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WELCOME TO BLOGGER'S BOOKSHELF...


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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Tuesday, 30 January 2018

Ink | Alice Broadway | Review

I’m part of a book group with some local bloggers (hey there #NorthernBookBloggers) and they are constantly introducing me to books I should be reading. Luckily for me (but not my poor, struggling bookshelves), they tend to have pretty good taste.

Most recently, I found myself picking up Ink by Alice Broadway after they collectively screamed at me when I admitted that I hadn’t read it yet. When I saw that it was on offer at Waterstones, it found its way into my hands. When I saw thestunning cover in person, I found myself walking to the till and handing over my card.

If you don’t know, Ink is set in a world where everyone has the most important parts of their lives tattooed onto their skin. They are tattooed when they are born, when they graduate, when they fall in love, when they commit crimes... Everyone is inked. Leora has all the standard marks and is just thinking of what her next tattoo will be when her father dies. In the wake of his death, she finds her grief is tainted by a new found curiosity about the way things are. Leora is no longer sure that she believes in the status quo and must figure out her place in the world.

Ink is fantastically creative. The world that Alice Broadway has created is phenomenal and unlike many of the YA books that I have read recently. It places a real onus on the importance of art and expression, which I really enjoyed. Leora is also a really creative character, which only added to the experience.

I’m also a massive fan of positive friendships in books and can happily say that Ink is packed with them. It was lovely to read, and felt like a point of familiarity between myself and the characters.

The pacing of Ink is a little slow to begin with but really picks up and heads for a fantastic finale that is well worth the wait. I was devouring it at the end, and am desperately awaiting the sequel, Spark, which comes out later this year. I can happily say that once again the Northern Book Bloggers have shown that their recommendations are well worth paying attention to.

Kelly x
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Friday, 26 January 2018

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Illustrated | Review


2017 was the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Can you believe it?! 20 years since that orphan under the stairs walked into our lives. Incredible. To celebrate the 2-decade mark, Bloomsbury worked with a collection of people to put together a couple of brilliant books. One of them was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Illustrated.



The book is much like the textbook, where magical creatures are catalogued and described, with images and important notes so that wizards don't get killed while approaching them. Similar to the illustrated versions of Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets and recently Prisoner of Azkaban, illustrated by Jim Kay, Fantastic Beasts is a beautifully created piece of art work. I was super excited to hear that Olivia Lomenech Gill was illustrating Fantastic Beasts and couldn't wait to see a slightly different spin on the creatures we all know already through the books.

The book doesn't disappoint. Each creature is painted with such talent, a small description of the creature is given, and a note here and there. While it's definitely an information book- there's no plot, no characters, no setting - it does give you fantastic (heh heh) background to the animals in Harry's world. If you're a HP fan, then this is definitively a fun addition to your bookshelves.

Have you had a flick through Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Illustrated? 
Let us know what you think! 

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Wednesday, 24 January 2018

Features | Sequels On My 2018 TBR



With the new year brings new reading goals! In the past I've set myself various goals from making time for re-reads and specific genres to joining in with a readathon and of course the Popsugar challenges, but today’s list was inspired by something a little different.

Whilst I never really imagined there would be a follow up to Wade and co’s adventure, it was recently announced that a Ready Player One sequel is in the works. Although there's no release date yet, this got me thinking about the other sequels currently sitting unread on my TBR and I concluded it was about time I finally made an effort to cross a few off the list! Looking through my Goodreads shelves there were four particular titles that stood out to me so I've decided to tackle them as part of my reading goals for the year ahead.

Waking Gods, Sylvain Neuvel (Themis Files #2) 

First up I have chosen science fiction title Waking Gods, the second book in the Themis Files series. I read the first book, Sleeping Giants, last year and really enjoyed both the concept and the unique way the story was told through interviews, journal entries, news articles, reports and logs. The third book titled Only Human is due for release in May too, so I’m hoping to catch up on both before the year is out!

The Last Star, Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave #3)

This one makes it onto the list despite the fact that so far this hasn't been one of my favourite YA series. Whilst I did enjoy both The 5th Wave and The Infinite Sea overall, I seem to have unpopular opinions about the trilogy; preferring the second book to the first and quite enjoying the cinematic adaptation of the first book (which has a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes). Still curious to see how the series would end I added the third book to my TBR back in 2016 so I think it's about time for me to hit the library and find out!

