Book Fun!

The current lockdown has given me lots more time to play with my books, including arranging my shelves to fit more in, and of course, buying plenty more. This helps with missing all the fun book events and festivals I normally would have gone to. I have recently been seeing lots of lovely book things on twitter and thought I would have a go too!

Spine poetry is fun and a great way to be creative, even if you're not normally any good at writing poems. Here are some of mine:

    

Another really beautiful thing to make is a book rainbow:

  

And lastly a very special TBR rainbow with some of my most anticipated books!

Can you make any spine poetry out of some of your favourite books? Be sure to share your book rainbows!

The Foundling - Stacey Halls

Bess has no option but to leave baby Clara at The Foundling, a hospital where children are raised and looked after until their mothers can come back for them if their situations ever improve. After 6 years of saving money, Bess thinks she finally has enough to get her daughter back but when she goes to claim her, she's told that Clara has already been claimed!

How heartbreaking it must be to have to leave your baby somewhere, even if you believe that they will be better cared for there than you could ever do. It seems like Bess has such a hard life, though even she is better off than some of the others leaving their babies. It's wonderful how her father, Abe's, care for Bess is described even though he seems so gruff and untalkative. On the other hand, her brother Ned talks as if he cares but doesn't actually do anything to help her or the family. The two men are so opposite in their behaviours.

There are so many mysteries, I never could have imagined how this would be resolved, but it does have a wonderful ending.

I really loved listening to this audiobook. It is full of such wonderful descriptions and heartfelt emotions and the narration is great, really bringing the story to life.

I've slightly adapted a Lost & Found Cocktail to fit the ingredients I have at home. Shake the following ingredients with lots of ice: 2 shots of gin, 1 shot of apple sourz, a dash of sugar syrup and 6 dashes of angostura bitters. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice and top up with soda.

Lockdown Book Haul

I'm sitting here trying to come to terms with the fact that I've had two book deliveries to an office that is now closed... and also my library closed before I could pick up my reservation of Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon 😭😭😭 So I have decided that I need to focus on all the great books I actually have received recently instead!

First up is Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir which I was sent by Poppy at Pushkin Press, this one sounds really intriguing. Next, after seeing far too many good reviews and the gorgeous covers popping up all over the place, I had to order myself a copy of Potkin and Stubbs by Sophie Green, while I was online I also added Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez to the order. Then, an email to say A Small Fiction by James Mark Miller & Jefferson Miller had dropped in price made it irresistible.

Thankfully, I did manage to get a couple of library books earlier this month before they shut down. Spellhacker by M.K. England (another reservation) and Malamander by Thomas Taylor.

And of course there have been absolutely loads of ebook price reductions by publishers and authors this month. Here are some of my fantastic new Kindle books:

So, time to pick up a Quarantini to drown your sorrows and a book to escape them altogether! Have you read any of these books? What great bargains have you picked up since the lockdown?

5 Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes - Maurice Barkley

I love all things Sherlock so I jumped at the invitation to join this Write Reads blog tour. I've watched the series and films, listened to the audiobooks and been to a Sherlock Holmes themed escape room. I'm even wearing my 'I am SherLocked' t-shirt as I write this! Of course I was very excited find out there were some new stories. This new book is made up of Watson's accounts of five separate cases, testing Sherlock Holmes' famous talents of deduction and problem solving:

The Holborn Toy Shop - The two investigate a case of missing children.

The Legacy of Doctor Carus - They deal with some horrible siblings and an inheritance puzzle.

The Train from Plymouth - A train arrives three years late with no one aboard.

The Whitehall Papers - A convict escapes jail without a trace.

The Grosvenor Square Furniture Van - A murder victim is found next to an abandoned furniture van with no clues around.

I found that the books managed to capture the feel of the originals wonderfully. I enjoyed reading them and getting back into the enigmatic world of Sherlock Holmes. One line in particular really made me laugh:

"Good God, Holmes," Lestrade erupted, "sixty thousand pounds, you could buy half of Plymouth for that."

If only they could see how little that money would buy you now! 

Something that really makes me think of London in those times is the fog, and it definitely makes an appearance in the book! So while you're reading, the perfect drink to sip is a London Fog cocktail. In a short glass filled with ice, pour 1 shot gin, 1 shot chilled water and 1 shot pernod. Stir till the glass is chilled and the liquid is cloudy. Add more ice and garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Make sure you check out the other great blogs on the tour!

First Books

There's just something about getting into the first book of a new series. The anticipation of a new world and meeting new characters. The inevitable cliffhanger and resulting book hangover. The tears of frustration as you wait for book 2... 

yeah, maybe its not all good after all...

You might want to get a drink ready before you start any of these, especially if you're near the end! To make a 1st Part cocktail, stir the following with ice and strain into a wine glass: 1 1/3 shot rum, 1 2/3 shot dry white wine, 1/3 shot elderflower liqueur, 2 dashes absinthe.

Viper - Bex Hogan

Marianne is the daughter of the Viper, captain of The Maiden's Revenge and the King's most brutal and powerful defender. Trained by her father as if she was a son, but made to wear girlish dresses which frustrate her and make it difficult for her on board the ship. All her life she has prepared for becoming the next Viper, but suddenly she's been promised to the prince and expected to spy for her father.

I absolutely loved this book. I could hardly put it down and then couldn't wait for book 2, though I had no date for it yet.

Book 2 is Venom, release is in April this year!

Grace & Fury - Tracy Banghart

Serina and Nomi are sisters but their lives are planned in completely different directions. Since she was very young, Serina has been training to be a Grace. If chosen she will live in the palace with every luxury. Her sister's only option is to be her handmaid, but Nomi has a secret that could ruin everything.

What a horrible world to live in! Women have no power at all. Their choices, if they can be called that, are basically to train to be a Grace or work in a factory and marry and have babies. Even these aren't really choices as it is decided for them when they are young. It's even forbidden for girls to learn to read.

I really enjoyed the 1st half of the book, until it started to get a bit predictable and typical. But then it got VERY good again and I didn't want to put it down. I ordered book 2 right away!

Book 2 is Queen of Ruin

A Curse So Dark and Lonely - Brigid Kemmerer

I've read a few contemporary books by the author and really enjoyed her writing. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one as it is very different to her other books but I absolutely adored it! Brigid Kemmerer is such an amazing writer.

This is a wonderful and very distinctive Beauty and the Beast retelling. Harper accidentally ends up being transported to the parallel world of Emberfall. What she doesn't know is that Prince Rhen is cursed to turn into a monster which terrorises his kingdom and she has stumbled into his last chance to find love and break the curse.

Harper is a great protagonist, she's so fierce and determined. She reminds me a bit of Juliet from Letters to the Lost.

I don't know why I waited so long to read this but I'm kind of glad I did, otherwise I would have even longer to wait for the sequel. I pre-ordered it immediately!

Book 2 is A Heart So Fierce and Broken