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Tuesday, 2 March 2021

Feature | 10 Young Adult Books Being Released in 2021 I'm Looking Forward To

We may be a few months into 2021 already but here are some Young Adult novels to look forward to!

The beginning of the year is always exciting for me because we have another whole year of books coming out, ready to be eagerly devoured by readers.

Despite the urgh of 2020, 2021 is looking mighty fine because of all these epic books coming out! I've been checking out articles and Goodreads Lists over the last few weeks to remind myself of what I'm meant to be excited about, and thought I'd do a bit of a roundup of 10 Young Adult novels I'm looking forward to this year.


1. Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Talk to anyone I know and they're telling you how much I love this universe that Bardugo has created. Rule of Wolves is the second in the King od Scars duology, following one of the characters in the Shadow and Bone series. I really enjoyed King of Scars, so can't wait for Rule of Wolves comes out!

Release date: 30 March

2. Chain of Iron (The Last Hours, #2) by Cassandra Clare

Another Cassandra Clare book you say? Sign me up! If you've been around Blogger's Bookshelf for any length of time then you'll probably now just how much I enjoyed her books. The first in this series, Chain of Gold was out in March 2020 after a delay, and I loved the characters and the general vibe of this book a lot more than her previous Shadowhunter series. Needless to say, definitely looking forward to Chain of Iron!

Release date: 2 March

3. Lore by Alexandra Bracken 

So here's the thing. I review books for publishing companies, which means I often get books before they're on the shelves. Lore by Alexandra Bracken was out in January but I scored it in December and it was brilliant. I so loved the combination of our world and Ancient Greece. I'm a big classics fan, so it was a great combo!

Release date: 5 January

4. The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson 

We're big fans of Maureen Johnson here at BB. Most of us who have read her Truly Devious series have loved it. The Box in the Woods follows on from the Truly Devious series, though doesn't follow the same storyline. As far as I can work out, it follows Stevie, the main character, as she heads off somewhere where she stumbles upon another murder. Cue murder solving and brilliance. Here for it!

Release date: 15 June

5. Heartstopper: Volume Four (Heartstopper #4) by Alice Oseman 

The world doesn't deserve Alice Oseman. Her stories are pure gold and the Heartstopper graphic novel series is no different. This is such a great series and I'm so looking forward to number four!

Release date: 13 May

6. Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give #0) by Angie Thomas

Another book that's already come out, Concrete Rose by the phenomenal Andie Thomas follows Star from The Hate U Give's father as he battles his way through high school as a young father. It's another great story from Thomas, which such important messages. While I didn't love this one as much as THUG, it's still a brilliant read and I highly recommend it, especially if you read and loved THUG.

Release date: 12 January

7. Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales 

To be completely honest, I didn't know this book was being released until I was putting this post together. But I read Sophie Gonzales' book Only Mostly Devastated and really enjoyed that. I haven't read anything else by Gonzale's and this one looks like a lot of fun. Also, Goodreads tells me it's 'Leah on the Offbeat meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before' so you know, that sounds great.

Release date: 9 March

8. Blade of Secrets (Bladesmith #1) by Tricia Levenseller 

Daughter of the Pirate King (and it's sequel) by Levenseller is such a great book. I enjoyed it so much so when I saw that another one of Levenseller's books was being released this year, it was a quick addition to my Goodreads' Want to Read list. 'A teenage blacksmith with social anxiety accepts a commission from the wrong person and is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she's ever made.' Yup! Let's gooooo.

Release date: 4 May

9. Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow #3) by Rainbow Rowell

When an author says 'there won't be a sequel' and then you're blessed with two ... ! All heavens come at once. However, I suspect this will be the last one. But Rainbow Rowell is finally releasing Any Way the Wind Blow which is the third (and final?) instalment of the Simon Snow series. Check out our reviews of Carry On and also Wayward Son. 

Release date: 6 July

10. Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3) by Victoria Schwab

Okay, I cheated. Bridge of Souls is a middle-grade book but I love this series by Schwab! It's so sweet and entertaining at the same time and there so many ghosts in it it's brilliant. This is the third and final instalment of the Cassidy Blake series, and while I'm looking forward to reading it, I also don't want it to end.

