18 June 2021

 A Snowfall of Silver - Laura Wood




Freya runs away from home to London, where she is sure she can make her dream of becoming an actress into a reality. She knows it's not going to be easy but when her new friend Kit helps her get a job as a costume assistant, it seems like everything is going her way. Of course things don't go completely to plan!

This book is the definition of a comfort read. Full of lovely characters and humour, it is one of those books that makes you smile every time you pick it up. As always with Laura Wood's books, I loved the main character right away. I mean, you've just got to love a girl for whom food always comes first!

There were so many wonderful lines that I kind of want to quote the whole book for you. But I will just share a few of my favourites here.


...the waiter returns and hands me a perfectly chilled saucer of champagne with a twist of lemon and a sugar cube in the bottom. Of course the girl in the golden dress drinks cocktails.


...Russ is holding my hand across the white linen tablecloth... On the one hand it is sending quite interesting little tingles up my arm, and on the other it is preventing me from being able to properly attack the towering dessert that has been placed in front of me... "Dessert first," I say sternly.


I was surrounded by noisy actors fighting over the last slice (as if I would share the last slice with anyone, the fools!)


Of course the only suitable drink while reading this book is a saucer of Freya's champagne cocktail. I soaked a sugar cube with Angostura bitters before dropping it into the champagne and adding a slice of lemon.






5 June 2021

 Life In Books 
Book Tag




It feels like absolutely ages since I did a book tag! I first saw this one over on the Cozy With Books blog, run by Esther (@BooksCozy). Check out her answers here. Since then I've also seen in on Lili's Blissful Pages (@lilikmarcus) here and Lou's Book Stuff (@lousbookstuff) here

It seems a lot of people have already done this so I won't tag anyone but if you do have a go let me know so I can read your answers!


1. Find a book for each of your initials.

S - Sanctuary by V.V. James

A - After the Fire by Will Hill


2. Count your age along your bookshelf – what book is it?

Stolen by Kelley Armstrong. This took me a while and I would be a lot farther down the alphabet if it wasn't for all the Cecelia Ahern and Kelley Armstrong books I own. :)


3. Name a book set in your city/country.

Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. From memory, I think a lot of this, if not most, was set it London. I love this series, I'm currently up to the fourth book and have the next 2 on my TBR shelf waiting (im)patiently for me to continue.


4. Name a book that represents a destination you'd love to travel to.

I really, really, really want to go to space to I'll say The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I just treated myself to the 42 year anniversary illustrated copy (heart eyes)


5. Name your favourite childhood book.

Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. I actually got this copy at a library sale but I think it could be the same cover as the one I read at school.


6. Name a book that's your favourite colour.

Mermaids by Skye Alexander. I recently had to find this colourful book for Beat the Backlist readathon. It's a bit more mint green than it looks in the picture.


7. Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

Mort by Terry Pratchett is the first Discworld book I read and was recommended by a friend when I was a teenager. I still love it and have re-read it and most of the series a few times.


8. Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

A Tale of Two Cities, I literally had to force myself to read a few pages every day to finish it and it was the hardest struggle. I found it so, so boring! I'm not even going to bother finding a picture of the cover.


9. Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest accomplishment when you finish it?

I am currently reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which I have wanted to read forever but didn't realise at first just how huge the book is! It's over 700 pages... I already feel an enormous satisfaction just at getting to half way!