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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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Saturday, 15 February 2020

Bookish Links #53



1. This list of debut authors is perfect for finding titles for our 2020 book club! If you missed our full book club prompts list, you can find it here.

2. We love this list of five titles to read if you enjoyed Big Little Lies.

3. Anjali shared an awesome inforgraphic detailing an entire decade of reading!

4. Jana shared some of her favourite illustrated book covers.

5. This wallpaper is such a cute idea for decorating a child's room!

6. This post has lots of brilliant ideas for your 2020 TBR.

7. Erin has set herself a challenge to share an art piece inspired by each of her 2020 book club picks - the first can be found over on her Instagram.

8. We love this list of YA titles set in the 90's!

9. Alexa shared her thoughts on Tweet Cute by Emma Lord.

10. Evie posted an interesting piece on teaching students to enjoy reading.

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Friday, 7 February 2020

The Truth About Magic | Atticus | Review


“All she wanted was that cozy love the kind that felt like hot chocolate, rainstorms or wood fires in small houses. Hard to describe but you know when you got it.”
Once again, Instagram-famous Atticus brings us a stunningly beautiful collection of short poems. In his third collection, The Truth About Magic, Atticus takes on Youth, Love, Adventure, Her, Darkness, Words and Stars, each the title of a new chapter with themed poems.

I'm not really one to read poetry - I usually struggle, get bored, or long for some characters or dragons or something - but Atticus' short snippets of beautiful words always draw me in. Perhaps it's their short length that grabs me, or that so many of the poems hit home or surprise me at their ending. He has a way of taking the ordinary and making it beautiful; taking those feelings and thoughts that we have as humans and describing them in a way that we perhaps haven't thought about before.

Even the dedication is beautiful:

"This book is for
the day dreamers,
the night thinkers,
the summer skinny dippers
for anyone who ever said
'the night is young'
or watched the sunrise
on a beach
far from home -
but mostly it's for you
the quiet ones
at parties
looking out of windows
wondering about the stars."

One of my favourite parts of the book is actually Atticus' final remarks, just before the acknowledgements. I think he captures the book and it's themes remarkably in this wee section.

"The truth is - magic lives in all of us who choose to look for it.
It lives in the morning in the springtime, it's in the smell of the world after the rain, or a stormy afternoon in bed on a Sunday, it's in warm sweaters and a lovers' nook, it's in those days that never end, and the days that end too soon.
It's in every spicy margarita or bathtub with rosé, it's in good books and Spanish beaches, it's in forests where the trees sway or lakes that shine back the moon.
It's in art; it's in music; it's in words. It's in you and it's in me and any of us that choose to find it. For the greatest truth about magic ... is that it's true."

Atticus' two other poem collections are Love Her Wild and The Dark Between Stars, and are, perhaps, even more beautiful than this one.

Check out Ria's poetry post: Falling Back In Love With Poetry.
Also read Blogger's Bookshelf very own poetry using book spines in this fun collaborative post here.
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Wednesday, 5 February 2020

Features | January Reads


I had such a great reading month that I found two five-star reads within the first couple of weeks of the year, which is completely unheard of for me! The first was my book club pick for our January prompt 'written by an author you love', where having loved three of her books in 2019, I chose to read another Taylor Jenkins Reid novel. As you can guess, I thoroughly enjoyed After I Do and was so happy to kick off a new year of our book club by finding a book to add to my favourites list! My second five-star read of the month was Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson), a non-fiction title which follows the author's work as a lawyer and is a tough yet inspiring read. I'd highly recommend this one if you haven't read it yet.

Whilst I won't be including every single book in this roundup, another one I have to mention in is Meat Market (Juno Dawson). I really enjoy Juno's books and this one was no exception! The story follows teenager Jana as she unexpectedly becomes a model and has to navigate the world of fashion and is formatted like a documentary which was an element I really loved.

