Top Ten Tuesday: The Nutcracker

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 with a wintry festive feel. With this in mind I thought I would go for different copies of The Nutcracker by E. T. A. Hoffmann. Every December I read a different version of The Nutcracker. This can be translated by different people or just a different edition but my favourites are always the ones with pretty illustrations or like last year a pop up book!

So here we go…

First up is the one I have ready to read this year, the illustrations look really nice so I am looking forward to reading it.

This was last year’s read and I must admit I got very excited when I discovered it. It is absolutely stunning and I highly recommend it.

This is another beautiful edition but it is big so not easy to read for too long. This was 2018’s Christmas read.

I have the full set of these little Christmas books and I absolutely love them. This one was 2017’s.

Now you might notice this isn’t actually by Hoffmann but it is the story but it is Dumas’ adaptation and this is also the start of my tradition. I bought this when I went to the German Market in Birmingham with my then future husband and we took a trip to Waterstones and I picked this up and then read it through December 2016.

These next ones are future editions that I would one day like to buy and read.

So there is my Top Ten Tuesday and one of my Christmas traditions. Have you got any Christmas book traditions? Please drop me link to your Top Ten Tuesday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

The Weekly Brief

Happy Sunday!

Another week has gone by and I must admit I am thoroughly enjoying all my Christmas reading. I find Christmas books go particularly well with hot chocolate, a warm blanket and Christmas decorations in the background.

Here is what I have been up to in the blog this week.

Posts this Week

Books I am Currently Reading

Books Acquired this Week

So there is my week and yes I know I said no more buying Christmas books but I just couldn’t help myself! I will try to do better and not buy anymore… I really will try.

Happy Reading!

The Willoughby Book Club #3

Hello!

Today my last book of my birthday present arrived from the Willoughby Book Club. I love getting these monthly book parcels so much, they really give me something to look forward to at the beginning of each month. So here is the book I got for December.

I have never come across Jess Kidd before so I am rather excited to try a new author.

I really do love the Willoughby Book Club, I love the beautifully wrapped books and the fantastic books they choose each month. Due to this I have subscribed to the Book Club for another 12 months so for each month of 2021 I will receive a lovely new book and I can’t wait!

Due to me subscribing for another 12 months Willoughby Book Club have given me a link that if people use they can get 10% off so I thought I would share it with you all just in case you also wanted to join this fantastic Book Club. For the code click here. The code expires on the 25th February 2021.

Please drop me a comment if you are a fellow member or have read the book.

Happy Reading

Christmas Reading List 2020 Update

Hello!

I thought a little update was required. I have now read 3 of my Christmas books on my list and I have ordered more which was very naughty of me but I just couldn’t help myself.

So here are the books I have read and I will be honest I absolutely loved and they have really helped me get into the festive spirit.

A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan

A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley

A Midwinter Promise by Lulu Taylor

Here are the books I have left to read and I know I will never get through them all but I live in hope and my Goodreads challenge is falling behind so I am hoping my Christmas reading will help me catch up.

So there is my current Christmas Reading list. Please drop me a comment if you want to chat about any of these books.

Happy Reading

November 2020 Wrap Up

Wow, how did the end of November arrive? I am getting so excited about Christmas and my Christmas books are really helping me get into the festive spirit. Today I am sending my husband in to the loft to get the decorations down.

November has been a really good reading month and I appear to be catching up on my Goodreads reading challenge.

So here are the bookish stats!

I will be honest I don’t think the page number chart is quite correct because Story Graph didn’t have the correct editions for a few of the books I read, but they are close enough.

Books I Read in November (click the picture for the review)

Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime by Oscar Wilde

Pages: 50 pages

Format Read: Paperback

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 256

Format Read: Hardback

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 416

Format Read: Hardback

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 304

Format Read: Hardback

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 546

Format Read: Paperback

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 160

Format Read: Paperback

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲

A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley

Pages: 400

Format Read: Paperback

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

So that is my November wrap up. Please drop me a comment if you have read any of these books.

Happy Reading!

The Weekly Brief

Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone has had a good weekend so far. I must admit I am thoroughly enjoying my Christmas reading list so far and it is a welcome relief from the ancient death rituals I am currently studying for my course. I will be honest it isn’t the cheeriest of subjects to be studying on the run up to Christmas.

Anyway, here is what I have been up to in the world of blogging…

Posts this Week

Books I am Currently Reading

Books Acquired this Week

I really must stop buying Christmas books!

Happy Reading!

