Tag: bookworm

‘Tis the Damn Readathon TBR!

The Biblioshelf5 Comments

Hi Bibliofriends!

I was SUPER excited when a friend messaged me literally yesterday to tell me about the ‘Tis the Damn Season Readathon based around Taylor Swift’s album that is happening this very month and hosted by some fabulous people (you can find out more specific details by watching this YouTube Video by Drinking By My Shelf). Of course, this is also the perfect excuse for me to keep playing my favourite Taylor albums on repeat again! 😂🙈

The Readathon centres around Taylor’s 9 different albums with a choice of prompts for each. The idea is you tick off each album from the bingo-board style graphic based on the house in the Lover video but you can do as many or as little prompts as you like! There’s a brilliant website set up for it (visit here) where you can find all of the prompts, info about your hosts and a link to some exciting merch. Let the Readathon begin!

My TBR

Taylor Swift

Picture to Burn – Post a pick of your book on social media: so I don’t know which book this will be yet but I’m pretty sure I can manage this at some point in March…

Fearless

Breathe – Do some meditation: I do this every week day anyway so this will be an auto-achieve.
Fifteen – Read a YA Book: At least three of my books for other album prompts are YA so that will be covered there.

Speak Now

Speak Now – Listen to an audiobook: The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Red

Red – Read a book with a red cover: The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
22 – Take a dance break:This seems like so much fun that I just had to include this as well. Headphone kitchen discos are pretty much my Friday nights anyway in lockdown!

1989

1989 – Read a book with a number in the title: Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian

Reputation

(Free choice > Blank Space Tile) – A book Taylor has referenced: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Lover

Lover – Read a predicted 5* read: All Our Hidden Gifts (ARC) by Caroline O’Donoghue
You Need To Calm Down – Self Care: With the children coming back into school like normal from 8th March I’m predicting a bit of self care will definitely be needed this month!

Folklore

Folklore – A book based on mythology or a retelling: Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

Evermore

Evermore – TBR Jar Pick: I think I’m going to let the fates decide this one nearer the time!

Eeeeeekkk! I’m so excited to finally start this readathon! I had a reading sprint last night to finish the book I was reading (I also wanted to try and finish it whilst it was still February) so I could go straight into March cracking on with ‘Tis the Damn Readathon!

Are you taking part in ‘Tis the Damn Readathon or is it something you’re definitely going to do if you’re just finding out about it right now? What books are on your March TBR or which ones are your biggest anticipated reads for this month? Leave me a link to your TBRs and blog posts!

Take care and stay safe Bibliofriends,
T xx

#BookTag – Characters of the Year Book Tag

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Tag Tuesday Bibliofriends!

I’ve been running out of inspiration or tags to do lately but I came across this really fun Characters of the Year tag over at Zezee with books.

Characters can really make or break a book for me so this seemed the perfect way to reminisce about all of my reads from 2020 how I felt about some of their starring roles.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

Crowley from Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
I absolutely love Crowley. He’s such a unique character with the coolest car around and great taste in music. I had so much fun reading his parts of the novel.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

James Juniper from The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow.
She has so much sass, grit and determination. I loved how she could be so wild yet so humble. Such a fun character to read.

MOST RELATABLE CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

Addie and/or Henry from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab.
The theme of identity lies strongly within this book and I found myself relating to both of the main characters in a way which I haven’t really related to any others in a long while. It deeply resonated with me and I think that’s one of the reasons why I absolutely adored this read.

COUPLE OF THE YEAR

January and Augustus from Beach Read by Emily Henry.
I just loved their chemistry throughout this book!

VILLAIN OF THE YEAR

Nolan Sorrento from Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
Although he isn’t scary in the mythical beast kind of way – Sorrento is my villain of the year because of the sheer power, money and resources that he has at his fingertips. He can basically do whatever he wants and can get away with it. It’s really scary that I see him as a manifestation of some of today’s world leaders and billionaires who pretty much have all the power they need to exert their will on anyone without being stopped. 

MOST DISLIKED CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

Brent from The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice by E.S. Barrison.
Purely for his constant repetition of the word ‘aight’ and the way he sullenly complains that everything is his fault whenever something goes wrong. Unfortunately, Brent and I just didn’t bond which was a shame as the world-building in the novel was really original and quite well-written.

ROYAL OF THE YEAR

Anastasia Romanov (Nastya) from Romanov by Nadine Brandes.
This historical fantasy retelling absolutely captured my heart, as did its leading lady. I really liked the way Brandes wrote and portrayed her character to be sensitive yet determined and strong. A fabulous exiled Royal!

SIDEKICK/NON-MAIN CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

Dustin from Anna K by Jenny Lee.
Talk about championing the underdog! Dustin was one of those gems of a character who was thrust into this wild world of elite New York socialites and basically had to sink or swim. I was a joy to read his character arc with all of the complexities he had to face along the way.

