2018 Reading Wrap-Up

Hello everyone!

It's the last day of 2018 and wow is it a grey day! I was hoping for a sunny, wintry day where I could reflect on all my resolutions for next year, but no we have a cloudy, dull and dark day where it's not even that cold. *Sigh* The UK winter is a bit disappointing so far. I do love a crisp winter! 

It's the time of year for wrap-ups so today I wanted to do a review of my resolutions and goals for 2018. I always start the year with grand plans, then I inevitably fall short. Let's see how I did :-) 

2018 Reading Goals: 

1. Only achievable challenges ✓ I only did Mr. GingerSnap's challenge so this was easy! 

1. Read 5 big books ✓ Yes! I did so well at this challenge, I read waaaay more than 5 books.

1. Over 10 Penguin English Library titles ✗ Failed utterly at this, I think I read 6...

1. Finish Sherlock Holmes ✗ Again, totally failed this one. I read no Sherlock this year.

1. 5 books by new authors ✓ Yes! Smashed this one.

Mr. GingerSnap Challenge: 

My partner, Mr. GingerSnap loves to set me a good reading challenge and this year he set me 120 books to read! I actually managed to top this at 121 books so I feel very proud of myself. Especially as my Goodreads goal was only 60 books. 

Top 5 Books: 

Okay guys, these won't be in order because it was tough enough picking just 5, so bask in that moment and if you want a top 1 - Forget It!! 

• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare 
• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden 
• Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell 
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber 
• The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar 

2019 Reading Goals:

1. Finish 5 book series I've already started 
2. Read more Brandon Sanderson 
3. Read 5 books over 700 pages 
4. Complete a 60 books Goodreads challenge 
5. Finally read Emma by Jane Austen 

Mr. GingerSnap Challenge:

Mr. GingerSnap is setting me a devilishly difficult challenge for next year. He has challenged me to clear my 35 book TBR with the only new books purchased being important new releases I want to blog about! Wish me luck guys, I'm going to need it :-) 

How did you get on with your reading goals this year? Got any good resolutions? Let me know your highlights in the comments below :-)

xoxo

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Credit to flower divider here! 

April Reading Wrap Up

Hello everyone! 

May is here! That means it should be Spring right? So where is the warm weather? Did I sleep through Spring and Summer or something? Well hopefully it'll be warm soon so we can bring on the summer contemporary romance books :-) 

April was an amazing reading month for me, I read a whole ton of books! If I'm honest I did cheat a little, by reading some short stories and graphic novels, but they were all part of series I needed to catch up on I swear. You might notice I did binge a lot of books by the same authors, I find it much easier to immerse myself in a fantasy world if I read all the books very close together. I like to live and breathe the world and its characters, it helps me connect with the story. 

My favourite of the month has to be Katherine Arden's The Girl In The Tower, which makes her my favourite author two months running. This book is the much anticipated sequel to The Bear And The Nightingale. It follows Vasya as she journeys across Russia trying to find her place in the world. Along the way she gets embroiled with savage bandits, treacherous politics and daring horse races. This would all be simply exciting, if there wasn't the added element of fear of discovery. Vasya has to masquerade as a man to survive. What will happen when her identity is revealed? And what is the gathering darkness in Moscow? Vasya will have to dig even deeper into her soul if she wants to save her people.

Now I hear you all shouting "Stop rambling and get on with the ratings", so without further ado here they are: 

1. In The Village Where Brightwine Flows by Bradley Beaulieu - 4 Stars 
2. The Doors At Dusk And Dawn by Bradley Beaulieu - 5 Stars 
3. The Tattered Prince And The Demon Veiled by Bradley Beaulieu - 4.5 Stars 
4. City Of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - 5 Stars 
5. Of Sand And Malice Made by Bradley Beaulieu - 5 Stars 
6. City Of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare - 5 Stars 
7. The Girl In The Tower by Katherine Arden - 5 Stars 
8. Snotgirl #3 by Bryan Lee O'Malley - 3 Stars 
9. Snotgirl #4 by Bryan Lee O'Malley - 3 Stars 
10. Snotgirl #5 by Bryan Lee O'Malley - 3.5 Stars 
11. Lumberjanes Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson - 4 Stars  

11 books you guys! How did I even achieve that?! I am beginning to think I might be a little too generous with my ratings or maybe I'm just lucky with the books I choose? Let me know what you think in the comments below, and don't forget to tell me what you read in April :-) 

xoxo

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March Reading Wrap Up

Hello everyone! 