Always & Forever Lara Jean, Jenny Han (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #3) 

Another trilogy I'm hoping to finish this year is Jenny Han's YA Contemporary To All The Boys I've Loved Before which follows teenager Lara Jean. This book was actually on my 'vow to read' list for 2017 and I had reserved a copy from the library, but unfortunately I was quite a long way down the list so I'm still waiting! Whilst this series isn't exactly the genre I've been reaching for lately, I enjoyed the first two books back in 2016 and am keen to find out how the story will end.

Sidekick Returns, Auralee Wallace (Sidekick In The City #2)

Back in 2014 I read the Netgalley description for a debut novel about a female superhero and decided to take a chance on it. I ended up loving the book (catch my review here) but unfortunately when the sequel was due for release I wasn’t able to commit to reviewing any ARCs and somehow never quite managed to catch up. Last year I picked up a Kindle copy of Sidekick Returns and I’m looking forward to finally revisiting the world and characters introduced in Sidekick - although it’s been such a long time I may need to reread the first book beforehand!

Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash

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Monday, 22 January 2018

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


Welcome to the second Blogger's Bookshelf Book Club announcement!

For the month of February, we're going to be reading A Tyranny of Petticoats, edited by Jessica Spotswood. This is a great collection of 15 stories about 'belles, bank robbers and other bad-ass girls'. It's full of female characters kicking butt, whether that be on a pirate ship, in the midst of the gold rush, or in a country on the verge of war. There's a little of everything and every time in this short story anthology.
Criss-cross America — on dogsleds and ships, stagecoaches and trains — from pirate ships off the coast of the Carolinas to the peace, love, and protests of 1960s Chicago. Join fifteen of today’s most talented writers of young adult literature on a thrill ride through history with American girls charting their own course. They are monsters and mediums, bodyguards and barkeeps, screenwriters and schoolteachers, heiresses and hobos. They're making their own way in often-hostile lands, using every weapon in their arsenals, facing down murderers and marriage proposals. And they all have a story to tell. - Goodreads
This anthology looks long, and it is. Compared with January's Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs, A Tyranny of Petticoats has 350 pages of goodness to it's name. We realise that for a short-story collection, that's quite long, so I've selected some of my favourite stories to give you the option of picking and choosing which stories to read. Another option is to have a flick through and read the page at the end of each story about the background and why the author wanted to write it to give you a taste of what the story is about.

Mother Carey's Table, by  J. Anderson Coates
Perhaps it's because it's the first story in the book, or perhaps it's because it's about pirates, but Mother Carey's Table was a favourite for me. If the word 'pirates' didn't grab you, perhaps 'hidden identity' and 'the New World' might entice you in.

The Legendary Garrett Girls, by Y. S. Lee
A saloon in the 1890s is run by two sisters, Clara and Lily Garrett. When raucous men try and take the saloon from them, the girls take matters into their own hands. Definitely enjoyed this story of girls standing up and doing something in the face of heartless and tough opposition.

Gold in the Roots of the Grass, by Marissa Meyer
Chinese American spirit medium Fei-Yen helps a young prospector find justice for his murder. Marissa Meyer's style really comes out in this story, and she writes the spirit world wonderfully.

If you'd like to read along with us, pick up a copy from your local library or head over to Book Depository to buy one for yourself (and get free shipping worldwide). Once you've read the book, share your thoughts through this Google form, by the 23rd of February.


You can also use the hashtag #bookshelfbookclub to share your book photos and thoughts with us too!

If this doesn't sounds like your type of book, never fear! March's book will be picked by Erin, so stayed tuned for the announcement later in February!
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Sunday, 21 January 2018

BB Book Club | January 2018 Roundup | Tales Of The Peculiar

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. We were so pleased to receive such a positive response to our new venture and would like to thank everyone who picked up a copy of January's selection Tales Of The Peculiar by Ransom Riggs. The short story collection proved very popular with you guys and we've put together an infographic to share a little bit more about your thoughts on the book!

January book club infographic tales of the peculiar ransom riggs

 Reader's comments & favourite quotes:

"I really enjoyed this book. It was a great addition to Ransom Riggs' other stories, and a fun read even if you haven't read the series before. I love all the creative abilities and peculiar talents that Riggs comes up with for his stories. The illustrations in this book were definitely a beautiful addition." - Sophie @ Sofilly

She felt the lonely burden of strangeness from the time she was old enough to hold up her head.

