📝 Yes

📝 60:40 in the favour of fiction

📝 History or Autobiographies

📝 The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England

📝 As tagged

#HelloThursday & Hello @wanderinglynn ❤️

📘 A Sting in the Tale

📘 Inkheart

📘 Matilda

📘 Every Boys Got One

@LibrarianRyan

I‘m smitten with this trilogy so I can‘t even attempt to review this objectively. I love each book equally & for different reasons. This second novel is full to bursting with new characters & places, I suppose it‘s a little heavy going on the history but I like that. The old characters‘ stories develop beautifully & the new faces slot in with ease. It‘s written well & it was easy to invest myself in the story (it‘s much harder to let go though) 💜

Part of me says this book was too predictable and the other half says was it meant to be? Gillian Flynn is a clever writer and despite figuring out the ending half way through, “Sharp Objects” was still a page turner. Gillian Flynn is great at evoking feelings in her readers, from empathy to dislike and disgust. I love her style, even though she deals with some difficult topics, her work is easy to read. Definitely worth putting on your #TBR pile.

I‘m so excited. Popped into my favourite charity bookshop this morning whilst I was in town and this just happened to be peeking up at me from one of the bottoms shelves 😍

Dennis Wheatley was one of my Nan‘s favourite authors (I inherit my love of the supernatural from her) and I‘ve had a job finding copies of his books. This was the exact copy my Nan had so I‘m over the moon to find it!

Saturday well and truly made 💙

It took me a while to get into this book, for me the chapters were a little lengthy. I‘m the sort who likes to bookmark at the end of a chapter. However, when the story gets going it does so with force! It‘s well written & lets just say it - ridiculously raunchy! I found myself in a love hate relationship with Nancy, for every time I felt sorry for her, there was another when I thought she got what she deserved. I‘d say it‘s well worth a read.

1️⃣ Loki

2️⃣ Carlos Ruiz Zafón (his books are beautiful)

3️⃣ Prague. New Zealand.

4️⃣ 2, sometimes three if one migrates over in the night.

5️⃣ Hi #Littens ?

@jesshowbooks #friyayintro

I LOVE this book. It terrified me, it‘s creepy, full of suspense & cleverly written. It‘s about being alone & knowing you‘re not; that feeling of something watching you from out in the darkness. Paver has an extraordinary talent of putting fear into words. I found myself constantly wondering when the scare would come. I don‘t think I‘d read this at night, I‘d definitely have to double check all the doors and windows before I went to bed if I did!

💜 my eyes.

💜 I‘m a bit daft & it always seems to make people smile.

💜 early Sunday mornings, when it‘s quiet and still outside. I make a cup of tea and take stock of my little home. I struggle to see my achievements and acknowledge them, but in those moments I do and it feels something akin to peace.

@wanderinglynn thank you for this #hellothursday - it‘s perfect ❤️

🌈 As tagged. Also The Wind on Fire Trilogy by William Nicholson.

🌈 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

🌈 Crystal Chandeliers by Charlie Pride or She‘s A River by Simple Minds. My parents are like chalk and cheese.

🌈 Hello @Quirkybookworm 👋🏻

And thank you @posierope for the tag ❤️

@JenlovesJT47 #tuesdaytidbits

Here I go with the collections again & this time it‘s this really rather unique book. The tales in this span from 1773 until 1991 & each one is stranger than the next. ‘Secret Observations on the Goat-Girl‘ is seriously unsettling. It‘s not a traditional tale but chilled me with it‘s odd subject. Poe, Nesbit, Conan Doyle, Hardy & Lovecraft happily feature as well. Some of the older works are hard to read but in my opinion it‘s worth the effort.

I‘m something of a broken record when it comes to my favourite genre, but I can‘t stress enough how much I love a good ghost story. This is a fantastic read, featuring the works of E F Benson, Edith Wharton & M R James to name a few. These are classic ghost stories by masters of the genre, haunting & creepy. ‘The Phantom Rickshaw‘ by Rudyard Kipling is probably my favourite out of this collection but it‘s hard to choose when they‘re all so good!

This story is similar to another of Michelle Paver‘s works called ‘Dark Matter‘ but it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up so I‘m not complaining. It‘s not gory or violent, the fear slowly grows page by page until the suspense is unbearable. There are no out and out shocks, just a steady sense of foreboding which speaks volumes about the quality of the writing. This is a proper ghost story that made me reluctant to turn out the light.

This book & trilogy never fails to enchant me. I do understand the criticisms that this gets. It‘s wordy, heavy on the exposition in places & it takes a while to pick up the pace. But it‘s also fun, the characters are well written & Deborah Harkness has the enviable talent of being able to conjure any image with her descriptions. It‘s not for everyone, but it wouldn‘t do for us all to be the same. And yes, I did fall for Matthew Clairmont‘s charm.

💟 Single

💟 Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy

💟 Sherlock Holmes and John Watson

💟 Daniel Sempere and Fermin Romero de Torres

💟 Gallowglass de Clermont

#tellmetuesday @Ke633

🖋 Paralegal in Agriculture

🖋 Shop Assistant @ a Delicatessen

🖋 Best Job - this one is turning out to be pretty good. But I had the most fun shelf stacking in the evenings at a hardware store (we were a very motley crew 😂) Worst Job - trainee dental nurse, I was too squeamish 🤢

🖋 Unattainable - Actor 👍🏻 Potentially attainable - solicitor.

