Tag: weekend

#FaeFriday – Foodie Fairies

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Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

How has your week been? We are creeping ever closer to half term and I cannot wait to have a chance to switch off and recharge my batteries – this term has been something else! But enough of all that… let’s focus on the fairies in this week’s Fae Friday! 😍

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

October 16th prompt:

This week was created by the brilliant Nery from postcardsfromlalaland.com! Faeries are known for their love of food, so we’re wondering:

What books have such fantastic food descriptions that you’re hungry after reading them?

Not gonna lie – Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye popped straight into my mind as soon as I read this week’s prompt. The food descriptions in that book made me dedicate an entire paragraph to it in my review (which you can read here, just to check out how much I love the food in this book! 😂) – don’t blame me if you come away from it craving Asian food!

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal is another book which, although it doesn’t necessarily make me crave the hot chilli goodness inside its pages, has to be a notable mention here for the brilliant incorporation of food into fiction. It’s quite a unique read which has stuck in my memory for a long period of time.

And finally, I could not talk about food in books without an honorary mention to Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin.
Those.
Cinnamon.
Buns.
I would not be embellishing the truth when I say that I drove all the way to the supermarket just to buy a box of cinnamon buns. The only ones that have come even close to what I imagine they really taste like in the book is Morrisons. I rarely ever shop there and even then I only got to try them once as they always seem to be unavailable every time I get to the store!

And now I am utterly starving. AGAIN! Thanks Fae Friday!! 😂🙄🙈

What are your favourite foodie books? Has any description of food in a book been so powerful that you’ve had to go out and buy it right away? As always, leave me a comment to chat!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Characters I’d Be Scared To Meet

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

Continuing the ‘Pumpkin Spice Goodness’ theme for October’s Six For Sunday post this week, we’re thinking all about characters who we’d be scared to meet. This is such a strange one as I can be a highly anxious person at times so I’d be scared to meet various characters for completely various reasons, not necessarily just because they’re the creepy kind of scary!

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Characters I’d Be Scared to Meet

Patrick Bateman – American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

I mean, yes – Patrick is definitely the creepy kind of scary that I never want to cross paths with.

Pennywise the Clown – IT by Stephen King

Clowns give me the wiggins at any point (except for Tweedy the Clown, our local living legend 😍), but Pennywise is seriously scary and there’s no way I’d ever be climbing down into the sewers after my paper boat for this dude. No. Way.

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

Addie made this list for a completely different reason to be the previous characters – due to her Faustian deal with the devil, I’d just be completely scared of being the one who forgot everything about her after meeting her, when secretly I’m wanting her to be my BFF! 😂

Shelob – The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ginormous spider.
That’s it.
That’s the reason.

Ramsay Bolton

Taking ‘disturbing’ and ‘deranged’ to whole new levels, I think I’d rather take my chances over The Wall than with bumping into Ramsay Bolton.

Aragorn – The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Another LOTR character but a very different reason. He’s made my list of characters I’d be scared to meet because if he didn’t ask me to run away to Middle Earth with him, I’d be beyond devastated! 😂

Which characters would you be ducking behind the bookshelves to avoid meeting and what are the different reasons that you’d be scared to meet certain characters?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

If Lord of the Rings characters had modern day occupations – Part 2

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Happy Weekend Bibliofriends,

Back for Part 2 of my nerdy little series reimagining the lives of my favourite Lord of the Rings characters if they lived in today’s world. If you missed last week’s episode, you can find Part 1 here.

Elrond: Yogi / Spiritual Guru

Still wanting to offer counsel and refuge, Elrond now runs his very own spiritual mountain retreat for wayward souls. ‘Dellriven’ offers a comprehensive yet flexible programme for those seeking to find some inner purpose and get their life’s journey back on track. Blessed with the gift of foresight, Elrond can also be booked for special one-on-one consultations and tarot readings providing advice from a plethora of subjects including business, relationships and even ‘12 types of cakes to satisfy your sweet tooth’.

