Tag: meme

Ten Signs I’m a Book Lover

Hello everybody! Today, I’m going to be taking part in Top Ten Tuesday, and the theme today is things that are signs we’re book lovers. I struggled a bit with this as a topic but hopefully it’s not too boring a list, onto the post!


1. The fact I have over 5 boxes of unread books in my house

2. The fact I have a quote from one tattooed across my collarbone

3. The fact I usually read 100+ books in a year

4. The fact I go to the library almost every weekend

5. The fact I didn’t shut up about meeting a bookseller I’d been dying to meet for ages for like a full two days afterwards and fully freaked out when she followed me on Twitter to the point where my friend STILL teases me about it (I’m sure you’re not, but hi Clara if you’re reading, and thank you for that excellent bookish chat!)

6. If you ask me for a book recommendation, I’ll send you a full list and then send another message with more later!

7. My first response to almost any personal crisis is to work out which book(s) will help. I’m pretty sure I started drafting my spine surgery reading list the day I found out I needed to have it.

8. I read almost every day.

9. Reading is one of the most calming things I can do for myself when I get stressed or sad or need to escape the world for a bit.

10. I’ve been reading since I can remember, and I never, ever want to stop


What do you think some signs you’re a book lover are? Do we have any in common? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Amy x

Ten Books I Have Food Related Memories Of

Hello everybody! Today, I’m going to be sharing bookish memories linked to which foods I was eating as I read them as part of Top Ten Tuesday. I only remember most of these because there are photos of it on Instagram, and then the rest are recent(ish) ones! Onto the post!

The Boy at the Back of the Class– apparently I was snacking on Giant Buttons when I started this. It’s a really lovely book, and I’m so excited that the author’s second is out next month.

North Child– this book is very long (and also very good), and I ate a lot of Dairy Milk Caramel whilst reading it for some reason.

Murder Most Unladylike– I was eating a krispie cake when I first read this, which has gone on to become one of my favourite books ever.

The Mystery of the Midnight Peacock– I was eating chocolate ice cream when I started this, according to the Instagram photo, which I think might be my first ever.

A Sky Painted Gold– I consumed about 3 packets of polo mints the day I read this, because my nausea was really bad and I was struggling to move and I sat on the couch with this and my polo mints and water and went to the 1920s.

The Princess who Flew with Dragons– I read this the day after a bad fall, and I consumed at least a few chapters while eating ginger biscuits. Again, these are good for nausea, which is why I like them.

Boy Meets Hamster– I finished this while eating Dairy Milk and drinking milk, according to my Instagram. The book is super sweet and lovely, and I’m very excited for the sequel due out next month (Boy Meets Ghoul).

The Storm Keeper’s Island- I read this whilst I was in hospital last year, and I vividly remember eating a Freddo the night of my surgery and trying to read more of this, which is brilliant. I did not, given that I was on quite heavy meds and in considerable pain, make much progress with either.

Lightning Chase Me Home– I brought this with me to my annual MRI scan a few months ago and very much enjoyed its company with some Maltesers in the cafeteria before I was due to get my scan.

Our Life in a Day– I was eating mint chocolate chip ice cream when I read the opening chapters of this, which is a really interesting and clever contemporary that I read at the start of the month.

Which books do you have food-related memories of? Do we share any, or have any snack preferences in common? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Amy x

Ten Books I’ve Been Avoiding Reading and Why

Hello everybody! Today, I’m taking part in Top Ten Tuesday again, for which the theme this week is books on our TBRs we’ve been avoiding. Onto the post!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed More Than I Expected To

Hello everybody! Today, I’m taking part in Top Ten Tuesday, for which the theme today is books out of our comfort zones that we enjoyed. Onto the post!

The Middler– if you know me you’ll know I’m not big on dystopian, but I was sent this by the publisher and was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s set in a world where birth order determines your destiny and it’s a really interesting world and story.

The Sorrow duology– I swithered for MONTHS about reading this because I tend to prefer MG fantasy, and then Anna Day (I think) described it on Twitter as West Wing but fantasy, and I was sold. I really enjoyed the first last year, and I devoured the second in under a day earlier in 2019.

Pygmalion– I read this on the advice of my English teacher so that I had read more plays for more textual analysis experience before the exam, and I really didn’t expect to enjoy this one so much after having a meh reaction to Blithe Spirit and finding Major Barbara majorly boring. But I did- it was pretty amusing in places and I loved Liza SO much.

This Is Going to Hurt– this was my first proper foray into non-fiction, and I thought it was great. It was another one I read for English- this time for folio research- and it’s just as simeltaneously heartbreaking and hilarious as everyone says.

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright– I don’t read very much sci-fi, mostly because I find it pretty confusing, and this book was pretty important in teaching me that I actually can enjoy sci-fi, and even grasp some of the concepts in it. I’ve went on to read several more Christopher Edge books (I only have the Infinite Lives of Maisie Day unread now) and I’m looking forward to his future releases because his concepts are always super interesting.

The Last Wild trilogy– I can’t remember why I read these, because they’re totally not something I usually would like based on description (It’s about a dystopian world where animals are almost extinct) but they’re so moving and brilliantly written that I fell in love with them anyway, even though they absolutely broke me.

The Lottery– this was a short story I read at school and it’s very hard to describe without spoiling the whole thing, but I didn’t think I would enjoy it and ended up being blown away by how well it was written. That ENDING.

