Hello!
I hope everyone is doing well. We are in Lockdown number 3 so I thought today’s quote would be one attached to a cute picture of our cat Lyra. Lyra has taken to squeezing between my husband and myself on the sofa and finds this her absolute favourite spot at the moment so I have gone for a related quote.
Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.
James Herriot
Happy reading and stay safe.
Hello!
I have decided to give myself a new reading challenge for 2021 and because it is not one that dictates what books I should read I believe it is a very likely challenge that I could complete in a year.
So what is the challenge I hear you ask?
Well my challenge is to read my height in books. I am 5 foot 7 inches so it is rather a big challenge but I also have some very big books I have to read on my TBR pile so hopefully I will manage it.
When I do my monthly wrap up I will also update on the height of the books and the total so far. I really hope I manage this challenge as I am quite excited about it.
Please let me know if you are doing the same challenge or another weird and wacky challenge.
Happy Reading
Goodreads Monday is hosted by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
Time for my first Goodreads Monday of 2021. First, I will be honest my TBR pile is huge so it is always a tricky decision which book to choose. I’ve seen some fab reviews of my chosen book so I definitely plan on reading it this year.
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed–again. She’s been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden’s only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle’s murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend–but nothing and no one are quite what they seem.
Deeply atmospheric and ingeniously plotted, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a highly original debut that will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson and Agatha Christie.
Also titled as The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.
Now I will be honest I am not keen on TV programmes or films that do the whole repeating time thing, so I will wait and see whether I will enjoy reading something with the same storyline.
So that is my Goodreads Monday. Please drop me a comment if you have also taken part in Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading.
Happy Sunday.
I hope everyone’s 2021 has got off to a good start. I am reading two books that I absolutely love and can’t put down which is always good.
So here are my posts from this week.
Currently Reading
Love these two books so much. Dissolution is my buddy read so I am holding back from blitzing it which I could easily do as I am enjoying so much. Leviathan Wakes is excellent and I think I will be reading the next in the series straight away and I hope it will be as good.
Books Acquired
No new books this week as I am restraining myself and trying to reduce my TBR pile slightly. I do plan on doing some preordering though as I always like a surprise book in the post occassionally.
I hope everyone has had a good week.
Happy reading and stay safe.
Hello!
I will be honest I keep forgetting it is Friday, so it is lucky I have remembered the Friday poetry post. On Sunday the limbo will end because it is all back to work and the break is sadly over but this does mean I will know what day of the week it is.
My chosen poem this week is one by Jackie Kay and I have chosen it as I think it is perfect for New Year.
Promise Remember, the time of year when the future appears like a blank sheet of paper a clean calendar, a new chance. On thick white snow You vow fresh footprints then watch them go with the wind’s hearty gust. Fill your glass. Here’s tae us. Promises made to be broken, made to last. Jackie Kay
Happy Reading!
Well 2020 has gone so it is time to look back and see how it went.
Firstly, I would like to say a massive thank you to all my followers for supporting my blog and encouraging me. I would also like to say a massive thank you to all my fellow bloggers for writing such fantastic posts that have kept me entertained through 2020 and have also made me buy and read some books that I would have never thought of reading.
I read 71 books in 2020 and was really pleased with that result as I had a reading slump in January and February that made a dent in my reading time so I was concerned I would not reach my reading goal. Lockdown 1 and 2 helped because it gave me more time to read – about the only bonus of the lockdowns.
I also discovered that I think my favourite genre is now historical fiction, it was always fantasy and sci-fi but I think historical fiction has taken over. I still love fantasy and sci-fi though and the first two books I am reading in 2021 are from the genres historical fiction and sci-fi so I am having a nice balance.
I read 18,043 pages in 2020 so I obviously read longer books than 2019 as I only read 15,902.
The longest book I read was Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen by Alison Weir at 624 pages.
The shortest book I read was Letters from Fairyland by Charles Van Sandwyk at 24 pages.
My average book length was 254 pages.
I haven’t actually got a favourite book of 2020 but I have a favourite series instead and that is the Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir. I love this series and I can’t wait for the last book in the series and will definitely be reading more books by Alison Weir.
Sadly, my Waterstones Challenge has had to be put on hold because I am shielding as much as possible due to Covid and underlying health issues.
So I think that is about a wrap of my 2020. I have some great plans for the blog in 2021 and can’t wait to get reading and blogging.
Happy Reading!
Happy New Year!
