Features | Autumnal Faves Book Recs

Friday, 28 September 2018

Features | Autumnal Faves Book Recs

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, autumn has very definitely arrived once again. Now, I have to admit I'm a summer lover. Autumn in England tends to be less 'crunchy golden leaves' and more 'everything is wet and dark', two things I am not a fan of, but I know so many of you out there will be craving your favourite things about this cooler weather, and whatever your favourite aspect of autumn may be, I have the perfect book just for you.

Autumn leaves - A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Do you love the colours of falling leaves? Check out A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro, a modern day reimagining of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes series. A Study in Charlotte introduces us to Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson, descendants of the famous detective duo, and takes place at Sherringford boarding school in Connecticut. I don't know about you but I always imagine boarding schools as surrounded by beautiful autumnal trees at the start of the school year. Plus, who doesn't love a good mystery novel when the nights get longer?

Seasonal drinks - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

If you spend all year craving pumpkin spice lattes and cinnamon hot chocolates, then Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is the book for you. As sweet as your favourite drink, Fangirl is the story of Cath Avery, a college freshman struggling with her twin sister's newfound independence, her worry about leaving her dad alone at home, and a professor who wants her to abandon her love of fanfiction once and for all. Then there's Levi, the charming barista Cath befriends, or rather who befriends her. Fangirl is guaranteed to make you feel as warm as one of Levi's pumpkin mocha breves.

Wrapping up warm - Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Do you spend all year staring wistfully at your extensive collection of knitwear, just waiting for the day when the temperature drops and you can finally wear your favourite jumpers again? If that sounds like you then you will get along perfectly with Lola of Stephanie Perkins's Lola and the Boy Next Door. For Lola, life is all about fashion, and her clothes aren't outfits, they're costumes. From shoes to wigs, Lola knows the perfect costume for every occasion, even seeing her old neighbours Cricket and Calliope for the first time in years, although maybe not for admitting the old feelings she still has for Cricket.

Bonfire night - Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

If you love keeping warm by a bonfire and the fizz and pop of fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night, I recommend Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, a story full of magic and gunpowder and as explosive as any firework. Rebel of the Sands is the story of Amani Al'Hiza, a gifted gunslinger dying to get out of her old fashioned desert town, but not quite expecting the romance, rebellion, and real magic that await her when she finally does, aided by the mysterious Jin, a fellow sharpshooter with something to hide. This is a fast-paced, exciting read, and you'll be thankful for the long nights of autumn giving you more time to stay up late reading it.

Halloween - The Graces by Laure Eve

Finally, Halloween. If spooky skeleton and ghoulish ghosts make Halloween your favourite thing about autumn then you're bound to love The Graces by Laure Eve. The Graces is a deliciously sinister story of magic, mystery, and obsession. River knows everyone in her small town believes the Graces are witches, and she's as interested in their secretive family as anyone else, but she's determined to be different to everyone else. River wants to find out the truth for herself, to befriend the Graces and find out if they really are as dangerous as everyone thinks, but no one can prepare for the results of River entering the Graces' world.

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The Son of Neptune | Rick Riordan | Review

Thursday, 27 September 2018

The Son of Neptune | Rick Riordan | Review

I put off reading this series because I didn't know any of the characters, which I know is bad of me. Instead, I skipped over them and went straight to the Trials of Apollo series because hey I know Apollo. Turns out the books lead on more than I realised and unfortunately, I actually got a fair few spoilers to the Heroes of Olympus series by reading it first. Therefore as soon as I finished the first Apollo book I went straight back to the Heroes of Olympus series starting with The Lost Hero, and now The Son of Neptune.

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Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem. Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is.

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Can I just say, yay for the return of Percy! After reading the first book in the series 'The Lost Hero' that had mostly all new characters it was sort of a breather returning to Percy's point of view. Almost like returning home after a day of work. Reliable Percy, and by reliable I mean reliable of getting himself into trouble!

However, the first quarter of this book is basically the same as The Lost Hero, because Jason and Percy have gone through the same thing - memory loss and introduced to a new camp. It was easy to read but it did feel a little repetitive. The only difference was unlike The Lost Hero where the main trio were the new people, in The Son of Neptune everyone other than Percy were new characters to learn. Not only that, you now had to learn all the Roman variants of the Gods, which luckily I was planning on doing at some point with my little Greek God obsession so I welcomed.

Once you got over that though it was a good read. Full of challenges and monsters as usual. Something I have noticed, and I'm not sure if it's just because I'm more aware of them now as I was when I read the first series, but it seems there are more nods to the better-known myths than there was in the Percy Jackson series. The PJ series tended to have one main myth that their quest was surrounded by, but in The Heroes of Olympus series there are more little myths they discover on the way as well as the main quest.   

Have you read this series yet?

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Features | Books I Hope to Read in October

Tuesday, 25 September 2018

Features | Books I Hope to Read in October

In an attempt at accountability, I thought I'd share some of the books that I am hoping to read next month. September has been a bit of a whirlwind for me and I feel like my reading has suffered as a result so I'm hoping to break that slump over the last week of the month and into October.

I don't like to know too much about a book before I go into it so I haven't gone out of my way to look up summaries. That means that I also haven't included them here but hopefully you can forgive me for that!

I'm going to try to read:

Wilde Like Me

I'm currently taking part in a blog hop that encourages book bloggers to read in a new genre for them. I chose Wilde Like Me but I haven't yet had the chance to pick it up. Hopefully that will change soon!

The Coffin Path

The nights are getting darker and that means that my reading choices will be too! This looks like a deliciously gothic read that will be perfect for the chilly Autumn nights.

The Silent Patient

I was beyond excited and intrigued to receive a review copy of this recently so I think it is finally time to pick this book up. I've heard very good things about this one!