Release date: 2 March

Young Adult Releases in 2021: The Shoutouts

What books are you looking forward to this year? 

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Monday, 14 December 2020

Features | 5 Popular Authors To Read For Our December Book Club


In case you missed our previous post, our final book club prompt for 2020 is to read a book by an author whose work you've never read before. We recently shared the two Young Adult titles Anjali and Erin have chosen to read, but if you're still stuck for ideas today's post is for you!

Below you'll find a short list of five authors whose work comes recommended by Team BB. We've selected a few names who have written multiple books we've enjoyed and listed our top picks, but we feel like you could pick up any title by one of these authors and it's sure to be a great read. Of course these are just a few suggestions and we couldn't include every amazing author we would recommend so if you've already read works by all five of the authors listed, why not visit the BB archives for more inspiration?

 

1. Juno Dawson 

First up we have Juno Dawson, author of a whole range of amazing YA novels, as well as non-fiction titles on topics such as sexuality, gender and mental health. Juno has been a firm Team BB favourite since the early days of our blog but if you haven't yet read her work now is the time!

Our top pick: Meat Market (2019)

2. Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo's latest release the amazing Clap When You Land was a huge success this year, winning the author a whole host more fans as well as a Gooreads Choice Award! Acevedo has a performing arts and slam poetry background which shines through in the lyrical way her novels are written.

Our top pick: With The Fire On High (2019)

3. Morgan Matson

Another YA author we love is Morgan Matson, whose contemporary tales feature everything from road trips to big family weddings, scavenger hunts and of course romance along the way. Whilst many of her books would be considered perfect for summer, we still think she would be a great choice for our December book club.

Our top pick: Since You've Been Gone (2014)

4. Taylor Jenkins Reid 

We couldn't write this roundup without including Taylor Jenkins Reid, another author whose work several members of Team BB have read and loved in recent years. Jenkins Reid has a way of making her characters and stories feel so realistic she might even have you taking to Google to find out more about Daisy Jones or Evelyn Hugo!

Our top pick: The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo (2017)

 

5. Neal Shusterman

With so many books to his name we're sure that you will have heard of Neal Shusterman's work before but if you've managed not to pick up a copy of Unwind, Scythe or Challenger Deep yet why not make time this month? We love how Shusterman always finds unique ways to discuss some really interesting topics through his popular YA titles.

Our top pick: Scythe (2016)


Whether you choose one of the authors listed above or not, if you join in with this month's book club prompt don't forget to share your photos and/or mini book reviews with us over on Instagram using #bloggersbookshelf

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Friday, 30 October 2020

Blogger's Bookshelf 8th Birthday Giveaway!


Carrying on the 8th birthday celebrations here at Blogger's Bookshelf! 

As a thank you to all the love and support over the past eight years on the blog, we of course thought it'd be fitting to give you a chance to win a little bundle of some of our favourite books.  

The winner of our giveaway will have a choice of one of three themed book bundles featuring the titles from our 8th Birthday review highlights post. 

1. The YA Bundle: 

Four incredible Young Adult novels from megastar authors. This bundle includes: 
  • The Hate U Give
  • The Summer I Turned Pretty
  • The Gentleman's Guide To Vice & Virtue
  • Carry On

2. The Mystery & Adventure Bundle

Love a twisty turn? Or fancy being transported away to another World? Here are four books that will take you on a journey you won't forget! This bundle includes: 
  • The Gentleman's Guide To Vice & Virtue
  • Carry On
  • Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

3. The 'We Love Diverse Books' Bundle

Four incredible #ownvoices books featuring a spectrum of diverse authors and stories. This bundle includes: 
  • Crazy, Rich Asians
  • The Gentleman's Guide To Vice & Virtue 
  • The Hate U Give
  • Long Way Down

To be in with a chance of winning one of the bundles, all you have to do is fill in our Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway will run from Fri 30th October - Fri 6th November GMT, and is open Internationally! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck! 
Team BB


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Monday, 26 October 2020

EIGHT | Happy Birthday Blogger's Bookshelf!