#HelloThursday @wanderinglynn

For a crime thriller this is ridiculously easy to read. It‘s fast paced and well written, peaking the readers interest from the offset and holding it steady throughout the book. The characters are well rounded and there are a few unexpected twists in the tale which is always a bonus. It‘s not my favourite genre but I enjoyed The House of Dolls enough to add a few more crime thrillers to my TBR pile! Touché David Hewson.

🎀 On the whole, I‘ll read one at a time. But if I‘m struggling with a book, I‘ll pick up another to read as well.

🎀 Definitely a movie.

🎀 Outside looking in, but if I‘ve really enjoyed a book I have a habit of creating new characters and plot lines so I can keep the story going in my head. I find it hard to let go sometimes 😂

🎀 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith.

#OnlyReadersUnderstand @nu-bibliophile

💧 Tiramisu. But really just the mascarpone & condensed milk mixture 🙈

💧Yes. Nutella brownies for the win.

💧No, hopefully I can keep it that way.

💧 Music. I sing at the top of my voice when I‘m on my own & sometimes other people get me in concert too.

💧Hello to all #Littens. Happy Friday my lovelies ❤️

#friyayintro @jesshowbooks

This book is fabulously fun & easy to read. It follows a modern, somewhat mad family as they plod through their day to day lives. Mo is the matriarch, Dora is a thoroughly typical teenager, Peter is channelling Oscar Wilde and quiet unassuming Dad is bringing up the rear. It‘s heartwarming, funny and relatable. A perfect book for anyone looking for something lighthearted to read.

✖️ Normally by genre (sometimes by favourites) - the top shelves are reserved for my #tbr pile.

✖️ Winnie The Pooh by A A Milne 😍 or a good classic poetry anthology.

✖️ Absolutely.

✖️ If I had the money, I would buy beautiful copies of all my favourites. But no, not normally.

#OnlyReadersUnderstand @nu-bibliophile

Just wow. I couldn‘t put this book down, I read it in one day & I think could have read it again straight away. The first person narrative is exquisite; it paints perfect pictures of characters & locations & generally has you in its thrall. I‘d class this as an easy read, I never found myself struggling to get involved (apart from maybe the pronunciations of names!) It‘s definitely worth putting on your #tbr pile. I enjoyed it immensely. 10/10 ⭐️

I have no words for how amazing Sir David Attenborough is. Legend is used to describe too many people nowadays, but Sir David is one who entirely deserves the title. This book is a rare opportunity to understand the achievements of a person who doesn‘t enjoy talking about his life on a day to day basis. It‘s anecdotal, funny, wondrous & sad. I can‘t comprehend all that this man has done & seen, but this book does a good job of describing it to us.

I‘ve had something of a reading resurgence this week and devoured these three books since Sunday. I jump in at breakfast & the hour before I go to work. Then back again when I come home for lunch and then finish the day with my nose stuck firmly between the pages.

I‘ve been comforted by these different worlds this week and I‘m so grateful that I am able to find peace and solace in books ❤️

Heads up for the incoming bombardment of reviews 🙈

🔵 Hugh Jackman. Amazing all round good guy.

🔵 No A/C here. But us Brits could use some.

🔵 Generally reading but sometimes I like to make up random stories or scenarios in my head. The imagining helps me sleep and subconsciously work through any issues I might be having.

🔵 Flying. Just no.

🔵 I remember most of my dreams. They‘re always weird. My reoccurring one is a nightmare and we shan‘t give it a name.

#humpdaypost @MinDea

This is my first Du Maurier and over the past few days I have devoured it. It‘s so easy to read that you‘re 20 chapters in before you know it. Philip Ashley is infuriatingly pathetic and deserves everything he gets (personal opinion of course) and both main characters are equally unlikeable, but somehow this just adds to the charm. The ending is very abrupt and I don‘t feel quite satisfied, but I‘ll definitely add more Du Maurier to my #tbr pile.

🐘 Hairdressers appointment Saturday morning, nothing else set in stone as yet.

🐘 Sunrise, I always feel like it‘s full of promise for the day to come & it‘s so peaceful where I live because hardly anyone else is awake.

🐘 Not really, I don‘t mind the seaside but I‘m not one for sitting on the beach.

🐘 Boring mousy brown

🐘 Howdy to all #littens (especially @posierope who‘s found Friday at last! ❤️)

#friyayintro @jesshowbooks

Sherlock Holmes is my favourite literary character, so this was always going to be a winner. There are several stories in this that I haven‘t read before and I‘m so pleased that I found the book. The Devil‘s Foot & The Adventure of the Speckled Band are fab reads but The Adventure of the Empty House would be my choice, simply for Sherlock Holmes‘ big reveal. I‘d absolutely invite Holmes and Watson for dinner if I could.

