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where our team of writers love to talk all things books, sharing reviews, features, lists, interviews and more.

Getting lost in a book is escapism at it's finest and it's what everyone who contributes here thrives on.

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Friday, 9 February 2018

A History of Magic | Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and the British Library | Review



Harry Potter: A History of Magic is the official book of the exhibition, a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and the brilliant curators of the British Library. It promises to take readers on a fascinating journey through the subjects studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – from Alchemy and Potions classes through to Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.
I can say with assurance that it does just that; it really is a fascinating journey.



What I loved about this book (created by Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and the British Library for the 20th anniversary in 2017) is that it combines everything Harry Potter and the world we all know and love, with the very real world we actually live in.



Chapters are dedicated to various subjects - Defence Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Charms etc - and they tell of real artifacts from the British museum that have been used for similar reasons. In the Divination chapter, for example, there are real charts of tea leaves and how to read them, as created and read by real people, not just Professor Trelawney.



There is information about mandrakes, dragon's blood, centaurs, broomsticks and cauldrons. The images are a mixture of photographs from the artifacts in the museum, illustrations from both Jim Kay and Olivia Lomenech Gill and their illustrated copies of Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. There's also manuscripts from Rowling's drafts of the stories, and images she sketched out herself.



 I learnt a lot when I read this book, about the incredible pieces in the museum, and how people actually used things like star charts and the study of plants in their actual lives. It's a fantastic combination of fiction and reality.

Have you had a look at A History of Magic? What did you think? 

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Wednesday, 7 February 2018

Features | Why I Decided To Make A Bookish Spreadsheet

Heading into the new year I was happy with my reading goals. I’d selected four sequels I wanted to cross of my TBR, I’d chosen five books (four of which I already owned) for my 2018 ‘vow to read list’, I'd decided to tackle this year's Popsugar challenge, I’d committed to reading every selection from our new BB book club and I’d set a Goodreads goal of 50 books (more to keep track of my reads than actually set a target).

A couple of weeks into the new year I added an unexpected additional reading goal to my list. Since the early days of owning a Kindle I’ve had a simple two-folder filing system for organising my digital books; ‘read’ and ‘unread’. Now, I won’t go into the specific numbers but what I noticed when downloading my latest purchase was that I had somehow gathered an embarrassing amount of books in the ‘unread’ folder. And so, I decided it was time to do something about it.

Unsure whether to set a target number, clear out some of the free classics and unfinished eARCs or simply keep all other books on hold, in the end I decided the best way to make the list more manageable was to make myself a Kindle spreadsheet. So, I set to typing up the titles, authors, genres and page counts of the 'unread' folder's contents to figure out exactly what books I had and what I was going to do about them all.

Photo by STIL on Unsplash

With all of the information in one place, I began by greying out the books I’d started reading but hadn't finished as I wasn’t enjoying them at the time. Then I used a bold colour to pick out the titles that I was most looking forward to reading and promised myself that somehow I’d make time for them in 2018. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share list of these titles here on BB, I guess mainly because I don’t want to feel like I’ve failed when December rolls around and I’ve only crossed off two, so I’ve decided to keep my little Kindle spreadsheet to myself for now. What I will share is that there are twenty books, totalling almost 5000 pages, that I want to see moved from the 'unread' folder to the ‘read’ one by the end of the year. Perhaps I’ll share more about them with you in twelve months time!

Of course, it’s also clear that I should be on some sort of strict Kindle book buying ban (and a Netgalley ban too), but I’m not going to promise that because I know I'll fail. I first got my Kindle soon after I rediscovered my love of reading and it’s clear to see from some of the books on the list that I wanted to catch up on everything I’d missed out on! Since then I’ve discovered more about the kind of books I enjoy and what I want to make time to read in the future - there are so many books in the world and unfortunately I can’t read them all, no matter how hard I try! What I am going to pledge is that I’ll be more selective about the Kindle reads I purchase from now on, only buying books I plan to read in the near future and keeping my TBR under control.

How do you keep track of your TBR lists, and have you ever created a bookish spreadsheet? I’d love to hear your tips!

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Monday, 5 February 2018

Features | On February's TBR

solar bones february tbr book blog

I'm not usually one to set monthly TBRs as I’ve been known to fail miserably in the past, but with my library reservations lined up and a few reading challenges underway, today I thought I'd break tradition and share my February reading list with you.

A Tyranny Of Petticoats, edited by Jessica Spotswood (2016)

First up is of course our February book club title, which this month was chosen by Anjali. A Tyranny Of Petticoats contains fifteen short stories penned by fifteen different YA authors, including three whose work I've read before; Marie Lu, Beth Revis and Marissa Meyer. The book takes the reader on a historical journey from 1710 to 1968 and promises tales of 'badass girls'.

