First Lines Friday: 9/10/2020

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

 

It’s time to get guessing that book! The answer is below the cats.

“When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist. They called me nymph, assuming I would be like my mother and aunts and thousand cousins.”

 

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and the answer is…

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In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Drop me a link with your First Lines Friday and I will head over for a visit.

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Top 5 Tuesday: Black and Orange Book Covers

Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, and now being hosted by Meeghan reads.

 

This is the first Top 5 Tuesday that I have done for ages so it is nice to take part again. So here are 5 books with either black or orange covers.

 

Troy by Stephen Fry

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

The Martian by Andy Weir

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Sappho: Poems and Fragments by Sappho

 

Please drop me a link with your Top 5 Tuesday and I will head over for a visit.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Book Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.

Here are some of my all time favourite book quotes!

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

 

“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

 

“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”

When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne

 

“There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”

The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

 

“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 

 

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

 

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

 

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone By J. K. Rowling

 

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony. Half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever.”

Persuasion by Jane Austen

 

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

 

There is my Top Ten Tuesday, I really enjoyed this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. Please drop me a comment with your Top Ten Tuesday.

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Goodreads Monday: 28/09/2020

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.

 

This is the first time I have taken part in Goodreads Monday so here is a book I have chosen at random off my TBR list.

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The Doll Factory, the debut novel by Elizabeth Macneal, is an intoxicating story of art, obsession and possession.

London. 1850. The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and among the crowd watching the spectacle two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of a moment – forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, a collector entranced by the strange and beautiful, that meeting marks a new beginning.

When Iris is asked to model for pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly her world begins to expand, to become a place of art and love.

But Silas has only thought of one thing since their meeting, and his obsession is darkening . . .

 

Drop me a comment if you have read it and drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will check out your post.

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Never Have I Ever Book Tag

Hello!

I saw this on Julie’s blog One More Book and loved it so thought I would give it a go.

 

Rules:

  • Link back to original creator – Madame Writer
  • Link back to the person who tagged you or the blog where you first saw this tag
  • Answer all prompts
  • Add one more prompt of your own
  • Tag at least 5 people
  • Don’t lie
  • Have fun!

 

Never Have I Ever… burned a book

Definitely a no from me, I never destroy books.

 

Never Have I Ever… read a book I knew I would hate

This I have definitely done. Lots of books on study lists that I just knew I would not enjoy but read anyway.

 

Never Have I Ever… written a fanfiction about my favourite books

A big no! I have never been keen on fanfiction.

 

Never Have I Ever… loved a book when I was young, yet hated it when I got older.

Hmm this is a tricky one. I’m not sure I have a book that I have hated as an adult but I have plenty of books that I hated as a child and now love as an adult.

 

Never Have I Ever… dressed up as one of my favourite literary characters.

I dressed up as lots of characters when I was at school but can’t quite remember them all. I have dressed up as Legolas in the past.

 

Never Have I Ever… hated a book by an author I love

Terry Pratchett is my all time favourite author but I hated his book Snuff and that really upset me as I never thought I would dislike a book by him.

Just recently I read The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths and I really did not like that either when everything I have read of Griffiths’ so far I have loved.

 

Never Have I Ever… gone into a bookstore to buy one book and come out with many more

All the time! I seriously can not be trusted in a bookstore as my poor husband knows all too well.

 

Never Have I Ever… read the ending of a book before reading the beginning

Never! But I have read the ending of a book that I haven’t been enjoying to see if it is worth carrying on with.

 

Never Have I Ever… read a book without the dust cover

All the time as it protects the dust cover.

 

Never Have I Ever… skim read nearly half a book

Definitely, especially when reading study books.

 

Never Have I Ever… dropped a book in the bath

Yes! Hence why I never now read in the bath.

 

I really enjoyed this book tag. I won’t be tagging anybody but feel free to join in!

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WWW Wednesday: 23/09/2020

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.

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you will read next?

 

Happy Wednesday!

Time for another reading update!

What I am Currently Reading

Really getting into the Aeneid at the moment.

 

What I Have Recently Finished Reading

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Really did not enjoy this sadly.

 

What I Plan to Read Next

As per usual lots of options because I am never sure what I will read next.

 

So there is another WWW Wednesday. Please drop me a link to your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Fall 2020 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.

Hello!

This Top Ten Tuesday is a bit of a tricky one for me because as I have said many times, I am a mood reader. However, I will try my best to see which books I might read this Autumn.

 

The Time-travelling Caveman by Terry Pratchett

The Ickabog by J. K. Rowling

Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen by Alison Weir

Troy by Stephen Fry

Mantel Pieces by Hilary Mantel

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Die Standing by John Jackson Miller

Circe by Madeline Miller

The Sea of the Dead by Amy Kuivainen

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

So there is my Top Ten Tuesday. Please drop me a comment if you want to chat about the books listed and of course please drop me a link to your Top Ten Tuesday and I will head over for a visit.

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WWW Wednesday: 16/09/2020

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.

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you will read next?

 

What I am Currently Reading

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I took a bit of a break on this but have now started reading it again. So far so good.

 

What I have Recently Finished

Loved both of these books and highly recommend them.

 

What I will Read Next

As per usual I’m never sure what I will read next. It all depends on my mood.

So there is my WWW Wednesday. Please drop me a message with the link of your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit. 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers That I Love

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.

 

Hello!

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie but must be cover related so I have chosen Book Covers That I Love. I will be honest I have chosen books because of their cover rather than their content but sometimes you just can’t help but be tempted by a pretty cover. I am really guilty of buying Christmas books due to their pretty covers but I will try not to have just ten Christmas books on my list, I promise.

So here is my list…

 

  1. The Everyman’s Library. This isn’t really a book but a collection of books but I love the covers and happily collect these books. I just love how uniform they all are.
  2. Dickens. I love my Dickens collection, they are early 1900’s and just beautiful and so tactile to hold.
  3. Magic Windows. Now people who have been reading my blog for a while know that I love this book and always read it on Christmas Eve. It just reminds me so much of Christmas as a child.
  4. Old Possum’s Book of Predictable Cats by T. S. Eliot. I love this book and when I went to buy a copy of this book there were quite a few different copies to choose from and I chose this one just because of the cover.
  5. The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins. Oh dear now this was a book I chose because of the cover and was sorely disappointed with the actual story. I really should have learned a lesson from this book but it is doubtful.
  6. The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen. Read this book as a NetGalley read and then promptly ordered the book as I loved it so much and was even happier when I saw what an amazing cover it has.
  7. Five Feet Apart by Mikki Daughtry, Rachael Lippincott, and Tobias Iaconis. Haven’t read this yet but have seen the film and loved it. I really love the cover of this book.
  8. The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith. My husband had this book sat on his bookshelf for ages and I was desperate to read it as it was so pretty. Thankfully I loved the book as much as the cover.
  9. The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton. I love the film so much! I was so happy when I discovered this book last year.
  10. Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls. I have this on my Ipad and have preordered the hardback which is due out near my birthday. The whole book is just gorgeous so I am really excited to actually own a physical copy.

 

There is my list! Please drop me a comment with your thoughts on my choices and of course if you have taken part in Top Ten Tuesday the feel free to drop a link and I will head over.

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books for My Younger Self

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.

Hello!

I love this weeks prompt as I have a huge list of books that I would have loved to have read as a child.

 

Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr, Ernestine Carey

Mr Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

 

There is the list of some the books I wish I had read as a child but I plan to read them as an adult. Please drop me a comment with your Top Ten Tuesday and I will head over for a visit.

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