First Lines Friday: 27/11/2020

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!

Well it is Friday and I am about to start a new book so I thought I would take part in First Lines Friday.

So you know the rules and as usual the answer will be below the cats.

When her phone rang at three in the morning, ripping her from a desperately needed sleep, Maggie’s first thought was bad news.

Her mind raced through the possibilities, starting with the worst-case scenario. Death, or at least life-changing injury. Police. Ambulance.

and the answer is …

Amazon | Book Depository | Foyles | Waterstones | Wordery

In the snowy perfection of Aspen, the White family gathers for youngest daughter Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding.

First to arrive are the bride’s parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughter’s marriage is a milestone they are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret about their own: they are on the brink of divorce. After living apart for the last six months, the last thing they need is to be trapped together in an irresistibly romantic winter wonderland.

Rosie’s older sister Katie is also dreading the wedding. Worried that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake, Katie is determined to save her sister from herself. If only the irritatingly good-looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans…

Bride-to-be Rosie loves her fiance but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived – how can she tell them she’s not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one White family Christmas none of them will ever forget.

Did anybody guess correctly? Please drop me a comment with your thoughts if you have read the book. Also if you are taking part in First Lines Friday today please leave your link and I will head over for a guess.

Happy Reading

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

WWW Wednesday: 25/11/2020

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!

I have a surprisingly busy day teaching today and it is two of my students last lessons before their exams. I think I am more nervous than they are with all the extra Covid 19 precautions that have to be in place for exams and as I am not allowed to be there on the day I just hope I don’t forgot to tell them anything.

Anyway, here is what my week in books has looked like.

What I am Currently Reading

I am about a third of the way in and thoroughly enjoying it so far.

What I have Recently Finished Reading

Not what I was expecting to be honest. The review is here.

What I think I will Read Next

Yes, it is all Christmas reading now. The only problem is I keep finding more Christmas books I want to add to the list.

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

The Weekly Brief

Happy Sunday!

Another busy week in the blogging world. I have also set up an instagram account for the blog you can find it at theladybookdragon if you want to follow.

So here is what I have been up to in the blogging world.

Posts this Week

Books I am Currently Reading

Books Acquired this Week

Happy Reading!

Ickabog by J. K. Rowling (Review)

Ickabog by J. K. Rowling

Blurb

Once upon a time there was a tiny kingdom called Cornucopia, as rich in happiness as it was in gold, and famous for its food. From the delicate cream cheeses of Kurdsburg to the Hopes-of-Heaven pastries of Chouxville, each was so delicious that people wept with joy as they ate them.

But even in this happy kingdom, a monster lurks. Legend tells of a fearsome creature living far to the north in the Marshlands… the Ickabog. Some say it breathes fire, spits poison, and roars through the mist as it carries off wayward sheep and children alike. Some say it’s just a myth…

And when that myth takes on a life of its own, casting a shadow over the kingdom, two children — best friends Bert and Daisy — embark on a great adventure to untangle the truth and find out where the real monster lies, bringing hope and happiness to Cornucopia once more.

Review

I was so excited to get this book in my post box as I have had it preordered for ages. I love the idea of this book. The fact it has illustrations done by children from all over the world is lovely and I was so happy to see that this story is one that Rowling told her daughters when they were young and then her daughters helped her write it up, together as a family.

This is a typical fairytale and thankfully it wasn’t like a Disney fairytale. A Disney fairytale is all polish and shine but a true fairytale has gore and murder and this fairytale had all of that. I was so pleased Rowling trusted children to be brave enough to read such a fairytale, not quite a Grimm fairytale but definitely not a Disney.

King Fred the Fearless made me laugh a great deal but I also felt very sorry for him as he was played by those close to him. Also King Fred’s fashion sense was rather amusing. Bert and Daisy are lovely children especially Daisy who was a particular favourite of mine. She is an intelligent child who doesn’t let prejudices get in her way. She judges people for herself and gives everyone a chance.

The one issue I had with this book and it isn’t a bad one but I did find myself craving yummy food especially pastries when reading this book. This was most likely due to the wonderful food described in the book.

This is a wonderful story and very amusing in places. A really good story that is a good read for both children and adults plus the illustrations are brilliant and really add to the story. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

Purchase Links

Amazon | Book Depository | Foyles | Waterstones | Wordery

About the author

Joanne Rowling born 31 July 1965, is a British writer and philanthropist. She is best known for writing the Harry Potter series. Rowling also writes crime fiction under the pen name Robert Galbraith.