As Anjali mentioned in a recent episode of Rants & Reviews, the key to success with our yearly vow to read challenge is selecting books you're hoping to read anyway and avoiding titles that have been sat unread on your shelf for a long time. I selected my 2020 list carefully and managed to cross off two titles in January; The Evidence Of The Affair (Taylor Jenkins Reid) and Friday Black (Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah).

I was kindly gifted my copy of short story collection Friday Black by Ria last Christmas after it made her 2019 favourites list and I'm so glad I finally got to read it. This was such an interesting read, and as with every collection there were some stories I enjoyed more than others, but there are certainly a few stories that will stick with me for a long time. Definitely one to add to your 2020 TBR if you haven't already!

Another short read, The Evidence Of The Affair is a novella told entirely through letters which made it perfect to pick up on a lunch break. Whilst it wasn't my favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid title, the format worked well for this particular story and I loved that there was a Daisy Jones reference snuck in there too! 
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Saturday, 1 February 2020

Book Club | February 2020 - With A Tree Or Leaf On The Cover



For our 2020 BB Book Club we've put together another printable list of twelve different prompts, one for each month of the year. Just as we did in 2019, on the 1st day of each month we'll be introducing you to the month's prompt and the books team members each plan to read, along with some other suggested reads we think you'll love. Of course, these are just ideas so please feel free to interpret the prompts however you wish!

We're also inviting you to share photos and mini reviews of your book club picks on social media using #bloggersbookshelf or tag @bloggersbookshelf on Instagram.

Our prompt for February is...  

With A Tree Or Leaf On The Cover

What we'll be reading...


Ria's Pick: Ponti by Sharlene Teo

"Tropical leaves count right? In all seriousness I kept spotting this book all over the place and the premise had me hooked, so naturally, it's a perfect fit for this month's book club theme!"

Erin's pick: A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

 "I had planned to read this book last year, and even borrowed a copy from the library, but unfortunately didn't have time to read it. Recently I noticed my library had the audiobook available so I thought it would be the perfect choice for our February prompt!"

Anjali's Pick: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

"I have a confession to make: while the classic cover of this book has a tree on it, my version doesn't. But it does have a leaf pattern on it, so I'm taking it! I love Schwab's stories, and The Near Witch is one I've been meaning to read for a while now. Part of the synopsis reads "Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won't soon forget." Needless to say, I am super looking forward to reading it!"


Other suggested reads...

- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- Far From The Tree by Robin Benway - review
- Wild Life by Liam Brown
- Ask Again Yes by Mary Beth Keane
- The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson - review


Use the hashtag #bloggersbookshelf or tag @bloggersbookshelf on Instagram to share your photos and mini reviews with us throughout the month!
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Friday, 31 January 2020

Book Club | January 2020 Roundup



We can't believe January is already over and our first book club prompt of 2020 is complete! Our theme for the month was to pick up books by authors whose works we love and below you can find some of the titles shared over on Instagram. Thank you to everyone who joined in this month, we're looking forward to seeing which books you choose for our February theme!







When I was deciding which of our book club prompt ideas we should use for 2020's list I knew revisiting the work of authors we already love would be perfect for January! My pick for the month was After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid, whose novels The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six and Maybe In Another Life I thoroughly enjoyed reading last year. After I Do did not disappoint and was another great read; my first 5 star find of 2020! 🌟 It would also be a fantastic choice for our November prompt 'food on the cover'. - Erin @sawyerandscout . . . Don't forget to share your January book club picks with us before the 31st. Be sure to tag @bloggersbookshelf 😊 . . . #bookstagram #bookbloggers #bookclub #bloggersbookshelf #instabooks #goodreads #reading #2020books #currentlyreading #readingrecommendations #taylorjenkinsreid #welovebooks #bookcovers #kindlereads #ukbloggers #nzbloggers
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A post shared by Anjali-This Splendid Shambles (@anjalikay) on