I think, *crosses fingers*, that Spring is finally here in the UK to stay. We didn't get any of the snow forecast for the bank holiday weekend and it's finally starting to get sunny! I love Spring and summer, and not just for the warmth, flowers and outdoor activities, but because I find that I am much more productive in the lighter months. I read more and tend to do more re-organising, which is especially good this year as Mr. GingerSnap and I have some exciting changes coming up, but I'll talk about those at a later date :-) 

Staying true to my usual habit of wanting to read more in Spring, I read 10 books in the month of March. Now for some of you that sounds like quite a reasonable number, but I work very long hours so for me that is a huge number! 

If I go into detail on all the books I read then you will be here forever... So I'm just going to give you my star ratings and talk about my two favourite books of the month: 

1. The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden - 5 Stars
2. The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin - 3 Stars
3. Call The Midwife by Jennifer worth - 4.5 Stars
4. Blood Upon The Sand by Bradley Beaulieu - 5 Stars
5. Caraval by Stephanie Garber - 5 Stars 
6. Lady Susan by Jane Austen - 4 Stars
7. The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell - 5 Stars
8. Daphnis And Chloe by Longus - 4.5 Stars
9. Happily by Chauncey Rogers - 4 Stars ( full review here! )
10. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - 5 Stars

My two favourites were Clockwork Princess and The Bear And The Nightingale. Clockwork Princess is the final book in The Infernal Devices trilogy and oh my lord did I cry at the end! I probably cried solidly for the last 150 pages, it was so heart wrenching and beautifully written. Cassandra Clare crafts such stunning prose that it really gets under your skin. In this book Tessa is getting ready for her wedding to her dying fiance Jem, but they might not make it that far. The army of automatons is on the move and they want Tessa at all costs! 

Look at this spine!! <3 

The Bear And The Nightingale was arguably one of the biggest debut fantasy releases of last year. As a big fan of Russian literature I was super excited to get into this one. It is strongly interwoven with Russian fairytales and mythology, creating an ethereal and spellbinding world. It follows Vasya as she grows from a child to an adult woman in the countryside. After her mother died giving birth to her, he father remarries a very pious woman. Her stepmother gradually beats out all the old superstitions of the village and imposes her own strict religion. Nobody realises how dangerous this really is, only Vasya can see the decline of the local spirits protecting the house. As their spirits fail, an old evil creeps into the village and only Vasya can do anything about it. 

If that intro for The Bear And The Nightingale doesn't tickle your fancy, nothing will! For the next month I am going to continue Wild Reading and just pick up whatever I fancy reading next :-) At the moment I am reading City Of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare and Matilda by Mary Shelley. What did you enjoy reading last month and do you have any books you want to get to next month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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The Mermaid And Mrs Hancock - Review

Hello everyone! 

I'm back again with a book review, today let's talk about Imogen Hermes Gowar's debut novel The Mermaid And Mrs Hancock. This book has been massively hyped so I was equal parts nervous and excited to read it :-) 

The story follows the lives of Mr. Hancock and Angelica Neal as their stories intertwine. Jonah Hancock is an ordinary merchant until his Captain rushes to him in the middle of the night telling tales of mermaids and fortune. He has sold Jonah's ship and exchanged it for a mermaid. This mermaid is a far cry from the beautiful sirens of legend, it is ugly and deformed, yet captivates the senses. This mermaid fascinates the people of London, catching the eye of high society. Among them is the most infamous brothel mistress. She throws Mr. Hancock a party, with Angelica Neal, celebrated courtesan, as the sparkling jewel of the ball. Mr. Hancock becomes more fascinated with her than all the mermaids in the world, promising to acquire one for her very own...

The narrative of this story is stunning, the way it switches between the two protagonists is clever and spell-binding. I struggled to put this book down and found myself thinking about it all the time that I wasn't reading it. It's clear that Imogen did a lot of research into the mermaid phenomenon that swept through Victorian society. There are clear influences from the Fiji mermaid story, which if anything made this story more original. 