Can you believe we're another year older?! Yes, Blogger's Bookshelf is celebrating another year around the sun as we turn EIGHT today!

To celebrate we're taking a quick trip down memory lane as our founders, Erin and Ria, pick out some of our review highlights from the past few years. We've covered a lot of ground here at Blogger's Bookshelf. From reviewing megastar authors at the start of their writing careers to hyping up books that would go on to become massive blockbusters, it's been amazing to see how much the book trends transform during our time.

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Saturday, 27 June 2020

Features | 10 Of My Favourite Reads Of The Year So Far



As we are now halfway through 2020 (and hopefully halfway to our reading goals!), I wanted to share 10 of my favourite reads of the year so far. Whilst I have re-read a few titles that I love, this list only includes books that were new to me in 2020, and I’ve kept them all in order of date read. It goes without saying that I would highly recommend picking up copies of any of these books if you haven’t read them yet.

1. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

My January book club pick for our prompt ‘by an author you love’ was After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book follows Lauren and Ryan who, after growing apart, decide to take a year out of their marriage in an attempt to find their way back to each other. Whilst I had expected to enjoy the book, I didn’t know I would love it as much as I did. It ended up being an easy 5-star rating and a great start to my reading year.

2. Meat Market by Juno Dawson

I’ve been a fan of Juno Dawson’s writing for years and her 2019 release Meat Market certainly didn’t disappoint. Tackling the darker side of the fashion industry, this novel follows Jana as she unexpectedly becomes a model and has to navigate her way through this unfamiliar and often scary situation. The book is formatted as Jana telling her story for a documentary which I really loved. Side note; I recently ordered a copy of Dawson’s latest release Wonderland and I can't wait to read it!

3. No Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Just Mercy is the only non-fiction title to make this list but it was the easiest 5-star rating of the year so far. The book focuses on the work of the Equal Justice Initiative and in particular the story of Walter McMillian, a black man who was sentenced to death for the murder of a white woman; a crime that he did not commit. The work that Bryan Stevenson and the EJI have done, and are continuing to do, is incredibly inspiring and this book is such an important and informative read.

4. Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Ria kindly gifted me a copy of Friday Black after it made her 2019 favourites list and I’m very grateful to her for doing so. This unique collection of twelve short stories was an amazing debut release that has stuck with me long after reading, and is a book I’m sure that I will revisit. I found it to be a captivating read and enjoyed the writing style so I’m also looking forward to reading any future releases from Adjei-Brenyah.

5. On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

Set in the same neighbourhood as Thomas’ brilliant debut, On The Come Up tells the story of aspiring rapper Bri. Having read and highly rated Angie Thomas’ first novel The Hate U Give I was excited to read this one too and wasn’t disappointed. I’m also looking forward to the release of Concrete Rose early next year, a new novel which tells the story of Maverick Carter, a name fans of The Hate U Give will recognise.

6. A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Another book club pick to make this list is A Place For Us, my choice for the February prompt ‘a tree or leaf on the cover’. The story is centred around an Indian-American family living in the US and switches between past and present, as well as different character’s perspectives, to explore their complex relationships. This is not an action-packed book but instead takes you on a quieter journey which I really enjoyed.

7. Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

Inspired by the events of the LA Riots in the early 90’s and the fatal shooting of Latasha Harlins, Your House Will Pay tells the story of two families, one African American and one Korean American, connected by the tragic death of a teenage girl. Having not heard much about it previously, I had no idea what to expect from this novel but it was an intense, heartbreaking and well-written read. The story has stuck in my mind ever since I finished reading it in March and I’m already planning on re-reading it sometime in future.

8. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

During the earlier part of the lockdown period here in the UK, I ended up reading several YA contemporaries in close succession. Having enjoyed most of them it wasn’t easy to choose which one/s should make this list but I felt that My Life Next Door was the one that stuck in my mind the most. This book, which tells the story of neighbouring families the Garretts and the Reeds, had been sitting unread on my Kindle for years, so I’m really glad I finally found time to read it.

9. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The second Taylor Jenkins Reid title to make the list is One True Loves, which I picked up for our May book club theme ‘a number in the title’. This book tells the story of Emma whose husband Jesse is tragically involved in a helicopter accident on their first wedding anniversary. Several years later Emma has managed to piece her life back together and is happily engaged to Sam, when she receives a phone call that changes everything. As with all of Jenkins Reid's novels the characters felt realistic and the story had a mix of heartbreaking and heartwarming moments.

10. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale tells the heartbreaking and inspiring tale of Vianne and Isabelle, two sisters living in France during World War II and has been a hugely popular book within the book blogging community. I was captivated by this novel right from the start and thought it was engaging and well-written. I have been known to say that Historical Fiction isn't a genre that I typically go for and whilst this has been true in the past, I'm beginning to realise that perhaps it should be one I reach for more often.

Other books I’ve really enjoyed in 2020:
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Wednesday, 3 June 2020

Features | Book Suggestions for Completing the Central Column on Book Bingo

How is your Book Bingo sheet coming along?


If you missed the memo, at the beginning of May we designed and posted a Book Bingo sheet for us to try and complete by the end of June. Despite the fact that a lot of us a lot more time on our hands at the moment, it can still be tricky deciding what to pick up and read, even without a Book Bingo sheet on the go!

I thought it would be fun to put together a couple of posts of suggestions of books that would fit some of the rows. If you're really stuck you can read all the books I suggest checking out and then boom! A complete row; go you! Gold star (virtually).

Some of the squares on our Book Bingo are about personal choice, or books that you've read in the past, so I'm not going to be suggesting books for those rows (I'm thinking about squares such as 'a genre you don't read very often' and 'recommended by a friend' because I can't comment on those for you). But let's get into it!


Central column (with the free space!)


Featuring a sports team | Harry Potter (any) by JK Rowling

So right off the bat (ha, sports joke ... get it) I'm struggling with what to suggest for this one. Turns out I don't read a lot of books that have sports teams in them ... but this is the ideal opportunity to remind that you Quidditch is a sport, and it features not one but four sports teams ... even more if  you read Goblet of Fire. So maybe use this as an opportunity to re-read one of the Harry Potter books. You're welcome.

 Shout outs | Check Please!, by Ngozi Ukazu (hockey)


One Word Title | Scythe, by Neal Shusterman

If you haven't already picked up Scythe by Neal Shusterman, now's your chance! Here at BB we really love this book. If you're not familiar with it, check out the discussion between Erin and I in 2018. The Arc of a Scythe triology was so good, and I remember just thinking about the story lines long after I had finished the books.

Shout outs | Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (graphic novel); Dry, by Neal Shusterman; Stepsister, by Jennifer Donnelly (retelling); Cinder by Marissa Meyer (retelling); Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks (graphic novel).

FREE SPACE | All the books

A free space in Book Bingo means you don't have to read anything! Boom! But if you do want to read something, you can slot any book you'd like into this central square. Here are some quick fire suggestions that I've read in the past year that I really enjoyed.



Book cover: Goodreads | Movie cover: Rotten Tomatoes

Adapted into a TV show | The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Sometimes when they turn books into TV shows and movies it can be a real disaster. I do think, however, that they (the movie and TV people) are getting better at creating adaptations that not only live up to the book's epic-ness, but they are sometimes even better. I'm not saying that's the case with The Magicians, but I really enjoyed the trilogy by Lev Grossman, and I have really enjoyed the TV show adaptation (there have been tears, you guys).

Shout outs | Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin (although let's be honest, you've probably seen the entire show and never picked up the book right? Yup, same); A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness; Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett; Anne of Green Gables, by L. M Montgomery.


Published in 2020 | Yes No Maybe So, by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

Excuse my copy of this book. It's an ARC, hence the not-quite-finished cover, and it got bent in the post. If you're after a cute YA romance, check out Yes No Maybe So. It was a really sweet tale of Jamie and Maya, and they're adventures canvassing their neighborhood for an upcoming election. I didn't think it was as cute as some of Albertalli's other stories (like Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda), but it was still pretty cute!

Shout outs: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins; Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare; The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson.


