocean or underwater. I don’t know why but I’m just drawn to water worlds; perhaps I was a fish in a previous life!

☆ Dionysus: A book you are most anticipating in the next year 

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal for a 2019 release; however, if we are talking about the next chronological year until March 2020 then I would have to say Queen of Nothing by Holly Black. After the ending of The Wicked King, I’m desperate to know what happens!

☆ Hecate: Favourite magical read

Harry Potter (again!), it brought the magic back into my love for reading!

☆ Nemesis: Favourite revenge story

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. The way Bardugo weaves all of the different characters and their stories/motivations together in one thrilling heist narrative was brilliant!

So there’s my list. Have a go if you like the sound of it and you’re a fellow Greek myth fan!

Happy listing!

T xx

Happy World Book Day!

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It’s World Book Day everyone! Working as a Year 6 teacher in a primary school we get to have loads of fun by dressing up as our favourite book characters. I always dread the drive to work, just in case you get pulled over or have an accident and end up having to explain your weird outfit to strangers.

Today I went as Wally (Where’s Wally) which ended up being a bit of a Plan B as I originally intended to go as Luna Lovegood, purely because I own a pair of Spectrespecs! 😂 We took part in a BBC Live Lesson this afternoon which featured authors including Malorie Blackman, Cressida Cowell and Rob Biddulph.

During the middle of the broadcast they had a random fact montage and as soon as a word and it’s definition popped up on screen, I just had to write it down:

Tsundoku – It’s basically the Japanese way for describing the never-ending TBR pile! It’s their word for buying loads of books and never having the time to read them.

So in honour of World Book Day and my new-found knowledge of the word Tsundoku, I would like to list 3 books that have been on my never-ending TBR pile and pledge to read them before the end of 2019.

  • The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
  • Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
  • A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

What do you do to avoid Tsundoku? To be fair I should probably stop buying so many books…but let’s face it, hell may freeze over before that happens!

Feel free to post your own Tsundoku list in the comments! I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with.

Happy World Book! Enjoy celebrating one of the greatest days of the year for us book-lovers!

T xx

Bookish Adventure Tag!

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Umairah @ Sereadipity celebrated reaching 100 followers with a special Bookish Adventure Tag. This is my first tag and I had such a lot of fun!

Here are the rules:

Write about one place mentioned in a book you wish you could visit and why.

  • List 3-5 things that you would do there.
  • Mention which souvenirs, if any, you would bring back with you.
  • Then tag some more literary explorers and please link back to the creator

To be honest I had to condense it loads as I could ramble on forever about my Dream Bookish Destination! Here goes…

Dream Bookish Destination:

When someone says ‘Ultimate Bookish Destination’, Middle Earth is the first thing that pops into my head. I know it’s not exactly one destination but I can’t thing of a single place that I’d love to visit more. There’s just something so magical and unforgettable about Tolkien’s world. Trouble is, if I ever got to visit, I don’t think I’d ever want to leave!

Things I would do:

  • Rent a room at the Prancing Pony and drink pints with hobbits.
  • Attend one of Gandalf’s famous firework parties in the Shire then eat breakfast, second breakfast and elevenses the morning after.
  • Sit and read books by the waterfall in Rivendell.
  • Go horse riding with the Rohirrim across Rohan.
  • Visit the Lonely Mountain and try and steal a bit of Smaug’s treasure.
  • Have tea with Radagast the Brown and his amazing menagerie of animals.
  • Wander through the streets of Gondor and see the famous White Tree.
  • Steer well clear of Minas Morgul and the creepy spider lair.
  • Go on a walk with the Ents.

Souvenirs:

  • The Light of Eärendil – because it would be way cooler than using my phone as a torch…
  • If I couldn’t bring back a horse from Rohan, I’d make do with a Rohan flag that I could use as a throw-cover or something.
  • A piece of treasure from the Lonely Mountain; just to say that I, like Bilbo, could pass for a thief and because I like shiny things! 😂

Tag! You’re it! Feel free to have a go at your own Dream Bookish Destination.

Thanks again to Umairah for creating the Bookish Adventure Tag. I had a blast!

T xx

Top Ten Tuesday – Places in Books I’d Love to Visit

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After a year’s hiatus I’m finally getting back to the blog!  These last twelve months have been one hell of a bumpy ride and reading dropped off my radar so much that I didn’t even meet my reading challenge target for 2018 which I usually always exceed.
So now, after getting to grips with the stuff that has gone on, I’m finally getting to grips my mental health and anxiety, am coming out the other side and taking more time out for me by getting back to some of the things I love… reading! To mark the fresh start, the blog has a new name ‘The Biblioshelf’. I wasn’t particularly happy with the old one anyway so hopefully this will give me renewed motivation to keep going, starting with one of my favourite Book Tags ‘Top Ten Tuesday’.

