tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673740581305456902024-03-27T18:29:59.370+00:00BooktailsBooks and cocktails are two of my favourite things. Here you'll find some of the many books I've read, along with the cocktails they have inspired me to make and drink.Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-48592380273185341462024-03-27T17:47:00.001+00:002024-03-27T18:29:27.949+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Anna's Garden by Sarah Hewitt</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_SQgRT5hAGeraNjoyqWjNXU7PR2i6VJl2TLcsxkSznQ220tV0xUfp36sUcy3xBiNkVAxD2nI5bhyjeeqyzPYaRu6kKdoQWGYbiB0Gwdb9XOOgUBSIANm1fp8W8b0Z7LKoSOGIoEZxxdIhEjgRvjX_YbR7GH7fq1vweo1aA6rx3u8xZ1OHk22rzt0Yv1ip" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2515" data-original-width="2474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_SQgRT5hAGeraNjoyqWjNXU7PR2i6VJl2TLcsxkSznQ220tV0xUfp36sUcy3xBiNkVAxD2nI5bhyjeeqyzPYaRu6kKdoQWGYbiB0Gwdb9XOOgUBSIANm1fp8W8b0Z7LKoSOGIoEZxxdIhEjgRvjX_YbR7GH7fq1vweo1aA6rx3u8xZ1OHk22rzt0Yv1ip=w629-h640" width="629" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today I am thrilled to have an interview with Sarah, read on to find out more about her inspirations and what makes her happy. Spoiler (not really) alert, a lot of nature is involved!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVdHE1TxszSulP6tbckHszHWo-IQIvlx7y0ji4MU6IBtVNKrJDjS8vfyhvPKNOhD_fhudBQT_HIBdQ4Qjsk7FNCsfH6XGPJYMIVYS9mxOB7lC-LveIUMQVNUbu6oF_fYVGaKVOuQbFfjUlsdqmrsSM9i9AY3j8vfSvVU1QRhL9VE38YKD33i30kkTU2Tae" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVdHE1TxszSulP6tbckHszHWo-IQIvlx7y0ji4MU6IBtVNKrJDjS8vfyhvPKNOhD_fhudBQT_HIBdQ4Qjsk7FNCsfH6XGPJYMIVYS9mxOB7lC-LveIUMQVNUbu6oF_fYVGaKVOuQbFfjUlsdqmrsSM9i9AY3j8vfSvVU1QRhL9VE38YKD33i30kkTU2Tae=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Interview</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><i>To start with, would you like to say a little about your inspirations for the book?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The story of the book's creation can be read in detail <a href="https://www.booksbysarah.co.uk/news-sarah-hewitt-author-illustrator-books-by-sarah-publishing/dyspraxia-love-kindness-and-healing-why-i-created-annas-garden" target="_blank">here</a>. My inspiration came from my own experience as a child with dyspraxia and my late daughter <a href="https://www.booksbysarah.co.uk/about-sarah-hewitt-author-illustrator-books-by-sarah-1" target="_blank">Beth</a>'s love of gardening. I hope Anna's Garden empowers all children to be the wonderful people they really are. As a child I wished I could be like everyone else, but now I feel blessed by the things I can do well such as writing and drawing, because while neurodiversity can bring challenges, it can also bring wonderful gifts. Anna's Garden is also a book about kindness - I truly believe that most problems can be solved by simple kindness and understanding and that it is the most important lesson we can teach our children.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><i>I love the illustrations, have you always liked to draw as well as write?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you! Drawing is my first love. I was always encouraged by my family and spent many hours with my maternal grandfather in particular, drawing and painting. He was the inspiration for my first picture book '<a href="https://www.booksbysarah.co.uk/grandad-brereavement-sarah-hewitt-author-illustrator-books-by-sarah" target="_blank">Grandad</a>'. The transformational experience of being a mature student on the Children's Book illustration MA at Cambridge School of Art when I was 46, was magical, and underpins all that I do creatively. I describe the illustration process for Anna's Garden step by step <a href="https://www.booksbysarah.co.uk/how-i-create-my-illustrations" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><i>Do you have a garden of your own? What is your favourite flower?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I do have a garden - although I am so busy with my books in my spare time that the gardening is usually done by my lovely husband Richard - helped by our labrador <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarahhewittbooksbysarah_neurodiversity-kindness-dyspraxia-activity-7117772432056180736-av8i/" target="_blank">Indy</a>!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">My favourite flower changes with the seasons - I always feel happy when I see the daffodils appearing because it means that all is to come with the promise of sunshine, spring and summer. The smell of roses always takes me back to wonderful summer childhood days spent in the garden with my dad. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is Anna sitting in our garden:) </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgx0kgmrnvzn-C4vGnulkMF3KNFqeJ1SiY_pdc2ulpF0e515809hnUFN64ydk3AB9UkLyuJXqtVB4Eek7qGmPKjA1ce8AtqYrT7rgoaeNOiznSCBIM9NQsrTRVsyPEIeLyoESlKdLRDIq4JM24LBSgGtvPycuaJ_x0y_q7g_LnEE45JOA0Gzi8F4dYBhn2f" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="509" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgx0kgmrnvzn-C4vGnulkMF3KNFqeJ1SiY_pdc2ulpF0e515809hnUFN64ydk3AB9UkLyuJXqtVB4Eek7qGmPKjA1ce8AtqYrT7rgoaeNOiznSCBIM9NQsrTRVsyPEIeLyoESlKdLRDIq4JM24LBSgGtvPycuaJ_x0y_q7g_LnEE45JOA0Gzi8F4dYBhn2f=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><i>What a wonderful message at the end, 'Do What Makes You Happy!' What are some of the little things that make you happy?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The things that make me happy are spending time with my family and friends, and of course drawing (which always makes me happy, even on the days when I wake up feeling sad). I also treasure hearing the birds and watching the seasons change when I'm with Indy on our early morning walks. So much makes me happy - the common denominator to all my friendships is laughter - and it is definitely the best medicine.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">Finally, what is your favourite cocktail or drink?</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">My favourite cocktail is an espresso martini - I love the fact it is like choosing the coffee creme chocolate from a selection box every time! My favourite drink is Guinness served at the perfect temperature, enjoyed with friends, ideally in a bar in the Irish countryside.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Anna knows what she likes and what she is good at.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Even though catching a ball is not her favourite game and loud noises make her ears hurt, there are lots of other things that Anna can do.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Although she likes to spend time on her own, she is also very kind and loves sharing with others.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>'Anna’s Garden' is a classic rhyming picture book with a charming art style. With a memorable cast and unique handling of its themes, this story will help young readers embrace their true selves.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfTYU3ibfjWv4cyzUzvO_0UbOv2ZxSfowzARvC_qpYAN3A7JhJBE4RodmYCHRNPN_6UqSaXjYc6CYyU7cZvYxpCrCS6vAwVERJhV7W8Setq9Ta7ErYB-wegRxJyl7AGS1D2Vk0NgiGm4fpTWyhvasyJIPBQj97ZFfQ4sWa9kg7qzctBY_HqZizeNBVFsn_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfTYU3ibfjWv4cyzUzvO_0UbOv2ZxSfowzARvC_qpYAN3A7JhJBE4RodmYCHRNPN_6UqSaXjYc6CYyU7cZvYxpCrCS6vAwVERJhV7W8Setq9Ta7ErYB-wegRxJyl7AGS1D2Vk0NgiGm4fpTWyhvasyJIPBQj97ZFfQ4sWa9kg7qzctBY_HqZizeNBVFsn_=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna doesn't necessarily want to do the same things everyone else considers fun, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care about them all and want to be friends. She has a present for everyone and at the end shares what makes her happiest with all of them. I loved the wonderful descriptions of each of the people Anna meets on her way and the delightful, dreamy illustrations. The rhyming words flow so beautifully and lyrically.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZxcWn2t4ByY2QsxAyOkkz-cj8FZOZiCD_k-mE5Z4GqQVBkdlF23YwAQQ5ydz6T4jmEqgR2mkj_Y3QCGpHVqHmjfAwPLvAsA_udGzkdhG9gjlyEbljQmjkgQ2tgruOD9zVOOLuiQ86lOwKgE7R0Nj8ZG8znd6NpcfwnDawzOAfkjVGxPkw5to1-ym7RicZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZxcWn2t4ByY2QsxAyOkkz-cj8FZOZiCD_k-mE5Z4GqQVBkdlF23YwAQQ5ydz6T4jmEqgR2mkj_Y3QCGpHVqHmjfAwPLvAsA_udGzkdhG9gjlyEbljQmjkgQ2tgruOD9zVOOLuiQ86lOwKgE7R0Nj8ZG8znd6NpcfwnDawzOAfkjVGxPkw5to1-ym7RicZ=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sarah's favourite cocktail is an Espresso Martini, but as I've already featured the usual one on my blog I thought I'd try an adaptation I've seen online. So here is an Espresso Rumtini!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shake and strain into a cocktail glass - 45ml gold rum, 30ml espresso, 20ml coffee liqueur, dash of sugar syrup (according to your taste for sweetness!).</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-69942400519290677592024-03-17T10:06:00.002+00:002024-03-17T10:06:23.068+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Spotlight on...<br />Paper Forests by Tegan Anderson</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj26H88hqkxKlcAYzx9fONMfYBfeGoTvdcyQhYjwemmhSzUHK7nftO7Q_F1DE5U9Nqp3VymsUQ2IIckqhW9xaQo17cTd5WexXkzLkTZceUdK_m01c5khYiYLFsPXqQ3ZQQi5Bf_Kd2OfCsCLKUHbf9dHLFwqKgO9qKnvbvLoCVVfS3Bfa1tFYLS_46rmJis" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj26H88hqkxKlcAYzx9fONMfYBfeGoTvdcyQhYjwemmhSzUHK7nftO7Q_F1DE5U9Nqp3VymsUQ2IIckqhW9xaQo17cTd5WexXkzLkTZceUdK_m01c5khYiYLFsPXqQ3ZQQi5Bf_Kd2OfCsCLKUHbf9dHLFwqKgO9qKnvbvLoCVVfS3Bfa1tFYLS_46rmJis=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today's spotlight is one of the finalists from 2023 BBNYA. Find it on Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79155314-paper-forests?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=8ZpK3khLzo&rank=1" target="_blank">here</a>. For more information on the BBNYA competition, see details at the end of the post. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuPpuXfM1DOZTbhzGvHr8P_-jrxQC4Ogk6XzLxTcQVsiTsR7s1NozYfRbhSS-fD6WYTaxtRjlqZ4ItQd693JnoTGFj6_zmA2JeEV7_s-IkvdVZ08ll5vIX4HnZYRkup4sLum7gYeOnNQidqCP0qskN0I4-yHad0Woz7qm289HQKYmfpnlQnQ6F0ee4ogUN" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2372" data-original-width="1581" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuPpuXfM1DOZTbhzGvHr8P_-jrxQC4Ogk6XzLxTcQVsiTsR7s1NozYfRbhSS-fD6WYTaxtRjlqZ4ItQd693JnoTGFj6_zmA2JeEV7_s-IkvdVZ08ll5vIX4HnZYRkup4sLum7gYeOnNQidqCP0qskN0I4-yHad0Woz7qm289HQKYmfpnlQnQ6F0ee4ogUN=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Once upon a time, Oliver wakes up in a Forest full of magic and monsters, not quite dead, but not quite alive either. He wakes with three other people whose lives have been cut short, each more tragically than the last.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Together, they embark on a journey that will take them deep into the heart of the Forest, where they will have to face the ghosts of their pasts and their long-hidden secrets. Secrets that will force Oliver to choose between finding a new life in the trees and finding a way home.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Welcome to the Paper Forest.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRxPL1mfjXJxtsmZRtZS3l2qwATM406waTPwm861NmFjer4YWm7kjsB6G5eLGMVbWlXX5WmV-_UkPuNanB8evkiqdglqa4pvPGDBahwi_YoRFbC0FTPC6BuEoBE8M7rhIcce34lQlrlhi-Z4IGa_Hg-txJqwm7v7jZf3q0hphDfCdmn22vHXEoe6qfDy0h" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1461" data-original-width="1462" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRxPL1mfjXJxtsmZRtZS3l2qwATM406waTPwm861NmFjer4YWm7kjsB6G5eLGMVbWlXX5WmV-_UkPuNanB8evkiqdglqa4pvPGDBahwi_YoRFbC0FTPC6BuEoBE8M7rhIcce34lQlrlhi-Z4IGa_Hg-txJqwm7v7jZf3q0hphDfCdmn22vHXEoe6qfDy0h=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">On a cold Autumn evening back in 2008, seven-year-old Tegan Anderson began to write their first short stories, finding a more creative way to learn their spellings. Many years and many more short stories later, they haven't stopped for anything. Now, they're writing more than they ever believed possible. Tegan may write the worlds they would prefer to exist in but currently lives in Devon with their overflowing bookshelves and expanding imagination.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>About BBNYA</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the <a href="https://www.bbnya.com" target="_blank">BBNYA Website</a> or take a peek over on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/BBNYA_official" target="_blank">@BBNYA_Official</a>. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the <a href="https://twitter.com/foliosociety" target="_blank">@Foliosociety</a> (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group <a href="https://twitter.com/The_WriteReads" target="_blank">@The_WriteReads</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-29173098394226158332024-03-13T18:43:00.000+00:002024-03-13T18:43:23.114+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">A Swift Return by Fiona Barker</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpRil0iNpBuj_p2iERsGKupwlgMy1pXi0ami2F9fde4TvU2NdG2f2OKZ2Zy0P1M9QvCf53EkfhsEGlOFyvR7j2YdHVEYVNYYEaupIZgvJAZJEzJPPgXnt0avxpbIn1lUtXU6heqFETIK2-92rEwQO2-JijUk9XXWlv1kxIIqfpHihSV18Uf9-AsuSRrckq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpRil0iNpBuj_p2iERsGKupwlgMy1pXi0ami2F9fde4TvU2NdG2f2OKZ2Zy0P1M9QvCf53EkfhsEGlOFyvR7j2YdHVEYVNYYEaupIZgvJAZJEzJPPgXnt0avxpbIn1lUtXU6heqFETIK2-92rEwQO2-JijUk9XXWlv1kxIIqfpHihSV18Uf9-AsuSRrckq=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Aria has her head in the clouds. Yusuf keeps his feet on the ground. But when they work together to save a bird who has lost her way, something magical happens. When Swift loses her way on her epic migration. Aria and Yusuf come to her rescue and are inspired to think big about looking after the sky above their city. Inspired by Fiona and Howard’s love for wildlife of all kinds, A Swift Return is the follow-up to Setsuko and the Song of the Sea. Howard’s beautiful illustrations evoke a strong sense of place, strengthened by the beautiful Arabic text distilled by Maysoon AbuBlan.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6a5RO94V8DI8qVBfioZZwN47r6zJSHkEfQHZ9CinFrcSCCRRnwYxzVbpxJRtRKQ0tp8tl817OpH1sUramq27j-OkxsJi7RQaRSSf9G890qNLHJBRlINsG6TssAI5sedEzToqYGOaRB3uqDKBVDrvNGXUHTHCXfFm7ituvejPX1GKgixCV3WwXYTkO3H3A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6a5RO94V8DI8qVBfioZZwN47r6zJSHkEfQHZ9CinFrcSCCRRnwYxzVbpxJRtRKQ0tp8tl817OpH1sUramq27j-OkxsJi7RQaRSSf9G890qNLHJBRlINsG6TssAI5sedEzToqYGOaRB3uqDKBVDrvNGXUHTHCXfFm7ituvejPX1GKgixCV3WwXYTkO3H3A=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This book has such beautiful full page pictures with wonderful perspectives, views from the sky and the ground and in between. There's so much empathy in the children's expressions. I loved how helping the swift made them friends, then they worked to helped make the city a nicer place for everyone, including the wildlife.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiscLUieRJX0XvYBGtXohPfuaNxvyZgK5sinbyUKwXAzp_AqlnefxmopSRHswz9kTgBUMrPKYGIWEkd7c8b0Q3JYE75OdxpRBn38-JOr0QxdA-AdI2Chrst2hAoL71W4k00EldGNRqG1pLaL0dgEYmGKzp20oNF3u3Gi59HQ7UT9v62ovGjsqZwFyZdUyKN" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiscLUieRJX0XvYBGtXohPfuaNxvyZgK5sinbyUKwXAzp_AqlnefxmopSRHswz9kTgBUMrPKYGIWEkd7c8b0Q3JYE75OdxpRBn38-JOr0QxdA-AdI2Chrst2hAoL71W4k00EldGNRqG1pLaL0dgEYmGKzp20oNF3u3Gi59HQ7UT9v62ovGjsqZwFyZdUyKN=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fiona is a middle-aged, married mum of one. She is positively potty about picturebooks; reading them and writing them. When writing, she longs for alliterative loveliness but is reluctant to rhyme. When reading, she looks for a marriage of words and artwork and loves anything that is fun to read aloud.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fiona loves doing school author visits and speaking to adults about picture books and children's publishing.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Visit www.fionabarker.co.uk for details of forthcoming events.