SIBLING OF THE YEAR

Serina from Queen of Ruin (Grace and Fury #2) by Tracy Banghart.
I love the way Serina evolved through this duology and the strength of character she showed throughout this sequel. Without giving away spoilers, the relationship between the two sisters and the choices and decisions made at the end of the novel definitely put Serina as my top choice for Sibling of the Year.

That’s a wrap! Who were your favourite characters, villains, sidekicks, couples and siblings from your 2020 reads? Consider yourself tagged if you want to have a go at this tag yourself! As always, feel free to drop your links or send me a comment to chat!

T xx

#BookTag – The Mystery Blogger Award

The Biblioshelf4 Comments

Hi Bibliofriends!

How are we all coping with Lockdown 3.0? Remote teaching is so intense that sometimes I can’t even bare to look at a screen when I come home – and I completely drafted this Tag then forgot to post it! 🙈

The fabulous Riddhi at Whispering Worlds is definitely holding my tag game up! She tagged me in this post at the same time as publishing her Evermore Book Tag so obviously I had to do that one as well! This is my first ever Mystery Blogger Award so I’m super excited to answering the questions!

Rules:

  • Display the award logo on your blog.
  • Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • Mention Okoto Enigma, the creator of the award.
  • Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
  • Answer 5 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
  • Nominate 10 – 20 bloggers.
  • Notify your nominees by leaving a comment on their blog.
  • Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice, including 1 weird or funny question.
  • Share the link to your best post.

Ok so three things about me…

  1. I absolutely love racehorses and am involved in about 5 different partnerships. Nothing beats going for a walk on the gallops to blow the cobwebs away – especially when you hear those hooves thundering up the grass! 😍

2. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t play Pokemon Go! 😂 I’m slightly obsessed with Pokemon ever since I got my first GameBoy Colour as a child and it came with Pokemon Gold. I then had to buy all of the original games but I’m still yet to catch them all! Drop me a chat if you want my Trainer Code! 😉

3. I believe in my horoscopes, read them devoutly and am a proud Taurean and INFJ!

Riddhi’s Questions:

  1. What is one Christmas themed book you want to read this year?

I don’t really read Christmas themed books… eek! And seeing as it’s now 2021 and we are seemingly waaaaaayyyyy past 2020 (putting that firmly behind us – although… hello Lockdown 3.0!) I’ve altered this question slightly to be a book I’m excited to read this New Year – The Poppy War series! I managed to snap-up a copy of the Illumicrate Archive Editions and I can’t wait to read them – I’ve heard all good things – and yes, I realise that I mention this in practically every post I write these days!

2. What is your fatal flaw? (Yes, you can take a quiz to find out)

There are lots! All equally fatal! 😂 I am incredibly stubborn (it comes from being a Taurean bull) and I often procrastinate or catastrophise everything which prevents me from living life properly and gives me ridiculous anxiety – well isn’t that a melodramatic statement if ever you’ve read one?!

3. What is your Hogwarts house?

Proud Ravenclaw over here! 💙

4. Who is your godly parent?

This is such a good question, it’s got me stumped – then I googled it and shame on me for not getting the Percy Jackson reference (at least I hope that’s what it is! 😂). OK, I did have to take a quiz on Epic Reads for this one and I got: Poseidon!
“As a child of one of the Big Three, you’re one of the most powerful demigods around. You must be a natural in water and probably have a sense for the weather, too. But Poseidon isn’t the most boastful father, which means you aren’t arrogant about your abilities. When the world needs saving, we want you by our side—and we’re not just saying that because you’re Percy’s sibling. Mostly.”

5. Name three authors whose books you read this year for the first time.

Ok so in 2020 I read 38 new-to-me authors so it’s super hard just to name 3 but my 3 mainstream favourites would be: V.E. Schwab, Alix E. Harrow and Isabel Ibañez. My two total gems of discovery which I found through my blog were: Rebecca Crunden and Mark Newman.

My favourite post by me:
Back last year I created a series of Original Posts about what types of occupations Lord of the Rings characters would have if they lived in today’s world. It was so much fun to write and sometimes I still can’t believe that I came up with the idea to write something like that! I’m normally just a reviews and tags kind of girl! 😂 You can read them here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four.

My Nominees!

Hey you…! Tag – you’re it!
I’m so so sorry but I absolutely suck at tagging people to do things and that massive anxiety/guilt comes out that I’m nominating where it’s not welcome, so if you’re reading this and want to take part then please do go ahead! ☺️

My Questions:

  1. What was the last album you listened to on-repeat, non-stop, without skipping a single song?
  2. What are your top three anticipated book releases for 2021?
  3. If you could live in any fictional world for a year, where would it be and why?
  4. Which season is your favourite?
  5. Favourite everyday item you can’t live without?

There you go peeps! Stay safe out there! ☺️
Happy blogging,
T xx

#BookTag – The Evermore Book Tag

The Biblioshelf5 Comments

Howdy Bibliofriends!