White Rabbit, Red Wolf

I've also seen nothing but good reviews for this book. It's been sat on my shelf for ages so I am going to make it a priority in October.

Catwoman: Soulstealer

Somehow,  I have two copies of this and haven't opened either of them. Before you tell me off for this, be reassured that I have every intention of picking one of them soon.

Let's see how I get on shall we?

Kelly

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BB Book Club | October's Book Is...

Monday, 24 September 2018

BB Book Club | October's Book Is...

Another month, another BB book club pick... or should we say picks? In celebration of Blogger's Bookshelf turning six later this month we have something a little special for October's book club; not one, but two amazing books for you to choose from!

We've come a long way in the last six years but we couldn't resist revisiting the very first reviews we ever published here on the blog; Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares (David Levithan & Rachel Cohn) and About A Boy (Nick Hornby). This month we're inviting you to join us in reading (or re-reading) one or both of these titles which helped us launch our book blog.

Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares, Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

"Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?" - Source

The first ever review shared on Blogger's Bookshelf was Ria's take on this YA favourite. Although the book may have had a little cover update since then it's still a hugely popular title and the one that Ria said made her really want to start a book blog!

About A Boy, Nick Hornby

"At thirty-six, [Will]'s as hip as a teenager. He's single, child-free, goes to the right clubs and knows which trainers to wear. He's also found a great way to score with women: attend single parents' groups full of available (and grateful) mothers, all hoping to meet a Nice Guy.

Which is how Will meets Marcus, the oldest twelve-year-old on the planet. Marcus is a bit strange: he listens to Joni Mitchell and Mozart, looks after his mum and has never owned a pair of trainers. But Marcus latches on to Will - and won't let go. Can Will teach Marcus how to grow up cool? And can Marcus help Will just to grow up?" - Source

Our second review was written by Erin who, as a fan of the 2002 film adaptation, decided to finally pick up a copy of About A Boy and see how the two differed. Spoiler alert; she loved it!

If you would like to help us celebrate turning six you can join in by reading either, or even both, of these titles. You can complete our usual Google form, share your photos and mini reviews on Instagram using #bookshelfbookclub or send us a tweet. Please make sure you share your thoughts with us by 19th October so that they can be featured in the next roundup.

Happy reading!

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BB Book Club | September 2018 Roundup | The White Book

Sunday, 23 September 2018

BB Book Club | September 2018 Roundup | The White Book

This year we decided to launch our very own online book club, with a new book for you to join us in reading every month. Our September pick, The White Book (Han Kang), was chosen by Ria and was a completely different read from anything the book club has seen before. Here's our September infographic to tell you a little bit more...

Reader's comments & favourite quotes:

The only things which the mind cannot examine are memories of the future.

"Very interesting so far with an unconventional structure, each chapter focusing on a white object connected to the death of the author's sister. Think it will certainly be one that will stand out in my memory." - @RebeccaFwrites

On cold mornings, that first white cloud of escaping breath is proof that we are living.

"Whilst the book starts out with a simple list of white things it quickly begins to take on some very difficult topics, exploring them in a really unique and interesting way." - Erin @ A Natural Detour

It is not true that everything is coloured by time and suffering. It is not true that they bring everything to ruin.

Thank you to everyone who read along with us this month! If you would like to get involved with next month's BB Book Club check back here for our very special October selection.

You can also sign up to our mailing list to make sure you don't miss out on any future book club updates!

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Almost Midnight | Rainbow Rowell | Review

Friday, 21 September 2018

Almost Midnight | Rainbow Rowell | Review

Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell is a beautiful gift edition containing two wintery short stories: 'Midnights' and 'Kindred Spirits', decorated throughout for the first time with gorgeous black and white illustrations. 'Midnights' is the story of Noel and Mags, who meet at the same New Year's Eve party every year and fall a little more in love each time... 'Kindred Spirits' is about Elena, who decides to queue to see the new Star Wars movie and meets Gabe, a fellow fan. - Goodreads

These two short stories by Rainbow Rowell are not only super sweet, but they are super short so they're perfect for those days when you have limited time but still want to read something.

Midnights is the story of Margaret 'Mags' and her annual outing to the New Years Eve party thrown by one of the girls at school. We first meet Mags standing outside the house, not wanting to be in there on the stroke of midnight...but then Rowell flashes back to the first NYE party Mags attended a few years back where she met Noel for the first time. From there, the story jumps forward one year at a time, at the same party, with the same kids, with the same countdown, until we reach present time outside the house again.

This is such a sweet story, and I really enjoyed how the it was written on the same day each year. Mags and Noel's friendship is brilliant, with their various quirks and reactions, and I could definitely see them being the protagonists of a longer story.

“The whole world is dancing with you” 

Kindred Spirits also takes place around midnight (surprise surprise, given the title of this collection), but this time the story is about Elena, a hard-core Star Wars fan who has her mind set on lining up outside the movie theatre days in advance to get into the latest installment: The Force Awakens. The lineup of people is not what she expected. She thought there'd be people dressed up as Wookies, as Storm Troopers, or rocking Leia buns. Instead, there's just a couple of geeks already camped out. It's those geeks she makes friends with, and the story follows her over the course of a few days and the things they get up to while waiting in line.

I loved this story. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I love Star Wars and I have been to multiple midnight showings over the years (dressed up, yes). The idea of 'kindred spirits' in this context is so spot on and Rowell paints an excellent picture of what can happen when you put like-minded people side by side. I can definitely see this story being expanded upon and following Elena and her geeky friends through adventures like this.

Both these stories are short and sweet, and the lovely drawings by Simini Blocker (who actually has a character named after them in Midnights) adds a special touch.

Have you read Almost Midnight? Or perhaps just one of these short stories? 

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