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7PKJV92yv-H1wKhJiwS84LQgcC28Kxfx7Vt_x3aMGA4fCVX0v6Reo9gBCxo-KXSqbel-h3Ba2dRsHr2CB4hZiDcsybmGN0v0eYs7rufOTwLA6gl38jVexh3F5XVk-vX4lnUTVnFxPrclnnYPpDVjSKkrBm67FidXfEry1-IxkPaGA8YAQRw5VFOvZ-b4F" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7PKJV92yv-H1wKhJiwS84LQgcC28Kxfx7Vt_x3aMGA4fCVX0v6Reo9gBCxo-KXSqbel-h3Ba2dRsHr2CB4hZiDcsybmGN0v0eYs7rufOTwLA6gl38jVexh3F5XVk-vX4lnUTVnFxPrclnnYPpDVjSKkrBm67FidXfEry1-IxkPaGA8YAQRw5VFOvZ-b4F=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">To make an Alpine Swift, shake the following ingredients with ice: 40ml gold rum, 20ml Aperol, 20ml pineapple juice, 20ml lime juice, 10ml sugar syrup. Then pour into an ice filled julep cup.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiszj8py-wyPev_n93E6UJ0tV-3aaoGs5PmbXAD1o29fvXYHkLbOnzaEJosSYmIVL0estMjaydNChEXjk-lJtyizDRZCyeD2k1Z5TorPRAxjAzjMSk4atAcwUhJDmswLw8MP86LIOmbwJSUVrXAVQ4orQPM_UUi-LQbOEdjyUhQULJjxSlp3ZcsYctb5x9v"><img alt="" data-original-height="3357" data-original-width="3357" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiszj8py-wyPev_n93E6UJ0tV-3aaoGs5PmbXAD1o29fvXYHkLbOnzaEJosSYmIVL0estMjaydNChEXjk-lJtyizDRZCyeD2k1Z5TorPRAxjAzjMSk4atAcwUhJDmswLw8MP86LIOmbwJSUVrXAVQ4orQPM_UUi-LQbOEdjyUhQULJjxSlp3ZcsYctb5x9v=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-78835880948737638192024-03-03T19:15:00.003+00:002024-03-03T19:27:03.940+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Lie or Die by A.J. Clack</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Described as perfect for fans of TV's The Traitors, Lie or Die publishes on 7th March. I have to admit I hadn't even heard of The Traitors until I read this book so I can't say how true that it but it is definitely worth a read anyway!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4nwlSRNudsuaAMHxZA8d56V5kV2QAOswqhY60sr-e2jvVZpqjpssLybF3W_yVgLlngGWBkNrqi2nMfF-gTHvajnAl8YbGuP0-rFY-S0gl8Qa0dHufZY2oHJcGifnjEExadnH2wFtbDI6Wm7wYWNjrXfbrS-Rsjc5_CGLECK3OMTyVttXWTbAFUyv8oL09" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="303" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4nwlSRNudsuaAMHxZA8d56V5kV2QAOswqhY60sr-e2jvVZpqjpssLybF3W_yVgLlngGWBkNrqi2nMfF-gTHvajnAl8YbGuP0-rFY-S0gl8Qa0dHufZY2oHJcGifnjEExadnH2wFtbDI6Wm7wYWNjrXfbrS-Rsjc5_CGLECK3OMTyVttXWTbAFUyv8oL09=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>When a casting call is announced for new reality TV show Lie or Die, Kass is tricked into auditioning by her best friend. Billed as Big Brother meets Mafia, Lie or Die pits contestants against each other as they try to discover who is a murderous agent and who is an innocent player. But when contestants start to turn up dead (the real kind, not the fake kind), Kass realises that not being eliminated and winning the game is the least of her worries. No longer a game of truth and lies, Kass and her friends are in a fight for survival. 'Reality' just got very real.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDj_o6LNe8CB8xbG9xkJHNQPKLXkw6iso3jIt1ORTmg3FzYr6Q_Hzvp56SE-hPc6bDcQBSmqZmYGbc5940OwrwuzyZXtY1jAVVWt1TV6kLj9tIP0PrKp49GKXKQXYbQ_Dr8APCp4wj8Kt_9vJ2sAP7FsFjQAketbyIBf-Up4s-9RcbZ-di8nigwiXI8G7N" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDj_o6LNe8CB8xbG9xkJHNQPKLXkw6iso3jIt1ORTmg3FzYr6Q_Hzvp56SE-hPc6bDcQBSmqZmYGbc5940OwrwuzyZXtY1jAVVWt1TV6kLj9tIP0PrKp49GKXKQXYbQ_Dr8APCp4wj8Kt_9vJ2sAP7FsFjQAketbyIBf-Up4s-9RcbZ-di8nigwiXI8G7N=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was really fast paced and gripping, I found myself suspecting quite a few characters but never would have guessed the final twist (or multiple twists!).</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kass was a great protagonist, I liked her superpower of being able to tell when people were lying which is a definite bonus for a game like this. At one point I started to wonder if it was going to be an unreliable narrator thing. It <i>is</i> in the name, Lie or Die and they keep saying, trust no one! However, I won't tell you if I was right as I don't want to risk spoilers!!! I'm afraid I just couldn't like Thea. I think she sounded like the crappest friend no matter what Kass had done or how much she defends her. Lewis was really cool though and held the group together.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I never totally understood the game, or how their personalities would help anyone guess who the killers were as their parts in the game were totally random! But in the end it didn't really matter and it wasn't totally necessary for the story.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'll be eagerly looking out for more by A.J. Clack and hope I won't have to wait too long!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A.J. Clack moved from a small village in Wales to London, to pursue a career in television. She worked on a wide range of shows from Teletubbies to Friends, while also writing plays for the Edinburgh Fringe and development scripts/pilots for childrenʼs television. She now lives in Essex with a houseful of teenagers and can often be found freezing on the side of a rugby pitch.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTOyeyffGoVpuWA5zItKPlhT9A02l9PDUtnkoCHRRC0FJMdnAonoC3g3MkqQlNxF606G3COQWBad2awIIC_plfKNMY11B4g8QQIK7oookDOLqKkU2JRFGjBPhH32bV69lm-48RfoUfRlWVBzkw2DX2Qh5frKjDsTV67TaI0yXP9yI2jT8fgczF9LmXe7Ee" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTOyeyffGoVpuWA5zItKPlhT9A02l9PDUtnkoCHRRC0FJMdnAonoC3g3MkqQlNxF606G3COQWBad2awIIC_plfKNMY11B4g8QQIK7oookDOLqKkU2JRFGjBPhH32bV69lm-48RfoUfRlWVBzkw2DX2Qh5frKjDsTV67TaI0yXP9yI2jT8fgczF9LmXe7Ee=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">While on holiday in Mauritius, we asked for a blue cocktail and this is what showed up! It matched the book so beautifully 😍</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have no idea what it's called but I think it involves tropical juice, probably plenty of rum, and definitely blue curacao.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-47006139262934093522024-02-11T16:49:00.005+00:002024-02-11T16:51:20.230+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">The Haunting of Lake Lucy by Sandy Deutscher Green</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTbLjN_N0ij7s2Ey7Z9qtKmcQXExgouo52Hpbxoen5DxjIQ_kpGJg8Oid3Air3RmY8H3xrtilsSjFaolq9Yuy6kBaxBfk-UdIwv2UGKzT-rw-I2DBeMgc45X8BJqgYrAaVcTfOtCg1JXQl4Jildo1PWty5A_VIyeK-1spE7MDTaTuZxqaAV3De5A1kz5y5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTbLjN_N0ij7s2Ey7Z9qtKmcQXExgouo52Hpbxoen5DxjIQ_kpGJg8Oid3Air3RmY8H3xrtilsSjFaolq9Yuy6kBaxBfk-UdIwv2UGKzT-rw-I2DBeMgc45X8BJqgYrAaVcTfOtCg1JXQl4Jildo1PWty5A_VIyeK-1spE7MDTaTuZxqaAV3De5A1kz5y5=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>With his fear of dark, enclosed places, 13-year-old Jayce is the last person to check out the dilapidated lake house next door. Instead, he opts to write a note to the ghost he’s convinced is haunting the house, as well as his dreams. Getting his twin sister to deliver it to the mailbox is draining his snack supply, but so worth it because: THE GHOST WRITES HIM BACK. Now Jayce must uncover the dark secret of a cursed lake—or remain haunted forever.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jayce is the quieter of the twins but he still has an adventurous spirit and when he dreams of the ghost next door he gets his sister to help with the investigation. What he finds is both more mundane and more spooky than he imagined! With the letters from the ghost, Jayce's dreams and the creepy mist appearing, you never know what is real or what is imagination.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is a great option if you want to try out a poetry style novel. Even though I'm not used to reading poetry, the writing flowed really easily. I also enjoyed the clever use of different formats, like highlighted words telling a different story. I would have liked more of those as I expected a bit more variety in the book.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQ44jR_KxDzFYo_z-trFDlT5EUn9nBCOTwyjIZHfWPefzViOFR_-VDvSkEhACTVeW8iJLJ_rSbSKX7AToIGsUdyA380zNQmOnLnok2m9AqAnpL1zFqg6z5Oi3X9gulbKADD2HH3Bi0a-ttGR7DKBhwCPl66kd7EEVrU6aEWcrQmNh1Lrj37HkztsWEPLv/s3456/The%20Lucy%20Cocktail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQ44jR_KxDzFYo_z-trFDlT5EUn9nBCOTwyjIZHfWPefzViOFR_-VDvSkEhACTVeW8iJLJ_rSbSKX7AToIGsUdyA380zNQmOnLnok2m9AqAnpL1zFqg6z5Oi3X9gulbKADD2HH3Bi0a-ttGR7DKBhwCPl66kd7EEVrU6aEWcrQmNh1Lrj37HkztsWEPLv/w400-h400/The%20Lucy%20Cocktail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">To make the Lucy cocktail, add 15ml lemon thyme syrup, 15ml lemon juice and 3 raspberries into a tall glass and muddle the fruit. Fill the glass with ice, add 45ml of raspberry vodka then stir to mix and chill. Top with sparkling water.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-1356029865679466822024-01-21T16:09:00.001+00:002024-01-21T16:16:55.399+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Betrothal and Betrayal by Janet McGiffin</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRLEqIWip82Lz3ZWaEtry4mGAH1a5zoVBh69VUy_i5jWMwSxfgj9X7qKhYY4VVpALu8QGhf4y292Eew0_IJDhqo7hb4ruDqVvzlYl2rHkx_q-AUyDr9uytqzSlLoKfnYjC5r0PObRYq3dPDqvo6t0MstRhnV8kL0Il1WreCap6DYvg39xc5bsE6KplKB3v" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRLEqIWip82Lz3ZWaEtry4mGAH1a5zoVBh69VUy_i5jWMwSxfgj9X7qKhYY4VVpALu8QGhf4y292Eew0_IJDhqo7hb4ruDqVvzlYl2rHkx_q-AUyDr9uytqzSlLoKfnYjC5r0PObRYq3dPDqvo6t0MstRhnV8kL0Il1WreCap6DYvg39xc5bsE6KplKB3v=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Seventeen-year-old Thekla needs her quick wits and knife to track down her betrothed, a soldier who has left her at the altar for the third time. Elias the monk travels with her to Constantinople where she meets Irini of Athens, an extraordinarily beautiful orphan her same age who has been brought by powerful Emperor Constantine to marry his son, Co-Emperor Leon. The two women join forces to survive this vigorous capital of the Roman Empire of the East which is rocked by religious and political strife. But will Thekla help the ambitious and ruthless Irini of Athens find the power that she craves?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhktxmSgkAev3fWjHmOoPzCLjSfVUuCJGIWIaJFL5oh8qX75vWn_ZhiCxaDFUaqRPTznfVrN-1HnO9CG_KEv44G6BwSUSJ-4ZmiaiTDnwVJ_Yr4PNvUkpkY8U6mwhjs5nLiNm4T9NKmVD_rivQzS8vSLIYrzb8UOngdbN83CL-LZ4rJn0m6PDeRmnACaGr9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="653" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhktxmSgkAev3fWjHmOoPzCLjSfVUuCJGIWIaJFL5oh8qX75vWn_ZhiCxaDFUaqRPTznfVrN-1HnO9CG_KEv44G6BwSUSJ-4ZmiaiTDnwVJ_Yr4PNvUkpkY8U6mwhjs5nLiNm4T9NKmVD_rivQzS8vSLIYrzb8UOngdbN83CL-LZ4rJn0m6PDeRmnACaGr9=w209-h320" width="209" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I loved Thekla immediately, she was so feisty and no-nonsense. Her knife gets a LOT of use and I think should have it's own twitter account. It's practically a character itself and I bet it would have tons of stories to tell!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was easy to get into and very easy to read, however it was a little bit lacking in suspense, which stopped me from getting completely gripped in the story. Everything just seemed to happen a bit too easily for Thekla, and even when real trouble did strike, it passed over very quickly, though I must admit I enjoyed not having to put up with too much angst!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The descriptions of all the food sounded so delicious, this is not one to read on an empty stomach! I loved all the Greek words included in the story and it was good to have the glossary at the end.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiH3OueI803dyuu75jLH1Iz_d2_XaahzioU-pMmpMCFex-BMPhgaHg-TtH2TFFf4Aj3ar-by8NboBkDy6nWMeC6cJ6VA1jTlQLLVMai7zRsaW-do7HUI_2_HhzcRePuP1CyhdFfgloMTHLVmNEcOcTYdUjEP_nIAE_kqXkbYoD-J7HG3Zcy-Qie-XBY_cwn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiH3OueI803dyuu75jLH1Iz_d2_XaahzioU-pMmpMCFex-BMPhgaHg-TtH2TFFf4Aj3ar-by8NboBkDy6nWMeC6cJ6VA1jTlQLLVMai7zRsaW-do7HUI_2_HhzcRePuP1CyhdFfgloMTHLVmNEcOcTYdUjEP_nIAE_kqXkbYoD-J7HG3Zcy-Qie-XBY_cwn=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Janet McGiffin divides her time between her apartment in Manhattan, her family in Washington State, and her friends in Athens, Greece. She was born in Fairfield, Iowa into a newspaper family and learned to write copy as a teenager by writing obituaries for the Ellensburg Daily Record in Washington state. After university, she worked for the Milwaukee Health Department where she gained first-hand knowledge for her best-selling mystery series published by Fawcett Press, NY, featuring Doctor Maxine St. Clair, an ER doctor in an inner-city hospital. She worked as a press officer for the Washington state senate, then moved to Athens, Greece where she wrote grant proposals for small non-profit women’s organizations in Mediterranean countries. She also wrote a humor column for the Athens News newspaper with field archaeologist Adrian Vrettos, wrote two English language easy readers for Cambridge University Press, UK, and a series of hiking articles for greecetravel.com. She researched her Byzantine-era Empress Irini Series through extensive travel in Greece, followed by six months of research at the Bodleian libraries in Oxford, England. She enjoys hiking in Greece, England, Wales, and Scotland.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWY4nFwSkb8GutsZjQ8XFdyc3MNT08spV0Uh9FKANSDQXNfElM4JfzLCAn7ifeFhRzZy9ivDBBbICgt5B220zV53Q-_Htvt6z2Mtx5bAHd9Io0b_iskRoHaOgNFkZpyqPwAlcXNxvYN11VLxViuNCVRDBmVwQzH1em2indGpZMx18mSLAfN2G9AO1H0PHv" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWY4nFwSkb8GutsZjQ8XFdyc3MNT08spV0Uh9FKANSDQXNfElM4JfzLCAn7ifeFhRzZy9ivDBBbICgt5B220zV53Q-_Htvt6z2Mtx5bAHd9Io0b_iskRoHaOgNFkZpyqPwAlcXNxvYN11VLxViuNCVRDBmVwQzH1em2indGpZMx18mSLAfN2G9AO1H0PHv=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm sure Emperor Constantine would love a Constantine's Cosmo before going into battle. To make the cocktail, shake the following ingredients with ice and find strain into a coupe glass. 50ml vodka, 20ml elderflower liqueur, 25ml raspberry-lychee puree, 25ml lemon juice.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJ7ohPd23DvOxm0UjAgmdJ1tY05g17D1QxoO1vQl4k-sd0NPAH484VgVrwjnWvSKazJ15p4zf8CqjfoyB-XzMM3Sdp1fYvoJ0jAiz5AIefXJxXwPRMDtn2IjDm7RVsRJjJFLorj_prgZf3qlowQFnb3QN4NohDOAYfzOKTU0SuWVNIzQzw9uVcKN6W93TH" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJ7ohPd23DvOxm0UjAgmdJ1tY05g17D1QxoO1vQl4k-sd0NPAH484VgVrwjnWvSKazJ15p4zf8CqjfoyB-XzMM3Sdp1fYvoJ0jAiz5AIefXJxXwPRMDtn2IjDm7RVsRJjJFLorj_prgZf3qlowQFnb3QN4NohDOAYfzOKTU0SuWVNIzQzw9uVcKN6W93TH=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-167892127777241282024-01-14T16:43:00.000+00:002024-01-14T16:43:44.788+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Graphic Novels (part 3)</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcWGIFrnvAtDHOQDVaej1P0EfAycvRx7UOSLb_S3anQNq5bVyGIPtGmPejTDsHglhTrgGpixdpWLylkA0i-kmJr-XKQPWUgxNpVHlZPSwWoBIbnDzw_9u5WvUlcTuCNPyoC5fXn-ZB6DhSD94CctkcU0ITnP0hfEpS2Uh7asaTrNEMPgMV94Fh9ywxOBP_"><img alt="" data-original-height="2128" data-original-width="4608" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcWGIFrnvAtDHOQDVaej1P0EfAycvRx7UOSLb_S3anQNq5bVyGIPtGmPejTDsHglhTrgGpixdpWLylkA0i-kmJr-XKQPWUgxNpVHlZPSwWoBIbnDzw_9u5WvUlcTuCNPyoC5fXn-ZB6DhSD94CctkcU0ITnP0hfEpS2Uh7asaTrNEMPgMV94Fh9ywxOBP_=w640-h296" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">My love of graphic novels just keeps growing! It's amazing how they can say so much in such a short space. These all have such different colour palettes and art styles but I really enjoyed them all.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgopYEW2paEBetb8JlT1HwL64dwhPy7iLw2pBhVqRBR0eRpsBBzv5355uijqrna8gnPoXhaK7Uszn1SEGP29sM5pH6VKtoWxufuhMSbACCvLoFU8Rp2VR5Hmz_FlSiczW7gOrSww_zyYWyBCmkxv-XpUQn-eA_Km9oxZiJKKerYrBT5EBYJ5DlXUabEy7pn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgopYEW2paEBetb8JlT1HwL64dwhPy7iLw2pBhVqRBR0eRpsBBzv5355uijqrna8gnPoXhaK7Uszn1SEGP29sM5pH6VKtoWxufuhMSbACCvLoFU8Rp2VR5Hmz_FlSiczW7gOrSww_zyYWyBCmkxv-XpUQn-eA_Km9oxZiJKKerYrBT5EBYJ5DlXUabEy7pn=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can start with this suitably arty cocktail, Arte De Volar. Shake all the following ingredients together with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. 60ml blanco tequila, 7.5ml creme de violette, 7.5ml lavender syrup, 20ml lime juice, 2.5ml sugar syrup. Enjoy!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0sct3deSkGyr3vW2-EKO69QDAA8jTyNZrg7qu6NlOM_neQnDSEMmTZ4AWNyThXZiete156yS1bfaN---vDbHYaQfk_QUNzjjGUpEUHCb-p1XFmzJX5MEFdLcZi5jk2XjLr10tLtbqB6NOvgNxX707ipJDrPZxcIzj2iEca72nCrNwPcBA3sxCqrUqX5Jz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0sct3deSkGyr3vW2-EKO69QDAA8jTyNZrg7qu6NlOM_neQnDSEMmTZ4AWNyThXZiete156yS1bfaN---vDbHYaQfk_QUNzjjGUpEUHCb-p1XFmzJX5MEFdLcZi5jk2XjLr10tLtbqB6NOvgNxX707ipJDrPZxcIzj2iEca72nCrNwPcBA3sxCqrUqX5Jz=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Evil Emperor Penguin: The World Will Be Mine! by Laura Ellen Anderson </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Evil Emperor Penguin keeps coming up with more nefarious plans for world domination but somehow they never work out. They just keep getting weirder and more insane and so, so funny. I just love his little helpers, they remind me of Gru's minions but even less evil. And EEP's secret love for Eugene is adorable, the way he never wants to admit how much he cares.