One of my (few) favourite things about 2020 was the fact that we got not just one, but TWO!! brand new Taylor Swift albums!! Now, before these last two albums I wouldn’t really have considered myself a diehard Swiftie but now… OMG I have fallen well and truly “right down the rabbit hole” (pun intended!). Evermore and Folklore are practically on repeat in their own little playlist (with Miley’s Plastic Hearts album thrown into it as well). These tunes have been my absolute saviour through the final part of last year.

I had so much fun doing the Folklore Book Tag back during the Summer that I just had to tag myself in the Evermore Book Tag when I happened to come across it on the wonderful Riddhi’s Whispering Stories blog!

If you’re looking for a fairly accurate way of sorting your favourite Taylor songs the Jessee Pinkman has made an amazing set on song sorters on Tumblr! Check them out here – they’re amazing!

The evermore Book Tag!

Rules:

  • Link back to the original creator’s post: the fantabulous Ahaana @Windows to Worlds – seriously go check out her blog!!
  • Tag at least 5 people
  • Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post!! – Thanks so much Riddhi (blog linked above)!!
  • willow: a book with a character you can’t help but fall in love with
    I love how catchy this song is – and yes, I have downloaded all of the different versions of this song as well! 🙈

Rhysand from A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – all the damn time, even the I try so hard not to!

  • champagne problems: a book with a broken relationship
    This song is probably one of my (many) favourites. I love the way the lyrics just trip out with the melody and the sad story that’s told!

Hamlet by William Shakespeare – poor, poor Ophelia – I can almost imagine Hamlet’s and Ophelia’s characters being reversed in Champagne Problems – it could so easily have been written about them!

  • gold rush: a book you love with all your heart
    It’s fair to say that Gold Rush is my second favourite song on the whole album – it’s so catchy and I really like how the chorus is so incredibly different from the verses.

Ok, for this prompt, there are two books on this whole list that could be interchangeable here and they are: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
and
The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas
I love both of them so much.

  • ’tis the damn season: a book in which the character reconnects with their family/hometown
    This song has definitely grown on me with it’s melodramatic Christmassy feel. I think of this song being narrated by Betty talking about James and how their relationship would have fared (or not…) into adulthood.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow immediately sprang to mind for this due to the way the Eastwood sisters come together in the storyline. It could also very easily have been a book I finished reading right at the end of 2020 called Fire and Heist by Sarah Beth Durst – the plot is centred around bringing a family back together, with added were-dragons of course!

  • tolerate it: a book with a suffering relationship
    Admittedly this song tends to just blend into the background for me when I’m busy doing other things. It has a powerful message though, reading between the lines and all that!

The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black – there’s plenty of suffering relationships to choose from here – I won’t spoil them all but when you really stop to read into them there’s some pretty bad manipulation and control going on in the land of Faerie! 

  • no body, no crime: a book about murder
    I love HAIM so much from the first time I ever heard of them when they supported Florence + the Machine on one of their tours. I was a little sad that they weren’t a bit more prominent in this song but I love the classical country crime song elements that this track brings.

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith – I’m not normally a crime fan although I absolutely love the Strike series and am patiently awaiting the release of Troubled Blood in paperback (even though I know it’s going to be a hefty brick). The Strike novels just seem to get bigger and better with each new one that’s brought out.

  • happiness: a book that’s an old favourite, but you just can’t relate to anymore
    Sometimes this song comes on and I get right into singing along to the tune and everything whereas other times it just seems to blend into the background again – it’s a real mood song for me.

The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer was the ultimate choice for this one. I know if has its army of devout fans out there but dare I say… I think I’m just over Twilight?!

  • dorothea: a book featuring an old (or strong) friendships
    I read an article by someone who was convinced this song was all about Swift’s friendship with Selena Gomez. It’s quite often a track I’ll skip to be honest.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman was my pics for this as I love the friendship, banter and rivalry between Aziraphale and Crowley.

  • coney island: a book that made you cry // completely destroyed you
    I just can’t listen to this song!!! It makes me so depressed! 😂 At least the prompt kinda fits though!

See the Gold Rush answer for this one – both the endings of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwa and the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas can be interchangeable here. I can’t get through either without reaching for the tissues and the bookish hangover cures!

  • ivy: a book that was an unexpected favourite
    Ivy is a song which I’ve grown to love a little more each time I listen to it – it’s definitely not a skippable track anymore.

I’ve chosen Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez for this prompt – not because I didn’t expect that it would be any good, but just because I wasn’t expecting to absolutely adore it as much as I did! The sequel comes out this year and I am so ready for it! Bring back Ximena and the magical woven animals! 😍

  • cowboy like me: a book about thieves, or criminals
    Ok, this one is probably my favourite on the whole album – it’s the first one I’ll play from my playlist. The chorus just gets stuck in my head and I keep singing it over and over. I think it’s fabulous!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo was my immediate choice for this – I’m just yelling out HEIST in my head! I think as far as my own reading goes, Bardugo has set the absolute yardstick for the heist novel! I’m a big fan!

