Guess what?
I’ve been buying books again!
Only four books I promise.
Two of the books I got because I found them interesting and linked to my Masters and the other two are pretty and Christmas books so I just had to get them.
Here they are:-
Miss Marley by Vanessa Lafaye
A Literary Christmas: An Anthology
Ancient Rome by Virginia Campbell
Ancient Greece by David Michael Smith
I cannot wait to start reading them!
Happy Reading!
Hello everyone!
I have started to think of my Christmas reading list. I usually begin my Christmas reading on the 1st December but this year I am very tempted to begin earlier because usually I am so busy during the month of December. Also I just want to get into the Christmas spirit!
The first on the list is a book recommended to me by my best friend, who sent me a very excited text yesterday telling me I just had to read it.
The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller
The second book will be a new copy of The Nutcracker which as you know I read every year and every year I get a new edition, the prettier the better.
So let the planning and Christmas book buying commence. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Happy reading.
Happy November!
This poem is from The Devil’s Thoughts by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
From his brimstone bed at break of day
A walking the Devil is gone,
To visit his little snug farm the earth,
And see how his stock goes on.
Over the hill and over the dale,
And he went over the plain,
And backward and forward he switched his long tail
As a gentleman switches his cane.
And how then was the Devil drest?
Oh! he was in his Sunday’s best:
His jacket was red and his breeches were blue,
And there was a hole where the tail came through.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Happy reading.
Happy Halloween Everyone!
I hope you all have a nice spooky book to read and celebrate halloween with.
I have chosen a little poem to celebrate.
In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house,
and in that dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room,
and in that dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard,
and in that dark, dark cupboard there was a dark, dark shelf,
and on that dark, dark shelf there was a dark, dark box,
and in that dark, dark box there was a … GHOST!
Anon
Happy spooky reading!
Hello my fellow readers!
I am very excited because tonight I am off to the theatre for a lovely meal, some cocktails and of course a play. The play is called Pride and Prejudice (Sort of). Apparently it is from the point of view of the servants, which should be interesting.
Anyway, here is my chosen quote for the week. This weeks quote is by Thomas Edison who was an American inventor who in his lifetime invented over 1000 devices.
Thomas Edison (Pre-1910)
Happy reading
The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs
About the author
John Belliars (1938-1991) was an award-winning American author of many gothic mystery novels for children and young adults.
Blurb
When orphaned Lewis Barnavelt comes to live with his Uncle Jonathan, he is amazed to find out there is a wizard in his family.
Lewis experiments with Uncle Jonathan’s spells and uncovers the mystery behind the ticking that he can hear throughout the house, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. It’s an evil clock and it could destroy humankind.
It is up to the Barnavelt’s to find where the clock is hidden in the walls – and stop it.
Review
I bought this book ages ago and it has just been sat in a pile gathering dust but I spotted it the other day and thought that looks like a fun quick read and thankfully I was correct. As I have mentioned previously I do enjoy reading children’s books and especially enjoy reading them when I’m very busy or stressed. I can truthfully say I loved this book and could not put it down.
The three main characters Lewis, Uncle Jonathan and Mrs Zimmermann were fantastic. I especially loved the character of Mrs Zimmermann who isn’t afraid of anything and speaks her mind and has an unhealthy obsession with the colour purple. She just seems to be the ultimate cool aunt figure.
Uncle Jonathan is the ultimate cool uncle, teaching Lewis to play poker and letting him stay up late and basically doing what he likes within reason. Lewis is the typical child who doesn’t quite fit in at school but has found his happy place living with his Uncle because as the story develops you can see that Uncle and nephew are rather alike.
Overall I loved the storyline and it kept me hooked from the start, the idea of magic being in a house and its walls was fantastic and in places it was rather spooky although that part was rather rushed through but that was probably because it is a children’s book. The only issue I had with the story was the lack of story about the actual clock, considering the book is about the clock in the walls it hardly features and it just feels like a very rushed ending.
I give this book 4 out of 5 dragons because of the lack of clock in the story. I highly recommend it to children and adults alike. A really good read that keeps you hooked from beginning to end.
Purchase links
Hello everyone!
Well today is my first day of half term and I celebrated by having a lie in and a leisurely day. I had to run into our nearest town to run some errands and my husband suggested visiting Waterstones for a browse. Well a browse is something that never happens with me, it always ends in buying books. I was just going to buy Now You See Them by Elly Griffiths but my husband said that Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver looked good so I ended up buying another book because it was on buy one get one half price.
Not too much damage with just three books bought.
Now You See Them by Elly Griffiths
Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver
A Keeper by Graham Norton
Please drop me a comment if you have read any of these books. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Happy reading.
Hello Everyone!
It’s time to celebrate!
So I have now been blogging for a year! One whole year blogging about all things books and loving every minute of it. I have discovered loads of fellow book blogs and through these amazing blogs I’ve discovered some fabulous books I would not normally have considered reading, so thank you my fellow book bloggers.
Thank you for all my followers who have followed me from the beginning and to my followers who have just joined me on my journey, I truly appreciate all of your support.
Here’s to another year and hopefully more blogging about all things books.
Happy Reading
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
About the author
Margaret Atwood born 18th November 1939 is a Canadian author, poet, essayist and literary critic. She has written numerous fiction and non-fiction books, books of poetry and children’s books. She has won the Giller Prize in Canada, Premio Mondello in Italy and the 2000 Booker Prize. She was also awarded the Asturias Prize for Literature in 2008.
Blurb
In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.
When the van door slammed on Offred’s future at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her–freedom, prison or death.
With The Testaments, the wait is over.
Margaret Atwood’s sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.
Review
This book was a welcome change from The Handmaid’s Tale that I will be honest I really did not enjoy but thankfully because I had preordered this book and forgot it until it turned up on my doorstep I read it instead of just avoiding it because of thinking it would be like The Handmaid’s Tale. I understand that people find my opinions on The Handmaid’s Tale as controversial and a lot of people will find my opinions on The Testaments as controversial but thankfully we are all different and that is what makes us all interesting.
I loved this book and would have happily read it a lot quicker but I have a lot of university reading that is taking up my reading time. The first thing that struck me was how different the writing style was from The Handmaid’s Tale. The book flowed better and to me made more sense and because there was so much more information in it about Gilead and its history I found the book a great deal more interesting.
I loved the characters in this book especially sweet Becka who was just so kind and loving even though she had such a horrid upbringing. To me she is the embodiment of goodness in the dark and dangerous world of Gilead.
The character of Aunt Lydia was what really made the book. Her contributions were fantastic and I loved how she could play all the other characters like they were on a chess board. She could orchestrate everything because she was always so many moves ahead of everyone and her main talent was reading people and knowing how people would act.
This book also keeps you on your toes because it has a great deal more action within it in comparison to The Handmaid’s Tale and this is probably another reason why I enjoyed this book more.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and due to this I have given the book the full 5 out of 5 Dragons.
Purchase links
Happy Friday!
So I have again returned to an old favourite of mine. I really can not get enough of Christina Rossetti’s poetry. To be honest I am getting really fed up of all this rain we have been having recently, so I have gone for a poem about the wind, as to me this would be a nice change.
Who Has Seen the Wind?
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing thro’.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
Christina Rossetti
Happy Reading
Lady Book Dragon 