I haven‘t bailed on many books over the years but I just couldn‘t finish this. In part it was due to how much the characters infuriated me, this is a memoir; their behaviours put me on edge and not in a good way. I also struggled to concentrate, it‘s written colloquially but it‘s all over the place and difficult to digest. The faults I find are purely personal but I know I won‘t be able to pick it back up again and that‘s always a disappointment.

❤️

I can honestly say, I feel a little more at peace having read his book. Richard Holloway is a wise, thoughtful, intelligent man and open minded, which given his life I had not expected. So many of the lines in this book have resonated with me on a personal level and it has made me realise that I can‘t change the cards I have been dealt, so I must appreciate what I have, whilst I have it. I feel this book would be a genuine comfort to all ❤️

Such a beautiful weekend & so much to be thankful for ❤️

🌻 A small but wonderful #bookhaul from my beloved charity shop yesterday.

🌻 The comfiest chair given to me by my sister, which has made the perfect secluded reading corner in my little house.

🌻 And to top it off, an early morning walk & the stunning views of my hometown.

🌻 Now home, for a large mug of tea & a hour or so reading.

#tbr #sundaythankfulness #teaandreading

This book is a rare, unusual & altogether haunting take on our best loved fairytales. It‘s a story about a boy & his rebellion at the turn his life has taken, punctuated by tales we know by heart, rewritten into darker versions. The cynic in me prefers them, no happy endings; no true loves kiss. It‘s all very real. It‘s a sad story, there‘s no getting around it. But it is magical & it makes you think. I would urge you to read it, at least once.

🎧 Delta Rae - After It All

🎧 That‘s a difficult one. Based on my listening history, Hans Zimmer.

🎧 Another toughie. Almost anything goes, but probably Classical.

🎧 Spotify

🎧 @glitterkitty459 😊

#hellothursday @wanderinglynn - fab questions 💙

@posierope thanks for the tag my sweet.

🐝 A beautiful old town house with lots of character

🐝 An Aloe Vera plant that‘s in desperate need of re-potting.

🐝 I like to consider books as art ❤️

🐝 Get things done and then use all the time left to read.

🐝 Hoovering. Always hoovering.

@Ke633 #tellmetuesday

One of the most meaningful books I have ever read, Death makes so much sense all the way through 🖤

#top20book #favouritebooks #sundaythoughts

If I had to pick one genre to read for the rest of my life it would definitely be supernatural / horror. I love a good ghost story and whilst this book isn‘t scary, it is haunting. Each tale is based on legend or folklore and whilst they are generally quite predictable, they are enjoyable and easy to digest. “The Mistletoe Bride” would be my pick. As well as being ghostly, it‘s sorrowful too. A great winters evening read.

I‘m struggling to get through my current read, so I‘m taking a break and starting this book, which I have heard nothing but good things about. Location - my parents beautiful sunny garden (the only thing I don‘t have at home) 🌻

Happy Saturday #Littens 💙

~ Gandalf the White

I saw this ⬇️ quiz posted by @MirrorMask earlier and I couldn‘t help but give it a whirl. Chuffed with the result, I‘m pleased to be one of my all time faves 🧡

https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishabassi/i-just-wanna-be-at-home-reading?utm_term=.auJ...

#buzzfeed #quiz #bookpersonality

⚫️ Cate Blanchett 😍

⚫️ 9pm - 10pm (and I‘m still a grump in the morning)

⚫️ Supernatural / Horror - as tagged

⚫️ Slow Cooker, maximum taste & minimum effort

⚫️ Charity bookshop, number one stop off point in town and I never leave without purchasing something.

#humpdaypost @MinDea

A little injection of hope is what I need today. Thank you Emily Dickinson 💙

💎 Introvert
💎 Do more
💎 Movie
💎 Heart says cook, OCD says clean
💎 Go back to a book you love; a book you know by heart and you‘re already invested in. Get yourself back into your reading rhythm & then take on your new adventures.

#bookslumpblues @hermyknee

I‘ve been anxious about the course my life is taking recently, I‘ve been offered an opportunity that I know will change everything. It means I will have to draw myself up and out of my comfort zone, further than I have ever gone before. But this book, and this poem, make sense. I don‘t need to know the ending, I just need to enjoy the journey 🌄👣💙

This was waiting for me when I got home from work; a good post day by all accounts. Thank you to @glitterkitty459 for the review and recommendation. I can‘t wait to read this 📖⭐️

One of my favourite quotes, because it‘s so very true.

For me, this is not on the same level as The Book Thief but it is gorgeous in its own right. I think this would speak to many people on a personal level; some issues it tackles are uncomfortable and some are upsetting but it‘s message is ultimately uplifting. I believe in random acts of kindness & this book backs that up. A small thing to you may mean the world to someone else. It does just end though, which is frustrating - I was expecting more.

Just a quick appreciation post for Litsy and all of the fabulous people who have welcomed me into this beautiful world. It‘s so refreshing to be in the (virtual) company of like minded people. My ‘to read‘ stack is growing daily 📖 (not pictured, the other 100 books I have in reserve!) and I‘m stoked to fill in my Literary Listography book ❤️

~ Dancelot Wordwright