All the best for future by greg james book review

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

Whats it’s about

This is a bit tricky because its a memoir but its not all about his childhood, its a self help book but its not really, he moans a lot but he also talks about the joy in life its a chat with a good friend (if you got the audio book) but he’s a celebrity so he can’t be your friend it doesn’t work like that. So yes this book is a lot of things

Star rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because its greg and it was really fun to read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because greg doesn’t like Paddington or tea (AND I DON’T MAKE TEA MY PERSONALITY promise)

With all that said let’s talk about the book. I ended up reading this (with my signed book from owl books) and listening to it as I spent the whole time reading it telling my husband that he should  read it (which I’m now telling you) and he prefers audiobooks which is good as Greg did say though out the book that I should be listening to it anyway.

Review

As I said above this is a bit of a mash of a memoir and a self help book but only in the sense that greg talks about growing up a bit and gives some sound advice and the rest is a really funny book.

One thing that I have been trying to figure out with this book though is if you need to be a fan of greg James to enjoy this book, with a normal memory the answer would be easy no one wants to read about some block off the radio talking about growing up in a town in kent but then you throw in all the other stuff talking about funny stuff such as his namass and talking about not growing up and enjoying the things that you liked as a kid which makes me want everyone to give it a go even if all they get out of it is that they pick up an old hobby from there childhood. (I’ve just asked my husband if this makes sense and instead his given me the answer of no you don’t need to be a fan as he wouldn’t call him self a fan of greg james but his find it very relatable)

But with all that rambling I should probably actually talk about what i liked about this book.

I really liked the way the book flowed Greg did a really good job at making all the different topics fit together which made the book feel cohesive, such as having one chapter about not wanting kids (which i think was one of my favourite chapter as I don’t want kids) and then the next chapter was about having a dog which stared with Greg saying that maybe the the reasons they haven’t regretted not having a kids is because they have barney who is taking all there attention.

The mix of things greg talked about one chapter he spoke about long boi the longest duck and the next about driving to school with his mum

I really liked that there was some add lib in the audiobook which definitely made it 10% funnier and basically made it a more rude version of the breakfast show

That even though he is a very rich man (his words) its actually really quite relatable and I did find my self ageing with most of the things he said.

There are 30 chapters which are around 10 pages longs which then made it a great book to read in one month as I could read a chapter a day.

And things that I didn’t like about the book

He dose swear a lot more then I was expecting but of course he would his a 40 year old man and he only doesn’t swear on the radio one breakfast show because he would probably lose his job.

And that is my review I hope you enjoyed.

London Bookshop tour

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

Hi I’m back and let’s get straight to the blog

on the 24th of June 2025 I went to V.E Schwab book signing for bury our bones in the midnight soil and I decided to make it a bookish day in London because why not. And I’m bringing you with me because what is the point in having a bookish blog if you don’t post anything 😅.
I am afraid to say but I have started running (I am planning a blog) and like so many runners I have strava which I decided to track this walk with so here is the map.

you my be asking why I decided to do this and well I thought it would be fun and as the book signing wasn’t until 7pm it seemed like a good idea to fill the time, but I will admit that I didn’t realise it would take all day to wonder around. But first we made our way to London on the train.

 

WHSmith

First stop was the WHSmith inside st pancreas station just because, considering this is a bookshop in a train station they have quite a good collection of books and a nice mix of genres.

Word on the water

ever since I heard about this floating bookshop I knew I had to visit it. This unique shop is a  dutch canal boat which dates back to the 1920s it first became a bookshop by Joe, Paddy and Stephane in 2011 at first due to mooring laws they had to move every 2 weeks but as it was effecting businesses they managed to get a permanent mooring in 2015 you will now find it on Regents cancel towpath London.
this was a very cozy bookshop which was much bigger then we expected and it had a lovely selection of books.

Housmans

This bookshop wasn’t originally on my list but gays the word was closed so we asked the lady at word on the water for some recommendations and she said this one. This one is a  Socialist bookstore which was established in 1945 in fact they are the longest running radical bookshop in Britain, they specialise in publications on progressive politics, such as feminism, pacifism, Black politics, LGBTQIA+ politics, environmental justice and anarchism.
This definitely wouldn’t of been my fist choice of shop but at the same time it was interesting to see different books that I my not of seen and there basement The basement was full of what you would normally see in a bookshop or their main floor had politics art poetry all sorts of very interesting titles.

 

Brunswick Bookshop

On the Way to the London review we found this shop in front of us and it would have been rude not to go in.
it opened in 2024 and is part of the house of books which is an independent bookshop group. This was definitely more my sort of shop it isn’t very big but it looked nice and had good books and bookish stuff.

The London review

This shop is situated near Bloomsbury in the heart of London and it opened in 2003. It was a nice size shop which also had a basement which had the kids/YA books as well as  a separate room for bookish stuff such as art, book marks and mugs. There was definitely lots too see but we must of missed a room as I didn’t see where you could order coffee.

The Fable

we picked this place as it had been on another blog about book things to do in London and the fable was on the list as a book themed restaurant and there was definitely some things that were bookish but I wouldn’t call it a book themed restaurant.

there were positive though the food was nice (not booked themed but nice) and considering we were in London it wasn’t too badly priced the book table dose look really cool but it’s designed for big group of people so if you are like us and there is only 2 of you then you are not setting there, there was wall paper on the other side of the room which had book tiles on it and when you get your bill they put it in a book so it is fun but a more fancy book theme place than we were expecting.

Blackfriars Bridge

For some of you this will seem like a odd stop for a book day in London, this bridge features heavily in Cassandra Clears infernal devices as it’s the place Jem and Tessa visit and as I finished that Series earlier in the year I had to add it to list of bookish places.

park break

Cecil court

Cecil Court is one of the older thoroughfares in Covent Garden which dates to the end of the 17th century and is nicknamed booksellers row due to being home to about a dozen antiquarian and second-hand independent bookshops who specialise in children’s classics such as Alice in wonderland to modern signed first editions, we ended up going in to golds borobooks originally I was just thinking this would be more for window shopping as I had heard it had antique secondhand books which would be a bit over my price range but it was just nice to browse.

Foyles

Foyles first started in 1903 by to brothers William and Gilbert Foyles who had failed their civil service exams so they started selling their unwanted textbooks, which started 115 years of being a family owned independent bookshop. There are some stories about this shop such as them telegramming Hitler to ask him to sell them the books he was going to barn in 1930s (he wouldn’t).

In 2018 the then- chairman Christopher Foyle and the board of Directors decided to sell the company to Waterstones with the condition that Foyles would keep there name. Which is known as beginning a chapter in there history.
I definitely wish I had more time to explore this shop as there are several floors to explore and I definitely think it would be easy to get lost but I guess that is why they have a computer by the entrance so that the booksellers can tell you where to go to find your book.

Forbidden planet

forbidden planet, which is named after 1956 film, opened in London on Denmark street in 1978. visitors included Stan Lee, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore and Douglas Adams. When Adams went to the shop to sign his first Hitch-Hikers guide to the Galaxy book in 1979 the queue was so long Adams thought a demonstration was taking place. As the shop started to branch out of just comic books to also include film and television they opened a second store on St Giles high street. They eventually became so popular that there was over crowding so they moved to new Oxford street.