And you've done it! You've complete a row! Congratulations! But in all seriousness, I hope this has been helpful and at least given you some ideas for books to read.



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Saturday, 30 May 2020

Features | May Reads


The first book I picked up this month was my book club selection One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The book tells the story of Emma Blair a young woman whose husband, her high school sweetheart Jesse, is tragically involved in a helicopter accident on thier first wedding anniversary. Several years later Emma has managed to piece her life back together after losing Jesse and has found love again with her fiance Sam, but when out to dinner with her family she receives a phone call that changes everything. As with all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's novels the characters felt realistic and I really enjoyed it.

Whilst I wasn't surprised that I found One True Loves to be a great read, I was a little surprised at just how much I enjoyed The Nightingale. This is the first Kristin Hannah book I've picked up and after already being slowly drawn more towards the Historical Fiction genre it was Heather over at Bookables enthusiasm for this novel that saw me finally decide to read it. The book is set during the second world war and focuses on the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, living in France. I've never really read anything like before and whilst it had many truly heartbreaking moments, the story was very engaging and well-written. I'd definitely be interested in reading another Kristin Hannah book in future.

Another interesting read from this month was The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires (Grady Hendrix), which I recieved via Netgalley for review. Going into this read I knew it was a vampire story and that there would be some gory moments but there were a lot of other elements I wasn't expecting too. Overall I had mixed feelings about the book but if you'd like to find out a bit more about The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires, you can find my review in the BB archives.

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Friday, 29 May 2020

Feature | P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han - Book and Netflix Movie Thoughts


It took a while, but I finally read P.S I Still Love You, by Jenny Han. *applause*


I read To All the Boys I Loved Before back in 2018, and Sophie and I watched the movie and chatted about the book and film on our podcast. TATBILB was really enjoyable (both book and movie, actually), but I didn't get round to reading P.S I Still Love You until this month. A few hours after I finished reading the book, I watched the movie. And I have thoughts.

Spoilers are likely in this post! You've been warned!

The book


While P.S I Still Love You was a good story, I didn't like it as much as I did To All The Boys. I remember liking Peter way more in the first book than I did in book two, but I really liked John Ambrose McCLaren in P.S I Still Love You. So that was an annoying internal conflict. But as the story went on, I did find myself rooting for Peter over John. Which I think was how it was meant to be, so I guess that's good?

My main gripe with the story is that the part that I really enjoyed the most was when the group of friends (and ex-friends) get together to open their time capsule they buried under Lara Jean's neighbor's tree house (which is getting taken down in the near future). After opening the time capsule that they buried about 5 years prior, they decide they should play a last game of Assassin. The game goes like this: everyone puts their own name into a hat, and everyone draws a name from the hat. Whoever you draw, that's your target, and you need to place two hands on their shoulders to get them out. You then take the name that they had, and try to get that person out. Each person's home is safe house, as is school. The last person standing gets to have one wish granted from anyone in the group.

I love the idea of this game! I really wish that the game was something that ran through the entire story, rather than starting half way through and ending with about a quarter of the book to go. It's a concept that I think could have made the book a lot more quirky and fun. Not that it wasn't fun, but it would have made it that little bit more entertaining.

Having said that, I did really like the addition of John Ambrose to the story, and some of the side stories that were going on, like Gen's family troubles, Lara Jean visiting Stormy at the Belleview retirement home etc. Overall, I did enjoy it (probably a 3.5 - 4 star), but not as much as TATBILB.

The movie

Having the book fresh in my head (like I said it was mere hours later that I watched the film after finishing the book) is something that rarely happens in my life. At the end of 2019 I read Let it Snow and then watched the movie that week, but other than that I can't think of anything recently that I've done this with. I think doing this - finishing the book and then really soon after watching the movie - has it's pros and cons. But that's a post for another day, perhaps. 

