Bookish Links #36

Wednesday, 29 November 2017

Bookish Links #36

1. Wizards Unite - we're sure you've all heard by now but we just had to include a link to the news about the upcoming Harry Potter augmented reality game. Will you be playing?

2.  Lit Chat - we enjoyed reading Emma's post about Lit Chat, a set of cards featuring reading-themed questions. We're looking forward to future posts inspired by the cards!

3. Graphics - in a reading slump? Graphic novels may be the answer! Check out this post from The Ardent Biblio to find out how.

4. Bookstagram - we've been enjoying following the picks from Emma Roberts book club Belletrist so we really loved this EW post listing all of the book recommendations from her Instagram account. Your TBRs are about to get a whole lot longer...

5. Making Time For Books - in this post Hannah shares her top five tips for finding time to read as a parent.

6. Dystopia/Utopia - if you can't decide what your next read should be check out this list of feminist Utopian and Dystopian reads recommended by Lotte.

7. For John Green Fans - looking for post-Turtles All The Way Down reads? Jamie has you covered with this list!

8. Reading Harry Potter - we loved reading Janssen's interesting post all about introducing Harry Potter to children.

9. Travel Companions - if you're heading out on a roadtrip over the holiday season you'll love this list of audiobook picks from Emma over at A Beautiful Mess.

10. Books To Gift - our final pick is Lauren's post filled with awesome bookish gift ideas. You're sure to find a title here for everyone on your Christmas list!

If you've read or written an interesting bookish article you think our readers would enjoy please let us know - it may be featured in a future post!    

Read more »

No comments

We're Recruiting For 2018!

Monday, 27 November 2017

We're Recruiting For 2018!

Going forward into the new year we're looking to recruit a new member (or members) to our team of writers!

We're ideally looking to find someone who is keen to share their unique ideas and points of view, who is organised, creative, enthusiastic and of course loves talking all things books! If this sounds like you here's a little more information...

- the role would involve writing content for the blog on a fortnightly basis (we ask for 1 post per fortnight on an assigned day of the week, the day is negotiable)

- all content must be book-related but can include everything from reviews to features, lists, interviews, short stories, news, poems and event write-ups

We would also love for you to be involved in contributing to our upcoming book club and newsletter (however this is completely optional if you are unable to commit the extra time).

If you think you would be a good fit for our team we would love to hear from you! Please email us your details (including your name & blog link if you have one) and we will get back to you very soon.

We look forward to hearing from you!

- Team BB

*Image via unsplash.com

Read more »

No comments

Genuine Fraud | E. Lockhart | Review

Friday, 24 November 2017

Genuine Fraud | E. Lockhart | Review

An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.

Jule, a scrappy fighter and an expert at blending in, and Imogen, an unsatisfied heiress, bonded over their shared history, both orphans and both determined to get away from their pasts and become someone new, Imogen and Jule share everything. Clothes, money, lavish homes in London and Martha's Vineyard. They're as close as best friends can be. Or, they were. Or... were they?

Told in reverse, Genuine Fraud begins with a young woman on the run and takes the reader backwards through not entirely reliable memories and increasingly complicated lies, through a close friendship brought to an unfortunate end, through the whole complex affair, from end to beginning and back again. 

There are so many twists and turns in this story that I hesitate to say anything about it at all for fear of spoiling anything. The narrative taking the reader back through time can be a little confusing but it means that the story gets to unfold in a way that leaves you never quite sure what's real and what isn't. As soon as one piece of the story falls into place, we're swept back two days or six weeks to reveal that something else entirely is actually the truth, but then again, maybe that isn't either. Piece by piece things click together until finally the last secret is revealed and we end up, once again, back where we started, at the end of the story.

One downside to the backwards narrative is that it makes it tough to really feel for the characters, as the reader isn't so much on the journey with them, but experiencing events in gradual backwards steps, as told by an extremely unreliable narrator. Genuine Fraud is a difficult novel to explain and, at least at first, a difficult novel to get to grips with, but it's so well written that it doesn't take long for the mysteries of the story to overtake any concerns about the characters. If you're anything like me, you'll be desperate to get to the middle of this complicated maze of lies and half-truths and find out what really happened to Jule and Imogen.