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Though this was the latest book in a series, it didn't feel confusing without reading the previous ones. That being said I will definitely be reading the others too.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNyrBoKwfF9t5VUlPyOq2HclTDcYjZF7uAJba9ILqKxsLcKeFxaQ0z625snk_OQhbQBv0Qrc8qK7LltSk82EpU51zQ8420HfYvxVfG62jKmeY05aZf0zqaoMt-_iR5wx2_YfMZ5XTeJsevq2mtF0bjCdGvXHTXV4QFojabhQyheWjgrGjQblzBnMXkmvHi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNyrBoKwfF9t5VUlPyOq2HclTDcYjZF7uAJba9ILqKxsLcKeFxaQ0z625snk_OQhbQBv0Qrc8qK7LltSk82EpU51zQ8420HfYvxVfG62jKmeY05aZf0zqaoMt-_iR5wx2_YfMZ5XTeJsevq2mtF0bjCdGvXHTXV4QFojabhQyheWjgrGjQblzBnMXkmvHi=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Witches of Brooklyn series by Sophie Escabasse</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Effie finds herself dropped off to live with her 2 extremely weird aunts she's never met before. She soon realises what exactly it is that makes them weird, they are witches and it turns out she is one too!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Effie is such a sweetie and her aunts are great characters. I really liked the art style too. I bought myself the first book while on holiday in New York and enjoyed it so much that I've since ordered the rest in the series. I still have book four which I'm looking forward to and I hope there will be more.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXumiRN0RXEuqB30EAiBkWWLHGwZTmlPze7UIivKSvvuLRJNMrrLnmKoEuOZesSLziFRSnbjN4NspTLyPd1RfCQkFhr8PrrDlKkU6HSwSjK5jVicaV-JNNIz2ex9GsPkcAH4XUnSaDAFEww-M6CAv3DGQTKxVnpRcgA4iRJSzDJK74PXEt9z1mmwmQwsN3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3243" data-original-width="3243" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXumiRN0RXEuqB30EAiBkWWLHGwZTmlPze7UIivKSvvuLRJNMrrLnmKoEuOZesSLziFRSnbjN4NspTLyPd1RfCQkFhr8PrrDlKkU6HSwSjK5jVicaV-JNNIz2ex9GsPkcAH4XUnSaDAFEww-M6CAv3DGQTKxVnpRcgA4iRJSzDJK74PXEt9z1mmwmQwsN3=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ghost Roast by Shawnee Gibbs, Shawnelle Gibbs, Emily Cannon</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Chelsea will do anything to fit in with the popular girls at school, including doing her best to hide the fact that her father runs a ghost hunting company. Unfortunately for her, getting grounded means working for her Dad and she realises she's actually perfectly suited to the job!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I loved the style and the colours, I'm sure the finished version will look absolutely amazing! It was such a fun book to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS0BdmAyqVmyqCWzoLPIaDyg2w75pcDQ7cNG5vHBoEmU9WwAXeeKWnR_H3WkU9x4zvGdn7_-LQqLjxytLPxxi_u61fd4wmNda_bSTVTisulPIU4Ey0NXpQArRDkfPTU-EZgIF7ZkN4cIJnh1BXxlO8-XzH1osyYE16Xo8rWnofqsUvZbXVQ3-mKlia1wmR" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS0BdmAyqVmyqCWzoLPIaDyg2w75pcDQ7cNG5vHBoEmU9WwAXeeKWnR_H3WkU9x4zvGdn7_-LQqLjxytLPxxi_u61fd4wmNda_bSTVTisulPIU4Ey0NXpQArRDkfPTU-EZgIF7ZkN4cIJnh1BXxlO8-XzH1osyYE16Xo8rWnofqsUvZbXVQ3-mKlia1wmR=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mamo by Sas Milledge</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jo goes in search of the Witch but doesn't expect to find Orla who has taken up the mantle from her grandmother, Mamo. Together they try to fix the many things that have gone wrong in town since Mamo's death.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Orla is clearly very conflicted about being back in her hometown but Jo loves it there and can't imagine leaving. Somehow they complement each other perfectly and it's lovely seeing their friendship and trust grow.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR2TFdls1mhPzVioEHiMCnwhdXoSed-Y4gbxQUqgi5JWj9QQHA00VNOaTeMBZv93eG_8p4UDE11QYLdr1a3pBTPurRyyne9552KlSmMV0iD4DgRIM8wnyZGxcKLgm60tuTx8Rqm17J4IJK_CXl-RKC_M9FI7R86FfJ1AFHQ9LDM0oif7D-9u5D5YVu5nDr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3272" data-original-width="3272" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR2TFdls1mhPzVioEHiMCnwhdXoSed-Y4gbxQUqgi5JWj9QQHA00VNOaTeMBZv93eG_8p4UDE11QYLdr1a3pBTPurRyyne9552KlSmMV0iD4DgRIM8wnyZGxcKLgm60tuTx8Rqm17J4IJK_CXl-RKC_M9FI7R86FfJ1AFHQ9LDM0oif7D-9u5D5YVu5nDr=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>How to Love by Alex Norris</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not strictly a graphic novel but I wanted to include this anyway. It's an adorable and funny collection of comics covering everything from whether you really need love, to what happens when you've found The One.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-3409098985000473092023-11-25T15:17:00.000+00:002023-11-25T15:17:40.690+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Spotlight on...<br />Arvia: Wings of the Wild by D. H. Willison</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwAHbRacLTxvOgjZqZXgJg_yVJ2gaQqRF5Pt50zRgic-kFoQYUxWwOp0zffSbNqjqpKd1Fkr-JkDm5ecuO4iTFXAUSPpnOX4Fer3x3RVwxMTRtUHPWLkBUzwagPJVvS_zfYt2Lv81lgira1KY1NhnlvX242eJS2imCiRveN7CFrZE3GS69gRrad4UEaGyu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwAHbRacLTxvOgjZqZXgJg_yVJ2gaQqRF5Pt50zRgic-kFoQYUxWwOp0zffSbNqjqpKd1Fkr-JkDm5ecuO4iTFXAUSPpnOX4Fer3x3RVwxMTRtUHPWLkBUzwagPJVvS_zfYt2Lv81lgira1KY1NhnlvX242eJS2imCiRveN7CFrZE3GS69gRrad4UEaGyu=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today's spotlight is book 4 of the Tales of Arvia series. It's full of magical creatures and was just released on 22nd November 2023. Find it on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199260439-arvia" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9acD0Wh4jUml3YzbSD02vttDSAyrXm5HZ8lukUSKcFsCs0Pm57RzvuSZrYWddea9xbQvcBj4pihuBvTOPYXuGgUgbPC0teUTJVMNEDfsC9xGGW-Yj_VZhfNUa_EYHljS0JasOCl8zEzdNCAMykcMFBRF6zQCJLi3Sdwu77GMebO-87xj1k4Bv2KvzMG5d" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2137" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9acD0Wh4jUml3YzbSD02vttDSAyrXm5HZ8lukUSKcFsCs0Pm57RzvuSZrYWddea9xbQvcBj4pihuBvTOPYXuGgUgbPC0teUTJVMNEDfsC9xGGW-Yj_VZhfNUa_EYHljS0JasOCl8zEzdNCAMykcMFBRF6zQCJLi3Sdwu77GMebO-87xj1k4Bv2KvzMG5d=w280-h400" width="280" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>It’s easy to stand up for your friends. What about for anonymous creatures nobody else cares about?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>With their homes apparently safe from the magical storms, Darin and Rinloh venture to an isolated elven village and another ancient mystery: ruins of an imperial city whose entire population vanished centuries ago.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The duo befriend a host of eccentric new characters, from a chipper ogress and hipster troll to a deadpan griffin. Yet the Forest of Nightmares challenges them as never before. Merciless carnivorous trees, subterranean horrors, ethereal creatures no mortal weapon can slay… and most sinister of all, the greed and ambition lurking within the human heart.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Darin and Rinloh’s empathic connection grows stronger the deeper into the wilderness they go, but will it be enough to stop a dark conspiracy from ravaging the land?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Arvia: Wings of the Wild challenges the harpy-human duo with their grandest adventure yet. They must balance their deepening relationship as they sharpen their skills and work together as never before to unravel a deadly new plot.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4kYmVqAu_i6_dRqe5f4Obx5W-eWkOmMHCUsmn468-4umr7JKRFNH4LZ7Go2GSCfErWsZ9Z-RA-Y6JSHQ4AdkM-6QRTdJ2l_bMufa2AVIDTh8Mp0awI2RtT5kWQX7VQ2deQiBMtNlwYrZRardX9TqGj-_5A-Of79ETkT80yLoBsFp4uFv9bWAW4beGEyNo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4kYmVqAu_i6_dRqe5f4Obx5W-eWkOmMHCUsmn468-4umr7JKRFNH4LZ7Go2GSCfErWsZ9Z-RA-Y6JSHQ4AdkM-6QRTdJ2l_bMufa2AVIDTh8Mp0awI2RtT5kWQX7VQ2deQiBMtNlwYrZRardX9TqGj-_5A-Of79ETkT80yLoBsFp4uFv9bWAW4beGEyNo=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">D.H. Willison is a reader, writer, game enthusiast and developer, engineer, and history buff. He’s lived or worked in over a dozen countries, learning different cultures, viewpoints, and attitudes, which have influenced his writing, contributing to one of his major themes: alternate and creative conflict resolution. The same situations can be viewed by different cultures quite differently. Sometimes it leads to conflict, sometimes to hilarity. Both make for a great story.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">He’s also never missed a chance to visit historic sites, from castle dungeons, to catacombs, to the holds of tall ships, to the tunnels of the Maginot Line. It might be considered research, except for the minor fact that his tales are all set on the whimsical and terrifying world of Arvia. Where giant mythic monsters are often more easily overcome with empathy than explosions.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Subscribe to his newsletter for art, stories, and humorous articles (some of which are actually intended to be humorous).</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-662605990469269202023-11-05T16:29:00.001+00:002023-11-05T17:01:24.365+00:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Mix & Match 15</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg90dE8axq-e15dLF93aOETUivkfXEO6V_yZTuegyfpRIEoPc4cvis9AZHNI10CHzNoFQob44wZOSm_-v5ppDawjFuqmX_WYt8y152WFOvnYpPBohMxVcZG56t6JAfnBf4AC8ntQe6JYElrsWtbOkEPTqYeeT0uxYfpZdnEC0LfPQNlu9NL2NHeJUmTYMj0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg90dE8axq-e15dLF93aOETUivkfXEO6V_yZTuegyfpRIEoPc4cvis9AZHNI10CHzNoFQob44wZOSm_-v5ppDawjFuqmX_WYt8y152WFOvnYpPBohMxVcZG56t6JAfnBf4AC8ntQe6JYElrsWtbOkEPTqYeeT0uxYfpZdnEC0LfPQNlu9NL2NHeJUmTYMj0=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The weather lately has been pretty horrendous so I've made a Dark & Stormy cocktail to drink while you look through today's selection. I've got a real mix this time, from picture book to non fiction to novels.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fill a tall glass with ice and add 50ml dark rum and 15ml lime juice. Top with ginger beer and enjoy.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXj_iULLv1kK7AVgRD9RJIca9eF6JVqVz6giwYueuxpN6fP9sSkAF9pX7OCgVJdcEoTQ9SqqHC-pT31vWK7ANiBmBDhyAr-XPpjRBlWfFCfKnpQfd7235aZPoupR00DUkH5SG6HWzmfZE680e8Ow4SacKyTQQP3OG7uNDQQyet32joTErnX6HmV43Oc9eI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXj_iULLv1kK7AVgRD9RJIca9eF6JVqVz6giwYueuxpN6fP9sSkAF9pX7OCgVJdcEoTQ9SqqHC-pT31vWK7ANiBmBDhyAr-XPpjRBlWfFCfKnpQfd7235aZPoupR00DUkH5SG6HWzmfZE680e8Ow4SacKyTQQP3OG7uNDQQyet32joTErnX6HmV43Oc9eI=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Tapper Watson and the Quest for the Nemo Machine by Claire Fayers</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tapper loves adventure stories but really has no wish to live them himself. He's much happier at home, reading about his favourite hero, Isosceles. Of course, this all changes when he's sent to help some merchants with a delivery by submarine.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I thought this book had really great characters, but I must admit Morse was my favourite. The tapping Erisian Danger Plant had me smiling throughout the book, with its cheeky messages and always wanting to help everyone. I loved all the amazing worlds and the fascinating echolings, created from people's memories. And there were so many unexpected twists, the book was action-packed.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The use of the rivers of the underworld from Greek mythology was really clever, how it varied for each of the different nations. Every world had their own version of how the rivers fit into their origin myth. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It sounds like this will be a series and I really hope so. I'd love to read more from Tapper, Fern and hopefully also Morse!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQXE7BlRUu8QI645xTylP_ha1N-U1TKcxUNlSiQjpkMKtuJXRKQkJgBoTkfcAQ7mKRbvadFOYN76X7tomJMusVNpql_JQpZRJPOouIv5VFRs57mnCr3kX3wIVGM5R2c5gjN8Cp7A7Ve6aVtzahLA-yGHMAicq0D4ny_3b2NrrteDg-vWBybnaDLRTaMhGO" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQXE7BlRUu8QI645xTylP_ha1N-U1TKcxUNlSiQjpkMKtuJXRKQkJgBoTkfcAQ7mKRbvadFOYN76X7tomJMusVNpql_JQpZRJPOouIv5VFRs57mnCr3kX3wIVGM5R2c5gjN8Cp7A7Ve6aVtzahLA-yGHMAicq0D4ny_3b2NrrteDg-vWBybnaDLRTaMhGO=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Can You See the Stars Tonight? by Anna Terreros-Martin</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nora and her puffin find a lost baby puffling (the cutest name for a baby animal ever!) and realise that many are getting lost because the can't see the moon and the stars any more. This has really adorable illustrations and a very important story that we can all learn from.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoVkOmknztTAFQem8JiKQ93l6odliGAmpMvls1oiO_JlqETjLqBKESUnCrX3KnMNtr7uViQBGmYdqgcvpWR235dkmimGBveHnKJjt0uBzR2vSN3SXP0446SMDc3De-9YBfxgQiMUfLgw7w7EMGLFTgytntW4eMyO8gNLtSzkvUGLR3astFhjrakd38wped" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoVkOmknztTAFQem8JiKQ93l6odliGAmpMvls1oiO_JlqETjLqBKESUnCrX3KnMNtr7uViQBGmYdqgcvpWR235dkmimGBveHnKJjt0uBzR2vSN3SXP0446SMDc3De-9YBfxgQiMUfLgw7w7EMGLFTgytntW4eMyO8gNLtSzkvUGLR3astFhjrakd38wped=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The Disappearing Diamond by Glen Blackwell</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Emmie and Jack are sent to 1851 by a mysterious stranger. The Koh-i-Noor diamond has disappeared from the present and they must find out what happened to it in the past!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I don't know how they were supposed to know what to do, they were given absolutely no information! But somehow the two manage to find themselves at the Crystal Palace and discover the the diamond being stolen. Luckily they make some friends that can help them along the way. I liked reading about Victorian London and the Great Exhibition.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was the second book in the series but even though I hadn't read book one, it didn't really affect the reading too much. It has made me curious about the previous books involving the Titanic and the Blitz. They both sound so interesting and take place in such fascinating time periods!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7NxlOMtKMMXtuCG5WesRgqfZYBSl9jOV39rDcqEOI2537GETye5beYSOMMHo3e0my2p18vmYIPfD9zEJV-qjjnLGSU0XpkshfUSZexLD9JZPKd68ij78D8Ys_A-dICUOFW_Er6qt4VVu6fLuCcpfj3B1a8VET2l_d4YLz_TPY-Hm1HMjXSZWdc2LbJ4lx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7NxlOMtKMMXtuCG5WesRgqfZYBSl9jOV39rDcqEOI2537GETye5beYSOMMHo3e0my2p18vmYIPfD9zEJV-qjjnLGSU0XpkshfUSZexLD9JZPKd68ij78D8Ys_A-dICUOFW_Er6qt4VVu6fLuCcpfj3B1a8VET2l_d4YLz_TPY-Hm1HMjXSZWdc2LbJ4lx=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Biology: The Whole Story by Lindsay Turnbull</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I love science books and this one was so easy to read with lots of fascinating subjects, written in a very accessible way.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This really is the whole story, from bacteria and eukaryotes all the way up to ecology and how different species in ecosystems work together. Including the dangers of interfering and affecting the delicate natural balance. The colourful illustrations help to explain the concepts.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJyErMjo8iiFZfjxAhGPd-DLSMH7nt1d-UxjQT8ZpGeQ89Id8WnKen6MbGQLdWS2quNEVHVeC9oy-m1NzaPLijTp1Vw6v7ENi8gY0qCrERFYgpau5oC1gxh7QDrlKq0COw8W6oDegQxmmQVe8v1H4blM63moQbPHDk-5aLg11wzMmrTyQsqqyd1T40cQ_5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJyErMjo8iiFZfjxAhGPd-DLSMH7nt1d-UxjQT8ZpGeQ89Id8WnKen6MbGQLdWS2quNEVHVeC9oy-m1NzaPLijTp1Vw6v7ENi8gY0qCrERFYgpau5oC1gxh7QDrlKq0COw8W6oDegQxmmQVe8v1H4blM63moQbPHDk-5aLg11wzMmrTyQsqqyd1T40cQ_5=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Shiver Point: It Came From The Woods by Gabriel Dylan</b></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As you probably all know by now, middle grade is my favourite and I do love a good spooky book. So this was not one I would miss out on.