"I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and felt it was a great first book club pick! I loved the unique settings and characters as well as the beautiful illustrations. Tales Of The Peculiar has encouraged me to read the original series/more of Ransom Riggs writing in future." - Erin @ A Natural Detour

"It is a fun and exciting read. It is perfect for dipping your toe into the Peculiar world or exploring it in more detail if you are already a fan." - Kelly @ This Northern Gal

"Once upon a peculiar time..."

"I would definitely recommend the book as a great quick read. It's great for both those who are familiar with the world of the Peculiars and those (like me) who may only know it through the movie or have never read any of Ransom Riggs' novels. I really loved how dark some of the stories went and the style reminded me so much of the original Brothers Grimm fairytales." - Ria @ Thoroughly Modern Millennial

"I would recommend this book. I enjoyed the short stories, the illustrations and also the occasional editors notes. Some of the stories were fascinating and took turns that you couldn’t predict." - Cat


Thank you to everyone who joined in with our first ever book club read!

If you would like to get involved with next month's BB Book Club check back here tomorrow where Anjali will be introducing her selection for February - we think you're going to love it! 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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Saturday, 20 January 2018

Group Collaboration | Books We Vow To Read In 2018

Every January we join readers across the globe in setting brand new reading goals for the year ahead. As always, we asked you to share some of the books you plan to read over the next twelve months and you sent us lists featuring some amazing reads. We'd like to wish you all the best of luck with your reading goals for 2018 and hope you enjoy your picks!

books we vow to read in 2018 blogbooks we vow to read in 2018 blog books we vow to read in 2018 blog books we vow to read in 2018 blogbooks we vow to read in 2018 blog

Cover images via Goodreads & Amazon

Thank you to this month's contributors: Rachel, Lucy, Erin, Hannah, Ria, Aimee, Sophie, Anjali


If you would like to get involved with BB in future, sign up to our newsletter for updates!

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Friday, 19 January 2018

Love, Hate, & Other Filters | Samira Ahmed | Review


Maya Aziz dreams of being a film maker in New York but her family have other ideas. They want her to be a dutiful daughter who wears gold jewellery and high heels and trains to be a doctor. Then a suicide bomber who shares her last name strikes in a city hundreds of miles away and everything changes...

More than anything, Maya wants to go to New York for college to study filmmaking. Her parents want her to stay close to home, study to be a doctor, and meet a nice Indian boy. Maya can't think of anything she wants less. Then she meets Kareem. Maya's mother makes no secret of the fact that she likes Kareem and, in an unfamiliar twist, Maya agrees. She likes Kareem too. But then there's Phil, the boy Maya has had a crush on for years, who maybe has a crush on her too. Maya knows which boy she should want but that isn't always how things work.

But just when Maya starts to figure things out, everything changes. A suicide bomber who shares Maya's last name attacks in a city far away but the shockwaves hit Maya and her family hard in their small town. Maya and her family face horrible prejudice in the name of revenge for something they had no part in and in the wake of someone else's tragedy all Maya's plans and dreams are turned upside down by her parents' fear.

Love, Hate & Other Filters is really a book of two halves. It begins as a high school romance, with Maya trying to make the choice between Kareem, who her parents like and who understands what it is to be an American child of Indian parents, and Phil, who she has known forever and who her parents would never approve of for their daughter. It begins as the story of a girl who sees filmmaking as her life and her passion and whose parents see it as a nice hobby for her to have while she trains to be a doctor. It's a coming of age story, with Maya trying to make her own path and go after the life she wants and the person she wants to be, even against her parents' wishes.

Then the terrorist attack happens and, just as these things do in real life, it completely changes the story out of nowhere. This is no longer a story about a girl trying to choose between two boys, it's now a story about a girl facing abuse for her religion and ethnicity from a boy at school who thinks that she deserves to be prosecuted for the actions of others. It's now about Maya's parents refusing to let her go to New York, not because they don't approve of her passions, but because they fear for her safety. The second half of Love, Hate & Other Filters is a heartbreaking story of prejudice and fear.

The switch between these two halves is sudden and jarring. The reader sees some of the lead up to the attack but it still feels like a shock when it happens, and the fallout that Maya and her parents experience is truly upsetting. Maya's entire life is thrown out of balance because of the reaction of one boy at her school to this attack and it's hard and important to read about. 

