Guest Post | Craft Book Collection

Monday, 30 March 2015

Guest Post | Craft Book Collection

In my last review I talked about Cut Out + Keep: Around The USA In 50 Craft Projects, the latest edition to my craft book collection. Today I thought I would follow on from the review and share another sneak peek at some of the craft books I own!

Patch!, Cath Kidston (2011)
In true Cath Kidston fashion this book is full of pretty projects to decorate your home and give as gifts to family & friends. Patch! details the 'traditional tecnhiques' such as Crazy Patchwork and Hand Applique and also comes with some samples of Cath Kidston's famous fabrics to use on a patchwork tote bag or cushion.

Tutorial highlights include: the Triangle Patch Pillowcase - a striped and checked triangle patchwork cover with a nautical feel, the Child's Pentagon Ball - a clever patchwork toy that's safe for toddlers, and the Bunny Sweater - an applique project that adds a floral rabbit design and elbow patches to a simple grey jumper.

Print Workshop, Christine Schmidt (2011)
This book details all kinds of printmaking techniques from classic to modern, and includes in depth guides on how to use them to create original pieces. A glossary for printing terms and templates to get you started are also provided at the end of the book.

Tutorial highlights include: the Water-Slide Decal Jars - cleverly created using packing tape these are perfect for kitchen decor, the Moon + Trees Solar-Plate Print - a beautiful design transferred using sunlight and the Veggie Picnic Set - created with stamps made from sweet potatoes!

Making Stuff, Ziggy Hanaor (2006)
Subtitled 'an alternative craft book', Making Stuff features a whole host of unique project ideas from a selection of different crafters covering clothing, jewellery, home decor and kids projects. In addition to these ideas the book also includes how-tos for the basics of knitting, sewing, crochet, applique and more.

Tutorial highlights include: the Puppet Junkie, a great upcycling idea that uses 'junk' to create unique puppets, Record Breaking Notebooks - another clever upcycle using old record sleeves, and the Eco Shopper - a tote cleverly made from a bed sheet.

Wild Jewellery, Sarah Drew (2012)
This unique title is perfect for those that love both upcycling and jewellery making as it is full of tutorials and inspiration for turning found objects into wearable statement pieces. The ideas are split into three sections based on where you will find the materials to make them; Beside The Seaside, Into The Woods & Urban Day Out.

Tutorial highlights include: Crocheting With Plastic - a unique twist on this classic craft and Free-form Wirework - a technique that allows you to turn simple twigs into a pretty beaded bracelet.

Makery, Kate Smith (2012)
With beautiful photography and an easy-to-follow layout the first Makery book shares ideas for fashion, gifts and the home - there really is something for everyone! Again the basics are covered, this time through simple step-by-steps and line illustrations, and a fold out of patterns is included for some of the projects.

Tutorial highlights include: Shrinky Dink Jewellery - rubber stamps are used to create intricate designs on these unique pieces and Book Ends - a unique take on the classic fabric cube book ends these are adorned with text from a favourite book!

Craft Show & Sell, Jayne Torie (2014)
If you're looking for a beautifully designed book full of tips on building your own craft business and selling both online and at fairs Craft, Show & Sell is the book for you. Covering everything from creating the right workspace to branding, photography and promoting on social media the book has a little bit of everything, there's even a few useful storage tutorial ideas thrown into the mix as well!

Tutorial highlights include: the Lino Block Rubber Stamp - perfect for creating your own unique packaging, and the Pinterest famous Upcycled Storage Jars - these glass jars adorned with pastel bunnies are both handy and adorable!

Do you have any favourite craft books?

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Group Collaboration | Favourite Fictional Side-Kicks

Saturday, 28 March 2015

Group Collaboration | Favourite Fictional Side-Kicks

This month's group post looks at the often forgotten heroes of the fictional world, the side-kicks!

We're shifting focus away from the heroes and heroines of our favourite novels to shine the spotlight on the characters who perhaps don't get as much love. Whether they're prepping our main character ready for a battle to the death, or offering a shoulder to cry on in tough times, the fictional side-kick is always there to lend a hand. After all a protagonist is really nothing without their support system right?

Let take a look at who our bloggers picked as their favourite fictional side-kicks...

Who are your favourite fictional side-kicks?

