Tag: books

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

#Top Ten Tuesday – New-To-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023…

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Hey Bibliofriends,

Happy Tuesday! I’m back with another Top Ten Tuesday post!

If you don’t already know, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is all about new-to-me authors that I started reading in 2023. I had to rack my brains for this one a little bit and cycle back through last year’s reads to get the full ten!

Michael Crichton

2023 was the year I finally read Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton! I loved his writing style so much that my partner suggested we try and find a copy of his other novel Congo. We went on a mini treasure hunt around our local charity shops and second hand book stores coming away with a little stack of Crichton’s other works. Don’t be surprised if you see them on my 2024 Reading Wrap at the end of the year!

Katharine McGee

I’ve already explained how I came across the American Royals arc in a second-hand book shop and fell in love with the series, and although I haven’t read any other of McGee’s stories, I love the humour and with she weaves into her characters. One of my friends just gave me American Royals Book 3 and I’m really excited to see where the series goes.

Elizabeth Acevedo

I met Elizabeth Acevedo at a Literature Event last year. She was so sweet and funny so I bought a stack of her books in the signing tent. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative verse style of her writing in The Poet X and thought that the way she merged Dominican Republic heritage with sisterly bonds in Clap When You Land was really special. Her new novel Family Lore is on my 2024 TBR.

Rebecca Ross

I know Rebecca Ross has written some quite well known fantasy stories, but the first time I experienced her writing was with Divine Rivals! I’m so glad I did as this book was totally worth the hype!

Kelly Barnhill

Again, I’ve already mentioned in other posts how much I loved When Women Were Dragons, but I didn’t quite realise just how many other stories Kelly Barnhill has written. I’m intrigued by two of her other books (The Girl Who Drank the Moon and The Crane Husband). They will definitely be on my Audible search-list this year – unless I take myself off a book buying ban first! 😂

Mariely Lares

Lares’ Mexican history fantasy Sun of Blood and Ruin had me swooning! For starters, the cover was divine, but also I’m really fascinated by Mesoamerican mythology so this was right up my street! There’s definitely going to be a sequel to Pantera’s tale and I can’t wait to see how Lares brings her pages to life next.

Adrienne Young

Adrienne Young is one of those authors who has always been on my radar, I’ve just never really picked up any of her work. I adored the undersea and nautical elements of the Fable series (World of the Narrows). Young crafted such a adventurous storyline that I’ll absolutely be reading more of her work in the future.

Roshani Chokshi

Chokshi is another author who has quite a well-know repertoire that I just haven’t picked up. I discovered The Last Tale of the Flower Bride in one of my Fairyloot boxes and loved the way she built her worlds and her characters with a little dark and magical mystery.

Paolo Coelho

I’ve had The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho on my TBR for such a long time as it’s one of those ‘1001 books to read before you die’ type novel. His writing style is quite profound and I can imagine he brings that that style into the rest of his works.

Gabrielle Zevin

I had Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow as an audiobook and really enjoyed it. Again, I wasn’t really aware just how much Zevin had published before her most recent book became a major bestseller.

That’s it! My Top Ten new-to-me authors that I discovered in 2023. Which new-to-you authors would make your list? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#Top Ten Tuesday – Books I meant to read in 2023…

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Hey Bibliofriends,

It feels like this week has been eternal so far… like, how is it only Tuesday already?! At least that means it’s time for a Top Ten Tuesday post!

If you don’t already know, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly, list-themed book prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is all about books I meant to read in 2023, but didn’t get to. My brain has been so fried already this week, that I’m not even sure I remember what 2023 was, let alone what I thought I was going to read. Last year, I stopped blogging and therefore kinda stopped making a particular TBR – at least it wasn’t too hard picking my TTT this week! 😂

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

I remember buying this in an independent book store and literally hugging it all the way to the till… but then for some reason, I never read it. Fortunately the over-looming spoiler threats ahead of Crescent City 3 have got me currently reading this one right now!

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

I literally have this entire trilogy sat on my shelf. I even purchased the sequels just so that I could get a matching set and they’re still sitting there, all of them unread.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Copy and paste comment as above…! The hype for this made me want to read them and see what all of the fuss was about, but alas – I never got round to it.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

I was lucky enough to meet Samantha Shannon at a Literature Festival in Cheltenham and get a signed copy of the re-release of this book. In a way, I’m glad I waited as she recommends the updated version of this and the only one I had on my shelf at the time is one of the paperbacks which came out when it was first released 10 years ago (can you believe?!?!).

The Empire of Gold by Shannon Chakraborty

These books transport me to another place and time. I can’t wait to dive into the final instalment in this trilogy and find out what happens to my favourite characters!

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Seeing this cover made me swoon when this book was first release – it was total instalove. I was so happy to get it in my Illumicrate box, but then I think the size of the text kept making me put it back on the shelf. With the sequel incoming though, I’m definitely hoping to get to it this year.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Again, the hype surrounding this made me add it to the ‘imaginary 2023 TBR’ but yet again, the small text size made me think that it would take me ages to read it so it stayed lonely and neglected on the shelf.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

This book appeared so many times on people’s favourite book lists and recs that it made me so curious. Coupled with the Providence Card aspect of the plot, it’s a book that’s going to be staying towards the top of my TBR.

Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquival

More of an obscure selection… This book first came across my path when I saw the Royal Opera House ballet version of Like Water For Chocolate in a live cinema relay. I immediately became swept away into the magical, Mexican, foodie-inspired world. When I found out it was based on a novel, I headed straight to our local bookshop, which is literally piled floor to ceiling with forgotten books – you can’t move without knocking some stack over. Low and behold, there it was, sitting at the back of a shelf in the ‘E’ section, a 1993 paperback! Fate had stepped in and mystically brought me to my random, obscure book. I started reading it immediately of course, didn’t I…? Well no, it’s still sat on the unread part of my bookshelf! 🙈

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières

I can’t quite remember why I pulled this book off my shelf and put it onto my TBR pile. I’ve never seen the movie so I haven’t been spoiled for the plot yet. It seems like such a classic piece of fiction that I’d like to try it at some point this year.