Top Ten Tuesday by That Artsy Girl Reader is the ultimate tag for the bookish list-lover amongst us and I always look forward to seeing the different prompts and responses people have. It also helps by making me have a stern talking to myself to read more widely as most of my lists end up being from the same ten books just in a different order!

This week’s theme was ‘Places in Books I’d Love to Visit’. Hyperlinks of titles link to Goodreads.

10) The World of His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
I remember being hooked on Northern Lightswhen I was a child on holiday in Greece; so much so that the only part of the holiday I can actually remember is sitting by the pool and reading this book… That said, I haven’t actually read the remainder of the trilogy so one of my 2019 reading goals is to go right back to the beginning and immerse myself back into this glorious world that I remember loving but can’t quite remember why…

9) The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey
So this one isn’t really a place from a book – it’s more a place to visit an object from the book…if that makes sense?! The Chemistry of Tears is centred around the creation of a gorgeous silver swan automaton. The Silver Swan which was created in the 18thCentury and is kept at the Bowes Museum in County Durham (England). It sits on a little pool of glass and eats up tiny silver fishes. I’d love to go and visit this incredible piece of clockwork one day, but for now I’ll just have to settle for watching people’s YouTube videos of it!

8) Narnia from The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
Who doesn’t want to crawl through the back of their wardrobe and end up in a magical place? I imagine Narnia as being one of the ‘must-see’ locations from the worlds of fantasy literature. I’d love to explore it with one of those passports that you stamp when you get to a different area.

7) Berk from How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Let’s face it, I’m only going here to see the amazing dragons!

6) Carcassonne from Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Kate Mosse’s books based in the Languedoc region of France always made me want to visit and due to this book Carcassonne is definitely one of my ‘to visit’ places in France. I love how she brings such a historical place to life and fills it with such mystery and intrigue. I’m also a sucker for a maze!

5) Kotor (Montenegro) from Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popović
I loved this book so much and the way Lana writes about Old Town Catarro just seemed to appeal to every single one of my senses. I’d love to take a little boat trip to visit Our Lady of the Rocks which sits on a tiny island and I’d definitely have to find the little confectionery where Iris and Malina’s mother bakes delicious sounding cakes and pastries. I tried to convince my friend that we should go there on holiday, but we went to Walt Disney World instead!

4) The Cemetery of Forgotten Books from The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Pick one book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books then look after and protect it for the rest of your life…what book lover would turn down this opportunity? Zafón is one of my all-time favourite authors and is such a genius story-teller. Everything he writes is so lyrical and his character Daniel Sempere is probably one of literature’s greatest bibliophiles. I believe Barcelona, where the books are set, now has a trail dedicated to the Zafón’s stories and it’s definitely on my travel bucket list. I only wish that there was such a place as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books!

3) Terrasen from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas
I know it’s incredibly hyped but I fell head over heels in love for this series! To pick just one place in Erilea to visit was tricky but I knew as soon as I read the final book in the series (Kingdom of Ash) it had to be Terrasen. Obviously I’d be making sure to pack my forest disguise to try and hide in Oakwald in the attempt at spotting the elusive Little Folk and the Lord of the North!

2) Rivendell from The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Let’s be real, I’d visit any place in Middle Earth (yep, even Mordor!) but seeing the elves in Rivendell would probably be the place I head to first. Or Gondor to see Aragorn, or to the Green Dragon to have a pint with the Hobbits, or to Fangorn to chat to the Ents…I could go on but then my list would probably be as long as the book itself!

1) Flourish and Blotts from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
Once, a student I teach bought me a mug that says ‘Hogwarts wasn’t hiring so I teach muggles instead’. If the Wizarding World were a real place, I’d probably have emigrated there already. Similarly to Middle Earth, I couldn’t possibly just stop off at one place then head back home, but somewhere I have always wished I could step into was Flourish and Blotts. Surely it’s the ultimate bibliophile’s pit-stop in the amazingness that is the Wizarding World!

This was such a fun theme to explore for Top Ten Tuesday so thanks to That Artsy Girl Reader and Georgia @justreadthemm – now to try and curb that building wanderlust! What would make your list? Drop me and comment and let me know.

Until next time Bibliophiles, have a great week!

T xx

[Book Review] To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

The Biblioshelf3 Comments

I have a heart for every year I’ve been alive.
There are seventeen hidden in the sand of my bedroom. Every so often, I claw through the shingle, just to check they’re still there. Buried deep and bloody. I count each of them, so I can be sure none were stolen in the night. It’s not such an odd fear to have. Hearts are power, and if there’s one thing my kind craves more than the ocean, it’s power.

