Happy Friday bookish people! It is my birthday! I am 23, which feels very strange – sometimes I still feel like I’m 20 but I think that may just be because of the Pandemic. So, I thought it would be a good idea today to do a fun bookish tag so I found the Birthday book tag. I found it on pagesplots.com but on their tag it says they found it on Always Books.
Let’s get to the tag!
Birthday Cake – A Book With a plot that seems cliché but you adore it anyway
For this I went with Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
I felt like I had read this plot a few different times but there were some new aspects to it in this book and I still really enjoyed this book.
Party Guests – Your most anticipated book release for this year
I think there are two for me, which are Only A Monster by Vanessa Len and Crescent City House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas and I now already own both! I have read neither but I am very excited to.
Birthday Presents – A book that surprised you with how much you loved it
For this one I am choosing Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
I knew I would like this book because it has an intriguing mystery but I ended up surprising myself with how much I loved it.
Happy Birthday Song – A book that certainly deserves all the hype it got
The Caraval series by Stephanie Garber, definitely!
Happy Music – A book with some very beautiful and truly memorable quotes
I have to choose the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, it’s just so magical and fantastical. The quotes are beautiful.
Getting Older – A book that you read a long time ago but you think you would appreciate more if you read it as a more mature reader
This is a really tough one, I am not sure what I can answer this with. I am thinking probably any book by Philippa Gregory because I read them all a few years ago but I think they would mean more to me if I read them now.
Sweet Birthday Memories – A book that kept you incredibly happy during a sad or demanding period of your life
I have to choose the lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson, all her books kept me going throughout my high school period, there was a lot of things going on that I was struggling with and reading was the only thing that made me feel better.
That’s it for this book tag, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day so far. Today I am bringing you a book review for the second book in the Pages and Co series by Anna James.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.
Tilly and the Lost Fairytales Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
This book picks up from where the first book finished or very close to it at least. The idea of fairytales and fairy tale characters disappearing was what really caught my attention in this book, I felt drawn into the mystery of what was happening to them and I was invested in what the outcome would be. I liked that this book developed on plot points from the first book and that some of the things in the first book turned out to not be quite as they seemed. The world was also something that I loved being able to discover more of it, in terms of its rules and the politics surrounding everything, it added a lot of needed tension. At some points I felt that the mystery was too vague in a way and that there were a few things that needed to be explained more but I am hoping they will be in future books.
Tilly and the Lost Fairytales Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Tilly is a great main character. She is headstrong and somehow finds trouble no matter what she is doing. I felt for her in a lot of ways, the first book left her with a lot of questions and this impacted her a lot throughout this book. The other main character is her best friend Oscar, and I love their relationship. They work great together but they also have differing opinions which keeps their friendship realistic.
Tilly and the Lost Fairytales Writing and Dialogue:
Anna James’ writing is a style that I enjoy because it doesn’t feel like it has been simplified for its intended audience of middle grade readers, some books I have read in the past have done this.
Tilly and the Lost Fairytales Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I gave this book four stars overall because its a very comforting series to dive into and I am excited to pick up the third book.
Blurb/Synopsis:
A magical adventure to delight the imagination. The curl-up-on-the-sofa snuggle of a series from a uniquely talented author.
Tilly Pages is a bookwanderer; she can travel inside books, and even talk to the characters she meets there. But Tilly’s powers are put to the test when fairytales start leaking book magic and causing havoc . . .
On a wintery visit to Paris, Tilly and her best friend Oskar bravely bookwander into the land of fairytales to find that characters are getting lost, stories are all mixed-up, and mysterious plot holes are opening without warning. Can Tilly work out who, or what, is behind the chaos so everyone gets their happily-ever-after?
That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Friday bookish people! Next weekend is Mother’s Day and so I thought why not have a look and see if there are any Mother’s Day themed book tags around and I found one on YouTube by blissful and bookish so that is what I will be doing for you today.
Best Friend: Pick characters in a book whose friendship you admire the most:
For this one I went with Irene and Kai in The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. To begin with they don’t really get along and it was great seeing the friendship start to develop and what I like most about it is that they have seen the worst of each other and still they are there when the other needs them.