I hope 2021 is a better year but to be honest I can’t see that it will dramatically change straight away. However, I still plan on having a good reading and blogging year.
My reading goals for 2021 are as follows…
So there are my Reading Goals for 2021. Hopefully, I will get to tick them off as I don’t think they are too strict, after all I am a mood reader and reading should always be fun and not restrictive.
Please drop me a comment with your 2021 reading goals.
Happy Reading!
Hello!
I need to do my 2020 Wrap Up but I thought I would get my December Wrap Up complete first. I think December has been my best reading month this year. I have absolutely loved all the books I have been getting through and have really felt like I am back on track with my reading.
So here are my December statistics
I must admit I was very shocked that I had managed to read 12 books. However, some were quite short though I will be honest.
So here are the books…
Now this one should have been on the November Wrap Up but I finished this right after I had scheduled the post so it can go on this post instead.
Pages: 460
Format Read: Paperback
Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲
Pages: 416
Format Read: Paperback
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Pages: 64
Format Read: Hardback
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Pages: 208
Format Read: Paperback
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Pages: 246
Format Read: Hardback
Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲
Pages: 248
Format Read: Hardback
Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲
Pages: 392
Format Read: Paperback
Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲
Pages: 319
Format Read: Hardback
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Pages: 256
Format Read: Hardback
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Pages: 20
Format Read: Hardback
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Pages: 96
Format Read: Hardback
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Pages: 128
Format Read: Hardback
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Pages: 24
Format Read: Hardback
Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲
There is my December! I hope everyone had a good December and got some reading done. Some books do not have reviews yet but I promise they are on the way.
Please drop me a comment if you want to chat about any of the books.
Happy Reading!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
Hello
I hope everyone is OK during this limbo period. I must admit I do love the period between Christmas and New Year. The limbo period involves left overs, chocolate, reading, wintry walks and just generally chilling.
So here is my last WWW Wednesday of 2020.
What I am Currently Reading
My husband and myself love watching The Expanse so I decided I would read the books in 2021 and have started early. So far I can’t put it down.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I finished The Nutcracker and have read two of my Christmas presents, Letters from Fairyland and How to See Fairies by Charles Van Sandwyk.
What I Think I will Read Next
I’m starting my buddy read Dissolution on the 1st January, I’m really excited about this book and to be reading it with my best friend. I will probably be reading another book at the same time and it will be one of these books.
Please drop me a comment if you want to chat about any of my books. Please drop me the link to your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading!
The Nutcracker by E. T. A Hoffmann, illustrated by Sanna Annukka Ltd
Blurb
Hoffmann’s classic Christmas fairy tale, immortalised by Tchaikovsky’s ballet, is brought to life by the gorgeous contemporary artwork of Finnish illustrator, Sanna Annuka.
On Christmas Eve, Fritz and Marie excitedly await the arrival of Godfather Drosselmeier and the marvellous gifts he brings for them every year. When Marie discovers a curious nutcracker doll among the presents, she suddenly finds herself caught up in an age-old battle before being transported to a magical world of sugar-frosted castles, chocolate kings, and true love.
Sanna Annukka is familiar to many from her collaborations with Marimekko. The Nutcracker is her third book project.
This cloth-bound edition combines the charm of Hoffmann’s original nineteenth-century tale with the freshness of Sanna Annuka’s gorgeous illustrations. A beautiful gift to give and receive.
Review
As most of you know by now I love the story of The Nutcracker and I read a new edition of it every year. The story for me will always have 5 out of 5 Dragons and thankfully this edition was not abridged so I could enjoy the story in full.
Over the past few years I have read some beautifully illustrated copies of this story and last year’s was a pop up book version, which although abridged really made me smile as the detail of the book was stunning. The illustrations in this year’s edition for me was rather a shock and not what I had expected but this year due to the pandemic I had had to order my copy rather than explore an actual book shop.
The illustrations in this book are bold and only use a limited range of colours but they work so well together and you can really see how Annukka is influenced by her love of printing and Finnish design. The only issues I had was that the illustration of the mouse king sadly did not have seven heads but just the one. You could clearly see it was the mouse king because it was a mouse with a crown but I did miss the seven heads. The other issue I had was that there was an awful lot of black used that made certain illustrations appear rather gloomy.
I really enjoyed reading this edition and I am glad I chose it because in a bookshop I might have overlooked it as the illustrations are not something I would usually choose. However, I really liked how different the illustrations were and how they expertly added to the story. As usual 5 out of 5 Dragons from me.
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Lady Book Dragon 