Book Tags

Amy’s Tea Book Tag

Happy Friday bookish people! Today I am doing the Amy’s Book Tag which I believe was originally started by The Dusty Bookshelf on Youtube. I hope you all enjoy!

Double Bergamot Ear Grey: A robust, deep, intellectual and flavourful book

I read this book while I was in primary school and there are so many layers to the story, that build emotion within the reader.

Tim Horton’s Steeped: A book you read on the go that you came back to again and again

I will always come back to this book, it is in a very very well read condition!

Meyer Lemon: A tangy fast paced read gone before you’ve fully savoured the flavour

This was difficult but I eventually settled on

Chamomile Lavender: A relaxing, calming, late night read

To be honest I mainly read in the evening, especially before I go to bed so for this question I am cheating a little because I am choosing every book!

Lady Grey: A smooth, subtle classic book perfect for a serene winter morning

This book is the first book I think of when I think of winter

English Breakfast: A british classic

I had to choose this one, I read it for my BA degree and loved it

Canadian Breakfast: A title that tastes a little like an english breakfast but reads like the new world

Orange Petloe: a popular novel that everyone has read

Green: A healthy book that that feeds your mind

For this I am choosing a genre rather than a book, I think that historical fiction gives me this feeling.

Iced Tea: A sweet summer treat for the days of summer

Book Tags

Mother’s Day Book Tag!

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!

Uncategorized

Book Couples Opinions

Happy Monday bookish people! And Happy Valentine’s day! Today I wanted to bring you some of my opinions on the couples – or characters that are often shipped together in some cases- in some of the books that I have previously read.

There may be spoilers in this post so read at your own risk.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn – Camille and Ada

Camille and Ada are already dating when the book begins and there is a lot of tension growing between them throughout the book and I enjoyed the relationship because they seemed to be struggling through real problems that readers can relate to even though it is a fantasy book.

Dangerous Remedy (Battalion of the Dead #1) by Kat Dunn

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh – Celine and Sebastian

These two have an enemies to lovers thing going on which I really enjoyed. They are both very strong and feisty characters that bounce off each other. I think their relationship fits well within the plot and doesn’t take over. I am looking forward to seeing how these two characters develop in the rest of the series.

The Beautiful: Amazon.co.uk: 9781524738174: Books

Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen – Petula and Jacob

This was one of the first books I read that fit properly within the contemporary romance genre. It has a simple enough story but it is full of heartache and delving into characters with mental health issues that are also trying to navigate a relationship. I liked the build up to Petula and Jacob getting together but their relationship throughout the rest of the book was difficult to read about because I didn’t completely understand the struggles they were experiencing.

Optimists Die First : Nielsen, Susin: Amazon.co.uk: Books

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton – Ned and Cecelia

Again these two characters start off as enemies which I love in books, also the reason they meet was one of my favourites in the books that I read last year. Their personalities lend to some very sassy dialogue and I enjoyed their pairing. The only thing is that both of them love their freedom and don’t seem the type to be in committed long relationships.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – Lira and Elian

To be honest this book didn’t get much emotion from me, it was an average rating from me and so I didn’t feel that much for either of these characters or their relationship. I feel that the two characters were thrown together to make it into a Little Mermaid retelling but actually neither of them fit together well in my opinion.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern – Zachary and Dorian

I don’t feel like I saw enough of this couple. The Starless Sea is my favourite book ever and I would enjoy any couple that was written into it. It was great to see LGBTQ representation in this book and the only way to describe the way this couple was portrayed is enchanting.

The Starless Sea: TIKTOK MADE ME BUY IT! The spellbinding Sunday Times  bestseller.: Amazon.co.uk: Morgenstern, Erin: 9781784702861: Books

Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach – Eliza and Len

This is another book that I struggled to get any enjoyment from. I felt that the whole romance was forgotten generally or just used to forward the author’s views on feminism and the place it has in relationships. I really like Len as a character but I didn’t feel that Eliza was fleshed out more than a 2D character.

Not Here To Be Liked : Michelle Quach: Amazon.co.uk: Books

The Upside of Unrequieted by Becky Albertalli – Molly and Reid

I love this pairing. Reid was one of my favourite male characters until I properly started reading fantasy and he’s nerdy and sweet and exactly the type of man I like in books, and in reality actually. Molly is a very interesting character and I enjoyed being taken along with her as she discovered so much about herself and what she wanted.

The Upside of Unrequited : Albertalli, Becky: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco – Thomas Cresswell and Audrey Rose Wadsworth

One of my all time favourite couples. Thomas Cresswell is charming and intelligent and completely annoying but I love him. Audrey Rose is also incredibly intelligent and full of fire and personality, she lets nobody stand in her way and that sets them up for very interesting moments.

Stalking Jack the Ripper: 1: Amazon.co.uk: Maniscalco, Kerri, Patterson,  James: 9780316273497: Books

Caraval by Stephanie Garber – Julian and Scarlett/ Tella and Legend

Okay so there are two main couples in the Caraval series of books. The first is Julian and Scarlett, which I think are probably my favourite book couple ever. They start as enemies – do you see the trend starting here?- and develop feelings later but I love that Scarlett struggles to trust him, it fits perfectly with the plots and if there was a lot of tricks happening I would have trouble trusting him too.

Then there is Tella and Legend. Currently, I haven’t read the third book yet, I don’t love them as much. I think they would make a good pairing, he offers her the enchantment and the mystery that she craves but they don’t have as much of a spark in my opinion.

Caraval (Caraval, #1) by Stephanie Garber

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – Cath and Levi

I don’t usually like romance books but this one I ended up loving. Cath reminds me of myself in a lot of ways, particularly her shyness and then Levi is cheeky and cute and I would honestly love to find a Levi in real life to be with, you just know that no matter what he would be there for her.

Fangirl : Rowell, Rainbow: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco – Wrath and Emilia

Emilia is a headstrong witch who, when her sister is murdered, decides to investigate for herself and summons a demon, Wrath. Wrath is so morally grey that I never know if he’s on the good side or the bad and this just draws me to him, the same as it does for Emilia and I think they challenge each other both physically and mentally which is great to see in book characters.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson – Eleanor and Phillip Stanton

Another pairing that starts off as enemies, I really can’t help but have a type. I love the historical nature of the relationship, the bending of the boundaries. He is so charming and charismatic that I can’t help but like him even when the main character doesn’t. I liked the way this was a slow burn and you saw the moment when it all changed for Eleanor and she realised her feelings.

The Lady in the Tower - Scholastic Shop

I am going to leave this post here as I have included a lot of great pairings but if everyone enjoys this I have plenty more couples to make a part 2 or part 3!