  • long story short: a book that made up your childhood
    Again, another catchy song that I just can’t help but dance along to! 😂

I can;t pick anything other than the Harry Potter series for this one. I grew up waiting for these books to be released which would sometimes be years! It was always a tradition that my Nan would preorder them for me as she knew how much I adored the series – and yes, confession time: I did shed a few tears at the end of the Warner Brothers Studio Tour seeing that screen that says, “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.”

  • marjorie: a book with a moving message
    Marjorie has a few lyrics in it which were like a massive lightbulb going PING when I really sat and listened to it properly and those words actually helped me to claw my way out a certain hole at the end of last year! They’re probably some of the most poignant lyrics I’ve ever heard to be honest and I could really relate to them in that moment.
    Never be so polite, you forget your power / Never wield such power, you forget to be polite

It wasn’t until I was scrolling through Goodreads that this read came back to me and like my lightbulb moment in marjorie, the lightbulb went off here to match Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman to this prompt. It’s such a moving story with a powerful message.

  • closure: a series in which you NEED to read the next book
    Closure is a song that I’m not particularly that fond in fairness – there are so many others I prefer more.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is one of my ALL-TIME favourite novels and I know that the sequel Ready Player Two has been out since November so I could literally order it and read it ASAP but I really do NEED to read it! 🙈🙃

  • evermore: the perfect conclusion to an extremely long (but worth it) series
    The tune to this sounds so simplistically beautiful and I love both of Taylor’s duets with Bon Iver – this song was so perfect for winter too.

So when I first read Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien – I read each volume back to back as I have the special anniversary edition where they are all in the one book – me being me, I have to read only one book at a time so when I started the Fellowship I knew I was going to have to read all the way through to the Appendices before I could pick up another book. It was so worth it though. I’d love to reread the whole series again soon. Middle Earth is probably my favourite of all of the fictional worlds and so often I’m whinging that a book ends with a big battle and doesn’t fully explain the aftermath – that’s definitely NOT the case with LOTR! Haha!

This was such a fun tag to explore to share my love of books and my love of evermore! Thank you so much Riddhi and Ahaana for bringing this fabulous tag into my bloglife!

Are you constantly playing folklore or evermore on repeat? What are your favourite tracks? I’m not great at tagging people so consider yourself tagged if you fancy like giving the evermore book tag a go!
As always, drop me a comment below to chat! ☺️

T xx

The TIME 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time

The Biblioshelf6 Comments

Aloha Bibliofriends,

Several months ago (back last year!) I was scrolling through my news feed and the Time 100 Greatest Fantasy Novels of all time popped up! I couldn’t resist clicking on it and I knew back then in October that I wanted to do a post on it. If you love your fantasy fiction and you haven’t seen the list yet, you should definitely check it out here! Each cover takes you to a link giving more information about each novel that made the cut – very helpful for the ones you may not have heard of!

I wanted to see how many of them I had read altogether so split the 100 up into 3 different parts:
Books I’ve already read = 📖
Books currently purchased and on my physical TBR = 📚
Books I’m wishing to buy and read in the future = ✨

The run down – in chronological order:

The Arabian Nights ✨

Le Morte D’Arthur by Thomas Malory

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 📖

Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll 📖

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit ✨

Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers 📚

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 📚

The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis 📖

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien 📖

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Amos Tutuola

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien 📖

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien 📖

A Hero Born by Jin Yong

The Once and Future King by T.H. White ✨

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 📖

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

The Wandering Unicorn by Manuel Mujica Lainez ✨

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin 📖

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart ✨

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin 📚

Watership Down by Richard Adams 📚

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

The Princess Bride by William Goldman 📚

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’Engle

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter 📖

The BFG by Roald Dahl 📖

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce ✨

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Redwall by Brain Jacques

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Whynn Jones

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman 📖

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie 📚

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Tigana by Guy Gabriel Kay ✨

The Golden Compass (Northern Lights) by Philip Pullman 📖

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 📖

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman 📚

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling 📖

Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley ✨

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin 📖

American Gods by Neil Gaiman 📖

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling 📖

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson ✨

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss ✨

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare 📖

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin ✨

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin ✨

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor ✨

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ✨

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller ✨

Angelfall by Susan Ee

A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell 📚

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro 📚

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 📚

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin ✨

Get in Trouble by Kelly Link

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 📖

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh ✨

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders 📖

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir 📚

The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang

The Changeling by Victor Lavalle

Jade City by Fonda Lee ✨

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi 📚

Blanca and Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore ✨

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi 📚

Circe by Madeline Miller 📖

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang 📚

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Witchmark by C.L. Polk

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James ✨

Children on Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi ✨

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang 📚

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ✨

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal 📚

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez 📖

Books I’ve already read: 22/100
Books purchased and on my TBR: 16/100
Books I want to buy/read in the future: 22/100

Total: 60/100

Normally I’m quite bad with lists so I don’t feel that this isn’t too bad for me although it could be way better – hopefully 2021 will have me ticking lots more of these off my list as part of my reading goals! Obviously one of my all time favourites Tolkien was on the list (yay!) – not gonna lie, I’m happy my favourite Harry Potter book Half-Blood Prince was on there too! I was amazed to see one of my favourite reads of 2020, Woven in Moonlight, made it onto this list as well – I’m so excited for the sequel to come out later this month! I also can’t wait to start reading The Poppy War Series which is one of the ones I definitely will be reading in 2021 – I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about it.