I've really been loving short story collections lately (this will be the fourth one I've read this year) so I'm really looking forward to it! If you would like to join in and readalong with us you can find out more about Anjali's reasons for choosing the book and how you can send us your feedback in this recent post.

The Strange Library, Haruki Murakami (2005)

This book has been sat on my Goodreads TBR list since 2015 and comes recommended by Ria as a good introduction to Murakami (I'm also planning to read IQ84 this year as part of my 'vow to read list'). I recently discovered that my local library has this one in stock so I've reserved a copy and am looking forward to finding out more about the mysterious and unusual story. It's also the title I've selected for the 2018 Popsugar Challenge prompt 'a book that involves a bookstore or library'.

Station Eleven, Emily St John Mandel (2014)

Speaking of things that have been on my Goodreads TBR since 2015, I've owned a Kindle copy of Station Eleven for over two years now so there's really no excuse! This coupled with the fact that it's one of those books I've heard nothing but amazing things about landed the book on my 2018 'vow to read' list. Looking at the synopsis it sounds set to be a really unique take on the dystopian genre and I can't wait to finally read it.

Tales From The Dead Of Night, edited by Cecily Gayford (2014)

Whilst browsing the shelves at Waterstones in search of book club inspiration, I stumbled across this book when I was drawn in by the beautiful cover design. Containing thirteen spooky ghost stories from a selection of authors including Ruth Rendell and Rudyard Kipling this book sounds like Halloween come early to me. As we all know at this point (broken record over here...), short story collections are a big favourite for me right now and I'm hoping this selection won't disappoint.

Solar Bones, Mike McCormack (2016)

This was the only book from my January library haul that I didn't quite manage to squeeze in last month. Whilst I don't know anything about the plot, I'm very intrigued by the fact that the book doesn't have chapters or punctuation and takes place over just one hour. In my library haul I mentioned that I'm expecting this book to take me out of my reading comfort zone so I'm really keen to find out more.

+ 1 Mystery Read...

As it's my turn to pick the BB book club title next month, I'm also planning on reading the book I've selected beforehand in order to allow me to tailor the feedback form to the book. Of course, I'm keeping quiet about the book's identity until the announcement post in a few weeks time, but I can reveal that it's a short novel, making it the first BB book club pick that isn't a short story collection. I'm excited about the title I've chosen and I hope you will be too!
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Sunday, 4 February 2018

Bookish Links #39


1. Literary London - if you're planning a trip to London sometime soon you'll adore Carolanne's guide to the best bookworm hangouts in the city!

2. Tackle Your TBR - we always feel like our TBR piles are getting out of control. If you're feeling the same way check out this awesome idea from Lia!

3. Inspiring Reads - in this post actress Tamera Mowry shares her top recommendations for women and mothers.

4. A Bookish Recipe - how beautiful are these apple roses created by Alba?

5. Backlist Books - here at BB we love reviewing both new releases and older titles so we loved Aimee's post on why we should all be reading and reviewing backlist books.

6. Wildest Dreams - if you're looking to treat yourself in 2018 check out this YA subscription box!

7. Strange Books -Victoria Schwab's recent article over at NPR is such an interesting read! How do you feel about the genres and categories we use?

8. Feel-Good Reads - Avelina has some great recommendations for this cold and often miserable time of year.

9. Mini Reviews - we adore all of Katie's illustrations but we particularly love the bookish ones that accompany her mini book reviews.

10. Graphic Novels - if you're looking to step out of your reading comfort zone and try graphic novels this year you'll love Wordery's top 20 picks.

11. In Case You Missed It... - our final link of the roundup is to the past issues our very own (very new) newsletter. If you like what you see we would love you to subscribe!

Links From The BB Archives... Readathons | Books We Wish Had Sequels/Prequels | Heartless, Marissa Meyer

For a little extra dose of bookish links every month, make sure you're subscribed to our monthly newsletter.

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Friday, 2 February 2018

Features | Fictional Romances to Make You Swoon


It's February and you know what that means. It's time for Valentine's Day content. Far be it from me to defy convention, so today I'm here to talk about five fictional romances that make me swoon and that I think would be the perfect stories to snuggle up with on Valentine's Day itself. Because honestly, who needs a date when instead you could read a good book without anyone else trying to share your heart shaped chocolates? I know. I'm very wise. So snuggle up with your favourite snack and get ready for some swoon-worthy recommendations.