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">To me, Shiver Point sounded like a perfectly creepy town, complete with an eerie forest, but the kids who live there are all so convinced that their town is terminally boring that they can't believe what's actually happening.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I liked getting the story from all the different kids' points of Views. They are all very different but at the same time have something in common and I was really hoping for them to get together and be a monster hunting gang!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lots of mystery and action and I will never look at slugs the same way again!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-60886995806794713282023-10-24T18:22:00.003+01:002023-10-24T18:26:03.481+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">PAX and the Missing Head by David Barker</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgih-sZffoUBfvpPdWv_LagunzWl_TuOcS8KyInpi9CTwp6IH8Opt3Ncqg-O46DZfuQL3ptVI1JB3sZJ8gxzz-KAETxYSK1g1tTH43op02G1i7DjQD-CYraC01q1fxGn903UAqITX3k2GG1SAgKpMbPKmbHtMvk7Y-nl-2vYudbN6BeKXm5cUgiFxlaRsO8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgih-sZffoUBfvpPdWv_LagunzWl_TuOcS8KyInpi9CTwp6IH8Opt3Ncqg-O46DZfuQL3ptVI1JB3sZJ8gxzz-KAETxYSK1g1tTH43op02G1i7DjQD-CYraC01q1fxGn903UAqITX3k2GG1SAgKpMbPKmbHtMvk7Y-nl-2vYudbN6BeKXm5cUgiFxlaRsO8=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In a country beset by civil war, New London defends itself behind a giant wall. Inside the city, children are forced to work from an early age, except for the lucky few who train to be leaders in the re-purposed Palace of Westminster. 12-year-old orphaned Pax is brilliant at recycling old tech. He enjoys working on the verti-farms and just wants a bit of peace and quiet. But when that is taken away from him, his only hope is to pass a near-impossible exam and join the other students in Scholastic Parliament. There he’ll make new friends and new enemies. He’ll get tested like never before. And he’ll discover that not everything is quite what it seems under the mayor’s harsh leadership.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikQSE-H2aq_PhVrE6IZN3RGpBxoRZlqhB-d0G9duzCZEa2wHz6fF-_O-6pjeVyj7br6zRXuBYMmL8ocUKHuXje7o2Dbp6qMS8jn3JzcN1N6pSvrmemVCnWe973a0W4AaPp8nTaChXEfegBwHeheBjlu2ixreJJxy7bJliVDOzzy3ccJdD67VzNJ8xVvrcT" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikQSE-H2aq_PhVrE6IZN3RGpBxoRZlqhB-d0G9duzCZEa2wHz6fF-_O-6pjeVyj7br6zRXuBYMmL8ocUKHuXje7o2Dbp6qMS8jn3JzcN1N6pSvrmemVCnWe973a0W4AaPp8nTaChXEfegBwHeheBjlu2ixreJJxy7bJliVDOzzy3ccJdD67VzNJ8xVvrcT=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">First of all I must admit I really thought it was a completely different type of head from the title and description! I won't spoil it for you and anyway, probably everyone else got it right away 😂</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is set in a very mysterious new world. It's not really clear what exactly has caused things to change so horrifically but New London is now protected from the outside by a giant steel wall keeping out the old and the rich. Pax has never been outside but loves to look beyond the wall from high up in the vertical farms where he works.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I thought New London was such a depressing place! It's quite scary how things could escalate into a life like that. Pax really just wants to keep his head down but he's obviously really smart and Alderman seems to know that he could do better and bigger things with his life. Speaking of which, the end of the book definitely leaves things open enough for Pax to takes things much further.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was kind of sad how Pax found it so hard to make friends so I was cheering when he found his people at Parliament. Though of course, not everyone was so nice. I find reading about bullies so frustrating and I was desperate for Pax to get back at mean-boy Zach.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEDd0HMnJ52y9D-rdehtHZjusnLoNjnErXsiaNo5LeOadYKl4wvYF3AyiKlxigh6UTr5-I6gXf_Q3l8ulL0o2NhYRpKrwQ2NdOQssyHjU-4VXPCMmLeQfL58UsJqrEEbv-M6OMXWeAguirgzDH8cx0CcqTcsH0LQufUCwdPhZA0ys_ljxe54-QEh_-Z58M" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="414" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEDd0HMnJ52y9D-rdehtHZjusnLoNjnErXsiaNo5LeOadYKl4wvYF3AyiKlxigh6UTr5-I6gXf_Q3l8ulL0o2NhYRpKrwQ2NdOQssyHjU-4VXPCMmLeQfL58UsJqrEEbv-M6OMXWeAguirgzDH8cx0CcqTcsH0LQufUCwdPhZA0ys_ljxe54-QEh_-Z58M=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"I attended the Faber Academy in 2014 and from that had three climate-fiction thrillers published (The Gold Trilogy, Bloodhound Books). I joined SCBWI in 2018 as I shifted my focus to a younger audience. My MG debut, Pax & The Missing Head publishes with Tiny Tree in late 2023. I live in Berkshire with my wife and daughter. I have a passion for stories, sport and boardgames."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgK004tgwuoRXNG8DRPcfHYluuufJhHCZ2MYIo8oTfpxlGjEuu0_Qm3A7Ax_iSig3jACNp_VJL6zmV34hMHVQ7xLgNiFYDfYrcxAGWWOCRnU2J8kC4JVGs44Oeemdps14weicIia-ELCT6FsvO_KDupmxnJPymM0Mbk9WV6PQLARKeWq_tkA8dVEzYv3dCx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="248" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgK004tgwuoRXNG8DRPcfHYluuufJhHCZ2MYIo8oTfpxlGjEuu0_Qm3A7Ax_iSig3jACNp_VJL6zmV34hMHVQ7xLgNiFYDfYrcxAGWWOCRnU2J8kC4JVGs44Oeemdps14weicIia-ELCT6FsvO_KDupmxnJPymM0Mbk9WV6PQLARKeWq_tkA8dVEzYv3dCx=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've made my own version of a Parliament Royale, it might give you courage while taking the terrifying scholastic test! In a a shaker full of ice, add the following, 40 ml citrus gin, 20ml apple sourz, 15ml lemon juice and a few drops of angostura bitters. Pour into a flute and top with champagne.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglX13pND1oSwqC1taB609tEP727WtMvKba2uWBVSt_UszKDLm8RGSybiK8vRT8WgoyJb9IT65uNO1UijCy7owX8vNOsGheENjNbru33K-chVOA5-xgz2F3Nw5g7G8BTnuu4__pO8LgSCkcigWIXCBgxUtJvFxlkO35vu0fIm3pKgBfBkh31smyd25NnZZ0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglX13pND1oSwqC1taB609tEP727WtMvKba2uWBVSt_UszKDLm8RGSybiK8vRT8WgoyJb9IT65uNO1UijCy7owX8vNOsGheENjNbru33K-chVOA5-xgz2F3Nw5g7G8BTnuu4__pO8LgSCkcigWIXCBgxUtJvFxlkO35vu0fIm3pKgBfBkh31smyd25NnZZ0=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-72729320879948944072023-10-16T18:37:00.003+01:002023-10-16T18:50:49.712+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">The Official Spooky Season Book Tag</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAN0tB3r6oxks7mhIA0YGFJM582NvjwXZtg3P1gjlVwhpK4-kdkSjMeuSkufCoNbfDJd5SOyfvzV1N7nD4LDKr5JKdL6578RAHImi0ZAQD_Egr8o5mtLcnLFlFfAeHpu3uqbaSWOafYlL-enzpj26ae9psPIy5hOZ2akwIQVBe4eMf0vMsmjWSmaWpiLZO" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="680" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAN0tB3r6oxks7mhIA0YGFJM582NvjwXZtg3P1gjlVwhpK4-kdkSjMeuSkufCoNbfDJd5SOyfvzV1N7nD4LDKr5JKdL6578RAHImi0ZAQD_Egr8o5mtLcnLFlFfAeHpu3uqbaSWOafYlL-enzpj26ae9psPIy5hOZ2akwIQVBe4eMf0vMsmjWSmaWpiLZO=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think this was one of the hardest tags I've done but I was determined to get it posted this month, before the end of the official spooky season! Thank you to Noly (The Artsy Reader) for tagging me, you can find her original and very good answers to the questions <a href="https://theartsyreader.com/the-official-spooky-season-book-tag/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The rules are as follows:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tag the original creator (The Artsy Reader)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Use the official banner</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Answer the prompts and questions</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tag 5 people</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have fun and get spooky!!!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 1: You hear a strange noise in the night – the monsters got inside! Which book character would you choose to protect you from harm?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Crisanta Knight from Protagonist Bound by Geanna Culbertson. She's got magic and many abilities to help protect me, plus she goes on tons of quests so has the experience. Also comes with her kick ass friends.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 2: You go on vacation and your hotel is located right next to a cemetery. Which book character do you really hope is not hiding in the shadows?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The creepy one-eyed stones in Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. This was one of my favourite books as a child and definitely the creepiest thing I can think of. They could easily hide in a cemetery!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 3: It’s a particularly cold night and you decide to stay inside. Which three book characters would you like to spend a trivia quiz and board game night with?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Irene from the Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, Bethany from The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips and Kurara from Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin. Each of them are really interesting and fun characters, though I now realise they would all probably beat me at any game we tried to play.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 4: Time for a big adventure! The scary book you pick transports you into its world. Where do you end up?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It would probably have to be Faerie. It would mostly be terrifying but at the same time really wondrous and amazing.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 5: No Halloween without Trick or Treat-ing! Which book character do you think has the sweetest tooth?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aleja and her friends in Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar. They always have cake ready and waiting and definitely would not go on any adventure without snacks.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh46noMj18s0KvQum63y9yAPgxpMneeuE1E-euJnrkM9HKxnwk7ek1InjYtYmUlgdjnio4EOIV7khd8DMYAZQ6hnGKVheJte5WLlg_Qb1uEl_eCKhndaLlEkuGgIA7Aj6JugBbHQw09gm0M1PjkVL6ZuGiG0xqBcB_iGokNbyKoOCoNAvKkeZFCQdva8JGk"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh46noMj18s0KvQum63y9yAPgxpMneeuE1E-euJnrkM9HKxnwk7ek1InjYtYmUlgdjnio4EOIV7khd8DMYAZQ6hnGKVheJte5WLlg_Qb1uEl_eCKhndaLlEkuGgIA7Aj6JugBbHQw09gm0M1PjkVL6ZuGiG0xqBcB_iGokNbyKoOCoNAvKkeZFCQdva8JGk=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 6: The fairies are angry and want a sacrifice from your bookshelf. Which scary book has to go and why?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is really tough as I try not to keep books without a good reason. I am constantly having to give some away to make room for the new ones I love. I don't think I have any more that I am willing to give up right now.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 7: You decide you feel more autumnal rather than halloween-y today. Which book setting would you choose for a more cosy and less scary vibe?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Viv's cafe in Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. The whole book makes me feel cosy, despite the high possibility of adventure.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 8: The witch is cooking up a spell in her cauldron and you have to add one magic ingredient. Which item from a book are you adding to the mixture?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I can't think of many magical book ingredients except from Harry Potter. Most of them are animal parts and I feel bad for the animals so I'd put in Moondew as I love anything to do with the sky and space.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 9: You get to decide which bookish place to visit for Halloween. Which book setting is the scariest – and gets crossed off the list?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The spider tunnels in Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick, mostly because I could not deal with the Latchitts. They just never seem to quit, no matter how many times you think you've escaped them.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Question 10: The big day is finally here: it’s Halloween! Which book character do you dress up as, and what would be part of your outfit?</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've always liked the look of those long white ancient Greek style dresses so maybe I could go as a Goddess from one of the many mythology-based books I read. Quite a few of them seem pretty scary to me!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm tagging:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/thepennotthesw1" target="_blank">@thepennotthesw1</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/shelvesofstarl1" target="_blank">@shelvesofstarl1</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/BooksAre42" target="_blank">@BooksAre42</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/AmysBookishLife" target="_blank">@AmysBookishLife</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/AVoraciousReadr" target="_blank">@AVoraciousReadr</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">And anyone else who's interested. Let me know if you have a go, I'd love to read your answers!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-74593414140267979872023-09-20T20:45:00.000+01:002023-09-20T20:45:47.743+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Marvellous Middle Grade (part 2)</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaY3i1bpKh8end9_oqqUkSVL1YNe9756tMlI8yRdKWgZ36eI_AlGFAKOdnsP2OaNs2mNRz77uteGuHWYaJ-eYKZ5RpowpAbPcZ1UaDcWGhbC6lOi_6mfn6KVB3qN4hEIcEu374yez_vw91_6Ew0QG_poGqxYPhCBLQmvgmmiKaL2XQQ2HEtN06BlOTnwTV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaY3i1bpKh8end9_oqqUkSVL1YNe9756tMlI8yRdKWgZ36eI_AlGFAKOdnsP2OaNs2mNRz77uteGuHWYaJ-eYKZ5RpowpAbPcZ1UaDcWGhbC6lOi_6mfn6KVB3qN4hEIcEu374yez_vw91_6Ew0QG_poGqxYPhCBLQmvgmmiKaL2XQQ2HEtN06BlOTnwTV=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's time for some more magnificent middle grade books! Today you can start with the cocktail, a gorgeous Marshmallow Martini, then decide what to read with it.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmwkJDWGB5IR3MlB5op5pNqr3kt3rkbUditdJcekp_0RlIZOHJcS_WoFH3fVcfedfQWzZKOKURys0sKSrjfBInrdl1yGOi9TLwyPgq4hM3lNDZQgO52RI3sFPBSQjfckVL0SKneqbLSyZ75BZwAwCU_e4vc5iekYz86XuFWCOXbvjr1dla3CWLtXDhHcHF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmwkJDWGB5IR3MlB5op5pNqr3kt3rkbUditdJcekp_0RlIZOHJcS_WoFH3fVcfedfQWzZKOKURys0sKSrjfBInrdl1yGOi9TLwyPgq4hM3lNDZQgO52RI3sFPBSQjfckVL0SKneqbLSyZ75BZwAwCU_e4vc5iekYz86XuFWCOXbvjr1dla3CWLtXDhHcHF=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This didn't turn out to be as sweet as it sounded so I ended up adapting the recipe a bit more to my taste. Also I only had giant marshmallows so had to cut one in half an it was still huge compared to the cocktail! Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass. 50ml vanilla vodka, 35ml passoa, 10ml lemon juice, 10ml sugar syrup. Garnish with a roasted marshmallow and add a side shot of champagne to make it extra fancy!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxk8p8QXhoZuygWTlx3Uc75WCc_AjJlqYzYPFCr5VpaalViXGldCnQGWMgwusYWxcZlsQBMTMsPVf5zgH2ECWzDwpUrVvkDE_XjZnvZ_oQdKSmyeNm4DplAWFWgEGzScVEcvGnlln5K43RyG8mlxSP2GnXjLPVxQIdeVAEZd8PC1a2h3JRRFd3hBSbaO-O" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxk8p8QXhoZuygWTlx3Uc75WCc_AjJlqYzYPFCr5VpaalViXGldCnQGWMgwusYWxcZlsQBMTMsPVf5zgH2ECWzDwpUrVvkDE_XjZnvZ_oQdKSmyeNm4DplAWFWgEGzScVEcvGnlln5K43RyG8mlxSP2GnXjLPVxQIdeVAEZd8PC1a2h3JRRFd3hBSbaO-O=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Old Gods New Tricks by Thiago de Moraes</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The world is suddenly plunged into darkness when all the electricity stops working. No one seems to have a clue how to fix it, but luckily Trixie knows exactly who to go to for help!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was such a funny book and Trixie is an amazing main character. She's so brave and super-sassy, even in the face of the scary gods, and she's even smart enough to out-trick the tricksters. There was mythology from all over the world. If you're not already a fan of myths, this will definitely get you interested. I loved the snippets of mythology between the chapters and at the end there's a great appendix with more about the five tricksters.