Another BookTube Prize selection for 2023, this was not a book I even had on my radar, let alone my TBR. And it was not at all what I expected, based on the very little I read before picking it up. Rather than a true novel, this book takes the form of a series READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | WHAT’S NEW IN MY LIFE
Hmm. I don’t have a lot to report. I’m still trying to get over a nasty cough that seems to have been doing the rounds since December – apparently it’s being referred to as the hundred day cough, and I can see why. Not the funnest experience I’ve ever had, but luckily I seem READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | LOVE FREEBIE – BOOKS THAT MADE ME FEEL WARM AND FUZZY
I’m not much of a romance person, so this is one of the harder posts of the year for me (followed closely by Halloween, as I don’t do scary either!). So rather than looking at romantic themes, I’m going to find some books that made me feel love. Books that showed how beautiful relationships READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
I’ve had quite a good reading week so far, despite being sick, having a family member end up in hospital (just for a day and they’re fine, don’t worry), and trying to step up school work for my kid! Here’s what I’ve finished, what I’m reading, and what I *might* read next! Just READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | YOUNG MUNGO – DOUGLAS STUART
I read this for The BookTube Prize in the summer of 2023, though it wasn’t one I had planned to read otherwise. I read Shuggie Bain in 2021 for the same reason, and while I found it difficult going – of course – I was also glad I read it. It was dark, being READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | THINGS I LIKE TO DO ON STORMY DAYS
It’s weird, because when I was a kid I loved stormy days. They were so cosy and we had a roaring fire and it felt like I was so snoodled and comfy. But as an adult, I now bear responsibility for dealing with any issues that arise due to said storm, and we live READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | QUICK READS
It’s funny, unless a book is reeeeeally long, I don’t really notice the length that much. So I had to think a bit about which ones would actually qualify as being short reads. I decided that I’d include both short books and books that read very quickly, since the two feel so similar to READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
As usual at this time of year it’s been a couple of weeks. I’ve been sick – there’s a nasty cough going around that’s been dubbed the hundred day cough, and I’m on about day 27 at this point and it’s still going strong (even if I’m not)! But I did read a couple READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | SON OF ELSEWHERE – ELAMIN ABDELMAHMOUD
This was the first book I read in 2023. If I’m honest I’ve been putting off writing this review – not because I didn’t like it (I really, really did), but because I’m still not sure what I want to say about it. I don’t have a proper explanation for it, but this book READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | SERIES I WISH HAD JUST ONE MORE BOOK IN THEM
I don’t read that many series these days – I don’t have the time or attention span to really lose myself in that big of a commitment. The only exception is the Heartstopper series, which I absolutely adore. I haven’t read the fifth book as I’m saving it, and I’ve heard that the sixth READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BEST NEW-TO-ME AUTHORS I DISCOVERED IN 2023
I had a great reading year in 2023. I didn’t read a huge number of books, but I read a bunch that were really enjoyable, that made me think, that taught me something (or something about myself) or that hit upon some universal truth that the author put into words brilliantly. There were a READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | LANGUAGES I’M LEARNING OR WANT TO LEARN
I find other languages fascinating, and I wish that at some point in my life I’d managed to live in another country for long enough to become truly fluent in another language. I didn’t, though, so I haven’t had the chance to learn another language to that level of proficiency. That said, I grew READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I MEANT TO READ IN 2023
HAHAHAHA… this is a joke right? No? Oh, well in that case, ALL OF THEM. There, that was easy. Not good enough? Man, there are so many. Let’s see if I can pick a few at random. READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | NEW WORDS I’VE LEARNED RECENTLY
This is a fun one. I actually have something for this, because I’ve found a few word-of-the-day memes recently that have actually taught me some new words. Here are some favourites: Morgenmuffel – someone who doesn’t like waking up in the morning and as a result is extremely grumpy (German) Spuddle – “to be READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKISH GOALS FOR 2024
This is always a tricky post for me, because I don’t see reading as something that I need to set goals for. I do it because I love learning, I love stepping out of my own mind for a while, I love learning about other lives and cultures, and I love the chance to READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | A THOUSAND WAYS TO PAY ATTENTION – REBECCA SCHILLER
Minds that work differently are seen as outliers – and that’s if they’re seen at all. Those of us who are neurodivergent (especially those of us who aren’t aware of that important piece of our identity) spend our lives being told we are – in various ways – not right. We don’t fit in, READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | A CELEBRITY I’D LIKE TO MEET
If I’m honest, I don’t really have much interest in celebrity culture. I kind of figure most celebrities either won’t live up to the idea you have of them in your mind, or won’t be half as interesting as they seem. So there are some I enjoy watching, some whose talent I admire, some READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS FOR JAN-JUNE 2024
If I’m honest, I haven’t got any idea about books coming out this year. So I’ve had to do some quick and dirty Googling to find some for this week’s prompt! Here’s what I came up with. No date announced yet: February March READ MORE