I had said before we set of that forbidden planet would be the shop that I would struggle not to buy  lots and definitely was. When you walk in you find the shop is filled with everything you could think of from pop culture from figures to toys which was cool but the real magic (for me anyway) was downstairs where they had all the books and there was lots. They had comics shelves of manga a graphic novel bit and a bit for Disney books also gaming books and then we released we should be going but on the way out we saw that the other half was fantasy books so lots of books.

Hatchards

this is London’s oldest bookshop, having been established in 1797 by John Hatchard, publisher and anti-slavery campaigner. Hatchards has been a landmark on Piccadilly, since Georgian times in fact queen Charlotte was one of their first customers, it my be two centuries old but it combines the best of the finest old traditions and the new. 

this was the bookshop that was on the top of my list and due to taking a bit to long in forbidden planet I didn’t have long to wonder but the bit I saw was absolutely beautiful and has a lovely old book shop feeling.

Book signing

Then it was time for the reason that we came to London the V.E Schwab book signing event and it was amazing the venue was at union chapel (which as she said was amusing to talk about toxic lesbian vampires in) the first half was a general chat about the book and then the second half was an audience Q&A (Michael was picked to ask a question) the whole thing was absolutely phenomenal I’ve been following her for about 8 years but this is the first book event that I’ve managed to go to. It was really interesting hearing her discussing her process and I think it will make my reading experience of bury our bones even better. The questions people asked were also really interesting, Michael asked about how she’s able to get so many books out and she answered with more detail then she has before, of course I already knew about the 6 oven stoves which are keeping her various ideas cooking but she also added that when she first gets a new idea it’s left next to the oven for a year to see if it’s still interesting and if it is then it’s added to the rotation.

 

Valentine’s Day booktag

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

1.) Stand Alone Book You Love

Dead romance

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.
When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.
For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Romance is most certainly dead… but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

This is one of few romance books that I’ve liked, I really enjoyed the story and that it doesn’t feel like it’s just about the romance. 

2.) Dystopian Book You Love

The host

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.
When Melanie, one of the few remaining “wild” humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Wanderer probes Melanie’s thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer’s mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

I read this because the film was coming out and I don’t think I would of picked it up if the film hadn’t come out as the primes didn’t really interest me on paper but when you see it in the trailer it actually makes it look really interesting. I like that it’s a different sort of dystopian 

3.) A Book That You Love But No One Else Talks About

I don’t get why this question is on every book tag and I’m not really sure what would class a book as something that no one else talks about, are we going off of book tube and book tok which don’t really talk about many or are we talking friends and family which then is tricky because they my not have the the same taste in books as you, all that said I’m going off of Goodreads as they say how many people have reviewed a book but I’m not going to lie the only books that had under 1,000 reviews was mangas and sequels so I’m going with a book that had 2,000 rating (which I hope is still classed as low.

the legend of podkin one-ear 

Podkin is the son of a warrior chieftain. He knows that one day it will be up to him to lead his warren and guard it in times of danger. But for now, he’s quite happy to laze around annoying his older sister Paz, and playing with his baby brother Pook.
Then Podkin’s home is brutally attacked, and the young rabbits are forced to flee. The terrifying Gorm are on the rampage, and no one and nowhere is safe. With danger all around them, Podkin must protect his family, uncover his destiny, and attempt to defeat the most horrifying enemy rabbit kind has ever known.

 

yes this book is a middle grade but it was a really fun read, it’s sort of like red wall but with rabbits 


4.) Favorite Book Couple

At the moment it has to be

Roman and Iris

I love these two I love their storyline I love their love story and I love them both as characters.

5.) Book That Other People Love But You Haven’t Read Yet

a court of thorns and roses

eyre is a huntress. And when she sees a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she kills the predator and takes its prey to feed herself and her family. But the wolf was not what it seemed, and Feyre cannot predict the high price she will have to pay for its death …
Dragged away from her family for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding even more than his piercing green eyes suggest.As Feyre’s feelings for Tamlin turn from hostility to passion, she learns that the faerie lands are a far more dangerous place than she realized. And Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

I never read past the first book of a thrown of glass and I hard that it’s very heavy on the romance element of the story which I’m not a big fan of that.

6.) A Book With Red on the Cover

Sword catcher

It began with a theft. The theft of a boy.
Or, perhaps more accurately, the theft of a boy’s life and future. Young orphan Kellian could never have expected a grand life in the vibrant port city of Castellane if fate had not intervened, but fate did. At the tender age of 10, he is removed from his orphanage and offered a unique position: to become Sword Catcher to Conor Aurelian, Prince of Castellane and heir to its throne. Kel will be raised in luxury in the palace alongside Conor, trained and educated as befits a royal, and given every advantage in life–with one notable exception: His life will never be his own again. Bespelled to resemble Conor, Kel essentially becomes Conor for any occasions where the prince might be in danger, or at which he would rather not put in an appearance. He is Conor’s double, his shadow self, tied forever to a person he both loves and resents–and from whom he might never be free.
Eleven years on, tensions are growing–both personal and political. Conflicts with the neighboring countries are high, and Conor’s betrothal might be the only thing to calm the waters–an idea that Conor is furious about. And Kel is starting to chafe under the restrictions of his position, realizing as he grows how very many of the things he wants–like love and stability and a place to call his own–are simply not possible.  But it is not until Kel catches an assassin’s blade meant for Conor that things really begin to escalate, for it is then that he meets Lin–a young physician and a member of the only people in the world still to hold a trace of magic. An outcast from society like Kel, Lin has her own ambitions and desires, and this fateful meeting is about to set a chain of events into motion that could alter the very fabric of both of their worlds.

I haven’t read this one yet but it’s got red in the cover.

7.) A Book With Pink on the Cover

A fragile enchantment

by Allison Saft

All Niamh has longed for is to be remembered: to create something that will last far longer than she will. For her, that means becoming a renowned dressmaker, using the magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric – the same magic that will eventually kill her.
When Niamh is commissioned to design the prince’s wardrobe for a royal wedding in Avaland, she knows she finally has her chance to leave her legacy. But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While nobles and the elite attend extravagant balls and candlelit garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class.
Niamh finds herself drawn to Kit, the prince whom she must dress for his wedding, despite his cold, prickly demeanour. And soon, a gossip column reports on their undeniable chemistry between them, threatening scandal. Niamh must decide if reputation should come above all else, whether her magic curse will allow her to experience love, and what cost she is willing to pay for a future she never thought possible…

I have not yet read this book but it has pink in the cover I also have the fairy loot edition.

8.) You were given a box of chocolate what fictional boyfriend/ or girlfriend would given them to you.

Will Herondale

from the infernal devices

After reading the first book I was at a bit of a loss for why everyone loves Will so much but after book 2 it became clear. His charming, caring, brave and likes books.

9.) You are Single on Valentines Day. What Book would you read? What TV show would you watch? What Movie would you watch?

Film: the wedding date, tv show: ouran host club and book: love you death

ok I’ve gone with this three because I really like them.
the wedding date is one of my favourite rom coms I really like the story and it feels different.

ouran host club I’ve picked because it’s a 12 episode show which has only got one season so you can watch it all in a day.

which is the same reason I’ve gone with love you to death it’s just over 100 pages so you could read it in a day and even though it is part of a series each book does have its own insulated advancer.


