Tag: bookish

#Friday56 – Ignite the Sun

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It’s FriYAY time again Bibliofriends!

This week’s Friday 56 comes from Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard which I received as an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was a brilliant traditional YA fantasy debut in which light battled against dark!

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

Milla hugged me briefly, her fleeting embrace like birds’ wings, and as she released me, I threw my arms impulsively around Phipps.

The whole cast of characters in this novel felt like they had come straight out of the pages of folklore encyclopaedias – mages, banshees, elves, dwarves, nymphs, naiads and a witch-queen. They really were my favourite aspect of the story. If you want to find out more about Ignite the Sun then you can check out my full review here.

Amazon | Blink YA Books| Waterstones | Hanna C. Howard on Twitter

Have you read Ignite the Sun? What are your favourite folklore characters? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#BookTag – My Life in Books

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Happy TuesTAG Bibliofriends,

This week’s Tag was so much fun to do! I found it over on One Book More’s blog and thought it was worth a go considering I seem to be running out of tags to do (feel free to tag me in anything!).

Find A Book For Each Letter in Your Name

This is such a fun prompt and I love things like this! I did a book character for each letter of my name back on Twitter when I first joined so it’s good to do a different variation here. I always get nerdy and wish my name had more letters so I’ve done both my name name and also my blog name! 🤓😂

T – To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
I – Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
L – Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
L – Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
Y – You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane

B – The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
I – Inferno by Dante
B – Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake
L – The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 
I – Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard
O – Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
S – Stardust by Neil Gaiman
H – The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
E – Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett
L – The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo
F – Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Count Your Age Along Your Bookshelf – What Book Is It?

As I’m away from home for summer (and I also have more than one bookshelf…) I used my Goodreads all books shelf and counted along from the date I added them. The 31st book along was Divergent by Veronica Roth!

Pick A Book Set in Your City/Country

Agatha Raisin: The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton – the author lives in a few villages away from me and most of the series is set in the Cotswolds (England) where I live now.

Pick A Book That Represents A Destination That You Would Love To Travel To

So this year I had plucked up the courage to book on one of those solo travel trips to Peru to trek to Machu Picchu, climb Rainbow Mountain and go on a boat trip through the Amazon… until Corona hit and everything was cancelled! I haven’t read any books set in Peru but I can’t think about the country and not think about the delightful Paddington Bear from Deepest Darkest Peru by Michael Bond. Such wonderful childhood stories.

Pick A Book That Has Your Favourite Colour On It

I don’t tend to have a definite favourite colour – it changes all the time between various shades of pink, blue, green and purple. One of my favourite recent covers has to be the FairyLoot Exclusive Edition of Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust.

Which Book Do You Have The Fondest Memory Of?

I know there’s a lot of s**t out there about it recently but I have to say Harry Potter. I grew up with that series and my Nan would preorder all of the books for so I would have them as soon as they came out. I’m not supporting an author’s political/personal views whatsoever but as a writer that person gave me a literary home and community for life – I’m trying my best to separate the art and the artist on this one. 

Which Book Did You Have The Most Difficulty Reading?

Moby Dick by Herman Melville. There’s just something about the way classics are written that I struggle with. It’s like I have to focus on every single individual world just to make sense of the sentence. This book also felt tediously long but I was determined to read it and tick it off my list.

Which Book On Your TBR Will You Give You The Biggest Sense of Accomplishment When You Finish It?

Probably The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin – I read The Wizard of Earthsea and found it quite tough so I think I need to go back and try again. I know it is one of the classics of fantasy so I think finishing it will be a real achievement for me.

That is My Life in Books right there! 😂 Have you done this tag yet? Feel free to leave me your links or consider yourself tagged and have a go at your own! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#Friday56 – Good Omens

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Howdy Bibliofriends! Who’s got that Friday Feeling again?

This week’s Friday 56 comes from Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett which I listened to on Audiobook. It was such a funny story made all the better by Martin Jarvis’ accents and impressions!

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

“You think wars get started because some duke gets shot, or someone cuts off one’s ear, or someone’s sited their missiles in the wrong place. It’s not like that. That’s just well, just reasons, which haven’t got anything to do with it. What really causes wars is two sides that can’t stand the sight of one another and the pressure builds up and up and then anything will cause it. Anything at all.” 