Comfort: what’s a book that always puts you in a better mood:
For this one I chose Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson because it is one of my favourite books and no matter what mood I am in or what has happened it always makes me feel calmer when I read it.
Doesn’t Give Up: What’s a book that you were tempted to DNF but instead finished:
I chose The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater because I didn’t love the book and I found it took me a long time to read it but I don’t like to DNF books so I pushed on and I did end up giving it three stars and I will read the rest of the series.
Selfless: What’s a book that you had to sacrifice for:
I went with the Queen of Nothing because I sacrificed having a complete set of paperbacks because I couldn’t wait to read the final book in the series so I bought it in hardback as soon as it came out.
Love: What’s your favourite love story:
I had to go with Caraval, the characters of Scarlett and Julian, by Stephanie Garber. Definitely my favourite love story even though it isn’t a romance book.
Homemaker: If you could live with a fictional family whose home would you go to:
I would go and live with the Brown Sisters in Talia Hibbert’s novels because they seem very supportive and fun and I don’t know anyone quite like them in real life.
Forgiving: name a character you hate but would eventually have to forgive:
I had to go for Eli Ever from Vicious by V E Schwaab, although don’t actually have a reason for it, I just think I would end up forgiving him.
Teacher: name a book that has taught you thins that will stay with you forever
I chose Stalking Jack the Ripper because it taught me that you don’t have to fit yourself into society’s expectations.
Dedication: what’s a book that you would like to dedicate to your mum and why:
I struggled with this one, I was looking for a title that would resemble this question but I couldn’t find one so I went with a book series that I think my mum would enjoy reading which is the Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices) series by Cassandra Clare.
That’s it for this book tag, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am bringing you a new book review, I say new; I read this book in January I think and I am only just getting around to writing the review for it but nevermind, I am doing it now.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.
The Killings At Kingfisher Hill Plot:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
So, I fully intended to love this book because I have always loved the Agatha Christie Poirot books and I was very excited when Sophie Hannah began writing them and I have read one of the others in the series which I enjoyed. However, my main issue with this book was that I felt it was quite predictable. The book starts with the bus/coach journey that stops at different places and there are a lot of events that happen and characters introduced here but I felt like a lot of the twists were already revealed here, I am sure they were meant to be subtle so that when you see the twist later you can go back and see where it was built up in the plot but for me it wasn’t subtle enough. The actual book itself was enjoyable to read, I did like the story and the typical Agatha Christie mystery of a country estate and a limited group of possible killers.
The Killings At Kingfisher Hill Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The only character I can talk about without spoiling anything is Poirot. I think Sophie Hannah has brilliantly captured the essence of Poirot with his nuances and the parts of his character that make him instantly recognizable.
The Killings At Kingfisher Hill Writing and Dialogue:
As I said above, I enjoyed the book overall and I think this is a lot because of the writing of Sophie Hannah. She manages to get the feel of an Agatha Christie while still keeping the writing clear and easy to understand exactly what is happening.
The Killings At Kingfisher Hill Overall:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
I gave this book three stars overall because I can say the book was good and I liked it but I didn’t like how predictable it felt to me.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Hercule Poirot is traveling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned the renowned detective to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. Poirot will have only days to investigate before Helen is hanged, but there is one strange condition attached: he must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family.
The coach is forced to stop when a distressed woman demands to get off, insisting that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. Although the rest of the journey passes without anyone being harmed, Poirot’s curiosity is aroused, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered with a macabre note attached . . .
Could this new murder and the peculiar incident on the coach be clues to solving the mystery of who killed Frank Devonport? And if Helen is innocent, can Poirot find the true culprit in time to save her from the gallows?
That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I thought it might be fun today to share what some books I have, that I have signed, are.
I would just like to say that I am not trying to brag about the books that I have I just thought it might be fun to share which books and where I may have gotten some of them.
The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino
I got this book as a wonderful signed edition from my monthly Illumicrate boxes
The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
I also got this book in a book box!
Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn
I also got this one in an Illumicrate box, I read it and loved it and now I own the second one in the series.
Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
My friend ordered me this book from online because they had found a hardback copy and then when it arrived it was a great surprise to find out it was also signed
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
I got this amazing book in my Illumicrate box too.