10.) You are in the Book Store. All of a Sudden you get shot with an arrow by Cupid. What New Release will you love?

The tempest of tea

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it – and she can’t do the job alone.
Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.
this book is out at the end of the month and I really like the sound of it. It’s got vampires, heist and tea I’m hoping this my be in marches fairy loot box.

Favourite romantic books

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

Top 5 romance books

i’m not big on romance in books and I tend to lean more towards fantasy books which do often (but not always ) have romance in them, but it my not be the main focus of the book and even if it is there is enough going on that it’s not actually all about the romance, so if that is your sort of romance you like then hopefully you will like some of these.

The other merlin

Welcome to the great kingdom of Camelot. Prince Arthur’s a depressed botanist who would rather marry a library than a princess, Lancelot’s been demoted to castle guard after a terrible misunderstanding, and nothing is going according to plan. Then Arthur accidentally pulls the sword from the stone (in his defense, he was drunk and mostly kidding), and now everyone’s convinced he’s some prophesied hero.
Emry Merlin is stuck in her small town. Her father, the legendary court wizard, disappeared years ago, and Emry’s been peddling theater tricks to make ends meet. When a royal messenger arrives summoning her far less talented twin brother to serve as Prince Arthur’s right-hand wizard, Emry is understandably upset. But after Emmett becomes indisposed thanks to a bad spell, Emry disguises herself as her brother and travels to the royal court to impersonate him until they can switch.
Studying magic at the castle is everything Emry hoped for. But life in King Uther’s court is full of scandals, lies, and backstabbing courtiers. What’s a teen wizard masquerading as her twin brother to do? Other than fall for the handsome prince, stir trouble with the foppish Lord Gawain, offend Princess Guinevere, and make herself indispensable to the future of Camelot?
When the truth comes out with disastrous consequences, Emry has to decide whether she’ll risk everything for the boy she loves, or give up her potential to become the greatest wizard Camelot has ever known.

The romance in this book is similar to the classic rom-coms, I love that Emry and Arther become friends first before they start to see each other as something more.

Divine rivals

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

I don’t think I’ve actually fallen in love with a romance as much as I’ve fallen for this two ever, Rebecca has done such a good job of making this romance believable it is such a nice slow romance where they both start to stop disliking the other and find they like them instead. This one is an enemies to lovers trope but I think that the inclusion of the letters which I found very you’ve got Mail and the fact that I feel they both respect the other person talent in writing that it never really feels like they are enemies.

Howls moving castle

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Weather its the film or the book I really like Sophie and Howl’s story and the fact that there are two sequels so you can see a bit of what they are upto after the first book is really nice.

The shadowhunter Chronicles

the shadowhunts chronicles consists of 5 Series (at the moment) and three short story collections (at the moment), all following a group of shadowhunters (people who hunt demand) and downworlders (werewolves, vampires and warlocks) on there many adventures.

ok here me out I know that some of the romances are a bit odd but what I really like about these books is the mix of romance and I rarely ever feel that I prefer one over another I also like that even though it is relationship heavy it never feels like it takes over the adventure and just adds to the story.

Geekerella and other Once upon a con books

Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.
Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?
Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.

I had to increase this books somewhere ashley poston is probably the only author who will get me reading there contemporary novels because there is so much fandom stuff thron in it adds to the romance. Geekerella is the first and it is the classic cinderella story but with a lovely modern twist and the rest of books in the series are just as wonderful I think my favourite is bookish and the beast which is a beauty and the best retaling.

 

And there you go that is my favourites, do you have any favourite?

I’m doing a bit of a valentines special month as it is February so I hope you like this romantic theme blogs.

 

The wicked booktag

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

I found this book tag on life of a female Bibliophile my husband and I went to see Wicked last year and it was amazing, I’m so glad I was finally able to go and see it. And with that said here is the booktag

No One Mourns The Wicked

a character who no one would feel bad if they died

I guess the obvious answer would be Voldemort and so I’m going to say that

Voldemort from Harry Potter 

 Dear Old Shiz

a book set in college or university

fan girl

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they’re off to university and Wren’s decided she doesn’t want to be one half of a pair any more – she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It’s not so easy for Cath. She’s horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she’s experienced in real life.
Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She’s got a surly room-mate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
Now Cath has to decide whether she’s ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she’s realizing that there’s more to learn about love than she ever thought possible . . .

I haven’t actually finished this book but the bit I read was in a college so I can say this one right

The Wizard and I

a book that gives you hope.

I’m going to go out there and say

all of them 

I would say I read books to escape reality which would bring me hope

What Is This Feeling?

a book you loathed.

I can’t say I’ve ever loathed a book but I guess my lowest rated book on Goodreads would be

the love interest

Caden is a Nice: The boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: The brooding, dark-souled guy, and dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organisation, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose a Nice or the Bad?
Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be – whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die.
What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both.

 

as I said I didn’t loath it but I think it had the problem of by the time I had it I had very high expectations for it which unfortunately were not met. I found the main characters were not likeable, the ending made me feel like the book had been a bit pointless which was a shame because the premise was really good.

Something Bad

a book where you just knew something bad was going to happen but didn’t know what.

well for this one there is only one book that comes to mind (probably because it’s still fresh in my mind)

divine rivals  

No god, no creature, no war can come between them.

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, their fate depends on their facing the depths of hell… together.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again…

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.
Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

I don’t want to say much but this definitely matches this question.

 Dancing Through Life

a carefree, light book

this is another book book which I have read recently but it’s really light book

Tea Dragon Society

Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives–and eventually her own.

 

as I said I just read the first one last week and I’m currently reading the second one I’m really enjoying this little series as it has lovely art and a sweet story.

Popular

a book that needs more recognition.

I don’t really like questions like this because I don’t really know if any of the books I’ve read are unpopular but I will go with. Ok I will go with a book that my husband recommended to me which I was only able to get from a second hand book shop because it’s out of print in the U.K. so I think this qualifies.

city of masks 

Lucien is very sick with cancer and struggles with his parents’ worry every day. But each night, through a magical gift from his father, his mind is transported to an enchanting city, Bellezza, a parallel city to Venice of our world. In Bellezza, Lucien discovers that he is a Stravagante, a rare person able to travel through worlds while sleeping.
Befriended by a local girl and protected by an older Stravagante, Lucien uncovers a plot to murder the city’s beloved ruler, the Duchessa. But to save the Duchessa and the city Lucien risks his only chance to return home to family and his real life.

I have only just started this book but I really enjoying it so far, my other half is the only person who has mentioned this book.

I’m Not That Girl

a book with heart-break

alright I’m interpreting this as a book that caused me heart-break as all of the books I’ve read with heart-break I would class as being a spoiler.

the time we lost

How many times would you fall in love?
Luna Lark used to love her name, but that was before people started saying it differently.
I’m so sorry, Luna.
Are you alright, Luna?
Everything will be okay, Luna.
Luna doesn’t want pity, what she wants is a fresh start. Somewhere she can make headway on her next novel, mend her broken heart, and – most importantly – keep herself to herself.
For that Luna needs the most remote place she can find: Ondingside, a magical little island off the wild coast of Scotland. And when the town is cut off on her first night by a freak July snow storm it feels like fate.
But Luna soon realises that being a newcomer in a small town might not be the best way to blend in. People are curious about her – handsome, kind, coffee shop owner Beau in particular. Will history repeat itself or will they have a future?

the ending of this book was such a disappointment especially as the rest of the book was really good but it ended up being a la la land ending which was just annoying.