It's easy to see that the jarring nature of the switch in tone makes a point about how these things come from nowhere, but at the same time, the message of this story may have been stronger if more time had been dedicated to the events after the attack, rather than spending quite so many pages on Maya's love triangle. It feels like a slightly missed opportunity that she has already pretty much made her choice between the two boys before this huge change happens in her life, although, of course the events after the attack do still have some bearing on the ultimate outcome. Nevertheless this is most definitely a timely novel, which makes some extremely important observations, and I would certainly recommend it.
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Thursday, 18 January 2018

Let Me Introduce Myself... | 5 Favourite Genres


Well hello there! I haven’t done a first post in years, this is kind of weird. I’m Sophie, the newest member of the team, usually writing over at sofilly.com. In case you don’t read my blog, I thought my first post would be the perfect time to introduce myself by sharing some of my favourite books.

I discovered this ‘tag’ of sorts through a tweet from @acaseforbooks and basically the gist is you share not necessarily your favourite all-time books, but the books that would give someone else the exact idea of what sorts of books get you going. So, without further ado, here’s a summary of the kind of books I’m into, and what sort of genres you can expect from my future posts!


Harry Potter and the Nostalgic Childhood

Let’s start out with a biggie that shaped my life and introduced my love of reading. Harry Potter is my all-time favourite book world, while the books may not be my favourite books of all time they still mean so much to me. I call this genre my nostalgic genre, all the books from my childhood and teen years that instantly take me back. The books I could read again and again and quote half the book without even thinking.

See the Harry Potter series, and Lola Rose by Jaqueline Wilson (and the other JW books).


A Court of Fantasy

I’m incredibly picky about the types of fantasy books I enjoy, but finding the first novel to a huge series of fantasy novels is one of my favourite things. I love magic, human/animal beasts, humans with powers, certain non-sparkly vampires, and Greek gods. The books that transport you to another world where your 9-5 job doesn't exist and you don't have any homework to do, the places where everything is possible once you've got past a full on war or two - you know the kinds. The books that allow your imaginations to run wild, who knows what a high fae looks like? It's fun to see what others imagine too.

See the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Percy Jackson, and The Mortal Instruments series.


Awkward Anna and Perfect Life

Young Adult is my favourite genre, and probably still will be for a fair few more years even though most YA books are based on two or three different storylines and are sort of aimed at people younger than myself. You know the ones; the ones all over the internet that everyone is reading and posting on their gorgeous flatlays because the covers are usually rather attractive. I admit I have bought a few of these solely for their covers without really knowing what the story is about. It's because it's YA I know I'll usually 95% of the time really enjoy it.

See Anna and the French Kiss series, Everything Everything, certain John Green novels, and Rainbow Rowell novels.


The Book Historian

Similar to Fantasy, while I love select Historical fiction I'm not a fan of most. I have particular parts of history that I enjoy reading about, not because of the suffering and tragic stories these people went through, but because these timelines interest me the most. These are obvious if you look at the books I enjoy in this category; mostly World War II, with a little of black history (slavery, segregation etc). I enjoy learning about these points in history and while most are fictional tales I'm more likely to take information in if they're fictional stories rather than non-fiction textbooks.

See The Book Thief, The Secret Life of Bees, and Maus.


Under Italian Skies with a Gorgeous Italian

You can usually never go wrong with a cheesy romance novel. It's obvious what's going to happen; introduce a lonely woman (usually in a new job or new place or freshly single), walks in prince charming, they hate each other, they love each other, something bad happens, then they live happily ever after. You know the ones. I can't help but enjoy most of these, usually they're the type of books I grab when I've just finished an intense read, maybe something historic or a long action-filled fantasy. Having a brain-numbing book for your brain to switch off during is sometimes rather useful, it's like watching Keeping up with the Kardashians, you don't really care what's happening but they're entertaining you enough to keep your mind at ease and relax.

See Under Italian Skies, and select Nicholas Sparks novels.


Are you into any of these genres too? Whats your five favourites that describe you, I'd love to get to know you!


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Tuesday, 16 January 2018

Even The Darkest Stars | Heather Fawcett | Review

 
One of my favourite things about the FairyLoot boxes is that they introduce me to books that I wouldn’t usually pick up. In this case, they introduced me to a book that I probably wouldn’t pick up and ended up loving.

The book in question?