Mrs England by Stacey Halls
I managed to grab a signed edition of this book from my local waterstones
Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah
I found this book in a charity shop and it turned out to be a signed hardback and it was an amazing bargain
A Line To Kill by Anthony Horowitz
I got this from a company called Forbidden Planet, I was just scrolling through their website and I ended up ordering a lot of books (oops!) and I managed to get a signed copy of this book from there.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
I got this one in my Waterstones, it didn’t say it was signed and I was very happy when I got home and saw it was signed
Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
I got this book and Once and Future Witches by the same author in my monthly book boxes
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
I got this one in my local Waterstones
Under the Whispering Door by T J Klune
I found a signed copy of this one in my Whsmiths and I was really excited to find this one
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
I got this book in a recent Illumicrate box
The Desolation of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs
I managed to preorder a signed copy of this book from waterstones
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
I got this book in my Illumicrate box too
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
I got this beautiful book in my Illumicrate box
One Of Us Is Lying/One Of Us Is Next/Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M McManus
I got these books signed when I met Karen M McManus at YALC in 2019 which was amazing!
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
I also got this in my Illumicrate box
The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant
My local waterstones luckily had a signed copy of this book
This Woven Kingdom by Taherah Mafi
I also got this one in my Illumicrate box
Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix
I was looking everywhere for a signed copy of this book and I finally found one in Whsmiths
A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab
I bought the special Illumicrate box for this book and along with some other items it got me a signed copy of this book
That’s it for this blog post, I hope you all enjoyed it! Do you have any signed books?
Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you a review of one of the few books I read in February, Finlay Donovan is Killing it by Elle Cosimano.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Plot:
For the first 100 pages I wasn’t sure what I thought of this book, there was so much happening in so few pages that it should have felt fast but it actually felt like it was pretty slow, it took me a week to read the first 100 pages but then I picked it up to read a bit more and ended up finishing the rest of the book in one sitting. So my opinion on it changed. I ended up loving it, the mystery had a twist that I did not see coming and it has a strong motive for Finlay, being her children and keeping her family together. It felt realistic and it was something that I really liked about this novel.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Characters:
So Finlay is the main character and she has a really great character arc, she has a focus on her children and her job and while her life is a mess at the beginning you see how hard she is trying to put it back together, I liked how relatable the character is even though the events of the novel aren’t realistic, it created a good balance.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Writing And Dialogue:
As I said the pace of the novel felt slow for the first part and that might be the writing a little but for the rest of the book the writing was excellent, clear and helped me to be dragged into the story.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Overall:
Overall I gave this book four stars because the second half was very entertaining but the first 100 pages let it down a little bit. I am excited to pick up the sequel as soon as possible.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Finlay Donovan is killing it…except, she’s really not. A stressed-out single mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: The new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written; her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her; and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. She soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from award-winning Elle Cosimano.
That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Friday bookish people! I can’t believe it is March already! I thought it might be fun to share with you all some of the books I own that I think have beautiful covers.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow
Shadow and Bone Collectors Edition by Leigh Bardugo
Where Dreams Descend and When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Traitors Ruin by Erin Beaty
The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
Lily by Rose Tremain
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Hatmakers and The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
That’s it for this post, I hope you enjoyed it. What are some of your most beautiful books?
Happy Tuesday bookish people! I am happy to be bringing you my March TBR today. I have a good feeling about March, I am hoping to get a lot of reading done, there’s so many good books on my TBR that I desperately want to pick up. Also, it’s my birthday on the 25th of March! I’ll be 23 and I had actually forgotten how close it was, I hadn’t made a list and so I was trying to think of the books I wanted and put them on an Amazon wishlist here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3H1PW8BGD9KF7/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
Anyway, onto the TBR!
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
I have heard so many good things about this book and even though I am not usually the biggest fan of romance novels, I am willing to give each one a try though so we shall see if I enjoy this one or not.
Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey
Again, another contemporary romance book but I mean it has books on the front so at least I will enjoy the setting, also it has enemies to lovers from what I have read and I do enjoy that trope.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I loved The Starless Sea by the same author, it’s my favourite book and this seems to have the same magical realism so I am hopeful that I will really enjoy this book.