One Short Day

a book set in a country or city you’ve always wanted to visit.

just so I’m not always talking about the same book for this sort of question I’m going to say

the cat who saved books 

Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookshop he inherited from his beloved grandfather. Then, a talking cat named Tiger appears with an unusual request. The cat needs Rintaro’s help to save books that have been imprisoned, destroyed and unloved.
Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different labyrinths to set books free. Through their travels, Tiger and Rintaro meet a man who locks up his books, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publisher who only wants to sell books like disposable products. Then, finally, there is a mission that Rintaro must complete alone…
An enthralling tale of books, first love, fantasy, and an unusual friendship with a talking cat, The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai, is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.

I would really like to go to Japan one day and this book is a really good look at books and what they mean to people.

A Sentimental Man

a character that’s trying to do good but is an antagonist.

Alright I’m going to say

Valentine from the city of bones 

He is evil but he believes that everything he is doing is for the good of the shadowhunters even though non of them agree.

Defying Gravity

a character that basically says f the world I’m doing my own things.

well one person came to mind straight away for this one

Howl from howl’s moving castle

In this beloved modern classic, young Sophie Hatter from the land of Ingary catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell…
Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls…
There Sophie meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer the fire demon, with whom she agrees a pact. Her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl and Michael and her quest to break her curse come alive with Diana Wynne Jones’s unique combination of magic, humour and imagination.

It had to be Howl in every book he does his own thing, in the moving castle the King wants his help but Howl does everything he can to avoid helping.

Thank Goodness

a special and happy event in the midst of a shitstorm within the book

it is definitely a spoiler but I’m going with a moment in

city of glass 

There is a moment before they go off to fight that a really lovely thing happens and if you know you know.

Wonderful

 a character who’s full of themselves.

Well not to use the same book series but my answer is

Jace from Shadowhunter

He is pretty full of him self especially in the first books luckily he grows out of it.

As Long As Your Mine

 a scene from a book where your OTP couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

Its not my otp but but there were quite a few scenes were they couldn’t get their hands off each other.

Xaden and Violet from fourth wing

 No Good Deed

 a character who is truly good but keeps fucking up and hates themselves for it

once again a book I have recently read and some of you my not agree with the character that I’ve gone with but in my opinion he is a good guy but the author is trying to make him the antagonist.

Emil from the toy makers 

It is 1917, and while war wages across Europe, in the heart of London, there is a place of hope and enchantment. The Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike: patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own.
Into this family business comes young Cathy Wray, running away from a shameful past. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own. But Cathy is about to discover that the Emporium has secrets of its own…

 

this book is such a odd one especially with how the author dealt with Emil, when him and Kasper were growing up there was some brotherly rivalry which you expect with younger siblings but it contained to there adulthood, Then there was a love triangle which went on far longer then needed. From there the author just kept making Emil do stupid things and making things happen to him which then continued this odd your the bad guy Emil when he isn’t his trying his best during a terrible time in history.

March of the Witch Hunters

 a book with a call to action.

Alright once again I’m not sure if this counts but I really like this book so I will make it work.

heart of iron 

Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?

Ana and her friends work together to save Di

For Good

 a book that has changed me for good.

I feel like every book I’ve read has changed me in some way weather that’s helping me see things in a new way or finding a new genre of book.

Finale “Wicked”

 favorite book series finale.

I’m not going to lie I am one of those people who is really bad at finishing books series

Alright and that is that I hope you enjoyed the blog and I will see you next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things I’ve loved in 2023

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

another year over a new one began so here are a few of my favourites things this year

Books

I was able to finish 30 books this year 15 of them being manga or graphic novels 8 audiobooks and 7 physical books. Here are some of my favourites

legends and lattes (audio book)

High fantasy, low stakes – with a double-shot of coffee.
After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.
But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined . . .

yes I’m going to be yet another person saying that legends and lattes was there favourites book this year, sorry but it was. It made for a nice change to have a slice of life fantasy outside of anime.

 

the future king (audiobook)

the second book in the Emry Merlin series

Fresh from an epic victory over sorceress Morgana Le Fay to keep the doorway between worlds safely closed, Emry Merlin should be flying high. She no longer has to hide that she’s a girl wizard in Camelot, and the battle has brought her closer than ever to Prince Arthur, with whom she has slowly fallen in love. Even her hapless but beloved twin brother Emmett has joined her at court.
But Emry is hiding a secret, and she’s not the only one. Her magic has become unpredictable and dangerous, casting spells that she doesn’t intend. Despite destiny acting like he’s worthy, Prince Arthur knows he doesn’t have what it takes to rule Camelot–until a terrible tragedy forces his hand. And though Guinevere is hooking up with the hottest guy in the palace, it’s not who she’s actually betrothed to…

i loved the first book and I loved the second, I like that this series is going out of the box on the Arthur story so that the twist and turns are original.

 

divine rivals

No god, no creature, no war can come between them.
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, their fate depends on their facing the depths of hell… together.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again…
All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.
Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

oh my gosh this book was fantastic from beginning to end (although that cliffhanger hurt). it’s been a while since I’ve read a book that I couldn’t put down and it was an amazing feeling. I loved the characters, the setting and the story line. I felt that the love story was really well done and never felt rushed, I liked the world building and the history of the world that you discovered through out the the book also that it had a little bit of magic that never felt forced or over powered. I also felt like it had similarities to you’ve got Mail whether this was done on purpose or if it’s were I’ve watched the film so much and it is also about two people writing letters to each other without them knowing who they are.

 

before your memory fades

On the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna is fabled for its dazzling views of Hakodate port. But that’s not all. Like the charming Tokyo cafe Funiculi Funicula, Cafe Donna Donna offers its customers the extraordinary experience of travelling through time.

From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Tales from the Cafecomes another heartfelt story of lost souls hoping to take advantage of the cafe’s time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces, readers will also be introduced to:

The daughter who begrudges her deceased parents for leaving her orphaned.
The comedian who aches for his beloved and their shared dreams.
The younger sister whose grief has become all-consuming.
The young man who realizes his love for his childhood friend too late.

this is the third book in I think my new favourite series before the coffee gets cold. This one did confuse me for the first few pages as it doesn’t take part in the Tokyo cafe like the first two but is in Mount Hakodate but once the confusion and I got to know the new characters, I really started to like this instalment to the series. I also like that we have jumped to the time that something happened in the first book so it sort of ties lots of things together.

 

films

barbie

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting going in to this film but it definitely wasn’t this film, it was funny, it was nostalgic, it was emotional. My favourite song was I’m just Ken

dungeons and dragons

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.

This was a very fantastical film with an amazing cast and an action packed story which in my opinion people will like whether they have played D&D or not. I have now watched it twice and the jokes are still just as funny as they were in the cinema (which is always good) I thought the characters were all well rounded, even the ones that didn’t get much screen time.

 

wish

In the Kingdom of Rosas, a 17-year-old girl named Asha makes a wish on the stars after she discovers that there may be more to the king than meets the eye. But Soon after a real star comes down to help her fulfil her wish.

