Tag: Fantasy

Monthly Wrap Ups

January Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I am back with my January wrap up. This month has really been a rollercoaster for me, I had a huge assessment – my RDC2 exam for my PhD which was a written essay and a presentation, incredibly stressful but I passed which is great and I got offered a research assistant job, I also applied for another job but I haven’t heard back yet. Anyway, January was a good month for my reading. At the end of last year I was reading maybe one book a month but with a few days left to go I have done so much better to start this year.

Onto the wrap up!

  • Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson – I did not read this, I haven’t been in the mood for much fantasy with all the stress I have turned to lighter reads – and of course murder mysteries
  • A Gathering of Shadows by V E Schwab – I did not read
  • Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T A Willberg – I did not read this
  • A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross – I did not read
  • The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake – I did not read this
  • The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I did not read
  • Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – I did not read
  • House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune – I did not read
  • Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – I did not read
  • The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson – I did not read
  • Love in the time of serial killers – I did read!

So, from my TBR I only read one of the books but other than the TBR I read: Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood, A Million to one by Adiba Jagirdar and A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro. That means I have read 4 books this month which is really great for me.

Book Tags

Read or Unhaul 2023

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today.

I have seen a lot of different videos on youtube of people choosing books to try and make themselves read them that year and if they don’t then they have to unhaul them. This sounds like a great idea to me because it might help with getting me to read the books that I have been putting off.

these books are going to be:

  • The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon – I have the whole series and it still interests me so I hope to get around to it in 2023
  • The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros because I see it on my shelves but I can’t remember anything from the story or what it is about
  • Set Fire to the Gods by Sara Raasch and Kristen Simmons – this is another book that I have the two books from the series and I have put it in my TBRs all the time but never gotten around to reading it so maybe this will make me read it.
  • The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater – the second book in the raven boys series, I read the first one and I didn’t love it so I either need to continue the series or give them to someone else who would enjoy them.
  • Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor because it is another book I have had for years and wanted to read and just never gotten to it.
  • Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, the longer it takes me to read this series the more things I see about it that make me put it off more.
  • Where Dreams Descend – I love the cover of this book and it is all about the circus so I am pretty sure I will love it but I just need to read it to find out for sure.
  • The Damned by Renee Ahdieh, I liked the first book in the series but the ending ruined it for me so I haven’t wanted to keep reading but I own the series so I think I should.
  • The Sisters Grimm by Menna Van Praag – I started to read this book but I couldn’t get into it so I am hoping if I come back to it I will enjoy it more.
  • Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo – I definitely need to continue this series with the second season of the show coming.

So, that’s it, that is the ten books I either need to read or unhaul by the end of next year.

Book Reviews, Uncategorized

Book Review: The Magic Faraway Tree by Jacqueline Wilson

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happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Today I am bringing you the book review for The Magic Far-away Tree by Jacquline Wilson.

I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.

The magic faraway tree plot:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

This is a modern take on Enid Blyton’ original series, following a similar plot of a family moving to the cottage and discovering the faraway tree and the lands that appear at the top. For me there was too much that just didn’t work about this story, it comes down to the feeling and it didn’t give me the same feeling as the original series did.

The magic faraway tree characters:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

the characters follow the same idea as the original series, one older boy and two younger sisters but I felt that in this book they could have been made into more shapely characters, they felt very 2D. Silky, moon face and the people at the faraway tree were just as great as they were in the original series.

The magic faraway tree writing and dialogue:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The writing was great in this book, it was full of the same kind of magic that you expect in childrens fantasy stories.

The magic faraway tree overall:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

overall I thought this book was fine but not as good as the original series was better.

Discover the Magic Faraway Tree and explore the amazing lands it can lead to! An irresistible new story by bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, set in a much-loved world.

Three kids, Milo, Mia and Birdy, are on a countryside holiday when they wander into an Enchanted Wood. Among the whispering leaves, there is a beautiful tree that stands high above the rest. The Magic Faraway Tree is home to remarkable creatures including a fairy called Silky, her best friend Moonface and more. Birdy is delighted to find that fairies are real. Even her older brother and sister are soon won over by the magic of the Faraway Tree and the extraordinary places they discover above it, including the Land of Unicorns. But not every land is so much fun. Danger looms in the Land of Dragons. Will Moonface’s magic work in time to save the children?

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton was Jacqueline Wilson’s own favourite book as a young child. Now Britain’s favourite contemporary children’s author, creator of Hetty Feather and Tracy Beaker, revisits this glorious magical world, weaving a brand-new story perfect for the next generation of young readers. Discover the magic!

that’s it for this book review I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Tags

10 reasons you love books

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I thought I’d do a fun short post today with a few of the reasons I like books, and maybe some of you will agree with me about these. Let me know what your favourite things about books are.

  • They have beautiful covers
  • You can snuggle in a blanket with a hot drink and a book and be all cosy
  • the smell of new books
  • and of course the smell of old books
  • I find they are a good sense of escapism from everything going on in life
  • I can read and pretend it is research for my PhD
  • they take me to historical places I wish I could visit
  • men in books – reality doesn’t live up to them
  • women in books, fighting for themselves
  • characters in books, fighting for justice
  • did I mention they are beautiful!
Book Tags, Uncategorized

New Year Book Tag!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is 2023 and what better to start the book tags off with a New Years one.

I found this tag on andonshereads.Wordpress.com

How many books are you planning on reading in 2023?
I always set my goodreads at 100 but whether I meet that target or not is yet to be seen. In 2022 I did not meet it and in 2021 I did so it changes all the time.