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
A historical murder mystery set on a boat. Of course I want to read this book.
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco
I am so excited to continue this series, Emilia is one of my favourite female protagonists and Wrath is such a good morally grey character. I love it!
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
This is a book that I have been putting off for ages, well ever since I finished A Court of Thorns and Roses but I am excited to read it because I have heard it is the best book in the series.
City of Brass by S A Chakraborty
I have already started this book a year ago but I put it down for some reason and I haven’t thought about picking it up again until now.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
This is another book that I have heard really good things about so I am excited to read this one.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow
Witches in a historical setting, I am very excited about this book.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune
This books kind of reminds me of the Umbrella Academy but a bit more peaceful so that’s why I was drawn to this book to start with.
The Girl in the Tower by katherine Arden
this is the second book in the bear and the nightingale series and I absolutely loved the first book so I am really excited to continue this dark and wintery series.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
I have recently been enjoying books with an academic setting so hopefully I will enjoy this book.
Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder
This books sounds very interesting to me and a friend has read it and enjoyed it which makes me want to read it even more.
Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
This looks like a very cute middle grade book. Plus I love the cover, it is very inviting.
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman
This is the third book in the Invisible Library series, I really love Irene and Kai from this series and I can’t wait to see what adventures they are going to go on next.
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas
This is one of my most anticipated books of this year so I am nervous to read it, it is also huge so it might take me a while but I am very excited, I am trying my hardest to not see any spoilers for it.
That’s it for my march TBR, I hope you all enjoyed it! What are you planning on reading this month?
Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am excited to bring you my February Wrap-up. Well, I say excited – I barely read anything so not so excited about that but I accomplished a lot during February.
First of all, I handed in my first assignment for my PhD and that has taken a lot of stress away from me, I also completed the redecoration of my new room including buying seven bookcases and putting my books on them (that was a great day!). Also, I went through the next stage in the process of getting a guide dog which is both terrifying and exciting.
So, usually I would list the books I was supposed to read this month and say whether I did or not, well – I only read two books this month so I won’t be listing them I will just put them here instead.
I read:
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Review to come shortly!
and…
The Maid by Nita Prose
So that’s what I read this month, it wasn’t a lot but considering how busy I was I am okay with the little that I managed to read, also I plan on reading Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix tonight which was on my February TBR so that might mean I read three books..
That’s it for this post, I hope you all enjoyed it! Tomorrow I will be posting my March TBR so if you’re interested in seeing what I will be reading make sure to check that out.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It was recently Valentines day and I shared a few posts about different types of relationships and book couples so now I am sharing a few books that have no romance or very little in them.
I haven’t read all of these books so I can’t call them a recommendation but I am pretty certain that there isn’t any romance and I have heard good things about all of them.
Onto the books!
A List of Cages – Robin Roe
When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn’t easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can’t complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian—the foster brother he hasn’t seen in five years.
Adam is ecstatic to be reunited. At first, Julian seems like the boy he once knew. He’s still kindhearted. He still writes stories and loves picture books meant for little kids. But as they spend more time together, Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, like where he hides during the middle of the day, and what’s really going on inside his house. Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives…
The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta
A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.
A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness
Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don’t quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window. It’s ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.
Patrick Ness takes the final idea of the late, award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd and weaves an extraordinary and heartbreaking tale of mischief, healing and above all, the courage it takes to survive.
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.
By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.
Lirael – Garth Nix
Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr’s birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.
To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it. “To Kill A Mockingbird” became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, “To Kill A Mockingbird” takes readers to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.
The Hobbit – J RR Tolkein
The Lie Tree – Frances Hardinge
The leaves were cold and slightly clammy. There was no mistaking them. She had seen their likeness painstakingly sketched in her father’s journal. This was his greatest secret, his treasure and his undoing. The Tree of Lies. Now it was hers, and the journey he had never finished stretched out before her.
When Faith’s father is found dead under mysterious circumstances, she is determined to untangle the truth from the lies. Searching through his belongings for clues, she discovers a strange tree. A tree that feeds off whispered lies and bears fruit that reveals hidden secrets.
But as Faith’s untruths spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter…
That’s it for this post I hope you all enjoyed it!
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