Hello everybody! Today I’m taking in part in Top Ten Tuesday, and for today’s freebie theme I’m using an older topic about books I have really specific memories of. Some of these are pretty random, but I’ve tried to include a few I’ve not spoken about before as well as some I have! Onto the post!
Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday: Books Attached to Specific Memories”
Hello everybody! Today, I`m going to be sharing my thoughts on all of the books I read in November (excluding a couple for school!), which were all pretty great- it`s definitely been amongst my best months for quality if not quantity! Onto the post!
Hello everybody! Today, I’m doing another Christmassy book tag: Lucy’s Christmas Cracker book tag. Onto the post!
1. Pick a book with a wintry cover
Frost Hollow Hall’s original cover, which I don’t think you can buy anymore, is definitely the most wintry cover I’ve ever seen. It’s stunning.
2. Pick a book you’re likely to buy as a present
I don’t tend to buy books as presents that often, but if I was I’d probably buy to fit the person’s taste. If it was a more general buying a book I like and giving it to someone, I’d probably go for something by one of my favourite authors. This question is really unexpectedly hard though!
3. Pick a festive themed book
The first thing that comes to mind is Mistletoe and Murder by Robin Stevens, which is a Christmas murder mystery set in Cambridge, and the fifth in the absolutely wonderful Murder Most Unladylike series.
4. Pick a book you can curl up with by the fireplace
We don’t use our fireplace, but I absolutely love curling up under a blanket with a book. Basically any book, but I particularly enjoy doing it with a fluffy romance, such as the Lara Jean books, which I’ve been enjoying over the past few months and hope to finish in December, or something like Starry Eyes, which I read last month and will be part of my next reviews post on Saturday!
5. Pick a book you want to read over the festive period
Ooh I have no idea what I’ll be reading over Christmas! I often quite enjoy rereading favourites at this time of year, so I may be doing that, or trying to get to something else I want to read before the end of the year. All I know is that I’d like to read quite a few things in between holiday events and studying for some upcoming mock exams in January.
6. Pick a book that’s so good it gives you chills
So many books are incredible, but the climax of Storm Witch was so phenomenal and I definitely remember getting chills while reading it! The whole book is brilliant.
7. Pick a book going on your Christmas wishlist
I’ll probably end up doing a post about this at some point before Christmas, but one I especially want is By Your Side by Kasie West. I’m hoping for all of her books that I don’t own, but especially this as it’s set in a library and sounds so wonderful.
What would your answers for some of these be? Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned? Are they on your TBR? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Amy x
Hello everybody! Today, I’m going to be continuing on in my Disney recommendations posts, by recommending some stories for some of the inhabitants of the One Hundred Acre Woods, which I decided to do this month to celebrate it being release month for the Christopher Robin DVD, which means I can finally see it. Onto the post!
Winnie the Pooh– when I think of Pooh Bear, the first thing that comes to mind is the sort of nostalgic, whimsical feeling the stories featuring him carry, and that’s why I think he’d lovethe Children of Castle Rock. It really reminded me of classic adventure stories by authors such as Enid Blyton, and it also has really lovely yet complex friendships, which is another of my favourite features of Winnie the Pooh: the friendships between the characters are gorgeous.
Piglet– speaking of being a good friend, I think that’s the first thing that comes to mind for Piglet- he’s a great friend to everyone around him. I love a good best friend character, and I think my favourite ever is Nat from Geek Girl. She’s not perfect and she has her own stuff going on too and she and Harriet fall out sometimes, but when Harriet needs her, Nat is always there, no matter what. She’s a wonderful character, and I’d hope Piglet would enjoy seeing someone being as good a friend as he is.
Tigger– Tigger was the other tricky one, because how does one find a book as overwhelmingly joyous as Tigger? However, I think Alex Sparrow fits the bill- they’re boisterous and full of humour and happiness, just like Tigger, and I think they’d definitely appeal to him!
Eeyore– Eeyore was the hardest one of these to get right, because I think the first thing anyone thinks of about Eeyore is his misery, and I was really struggling to think of something for that trait. But then I remembered that as part of that, Eeyore is rather a pessimist- he always expects the worst to happen, and I realised a Pinch of Magic would be perfect for him. It’s about three sisters (who have generally pretty rubbish luck) trying to break their family curse, and while I won’t say what happens I think it would benefit Eeyore to read their story.
Rabbit– Rabbit is my very favourite of the gang, mainly because I think we’re super alike in personality, so his recommendation was super easy. You Only Live Once by Jess Vallance centres on a girl called Gracie realising there’s more to life than rigid organisation and perfection, and since Rabbit’s stories often focus on this I think this book would be great for him.
Kanga and Roo– Kanga and Roo are a mother and child pairing, so for their recommendation I decided to go for the Malory Towers books, as I remember having quite a few of those read to me by my mum and dad when I was a child, and the last 2 Pamela Cox additions particularly stand out because I was read a few chapters a day while I was in hospital after brain surgery. The chapters are often quite episodic, so they worked super well for having a few chapters read to you at a time. I think they’d be perfect for Kanga and Roo to share together.