Eowyn: Horse-Racing Presenter and Activist

Showing an affinity for horses, Eowyn was working at a popular racing yard when she was talent-spotted by Sky Sports after stepping up to present the Grand National when the main presenter was knocked out by one of the declared runners whilst on set. Showcasing her astute knowledge of horses and her passion for the sport, Eowyn is now a regular face at all of the key fixtures across the racing calendar and has even been flown to the Middle East, Australia and America to host some of the world’s most famous horse races. Being a female in an industry which is still heavily dominated by the patriarchy, Eowyn is an active feminist, has recently become a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and is about to produce her own podcast rumoured to be titled, “I Am No Man”.

Faramir: PTSD Trauma Commander and Trustee of Invictus Games

Faramir, having known the horrors of war and being of an empathic nature, set about to rehabilitate and revitalise soldiers retuning from conflicts with PTSD. His gentle nature and natural leadership qualities made him the perfect person to set up the initiative. With many successes and case stories to his name, Faramir and his team embarked upon a journey to set up other training and rehabilitation centres around the world. Most recently, Faramir has joined the Governance Committee of the Invictus Games as a trustee in the hope of shining a light on life after service for thousands of former service recruits worldwide.
P.S. He’s still madly in love with Eowyn!

There had to be a horse-racing one in there at some point didn’t there?! 😂Let me know your thoughts by dropping me a comment below about the different jobs you would have given these characters.

Next week in part 3, your featured Middle Earthers are: Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn & Arwen!

Thanks for reading,
T xx

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters – these posts are purely from my wild, at times crazy, imagination and sometimes use vague reflections of real-world truths. They are purely meant for entertainment purposes only and are not designed to cause offense or upset in any way.

#FaeFriday – Autumn Vibes

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Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

I know I said last week was ‘what a week’ but boy, oh boy, this week definitely put the WHAT in WHAT a week! I’ve been working so late at work that I even forgot to watch Bake Off on Tuesday night – just totally sat there at home and forgot the show was even on! I’ve also been letting my posts drop a little lately but hopefully this weekend I’ll find some time to get back on track!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

October 2nd prompt:

Autumn is in the air, and the autumn court is in the spotlight. They’re celebrating the season change by gracing us with the beautiful gift that is the changing of the leaves. That is why this week’s prompt is:

What genre gives off that perfect autumn vibe to you?

For me Autumn is all about cosy nights in, leaves changing colour on the trees, sunset drives down country lanes, hot chocolate by warm fires and of course – good books!

I’m not terribly sure that I associate a particular genre with Autumn, but there is definitely something bookish which gives me all of the Autumnal vibes!

This time of year always brings the Cheltenham Literature Festival which is one of my absolute favourite things to do in our town. I usually try to attend an event each evening and then spend my whole weekends either at events or sat in the book tent reading! This year is a little different obviously with Covid, so I’ll be watching a majority of the events online on the catch-up player instead.

Normally they have a special event at the Festival every year for the announcement of the winner of the Man Booker Prize and it’s this that makes me associate Autumn with all different kinds of books from various genres. The Literature Festival always inspires me to read more broadly and explore books/authors I wouldn’t usually experience so that’s why I can’t just pick one particular genre.

What type of books or genres do you like to read during the Autumn? Do you have any local Literature Festivals that you love to attend? What are your favourite things about this wonderful season? Feel free to leave me links to your own Fae Friday and I’ll check them out!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Authors I’d Take For Coffee

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Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

We have a whole new theme for this month in Six for Sunday and it is just perfect for the season ahead! October’s ‘Pumpkin Spice Goodness’ theme has all of the Autumnal feels and I’m definitely feeling those vibes now that the wind has changed, nights are drawing in and the leaves are beginning to turn.

For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot.

Characters or Authors I’d Take For A Coffee

This week’s prompt is such a fascinating one as I normally wish that either I actually lived in the worlds of books, or that their characters could actually be my real-world best friends…so coffees for everyone basically! My list of characters and authors would be so immense that I’ve decided to focus on just the authors for this challenge. 

Sometimes I’m thinking about 1:1 coffee sessions in different places depending on each author; then other times this week’s Six for Sunday is breaking all of the UK Covid rules as I’m imagining a complete 7 person coffee gathering!! Because you know, clearly that 7th person will be the one to give us all Covid! 🙄 Anyway, here are my 6 authors I’m taking for coffee.