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett. This is a fast paced adventure story about Kamzin, who has already dreamed of being the Royal Explorer. When the opportunity comes to join an expedition up an untrekable mountain, she is desperate to join. It just so happens that it is nowhere near as simple as she initially thought.

This truly is a great adventure, full of exciting twists and turns. Some of them were a little predictable but there were plenty more to keep me entertained. I particularly used the way Heather Fawcett handled magic in this story. It was truly intriguing. One of my favourite things however had to be the way she wrote dragons. Rather than the epic beasts they usually are in fantasy books, they were more like cute little house pets with chores of their own to do! It was so unusual and I absolutely loved it.

I have to admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance subplot in Even the Darkest Stars but it didn’t take away from the fact that I did enjoy the book as a whole. Some of it bored me a little so I skipped it to get to the good stuff - the expedition itself.

Kelly x
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Thursday, 11 January 2018

Send Us Your Thoughts On Our First BB Book Club Pick!

book club tales of the peculiar

Before Miss Peregrine gave them a home, the story of peculiars was written in the Tales. 

Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. The origins of the first ymbryne. These are but a few of the truly brilliant stories in Tales of the Peculiar—known to hide information about the peculiar world—first introduced by Ransom Riggs in his Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. - Goodreads
We really hope you've been enjoying reading our very first book club selection as much as we have and can't wait to hear your thoughts on the book. This is just a little reminder that you only have a week left to submit your feedback - click here to join in!

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Wednesday, 10 January 2018

Power Plates | Gena Hamshaw | Review + Recipe Test

lentil stew with dumplings vegan gluten free

*Review copy c/o Netgalley, cover image via goodreads.com

Power Plants is a new cookbook from The Full Helping’s Gena Hamshaw featuring 100 recipes that are nutritionally balanced and completely plant-based. Building upon the ideas the author has shared on her blog the book is also packed full with useful information on everything from macronutrients to advance prepping, batch cooking, freezing and even seasonal meal plan ideas.

The overall design of the book is beautiful with soft colours and photos that showcase the delicious nutritionally balanced dishes. I was a little disappointed by the lack of allergen key alongside the recipes, something which I’m used to seeing in the cookbooks I review. Although these can help to identify allergens at a glance, the layout of this book makes it easy to quickly scan the ingredients lists if necessary.

Instead of just sharing my top picks from the book for this review I thought I would try out one of the recipes and share the results with you. I chose the Curried Tomato Stew with Chickpea Dumplings (pictured above) as I’d never cooked anything like this before and loved the idea of making gluten free, vegan dumplings.

The instructions were really easy to follow and unlike with some ‘free from’ cookbooks none of the ingredients were difficult to track down, in fact I already had most of them in my kitchen. The finished stew tasted great and I’ll definitely be making it again in future, as well as attempting to cook more recipes from this book - I’m looking at you Golden Rice Bowls!

Overall I'm really impressed with the design, selection of recipes and amount of information packed into Power Plates. With little added extras such as the meal plans this book is a great introduction to plant-based eating.

powerplates
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Monday, 8 January 2018

How You Can Get Involved With BB This January

This is just a quick reminder that you only have a few days left to send us your responses for our January group post!

It's quick and easy to get involved, all you need to do is tell us the titles and authors of five books you 'vow to read' in 2018 via this Google form (also below). We'll be sharing your lists here on 14th January so we'll need your responses by this Friday.



If you're also joining in with our January book club, don't forget to send us your thoughts by 19th January!

- Team BB


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Sunday, 7 January 2018

Bookish Links #38


1. Writing Goals - if tackling your writing goals is top of your 2018 to-do list this is the post for you. Check out Loretta's top tips to help get you started!

2. 2018 YA Fantasy - this article over on Bustle shares twenty-seven upcoming YA Fantasy releases that are sure to make your 2018 TBR even more exciting!

3. A Christmas Book Haul - we loved Lauren's post about all of the amazing books she received for Christmas. We think Adultolescence in particular sounds like a great read!

4. Brains Over Brawn - if you're looking to read more books featuring awesome female characters check out Bec's list of her five favourites.

5. Bookish Crafts - how amazing is this personalised bookshelf quilt Carys shared over on Twitter?

6. Kick-Start 2018 - over at Daisybutter Michelle shared her six top picks to kick-start your 2018 reading. We love the sound of The Working Women's Handbook and would highly recommend another of her selections; Lauren Graham's Talking As Fast As I Can.