P.S I Still Love You the movie was a lot of fun. But there were so many things that were different to the book. To name a few: the way John Ambrose McCLaren re-enters Lara Jean's life is different than in the book. He still writes her back after he gets the letters from the first book, but then he shows up to volunteer at Belleview. In the book, he's Stormy's great-grandson (by marriage), so he meets Lara Jean when they're both their visiting her. In the book, John gives Lara Jean the snowglobe, in the movie she chooses it at a fair that she's at with Peter (also new to the movie). In the movie Gen and Lara Jean chat in the treehouse, which was a nice addition I have to say, and while their friendship isn't really restored, it seems more on the right track in the movie than in the book. Also in the book, the Covey family gets a dog, and he's not in the movie. I could go on with the differences, but I won't.

But I will say: the Assassin game they played in the book and that I enjoyed so much wasn't in the movie at all. I understand that they can't put everything in, but now all I want is to see Noah Centineo, Jordan Fisher and Lara Condor running around the town trying to tag their friends. I think that would be awesome, and would make for some brilliant hilarity.

I do also want to mention there were some things in the movie that I'm discovering were pulled from book three, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, which I started after watching the movie. 

Verdict? 


So all in all: I liked the book. I liked the movie. But I would have like the movie more if I hadn't read the book. And I would have like the book more if it involved the Assassin game more. 

Obviously, if you've read and enjoyed To All the Boys I've Loved Before, then do pick up this one. 

What are your thoughts about the book vs movie? Let us know!

Movie image: IMDB | Book image: Goodreads
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Thursday, 14 May 2020

Features | April Reads


April saw me turning to what I thought would be easier reads, with a mix of mostly YA and Contemporary tales. Within the YA genre I finally got around to reading two titles that had been sitting unread on my Kindle for years; My Life Next Door (Huntley Fitzpatrick) and Alex, Approximately (Jenn Bennett). I actually ended up really enjoying both of them, so on the one hand it's a shame I didn't read them sooner, but on the other hand they were perfect picks for lockdown!

For our April book club theme 'written by a POC', I chose to revisit Malorie Blackman's Pig Heart Boy; a story I remembered form when I was younger. It was interesting to read this book again as an adult and I thought the audiobook format was great.

Whilst I did really enjoy most of the books I picked up in April, my favourite had to be my re-read of The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid) via audiobook. If you had asked me a month ago which book I preferred between Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo, I think I would've told you Daisy, but after revisiting Evelyn's tale I remembered just how much I loved it, so for now it sits in the top spot!

If you missed my review of The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo you can find it in the BB archives.
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Sunday, 10 May 2020

Features | 2020 Book Club Illustration Challenge (January - April)


Back in January I decided that I wanted to set myself an extra book club challenge for 2020. Alongside reading books to fit our list of monthly prompts I wanted to also create a design/pattern inspired by each one and share them over on my Instagram account @sawyerandscoutdesign. As we're now over a third of the way through the year, I thought it might be nice to share a roundup of the designs so far, with a little bit about the process of creating each one.


January - A Book By An Author You Love

Inspired by: After I Do (Taylor Jenkins Reid)

When I was thinking abut ideas for my January design I had just watched a brilliant Skillshare class from Teela Cunnigham to learn the basics of Procreate. The class included four projects, one of which showed how to create this type of decorated lettering design with florals. I had so much fun with the class project that I decided to use the technique for my book club piece too, and have used it on many other occassion since as it's such an enjoyable process!

I knew that I wanted to keep to some sort of colour palette for these book club pieces throughout the year and so the colours used here determined what that palette would be for the rest of 2020. I'm still really happy with how this one turned out, although less happy about how much the quality seems to have been affected when uploading to Instagram! As I have discovered a love for creating this type of design, and find them very relaxing to work on, I have a feeling this may not be the only piece in this style for the book club project.



February - A Book With A Tree or Leaves On The Cover

Inspired by: A Place For Us (Fatima Farheen Mirza)

For my February design I wanted to take direct inspiration from the cover of the book as it related to the prompt, and also really liked the idea of it representing the family tree as the book itself is centred around a family.

I really struggled with how to use my newly created colour palette for this design, and made various versions in different colour combinations before finally settling on a simple blue and pink palette. For the lettering, I drew up my own letters for the book title, something I hadn't tried before... as you can probably tell by how shaky and uneven they are! I think that the piece would have looked much better without the lettering, and perhaps with a few more details added into the branches, so I may at some point revisit it and create an updated version. As you'll see from the next two designs, this was the point where I realised I may not want to include the book titles and authors in every month's design.