Our April group post will have us asking you guys which fictional characters you would invite to your fantasy dinner party! If you'd like more information about getting involve email us at bloggersbookshelf@gmail.com.

*all book covers via GoodReads, Hunger Games image via Uplifting Words Online

Contributors: Ria, Anjali, Cat, Erin

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Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard | Reviewed by Anjali

Friday, 27 March 2015

Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard | Reviewed by Anjali

*Review copy c/o Netgalley

“In the fairy tales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. 

Right now, I don't know if I'll ever smile again.”

There are two blood-castes: the Reds and their common way of life, who serve the elite Silver, with their Royalty and magical, superhuman powers. Seventeen-year-old pick-pocketer Mare Barrow is a Red, and lives with her family in the Stilts. One day she is given a job in the Silver palace, and quickly discovers that she has powers of her own. To cover up the fact that there is a Red with powers like a Silver, the King and Queen make a deal with her: She is to marry their youngest son, Prince Maven, and pretend that she is a Silver who was simply raised by Reds. And in return, they will bring her brothers home from the ongoing war, where Reds are made to fight for the Silvers. She agrees, and Mare is thrown into a world of royalty, of lies, of Princes, of powerful abilities. As she finds herself getting deeper and deeper into a society that is not her own, she risks everything to join the Scarlet Guard, a rebellion group of Reds wanting to take down the Silvers, for their rights, for justice, for freedom.

I loved this book. It was like X-Men meets The Selection (Keira Cass). Why The Selection? you ask. As Mare enters the Palace and her powers come to light, she joins the other girls who are there for the Princes, who are to choose a wife. There is immediately a rival, who is chosen by Prince Maven's older brother Cal, to be his wife. As Mare goes from day to day trying to learn how to be a Silver lady, is painted with pale make-up every day to hide her red-blooded blushing face (Silvers have silver blood), and navigates her way from library lessons to fighting ones, she battles with the fact that her family still don't know what is going on with her, her best friend has joined the Scarlet Guard, and her feelings for Maven's brother Cal, are stronger than she'd like.

With superpowers like X-Men, typical love triangles, upper and lower castes, an older mentor/librarian with connections to the Royal family, and a main character with Katniss-like rebellion involvement, Red Queen was an awesome read and a great addition to the YA Fantasy/Dystopian world. Why only give it 4 stars then? I think it was probably because I called what would happen at the end (something that, I think, reading other people's reviews, was a huge shock and twist). But it was great, and if you like the dystopian genre, mixed with a little bit of superhuman powers, then do give Red Queen a read. Victoria Aveyard has done a fantastic job at creating this world, especially for her debut novel.

Image from Good Reads.  

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Material Girls | Elaine Dimopoulos | Reviewed by Christina

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Material Girls | Elaine Dimopoulos | Reviewed by Christina

Material Girls is written in dual perspective and alternating chapters. The first is of Marla, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been "tapped" to one of the top fashion designers and gets to decide which trends are released and which are sent back to the drafters in the basement to be redesigned. The other perspective is Ivy Wilde, a famous pop singer who is desperate to stay relevant and will do anything to remain top dog. 

The world in which Material Girls is set is a fascinating one. Teenagers, once they reach the ripe age of thirteen are "tapped" into one of the creative industries to take high-powered jobs and become influencers of culture. Instead of living an ordinary school life, these teenagers enter the working world and take on the responsibility of being trendsetters to ensure the "silents" remain rich. Whilst both girls have jobs that are highly lusted after and are at the top of their fields, they're pawns in a strictly controlled game and are easily replaceable, despite what they'd like to believe. I expected this book to have a lot more fluff, but it actually contained a lot of layers and a lot of important messages that I enjoyed learning. The concept of this book is perhaps one of my favourite aspects of it, as it was so unique but still held relevance to society today. The two main characters in this book were perfect for their roles, both seeming shallow and egocentric in the beginning, they both evolved in very different ways throughout the book and the ending wasn't too surprising. 

I really enjoyed reading this book and will be buying a paperback copy as soon as the book comes out. I would definitely recommend reading this book if you're interested in fashion, pop culture, or just good YA writing. 

*I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion.

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Guest Post | 'Under My Skin' Tour with James Dawson

Saturday, 21 March 2015

Guest Post | 'Under My Skin' Tour with James Dawson

Last week I popped down to my local Waterstones in Oxford to see James Dawson as part of his book tour for the release of his latest book, 'Under My Skin'. Here's the mini lowdown on the evening as he talked feminism, his own writing journey and crazy characters.