So this quote isn’t exactly from p.56 or from 56% of the way through the book as, to be totally honest, I didn’t have the time or motivation to find out where that part was on my audiobook – so this is one of my favourite quotes from the book instead. There are so many little gems hidden throughout this book that I would definitely recommend it to all fantasy book fans who don’t mind the more humorous side of the genre. If you want to find out more about what I thought of Good Omens then you can check out my full review here.

Have you read Good Omens or any other Gaiman or Pratchett books? What are your favourite angels/demon stories? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#Friday56 – Esme’s Wish

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Happy Friday Bibliofriends!

This week’s Friday 56 comes from Esme’s Wish by Elizabeth Foster. I was thrilled to be asked by Elizabeth to review her book as it sounded crammed full with lots of fantasy elements and the map of Esperance was immediately giving me Venice-vibes! Esme’s Wish was a wonderful story of friendship and the quest for finding a lost loved one. I’m already intrigued and excited to read Book 2!

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

‘Somehow, my mother knew something nobody else could know – she knew about the stygians in the chamber. Why else would she have painted them around the pedestal?’
Lillian flicked her eyes from the painting to Esme, and back again. ‘So they could still be in there?’ She turned her gaze full on Esme. ‘And you want to go and see? Have you gone completely mad?’

This middle-grade fantasy novel was packed full with all of the elements I love to read about in this genre. There were dragons, sirens, magical portals, hints of mythology and curious compendiums and objects. If you want to find out more about Esme’s Wish then you can check out my full review here.

Goodreads | Odyssey Books | Amazon | Waterstones

Have you read Esme’s Wish? Do you prefer dragons of sirens in a fantasy novel? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#Friday56 – These Divided Shores

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Aloha, it’s finally freakin’ Friday!

This week’s Friday 56 comes from These Divided Shores by Sara Raasch which is the sequel to These Rebel Waves. This is another part of my ‘series I’m trying to finish’ episodes and I’m kinda sad to be saying goodbye to Grace Loray and it’s wonderful botanical magic.

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

You cannot even trust yourself,her mind echoed.

But I trust him, she told the broken pieces that had once been her heart.

I enjoyed returning to Grace Loray to see what happened to Vex, Lu and Ben in this sequel to These Rebel Waves. The Botanical Magic in this series was really something special and I loved finding out the different ways it was used in the story.  If you want to find out more about These Divided Shores then you can check out my full review here.

Have you read These Rebel Waves or These Divided Shores? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

 

#Friday56 – Shadow and Flame

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Woop Woop – TGI Friday!

This week’s Friday 56 comes from Shadow and Flame by Mindee Arnett which is the sequel to the fantasy novel Onyx and Ivory. I got this as part of my birthday haul in my bid to try and finish off some of the series I’d already started from way back when!

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

Signe wasn’t a wilder or magist, only a woman from the Esh Islands of unknown birth and background. Still, she possessed many talents, including senses keen enough to provoke envy in any assassin or spy – and one secret that made her the most important woman in the Rising.

Signe was one of the sassiest and most mysterious characters in this book. I really like the way her friendship with Kate goes through its trials and tribulations. It isn’t often that you witness people facing up to the consequences of their actions like this pair of friends. If you want to hear more about Shadow and Flame then you can check out my full review here.

Have you read Onyx and Ivory or Shadow and Flame? What kind of Wilder magic would you rather have? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#BookTag – Coffee Book Tag

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Hi everyone,

It’s Tag Tuesday time again. This week I’m hitting up the caffeine shots and doing the Coffee Book Tag which I found on Nen and Jen’s Book Blog so huge thanks to them for posting it! I’m not sure on the original tag creator but thank you to whoever you are! 🙂

Coffee is the absolute fuel for my working life – I definitely wouldn’t get through my teaching day without it. When I’m out and about in the summer my favourite thing to order is the Java-Chip Frappuccino from Starbucks (I’ve really been missing those during Lockdown!) otherwise it’s definitely a toffee/caramel latte for me!

