If you’ve read The House in the Cerulean Sea, you’ll understand why I was so incredibly excited to read Somewhere Beyond the Sea – its sequel. But, as I always am with any form of sequel, I was quite nervous that it wouldn’t be as good as the first one, or that the story would READ MORE
BOOK BLOGGER HOP | WHY DID I BUY THAT BOOK?
This week’s prompt: Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did I buy this book?” Oh, absolutely. Many, many times. This didn’t used to happen when I was younger, but now that I’m in my 40s and have lived several lives, my interests and tastes have changed and my book collection has grown. So when I’m READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | BOOKS THAT MAKE ME THINK
The prompt for this week was actually book quotes that make you think, but I’m not one for noting down quotes as a general rule and I don’t have time to look for them. So once again, I’m not going to look for quotes (I’ll throw one or two in if I come across them READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | NEW-TO-ME AUTHORS I DISCOVERED IN 2024
I’ve read a lot of books I really enjoyed over the past year, many by authors I hadn’t read before. It’s hard to narrow the list down, so I apologize in advance if this list is longer than it should be (okay, it definitely will be)! Legends & READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
I haven’t gotten as much reading done this week, not really sure why. I’ve been watching more TV than last week and feeling pretty tired and low on energy. The end of the week brought a tweaked back, which isn’t a new experience, but is difficult each time it happens. Mostly it’s just a matter READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE ELECTRICITY OF EVERY LIVING THING – KATHERINE MAY
Katherine May is an author whose books I’ve found interesting in the past and who I keep on my TBR. Wintering was the first of her books I read, but I’ve read two others that she either wrote or edited that I also liked. I know there are mixed feelings about her work, but for READ MORE
BOOK BLOGGER HOP | BOOKS THAT INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE ME
This week’s prompt: What books do you look to for inspiration at the start of the year or to motivate you to make positive changes in your life? I don’t have any specific books I look to for inspiration, rather I look for any book that feels bright and pulls me in. Usually if I’m READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | BOOKS THAT MAKE ME LAUGH
This week’s prompt was actually “book quotes that make me laugh,” but I can’t be assed rooting around to try and find specific quotes as I don’t mark or copy them down as I go. So instead, you’re going to get a selection of books that make me laugh: READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | MOST RECENT ADDITIONS TO MY TBR
My TBR is always full to bursting, mostly with books I’ll either forget I ever added or books I’ll keep remembering and wanting to read, but never actually get around to. I’ve stopped watching much BookTube content and don’t really spend a lot of time looking for new release book lists online – partly because READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Another week where I actually did get some reading done! And I enjoyed all three of the books I finished. Not feeling fully immersed in anything currently, but hoping I’ll find something tomorrow that’ll get its hooks in! Most of the weekend was spend on school work, so didn’t get much done over the weekend. READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | A VICIOUS CIRCLE – AMANDA CRAIG
I’ve been a fan of Amanda Craig’s writing since reading Hearts and Minds (though The Lie of the Land is probably my favourite so far). This was, I believe, her first novel. It received mixed reviews upon its release, but has been re-issued because it features crossover characters with Craig’s later novels. And I’m very READ MORE
LINK-UP | MY YEAR IN BOOKS
Anne from My Head Is Full of Books has revived the “My Year In Books” Meme and invited other book bloggers to take part (if you are one, this means you!). It’s a fun little post where you use titles of books you’ve read over the past year to respond to prompts – sometimes seriously, READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | FAVE THINGS TO DO IN WINTER
Well this is an easy one – I like to curl up under a cosy blanket with a cup of tea (preferably made by my kid who is an excellent tea-maker) and some twinkle lights on and read a book. Of course. But if that’s not an option or if I need a break, I READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKISH GOALS FOR 2025
So as every year, I’m here to say I don’t do resolutions. I don’t like starting off the year with the pressure of a bunch of pie-in-the-sky goals I know I’m not going to be able to complete. Basically if I set resolutions I’m planning to fail. I know they work for some people, and READ MORE
LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Surprisingly, it’s been a very good reading week! I thought I’d be too busy/tired to read much, but I was lucky in picking a couple of books that immediately hooked me, so I was reading in any spare moment before I even noticed it! And I’ve found some great books that I’m super excited to READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | ARE WE HAVING FUN YET? – LUCY MANGAN
Motherhood is hard. And that’s coming from a mother who has a supportive partner, doesn’t have to work and parent, and who has a secure home and food on the table. I’m incredibly privileged, something that I am highly aware of. I’ve got a lot of health issues – chronic medical conditions, ADHD that I’m READ MORE
BOOK BLOGGER HOP | HOBBIES THAT GO WELL WITH READING
This week’s prompt: January is National Hobby Month. Do you have any pastimes or interests other than reading that go well with your love of books and literature? Hmmm. I do have various hobbies that I cycle through as the year passes. In spring and summer I garden, in fall and winter I do crafts READ MORE
WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | WHAT DO I THINK OF AI?
This seems to be a very hotly contested issue these days. But the dawn of AI becoming widespread coincided with my efforts to avoid reading stressful things in online news, so I haven’t read that much about it. But I would assume that, like with many technological advances, there is the potential for great benefits READ MORE