Read more »

No comments

Archangel's Viper | Nalini Singh | Review

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

Archangel's Viper | Nalini Singh | Review

Sometimes, you accidentally start a book series at the wrong time. For me that was diving into the Guild Hunter series on one of the later books, Archangel's Viper, which was sent to me by the publisher. It meant that it took me a little while to get into the book but when I did, I really enjoyed it.

Archangel's Viper is about Holly Chang, a young woman who has become a supernatural creature after being tortured by an archangel. She's part vampire, part poisonous, part mystery to everyone. With a new and dangerous power coursing through her veins, Holly is one hell of a bounty. Venom, a centuries old vampire, is assigned to protect when people start coming for her. The two of them don't exactly get on but they do make a good team, especially when their questions unearthed a deadly mystery.

Urban fantasy isn't something I read that much of anymore but it was a great return to the genre for me. It was punchy, creative and exciting. There were intriguing characters, who kept me hooked. There were also slow burn romances, which are my favourite kind. Although they were hardly a surprise, that didn't make them any less entertaining!

Archangel's Viper is dangerous and addictive, making it the perfect kind of book to lose yourself in for a few hours. It's the kind of fun reading that helps you switch off from the real world for a little while.

It was a risk starting the series when it had already started but it paid off. Now, I'm intrigued enough to read more of the Guild Hunter novels and the writing of Nalini Singh.

Read more »

No comments

Get Involved | Your Favourite Reads Of 2017

Saturday, 18 November 2017

Get Involved | Your Favourite Reads Of 2017

Read more »

No comments

The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy | Michael F. Patton and Kevin Cannon | Review

Friday, 17 November 2017

The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy | Michael F. Patton and Kevin Cannon | Review

"The most entertaining and engaging philosophy class you'll ever take!
In The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy, Michael F. Patton and Kevin Cannon introduce us to the grand tradition of examined living. With the wisecracking Heraclitus as our guide, we travel down the winding river of philosophy, meeting influential thinkers from nearly three millennia of Western thought and witnessing great debates over everything from ethics to the concept of the self to the nature of reality.
Combining Cannon's playful artistry and Patton's humorous, instructive prose, The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy puts the fun back into the quest for fundamental truths, imparting a love of wisdom to anyone willing to grab a paddle and join the ride."

Something a little different today on Blogger's Bookshelf: The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy. The 16th of November celebrates World Philosophy Day, so I thought it was the perfect time to share with you a recent purchase of mine.

Let's back track for a quick second.

After finishing high school back in 2008 (goodness, I feel old), I headed off to university not really knowing what I was going to do. I started with an English degree but quickly dropped that after not really enjoying the first semester. While I still kept the odd English paper here and there, I picked up a few Philosophy papers just out of interest's sake. Turns out that interest exploded in the following 3 years, and long story short, I have a BA in Philosophy. 

While I haven't done anything further (with few job prospects other than teaching), I still enjoy watching philosophy-related TED Talks and picking up the occasional book. This is one such book.

Discovered during a wandering journey through maze of shelves in the famous Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon, this book practically leaped off the shelf at me and I couldn't not take it away. I'm so glad I did. 

The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy is a brilliant overview of many of the world's greatest thinkers. Becuase it's in cartoon/comic strip form, it makes for an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable read. We're taken through ideas and theories from early philosophers like Plato and Socrates, to modern day ponderers, all narrated and guided by Heraclitus. The ideas are laid out simply and are very easy to follow, the illustrations adding that extra something-something to the reading experience.

While it's not a book that will interest the widest of audiences, if philosophy has ever ignited even an ember of interest in you, then this is such a fun way to get an overview of the thoughts throughout the ages. I highly recommend picking it up; I'm definitely going to be flicking back to this book in the years to come.

Read more »

No comments