Jonah Hancock is silly and pompous, but relatable in his desire to impress the woman he cares for. The more you read about him the more you see he is sweet and kind, the sort of man you should choose over the attractive, but devious younger men of society. Angelica, though experienced in the art of love and sex, is naive and juvenile in her decisions, making all the wrong ones. She ignores her better sense and you begin to get frustrated with her at times. However, you grow to see she has a core of steel and can overcome situations which make others tremble. 

There is so much depth to this book. I completely understand the hype around it and have since found myself recommending it to people left, right and centre. Not only is the inside decadent and beautiful,  but the cover matches it! Just look at the cover design and those endpapers! I applaud not only the writer, but the publisher and illustrator too. 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough and it was a no-brainer 5 star read. I would say this is one for lovers of fairy tales, the Brontes and Philippa Gregory! Who else has read this? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Top 5 YA Fantasy Series

Hello everyone! 

This post is probably going to show my age, so let's kick things off with me saying that as a 24 year old woman I can sadly no longer class myself as a young adult. However, being a fully fledged adult does not mean I don't still enjoy reading YA as a genre. If you are old, like me, when you were a teen YA didn't really exist and all those books came under teen fiction. YA sprang to life when I had already passed into adulthood, so forgive me if some of these books blur into other age groups. 

Long intro aside, I am here today to give you a brief over-view of my top 5 YA fantasy series :-) They are in no particular order!

1. The Great Library by Rachel Caine

These books are for those of you who love books about libraries. They follow Jess as he integrates the Great Library of Alexandria on the orders of his book smuggler father. He was born into the brutal world of smuggling illegal books around the world, with no mercy shown to those who are caught by the library. Overtime the library has seized control of the world, rationing books and knowledge to only those deemed worthy. This provides and ideal environment for anarchy to grow. The anarchists like to burn: books, libraries, cities. They value human life above books. Now Jess is stuck somewhere between the two. His love of books makes him want to protect them, but his even fiercer love of his friends is tearing him in two. 

2. Abhorsen by Garth Nix

Sabriel is missing, I lent her to a friend :-)

The Abhorsen series has been going on for years, I read the first three books when I was still a teen! The book starts with Sabriel, the daughter of the Abhorsen crossing the wall into the Old Kingdom to find take up her heritage. As the Abhorsen-in-waiting she has to learn how to use the 7 bells to banish creatures returning from the rivers of death. This might sound a bit gruesome to some of my more squeamish readers, but I promise you these books are gripping. The next few books bring more main characters into play, creating a complex landscape of inter-woven stories. 

3. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke  

I love these books so much, Dustfinger was the first male character I ever truly fell in love with. This story follows Meggie and her father Mo as they run from the criminal Capricorn. Capricorn is no normal villain, he is the villain of a storybook, plucked out of his own story by Mo's silver tongue. Meggie has inherited Mo's gift, but she also has a gift of her own. Her written words can alter the story she is reading, but this comes with a price when she reads herself into a story she has rapidly lost control of. This series blurs the lines between the real and the written in the most fantastic ways :-) 

4. Tales Of The Otori by Lian Hearn 

Again, some books are missing! 

The Tales Of The Otori are loosely set in medieval Japan with elements of magic. Takeo was born in a remote village, worshiping a forbidden god. When his village and family are massacred he discovers he has mysterious skills, skills some may call magic. These skills mark him as a member of the Tribe, but his skills surpass even their levels of normal. He is the most powerful Tribe member for many generations, transforming him into a hunted man. Add to this his heritage as an Otori and a forbidden romance with the most beautiful woman in the empire and you have one hell of a good story! This book is for lovers of Game Of Thrones and The White Queen. 

5. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

This series being on the list will not surprise anyone. Cassandra Clare is well known as the queen of YA fiction after her Mortal Instruments series shook the world. Don't get me wrong, I love that series, but this one struck me more. Tessa is such an interesting character fighting between her feelings for two different men and her own strong morals. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, it follows Tessa, a young american woman arriving in London to meet her brother. Her brother never shows and she is kidnapped by the terrible Dark Sisters who torture her into revealing her ability to change into any person she chooses as long as she has access to a personal item of theirs. If this wasn't enough, she is drawn into the world of the Shadow Hunters, sworn to fight demons invading our realm. Among these are Jem and Will, two men as different as night and day, but both quickly staking claims on her heart. She must join their ranks to fight not only demons, but The Magister's harsh destructive automatons which threaten to over-run the world. 