I feel like the last few years has been filled with films that people have really disliked but that my husband and I have really liked and wish is one of them. I think it was probably helped by all of the references which I really enjoyed finding though out the film. I thought the characters were ok, I like that Asher was an ester egg in her self and I thought that it was nice having a different sort of main character I do think that there isn’t really much in character growth but I also feel that the story does takes place over a few days at most three so there probably wouldn’t really be room for much growth in that time. I also enjoyed the song’s listening to the soundtrack my favourite is you’re a star as it’s so upbeat and I really liked having a villain song again. I did like the art style even if Disney weren’t being innovators with it has lots of animations have looked like, it was just nice to see something different from Disney as the films have looked quite similar in the last 10 years or so helped by the background being more like there older films.

 

Tv show

Spy x family

A spy known only as Twilight needs a family as part of his undercover mission, so he quickly marries a city hall worker and adopts a child and dog. Unknown to him, his family has secrets of their own: his wife Yor is an undercover assassin, his daughter Anya is a runaway psychic who can read minds, and his dog was from a laboratory that gave him the power to tell the future. All these four subjects must bond together as a family to manage their own affairs and be together as best as they can.

I love this show it’s so sweet, action packed and as all my favourite anime are a little bit bonkers we are know on the scorned season and I’m loving it just as much as the first.

traitors

short version it’s among us or werewolf in real life

Long version 22 people in a Scottish castle trying to win a big cash prize, but first they must find the traitors before they kill them, you watch as by day this group of  faithfuls and traitors live and work together to generate cash for the price pool, but by night, they must decide who is a traitor pick someone to be banished and wait till morning when one of them is murdered by the traitors

This is not my sort of show at all but from episode one I was hooked, it was very interesting watching this people try (and mostly fail) to find a traitor and seeing there reasoning for why the parson my be the traitor.

one piece (Netflix) 

An alternate version of Earth, and one that is currently in the midst of the ‘Golden Age of Pirates’. Ruthless cut-throat pirates rule the seas, and only the strongest have the chance to lay claim to the mythical treasure known as ‘One Piece’ that was left behind by the greatest pirate of them all Gold Roger. Years after the death of Gold Roger, a young boy by the name of Monkey D. Luffy has dreams of raising his own crew, finding One Piece, and declaring himself as Pirate King. After eating a devil fruit that grants Luffy the power to make his body like rubber, it gives him enormous strength and agility. When Luffy finally comes of age, he sets sail from Foosha Village in East Blue and sets upon his grand adventure to become the next Pirate King.

I will note that I’ve not yet watched the anime but I really liked this live action version so I would like to give the anime a go when I have time. I really like the story and the characters I also thought the show had a similar energy to the other anime that I’ve watched.

 

a small light

Follows twenty something Miep Gies who, when her boss Otto Frank came to her and asked her to hide his family from the Nazis during World War II, didn’t hesitate. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan, and the other helpers watched over the eight souls (Otto Frank, his wife Edith and daughters Anne and Margot as well as four others) in hiding in the Secret Annex. And it was Miep who found Anne’s Diary and kept it safe so Otto, the only one of the eight who survived, could later share it with the world as one of the most powerful accounts of the Holocaust.

If you are yet to give this show a go I highly recommend that you do, I can’t filt it from the acting to the way they handled this story that we all know and told it in a brand new way. To the point where I was watching one of the episodes and thinking but if that is happening at the binging of the episode then what’s next I thought I had more episodes, and I did which I think is what makes this show so amazing because it’s more then just the diary it’s everything else that this people did during this dark time in are history and all of the help that they were able to provide.

games

hogwarts lagancy 

I really liked going around hogwarts as a student and I really liked the story.

board games 

this year I’ve discovered the world of board game with the help of TikTok (also following the creator of flame craft(which I haven’t got a hold of yet) and the release of Disneys new card game Lorcana.

disney dreamlight valley 

this game did come out last year but I’m still loving it a year on, it’s been getting regular updates bringing new characters and adding new features to make it even better.

just things I’ve liked

There were lots of things to like this year so here are some that don’t fit in any category

V.E Schwab newsletter

if you are a fan of V.E Schwab then you will enjoy her monthly newsletter, it’s so nice to set down once a month with a cup of tea and read about her month.

my blog

even though I’ve not really post much this year, but I have enjoyed having somewhere to write down some of my thoughts I definitely would like to be more organised with posting here this year.

Looking ahead

there are a few things that I’m looking forward to this year a few goals that I would like to try and achieve in 2024.

first of I’ve put my reading goal to 40 this year as I managed 30 last year.

I’m also putting my self on a book buying ban as I really need to try and read some more of the books that I already own like so many of us readers. I am putting some experience to this ban.
I’m still getting fairyloot, also me and my husband share audible so any audio books, some of the books that I’ve read last year that have sequels this year (e.g truly divers, divin ravels), as im all up to date with her books I will get Ashley Poston new book, but I will only get V.E Schwab and Cassandra Clare’s new books if I’ve finish their books that are unread on my shelf (edit V.E Schwab hasn’tactuallygot a new book out this year so i can use it catch up on the darker shade of magic).

I really a would like to be more active on this blog so (other than this week) I will try to post every Sunday  so hopefully for the people who hopefully actually read my blog you will actually get something new to read every week.

and that is the end of my favourite things all that’s left to do is wish you all a happy new year.

 

My favourite anime/manga

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

I tried to make this a top 5, and I did feel like a top 10 was to much but I’ve ended up with 10 so I guess this is  

My top 10 favourite anime and manga

oron host club

this was the first anime I ever watched and so it will always have a special place in my favourite anime’s. I really like how bonkers this anime is well how bonkers the boys of the host club are and how Haruhi express her disgust over everything they do.

One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an ¥80,000 vase that belongs to the ‘Host Club’, a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it’s there that she discovers just how wealthy the boys are and how different they are from everybody else.

 

 

 


Fruits basket 

I really enjoyed this anime and I’m currently reading the manga. I like that you really express so many emotions in fruits basket there are lots of said moments but at the same time there is funny stuff.

After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, plucky high schooler Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out…into a tent!

Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan, and it isn’t long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Sohmas have a secret of their own–when touched by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!

 

my roommate is a cat

Oh my gosh this anime is so sweet I like that each episode is halfed so that the first half is from Subaru point of view and then the second half is from Haru. I really would like to get ahold of the manga of this one as I feel like there my be a lot more to the story.

Subaru Mikazuki is a shy novelist who is no good with people, then one day he meets Haru a stray cat who sparks inspiration for a new book, know Subaru has a cat. See how the pair grow as they navigate their new life together from the each others point of views.

 

 

 


Orange

I definitely prefer the manga to the anime and I really like that it is just two (if not big) volumes that you need to collect and read rather then 200. It definitely is a more serious manga then the others on my list but I feel that it handles the topics very well.

Everyone has regrets in life. So who wouldn’t take the chance to change the past if given the opportunity? When sixteen-year-old Takamiya Naho receives a mysterious letter, claiming to be from her twenty-seven-year-old self, her life is suddenly thrown into flux. The letter informs her that a new transfer student by the name of Naruse Kakeru will be joining her class, and to keep her eye on him. What is Naho to make of the letter’s contents and its cryptic warning?