Mia and Michael - The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot

Let's start off with a classic. My personal all time OTP, Mia Thermopolis and Michael Moscovitz. Don't let Michael's disappearance in the second Princess Diaries movie deceive you, in Meg Cabot's original books Michael and Mia are a constant thing. They have their ups and down and at times Michael struggles with Mia being the sole heir to a small European principality but at the end of the day, they get each other's weird, and that's the key to true love.


Lara Jean and Peter K - The To All the Boys I've Loved Before series by Jenny Han

Lara Jean and Peter K's story starts with a letter Lara Jean never wanted sent but it really gets going when Lara Jean asks Peter to pretend to be her boyfriend to save face with the boy she really likes. And we all know where fake-dating ends up. Lara Jean has a few suitors throughout the series, some swoonier than others, but there's something about Peter and Lara Jean that just works, even when they aren't so sure of that themselves.


Simon and Blue - Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon and Blue spend most of their novel unaware of each other's identities, communicating only by email, but that doesn't stop them from being there for each other when they're both going through difficult times. The anonymous nature of their relationship at first allows them to be candid in a way they might not be if they weren't keeping their names secret and watching them go from pen pal confidantes to something more is enough to make anyone swoon.


Eleanor and Park - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park each have their own troubles, with identity, with their home lives, with their peers, but they find each other on the school bus and form a connection based on music and comic books that helps them both escape from those troubles for a while. Ultimately, of course, their troubles don't just go away but these two teens support each other through those troubles the best way they know how, and it's that that makes their romance so special.


Anna and Etienne, Lola and Cricket, and Isla and Josh - Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

If there's one writer who really knows how to write a swoon-worthy romance it's Stephanie Perkins. Whether it's Anna and Etienne falling in love in Paris, Lola and Cricket coming back to each other in San Fransisco, or Isla and Josh facing the challenges of young love together in New York, Paris, and Barcelona, pick up any of Stephanie Perkins's three companion novels and you're guaranteed a heart-meltingly good time.
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Thursday, 1 February 2018

Turtles All The Way Down | John Green | Review

I'd wanted to read this since it came out but it wasn't very high on my wishlist until I managed to score a copy from a giveaway ran by our own Anjali! I have a very love/hate relationship with John Green books, they're rather a touchy subject with some book lovers. Some love them, some hate them, and some hate them because so many people love them. I'm not one of those, I really liked a few of his books that I read back when I was 18/19 (cough, I hate to say it but before the movie came out and everything went boom). Looking for Alaska, and The Fault in our Stars was great, really lovely to read and enjoy. Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines were the last two I read and I was not a fan, because of that my view on John Green books sort of changed. Then The Fault in our Stars movie came out in 2014 and I wasn't the biggest fan of that so ya know it didn't help.

However because it's been so long, I've grown up and while I may not be his target audience anymore I thought I'd give this one a go. As mentioned before it wasn't the top of my tbr pile because of my thoughts of some of his other books, Anjali pushed me into it... and I did really enjoy it!



Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

 Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.



I have to say when I received it and read the blurb on what it was about I was slightly put off but I jumped in and in reality, without giving spoilers, the whole 'murder mystery disappearance' storyline of the blurb is only really a general subplot floating the real story. A whole lot more important stuff happens than that. Half the time you forget the chase is on. While in some cases this may be thought of as 'why the hell did he even bother with that storyline then?' I think it helped to get the real story going where it needed to be going.

The main thing I took from this book though was Aza's mental health journey. While I've never had anxiety as bad as she struggles through a few of her moments definitely resonated with me. John Green definitely has the spiral metaphor down, there have been definite times in my life where my thoughts have just spiralled down and down and down, Turtles All The Way Down.

I've come to realise the reason the main plotline isn't very important is that we're seeing the story from Aza's mind. She can't even get through lunch without her anxiety spiralling her thoughts so of course the plotline can be easily distracted. It makes the entire book very relatable if you've gone through anything similar to what she's going through.

Plus they have tuatara which, living in NZ and tuatara being from NZ, made me squeal a bit. I then wondered why it was called Turtles All The Way Down and not Tuatara All The Way Down, but you then get to that scene and the penny drops and there's a magical moment where they say the name of the book and everything clicks and it's wonderful. You know the moments right? This would usually be the part of a comedy show where the main character breaks the fourth wall and looks into the camera and winks at the audience.

Anyway, it's a great book, and definitely improves my John Green views! Not perfect, but books rarely are these days, definitely recommend you read it though especially if you've been through any sort of anxiety. Four stars ^^
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