That’s it! My Top Ten books that I wish I had got around to reading in 2023. You could alternatively call some of them ‘books I’m embarrassed not to have read yet!’ 🙈 What would make your list? 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

#SixforSunday – Favourite Spooky Books!

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends!

We’re continuing with the seasonal Ooky Spooky Bookys this month on Six for Sunday! Today is all about our favourite spooky books. As a big SFF fan, there are plenty of spooky elements within the genre that gave me so many options for these next 6 prompts!

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’. 

Favourite Spooky Books!

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

  1. The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
  2. Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap
  3. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
  4. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
  5. The Prince in the Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  6. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

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

T xx

#SixforSunday – Books That Scared Me!

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends!

We’re continuing with the seasonal Ooky Spooky Bookys this month on Six for Sunday! Today is all about books that scared us. Not gonna lie, I read so much fantasy and YA/romance novels that I don’t really think I’ve ever been scared by a book – at least not to the extent of Joey from Friends…! I’ve had a go anyway, so here’s some of the spookier books I’ve read…

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 That Scared Me

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

  1. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
  2. Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold
  3. Dracula by Bram Stoker
  4. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
  5. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  6. Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel

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

T xx

#SixforSunday – Orange Books!

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends!

November is bringing in a brand new theme for Six For Sunday prompts and I’m super excited that this month is all about Ooky Spooky Bookys! I love that Halloween and the spooky season brings about some kind of gothic revival of paranormal, witchy stories – it’s the perfect time of year for them! Nights are drawing in, the trees are turning golden and it’s officially time to crack out the chunky knits!

This week’s Ooky Spooky prompt is all about orange books! Not gonna lie, I had to take a good, long look at my bookshelves to find orange books – it doesn’t seem to be a colour that my shelves are populated with?!

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’. 

Orange Books

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

  1. Circe by Madeline Miller
  2. The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
  3. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  4. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
  5. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  6. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan

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

T xx

Biblioshelf Musings – The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl

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Hey Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are about The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl. This book had me sold at ancient fairytale curses and an elite school setting so I was thrilled when my ARC request was accepted! It’s put me right in the mood for this spooky Halloween season!
Huge thanks to NetGalley, Laura Pohl and the publishers SourceBooks Fire for providing me with a complimentary e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Book: The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl
Genre: Teens and YA / LGBTQIA+
Publication Date: October 26th 2021 (UK release: November 26th 2021)
Publisher: SourceBooks Fire
Pages: 400
Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Once Upon a Time meets Pretty little liars.

Four troubled friends, One murdered girl… and a dark fate that may leave them all doomed.

After the mysterious death of their best friend, Ella, Yuki, and Rory are the talk of their elite school, Grimrose Académie. The police ruled it a suicide, but the trio are determined to find out what really happened.

When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate, it sets into motion a series of events they couldn’t have imagined. As the girls retrace their friend’s last steps, they uncover dark secrets about themselves and their destinies, discovering they’re all cursed to repeat the brutal and gruesome endings to their stories until they can break the cycle.

This contemporary take on classic fairytales reimagines heroines as friends attending the same school. While investigating the murder of their best friend, they uncover connections to their ancient fairytale curses and attempt to forge their own fate before it’s too late. 

My Musings

My university dissertation was based around fairytales so I absolutely jumped at the chance to be able to review this book straight from the mention of ancient fairytale curses. The Grimrose Girls is a fast-paced adventure set in a highly prestigious boarding school; it gave me all of the dark academia vibes and its links to some of the more ancient, classic fairytales gave this story a powerfully dark and gripping atmosphere.

For me, the best thing I loved about The Grimrose Girls was that Laura Pohl sort to showcase the original fairytale stories in all of their dark, twisted glory and break the glass slipper mould of ‘Disney-fied Happy Endings’. From The Little Mermaid and Snow White to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, the ancient curses connecting this group of characters revealed the origins of these stories in their most brutal forms. It was quite a refreshing take on a genre which I love so much.

The characters themselves were each intriguing in their individual ways. I had so much fun working out which fairytale fate each character was destined to take up, some were slightly more obvious than others. Through Yuki, Ella, Rory and Nani, we are given a range of identities and representations to connect to. Be it parental expectations, grief, sexual identity or just working out who the hell you’re supposed to be whilst growing up – there were plenty of cultural and lifestyle character facets here to bring about diversity amongst this group of girls. It was interesting to see the range of emotions each one went through as they dealt with the death of a friend and sought to reforge and re-establish their fractured friendships. Even though the setting isn’t actually a single-sex girls’ school and there a couple of male characters in the story, sometimes the catty dialogue and humorous interactions between the girls sent my mind right back to my own education at an all-girls’ school!

I have to admit, I wasn’t totally aware that this book was going to be a series when I first started reading so the cliffhanger ending right at the end was abrupt in the best possible way. Although one or two mysteries get solved within the final pages, there’s still so much more to come from this fantastic plot. I’m already eagerly awaiting the sequel as it feels like these girls are just getting started on their epic fairytale-debunking quest!

Why Should I Read This?

For the representation of original fairytales in all their twisted, brutal glory.
For a diverse range of fierce female characters who bond together to overcome an ancient evil.
For the dark academia vibes of The Grimrose Académie setting.

Find out more about this book here:

Amazon | Waterstones | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | Author’s Website | Sourcebooks Fire | NetGalley

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com