7. Books To Movies - if you can't resist a good book to movie adaptation you'll love Jamie's recent post which lists all of those due for release this year. Which adaptation are you most excited about?

8. Gripping Reads - we enjoyed this post where Anne shared recommendations for some real page turners!

9. More Recommendations - our final link this month is Estee's recent video on the books she read and loved in 2017. Have you read any of these books?

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!

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Friday, 5 January 2018

Features | New Year, New Reading Goals


Can you believe it's this time of year again already? It feels like only a few weeks ago I was writing about suggested reading goals for 2017 and saying exactly the same thing about how fast 2016 went. Time truly is a flat circle.

Now, on to more important things. Reading goals. Love them or loathe them, most readers have them. From something as simple as 'get through my TBR' to the more specific 'read more classics' or 'read more diversely', we all have some kind of challenge in the backs of our minds to improve our reading in the new year. Personally, I'm hoping to read some of the Brontës' novels this year, keep reading as much of my TBR as I can, and reread some old favourites. Nothing too stressful or demanding. (Hopefully the rest of my year will be the same!)

As for the Goodreads reading challenge, which I became somewhat obsessed with last year, I've set myself the same goal of 52 books again this year, mostly because I surpassed it quite easily last year and my real goal is not to get quite so obsessed with it this time. Wish me luck with that...

The thing about reading goals is that they should be fun. Now matter how challenging or not-so-challenging your goal, the idea should never be to make reading a chore. Remember this year, whatever your goals, that the most important one should always be to enjoy your reading. By all means, read more diversely, try to read more books than you've ever read in one year before, try your absolute hardest to read every unread book you own, but remember that as much fun as it is to challenge yourself, reading a book you really love is usually even more fun.

So, my reading challenge for you this year is to read books you know you're going to love. Read books whose descriptions mention all your favourite things, read books by your favourite authors, re-read books you've read a hundred times before. Enjoy your reading year as much as you possibly can. And throw in one or two other challenges too, because that's probably the best way to find those books that totally surprise you with how much you love them.
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Tuesday, 2 January 2018

Release | Patrick Ness | Review


Before I left St Andrews, I got a little spendy in Toppings & Co - otherwise known as the best bookshop ever - and stocked up on some beautiful signed copies. One such book was Release. To be perfectly honest, I picked it up because I fell in love with A Monster Calls. It dug its hooks into my heart so deeply that I knew I wanted to read something else by Patrick Ness. Release seemed as good a place as any to make good on that promise.

Release is a microcosm of a book, with the entire narrative centred around one day. It just so happens that on that one day Adam Thorn’s life begins to change and that some things decide that they can’t stay buried any longer. It’s a day of heartbreak and loss - one that Adam will always remember.

Adam is a brilliantly vivid and likeable character, that you can’t help but root for. I was on his team from the very beginning, until the novel drew to an unwelcome close.

I would have been perfectly happy to continue reading his story far beyond the final page. But I also understand that a big part of the magic of Release is that you feel like you a seeing such a short period of time when everything suddenly gets shaken up. It is a really simple premise but Ness has managed to make something truly wonderful from it. It is obvious that he has complete control of his craft; it takes great skill to pull it off.

It is also brilliantly creative, with a healthy sprinkling of magical realism within it. As you probably know, I do enjoy that and Release was no exception to that rule.

If you're looking for an engaging and utterly lovely novel about the moment your entire life changes (and how on earth you are meant to deal with that),  you should definitely pick up Patrick Ness’ Release and read it.
Kelly x
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Monday, 1 January 2018

Get Involved | Which Books Do You Vow To Read In 2018?

Image via unsplash.com

Happy new year everyone! We hope you've had a lovely holiday season and are as eager to dive into your 2018 TBR piles as we are.

The time has arrived once again to share our reading goals for the year ahead! Every year we ask you to join in selecting five books you vow to read over the next twelve months and we can't wait to hear which books have made your 2018 lists.

It's quick and easy to get involved, all you need to do is tell us the titles and authors of your five picks via this Google form! We'll be sharing your lists here on 14th January so we'll need your responses by the 12th.

For updates on all things BB including how you can get involved in future collaborative posts subscribe to our shiny new mailing list! Don't forget to also send us your thoughts on our January Book Club pick Tales Of The Peculiar by 19th January.
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