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibId6no3Z4Eqeg_Jjdm7-cbC0P509nC-88ovn4Hj7NfbSkgnO5uoYgTbBEYinbGqM3SOaVE3ygZyCw-kGZd7Z2HB0Q4jSDXInqnXorcchFGr8ZSnul6oOZ4IiGm8yNFdwOFkgjEhTtdEzXJYilDKmMYR6lb1zv4FxKsnAq2wUCgpB0XdjpHTdYz3xxjM_o" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibId6no3Z4Eqeg_Jjdm7-cbC0P509nC-88ovn4Hj7NfbSkgnO5uoYgTbBEYinbGqM3SOaVE3ygZyCw-kGZd7Z2HB0Q4jSDXInqnXorcchFGr8ZSnul6oOZ4IiGm8yNFdwOFkgjEhTtdEzXJYilDKmMYR6lb1zv4FxKsnAq2wUCgpB0XdjpHTdYz3xxjM_o=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Matilda Meets the Universe by Dom Conlon, illustrated by Heidi Cannon</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Matilda wants to know EVERYTHING! On her mission to meet alien life, she finds out about the formation of stars and planets, the speed of light, the Goldilocks zone, the Drake equation, interstellar travel and so much more. She's a lively, energetic character, never stopping on her journey to find things out. At times she switches to adult mode to give some useful information but there are lots of moments of humour in between.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is great for any little scientists in your life, and also good for getting the more reluctant ones interested in science and space. Lots of starter information and it even got me thinking about some of the things mentioned. It feels more like a really fun text book than a novel but is still very easy to read.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-PmuJgKovRlOE1hG_dCL_jpR1eDZ9pd7CIIXsoM-Cp5ySXyWKyObnmjPRuuhNOnv8QSXg7EfxbiN3CkfD260msq6pq2T5P9v5E9snewSx1wBVuGsLgeva-ACtp1GUEGEXyMoCUDnKYVFUkX_QZxrb0p2q1r1JtAGFoRbnXntuE-pmOiL8ngeYlfWWcriK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-PmuJgKovRlOE1hG_dCL_jpR1eDZ9pd7CIIXsoM-Cp5ySXyWKyObnmjPRuuhNOnv8QSXg7EfxbiN3CkfD260msq6pq2T5P9v5E9snewSx1wBVuGsLgeva-ACtp1GUEGEXyMoCUDnKYVFUkX_QZxrb0p2q1r1JtAGFoRbnXntuE-pmOiL8ngeYlfWWcriK=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>The Myriad Mysteries of Eartha Quicksmith by Loris Owen</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kip is back at Quicksmiths and after discovering the Ark and escaping from Gorvak in his first year, you'd think he has time for a rest. However he and his friends feel like they are no closer to discovering Eartha Quicksmith's secrets and they won't stop until they do!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is an amazing adventure through seemingly endless worlds. The descriptions of all the different worlds sounded so exciting and interesting, though I wouldn't want to find myself in most of them. I also love reading about the wonderful inventions which are created. For example, being able to jump into someone's dream would be fascinating. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Book 3 is starting to get a mention so I think now is a good time to catch up if you haven't yet!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjSgptc60e7HFGRLSJyQXvDcjOKRWNimqVP6ZnejSWUd6u0vi1oX92iunf-q8AxofjuEEqDBzwfQmYZ49_ekjuIyhS3FXwv9mnQ9D8wdcr8fJZVY6OySxcRoD1Q3KwnjI4Tm4OJJEhB4CKaP9wYU9BnuNMcFfr5ugweozVu6YUL1c8Xa5QYICMamZZhyRU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjSgptc60e7HFGRLSJyQXvDcjOKRWNimqVP6ZnejSWUd6u0vi1oX92iunf-q8AxofjuEEqDBzwfQmYZ49_ekjuIyhS3FXwv9mnQ9D8wdcr8fJZVY6OySxcRoD1Q3KwnjI4Tm4OJJEhB4CKaP9wYU9BnuNMcFfr5ugweozVu6YUL1c8Xa5QYICMamZZhyRU=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>What Lives in the Woods by Lindsay Currie</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Creepy and suspenseful. With a ticking clock that only Ginny can hear, a chilling mannequin that moves at night despite being bolted down and ghostly shapes in the ballroom.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I loved the ending and how all the clues come together, though in a completely different way than expected.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've already read one of her books, which I didn't realise when I first found 'Woods' but this one is even better. I've now got 'Scritch Scratch' on my list and I'm really looking forward to it, as well as her newest book 'It Found Us'.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhamL7WXI6rl4pg4YbsaUBfcWJk84ff4nXneT7DE5cbHr07yTvC9dHUZBzCZrnmPZn_RptXthU5EdIgvp_Xa8OuItjmJDTU9l9b3Px6r_id7nzWTK4tfPMLX57EXl0W50ecBBBOg3QVL_JjiKcGSpg7ZVYk33_hr9F6igbf4JI80BvJ22InvdwJ-kBp2N3X" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3022" data-original-width="3022" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhamL7WXI6rl4pg4YbsaUBfcWJk84ff4nXneT7DE5cbHr07yTvC9dHUZBzCZrnmPZn_RptXthU5EdIgvp_Xa8OuItjmJDTU9l9b3Px6r_id7nzWTK4tfPMLX57EXl0W50ecBBBOg3QVL_JjiKcGSpg7ZVYk33_hr9F6igbf4JI80BvJ22InvdwJ-kBp2N3X=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I knew I'd love this right from the beginning. Ophie was a wonderful, lovable character who I sympathised with immediately. The writing was so easy to get into and very difficult to stop reading!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I love how buildings and railways are characters themselves, with the way their thoughts and emotions are described. Every chapter reveals some new information and interesting clues along the way to solve the mystery and the ghost lore is really interesting and unique. This was a great book for a buddy read, we had loads to discuss!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-27084155091113893652023-09-08T17:38:00.003+01:002023-09-08T17:45:36.820+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Scareground by Angela Kecojevic</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe-AJjBlcCI9KgQnbQTfVddct9d2Zj487RvzdT-JWrSoy6FZ40aZ1DFJsR8keSajrtQmVomkTAX4CBtVqjZhN6EASDORE01UuY8mMFMM_DOJAEte5R9EpQw5TZR_lecw54Yn0D83JokrjHFrS-uXh1nCS8WMITtzIaGxhPQWoZ5DeZbjDn1sH1BJzbCwU7"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe-AJjBlcCI9KgQnbQTfVddct9d2Zj487RvzdT-JWrSoy6FZ40aZ1DFJsR8keSajrtQmVomkTAX4CBtVqjZhN6EASDORE01UuY8mMFMM_DOJAEte5R9EpQw5TZR_lecw54Yn0D83JokrjHFrS-uXh1nCS8WMITtzIaGxhPQWoZ5DeZbjDn1sH1BJzbCwU7=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Roll up, roll up, the Scareground is in town!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Twelve-year-old Nancy Crumpet lives above a bakery and her life is a delightful mix of flour, salt, and love. Yet her mind is brimming with questions no one can answer: Why did her birth parents disappear? Why can she speak with the sky? And why must she keep her mysterious birthmark hidden?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Everything is about to change when the Scareground returns to Greenwich. Nancy is convinced it holds the answers to her parents’ disappearance. Nancy and her best friend Arthur Green meet the fair’s spooky owner, Skelter, and discover a world full of dark magic and mystery. Nancy must confront her greatest fears to get to the truth. But is she ready for all the secrets the Scareground will reveal?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcu-0TTq7Uve_otgvX1v8fHON5ilGDp469GjZQdRf5r4zNnfowsgC5EZBz2pSr9eW1B3Qlnu4Jy5deShUGoysFzQDoLD2nvneJ0VQVsPEjqS9WFFdzBunfCsIKRbinWLmnI_xGeBx3dx3IpT00yi9ymKosr3kh1ksWtTB4vDVnfmCUIq_3gTb4Yeuiebl5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcu-0TTq7Uve_otgvX1v8fHON5ilGDp469GjZQdRf5r4zNnfowsgC5EZBz2pSr9eW1B3Qlnu4Jy5deShUGoysFzQDoLD2nvneJ0VQVsPEjqS9WFFdzBunfCsIKRbinWLmnI_xGeBx3dx3IpT00yi9ymKosr3kh1ksWtTB4vDVnfmCUIq_3gTb4Yeuiebl5=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deliciously creepy from the start, this book is full of mysteries. What is the significance of the horse-shaped mark on Nancy's wrist, why can she understand the sky, and why is everyone so unhappy about the fair that's arriving in town?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I always think rooftop worlds sound so wondrous and Nancy's life in the bakery by day and flitting about the houses by night does sound incredible. I loved the magical descriptions of colours and the illusions sounded fascinating, particularly Pepper's Ghost which I just had to look up and read more about.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Without giving away any spoilers I have to say I found it a bit hard to understand why Nancy would do some of the things she did. After vowing that no one would take her away from her parents, her actions seemed quite counter-intuitive. Then again maybe I shouldn't expect anyone to be logical in this situation!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nancy and Arthur were really brave, confronting their fears of the fair and investigating, meeting lots of intriguing characters along the way. It was so sweet how they supported each other. The suspense kept me on edge the whole time and I was never sure if they would get away with it. There was a very mysterious ending, possibly paving the way to a second book??? 🤞</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdc5uOpiH-MhsBVEpEW5LDhVqJSTBAKcxwezRNdnJ_xl80MBJz3kebHtDi_u_tFMB7x3JFSVj3GKUiPBYJ6t0lQWP9CufacWrXXpdP01_eBrFneyUzJDaNOGprCaKdBc3O5wr4Q4pF-90uCthcPdJd6y-rYZlyWyF_a4Qy2dQgDzsZ8DwihzeRWvE9d6Rc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdc5uOpiH-MhsBVEpEW5LDhVqJSTBAKcxwezRNdnJ_xl80MBJz3kebHtDi_u_tFMB7x3JFSVj3GKUiPBYJ6t0lQWP9CufacWrXXpdP01_eBrFneyUzJDaNOGprCaKdBc3O5wr4Q4pF-90uCthcPdJd6y-rYZlyWyF_a4Qy2dQgDzsZ8DwihzeRWvE9d6Rc=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Angela Kecojevic is a senior librarian, author and creative writing tutor. She has written for the Oxford Reading Tree programme and the multi-award-winning adventure park Hobbledown where her characters can be seen walking around, something she still finds incredibly charming! She is a member of the Climate Writers Fiction League, a group of international authors who use climate issues in their work. Angela lives in the city of Oxford with her family.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdOwaYud0h3ihjDL4qWKZUOt30THBrmNuhkA2wnjE6LU7LeiyzzomudbVEgddNt79KiIH-Fumc1fd7-X85NvXhJL7qDikd8lO26PpOcHeNIaU8GcEL5Ymq7VEgPybpCLfweM5t1bSpwnhgp_Ngp8qKHt1KgFlbRQ47q6mSVyyfX79DolFvX1m1dDpEdd9g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdOwaYud0h3ihjDL4qWKZUOt30THBrmNuhkA2wnjE6LU7LeiyzzomudbVEgddNt79KiIH-Fumc1fd7-X85NvXhJL7qDikd8lO26PpOcHeNIaU8GcEL5Ymq7VEgPybpCLfweM5t1bSpwnhgp_Ngp8qKHt1KgFlbRQ47q6mSVyyfX79DolFvX1m1dDpEdd9g=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">To make a Carnival Cosmo, add the following ingredients to a shaker full of ice, shake well then strain into a martini glass. 40ml vodka, 25ml limoncello, 25ml cranberry juice, 15ml lime juice. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-79454785990089461252023-09-02T09:56:00.002+01:002023-09-02T09:56:46.281+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Graphic Novels (part 2)</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are some really great graphic novels out there and I think they just don't get the love they deserve! I can't get enough of all the beautiful art styles and interesting fast-paced stories. So here are a few of the gorgeous books I've enjoyed this year.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But first things first, let's start with The Seventh Art cocktail. This one sounded amazing so I'm glad I got an excuse to try it out.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Muddle half a cup of popcorn (I used sweet) in a shaker, add 50ml white rum, 10ml yellow chartreuse, 20ml lemon juice and a dash of sugar syrup. Shake with ice and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Once you've got your refreshment ready, on to the books!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl_1aqr6CYQ1SvAnjT2jPR4aowWZqztrmmYX6R6YCaib9ifox5oDZf-otkilayatkEYIKLGcR9qg4QOQM0-hiqD75otYlbTGl4SnFrhtOJBSXDKqVPojzYIcmDY7T_wv_gfFAZUAmsBu8r7VdMQXetEsAeCjO98hDdnq0YdVdl8TRIgWyXQiLjEMfBhago" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl_1aqr6CYQ1SvAnjT2jPR4aowWZqztrmmYX6R6YCaib9ifox5oDZf-otkilayatkEYIKLGcR9qg4QOQM0-hiqD75otYlbTGl4SnFrhtOJBSXDKqVPojzYIcmDY7T_wv_gfFAZUAmsBu8r7VdMQXetEsAeCjO98hDdnq0YdVdl8TRIgWyXQiLjEMfBhago=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Frontera by Julio Anta, Jacoby Salcedo</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mateo is making the dangerous journey through the desert, from Mexico to America. Luckily for him, he makes a helpful friend who just happens to be a ghost.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Between running from boarder patrol and running out of supplies, Mateo comes across many different challenges, finding help in unexpected places and even helping others. Guillermo's story is also really interesting, I feel like he could have his own series where he saves unsuspecting travellers. This was completely action packed but somehow also managed to be very touching, I had tears at the end! The art and colours are really vibrant, I'm sure the finished version will be gorgeous.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRmAOi6drbL_pLXX-21mIWlxW-c8tpgiY7glDOwrViE8TkLkrIiDmsASgrj6MtSGOCvwMmNiMAtUhLpshG-NRD5Ncsuou4SbmVOnvAa3OSFEHKl2dGKxxpoaExLzrO8zLUzs_SlfrwVZcNXl6YoZmUDPmbJpeV7JFFtnTEOtedrE0fMTezkAET2Z8eWsp-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRmAOi6drbL_pLXX-21mIWlxW-c8tpgiY7glDOwrViE8TkLkrIiDmsASgrj6MtSGOCvwMmNiMAtUhLpshG-NRD5Ncsuou4SbmVOnvAa3OSFEHKl2dGKxxpoaExLzrO8zLUzs_SlfrwVZcNXl6YoZmUDPmbJpeV7JFFtnTEOtedrE0fMTezkAET2Z8eWsp-=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Robin Franklin</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kat receives word of mysterious devil lights floating above the hills in a small town and decides investigating the phenomenon is the perfect thing for her spooky podcast. Of course she finds a lot more than she was expecting, including a cute girl who used to be local but now feels just as out of place as Kat.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm not usually one for romance in books but these two are just so cute! I loved the will they/won't they through the book and how they kept getting all embarrassed every time they accidentally touched. However, my favourite character was probably Ana, she really needed a bigger part. She always had this shrewd look on her face and seemed to notice everything. They'd have solved the mysteries a lot quicker if she was in charge.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There were a lot of characters which I found a bit hard to follow and I was slightly confused with the ending but I still really enjoyed it and wonder if there will be more books to follow.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPuQA7fiZE_-JNGEXI7vDSBPyeahDc0760QBI9MoR7hFCq-qC7gQpGlvrwJ1HG6gBHdh2Pd0s8r8o6rghZT7iO4gDIqgfkPzL0yVDhVMkHlybi7kU73jlnyHrYPharHevqH3QXclOy5JHVrv3H3uD6oTVGIRAwGWUhtafMOrwkUeEWQbBOYZFLhadfyt1F" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPuQA7fiZE_-JNGEXI7vDSBPyeahDc0760QBI9MoR7hFCq-qC7gQpGlvrwJ1HG6gBHdh2Pd0s8r8o6rghZT7iO4gDIqgfkPzL0yVDhVMkHlybi7kU73jlnyHrYPharHevqH3QXclOy5JHVrv3H3uD6oTVGIRAwGWUhtafMOrwkUeEWQbBOYZFLhadfyt1F=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Heart in Braille by Joris Chamblain, Anne-Lise Nalin</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Victor likes to mess around, playing in the band with his friends and always getting things wrong at school. Striking up an unlikely friendship with Marie-Jo, they find they can actually help each-other out.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was such a sweet story, I had a tear or two by the end. Victor was a really honest character. So cheeky but all he truly wanted was to do well and make people proud. Meeting Marie-Jo opened up his world a bit and got him trying new things and making a huge effort to learn. The way they got on together was lovely to see and I think they both learned from each other. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The art was delightfully soft and had a beautiful colour palette.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZJUi4MOPpqrIJPEEyy9w_JniZ8DIOPf9P-4xx725irAy3-DaAkMdVVBeNHVcp77EPq6XWWvfmfdyS82J2Fopk6R0n1Fj9gfPhLuAnqvRA-2a1YCtgXuWyQVCRX9xyO2mDS_xNbcNbOFcEElCcl0xFVgxu8I9vDj3Pb4DQgiXTevlc0mewQC3ywhRmy1bC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZJUi4MOPpqrIJPEEyy9w_JniZ8DIOPf9P-4xx725irAy3-DaAkMdVVBeNHVcp77EPq6XWWvfmfdyS82J2Fopk6R0n1Fj9gfPhLuAnqvRA-2a1YCtgXuWyQVCRX9xyO2mDS_xNbcNbOFcEElCcl0xFVgxu8I9vDj3Pb4DQgiXTevlc0mewQC3ywhRmy1bC=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I finally got to read the book so many people have recommended over the years and it did not disappoint at all! Nova is a young witch who discovers dark forces in the woods and realises she has to find a way to fight them to save her childhood friend who pops up after being gone for years.