Neil Gaiman

Master of all fantasy and storytelling heritage, I could totally sit with Neil in a super cosy coffee shop, next to a roaring fire, somewhere in the wilds of Scotland to chat about fairies, the Anansi Boys, the world of Neverwhere and Loki.

V. E. Schwab

Ok if you haven’t heard me spouting off about how I have ‘just discovered’ Schwab, how irrevocably in love with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue I am and how I now have to own Every. Single. One. of this author’s books… where have you been?! 😂 With Schwab, we’d be going for coffee in France of course, probably sat in the sunshine on the banks of a river with croissants and baked goodies!

Kevin Kwan

Heading East to a swanky rooftop bar overlooking the Singaporean skyline, Kevin is bringing us the crazy, rich, high-society gossip with him to have us giggling into our coffee cups. Who needs Hello Magazine when you’ve got a coffee buddy like Kevin?

Ernest Cline

How could I not invite the author of one of my favourite books EVER to coffee? Clearly, we’re not actually going to a coffee shop for this one – instead, we’re grabbing our eco-friendly refill cups and getting a takeout in Cline’s Delorean whilst I grill him on all of the secrets and easter eggs he has planned for us in the upcoming Ready Player Two which comes out in November. I cannot wait!

Rebecca Crunden

I am definitely taking Rebecca for coffee to say thank you for letting me read the first book in her Outlands Pentalogy series, A Touch of Death and introducing me to the thrillingly dystopian Kingdom of Cutta (you should definitely read it! Spoiler-free review here!). I’ve just purchased instalment 2, A History of Madness on my Kindle app and cannot wait to dive into it and find out what happened to Nate and Catherine! Of course, we’ll also be talking about our most anticipated reads for the rest of 2020 and discussing which exciting projects Rebecca has lined up next!

Isabel Ibañez

Forget the coffee this time, it’s only right that we’re sipping on some hot cacao with Isabel Ibañez. I absolutely adored the references to Bolivian culture in Isabel’s debut novel Woven in Moonlight which I read earlier this year. The sequel is definitely on my pre-order list and as my Peruvian adventure was postponed this year we’d have to chat about all things South American and what the future has in store for Ximena and the Illustrians!

Which characters or authors would you be taking out for coffee? Are you more of an espresso person or do you prefer your coffees frothy and sweet – or do you forgo all hot drinks?!
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

If Lord of the Rings characters had modern day occupations – Part 1

The Biblioshelf9 Comments

Happy Saturday Bibliofriends,

I’m back with a brand-new series of discussion posts throughout the whole of October! This month, I’m thinking about Lord of the Rings characters and what types of jobs or occupations they would have if they lived in our world today. From Frodo to Faramir, Samwise to Saruman – this discussion post in four weekly parts is me doing something slightly different and creative to my normal list-based / review posts. I hope you enjoy it!

Gandalf: CEO and Owner of Olórin’s Dens

Gandalf is the owner of a chain of highly lucrative, very elite private members clubs in the most luxurious cities across the world. The Olórin’s Dens are sumptuously decadent establishments where the highest profiles in our society go to unwind and relax (The Obamas, Princess Beatrice and Lin Chi-Ling have all been spotted there on occasion); think dark-wood panelling, velvet smoking jackets and champagne only available to purchase by the magnum (at a minimum). Be sure not to accidentally wander into the speakeasy bars of the club though, you may find yourself mingling with curiously strange folk who go by the names of wizard, elf or even eat… As a side venture (and a way to fund all of his Dens), Gandalf runs the world’s most renowned fireworks company which supplies the likes of New Year’s Eve displays in London, Sydney and Singapore – it’s even rumoured he also contributed to Taylor Swift’s infamous 4th of July weekends.

Frodo Baggins: Part-Time Author / Full-Time Recluse

Since relocating to his own private Scottish highland island, Frodo has been busy writing folklore anthologies and publishing his own range of Gothic quest myths for the YA audience (under a pseudonym of course!). When he is not writing, Frodo enjoys beachcombing to look for sea glass that washes up on his misty shores. Having had his fill of adventure to last several Ages, Frodo is often so reclusive that it takes his publisher around 8-14 months just to receive any correspondence from him.