LONG BLACK

Name a series that’s tough to get into, but has hardcore fans.

Game of Thrones – the sheer size of these books and the number of different perspectives always puts me off but I’m determined to get through them.

PEPPERMINT MOCHA

Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or festive time of the year.

A Christmas Carol, that’s definitely festive right?! Or anything by Charles Dickens really.

HOT CHOCOLATE

Name your favourite children’s book.

There’s a series by Geraldine McCaughrean about a witch called Wizziwig which I loved as a child. Other than that, anything by Roald Dahl – he’s one of my childhood staples!

DOUBLE SHOT ESPRESSO

Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – the way the book is written just kept me flipping page after page dying to find out what was going on.

STARBUCKS

Name a book you see everywhere.

Recently, Percy Jackson – I really have to read this series… and then watch the movies… and then hopefully the new Disney + series will be out!

THE HIPSTER COFFEE SHOP

Give a book by an indie author a shout-out.

Mark Newman’s Short Stories Anthology: My Fence is Electric: and Other Stories – breathtaking!
Rebecca Crunden: Outlands Pentalogy – gripping, dystopian-edge sci-fi
Amy Kuivalainen: The Immortal City – historical Italian fantasy

OOPS! ACCIDENTALLY GOT DECAF

Name a book you were expecting more from.

The Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo – especially considering how much the series was hyped and how amazing both Six of Crows and Language of Thorns were.

THE PERFECT BLEND

Name a book or series that’s bitter sweet yet satisfying.

One Day by David Nicholls – for me this is such a good way to write a novel with an unhappy ending, I hated it but loved it at the same time!

Have a go if you feel like tagging yourself for some coffee bookish love!

What’s your favourite brew? Have you done the Coffee Book Tag yet? Leave you links below and I’ll be sure to check your posts out! ☕️🤗

T xx

#Friday56 – Atomic Habits

The BiblioshelfLeave a comment

Happy FriYaY Bibliofriends!

This week’s Friday 56 comes from a motivational non-fiction read called Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is one of the most helpful “self-help” books that I’ve ever read! As I listened to this as an audiobook, the extract here is from the first chapter which you can download for free at https://jamesclear.com.

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.

This book has already helped me to add two ‘good habits’ into my life, simply by following the rule: when I do … I will also do …. The first habit I wanted to try and ‘be better at’ was getting round to finally listening to the audiobooks that are stacking up in my library. Now I’m listening to them out of habit every morning in the time that I get ready for work. Hopefully these techniques will help me to try and instil some other good habits in my life further along the way. If this seems like a book you’d be interested in then you can check out my full review here.

What are some good habits you need to try and incorporate in your life? Do you currently use habit trackers or bullet journals for anything in your life? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#BookTag – Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag!

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Hey Bibliofriends,

It’s Tuesday tag time again! I was tagged by Books are 42 to do this highly relevant ‘Mid-Year Book Freak Out’ Book Tag! Links will take you to some of my reviews.

How Much Have You Read?

So far, I’ve read 29 books of my target of 45 and it’s looking likely that I’ll manage to achieve my goal this year for the first time in about two years! Being in lockdown for April and May definitely helped me to get a huge chunk of reading done and I like it when Goodreads tells me that I’m 7 books ahead of schedule rather than 7 books behind…

What Have You Been Reading?

Most of my reads consist of YA/Fantasy or Sci-fi books although I have read some literary fiction, historical mysteries and thrillers, short stories, non-fiction as well as some poetry.

Best Book You’ve Read so far in 2020

There are definitely a few highly recommended ones such as The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott or My Fence is Electirc: and Other Stories by Mark Newman but I think my standout book so far this year has to be Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – it’s definitely not for everyone but it was right up my history-geek street!

Best Sequel You’ve Read so far in 2020

I’ve only read 4 sequels so far this year but my favourite would have to be A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer. You can read my review here!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To

My mission this year has been trying to finish off some ‘already started series’ so I could get around to beginning some new ones but two new releases that I haven’t got around to yet are Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas and The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant.

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Part of the Year

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco – this book has me at ‘19thcentury Italian backdrop’!

