Thursday, 28 February 2019

Book Club | February 2019 Roundup

As February is the shortest month of the year, we decided to throwback to our 2018 book club theme 'short stories' with the simple prompt 'under 200 pages'.

Thank you to everyone who shared photos and mini reviews over on social media throughout the month. We loved seeing your picks for our February prompt and were impressed by just how quickly some of you finished reading them!

Below are a selection of our favourite images and mini reviews shared over on Instagram - there will also be a roundup of photos in our latest newsletter which hits inboxes tomorrow morning.





The @bloggersbookshelf February Book Club prompt is 'Under 200 Pages', so it's the perfect time to read Ghost Wall, the latest release by one of my favourite authors, Sarah Moss. 🦊 I read this 150 page novella in a single breathless sitting, and enjoyed every second of it. Ghost Wall follows Silvie and her parents as they join an archeological experiment, trying to recreate Iron Age living in the Northumberland countryside. Ghost Wall is filled with tension, and commentary on class, gender, and how history is a narrative. Moss creates a story about how we need our identities, and grip desperately to them even when they crush us. #bookstagram #bookshelfbookclub #februarysbooks19 - Day 12 - Book and a candle #bookobsessed #shelfie #igreads #instareads #bookbloggers #booklovers #bibliophile #bookish #bookcommunity
A post shared by Isabelle 🦊 Folded Paper Foxes (@foldedpaperfoxes) on


THE LAST QUESTION BY ISAAC ASIMOV


"Originally published in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly, The Last Question is a very short story (according to Goodreads it's only 9 pages long!) that you can read online. It's very Sci-Fi, but this mind-blowing wee story somehow fits science, technology, philosophy and theology all into a very short space of time ('space and time' may or may not be a very apt turn of phrase for this tale - you'll have to read it to find out). A friend recommended it to me, and I'm glad I sat down and read it. If you're interested, you can find it here online, and it will only take about 15 - 20 minutes to read." - @anjalikay





Finished @bloggersbookshelf prompt for February already. I’ve read a few of Shirley Jackson’s writing in the past, being a fan of eerie and Gothic stories. Wanting to read more of her work I chose ‘We Have Always Lived In The Castle’ which has the same underlying eerie tone to it. It’s a grim comedy of sorts. Macabre and polite are the two words that pop into my head when thinking about what I just read. The narrative is told through the perspective of Merricat, the youngest of what is left of the Blackwood family. She showcases her observations of her day-to-day with a childlike voice addressing the theme of being an outsider in a small town. “‘I can’t help it when people are frightened,’ says Merricat. ‘I always want to frighten them more.’” . . . . #readinggoals #yeg #books📚 #bookshelfbookclub #bloggersbookself #2019readingchallenge #shirleyjackson #penguinclassics #edmontonpubliclibrary
A post shared by SnacksandReads (@snacksandreads) on

 

STARGIRL BY JERRY SPINELLI


"I was startled at first to start reading this book and discover it wasn't from the perspective of the title-named Stargirl, but rather from a boy called Leo who is at the school that Stargirl comes bursting into. But once I got over that initial that-wasn't-what-I-was-expecting feeling, I settled in for the story which was around 186 pages. Very briefly, it tells the tale of a high school in Mica, Arizona, who is heavily impacted by the sudden appearance of home-schooler, Stargirl. She explodes into their lives in a shower of quirky clothes, a ukulele, and a question formed around her by the entire student body: Who is Stargirl? Why is she so different? It's a beautiful wee story about non-conformity, about standing out because you're different, and for fearlessly being yourself. 5/5 from me, and I recommend picking up before the movie comes out later this year." - @anjalikay





February’s @bloggersbookshelf Book Club theme is ‘under 200 pages’, which was the perfect opportunity for me to read The Last Battle. I finally decided to read The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time last year and it’s been really interesting to finally read these stories everyone else read as children as an adult! This last book wasn’t my favourite in the series. It felt a little bit flat to me, with less of the magic from the earlier novels, and almost like Lewis was trying to tell two stories in the space of one, but I enjoyed reading about my terrible boy Eustace Scrubb again, and I’m really glad to have finally read this series! Now I know what all the fuss is about! - Want to join in with our book club next month? March’s theme is ‘a book with an animal or creature in the title’. - #bloggersbookshelf #bookshelfbookclub #bookstagram #bookbloggers #currentlyreading #instabooks #reading #books #bookworm #booklove #bookcovers #prettybooks #beautifulbooks #instabooks #bibliophile #vsco #vscocam #vscobooks #igreads #booklover #narnia #thechroniclesofnarnia #thelastbattle #cslewis
A post shared by Anastasia Gammon (@stasialikescakes) on

 

STARERS BY NATHAN ROBINSON


"This month I chose to read Starers by Nathan Robinson, a book which had been sitting on my Kindle for quite a while. The story centres around the Keene family whose lives are shaken by an ominous crowd of people gathering around their house, simply staring. As soon as I started reading the book I found that it wasn’t exactly what I had expected but I was kept intrigued by the mystery of where the 'Starers' came from and why they were so transfixed by the Keene household.  Overall I think the idea behind the book was interesting, unique and certainly creepy, but sadly I just didn’t love it." - @sawyerandscout 





JASON AND MEDEA BY APOLLONIUS OF RHODES


"Hard to read as all older classics are but still good and a great telling of Jason and Medea’s tale. I’ve heard all about Jason and Medea but never actually read their story so it was fun to read part of a new myth I wasn’t familiar with. It’s an odd section of the Golden Fleece expedition but I enjoyed it and now want to find a copy of the full version!" - @sofilly


We'll be introducing March's book club tomorrow so don't forget to check back!

Use the hashtag #bookshelfbookclub and tag @bloggersbookshelf to share your photos and mini reviews with us throughout the month.

Follow

No comments:

Post a Comment