How did you score? How many of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of all time have you read? Were there any surprises on the list for you or novels which you feel have been tragically missed off? Which ones are on your TBR? As always, drop me a comment to chat! ☺️

T xx

Top Ten Books of 2020!

The Biblioshelf9 Comments

Hello Bibliofriends!

Happy New Years Eve to you all! I don’t know about you but I am so pleased to be saying ‘good riddance’ to 2020 and HELLO 2021! Even without that teeny tiny global pandemic, this year has definitely been a toughie, particularly in the mental health and work department.

In spite of that, this is the first year since 2017 that I’ve actually managed to reach my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal – hurray for the small wins!

This year I really managed to get my ass in gear on my blog and with Netgalley so some amazing books landed in my reading shaped lap. Surprisingly it wasn’t that difficult for me to sift through and pick out a top 7 books that I loved this year and then it was a little more difficult to try and fill out the remaining 3 spots to make it a top 10 – the pedantic-ness in my brain prevented me from quitting at the Top 7… I mean who ever heard of that? 😂

10. A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

This was a surprisingly enjoyable read for me as I wasn’t expecting to warm to the new narrators after loving Rhen and Harper’s viewpoints so much. Needless to say, I now cannot wait for the final instalment of this series to come out next year especially after reading a sneak peek a short while ago! Read my review here!

9. Romanov by Nadine Brandes

What a magical retelling this was! The sentimentality and personalisation in Anastasia’s character really made me warm for her. The mystery of the Romanovs is one of my favourite historical conspiracies so I was overjoyed that I enjoyed this read so much. Read my review here!

8. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I totally binged this book in a day. After hearing so many brilliant things all over socials it was one of the first books I bought from an ‘in-real-life’ bookshop after lockdown. The intrigue had me turning page after page! Read my review here!

7. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

This book had been on my TBR for ages but the sheer size of it had always been putting me off. Thankfully lockdown gave me a little headspace in order to tackle the tricky narration of Cromwell. I loved the way Mantel characterised Cromwell; it was almost like seeing the historical period through his eyes rather than a 20th century historian’s. Fabulous! Read my review here!

6. My Fence is Electric: and Other Stories by Mark Newman

I was so thrilled to be approached by Odyssey Books to review this collection of short stories by the fabulous Mark Newman. His storytelling was the perfect antidote to the strange times that we were living through and really made me love this genre again. Slightly macabre with a hint of the weird and wonderful I highly recommend this collection! Read my review here!

5. Anna K by Jenny Lee

Crazy Rich Asians meets Sex and the City in this retelling of Anna Karenina. Although I’m not familiar with the tale of Anna Karenina it didn’t matter in the slightest as I was completely engrossed in the messy lives of these teenage New York rich kids! Read my review here!

4. The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott

This eco-fable had me really pondering the impact we humans have on the natural world. The magical elements of the legendary creatures woven into the story certainly appealed to my fantasy loving nature whilst at the same time delivering a powerful message to the reader. Read my review here!

3. Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

It was really refreshing to read a fantasy story rooted in Bolivian folklore and culture. Ximena’s talent with woven animals is one of my favourite magical abilities. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out next year, it’s definitely one of my most anticipated releases for 2021.

2. The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

By golly did the opening of this book pitch me straight back in time to 1893 New Salem. I really love a distinctive narrative voice and this is definitely what Alix E. Harrow brought to this tale. The insertion of women’s suffrage and empowerment, a sapphic romance, witchcraft-a-plenty, and the bond between three sisters made this a total 5-star read for me – it blew my mind! Read my review here!

  1. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

If you’ve read any of my posts, lists or tags since October then this should be no surprise that Addie LaRue is my all-time favourite book of 2020. It was the book I didn’t realise I needed in my life. Addie’s story was told so poetically and beautifully and I loved the way Schwab tackled the theme of identity and what happens when you’re not really sure who you are anymore. This book has definitely made its way into my God-Tier of favourite books EVER! I loved it! Read my review here!

That’s a wrap!

Dear 2020,
You’ve been a pretty crap year to be honest – but thank you for bringing so many fabulous reads into our lives. I guess you weren’t all that bad after all!

What were you favourite books of 2020? Did you read anything that you know you’ll treasure for all time?As always, drop me a comment to chat! Thanks for putting up with me this past year. Have a wonderful New Year everybody and enjoy ringing in 2021!

T xx

#BookTag – Outstanding Blogger Award!

The Biblioshelf3 Comments

Hi Bibliofriends,

Earlier this month I was nominated by the wonderful Alicia @ Colourful Bibliophile for the Outstanding Blogger Award. This is a completely new one for me so I’m so thrilled to get my first nomination!