Nightwalker– I don’t really do superheroes as a general rule, and I know next to nothing about any of them, but I rather enjoyed this Batman origin story. It’s easy to understand if you too know nothing, but I suspect there’d be lots of things in there for fans to pick up on that went over my head.

Boy in the Tower– I’ve saved the best example for last here, because I only read this since it was nominated for the Waterstones Prize back in 2015. I fell absolutely in love with Ade’s story even though it’s not got a synopsis I’d ever think could become one of my favourite books with- it’s a very hard book to describe or classify, but I am so glad I took a chance on it.

The Burning– this is quite a bit darker than most YA that I pick up, but I heard so many good things (mostly from Charlotte) that I decided I had to. I ended up really liking it, although it made me absolutely livid as well as very afraid for the state of the world in places.

What books have you taken a chance on that you ended up loving? Do we have any in common, or are you interested in reading any of mine? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Amy x

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Tropes

Hello everybody! Today, I’m taking part in Top Ten Tuesday, for which today’s theme is our favourite tropes. I always get very mixed up about what’s a trope and what’s a cliché, so fair warning that there’s a good chance some of these aren’t actually tropes. Onto the post!

Fake dating– I LOVE fake dating. It is easily my favourite romance trope ever, and I know it’s unrealistic but I do not care. It is SO fun. I love watching the couple catch feels, even though they’re trying to pretend they don’t *actually* care. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is an amazing one for this!

Love triangles– judge me if you like, but I LOVE a good love triangle. Love them. Especially if both options are viable and wonderful, because then I will be agonising over who I’m rooting for. My favourite recently is in TV, not books, and it was in Cable Girls (I am Team Carlos, but only just). My favourite bookish one is probably the Blood for Blood trilogy (and I am Team Luca by a MILE)

Pen pals– this is one I especially love in romance, but I’ll take it in really any genre- the Princess who Flew with Dragons (which I’ve just finished) had some letters in it which I really liked. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda obviously takes the crown for this one, but both the Flatshare and Our Stop do it in a very cute way too. And if you want something darker that uses epistolary format, Ketchup Clouds is the one for you.

Mythology is part of the real world– think Percy Jackson, Aru Shah, the Who Let the Gods Out quartet etc. I love stories where mythological characters are real and part of our world, largely because it’s often a great source of humour. I really must read Oh My Gods soon, because I think it’ll be RIGHT up my alley.

The murder victim isn’t really dead– I don’t know if this technically counts as a trope, but give me a mystery where they’ve been solving the wrong person’s murder and I will be delighted. I obviously can’t give examples of this one, or I’ll spoil the books for you massively, but I really do love this reveal.

We’re all trapped in *insert secluded location here* and someone’s dead/creepy stuff is going down– I think this may be known as a country house mystery, but I’m not 100% sure. I much prefer this to a locked room murder (I do like locked room a LOT too, but they really confuse me at the same time so I never quite grasp how they were done, no matter how hard I try). Robin Stevens’ Arsenic for Tea does this one BRILLIANTLY. I very much want to read a few Ruth Wares that sound like they’ll do this too (the Death of Mrs Westaway/the Turn of Key)

Talking/human-like animals– if you know me, this one will be no surprise to you. I LOVE animal companions in books almost always, and talking ones are SO fun. Some recent talking faves include Nicki Thornton’s Nightshade, Everdark’s Bartholomew and Willow Moss and the Lost Day’s Oswin.

Human/animal friendships– following on from this, give me all of the human and animal friendships please. They make me cry, but I love them all the same. Charlotte’s Web is wonderful for this, as are the Elephant Thief/The Great Animal Escapade and my favourite book of 2019 so far I, Cosmo.

Politics in books– I love it when characters are political, especially campaigns. Nothing dystopian, I’m not one for “let’s overthrow the oppressive government” plots like Hunger Games, but give me West Wing-esque stuff and I’ll be delighted. The Sorrow duology and Vote for Effie are my mosy common recommendations to people who also enjoy this in their fiction!

Film references– I don’t know if this is a trope, but it’s something I love to see in books! Tell Me How You Really Feel is a really fun recent example, and I love how many Disney references there are in the Alex Sparrow books. Beth Garrod does it really well too, and there are so many others that it’d take me all day to list them! I also love music references, but I see them less often which is why films got this spot on the list.

What are your favourite tropes? Do we share any? Do you have any recommendations for me? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Amy x

Top Ten Tuesday: Cover Redesigns I Loved/Hated

Hello everybody! Today, I’m taking part in Top Ten Tuesday once again, and this week’s theme is cover designs we loved or hated. I was feeling indecisive (because I am ALWAYS indecisive), so I did a mix of both! Onto the post!

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Ten Settings I’d Like to See More Of

Hello everybody! Today, I’m taking part in Top Ten Tuesday, which has the theme of settings we’d like to see more of today. My list is a mix of locations and times to vary it a bit. Onto the post!

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Ten Recommendations for Mystery Books

Hello everybody! Today, I’m going to be giving you some recommendations for mystery books, as part of today’s Top Ten Tuesday. Onto the post!

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5 Books I’m Hoping to Find Under the Tree Today

Merry Christmas everybody! Today, I’m going to be listing some of the books I’m hoping to unwrap today (though I’m not actually sure if I’m getting any of them!), as part of Top Ten Tuesday. Onto the post!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Villains

Hello everybody!

Today, I’m taking part in Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by Jana and today has the theme of our favourite villains. Because a lot of my thoughts on villains are similar, I’ve decided to only do a list of six. Onto the post!

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