On 'Under My Skin': Dawson opened the evening by reading an extract from his latest YA novel, 'Under My Skin, a book about a young girl who succumbs to the bidding of an evil tattoo. The passage he read leads up to the end of the first act and climactic turning point in the novel towards the darker themes readers will have seen in his previous novels, 'Cruel Summer' and 'Say Her Name'.

He went on to describe Under My Skin as a 'teenage feminist version of Jekyll and Hyde' drama and talked of how he wanted to write a novel centered around the different representations of women in the media, as well as the choices young girls have between acting like some sort of saint or choosing to appear more provocative (Sally and Molly-Sue represent these juxtaposed opposites in the book) In addition to this, with Sally, Dawson, wanted to explore the idea of not having control over your body and the peer pressure voices in your head, in this case the voice in Sally's head is the confident and provocative Molly-Sue. 

Dawson admitted Molly-Sue was one of his favourite characters to write as, unlike his other novels, she was present as the villain in the story throughout the entire plot of the book. He also loved her devil-may-care attitude and the fact that she also represented the dark side that everyone harbours within. In his own words Molly-Sue is the voice in your head "when you're stood on the right side of the escalators on the tube in London and someone is just stood in your way and you have to stop yourself from wanting to push them down the stairs..."

Feminism & women in YA: Dawson lead into this part of the Q&A discussion by asking the audience how many of them would call themselves a feminist - rather reassuringly the whole group (which consisted primarily of teen readers) put their hands up *throws confetti*.

He went on to speak about strong female characters’ in YA and how, nowadays, we see them written as female warriors wielding weapons. Dawson made the point that very rarely do we see the ‘strong female character’ not in battle armour anymore and very often don't consider someone like Hazel in TFIOS in the same way. Sally, for him, represents this more vulnerable side of a strong female character, where she doesn't need to be a warrior to be brave. He amusingly commented that she can’t exactly start attacking her enemy in the book like Katniss or Tris as "...Molly Sue is literally 'under her skin'. What can she do? Start stabbing and poking herself or something?".

Though the feminist issues were important for him to consider whilst writing, he implores to us that we as readers shouldn’t read too much into it - "Ultimately it is a book about me torturing a teenage girl with a demonic tattoo."

From teacher to author: Dawson was also asked about his transition from teaching into becoming a full-time writer. As a teacher, he at first juggled writing and his full time job, utilising the long Summer holidays he has to start on his first novel - though he did confide that he pulled a sickie and took a week off when nearing the end of writing Hollow Pike!

He made the point that he was first and foremost an avid reader of YA fiction, and was inspired by fellow writers such as Malorie Blackman and Phillip Pullman, before venturing into writing himself. Keeping on the feminist theme for his debut novel, Hollow Pike, Dawson admitted he wanted to fill the void that books like Twilight had in regards to the importance female relationships.

He commented that his second novel, Cruel Summer, was the hardest to write because of the twists and turns of a murder mystery, quick turnaround and that fact he was still settling into the fact he was now writing full-time.

In contrast, 'This Book Is Gay' was described as a whole different experience altogether, requiring him to heavily rely on others input and stories as he felt that he couldn’t speak about LGBTQ issues on behalf of an entire community. Despite being offered the option to write personal book on his experiences with coming out and he admitted he simply couldn’t do that on his own. Though a stressful process it’s the book he feels the most proud of, not only because of the stories in it but the overwhelming amount of positive feedback from individuals and the LGBTQ community as a whole.

Future plans: Rather excitingly Dawson also revealed plans for his upcoming book releases, which he likened to ‘phase 2’ of the Marvel Movie Universe. His noted that the next few books will follow a different set of themes to previous ones, starting with his next novel ‘All of the Above' - due to be released this September.

'All of the above' is planned to be a more serious romantic novel rooted in the real world exploring themes of bisexuality as the main character, Toria, falls in love with a girl and a boy. Dawson revealed the book will be written in prose but it will also see him writing poetry - as part of Toria's way of dealing with her romantic struggles. As a much more character driven novel rooted in the real world, there will be no freaky ghosts, mad killers or demonic tattoos in this one!