Rules:
  • Link to the creator’s original award post.
  • Answer the questions provided.
  • Create 7 unique questions.
  • Nominate 10 other bloggers. Neither the award’s creator nor the blogger that nominated you can be nominated.
  • At the end of 2020, every blog that ping-backs the creator’s original post will be entered to win the 2020 Outstanding Blogger Award!

Alicia’s Questions:

Good news! You can now communicate with animals, aside from your pets what animal are you talking to first? 

Perhaps a leopard or a panther – some kind of spirit animal rather than something like a squirrel!

You can make any ONE fictional character (books, movies, video game, etc) come to life, who are you choosing?

Just one – from that broad a range of sources?!?! Perhaps James Halliday from Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – just so that he can create the OASIS and I can be a part of it. What a dream!

If you were a God/ Goddess what would you be Patron of?

Books is the automatic answer here right? Either that or something totally out there like Pokémon or waterfalls! 😂

What 3 songs would you use in a soundtrack to your life?

Awesome question!
Florence + the Machine – Shake It Out
Dolly Parton – 9 to 5
Spice Girls – Say You’ll Be There
Such a random mix! Haha!

A new species of animal has been discovered, what does it look like and what is it called?

It lives in the darkest depths of the rainforests so nobody has ever seen it’s real form. Some people think it is made of shadow although lucky eyewitnesses think it may look a little like a Niffler…
It eats lies, justice and inequality (and other general worldwide bullshit really) therefore it has been named Inprobumbra Comedenti 

You’ve found an enchanted doorway that can take you anywhere. Where are you going?

Middle Earth – ASAP please!!! I’d love to tour The Shire, see the elves in Rivendell wander the glistening streets of Gondor.

Space Travel is now available to everyone & the first Space Rollercoaster has been invented. Would you ride it?  

Hell yes! I am such a rollercoaster-junkie! Space Mountain is one of my favourite rides at Disney World so if it’s anything like that then count me in!

My Questions:

  1. TV networks are down; you can only have access to one streaming service, which are you picking and why?
  2. You are stranded on a desert island and can only have 3 unread books from your TBR – what are they?
  3. If you were Prime Minister / President for the day what law would you pass and why?
  4. If you could dive into the world of any book/film which would it be?
  5. Your favourite beverage to drink while reading?
  6. You can bring back one mythological creature to live on Planet Earth – which would it be?
  7. Favourite thing to do when you’re not reading / obsessing about your TBR / blogging?

I am nominating:

YOU – I am so rubbish at tagging people to take part in things (it gives me such a complex! 🙈). So if you’re reading this and you feel like giving it a go then consider yourself tagged! ☺️

Have a good week Bibliofriends!

T xx

#BookTag – Sunshine Blogger Award

The Biblioshelf7 Comments

Good morning Bibliofriends,

The lovely Ahaana at Windows to Worlds who tagged me in the Sunshine Blogger Award. I absolutely love this tag and the way that it changes with each person’s questions.

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.

Ahaana’s Questions:

When did you start blogging?
I think I technically started blogging in 2017 when I was using a different blog title and identity called Cotswold Bookaholic. Blogging wasn’t something that really stuck back then and I couldn’t really find my blogging voice or purpose so eventually it fizzled until around 2019 when I relaunched as The Biblioshelf. 

Why did you start blogging? What made you?
I think I started blogging just to become part of a community and get involved. None of my family or friends enjoyed the types of books or even enjoyed reading as much as I did so I had to find other people to share that with! The blogging community has been so wonderful to me and I love that it is such an inclusive place to be a part of and share our love for all things bookish!

What’s your favourite part of being in the blogosphere?
Without a doubt, the amazing community and books, books, books! There are so many wonderful books and authors I’ve been introduced to because of the blogging community and for me that’s really the heart of why we’re all here in the great blogosphere!

What genres of music do you listen to? Any favourite artists/songs?
My iPod is so varied that a random shuffle can bring out Bob Marley followed by Dolly Parton, Eminem and Pavarotti. I don’t have one specific genre that I like listening to Florence + the Machine would definitely be my desert island discs or the discography that I’d be saving from a burning building. I’ve been on every tour and have every single album and remix going!

What’s your favourite book genre?
I think it has to be fantasy. It’s the one I gravitate to the most. There’s just something extraordinary about the magic, elves, witches, dragons and mythological creatures that make me wish I really did have a fictional worlds passport to escape reality on Earth sometimes.

Where’s your favourite place to read?
In bed or in the quiet, cosy spaces. I love the ideal of being able to read in coffee shops and things but I always get distracted by people watching so I need somewhere to read with minimal distractions as possible!

What do you dislike about blogging in general?
I sometimes wish I had the creativity to come up with lots of different posts and content rather than just keep posting tags, memes and reviews – that’s more of a personal goal rather than something I necessarily dislike. I wish I had more time to dedicate to it to.

Do you prefer dogs or cats?
I am definitely a dog person! I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have a dog in our house. They’re like family and I’d hate to be without them!