 

 


Yuri on ice

This is one of the few anime on this list that I’ve watched in full multiple times and that I think I will probably watch every winter. I really like the relationship between Yuri and Victor and the way Victor is so flamboyant and Yuri is shy, you get to watch there relationship grow each episode and see Yuri grow in confidence thanks to Victor. I like that it is a ice skating anime about a competition and you get to know all the different skaters.

Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki faces a crushing defeat during the Grand Prix finals and heads home, unsure of whether or not he wishes to continue his skating career. After a video of Yuri mimicking Russian figure skater Victor Nikiforov’s routine goes viral, Victor decided to become Yuri’s coach, much to the dismay of his coach, his fans, and his fellow Russian skater Yuri Plisetsky.

 

 

 


Snow White with red hair

I really like that this manga was born from a fairy tale, but it is definitely so much more than that past the first chapter. I like how Shirayuki stands on her own two feet and works hard at what she does but at the same time she’s not afraid to accept help from Zen or Obey. I have watched show twice and I’ve started reading the manga as there is a lot more story then is in the anime (as is often the case), I really like the notes that the author puts in in some chapters discussing her writing process. I googled were the show finishes in regards to the manga and it’s volume 8 but apparently there are some changes that happen so I’m just reading from the beginning, so far I’m really enjoying what I’ve read and I’m looking forward to getting to the new stuff.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! Unwilling to become the prince’s possession, she seeks shelter in the woods of the neighboring kingdom, where she gains an unlikely ally-the prince of that kingdom! He rescues her from her plight, and thus begins the love story between a lovestruck prince and an unusual herbalist.

 


ascendancy of a bookworm

My husband and I binged this one last year (I think) we really enjoyed it and I hope that we get a New season soon. The show stared of just a nice fuzzy show about a little girl who was trying to make a book in a new world but slowly it became much more then that.

Urano, a young Japanese soon-to-be librarian, dies in an earthquake. She is reincarnated in another world as a young girl named Mayne, but learns that books are scarce and only provided to prestigious elites. Mayne (retaining her memories from her previous life) decides to create and print her own books so that she can read again.

 

 

 


spy x family

This is such a fun concept with three would be family members all hiding big secrets from each other and a fun show. I like the way it has moments of being really silly like when Anya is trying to get in to the school and moments that are really sweet when Anya finds Bond.

A spy known only as Twilight needs a family as part of his undercover mission, so he quickly marries a city hall worker and adopts a child and dog. Unknown to him, his family has secrets of their own: his wife Yor is an undercover assassin, his daughter Anya is a runaway psychic who can read minds, and his dog was from a laboratory that gave him the power to tell the future. All these four subjects must bond together as a family to manage their own affairs and be together as best as they can.

little witch academia

this was anther one of the first anime’s that I watched all the way through.  I like that they then released a manga for it with a mix of old and new stories.

Akko Kagari is an ordinary girl who joins the renowned witch academy for witch girls, Luna Nova Academy. When she was younger, she went to Magical Festa, a magic show hosted by a witch named Shiny Chariot. Akko was so mesmerized and inspired by Shiny Chariot’s performance that she dreamed to someday be a “cool” witch like her.

my next life as a villainess all routes lead to doom

Once again we have a bonkers anime on the list I’ve watched all of season 1 and some of season two I’ve also read some of the manga, I’m enjoying both

Katarina Claes is the only daughter of a duke. One day she hits her head so hard that she remembers her past life, during which she played a game very similar to her life now. She is now an antagonist of the otome game and she knows every possible outcome. With her knowledge of the game, she tries to avoid a route that will end with her death, or exile. Will her knowledge save her?

and just because I can’t just do 10 here are some honourable mentions

new Game 

this is just a lovely show with great characters and a great show

The main character Suzukaze Aoba graduates from high school and joins a game company. The person who made the game that Aoba loved as a grade-schooler just happens to be Aoba’s senior at the company. The story follows girls who work and aspire at the Eaglejump company.

The devil is a part time worker

I really enjoyed the first season and this is one of the first shows I watched but I’ve not been a big fan of the new series.

Hilarity and fun ensues when Satan ends up in modern day Japan without any magic to return, and starts working part time in a fast food joint.

sugar apple fairy tale 

I do really like this show it’s a got a different art style in the anime and the manga (which is new to the U.K. so that will take some time to read) I have put it in my honourable mentions as season 1 isn’t finished yet so I can’t say it’s a favourite.

Anne Halford is a candy crafter determined to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a Silver Sugar Master, a title bestowed only by royalty. In order to travel to the capital and realize her dream, she purchases Challe, a handsome but foul-mouthed fairy, as her bodyguard. Anne wishes to befriend her new companion, but in this kingdom where fairies are treated as property, Challe wants nothing to do with humans.

Violet Evergarden

this is a lovely and emotional show which I had to put on my list somewhere

After four long years of conflict, The Great War has finally come to an end. Caught up in the bloodshed was Violet Evergarden, a young girl raised to be a deadly weapon on the battlefield. Hospitalized and maimed in a bloody skirmish during the War’s final leg, she was left with only words from the person she held dearest, but no understanding of their meaning. Recovering from her wounds, Violet starts a new life working at CH Postal Services. There, she witnesses by pure chance the work of an “Auto Memory Doll”, amanuenses that transcribe people’s thoughts and feelings into words on paper. Moved by the notion, Violet begins work as an Auto Memory Doll, a trade that will take her on an adventure, one that will reshape the lives of her clients and hopefully lead to self-discovery.

Konosuba 

To be honest this is pretty close to the top 10 it is a really fun show if not a bit to male focused in the comedy, however the characters are all rounded, if not odd and the story is interesting.

Kazuma Satou, a high school student, gamer and shut-in, died on an average day walking home from school, performing the one heroic act of his life. He reawakens in the afterlife, greeted by a beautiful but rude girl named Aqua, who claims to be a goddess that guides the youth whose lives got cut short. Aqua then offers him a choice: to go to heaven, or to get sent to a another world to defeat the Demon King. Of course, Kazuma’s gamer instincts kick in, and he chooses to start a new life in a real-life RPG. There’s one last choice Kazuma has to make: he is allowed the choice of one thing to take with him to the new world. After puzzling over it, he chooses…Aqua? Join Kazuma on his adventures as he tries to transfer his virtual gaming knowledge to real-life adventurer experience!

and that’s it my favourite anime and manga. I think this will always be my favourites for various reasons and  I think I’m going to try to post one of this yearly to talk about that years anime in pacifically but always know these are my favourites.

Stories of the month

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

Hi all we are in a new month which means it’s time for another stories of the month I hope you all enjoy this month instalment I read quite a new books this month and have reached my Goodreads goal of 20 (I set it low because last year was terrible). I hope September goes just as well as august.

Books 

house of many ways

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the Third book in Diana’s Howls moving castle series, I definitely preferred this sequel to the second instalment castle in the air as I felt this one had more of the same magical charm of the first one also Howl and Sofie are actually in the book.

Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Great Uncle William’s tiny cottage while he’s ill should have been easy, but Great Uncle William is better known as the Royal Wizard Norland and his house bends space and time. Its single door leads to any number of places – the bedrooms, the kitchen, the caves under the mountains, the past, to name but a few.