Name 5 books you didn’t read in 2022 but want to make a priority in 2023?

kingdom of the feared by Kerri Maniscalco, Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson, Once upon a broken heart by Stephanie Garber, Sabriel by Garth Nix and the way of the argosi by Sebastian de Castell.

Name a genre you want to read more of in 2023?

mystery, specifically murder mysteries.

Three non bookish goals for 2023

I have posted a special post mentioning my goals for 2023 so if you’d like to see my goals go and check that one out.

What’s a book you’ve had forever and still need to read

there are so many answers I could give for this but I’m going to go with the city of brass by s a chakraborty because I keep picking it up to read it but never actually do.

and finally, 1 word for what you want 2023 to be: happy.

Uncategorized

Goals for 2023!

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Happy Monday bookish people! As we near the end of 2022 I wanted to make a post about my goals for 2023, this year has been full of difficult moments and a lot of stress. Of course, there’s been lots of good moments too but it has overall been very draining.

I have three main goals for 2023 which are:

  1. To find more time to read for me. By this I mean not reading for my PhD or any work purposes, just because I want to read. I haven’t been doing that much this year but I am hopeful for next year.
  2. To organise everything I am doing in order of priority. This year I have been doing so many different things what with school and braille and guide dogs and starting at Etsy and so on and so on, I’ve been getting very very tired so I am aiming to not put as much pressure on myself, I’ll do all my work etc but if I can’t manage something then I am going to try not to push too hard.
  3. work hard on a children’s picture book idea and find an agent (this has already been started, I sent my work to a few agents but I haven’t heard back yet so fingers crossed)

that’s it for my goals, what are your goals for 2023?

Monthly Wrap Ups

November Wrap-Up!

theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you my November Wrap Up today. It was one of those months where I felt like I read a lot but I actually only read a little bit, do you ever have those types of months?

Anyway onto the wrap up!

  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I did not read this but I do have a reason, it’s literally on the top shelf of my bookcase and I can’t reach it without a step ladder which I also can’t get to at the moment.
  • The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas – I think we can safely say none of us are surprised I didn’t read this, romance is not my go to genre.
  • Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano – I did read this! And I really enjoyed it so look out for my book review coming soon.
  • The Girl’s I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe – I did not read this.
  • Emma by Jane Austen – Okay so I started reading this in November and I am currently reading it now, It is also on my December TBR so it is a bit of a crossover into both months.
  • The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – I did not read this.
  • City of Brass by S A Chakraborty – I did not read this.
  • Finale by Stephanie Garber – I did not read this either.
  • Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell – I am still currently halfway through this book.
  • Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – Another romance of course I didn’t read it.
  • From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout – I did not read this
  • Gallant by V E Schwab – I did not read this either.

So, that was the books on my TBR and I read one of them…oops. But outside my TBR I also read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, I borrowed the audiobook from my library for my trip to Liverpool and that was really enjoyable.

What did you read in November?

That’s it for my wrap-up I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly TBRs

December TBR!

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Happy Friday bookish people! And welcome to December, I can’t believe we are this close to Christmas already. It seems to have flown by this year.

There are so many birthdays for my family this month, my Dad, my sister and my Nan so this will be a really busy month.

Anyway, onto the TBR!

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

Emma by Jane Austen

European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewomen by Theodora Goss

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

Down Comes The Night by Alison Saft

My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen

Only A Monster by Vanessa Len

Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood

That’s it for my December TBR, have you read any of these books?

Monthly Wrap Ups

October Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you all had a great October! If you have seen my November TBR that I posted on Friday then you will know that my October was so busy, with my sister getting married, working towards my RDC2 and meeting a potential guide dog match (I will be posting about this on Friday if you are interested in knowing more about it).

So, my reading month in October was much better than it has been recently so that has made the month a lot more enjoyable. And now I am going to share with you which books I managed to read this month. Let me know in the comments if you have read any of these, what you thought of them and what you read in October!

October Wrap-Up!

  • Beach Read by Emily Henry – I did not read this
  • Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovelino – I did not read this one
  • Nothing more to tell by Karen M McManus – I was so excited to read this one but I didn’t manage to get around to it this month
  • Pages and Co 3 by Anna James – I did read this one and as with the rest of the series, I really enjoyed it.
  • Finale by Stephanie Garber – I did not read this
  • Belladonna by Adalyn Grace – another book I was so looking forward to reading but I didn’t get to this month
  • The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson – I did read this book and loved it
  • Miss Marple short stories collection – I read this one too
  • Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber – I did not read this either
  • A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle – I did not read this
  • Your Turn to die by sue wallman – I did not read this one either
  • European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss – This book is huge, so I did not read it this month
  • Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanaugh – I did not read this either

outside of my October TBR I also read The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett which I also really enjoyed.

So, this month I read four books which is a great amount for me at the moment.

That’s it for my October Wrap-Up, I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Monthly TBRs

November TBR!

theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! October flew by didn’t it? So much has happened in the past month, and don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about my October Wrap up, that will be coming on Monday instead.

So, of course the biggest thing that happened is that my sister got married! She has just got back from honeymoon and while she was gone I have ben catsitting for her which has been fun.

And in amazing news, I matched with a guide dog! She will be moving in with me next week and then it is ten days of training before she graduates as my official guide dog! Of course I will be updating you all on here about my journey throughout this month.

Anyway, onto my November TBR!

November TBR

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

Emma by Jane Austen

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

City of Brass by S A Chakraborty

Finale by Stephanie Garber

Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell

Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout

Gallant by V E Schwab

That’s it for my November TBR, have you read any of these? Let me know!