Which book is closest to your heart? Why?
This one is so tough. I have a few books that make my ‘God-Tier’ and they include: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, The Throne of Glass Series and Ready Player One.
The most recent addition to this tier was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwa because it absolutely stole my heart. I think it’s the way that Addie and Henry’s personalities, attributes and deepest desires reflected my own. They really resonated with me in a way that not many characters have ever done – so that book would have to be my pick! I love it so, so much!

What other hobbies/talents do you have besides blogging?
I have a large amount of useless knowledge and absolutely love pub-quizzes and gameshows. Before becoming a teacher, one of my hobbies was line-dancing (it’s where the country music influence comes in!) and I did choreograph some of my own dances which were published online.
Hobby-wise nowadays two sports I love watching and am involved in are Rugby Union and Horse Racing. I’m a member of both my local sports venues for those and am also an owner in several horse racing syndicates.

Do you have a pet? Or do you want one? Which one?
I’ve had so many pets over my childhood (chickens, ducks, geese, a rabbit, fish, greyhounds) but my all-time favourites are our dogs! We’ve had Cavalier King Charles Spaniels ever since I can remember – they’re more like family than pets!

My Questions
  1. What is your favourite type of blog post to write?
  2. Are you a mood reader or do you follow a set TBR?
  3. Do you have a ‘God-Tier’ of all-time favourite books and what is on it?
  4. Pick three authors to invite to a fantasy dinner party.
  5. What are your most anticipated reads for 2021?
  6. Do you have any special editions of books/series?
  7. What is the longest book you’ve ever read?
  8. Which season is your favourite and why?
  9. Have you ever DNF’d a book?
  10. Name the best thing you watched on TV/Film recently.
  11. If you had a spirit animal / familiar what form do you think it would take and why?
My Nominees

I’m rubbish at nominating people for things so I’m tagging YOU! If you feel like having a go at my questions for the Sunshine Blogger Award then consider yourself tagged! 😉

Happy Tuesday people!

T xx

#BookTag – The Netflix Book Tag!

The Biblioshelf5 Comments

Happy Tuesday Bibliofriends,

I saw this great tag on Witty and Sarcastic Book Club blog and as a recent Netflix convert I thought it would be the perfect post to do for Tag Tuesday! I was going to do a Book answer and a Netflix answer for each prompt but as I’ve pretty much been binging different seasons of the same TV shows, they mostly would have come out as the same!

Things I’ve been loving on Netflix: Money Heist, The Crown and The Umbrella Academy (almost finished that series) and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (it was so weird but so fun!).

Things I’m excited to watch soon: Emily in Paris, Enola Holmes and finally getting round to watching the Shadowhunters series!

Original credit for this tag goes to A Book Lovers Playlist. 

Recently Finished- the last book you finished

All the Wandering Light (Even the Darkest Stars #2) by Heather Fawcett – this series is really wonderful and the setting is so unique – loved it! 

Top Picks- A book that was recommended to you based on books you have previously read

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I still haven’t read it yet!

Recently Added- the last book you bought 

I bought several if that counts…? I never buy just 1 book at a time! 😂 And by several, I mean 5!
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Popular on Netflix- Books that everyone knows about (2 you’ve read and 2 you have no interest in) 

Two I’ve read are The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (AMAZING!!! 😍 – review here) and The Queen of Nothing (Folk of the Air Series) by Holly Black.

Two I have no interest in are finishing, these were much harder to pick! To All the Boys I Loved Before series – I only ever managed book 1 but it’s just not a series for me. Then maybe Daisy Jones and the Six – it just just doesn’t call out enough to me to buy it and read it even though I know lots of people have loved it.

Comedies- a funny book

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I listened to it as an audiobook and it was made even the more funnier by the incredible narrator Martin Jarvis! Loved it!

Dramas- a character who is a drama king/queen 

Dare I say Rhysand from ACOTAR series… if you know, you know! 😉

Animated- a book with cartoons on the cover

I don’t know if these count as cartoons in the traditional sense by Hag: Forgotten Folk Stories Retold has some freakishly sinister looking pictures on the front cover!

Watch It Again- a book/series you want to reread

Oh my, so many!
The Throne of Glass series – because I love it so much and I feel like I need to read it again slowly rather than just hurtle through it to find out what happens!
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – because it’s my favourite book of the whole year!

Documentaries- a non-fiction book you’d recommend to everyone 

A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough. I recently finished this (review to come soon) but I think it’s so vital people read it. Yes there are some holes there and it has its issues and counter arguments like any political/global issue does but I feel that our planet, our animals and our environments need us to be the positive voice that protects them rather than carries on destroying them.

Action and Adventure- an action-packed book

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – The pages are packed with 80s references, Easter Eggs and pop culture. It’s one of my all-time favourites and could so easily have been in my ‘Watch It Again’ list! I’m eagerly awaiting Ready Player Two which is hopefully coming out later this month!

TAG – you’re it!! Feel free to have a go at this tag yourself and link it back to my blog if you want! Drop me a comment and let me know which Never Have I Ever you’d be most guilty of!