By opening that door, Charmain is now also looking after an extremely magical stray dog, a muddled young apprentice wizard and a box of the king’s most treasured documents, as well as irritating a clan of small blue creatures.

Caught up in an intense royal search, she encounters an intimidating sorceress named Sophie. And where Sophie is, can the Wizard Howl and fire demon Calcifer be far behind?

Fruits basket collection vol 2

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this one actually took me some time to read as I was watching the anime at the same time, but I read the last four chapters this month so it’s on the list.

When she was living in a tent pitched on the Sohma family’s land, Tohru Honda’s primary concerns were dirt and slugs. But now that she’s living with the Sohmas, she’s gotten a crash course in magical powers and ancient curses! And as if keeping the Sohma clan secret wasn’t bad enough, Tohru has to work overtime to prevent all the jealous girls from finding out that she’s living under the same roof as the school prince, Yuki, and the school hothead, Kyo! What new drama will Valentine’s Day bring into Tohru’s life?!

 

 

Orange-future

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one is very different from the first two volumes and I think as it was following Suwa from the original timeline it was more emotional

Experience the world of orange from a whole new perspective, as the fate of the present and future timelines unfolds from the point of view of the ever-cheerful third wheel, Suwa Hiroto. Reuniting years later in college, Suwa and Naho’s lives have been forever scarred by their experiences in high school. They say time heals all wounds, but sometimes, time is not enough.

 

 

 

 

muse of nightmares

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

me and my husband listened to this one together and we both really enjoyed it, I did start to read this one when it came out but I kept getting distracted by other books so I’m glad I was able to finish this duology, as it was really good. We were on the edge of our seats throughout the book.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice – save the woman he loves, or everyone else? – while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she?

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel’s near fall and a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, the Muse of Nightmares must take possession her power – and of her fate, and everyone else’s.

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this gorgeous sequel to the international bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.

Divine rivals

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ho my gosh I loved this book this my be my favourite read of the year so far. I loved the characters, the setting and the story line. I felt that the love story was really well done and never felt rushed, I liked the world building and the history of the world that you discovered through out the the book also that it had a little bit of magic. I also felt like it had similarities to you’ve got Mail wether this was done on purpose or if it’s were I’ve watched the film so much and it is also about two people writing letters to each other without them knowing who they are.

No god, no creature, no war can come between them.

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, their fate depends on their facing the depths of hell… together.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again…

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

Film

Guardians of the galaxy vol 3

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

as this is a Marvel movie I will not say much about this film but, I feel like this my of been my favourite guardians movies of them all

Cinderella

as the original has been remastered in 4k I decided to watch I didn’t feel like there was that much differences but it has also been along time since I watched it so that my be way.

games

genshin impact

Sumeru

this ark was very cut seen havey which wasn’t a bad thing but it feels like it makes you explore less then in previous arks, even the final boss felt like it was more of a cut  seen then an actual fight which again isn’t necessarily a bad thing for me as I have found the last boss fight really tricky, but it then did feel like it took away from the challenge. The land of Sumeru is absolutely breathtaking and there is definitely lots to see and do, just unfortunate where I’m behind with the game a new area is already available to explore which I will talk about next month probably so once I’ve all caught up I can go back for all of the side quests. I also think Lesser Lord Kusanali may be my favourite arcon as she’s so sweet and kind and really cares about the people of Sumeru.

musical

wicked

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

well Wicked is an amazing musical, the cast was amazing, the music is great I enjoyed every moment of this musical I’m so glad I was finally able to go.

and there is another month over

Stories of the month

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

It’s once again a new month and it’s time to share what stories I have read or seen (it’s not many)

Books

Demon in the wood

⭐️⭐️⭐️

It was good but not much really happened in it. it was quite underwhelming but it was cool to see a different side of the Grisha world and Erik. The art was quite good, though.

Before he led Ravka’s Second Army, before he created the Fold, and long before he became the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy burdened by an extraordinary power. Eryk and his mother, Lena, have spent their lives on the run. But they will never find a safe haven. They are not only Grisha – they are the deadliest and rarest of their kind.

Feared by those who wish to destroy them and hunted by those who would exploit their gifts, they must hide their true abilities wherever they go. But sometimes deadly secrets have a way of revealing themselves…

films

the Barbie movie 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It definitely wasn’t what I expected but I really liked it. It was a bit heavy on the feminism at times but I felt that the Ken’s got there moments as well which made up for it. I really liked the soundtrack and I’ve been listening to I’m just Ken on repeat since the album came out. And no it’s not some mind blowing blockbuster but it delivers on what I wanted from this film which is some lightheartedness nostalgia and a good time.

Barbies days are always amazing in Barbieland but then one day everything changes and her foot goes flat know if she’s going to fix things she’s going to have to go to the real world! With the unwanted help of Ken, Barbie heads to the real world but what they discover could not just change their lives but the whole of Barbieland.

 

 

 

 


The ladybug movie

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It feels like I have been waiting for this film for a life time and I’m not really sure how I feel about it. I did think it was going to continue with the show but it ended up being a new story completely and rebooted the story. There was also singing which felt out of place at times which wasn’t helped by Marinette’s singing voice being a lot older than her character is but some of them were quite good but I felt like we could of done with less songs and more character growth and story lines.
I liked that all the original cast was in there and the animation looks amazing I do wish the tv show could look like that (I know why it can’t but a girl can dream)

This exciting Miraculous origin story follows shy Parisian teenager Marinette as she starts the year in a new high school. On her way home, Marinette saves a mystical old man who gives her the Miraculous gem, transforming her into the superhero Ladybug, bestowed with powers of creation. At school, Marinette has fallen for Adrien, the sheltered son of millionaire fashion designer Gabriel Agreste. Meanwhile, Adrien has been transformed by another Miraculous gem into the superhero Cat Noir – and begins to fall for Ladybug, his opposite. Unaware of each other’s true identities, the duo team up to battle the supervillain Hawk Moth, who in reality is none other than Adrien’s father, seeking control of the Miraculous gems to bring his wife back to life. With Hawk Moth sowing chaos and destruction across Paris, Ladybug and Cat Noir’s talents are put to the test in fierce battles with his minions. Yet still greater tests lie ahead. Can Marinette, as Ladybug, find the courage to believe in herself? Will this star-crossed hero and sidekick become something more to each other when their masks come off?

tv shows

the helpful fox senko-san

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My husband and I started watching this on funimation back when it was a thing with dubs but when we switched to Crunchyroll at first wasn’t there and then when it was added a few months later it was only in Japanese with subs but they recently added English dubs so we were finally able to finish it.

Kuroto Nakano is a young salaryman with a very unhappy and stressful life, almost entirely occupied by his job at the company for which he works. One night, after yet another day spent overworking, the moment he opens the door of his home he finds a seemingly young girl with fox ears and a tail cooking dinner for him – her name is Senko, an 800-year-old fox demigod. Senko has been sent to Earth from the spirit world to relieve Kuroto from his unhappy life and help him find happiness again.

 


Konosuba! An explosion on this wonderful world 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well as expected this was a very fun and silly anime with lots of references to Konosuba! I liked that you got find out how (let’s be honest the best character) Megumin became the greatest explosion magic user.

One year before a certain useless goddess and NEET extraordinaire hit the scene, Megumin, the “Greatest Genius of the Crimson Magic Clan,” is hard at work. Ever since a life-changing encounter in her youth, the young wizard has dedicated her every waking moment to the pursuit of the ultimate offensive magic: Explosion magic. Well, every moment not spent hustling food from her self-proclaimed rival. While the big sister’s away, the little one will play too and on a routine trip into the woods, Megumin’s little sister, Komekko, finds a strange black kitten. Little does she know that this cat plays a key role in unsealing a Dark God’s tomb.

 

Good omens season 2

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

season two is finally here and it was far to short and it ended up on a cliffhanger of sorts. I wasn’t sure what the story line for this season was going to be as the first season wrapped up the Armageddon storyline, I liked that this season focused on a different flashback story while showing the present day struggles of having Gabriel around.

Season 2: A naked archangel turns up at the door to renegade angel Aziraphale’s bookshop, with no memory of who he is or how he got there, and Aziraphale and retired demon Crowley’s lives become extremely complicated. Heaven and Hell are both desperate to find the runaway. As Crowley and Aziraphale attempt to fix a human romance, things become increasingly unsafe for them, in the past and the present.

 

 

 


Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon maid season 1 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is just a really nice anime with moments of over the top action and madness. I like that it has a really good mix of a slice of life anime but it still has an ongoing plot with a lot of action.

As Kobayashi sets off for another day at work, she opens her apartment door only to be met by an unusually frightening sight—the head of a dragon, staring at her from across the balcony. The dragon immediately transforms into a cute, busty, and energetic young girl dressed in a maid outfit, introducing herself as Tooru.
It turns out that the stoic programmer had come across the dragon the previous night on a drunken excursion to the mountains, and since the mythical beast had nowhere else to go, she had offered the creature a place to stay in her home. Thus, Tooru had arrived to cash in on the offer, ready to repay her savior’s kindness by working as her personal maidservant. Though deeply regretful of her words and hesitant to follow through on her promise, a mix of guilt and Tooru’s incredible dragon abilities convinces Kobayashi to take the girl in.
Despite being extremely efficient at her job, the maid’s unorthodox methods of housekeeping often end up horrifying Kobayashi and at times bring more trouble than help. Furthermore, the circumstances behind the dragon’s arrival on Earth seem to be much more complicated than at first glance, as Tooru bears some heavy emotions and painful memories. To top it all off, Tooru’s presence ends up attracting several other mythical beings to her new home, bringing in a host of eccentric personalities. Although Kobayashi makes her best effort to handle the crazy situation that she has found herself in, nothing has prepared her for this new life with a dragon maid.

games

gangan impact the mines quest

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m very behind in the game as I haven’t played it for a few months but when I got back in to the game there was the mines to discover so I could get to S. the thing that I didn’t like about this quest and the thing I find annoying with the game is that it had no audible dialogue which happens on anything that isn’t the main story even if like in this case you need to do it to get to the rest of the story.

well that is July I would like to try and read more in August but I will wait and see what it brings, till next time.

Barbie booktag

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

 

It is the season and so it’s barbie book tag time.

 

Barbie is everything: the most amazing protagonist you’ve ever read?

This is a very open question which really could mean so much, is she the strongest or just perfect and so I’m going with

Sophie

The reason I’m going with Sophie is because she’s strong willed and knows what she wants and works hard to get it, she also has to deal with Howl and Calsifer which is a challenge in its self though out the book.

In this beloved modern classic, young Sophie Hatter from the land of Ingary catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell… Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls… There Sophie meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer the fire demon, with whom she agrees a pact. Her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl and Michael and her quest to break her curse come alive with Diana Wynne Jones’s unique combination of magic, humour and imagination.

This Barbie is a mermaid: a book with magical creatures?

Well as most of the books I read are fantasy’s I have a lot of books to pick from but as barbie is a mermaid I’m going to pick a book where a main character is a magical creature.

Eragon

Saphira is a dragon for whom the book would not happen without she’s very brave and clever

When poor farm boy Eragon finds a polished stone in the forest, he thinks it’s a lucky discovery. Perhaps, he will be able to buy his family food for the winter.

But, when a baby dragon hatches out of the stone, Eragon realises he’s stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

His simple life is shattered, and he’s thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic and power. To navigate this dark terrain, and survive his cruel king’s evil ways, he must take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders.

This Barbie is a doctor/lawyer/diplomat: a book with a female protagonist that takes place in a work environment?

As I have already said I mostly read fantasy’s which I thought would make this question tricky but then I remembered the perfect book.

legends and lattes 

This book has two female characters and it pretty much all takes place in their work place the cafe.

orn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen. However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve. A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.

This Barbie is a celebrated author: a book by your favorite author?

My current favourite author is Ashley Poston so I will go with the last book I read of hers

the dead Romance 

I really enjoyed reading this book and it was cool to see Ashley doing something a bit different as she normally does YA Fantasy’s or Romances. the reason I like Ashley Poston is that she always has lots of references to different fandoms in fun ways that fit in with the story that she is writing, I also haven’t read one of her books that I haven’t liked yet.

Florence Day is a ghost-writer with one big problem. She’s supposed to be penning swoon-worthy novels for a famous romance author but, after a bad break-up, Florence no longer believes in love. And when her strict (but undeniably hot) new editor, Benji Andor, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye.

Although when tragedy strikes and Florence has to head home, the last thing she expects to see is a ghost at her front door. Not just any ghost, however, but the stern form of her still very hot – yet now unquestionably dead – new editor.

As sparks start to fly between them, Florence tells herself she can’t be falling for a ghost – even an infuriatingly sexy one. But can Benji help Florence to realise love isn’t dead, after all?

This is midge: a book about motherhood?

Ok well I haven’t really read anything that is about motherhood except maybe one which is probably a stretch but it’s my tag so.

one hundred and one Dalmatians

I mean the dogs are parents and they have to work very hard to save their puppies.

When Missis and Pongo’s puppies go missing, the two Dalmatian parents know the scary Cruella De Vil has had something to do with it. After all, she adores furs, and the Dalmatians have such beautiful coats …The dogs’ pets, Mr and Mrs Dearly, don’t understand them, so it is up to Pongo and Missis to rescue their pups – with the help of all the dogs in England.

There’s only one Alan: a book with friends to lovers?

I’m sure I have read lots of books with this trope as it’s one of my favourites but the first one that came to mind is

how to be popular

I read this book quite a few years ago and it’s definitely a teen book but I do remember the predictable friends to lovers story line

Steph Landry’s been a high school pariah – and the butt of every joke imaginable – ever since she spilt her red Super Big Gulp all over It Girl Lauren Moffat’s white D&G mini-skirt.

But now Steph’s got a secret weapon – an ancient book, How to be Popular, which her soon-to-be step-grandmother once used to break into her A-crowd. All Steph has to do is follow the instructions in The Book and wait for the partying begin. But as Steph’s about to discover, it’s easy to become popular – it’s less easy staying that way!

He’s just Ken: a book with a trash boy

I do feel bad that he’s just Ken is a question about somebody who is trash but I didn’t make the tag but know that this is one of my favourite songs on the album.
Draco Malfoy 

 Draco: he’s moody, he’s whiny, he’s a coward, and he’s mean, there really isn’t more to say you all know what the Harry Potter books are about so

And that is the barbie book tag I hope you enjoyed reading this blog, until next time