March - A Book About Siblings

Inspired by: The Most Fun We Ever Had (Claire Lombardo)

I had been wanting to draw up a pattern using ginkgo leaves for a while (they're just so pretty!) so of course I jumped at the opportunity to do so for my March design inspired by The Most Fun We Ever Had. A ginkgo tree in the garden of the family home is mentioned several times throughout the novel, and both cover designs I've seen include ginkgo leaves in some way too.

As mentioned above, this was the month I firmly decided that I didn't want to include the book's title and author in each piece as the pattern felt like a strong enough design on it's own. Again, I played around with various colour combinations, but in the end really liked the idea of highlighting one of the leaves in each bunch with a pop of yellow. This is another design I think that I may revisit, perhaps using a different colour palette, in future.



April - Written By A POC

Inspired by: Pig Heart Boy (Malorie Blackman)

I had a vision for April's design even before I had picked up the book, but honestly I really struggled to bring it to life. I've never drawn a heart before (as you can probably tell!) and also wanted to experiment with using a bit more texture and shading. I really enjoyed using different brushes in Procreate to add a little depth and texture to the initial line drawing and would definitely use this technique again.

At first, I wasn't sure about how it had turned out. I couldn't decided whether it needed more detail/florals in the background and I can certainly see a few mistakes/bits I would change, but after sitting with it for a while I actually quite like it. This piece needed to feature a heart as the main focus, and I think I managed to achieve that, even if it isn't perfect!
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Wednesday, 6 May 2020

Features | The Blogger's Bookshelf Bookish Pub Quiz!


With lots of us staying home at the moment, many are turning to online pub quizzes for entertainment (we love this one from Anna), so we thought it might be fun to create our very own bookish quiz to share with you!

Below you'll find information on each of the rounds as well as downloadable pdf files with the questions and separate pdf files with the answers. Feel free to complete the quiz in full, or pick and choose rounds to play with your friends or add to your own family quizzes!

If you do use the quiz please let us know by tagging @bloggersbookshelf on Instagram, @blog_bookshelf on Twitter or drop us an email to bloggersbookshelf@gmail.com and don't forget to let us know your scores - we would absolutely love to hear from you!


Main Rounds (10 Questions Each)


Round 1: Name the Author

Our first round is a list of 10 titles and the challenge is to correctly guess who wrote each one. We've also included the year each book was released to give you a hint.

Downloads: Questions | Answers

Round 2: First Lines 

This round features 10 first lines from popular novels and it's up to you to name which book each one is from.

These can be a little tricky if you haven't read all of the books, but we've included several which mention character names to give you a few extra clues!

Downloads: Questions | Answers

Round 3: Guess The Year

In this round we've listed 10 books which were released between 2010 and 2019. All you have to do is put them in the correct order, working form the one released in 2010 all the way through to 2019.

It's up to you how you wish to score this round but we would suggest 2 points for a correct placement in the list and 1 point for being one spot out!

Downloads: Questions | Answers

Round 4: YA Characters

For our final main round we've listed groups of 3 characters, each from popular YA novels. To score points you'll need to correctly name the book/series you would find them in.

Downloads: Questions | Answers


Mini Rounds (5 Questions Each)


Round 1: Harry Potter

We couldn't share a quiz without including a Harry potter mini round! These questions will likely be easy points for those who love the wizarding world, but they may catch out those who aren't such big fans!

Round 2: Awards & Records

All of the books featured in this mini round have won prizes/awards or hold a Guinness World Record, but can you name all five?

Downloads: Questions | Answers


Picture Round (10 Questions)

 

Round 1: Emojis

One of our favourite parts of IRL pub quizzes has to be the picture round! For our bookish picture round we've used emojis to represent 10 popular books. In some cases the emojis are used to spell out the title, in others we have used them to describe the plot.

If you enjoy this round, we encourage you to have a go at making some of your own!

Downloads: Questions | Answers
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