Samwise and Rosie Gamgee: Founders of the Gamgee Juice Distillery

Samwise and his wife Rosie are just about to hit the London market with their range of organic, vegan juice drinks. Having purchased their extensive Somerset farm over a decade ago, the couple have spent time lovingly nurturing their crops from seed to sapling. Expanding into the botanical trend, the pair have cultivated their very own range of micro-herbs and rare berry specimens including Jostaberries, Lingenberries and Redcurrants. A firm favourite at farmers’ markets across their local county, the Gamgees range of juices, presses and smoothies have garnered many awards and are highly acclaimed to cure mild maladies such as relief for joint aches, stomach conditions and problems with skin complexion. Samwise and Rosie are also in talks with a large London Publishing House to write a collaboration with Jamie Oliver on how best to taste-match your juices with clean, fresh recipes. 

What do you think? Can you imagine any of these characters actually doing these types of things in our modern day world? What occupations would you give them?

Next week, we’re thinking about Elrond, Eowyn and Faramir so get your ideas in for what types of jobs/lives these guys could be having in the 21st Century!

Thanks for reading,
T xx

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters – these posts are purely from my wild, at times crazy, imagination and sometimes use vague reflections of real-world truths. They are purely meant for entertainment purposes only and are not designed to cause offense or upset in any way.

#FaeFriday – Hurts So Good

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Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

What a week this has been, in various ways of good and bad! Work has been hellish but book mail has thankfully saved the day as my Fairyloot September box AND my Fairyloot Daevabad set both arrived this week! They are all so so gorgeous and I cannot wait to dive into those reads!

Speaking of fairies… Happy Fae Friday!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

October 2nd prompt:

Autumn is in the air, and the autumn court is in the spotlight. The autumn court is full of strange and beautiful faes who can have a slight sadistic side. This week’s prompt is dedicated to those sadists, which is why this curious wannabe fae wants to know: 

What are some of your go-to authors that make it hurt so good?

So from my first reading of the prompt I’m immediately having flashbacks to reading Fifty Shades of Grey…! Purely because of the wording within the prompt and not my dirty voyeuristic mind!!! 😂🙈😂

Moving on – I tend to cry at lots of different things in books so there isn’t really a set ‘go-to’ author that I’d pick-up when I need a good cry, however… Sarah J Maas‘ books should totally come with a free box of Kleenex or something! The amount of times she’s had me in tears… but I just absolutely love her, there’s not a single thing she’s written that I don’t want to read.

The only other thing I can really think of that I would go to for a good cry is Fanfiction. There is a particular ‘ship’ in the HP fan fiction community (it’s secretly my one true pairing and ultimate guilty pleasure) that never fails to send me sobbing but it so worth the pain just to read those stories. You can guarantee if it’s a sad ending then I’ll be sobbing! 😂

Do you cry a lot at books or stories? Which authors make all that sobbing worth the pain? Feel free to leave me links to your own Fae Friday and I’ll check them out!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Devious Characters

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

This is the final instalment in our monthly Characters Ahoy theme this week. Who doesn’t love a Devious Character right?! They normally add lots of different creative elements to a tale and some even provide the humour in the story too! I think this was definitely the easiest and most fun list to think about this month!

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

Devious Characters

Celaena Sardothian – Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas
When it comes to being the most wiley and cunning, Celaena absolutely gives this off in droves. The way she plots and schemes o play various people off against one another is definitely one of the more entertaining aspects of the whole series for me.

Thomas Cromwell – Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I finally got around to starting this trilogy off during lockdown and I am so glad I did. It’s a pretty hefty read but it was really gripping. Mantel has portrayed her main character as an absolute masterclass of strategy and wit. Cromwell knows exactly what he wants and makes no shame in doing whatever he needs to do to accomplish his goals. A very devious individual indeed!

Cardan – The Folk of the Air Series by Holly Black
Cardan…Oh Wicked King Cardan… So devious and dastardly that there were so many times during this series when my brain kept flipping between whether Cardan was really a good guy or bad guy.