Biggest Disappointment

Dare I say it… Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin – to be fair, I think the hype ruined this for me. I was expecting a sweeping new epic that I’d be throwing out the stars and rave reviews for but it left me feeling a little like an average YA fantasy, except the cinnamon buns – they sounded delicious.

Biggest Surprise

Romanov by Nadine Brandes – how that book hit the delicately fine balance between historical fact and magical fantasy was really well done. I loved it!

New Favourite Author (Debut or New To You)

I recently read The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott (review here!) and think he is such a talented writer. I’ve purchased his first book Flames and cannot wait to read it at some point later this year.

Underrated Gems You’ve Discovered Recently

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez – I need the sequel, like yesterday! I loved the Bolivian cultural references and the woven animals. A delightful read!
A Touch of Death by Rebecca Crunden – this first book was a thrilling read and I’m reliably informed that the series gets better and better so I can’t wait to read the next book.

Rereads This Year

None so far but I am planning on rereading Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett, Roar by Cora Carmack and Given to the Sea by Mindee McGinnis before reading the sequels.

I’m also planning on rereading all of the books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon as he is one of my all-time favourite authors in the universe and I was so saddened to hear of his death last month.

Newest Fictional Crush

I don’t even know if I have a ‘newest’ one?! I suppose I am seeing Grey from the Cursebreakers series in a new light and I adore his relationship with Lia Mara but I wouldn’t call it a crush…(there’ll only ever be one Rhysand or Aragorn anyway)!

Newest Favourite Character

Hesina (Descendant of the Crane), Ximena (Woven in Moonlight) or Alessandra (The Shadows Between Us).

Book That Made You Cry

Romanov by Nadine Brandes – Nastya is such a wonderful narrator and the author’s phrases are highly emotive at times.

Book That Made You Happy

The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary – it’s an enjoyably light and funny read.

Favourite Book to Film Adaption

Sticking with the classics, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit – the New Zealand Hobbiton tour is now on my travel bucket list.

Most Beautiful Cover You’ve Bought This Year (or Received)

Probably the May FairyLoot book Girl, Serpent, Thorn or the April FairyLoot book Incendiary – I can’t wait to read either of them, they’re so beautiful!

What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year?

How long is a piece of string…? I need to read Esme’s Wish by Elizabeth Foster, Ignite the Sun by Hanna Howard and Twelve: Poems Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale by Andrea Blythe as they’re all review requests. I’d like to read the sequel to A Touch of Death by Rebecca Crunden and then the rereads I mentioned earlier. #nopressurethen

Favourite Post You Have Done This Year

Probably the Books as First Dates Book Tag – I really enjoy reviewing books but the tags are so much fun, although I do have to try and vary my answers otherwise everything becomes Harry Potter or Sarah J Maas related.

Favourite Book Community Member

I honestly couldn’t single out just one person as everyone here has been so wonderful, helpful and supportive – thank you Bibliofriends! I don’t tend to tag people as I don’t know who has already done the tags or even wants to take part but if you feel like having a go yourself then “tag, you’re it!”

Have you done the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag yet? Do you feel like having a go yourself? What’s been the best thing you’ve read so far this year and what are you looking forward to reading in the next half of the year? As always, drop your tag links below or post me a comment to chat!

T xx

#Friday56 – The Rain Heron

The BiblioshelfLeave a comment

Hiya, it’s FriYAY time again!

This week’s Friday 56 comes from a powerful and deeply moving eco-fable called The Rain Heron. I am so glad that I was accepted for a copy of this through NetGalley so huge thanks to them and Atlantic Books for approving my request.

Hosted by Freda’s Voice, the Friday 56 is a weekly bookish prompt. It’s quite easy to do and could cover no end of different books and genres so seems great if you’re looking for a quick snippet to discover something new!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

Time wavered, shimmered. She could no longer tell whether days  were beginning or ending. Most of the time she lay in her cave, not quite asleep or awake, buffeted not just by hunger, thirst and pain but also by visions, memories, half-dreams.

This raw, parable of finding the balance of living harmoniously with nature is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the environment and giving back to our natural world. You can check out my full review here!

Are you a conservationist? Have you read any stories about the power of nature which you think are must-reads? As always, leave me your #Friday56 links or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx