Category: Book blog

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.

 

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

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

 

Birthday book tag

Posted on by Bee Keogh-Britcher

It’s my 30th birthday this weekend so thought what better way to blog then to post the birthday book tag

BIRTHDAY CAKE
 a book with a plot that seems cliche but you adore it anyway

I feel like all romantic books are cliche and I’m not really one for romance books so I will go with one of the few I like.

Bookish and the beast

this is a beauty and the beast retelling with a geeky twist, but it really was more then that Ashley does a great job with the once upon a con series to make this fairy tales work in the modern times and I feel this one is her best for that.
the other thing I like is the Easter eggs not just to the Disney film but to other books as well one of my favourite scenes in the book involves a towel which Vance uses to dry his hair little did I know until I read another little book,  that not only did his hair tarn ginger In my opinion like the beast hair but also Rosie ruin the towel like Sophie does in howls moving castle which also caused howl hair to change colour.

 Rosie Thorne—a young woman feeling stuck. She’s stuck on her college application essays, stuck in her small town, and stuck on that mysterious General Sond cosplayer she met back at ExcelsiCon. But most of all, she’s stuck in her grief over her mother’s death. Her only solace was her late mother’s library of rare Starfield novels, but even that disappeared when she and her dad sold it to pay off hospital bills.
Then there’s Vance Reigns—he’s been Hollywood royalty for as long as he can remember, with all the privilege and scrutiny that entails. Vance’s world comes crashing down when a tabloid scandal catches up to him and he’s forced to hide out somewhere the paparazzi would never think to look: Small Town USA. At least the house he’s stuck in has a library. Too bad he doesn’t read.
When their paths collide and a rare book is destroyed, Rosie must work to repay the debt. But while most superfans would jump at the chance to be anywhere near Starfield’s handsome hunk, Rosie would rather be anywhere but. Vance is a jerk, she can’t stand him, and the feeling is mutual. But as this pair of opposites begrudgingly gets closer and their careful masks come off, they may just find there’s more risk in shutting each other out than in opening up their hearts.

 

PARTY GUESTS

your most anticipated book release this year

there are a few books out this year that I’m excited about and luckily I don’t have to wait to long for two of them

It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.
She only knows three things for certain:
1. She has a splitting headache.
2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.
And oh yeah…
3. People keep trying to kill her.
She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy!
Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.
Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.
That’s easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe—dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.
But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…

out August 2023


Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.
So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.
And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.
Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.
Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.
After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

6 July 2023

 

Emry Merlin should be living her best life as a wizard’s apprentice. Now that she no longer has to pretend to be her brother to study magic, she and Prince Arthur are closer than ever. Except King Uther has warned her to stay away from his son, and Emry’s magic is growing more unpredictable by the day.
Meanwhile, Arthur’s prophesied future as the One True King is closing in. And as his wedding to Princess Guinevere draws nearer, he discovers she’s hiding a shocking secret. When Emry learns that the only hope to fix her increasingly dangerous magic is an eccentric Parisian alchemist, Arthur has his own reasons for accompanying her to French court, and for befriending an infamous crowd of young nobles.
But it’s going to take a lot more than a depressed gargoyle, some obscenely tight trousers, and a deadly sports match to keep our young heroes from their destiny. Can these reluctant royals and wayward wizards set aside their drama and save their kingdom, or is Camelot doomed?

21 March 2023

There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity who inhabits the ancient hot spring. Yet this time it is not from Sulis Minerva that trouble starts. It comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger. A desperate rescue is attempted by his sister the right-handed bookseller Vivien and their friend, art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.
The map takes the trio to a place separated from the world, maintained by deadly sorcery performed by an Ancient Sovereign and guarded by monstrous living statues of Portland Stone. But this is only the beginning, as the booksellers investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths and try to unravel the secrets of the murderous Lady of Stone, a serial killer of awesome powers.
If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.

23 March

 

BIRTHDAY PRESENTS

a book that surprised you with how much you loved it

84 Charing Cross

not only is this not a fantasy but it’s also non fiction but I really enjoyed it.

this is the true story of Miss Helene Hanff of New York and Messers Marks and co sellers of rare and secondhead books as they correspond though letters as Helene try’s to find the books that she’s after. This book search soon forms friendships between Helene and the many workers of 84 Charing Cross road.

THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG

a book that certainly deserved all the hype it got

Legends and lattes

I’m going with this one just because I’m on my second listen on my way to London and it is amazing.

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.

 

HAPPY MUSIC

 a book with some very beautiful and truly memorable quotes

Strange the dreamer 

I think this is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read and it has some lovely quotes

“The library knows its mind,” old Master Hyrrokkin told him, leading him back up the secret stairs. “When it steals a boy, we let it keep him.”

That was his dream, daring and magnificent: to go there, half across the world, and solve the mysteries for himself. It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming?

“He read while he walked. He read while he ate. The other librarians suspected he somehow read while he slept, or perhaps didn’t sleep at all.”

and that are just a few

The dream chooses the dreamer.
Since he was five years old, Lazlo Strange has been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to go in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself – in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep to cut it off from the world? What did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do many more mysteries – including the blue-skinned goddess who visits Lazlo’s dreams …

GETTING OLDER

 a book that you read a long time ago, but you think that you would appreciate it more if you read it as a more mature reader

The hobbit

when I was younger I was only able to read the first chapter or so before I put it down

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End.
But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey `there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon…

SWEET BIRTHDAY MEMORIES

a book that kept you incredibly happy during a sad or demanding period of your life

This is a pretty hard question I’m not going to lie and seems very personal for a book tag but I will try to answer.
The shadowhunter series

this books got me though college and some of the ups and down of adulthood I’ve got many friends who reads them as well.

and that is that I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed my birthday.