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

"Shusterman has an incredible way of making you think about life, morality, death and the meaning of it all. He has a way with words and while reading The Toll I often, once again, found myself writing quotes down, or taking a photo of the page to come back to later. There are also laugh out loud moments and moments where you have to stop reading to just pause and take it in. Not many authors can do that. While I didn’t love The Toll as much as the previous two, it’s still a fantastic book and I highly recommend reading this series (and pretty much anything that Neal Shusterman writes)." - Anjali








Our first prompt of the year for the @bloggersbookshelf Book Club was to read a book by an author you love, which was the perfect opportunity for me to finally read Paradise Lodge by Nina Stibbe because I’ve never met a book of hers that I didn’t love! Paradise Lodge is the second of Stibbe’s novels about Lizzie Vogel, and in this instalment Lizzie is 15 and in danger of being taken out of her O Level classes because she is spending too much time at the old people’s home where she has landed her first job, and not enough time at school. With a full cast of fun and interesting characters and Stibbe’s trademark sense of humour, Paradise Lodge is perhaps my favourite of her books yet and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next Lizzie Vogel novel, Reasons to be Cheerful, which I will definitely be buying very soon! - #vsco #vscocam #bloggersbookshelf #bookshelfbookclub #bookreview #afterlight #bookstagram #vscobooks #bookworm #booklove #prettybooks #beautifulbooks #instabooks #bibliophile #igreads #booklover #tea #teastagram #cupoftea #acupoftea #teatime #timefortea #abookandacupoftea #acupofteaandabook #ninastibbe #paradiselodge
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Here's a quick reminder of our upcoming prompts...

We'll be introducing February's book club tomorrow so don't forget to check back! Use the hashtag #bloggersbookshelf or tag @bloggersbookshelf to share your photos and mini reviews with us throughout the month. 


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Features | Debuts I Loved in 2019

There's nothing better than finding a new author you love but with my towering TBR I'm more often than not choosing my current read from the backlist, so it's rare that I get around to reading an author's debut novel in the year that it's actually released. To be honest, it's rare that I get around to reading my favourite authors' fifth or sixth novel in the year that it's released. But last year I did actually manage to read a few novels by brand new authors when they actually came out, so here are my top five debut novels of last year that you should read immediately if you haven't already.


No Big Deal by Bethany Rutter

I reviewed No Big Deal for Blogger's Bookshelf when I read it last year but let me use this opportunity to remind you just how much I enjoyed it. No Big Deal is a fun novel full of heart, with a fat girl at the centre of the story who knows she doesn't need to change in order to be happy. A UKYA classic in the making but with a message even us adults need to hear once in awhile too.


Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Okay, chances are you've either already read Red, White & Royal Blue or you're completely sick of everyone talking about it. I was starting to sway into the latter camp when I finally picked it up last year but immediately realised that McQuiston's enemy-to-lovers romcom about the son of the President of the United States and an English prince falling in love is absolutely worth the hype.


A Gift in December by Jenny Gladwell

A Gift in December is the story of a heartbroken investigative journalist whose editor sends her to find a story in the presumably tame annual presenting of a Christmas tree from Norway to the UK, and find a story she does, just not the one anyone was expecting. This is the perfect festive read, full of mystery, romance, and lots of Christmas cheer, but certainly good enough to be read all year round.


The Furies by Katie Lowe

Another one I reviewed last year, The Furies is a dark, witchy tale that I'm still thinking about all these months later. When Violet starts at a new school, desperate to leave her tragic past behind, she joins a secret society designed to encourage girls in academic pursuits, but the girls themselves have other ides, and it isn't long before Violet's desire to fit in takes her down a terrifying path.


Enchantée by Gita Trelease

And finally, the very first book I read and reviewed last year, that I then spent pretty much the entire of 2019 wanting to re-read. Enchantée is the story of a girl who wants only to use her magic to make some money to support her sister, but who ends up instead caught up in the intrigue of the palace of Versailles, the life of a young man with a hot air balloon, and the French revolution.

I highly recommend all of these books and I'll be keeping my eyes out for the future novels of each and every one of these authors!
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