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The spirits were just TOO adorable. And I loved how the Nanas just trusted Nova to get on with things, even when it could be dangerous. They were like mischievous children! Wonderful characters and a great art style. I want more!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggVAZmh09tuQnXzHZhTHCIUxFjDab_wHiVnXT8aTnKdJ8VUg1VoPQ3heg_0MlPKArrbv53PRxzZyx7YztuIZvFcHuLAtB0oZXbMmdGgye96C6ICwkCjqWeY0OFXylHkmiIfkKdxQAHSt-MNUQ0kB-28IGEKN5zXZTSmk87AWcKen_kyV6HtTULN4MUgMpl" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1807" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggVAZmh09tuQnXzHZhTHCIUxFjDab_wHiVnXT8aTnKdJ8VUg1VoPQ3heg_0MlPKArrbv53PRxzZyx7YztuIZvFcHuLAtB0oZXbMmdGgye96C6ICwkCjqWeY0OFXylHkmiIfkKdxQAHSt-MNUQ0kB-28IGEKN5zXZTSmk87AWcKen_kyV6HtTULN4MUgMpl=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>20km by Woshibai</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but it caught my eye and I had to give it a try. It was like lots of little stories. Some were really clever, a few made me smile and some were a little sad. I can't say I understood them all but it was amazing the amount of emotion that even such simple pictures could elicit.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJdKI8wwtFeY5740Y-J6XhSLrL1XSxx32hH9Hqy1ci3Di8hvLk4CMY_hOImMoOVsURhPJ8z-tJ12Ks4yXMV1GSngHYDji-Ayh-kLMm_GJdTm-d4vuT3hzDD3L-Nu-Bc1zkzFTbmOuxWM0k_wxGB4DhVMiFBkblRmjRLPxz8jg2VAN_n32G9MWtwBv0XmlG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJdKI8wwtFeY5740Y-J6XhSLrL1XSxx32hH9Hqy1ci3Di8hvLk4CMY_hOImMoOVsURhPJ8z-tJ12Ks4yXMV1GSngHYDji-Ayh-kLMm_GJdTm-d4vuT3hzDD3L-Nu-Bc1zkzFTbmOuxWM0k_wxGB4DhVMiFBkblRmjRLPxz8jg2VAN_n32G9MWtwBv0XmlG=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have you read any wonderful graphic novels recently? I am always on the lookout for more so please let me know your recommendations!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-30086638218381023532023-08-25T09:45:00.001+01:002023-08-25T09:45:45.271+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">The Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm<br />(Miss Mary-Kate Martin's Guide to Monsters)<br />by Karen Foxlee</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1qi-T42bRhXU96U_IOZyrSInAH2D80NMc_wMvSQjkmJ6R_yamwePt0CRmDoO95NGYZwRy43wwI_pJP-w2WsVUNpJA2a0pODf5uHivaBLd68rr5U3HUcLH5bqG2VpoWggraUHjJPiAClwAfjbyYY-D4-kCoPftHs46ieI5e3hvXhCyYluMKdI9gcuJGPHb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="680" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1qi-T42bRhXU96U_IOZyrSInAH2D80NMc_wMvSQjkmJ6R_yamwePt0CRmDoO95NGYZwRy43wwI_pJP-w2WsVUNpJA2a0pODf5uHivaBLd68rr5U3HUcLH5bqG2VpoWggraUHjJPiAClwAfjbyYY-D4-kCoPftHs46ieI5e3hvXhCyYluMKdI9gcuJGPHb=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>There are those that hunt monsters to harm them and there are those that hunt monsters to help them. Which one are you?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dressed in sparkly red shoes and carrying her strawberry-scented notebook, Mary-Kate accompanies her archaeologist mother to the quiet English countryside to investigate some unusual bones found in an old well.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>But soon she realises that the village of Woolington is not as peaceful as it seems; the ground trembles beneath them, there are mysterious noises, and the locals are obsessed with a terrifying old legend.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Could there be any truth in the myth of the beast who lives in the ancient well? With the help of a new friend, Mary-Kate starts getting to the bottom of this monstrous mystery.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_kyqJPOvo0oqT_Y_wKUgVvsH6jDA04P9agpRcTbOFXpWQnQf5AEKYamhRKjt3ULW8mrWs5c7koWonrPYSLGsWIVf8Mr9C8nWSdynmxBZ7F9wdghuLKMRApOtMHCc1D4CfiCkwrNN46yTyKcq2UOEDlJtHDP7fXgMV0qQLiti7Xrp7elTYjIYeGlB-NBR8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3143" data-original-width="3143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_kyqJPOvo0oqT_Y_wKUgVvsH6jDA04P9agpRcTbOFXpWQnQf5AEKYamhRKjt3ULW8mrWs5c7koWonrPYSLGsWIVf8Mr9C8nWSdynmxBZ7F9wdghuLKMRApOtMHCc1D4CfiCkwrNN46yTyKcq2UOEDlJtHDP7fXgMV0qQLiti7Xrp7elTYjIYeGlB-NBR8=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I loved reading about Mary-Kate's investigations, the book is so easy to get into and quite fast-paced, there is always something happening.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mary-Kate is so sweet, I really felt for her with all her worries, and she tries so hard not to cause other people stress. Her mother is lovely, so understanding but also no-nonsense and I think just the right amount of challenging.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I really enjoyed the snippets from P.K. Mayberry's Complete Guide to Monsters of the Northern Hemisphere. I feel like this might need a whole companion book of it's own!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgifTAxwXpujhdL5fAnn4J967Z4WE0RgmcpdCxQ9TFaBaYINoZL0TwmhyzZMmT29p-rBTJBLtMD6NbgdUrey6s32BRAg2oYdrroo5FIMmLde94dSoCSTPbUhQGQWnunz7nng3f-5Skgp5CJVzsPWBX_Bu1pd6fN5GVk7qYOcj819bd-CHeEUhrqPjQwWn_D" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgifTAxwXpujhdL5fAnn4J967Z4WE0RgmcpdCxQ9TFaBaYINoZL0TwmhyzZMmT29p-rBTJBLtMD6NbgdUrey6s32BRAg2oYdrroo5FIMmLde94dSoCSTPbUhQGQWnunz7nng3f-5Skgp5CJVzsPWBX_Bu1pd6fN5GVk7qYOcj819bd-CHeEUhrqPjQwWn_D=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCFFJ62zp5qGIohbKnOtzhSut_SZjA924Bxe4aemmteMHAhhFl74hmMTaYtyP5zqnW7JWt4OT1XmMCxokSF70nLEv-K2W8mAgAR-zZ_G6yd8M13e865Q-zYx2nuYkevHPNmecD91CWzipfmlJsfvMHforV8c9Bg6MUNcHvsEfXhu0Ln-jDAJSjvBRC4xQh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCFFJ62zp5qGIohbKnOtzhSut_SZjA924Bxe4aemmteMHAhhFl74hmMTaYtyP5zqnW7JWt4OT1XmMCxokSF70nLEv-K2W8mAgAR-zZ_G6yd8M13e865Q-zYx2nuYkevHPNmecD91CWzipfmlJsfvMHforV8c9Bg6MUNcHvsEfXhu0Ln-jDAJSjvBRC4xQh=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was such a comfort read, I'm just sorry I don't have book two yet to read next (The Trouble with the Two-Headed Hydra). From the excerpt it sounds like it will be just as much fun to read, specially as it takes place in a Greek island!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mary-Kate definitely deserves a cocktail of her own so I've created one with strawberry and of course, glitter! Muddle a couple of strawberries in a shaker, add 30ml gin and 20ml lemon juice, shake with ice and strain into a flute glass. Add a sprinkle of pink edible glitter then slowly top with prosecco which will get the glitter swirling around beautifully.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMcPItsYf0obXliJLbYQT3TRwDxYfpxA9RhXHWCx0uJuvlzmYCHuwvT6SrtEsRKvnrjKVufcxWDMa1_kDwP1KhHh2HVDZBqS-3FcKEUwfnVIPJCDqDrCBmCIZjGHli4b_3-dgrY_N6aSgMyHVNj1JbeArzvj0IDfcHR1Ha_40At5Qo8DVSJLxTImyWWTAV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMcPItsYf0obXliJLbYQT3TRwDxYfpxA9RhXHWCx0uJuvlzmYCHuwvT6SrtEsRKvnrjKVufcxWDMa1_kDwP1KhHh2HVDZBqS-3FcKEUwfnVIPJCDqDrCBmCIZjGHli4b_3-dgrY_N6aSgMyHVNj1JbeArzvj0IDfcHR1Ha_40At5Qo8DVSJLxTImyWWTAV=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-45024994197917929692023-08-16T17:55:00.001+01:002023-08-16T17:55:36.723+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhik9r3Qbgvn-_q5h_v4X07ReppMuOXffdc42ookIu_CU4owTZAQFWRXoZIPbIfT7S6iiocHcUBUWO65RCNvRqtAa67Z8q2WvfROYoiPGG4G76H_-m2v-1989f2A802Ptfa0VWvmQSzUgvE9hr9_Ll4onEAZkR6agddQGLHCGHQDnnFI98HSPvmjS1pNGPd/s4608/Legends%20&%20Lattes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhik9r3Qbgvn-_q5h_v4X07ReppMuOXffdc42ookIu_CU4owTZAQFWRXoZIPbIfT7S6iiocHcUBUWO65RCNvRqtAa67Z8q2WvfROYoiPGG4G76H_-m2v-1989f2A802Ptfa0VWvmQSzUgvE9hr9_Ll4onEAZkR6agddQGLHCGHQDnnFI98HSPvmjS1pNGPd/w480-h640/Legends%20&%20Lattes.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>She's done slaying monsters</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>She's ready to serve coffee</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined.</i></span></p><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXW7ICYcdMsaZuaoL-MsUwGllCXPumNN5tPCqzcvyAjw96zEsytnncRJSO7x-kUSBWWqYQxw9tvB4O1zi6dV0z2Kpmm0Dmo5XE7xcVwJhUfFWBI0l8c0djz8wvmv6Za5lT9760p6Dvmp1D5XxreUgtUoTqjowax6ri5MD1p4SlAKmcijRhRQcVfdRWDR4T" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3266" data-original-width="4533" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXW7ICYcdMsaZuaoL-MsUwGllCXPumNN5tPCqzcvyAjw96zEsytnncRJSO7x-kUSBWWqYQxw9tvB4O1zi6dV0z2Kpmm0Dmo5XE7xcVwJhUfFWBI0l8c0djz8wvmv6Za5lT9760p6Dvmp1D5XxreUgtUoTqjowax6ri5MD1p4SlAKmcijRhRQcVfdRWDR4T=w640-h462" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was a surprise highlight of the year! I didn't think it was exactly my thing but I'd heard so much good about it that I had to give a go, and I enjoyed it so much. It was such a relaxing read, no angst or stress and just what I needed at the time. Cosy gets used a lot in book descriptions but in this case it is truly deserved.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was really curious to see how a coffee shop would go down somewhere they'd never heard of such a thing and the customers had some pretty interesting reactions. There's also a lot of humour in the descriptions...</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>“Well, shit. Milky bean water. I'll be damned.”</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Viv is the best! She's such a great character, both practical and level-headed, but can also be hot-headed at time. I love how she cares so much about everyone. The other characters are all so lovely too. by the end of the book you feel like you know them all.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whether you love coffee or hate it, you won't be able to resist the wonderful descriptions of the smell and taste in this book.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've wanted to try making an Espresso Martini for ages so this was the perfect excuse. First, brew some fresh espresso and add sugar to taste. In a shaker, pour 30ml espresso, 45ml vodka, 20 coffee liqueur and a tiny pinch of salt. Shake all with ice and strain into a martini glass.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-q2_Sl6qRZr3_vrLCsfZ7zmC6lVIGAKXujFEf1V3w4XRd6l4iUPkQaJnI3WeV-TEnizOuOVn-IoECdb7b_TnUMsp2cGfImUznrXFaOjV3nV8_5_cwcoKjqrJLSNZckMg3sm5YLsuRD1gPKfyJLwAa9qxxqAuIYBWQRzRJ_KHS3nsqXRT2lA6iy06ujnR/s3456/espresso%20martini.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-q2_Sl6qRZr3_vrLCsfZ7zmC6lVIGAKXujFEf1V3w4XRd6l4iUPkQaJnI3WeV-TEnizOuOVn-IoECdb7b_TnUMsp2cGfImUznrXFaOjV3nV8_5_cwcoKjqrJLSNZckMg3sm5YLsuRD1gPKfyJLwAa9qxxqAuIYBWQRzRJ_KHS3nsqXRT2lA6iy06ujnR/w400-h400/espresso%20martini.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-53505309402924615642023-08-07T18:02:00.000+01:002023-08-07T18:02:56.177+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Mysteries at Sea: Peril on the Atlantic</h1><h1 style="text-align: center;">by A. M. Howell</h1><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgASoB_aErfrQbbrtAOS8yjxRQ-4j0kvetpfFtOrHJwDppo0x_L0DGTw3eXwL3T6m9AYy61B9jKYtaIEzscIIyf4khRxK0d3aiehIlundQV5tu-Khu28czJygNPXpybErrq1-vZ6_-AenzW7ktEoOZnKmb8ijLAPePDoA7Q_vZ48Fc9s31w9N2M6Qopr1lM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgASoB_aErfrQbbrtAOS8yjxRQ-4j0kvetpfFtOrHJwDppo0x_L0DGTw3eXwL3T6m9AYy61B9jKYtaIEzscIIyf4khRxK0d3aiehIlundQV5tu-Khu28czJygNPXpybErrq1-vZ6_-AenzW7ktEoOZnKmb8ijLAPePDoA7Q_vZ48Fc9s31w9N2M6Qopr1lM=w640-h640" width="640" /></a> </div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>July, 1936. As the Queen Mary sets sail across the Atlantic, Alice can't wait for the summer of adventure that lies ahead. She's excited to explore the huge ship, with its shops, animals and even celebrities on board.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>As Alice's sailor father focuses on winning a prestigious race, she witnesses a shocking attack. Alice and her new friend Sonny start to uncover a dark plot to sabotage the race, and as they investigate gold bars, anonymous notes and lost silk gloves, secrets in their own lives come to the surface.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>While fog threatens the boat's journey, and dangerous enemies show themselves, Alice and Sonny are in their own race to solve all the mysteries unfolding. But what they discover might change both their lives forever...</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilJxwojFONC9V1wS-F0aMvlV6dWK4WQE06J2o_rt0RYcepn3VyQC8Jrn2-u43yfm6UIv_gaWxrI1vn-UlLXKjFCtJpS0U60NUyjDFqkW-frGrFyHrSxQazBPsjcRyk2CtWveus05TWF6d1kcqs6Rue2nyJbN1xDv1V7nro335m6ddfnoD-JVNRmTbhhjX9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1534" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilJxwojFONC9V1wS-F0aMvlV6dWK4WQE06J2o_rt0RYcepn3VyQC8Jrn2-u43yfm6UIv_gaWxrI1vn-UlLXKjFCtJpS0U60NUyjDFqkW-frGrFyHrSxQazBPsjcRyk2CtWveus05TWF6d1kcqs6Rue2nyJbN1xDv1V7nro335m6ddfnoD-JVNRmTbhhjX9=w419-h640" width="419" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is a thrilling adventure across the Atlantic, with more than one mystery on board and the nail biting race for the fastest crossing.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alice is a great main character and I loved her mischievous nature. Of course she wasn't going to sit around her room doing nothing for the whole trip! The wonderful descriptions of the ship make you feel like you're actually there, exploring with Alice and her new friends. Halfway through the story, a whole new mystery appears, which was actually something I was hoping for. At the end, the reveals just keep coming, it was not predictable at all and there were lots of things I never could have guessed. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The perfect cocktail to sip while enjoying the view from the sun deck is an Atlantic Breeze. Shake and strain all the following ingredients into a tall, ice-filled glass: 45ml white rum, 15ml brandy liqueur, 7.5ml Galliano, 75ml pineapple juice, 15ml lemon juice.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaHtI3LPkpnh_pDjG5l9V4YW4NtylYt2bYHp7iH6Lzrw1NxPjNHriVweATjHq_tIEDdA7kHpc1silWbmSZQpGLISZQ7bzPhNxjSe1S7iNYjzEUEhXocZPmYYC8Ykdx2HwxxfkIbL8UGhvFYVoVY31TuM_8UsuLqE5aKMGbQnTLNAKUEIA6Dc8TmBfBmEyr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaHtI3LPkpnh_pDjG5l9V4YW4NtylYt2bYHp7iH6Lzrw1NxPjNHriVweATjHq_tIEDdA7kHpc1silWbmSZQpGLISZQ7bzPhNxjSe1S7iNYjzEUEhXocZPmYYC8Ykdx2HwxxfkIbL8UGhvFYVoVY31TuM_8UsuLqE5aKMGbQnTLNAKUEIA6Dc8TmBfBmEyr=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-16067484223747264682023-08-02T18:31:00.002+01:002023-08-02T18:31:26.123+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Flatlands by Sue Hubbard</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0lWXCs76poTbcdMnVC1O7tE0wjWMHYtoXPCis1dVV4IiLCQkdGvxr1dRwDWazvOf0osnyHO2fwnx5xKAN4a19VU96dpyNI2oiMNZPn84MqR8_d0O6O12iTcoVfwoLIc50zRe52vEvW1cDcWqPWCahbhBwQgg2oWM_476WXkSP3OyniYNwaEHTNnIKPi_9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3310" data-original-width="3310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0lWXCs76poTbcdMnVC1O7tE0wjWMHYtoXPCis1dVV4IiLCQkdGvxr1dRwDWazvOf0osnyHO2fwnx5xKAN4a19VU96dpyNI2oiMNZPn84MqR8_d0O6O12iTcoVfwoLIc50zRe52vEvW1cDcWqPWCahbhBwQgg2oWM_476WXkSP3OyniYNwaEHTNnIKPi_9=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Freda is a twelve-year-old evacuee from East London, who has been sent away at the start of the war, leaving behind everything familiar to her, to escape the expected German bombing.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In her new temporary home in Lincolnshire, Freda finds herself billeted with a strange, cold and, ultimately, abusive couple, whose lives mirror the barren landscape in which they live a hand to mouth existence, based upon subsistence farming and poaching. There, deprived of any warmth, she meets a young man – Philip Rhayader -a conscientious objector who has left Oxford and his prospective vocation in the church following a nervous breakdown.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Together they explore the wild, beautiful landscape of the Wash, teeming with migrating birds, and nurse an injured goose back to health. As they do so, Philip introduces Freda to the wonders of the natural world and its enduring power to heal.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to share a short extract from the book which I particularly liked. I felt it was quite touching and I also thought it gave a good feel for one of the main characters. I found the writing in the book to be so descriptive and it is full of evocative nature writing.