If this book were a portal to the world it’s set in then I would immediately dive straight into it right now!

I’ve always been a major fan of any stories set by seas and oceans or involving pirates, mermaids and the like. I’ve read stories of sirens in mythology but nothing contemporary has ever hit the mark…that is until To Kill A Kingdom came along.
I knew I had to read it straightaway and couldn’t resist the lure of it when it came up as part of the Readers First draw. Readers First is a website that releases first looks on upcoming releases from a wide range of genres. If you write a first impression of the first look then you get entered into a prize draw to win a copy of the book pre-publication in exchange for a review. This was my first time actually entering for anything and I jumped for joy when I had the email telling me that I had won a copy and it was already on its way in the mail to me.

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy? [Synopsis from Goodreads]IMG_7774

Admittedly, from the blurb alone, my expectations were incredibly high and thankfully Alexandra Christo pulled it out of the bag with this brilliant debut. It’s clear from the first few pages that storytelling is a massive strength within this novel. Christo has such a lyrical way of writing that the story is almost like a siren song transcending off the pages straight into your mind.

Under the sea, it’s never so serene. There’s always screaming and crashing and tearing. There’s always the ocean, constantly moving and evolving into something new. Never still and never the same.

From the outset, the world building in this book is far from watery (pun intended)!  The rich vocabulary and exquisite descriptions immerse you headfirst into the world Christo has created. Seriously, I would happily hop on the first pirate ship I see on a quest to find the Diávolos Sea. I love descriptive books which is why I think this appealed to me so much but if you’re not into all of that then there’s plenty of swashbuckling action and entertaining banter to counteract it.

And the ocean, calling out to us both. A song of freedom and longing.

The story is written in alternating chapters following Lira – a siren princess known as the Princes’ Bane due to her passion for targeting and murdering princes, and Elian – a Midasan prince known as the siren-killer because of his commitment to sailing the seas and ridding humanity of the threat of siren monsters. When Lira’s callous and cruel mother, the Sea Queen, sends Lira on a quest to kill Elian the paths of the two main characters merges and takes them on an adventure which neither one was truly expecting.

Could it really be such a bad thing, to become a story whispered to children in the dead of night?

Raised by brutality, Lira is one true bad-ass. She’s witty, determined and filled with sass to the brim. A fantastic protagonist who conveys her story and her conflicting feelings effortlessly. I really liked the fact that she dared to be different to the other sirens, even if it meant going against someone as powerful as her mother. As for the prince…well, give me Elian over Eric any day! The balance between both him and Lira made for a brilliantly believable pairing despite their initial differences.

Although To Kill A Kingdom comes across as a retelling, it really is an original tale in its own right. I enjoyed the influences of Greek myths as well as spotting the various nods to both the traditional and Disney versions of the The Little Mermaid – the Sea Queen throws some serious shade on Disney’s Ursula; Lira’s transition from siren to human echoes both Ariel’s and the Anderson mermaid’s fates; and of course the subtle romance between prince and princess reiterates themes from both versions of the tale.

The storyline itself, deviates drastically from the well-known fairy tales. Christo has created an interesting narrative which weaves myth, fairy tale and fantasy together. The characters embark on a fairly simple retrieval quest which then branches out into variously wicked twists and turns to keep you on your toes, finally culminating in an epic battle of mankind and monsters to determine the fate of their world. I enjoyed the way that the action was interspersed with different settings and dialogues between the characters. Refreshingly, as a standalone fantasy novel, the plot is neatly wrapped up at the end of the story but there’s the snag…I wanted more! At times during reading I found myself doubting that this was actually a standalone. I couldn’t quite believe that the whole story could be wrapped up as I crept closer and closer to the end of the book. Whilst I wasn’t left with any burning questions which felt as though they hadn’t been answered, I do feel that the ending came about rather quickly compared to the level of build-up that there was to get there. I really hope Christo revisits this world that she has created, not necessarily to continue the stories of Elian and Lira, but just to see more of it come to life on the page.

If you’re looking for a stunningly enchanting standalone to absolutely lose yourself in, then this is the book for you. To Kill a Kingdom had everything I wanted in a YA fantasy novel – adventure, mysticism, humour, magic, a touch of romance and a kingdom that I actually wished was a real place. This novel will definitely stick in my mind for a long time to come and I can’t wait to see what Christo writes next.

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Published: 6th March 2018
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9781471407390
Rating: 5/5 Princes’ Hearts