There are also two more books due in 2016, one of which will be a non-fiction title about mental health - presented in a similar format to This Book Is Gay - with a focus on such topics as eating disorders, anxiety and depression.

Thanks to Waterstones Oxford for organising such a fantastic event and for James Dawson for being such a great speaker on the night - and generally rather lovely when I spoke to him! 

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Being A Book Blogger | Interview With Amber aka The Mile Long Bookshelf

Thursday, 19 March 2015

Being A Book Blogger | Interview With Amber aka The Mile Long Bookshelf

Welcome to our latest Being A Book Blogger post, today featuring Amber, the girl behind The Mile Long Bookshelf. Here's what she had to say about reading soundtracks, upcoming releases and her unique book blogging journey...



BB: Hi Amber! For any of our readers who aren’t already following your blog 'The Mile Long Bookshelf' could you tell us a little bit more about the girl behind the blog?

Hi Erin, thanks for having me on your blog today! I'm Amber, I'm 16 and can usually be found curled up on the sofa reading a book. But if I'm not doing that, which is rare, then I'm probably either blogging, drawing, playing guitar, messing around with a camera or tweeting. Or doing homework, but we won't talk about that. *shudder*

BB: You've been blogging since you were very young, how did you get into book reviewing?

I'm not sure what I was looking for but I was on Google one day and I stumbled across Chicklish, a book blog by authors Luisa Plaja and Keris Stainton. It's not around anymore but at the time they were looking for contributors to review books for them and so I applied. After reviewing for them for a while, I deleted the blog I already had and replaced it with another, called The Mile Long Bookshelf. I still reviewed for Chicklish, but The Mile Long Bookshelf gradually took over my life... not that I'm complaining. ;)

BB: Of all your reviews so far which are you most proud of, and which did you find the most difficult to write?

I quite like my review of A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson because I remember it being really easy to write and it seems to flow nicely - in my opinion, anyway! I'm equally happy with my review of Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne because I decided to go full-on fangirl with that one and professionalism flew right out the window. These days, nearly all reviews are difficult to write because I've been reviewing for so long that each time I worry I'm repeating myself. In answer to your question, if you see a short review on my blog, chances are it was a difficult one!

BB: We're always looking for new books to read - are there any upcoming releases you're really looking forward to this year?

Recently I read The Sky Is Everywhere and I fell in love with it straight away. The sequel, I'll Give You The Sun, comes out in April and I'm so excited! I'm also looking forward to The Last Summer of Us by Maggie Harcourt coming out in May. I was lucky enough to be sent an early copy a little while ago and it's such a fun, summery road-trip book - I have a feeling it'll be loved by many!


BB: You recently included the Divergent soundtrack in a favourites post. If you could create a short reading soundtrack for one of your favourite books which book/songs would you choose?

One of my favourite books is The Dolls by Kiki Sullivan. A few days after Eveny Cheval's seventeenth birthday, her aunt suddenly whisks her across the country to Carrefour, a mysterious town you need a key to enter into. When they arrive, everyone acts strangely around her, and it's not long before Eveny realises she isn't entirely normal, after all. She's one of the Dolls - a group which, on the surface, seems to be a group of high school queen bees, but that's not the only intimidating thing about them. They have powers, and someone wants them dead. It's such a fun mix of fantasy and contemporary, and there's a big focus on girl power. The soundtrack would have to be this one called Like a Girl which I found a while ago and am absolutely obsessed with!

BB: Just for fun - if you could swap lives for the day with any fictional character who would it be and why?

I was going to say Clary from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare but considering I'm really lazy sometimes, I don't think I'd be the best person for fighting demons... hmm. I think I'll go with Emma in Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton. I've always wanted to go there and the book gave me a serious case of wanderlust.

BB: Finally, which other book blogs or YouTube channels would you recommend our readers go and subscribe to?

For fun lifestyle posts, blogging tips and, of course, reviews, you should definitely check out Nose Graze. As for YouTube channels, make sure you're subscribed to Sarah Churchill - she makes awesome bookish videos!

Where To Find Amber Online: Blog | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter 


I'd like to say a huge thank you from all of us here at BB to Amber for taking part in this interview. If you are a booktuber or book blogger and would like to be featured in a similar post we'd love to hear from you - just email us at bloggersbookshelf@gmail.com for information!

Images c/o Amber

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