Which books would you recommend to these characters? Have you read any that I’ve mentioned? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Amy x
Hello everybody!
Today, in honour of it being St Andrew’s Day tomorrow, I thought it’d be fun to share some books I enjoyed that take place in Scotland! Onto the post!
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Out of the Blue– this is a YA magical realism that takes take place in our world, but a version of it where ‘Beings’ regularly fall from the sky, upending normality each time. It focuses specifically on a girl called Jaya as her being-hunter father drags the recently bereavedfamily to Edinburgh, where she comes across a fallen being and sets out to help it, with the assistance of Allie and Callum. It’s really enjoyable, and thrilling in places, and I loved the romance between Jaya and Allie.
The Nowhere Emporium- this book and it’s sequel, are among the most magical I’ve ever read. It follows Daniel Holmes as he’s rescued from his children’s home and taken on an incredible adventure in a shop that produces wonders for members of the public, and sees him try to help the shop when things go wrong. The wonders are breathtakingly magical, and I adore the characters and the world. The dual timeline is really well executed too!
The Spellchasers trilogy– this is a trilogy about young people attempting to break the different curses that have been inflicted upon them, while also negotiating several different baddies who pop up. Each book stands up really well alone, but there’s also an arc across all three books, which makes this even more satisying. I really liked the unique and interesting world, I loved the characters (especially Beth and Atacama!) and I think it’s so underrated. I also recommend Lari Don’s other series the Fabled Beast Chronicles, as well as standalone Rocking Horse War, but this is definitely my favourite of her work.
The Elephant Thief– technically, this only starts in Scotland and then moves to other places as pickpocket Danny embarks on the journey of a lifetime- the Great Elephant Race- with majestic eleephant Maharajah. The bond between Danny and Maharajah is beautiful, and I love the way this experience improves Danny’s confidence and really does change his life. It’s so exciting to follow each leg of the trip and watch them negotiate the many different obstacles they come up against, and my heart was in my mouth most of the time when I was reading.
The Children of Castle Rock– this book is my joint favourite of this year, and I think it’s basically perfect. The best way I can describe it is like a much better Enid Blyton story- it follows three children at their boarding school Stormy Loch and then when they go off on their own adventure instead. The humour is spectacular (I especially love the bell scene and the pig scene), the characters are amazing and their friendships even better, and the prose itself and narration come together to produce something unbelievably well written.
What are your favourite books with Scottish settings? Are you planning to read any that I’ve mentioned? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Amy x
Hello everybody!
Today, I’m taking part in Top Ten Tuesday, and as the theme today is about platonic relationships I thought I’d list some of my favourite families/found families (with a slightly smaller list because I could have went on forever and I didn’t want to get carried away!). Onto the post!
The Manners from Geek Girl– I’m sure no one who knows my feelings on the Manners is shocked they’re on here- they’re the best. Their interactions are almost always hilarious, and heartwarming/touching when they’re not. I just love them. I’m so thrilled that Holly Smale’s next series centres on a family, because she’s amazing at writing them if this one is anything to go by!
The Weasleys from Harry Potter– who doesn’t love the Weasleys? Each and every member is wonderful (maybe excluding Percy…), and they made me laugh and cry throughout the series.
Zorie and Joy from Starry Eyes– I read this just a few weeks ago (my review will be in my reviws post next month!), but Zorie’s relationship with her stepmum became a fast fave for me. Their dialogue together is so great, and the way they support each other when there are some revelations that rock the family is super, super lovely.
Morrigan and the staff of the Hotel Deucalion– this is the found family I was referring to. I love how kind the staff of the hotel all are to Morrigan, and how much they care for and protect her in both the books so far. They all go out of their way to make her happy, and it gives me such a warm glow.
The Daniels family from When We Collided– this family are going through a really difficult time when we meet them, and the way the older siblings are looking after the younger ones is incredible. I loved how much they all clearly loved each other.
Stella and Felix from Polar Bear Explorers Club- Felix adopted Stella when she was young, and I love how encouraging and kind and supportive he is. Their house is amazing too, and I love that he lets Stella have some very unusual but fantastic pets!
The Coveys from the Lara Jean trilogy– this family is one of the loveliest ever, and the close relationship between Lara Jean, Kitty and Margot is fabulous. The way they are with their dad is great too; their mum passed away before the book began and so he raises them single-handedly.
Jack and Scott from Adventure Island- the Carter brothers are brilliant fictional siblings, and I love that even though they bicker and banter, they ALWAYS had each other’s back when they needed to. I adored the Adventure Island books (a shoutout here to Amy and Dan from 39 Clues as well, for the exact same reasons!!)
Who are your favourite families in fiction? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Amy x
Hello everybody! Recently, I’ve seen quite a few posts where people have listed books they really want to get to before the end of the year (‘HOW is there almost only a month left of this year by the way?!?), so even though I’m rubbisg at doing TBRs I thought I’d share some of mine. Onto the post!
Continue reading “5 Books I Want to Get to Before 2019 (A Tentative TBR…?)”