Alessandra – The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Snarky yet sophisticated, cunning yet feminine – Alessandra put the ‘diva’ in ‘devious’. I absolutely loved this book and it was great to see a female main character taking that kind of lead for a change.

Gollum/Smeagol – The Hobbit / Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Wicked, tricksy, false – Gollum is definitely a prime candidate for the devious characters list. The way he manoeuvres Frodo in getting him exactly where he wants whilst all the time focussing on ‘the Precious’. Such a great character!

Amy Dunne – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynne
I devoured this book in very little time at all and when flicking through my Goodreads shelf and landing on this, I knew Amazing Amy would be the one to finalise my devious characters list. I was one of those readers that got completely sucked in by this book and didn’t guess any of the ‘big reveals’ towards the end which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. Anyone who has read the book or even seen the film will know exactly why sweet little Amy is here.

Who are your favourite devious characters? Do you think every good book deserves one?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

#FaeFriday

The Biblioshelf1 Comment

Happy Friday Bibliofriends,

What are you all up to this weekend? I hope it’s something fun-filled and fabulous!

Fae Friday is a weekly blog prompt hosted by the wonderful Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. It seems like the perfect way to spread a little more magic across the blogosphere every week.

Here are the rules:

  • Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
  • If the prompt idea is from another blog, link to that blog as well.
  • Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other! 
  • Participate when you can & have fun with the prompt!

September 25th prompt:
Music is something that faeries are known to enjoy. That is why this week’s prompt is:
What kind of music do you listen to when reading?

I’m not very good at all with listening to music whilst reading. If it’s something with lyrics or a catchy tune, I’m always trying to sing along or tap my feet and move to the rhythm which distracts me from actually reading the words on the page.
If I do listen to any music at all it has to be classical or something from a movie soundtrack. Recently those tracks have been: Portals from Avengers Endgame; the theme from Jurassic Park and the end credits from Ready Player One.

Do you listen to music when you read? Feel free to leave me links to your own Fae Friday and I’ll check them out!

Enjoy your weekend Bibliofriends!

T xx

#SixforSunday – Brave Characters

The Biblioshelf2 Comments

Happy Sunday Bibliofriends,

Characters Ahoy continues this week in Six For Sunday and now we’re thinking about Brave Characters.

Bravery seems to be a “must-have” trait in all SFF books. If characters don’t start out with it, then they usually always have to pluck some up Cowardly-Lion-style before the final battle at the end of the book – at least, I haven’t seen a MC back out yet! 😂

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

Brave Characters

Severus Snape – Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Anyone who knows me properly will absolutely know that I can’t think about brave fictional characters not discuss Severus Snape. I don’t care what canon says, he’ll always be a true hero (albeit a flawed one) in my eyes!

Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I think Katniss epitomises the ‘brave warrior’ style main character for me. I like the way how she shows although she’s a bad-ass, she’s also very human too and never loses her integrity and compassion no matter what is put in her path.

Jesper – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Jesper is one of my favourite characters in Six of Crows. I could also have put Nina in here alongside him but I keep thinking back to just one of Jesper’s scenes when he is with Wylan. I won’t spoil it here, but Jesper shows a different kind of bravery which comes from having the courage to be your true self in front of someone else – that’s why he made this list this week.

Arya Stark – Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
I haven’t read all of the GoT books yet, or even finished watching the TV series but Arya is definitely a character that I think when it comes to being brave. She may be short in stature but she is mighty in her courage and ferocity to face her toughest opponents.

Circe – Circe by Madeline Miller
Circe’s bravery isn’t so much physical as it is mental. The types of things she faced whilst on her island exile and the ways she battled to try and fight her way out of exile showed a remarkable inner strength which she wouldn’t have been able to carry off without a little bravery.

Daniel – The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I am a huge fan of all Zafón’s work and the way he crafts his characters. Daniel is brave in the way that he persistently searches for the truth and doesn’t get deterred even when things start to take more sinister, dark turns.

What do you determine as a brave character? Who would make your list of the bravest characters in fiction?
As always, leave your links below or drop me a comment to chat!

T xx