Have a great week friends!
T xx

#BookTag – The Never Have I Ever Book Tag!

The Biblioshelf1 Comment

Happy Tuesday Bibliofriends,

Thanks to Cherelle the Bibliophile for tagging me in the super fun Never Have I Ever Book Tag. It almost feels like some sort of naughty, bookish confession post and I’m so pleased to be doing a book tag again as I haven’t had chance to do one over the past few weeks!

This tag was first created by Madame Writer.

Rules

  • Link back to original creator.
  • Link back to the person who tagged you or the blog where you first saw this tag.
  • Answer all prompts.
  • Add one more prompt of your own.
  • Tag at least 5 people.
  • Don’t lie.
  • Have fun!
NEVER HAVE I EVER…READ A LATER BOOK IN A SERIES BEFORE READING THE FIRST BOOK

I was about to adamantly start shouting “No, no, no!” until I realized that as part of our Crime Fiction module at University we had to read a book called The Fire Engine That Disappeared which was the 5th book in a Martin Beck crime series – so I guess I have! Also, does it count if you start reading a series than an author brings out a prequel at a later date…? Because that has also happened too many times to count…

NEVER HAVE I EVER…BURNED A BOOK

Not unless you count High School exercise books as part of a ‘finishing school’ ceremony – but not real books… never, never the real books! Haha!

NEVER HAVE I EVER…READ A BOOK I KNEW I WOULD HATE

Probably only as part of a university module (again – it’s turning out that my English Literature degree is starting to come across as a bad reading influence!). I think one of them would have been a play called The Man of Mode. I have zero recollection of it now but I do remember knowing that I wouldn’t enjoy it before I read it.

NEVER HAVE I EVER…WROTE A FANFICTION ABOUT MY FAVOURITE BOOKS

I absolutely have done this! It was a Harry Potter fanfic but there’s no way you’re getting any more info than that – it’s totally top secret! 😂

NEVER HAVE I EVER…LOVED A BOOK WHEN I WAS YOUNG, YET HATED IT WHEN I GOT OLDER

I wouldn’t say that I hate any books now that I loved when I was younger… However (unpopular opinion alert!) I remember loving the Twilight novels so much when they first came out but I don’t think I’d really enjoy them if I read them again now. I think it’s possible that you can grow out of love with a book but I wouldn’t say it has to mean that you hate it.

NEVER HAVE I EVER…DRESSED UP AS ONE OF MY FAVORITE LITERARY CHARACTERS

As a teacher, it’s practically engraved in our contract that dressing up for World Book Day is compulsory so I’ve dressed up as book characters many times. My favourites are Professor McGonagall or Where’s Wally!

NEVER HAVE I EVER…HATED A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR I LOVE

Again, I feel hate is too strong a word for this but…
I adored Alexandra Christo’s debut standalone novel To Kill A Kingdom because her writing style was exquisite. When I read her second novel Into the Crooked Place, which was the start of a brand new series, it felt to me like it was written by a completely different author than To Kill A Kingdom and I was a little disappointed that I didn’t love it as much I hoped I would.

NEVER HAVE I EVER…GONE INTO A BOOKSTORE TO BUY ONE BOOK AND COME OUT WITH MANY MORE

Oh… is this an actual possibility, people actually do this? I applied the #ruleof6 to book-buying before it was ever a Covid thing!

NEVER HAVE I EVER…READ THE ENDING OF A BOOK BEFORE READING THE BEGINNING

Ok, so I kinda have this thing where when I start a new paperback, I have to flip to see which page or chapter the story actually finishes on (I have no idea why!) – and one time I may have ended up reading the final page and being completely spoiled – and for those that “know 😉” one of those times was ’19 years later’… I’ve never shut a book so fast in my life.

NEVER HAVE I EVER…READ I BOOK WITHOUT THE DUST COVER

All the time!! I can’t actually read a hardback with the dust jacket on! It keeps flapping around or slipping off and annoying me, then I always worry about it getting creased or crumpled!

NEVER HAVE I EVER…SKIM READ NEARLY HALF A BOOK

Yes! The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – I realized last minute that I had to read it for school so I skim read practically the whole thing just before class.

NEVER HAVE I EVER….PRETENDED TO HAVE READ A BOOK THAT I HAVEN’T.

Guilty! I think I’ve claimed before that I’ve read Animal Farm by George Orwell when in reality I’ve only ever seen a snippet of the cartoon film!

NEVER HAVE I EVER…SAW THE MOVIE BEFORE THE BOOK.

Several times, with lots of different films! Sometimes it’s the film that makes me want to read the books! I’d seen all the Lord of the Rings films before actually reading the books – the same with Bridget Jones’ Diary, watching the Bridget films definitely piqued my interest to see if the books were just as good.

TAG – you’re it!! Feel free to have a go at this tag yourself and link it back to my blog if you want! Drop me a comment and let me know which Never Have I Ever you’d be most guilty of!

Have a great week friends!
T xx