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqoBNYrHyfvmVKkG7F4_t_dswLJZt0A_KdDXu_yyBqFdYZJApERLQnbSR4s5Qp-Yfcs2usu6DCiJKRbHOKfp12OKowuLfCpFGOCuaRIxmhozFB_4mnll95LTuzQE3tSqcdSd6Y03j01NNbOb2oY5FCzcunrIuGGf2-nFzJuP-ln01NSXEGhzB6fM13Nfeu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="528" height="491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqoBNYrHyfvmVKkG7F4_t_dswLJZt0A_KdDXu_yyBqFdYZJApERLQnbSR4s5Qp-Yfcs2usu6DCiJKRbHOKfp12OKowuLfCpFGOCuaRIxmhozFB_4mnll95LTuzQE3tSqcdSd6Y03j01NNbOb2oY5FCzcunrIuGGf2-nFzJuP-ln01NSXEGhzB6fM13Nfeu=w640-h491" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sue Hubbard is an award-winning poet, novelist and art critic. She has published three acclaimed novels and numerous collections of poetry, and was commissioned to create London's largest public art poem at Waterloo. Flatlands is her fourth novel.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6PoDjua1Wc1e2LRQECQ-9caFSejkcR9De_TWbSbkk_XdZ0G2sItHRLtHBCD4jZAhY3VRmFpYO58cisVN3fJd_qnxnqh-uyppf6D22Ne2KSVzRhsVy3AXL9rNHyN8hb-HN28dIXaFBoYGaqsB7o7LDISJnz91LZ7fVIHrO7F-mYy6HYZDJuVFzlAJSb_yX" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="827" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6PoDjua1Wc1e2LRQECQ-9caFSejkcR9De_TWbSbkk_XdZ0G2sItHRLtHBCD4jZAhY3VRmFpYO58cisVN3fJd_qnxnqh-uyppf6D22Ne2KSVzRhsVy3AXL9rNHyN8hb-HN28dIXaFBoYGaqsB7o7LDISJnz91LZ7fVIHrO7F-mYy6HYZDJuVFzlAJSb_yX=w327-h400" width="327" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div><br /></div>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-89186610512337756782023-07-28T18:55:00.002+01:002023-07-28T18:55:56.052+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Magic Has No Borders<br />edited by Sona Charaipotra & Samira Ahmed</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfBXNwptGpdu70tknefLXh9XSppci1pXWUOj4XINF9-ogKCCy_xkdwJYie4QTeR3l1vIopmA2t8xgWKrCQYqdrDTU0UCKJSu85b-F5IXpmPpEbKuZhk_5jUyvZkArq11CoBh_IWiXRfXXQJgcqyfZSXtr6r1VWR226pLctPL9XNQsWx76E_N7KXIfxG447" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1686" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfBXNwptGpdu70tknefLXh9XSppci1pXWUOj4XINF9-ogKCCy_xkdwJYie4QTeR3l1vIopmA2t8xgWKrCQYqdrDTU0UCKJSu85b-F5IXpmPpEbKuZhk_5jUyvZkArq11CoBh_IWiXRfXXQJgcqyfZSXtr6r1VWR226pLctPL9XNQsWx76E_N7KXIfxG447=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A pair of star-crossed lovers search for a way back to one another against all odds…</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A girl fights for her life against a malignant, generations-old evil…</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A peri seeks to reclaim her lost powers…</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A warrior rebels against her foretold destiny…</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>From chudails and peris to jinn and goddesses, this lush collection of South Asian folklore, legends, and epics reimagines stories of old for a modern audience. This fantasy and science fiction teen anthology edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra contains a wide range of stories from fourteen bestselling, award-winning, and emerging writers from the South Asian diaspora that will surprise, delight, and move you. So read on, for after all, magic has no borders.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1CQzwrScgjB4FiIweV_AtKhLFci7GeYYFEdQ9sKFr_FYJTgXfbctxuXK6q0xHZxm9MSdhyYUjbUmY1Fyeg5tDPrZDAHT37CGPpDBYP68_Bx16c9uQyHBVyypoEShW3YL_f8_NGkj_bi46Fgbkcw6XvpDmrTkjh6cGAfkqWodiT7nRJP-h85VzPT16nw0B" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1CQzwrScgjB4FiIweV_AtKhLFci7GeYYFEdQ9sKFr_FYJTgXfbctxuXK6q0xHZxm9MSdhyYUjbUmY1Fyeg5tDPrZDAHT37CGPpDBYP68_Bx16c9uQyHBVyypoEShW3YL_f8_NGkj_bi46Fgbkcw6XvpDmrTkjh6cGAfkqWodiT7nRJP-h85VzPT16nw0B=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyone who knows me, knows that I am sucker for any book involving mythology. I don't know much about South Asian myth so this anthology interested me immediately and I really enjoyed discovering these legends. I was excited to read more from some of my previously read authors, and to find lots of new ones.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There were some stories which I really enjoyed, </span><i>Kiss Me Goodbye</i> and <i>Dismantle the Sun</i> were two of my favourites. <i>Infinite Drift</i> and <i>Mirch, Masala and Magic</i> both had me in tears! However there were a couple of the stories which had so many unknown words that I didn't understand half of what was happening.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">To make this delicious Without Borders cocktail, shake the following ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe glass. 30ml calvados, 20ml Benedictine, 20ml maraschino, 20ml lime juice and half a pinch of salt.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaODfzDm4lCaE4OvOEH2EyluYmLehev9bG1qQok5-JaGBUc3w0041S28pVW5jWevD4zB2pVJfF2ibv14yt53p61VhlGK50_9Ao4nd9-o9idlh5jkLS2YmrRbVHmqBCCvZRWWJNL9iw-z2kMtuY_QHv6BiSuFiwVLRRXy8gcvYuVfi4O0jre49g3W7AKYld" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaODfzDm4lCaE4OvOEH2EyluYmLehev9bG1qQok5-JaGBUc3w0041S28pVW5jWevD4zB2pVJfF2ibv14yt53p61VhlGK50_9Ao4nd9-o9idlh5jkLS2YmrRbVHmqBCCvZRWWJNL9iw-z2kMtuY_QHv6BiSuFiwVLRRXy8gcvYuVfi4O0jre49g3W7AKYld=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-64182905374885115122023-07-21T17:37:00.000+01:002023-07-21T17:37:25.382+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">The Lonely Tiger by Terenia Edwards<br />Illustrated by Severus Lian</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifyhOXhdwGPLgfUWsBwQ0-psgk-qKfXOofyiy-J0wlILfH3NHzMMX027Cdz4_ig2wezpXn4GtPkZa_por6wnR1FOeMM7Do0nff1B9w9Z92gO7WmGsRIYGHjPVmJS3Jn-zZvwQI8juyXMT3p0AqVNAkZksb9KoQjVRO3O7d-EOykc_p_a-f5efxX6cxIEcT" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifyhOXhdwGPLgfUWsBwQ0-psgk-qKfXOofyiy-J0wlILfH3NHzMMX027Cdz4_ig2wezpXn4GtPkZa_por6wnR1FOeMM7Do0nff1B9w9Z92gO7WmGsRIYGHjPVmJS3Jn-zZvwQI8juyXMT3p0AqVNAkZksb9KoQjVRO3O7d-EOykc_p_a-f5efxX6cxIEcT=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>It can get lonely… being one-of-a-kind! Tiger loves to party, but he hates being alone. It’s up to his friends to show Tiger that being on your own isn’t so bad. The Lonely Tiger follows Monkey, Bird, Elephant and Frog on a quest to help himself. It’s about loneliness, friendship and discovering who we really are through the eyes of the people who love us the most. This picture book is beautifully illustrated by Severus Lian and can be enjoyed as an introduction to reading alone or as a theatrical journey performed by grown-ups at bedtime!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmiEaluT-PU_s8yIGI-0EL0vVppfyITfCga0hU3P4z_KzBP6apyCptXfB-PlAc-ram25fwY9rSwfzFezQoTkz97PMcLTDu3L8aCTq0gl5udCL-0tIWOoRwx_mgZxbKnCd42UgqKgbK5686nV7FKhs6DGXZ-lFh4VsKzm4fz4tBaDZunEMlrJSDCYx2OXLa" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmiEaluT-PU_s8yIGI-0EL0vVppfyITfCga0hU3P4z_KzBP6apyCptXfB-PlAc-ram25fwY9rSwfzFezQoTkz97PMcLTDu3L8aCTq0gl5udCL-0tIWOoRwx_mgZxbKnCd42UgqKgbK5686nV7FKhs6DGXZ-lFh4VsKzm4fz4tBaDZunEMlrJSDCYx2OXLa=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes it's so hard to see (and believe) what others see in you. This is a really sweet story about accepting yourself and recognising your worth to others. The illustrations are adorable and I loved the expressions on the animals' faces. The way they rally round to help Tiger really shows their friendship and how much they care, it's so heart-warming.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH-cZ1MW45lg-GwUwoXO-gRthItUiz1KtAv7lPYKbTrFnuYeM4GS3OqjO4pdAZrRJC9PElTkNvSkUcva11OW6Z1w_sy9cx43hWVrzk9bgQJXEz982fGHdMD5mWWAF605ElstvnYi8e3eOhB7wwbauD8_a8CgIrpxy_CsyhaJ_6x2x-zjy3BkDsgXJdDqhz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2598" data-original-width="2598" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH-cZ1MW45lg-GwUwoXO-gRthItUiz1KtAv7lPYKbTrFnuYeM4GS3OqjO4pdAZrRJC9PElTkNvSkUcva11OW6Z1w_sy9cx43hWVrzk9bgQJXEz982fGHdMD5mWWAF605ElstvnYi8e3eOhB7wwbauD8_a8CgIrpxy_CsyhaJ_6x2x-zjy3BkDsgXJdDqhz=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm sure your little ones will be asking you to read this to them over and over so you'll probably need something refreshing when you're done! To make an Easy Tiger cocktail, muddle 2 small slices of ginger in a shaker. Add a teaspoon of honey and 60ml of tequila and stir to disolve the honey. Then add 30ml lime juice and lots of ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. I think this is one of my new favourites!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBVjMIWLd5s81IXaYm668gBjB2UHseF8UIGZeBuzrhbXPh8sE8H3TgYxnUOp0y2-A3ArM_wsLikFQmCdgUvLZfEBhL5bFlC-etO4TDVawmFl6_JkAtB6jONMpF83Znh4hRIaGNT1ezEC7HT7sNII6iNIyodXo6ogWkcdLIYgOD1QySZI0D3wkw-bmrFNzj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBVjMIWLd5s81IXaYm668gBjB2UHseF8UIGZeBuzrhbXPh8sE8H3TgYxnUOp0y2-A3ArM_wsLikFQmCdgUvLZfEBhL5bFlC-etO4TDVawmFl6_JkAtB6jONMpF83Znh4hRIaGNT1ezEC7HT7sNII6iNIyodXo6ogWkcdLIYgOD1QySZI0D3wkw-bmrFNzj=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-85305274583498810462023-06-30T12:32:00.001+01:002023-06-30T12:32:58.800+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoUCwtjMJSfcaErVY2Lgm-_II9oS3caKevAdtPojd9XTx-uWHeMYB2qHye5Ct5iUB5uMLgqc2G4aKfqbizQf2HTP292fczgR1O80MFVTIMUvlc_AfftVZDk6tRwrZMEq8qkl6S61Oi5t6Co1TaQIAE5wOTmL1S5FS7tCTZQxH3Yq1W6WrzxLH3cOuW3hv/s3331/Salt%20Grows%20Heavy%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3331" data-original-width="3331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoUCwtjMJSfcaErVY2Lgm-_II9oS3caKevAdtPojd9XTx-uWHeMYB2qHye5Ct5iUB5uMLgqc2G4aKfqbizQf2HTP292fczgR1O80MFVTIMUvlc_AfftVZDk6tRwrZMEq8qkl6S61Oi5t6Co1TaQIAE5wOTmL1S5FS7tCTZQxH3Yq1W6WrzxLH3cOuW3hv/w400-h400/Salt%20Grows%20Heavy%20cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Myths are full of lies. This is not one of them.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Fleeing the downfall of an empire, a mermaid and her plague doctor companion escape in the eerie shadows of a wintery forest.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Amongst the bark and snow they are drawn into ancient games for ageless children - a murderous hunt of blood and sacrifice - deep in the wood, where three who call themselves 'saints' rule over them all like gods.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Trapped in a feverish nightmare of masked monsters, stitches and surgeons, and needle teeth, the mermaid must embrace all of her cruelty and hungers to free the children.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This book was disturbing from the start. It throws you in to the middle of the story, which is a bit disconcerting at first, however you soon realise that what happened before doesn't really matter too much for this current narrative.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm not sure I can say I exactly enjoyed the whole thing, but I was drawn in and intrigued. I wanted to know what would happen to the mermaid and the plague doctor, and if they would save the children from those awful 'saints'. As a novella, I think it was the perfect length for me. Very vivid and sometimes grisly, a little too florid for my usual taste, but the main characters were fascinating and I couldn't help liking them despite the violence in everything they do. It was somehow relaxing to have a main character that truly doesn't care much about anything (at least at the start) and is untroubled with that without any pretence. Definitely recommend for fans of gothic, gruesome horror.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArHI8j5jxhEecsXscNF5_OfiE9yzDKIN8paFnEseLyHUPnuQOQILiyEUOuFD5eD0nroc5PUskM8GKwtstv1eSIY1jXFhowasLagGgCx9U1Q9VQ2QQmZ_drNGkH4FR8uS7KwVL9-gmXzDyWUlbREPm3He9A4CuN9MqYoRpLeVr5wf8skb7mYQquxE-2g0k/s3456/Salt%20Grows%20Heavy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArHI8j5jxhEecsXscNF5_OfiE9yzDKIN8paFnEseLyHUPnuQOQILiyEUOuFD5eD0nroc5PUskM8GKwtstv1eSIY1jXFhowasLagGgCx9U1Q9VQ2QQmZ_drNGkH4FR8uS7KwVL9-gmXzDyWUlbREPm3He9A4CuN9MqYoRpLeVr5wf8skb7mYQquxE-2g0k/w400-h400/Salt%20Grows%20Heavy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've created a spicy, salty adaptation of a classic cocktail. For the Bloody Mermaid you need the following: 60ml vodka, 120ml tomato juice, 8 drops hot sauce, 4 dashes worcester sauce, a few grinds of fresh black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt, 1/4 teaspoon salt, flakes of roasted seaweed.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rim a tall glass with celery salt and seaweed. Put the rest of the salt and seaweed along with everything else in a shaker with ice and shake or stir, then pour into the glass with more ice. Garnish with a celery stick.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGBtm-UrVsgT1ssSwLYCCfPfyWjMCBhIGZcQJ_AbmDD4i5FGkXOSH61YLEhzCqHGyGFYvERRisvP1SuwyEmVz9SEjDuV8ZOkRGOVuYEB5WLIJkmXQn0gSUiXDnOmuwYWQPylOLcm9tk6LnRuQtyTBA8iFk1f61Fqthi4q25kHEqfKyg8N-48r2H9y9ddn/s3456/Bloody%20Mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGBtm-UrVsgT1ssSwLYCCfPfyWjMCBhIGZcQJ_AbmDD4i5FGkXOSH61YLEhzCqHGyGFYvERRisvP1SuwyEmVz9SEjDuV8ZOkRGOVuYEB5WLIJkmXQn0gSUiXDnOmuwYWQPylOLcm9tk6LnRuQtyTBA8iFk1f61Fqthi4q25kHEqfKyg8N-48r2H9y9ddn/w400-h400/Bloody%20Mermaid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-49446221192058544202023-06-24T13:39:00.004+01:002023-06-24T13:40:46.069+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">Mr Stoker and the Vampires of the Lyceum</h1><h1 style="text-align: center;">by Matthew Gibson</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today I'm taking part in the blog tour for this intriguing book. I have an extract to share with you all which definitely piqued my interest! First here's a bit about the book and then you can get stuck in. And make sure you don't forget the cocktail at the end 🍸</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1UA4VMi70lfJ4Rqcw-oWHaAVeNyCmHollVkEvrUJh8VSYaRxdVDNZoicPnoVE8brb-TKyHcvPowWN2cbuAkJMp39QYFH4s-6fbNNxwbXRFkem-JYbwNtVEHoAdp4VEj6dkVFGMeuIKm11DZ49WBVJxweTKpvvlDIRnbxrzmNQiBbvLiXctAVmhVsHu47s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1UA4VMi70lfJ4Rqcw-oWHaAVeNyCmHollVkEvrUJh8VSYaRxdVDNZoicPnoVE8brb-TKyHcvPowWN2cbuAkJMp39QYFH4s-6fbNNxwbXRFkem-JYbwNtVEHoAdp4VEj6dkVFGMeuIKm11DZ49WBVJxweTKpvvlDIRnbxrzmNQiBbvLiXctAVmhVsHu47s=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>London, September 1888. Jack the Ripper roams the streets. A scream rings out from beneath the stage of the Lyceum Theatre…</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A young ‘actress’ has been attacked, suffering peculiar bite wounds to her neck; an event that announces a series of strange, vampiric happenings, and thrusts an unwitting Bram Stoker – acting manager of the Lyceum and aspiring author – into the limelight, and the action.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Perplexed hereon by the unsettling behaviour of ‘the Guv’nor’, the brilliant but mercurial actor, Henry Irving, and Irving’s acclaimed leading lady, Ellen Terry, Stoker soon starts suspecting the worst. And then, another attack reveals a vicious Prussian baron, returned to London as a vampire seeking revenge…</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Alive with Gothic intrigue, reversal and surprise, Mr Stoker will keep the reader enthralled and confounded until its final, shocking scene – indeed, until its very last word.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Extract</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘Bram, there was one more thing I wanted to ask you.’ Stoker felt a stab of fear: would his brother return to questioning him about his trip to the druggist?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">He looked at George, and then, with as much calm as he could muster, replied, ‘Please, by all means, little brother.’</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘Well, it’s maybe more to ask your advice about something – and I’m sorry, but it’s a bit of a long story.’</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘Go on,’ replied Stoker, signalling that they should both sit back down.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘Well, a very odd thing happened to me some few days ago – Thursday before last, in fact. It was about eight o’clock in the evening, and already dark. The surgery was closed, and I was on the ground floor, checking stock; not something I normally do myself, but my nurse and assistant surgeon had both gone home and, to be frank, it doesn’t hurt if I attend to these things myself occasionally.’</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘I should imagine not,’ replied Stoker, relieved to hear that his own activities were to escape George’s further investigations.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘I heard a rustling sound, like the feet of a small animal, so looked up to see whether some cat or rat were there. Then, from behind me, I heard a cough, making me nearly jump out of my skin. I turned round to see a man. He was immensely tall, with a full head of hair – completely grey – and a pale, lined face with an aquiline nose. He was wearing what looked like some form of evening dress under a black cape. “How the devil did you get in?” I spluttered, and he replied, quite coolly, “Please, Dr Stoker, don’t be angry. Your door was unlocked, and so I came in.” While his English was excellent, he was not, I thought, a native Englishman, as his accent and intonation were clearly Slavic; I could tell that from my time as a surgeon in the army – when I was stationed in Danzig. “Well, you must leave immediately!” I shouted. The man did not budge, however, and just looked at me mockingly. I went to move him on, but he gripped me with prodigious strength and held me as I stood. “Please, Dr Stoker,” he repeated, “I have only come for one of your famous vapour pipes. I will gladly pay you for it.” And then, with his free hand, he removed some gold sovereigns from his trouser pocket and let them fall onto the floor. I looked into his black eyes, curiously restless and mobile, and wondered what he would do next. And then he let go of me, as suddenly as he had taken hold of me, so I walked briskly to the cabinet behind my desk where I keep a few of my vapour contraptions. Once there, I heard the clank of metal and turned to see the man prising open the locked medical chest where I keep my phials of blood.’</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘Phials of blood?’ queried Stoker with some astonishment.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘That’s right,’ replied George, ‘blood.’</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">To make a Cold Blooded cocktail, muddle some rosemary in the base of a shaker, add 45ml Grand Marnier, 60ml cranberry juice, 15ml lemon juice and 15ml sugar syrup and ice. Shake well then strain into an ice filled rocks glass and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAOU4rr_gdux7ncvnYBuKAop45ui0GupWz3B1b1YaqGuifC9mhtgzBTjcZbGIPaW5e2Aou4-iWFHfoDpzeA3wn0huF92JuHcyncbmBR-8VTeSUkpkWApEYxcCnXwPczANGliJJCNVPVjZjUjh2vpsqzWKAfNW3-ivhMaoRt5nz48nUbJkakjIryG95y327" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAOU4rr_gdux7ncvnYBuKAop45ui0GupWz3B1b1YaqGuifC9mhtgzBTjcZbGIPaW5e2Aou4-iWFHfoDpzeA3wn0huF92JuHcyncbmBR-8VTeSUkpkWApEYxcCnXwPczANGliJJCNVPVjZjUjh2vpsqzWKAfNW3-ivhMaoRt5nz48nUbJkakjIryG95y327=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-5674552142414957132023-06-21T13:21:00.003+01:002023-06-21T13:25:55.891+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;"> Spotlight on...<br />Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiFszi8uszkv7gnGXsmmnWfVRhPfBGkovGuFGbEyNyW0K3ewsDn5rkaPDbghRnv7IdBcVKWPRAkVkCP__H0-iXYIGgeD2qpgvJLuapRvGlHqIF919wzLV3_hAtTyw8m4uysqZDnRc6YRKhiFujAvEhqhoXsxYI2LxxDluEh1MpkEJ7m1ILw3yZAFFOmrlO" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiFszi8uszkv7gnGXsmmnWfVRhPfBGkovGuFGbEyNyW0K3ewsDn5rkaPDbghRnv7IdBcVKWPRAkVkCP__H0-iXYIGgeD2qpgvJLuapRvGlHqIF919wzLV3_hAtTyw8m4uysqZDnRc6YRKhiFujAvEhqhoXsxYI2LxxDluEh1MpkEJ7m1ILw3yZAFFOmrlO=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">Today's spotlight is on the </span><span style="background-color: #01ffff; color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"><i><u>winner</u></i></span><span style="font-size: large;"> of BBNYA 2022. Find it on Goodreads </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58528367-toby-and-the-silver-blood-witches" target="_blank">here</a><span>. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official </span><a href="https://www.bbnya.com/" target="_blank">website</a><span> or </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bbnya_official" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span>. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the </span><a href="https://twitter.com/foliosociety" target="_blank">@Foliosociety</a><span> (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group </span><a href="https://twitter.com/The_WriteReads" target="_blank">@The_WriteReads</a><span>.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIHYMhP4BZ5XzW-RI_8jSpQxH1N5lgmjYEMt4MSOlxbSrzGbyXKkmFfdvntluPA5CEAUctoZo_zUuzK9dxsAaYknyeLbdsSOyqI8us0UQjXgIGxT1-2s0f_Fqme0KKD19M5NDcoNxN_9pOEu9rKpINuU9DE_eyAdAkwuZax2sCM47n3SjZDSl643hRpCfB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2337" data-original-width="1520" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIHYMhP4BZ5XzW-RI_8jSpQxH1N5lgmjYEMt4MSOlxbSrzGbyXKkmFfdvntluPA5CEAUctoZo_zUuzK9dxsAaYknyeLbdsSOyqI8us0UQjXgIGxT1-2s0f_Fqme0KKD19M5NDcoNxN_9pOEu9rKpINuU9DE_eyAdAkwuZax2sCM47n3SjZDSl643hRpCfB=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Summary</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">A sinister plot. A hidden city in the sky. A boy with an impossible choice.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Twelve year old Toby has little time for friends or football since his mum fell ill. All he wants is to stay at home and keep an eye on her.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">But mysterious things are happening beyond his garden hedge. Who is the figure at the window behind the barbed wire fence? And why is there a strange woman in his attic with a broken broom and bothersome pet bat?</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Toby becomes entangled in an adventure of flying dogs, sparking hiccups and dangerous escapes. An innocent, young witch has been captured by a secretive organisation which will stop at nothing to find out how magic works. Toby must rescue her and time is running out.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhC-R1f2tyv8pnV4xfoVSxeXnek27zeWdJl6XDuhP4fz3bv5_ZdMuQhf4RPX-t6LJVT9PmBaKd6bs6SGfEsj2pAhdxk2WeTV_kfTBFHcofB6sbLpW48mQPu6QVHJcdHMzIyKJseEhCBvQHwEZ5UlSkar9Opvf5dGaixj8WSy1DUcLQJBZhx0pLAHDZwEdVA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2745" data-original-width="2197" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhC-R1f2tyv8pnV4xfoVSxeXnek27zeWdJl6XDuhP4fz3bv5_ZdMuQhf4RPX-t6LJVT9PmBaKd6bs6SGfEsj2pAhdxk2WeTV_kfTBFHcofB6sbLpW48mQPu6QVHJcdHMzIyKJseEhCBvQHwEZ5UlSkar9Opvf5dGaixj8WSy1DUcLQJBZhx0pLAHDZwEdVA=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sally Doherty lives in leafy Surrey with her husband and three-legged (but speedy) rescue dog. After studying French and German at university, she worked for a year in London before unexpectedly falling ill with M.E. Being stuck at home and often in bed for sixteen years, however, has lit a cauldron of stories bubbling inside her imagination.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sally’s debut book and the first in a trilogy, TOBY AND THE SILVER BLOOD WITCHES, was a finalist for The Wishing Shelf Awards 2021 and shortlisted for both The Selfies and The Rubery Book Awards 2022.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Find her website and newsletter: <a href="http://www.sallydohertyauthor.com" target="_blank">www.sallydohertyauthor.com</a> here, also on <a href="https://twitter.com/Sally_writes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sallydohertywrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sallydohertywrites" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-52325268414994574042023-06-13T17:26:00.002+01:002023-06-13T17:26:33.511+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;">The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder by Kereen Getten</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhboVwoETvttbz8-wGsZeXzen3F-FTZmsuIXq22AxD0csNf1F-78vb6IGHWuydIj-f_pjUXhNVPKRwFBSOQJX-gAOl0T11ZkPLBNrng25gHDNLwy2rytaS2b3HhL0oZxAs-YkxdJ-5nDOibsvCpD3oXPoVsAcuEVK12454YIPAdhTX7ZA63sc8wOkoeYA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhboVwoETvttbz8-wGsZeXzen3F-FTZmsuIXq22AxD0csNf1F-78vb6IGHWuydIj-f_pjUXhNVPKRwFBSOQJX-gAOl0T11ZkPLBNrng25gHDNLwy2rytaS2b3HhL0oZxAs-YkxdJ-5nDOibsvCpD3oXPoVsAcuEVK12454YIPAdhTX7ZA63sc8wOkoeYA=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Fayson has always wanted to be a detective. When her cousins recruit her to their top-secret gang on the island one summer, her dreams seem to be coming true. But the Greatest Gang of All Time don't live up to their name, and keep getting distracted from missions by things like food, falling asleep and a fair bit of squabbling!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Guided by her favourite mystery novels, Fayson takes charge and tries to track down clues about the strange shadow that has been appearing in the island's lighthouse. With tensions stirring within the gang, can she use all her smarts to solve the case?</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHXSMVHfdVHuhXgGgNY2ySKV1LLeun1_wvJxTHP48OnN8jhDqV_ZbhMGShJWev0f7V9dQyNw-dKFQCu0YyWKVpsS3GGpiv6jCF_P5NpWjjvEI5C7NhFF0AfrebZuXRhRZIUGD231mgr0289gVTvriWqY-7XIQbWoQQpfu_6Vuacc4A3hT1ghclmBadzA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHXSMVHfdVHuhXgGgNY2ySKV1LLeun1_wvJxTHP48OnN8jhDqV_ZbhMGShJWev0f7V9dQyNw-dKFQCu0YyWKVpsS3GGpiv6jCF_P5NpWjjvEI5C7NhFF0AfrebZuXRhRZIUGD231mgr0289gVTvriWqY-7XIQbWoQQpfu_6Vuacc4A3hT1ghclmBadzA=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As far as Fayson is concerned, she has loads of friends! All the characters in her favourite books are real enough to her, but her mother doesn't agree and sends her off for a holiday with the dreaded cousins. There she finally gets a real mystery to solve, just like in her favourite books.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was really fun to read and there was lots of humour in the book. I was excited to get to the bit with lemon drops (a few arrived with my copy of the book... apparently I'm very easy to bribe!) and I loved the description of broccoli as a tiny tree.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was interesting to read the group dynamics of the kids on the island, and Fayson having to learn to deal with all the different personalities. People aren't all as she expects them to be, and I expect there will be more developments in the future books in the series.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've made an Island Breeze to sip on while imagining myself on Lighthouse Island in Jamaica. Shake the following ingredients with ice, 60ml coconut rum, 75ml cranberry juice and 45ml pink grapefruit juice. Strain into a tall, ice filled glass. Lovely and refreshing!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcGJk8bFJTkBL4_OxtBZwSprG2f4aldLWnK9-L5OxCaCCU4FK7e35nflZHC04mGiGdZYzeCsRl3lPE-DWNTBHE_zHYHLupCqjapSc8bI5aat7UX5MW60lKx_ZLnvgTaMlwBkWdhtxwA7xiCnlhxuAScHRgsfF7yCzbhzvc9fw6kRSZ1owJeWZq1vj-qA"><img alt="" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcGJk8bFJTkBL4_OxtBZwSprG2f4aldLWnK9-L5OxCaCCU4FK7e35nflZHC04mGiGdZYzeCsRl3lPE-DWNTBHE_zHYHLupCqjapSc8bI5aat7UX5MW60lKx_ZLnvgTaMlwBkWdhtxwA7xiCnlhxuAScHRgsfF7yCzbhzvc9fw6kRSZ1owJeWZq1vj-qA=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867374058130545690.post-25223792781301239472023-06-07T12:03:00.000+01:002023-06-07T12:03:59.021+01:00<h1 style="text-align: center;"> Spotlight on...<br />Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams by Victoria Williamson</h1><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS_kqKU7wP6jQ8dfDmxiiY7-yMx-_EgxNjpXxjtNUixuxGTDlByhy_q0-Kb-daRLDadDANrpUCtkJioWmPq09xPsMNO3IoP3zANCGgWaWBdq5_qP4pbp3as2PXnHQpZJYpPYkCRKsjFxti2MABCIoYAt7nSRmvcj0RE7jBBvbNUqpmMTyVg74eyWP7_w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS_kqKU7wP6jQ8dfDmxiiY7-yMx-_EgxNjpXxjtNUixuxGTDlByhy_q0-Kb-daRLDadDANrpUCtkJioWmPq09xPsMNO3IoP3zANCGgWaWBdq5_qP4pbp3as2PXnHQpZJYpPYkCRKsjFxti2MABCIoYAt7nSRmvcj0RE7jBBvbNUqpmMTyVg74eyWP7_w=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today's spotlight is on a truly magical sounding book which was released just last month. And the cover is so beautifully dreamy too, I'm so looking forward to reading it! Find it on Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75736825-the-pawnshop-of-stolen-dreams?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=AhSIANr94n&rank=6" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3WcL7CIHjhN3b1CesVOhMdQC7khVOgoLOrwE3VY0GWDH9LDsaxUGrIkIDQTwNXwQnHBUGN9t7HSUxeV6Co6gSOvLV9jV-VMqCFDxN-zGg3F0iRVoa6v9O_yO2AZXzpWQs2NE3Q_-ul-pmpmVELuh07gTQHPLhZIbRTf_zUGn2M8IQ1WbWoZo4u1TXlw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3WcL7CIHjhN3b1CesVOhMdQC7khVOgoLOrwE3VY0GWDH9LDsaxUGrIkIDQTwNXwQnHBUGN9t7HSUxeV6Co6gSOvLV9jV-VMqCFDxN-zGg3F0iRVoa6v9O_yO2AZXzpWQs2NE3Q_-ul-pmpmVELuh07gTQHPLhZIbRTf_zUGn2M8IQ1WbWoZo4u1TXlw=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Book Summary</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In a strange little village called Witchetty Hollow, eleven-year-old Florizel is the first to run into the curious visitors who've come to open a brand new Daydream Delicatessen and sack-baby factory.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>At first, it seems the daydream confection and cheap sack children are the best things that could have happened to the poor folk of the Hollow - after all, who has the money to rent their child from Storkhouse Services these days? But after a few weeks, Florizel starts to notice something odd happening to the adults of the town. First, they seem dreamy, then they lose all interest in their jobs and families. Soon they're trading all their worldly goods in the newly-opened Pawnshop for money to buy daydreams. With no money for rent payments, the children of Witchetty Hollow are being reclaimed by Storkhouse Services at an alarming rate. Florizel needs to act.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpGY8jA_oX__mK8R6xUns-I2NFU2knfdOgYotCt-fSoVuHIILLWB0MOURLDFPXhwgk8Pp2GC_cLCVtlNzkIdWqj9Hl5A7d6azK_1lNh3uLPTmBW4G0e2wvx1-WDcqQar53HBDruylxu09RBVe1jUIHKgFfpqkkI3PSRGw051TfjF55DSTp_QkMNiH5AQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="150" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpGY8jA_oX__mK8R6xUns-I2NFU2knfdOgYotCt-fSoVuHIILLWB0MOURLDFPXhwgk8Pp2GC_cLCVtlNzkIdWqj9Hl5A7d6azK_1lNh3uLPTmBW4G0e2wvx1-WDcqQar53HBDruylxu09RBVe1jUIHKgFfpqkkI3PSRGw051TfjF55DSTp_QkMNiH5AQ=w200-h400" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Bio</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Victoria Williamson grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, and has worked as an educator in a number of different countries, including as an English teacher in China, a secondary science teacher in Cameroon, and a teacher trainer in Malawi.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As well as degrees in Physics and Mandarin Chinese, she has completed a Masters degree in Special Needs in Education. In the UK she works as a primary school special needs teacher, working with children with a range of additional support needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, physical disabilities and behavioural problems.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">She is currently working as a full time writer of Middle Grade and YA contemporary fiction, science fiction and fantasy, with a focus on creating diverse characters reflecting the many cultural backgrounds and special needs of the children she has worked with, and building inclusive worlds where all children can see a reflection of themselves in heroic roles.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Victoria’s experiences teaching young children in a school with many families seeking asylum inspired her debut novel, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, an uplifting tale of redemption and unlikely friendship between Glaswegian bully Caylin and Syrian refugee Reema.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Twenty percent of her author royalties for The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle are donated to the Scottish Refugee Council.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can find out more about Victoria's books, school visits and upcoming events on her website: <a href="https://strangelymagical.com/" target="_blank">strangelymagical.com</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Booktailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04079842513510489874noreply@blogger.com0