I hope this hasn't rambled on too much for all of you! Please let me know your favourite YA fantasy series in the comments below :-) I'm always looking for new recommendations! 

xoxo

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A Beginners Guide To H. G. Wells

Hello everyone! 

Today I'm here to talk about the grandfather of classic science fiction - H. G. Wells! This author has long been a favourite of mine, ever since I discovered The War Of The Worlds. Which I'm sure many of you will know from the excellent movie. The problem with this movie is that it can overshadow the books a little so I'm going to give you a beginners guide to reading this amazing author's work. 

Let's start with the most accessible of his novels: The War Of The Worlds and The Time Machine. Both of these novels are fast paced and thrilling. The War Of The Worlds details an alien invasion of planet earth, bringing with it the near destruction of human kind. The Time Machine tells the story of the nuttiest of all professors creating a time machine taking him thousands of years into the future. What he finds there is at first glance utopia, but with a little digging he learns that all paradises come with a dark price. When I read these novels I completely forgot they were written in the 1800's, the language is fluid and easy to read. These are the best place to start for H. G. Wells, once you've read these there is no going back and you'll be begging for more stories! 

The Invisible Man is almost as fast paced as the above, but it is a little slower to get into which could be off-putting as your first read. Once you are used to H. G. Wells' writing style you'll fly through this one. It follows Griffin, a mad scientist who has perfected a formula for making creatures invisible. This sounds amazing in theory, but it leaves Griffin desperate and friendless, slowly descending into murderous madness. He will stop at nothing to find the cure. I love the flow of this narrative, it jumps backwards and forwards in time as Griffin's tale becomes clearer, leaving you desperate for more after each page. 

The next two books aren't really hard to get into, but they do fall on the weirder end of the H. G. Wells scale. The Island Of Doctor Moreau is all about the horrors of vivisection and the ultimate mad scientist. Doctor Moreau lives on a deserted island with only his "creations" for company, creations is a kind word really. They are more like monsters, blended from the corpses of men and animals. This is a cautionary tale of what can happen when you try too hard to control nature.

Penguin's Little Black Classics collection is pure genius and they did not miss their mark with their choice of three short stories. The Sea Raiders tells of man-eating sea creatures raiding a seaside resort, which sounds comical, but when you read it it's terrifying! The Magic Shop and The Land Ironclads are two of his strangest stories and are not for the fans of realism. These two would not be out of place in Wonderland! The Magic Shop walks that fine line between tricks to delight children and sinister illusions made to frighten and horrify adults. The Land Ironclads tells a story of destruction on the battlefield at the hands of unstoppable mechanical fiends. Both these stories are bizarre and twisted, more for those who appreciate surreal literature. 

H. G. Wells is the perfect author to read if you love Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he perfectly captures all the dangers of scientific advancement whilst weaving tales of terror and suspense. His novels are timeless and I wish more people were still reading these! 

Have I inspired you to read any of these or have you already read them? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Why You Should Read Mansfield Park

Hello everyone, 

This year is going to be the year of the chunky classics. I'm planning on sinking my teeth into as many as possible, starting with Mansfield Park by Jane Austen! I did cheat a little bit with this one and started it in 2017, carrying it over into the new year to wrap it up, but I am so glad I started with this one :-)

I have been a fan of Jane Austen since I was a child, I loved watching the tv and movie adaptations and I devoured Sense and Sensibility! From there I went on to read all her shorter novels, with Persuasion reigning as my long term favourite. Then I read Mansfield Park and boy did it knock Persuasion off its pedestal! So I am here today, singing the praises of my new favourite Austen, to give you 5 reasons why you should read this book. 

1. Fanny Price is the most fascinating heroine I have ever encountered

As a general rule novels are either character or plot driven, with the majority of character driven books being dictated by the protagonist. This is not the case in Mansfield Park. Fanny Price is so passive that she is almost invisible. I have never read a novel with a heroine you barely notice! She just bobs along following her cousins and their friends, reflecting on their decisions and predicting the outcomes of their poor choices. She is the ultimate advocate for patience, showing that if you make choices selflessly and based on good morals you will eventually get what you want. 

2. This book is laugh out loud funny!

I found so many of these characters completely ridiculous that I couldn't help laughing out loud at their antics. In my mind the winner of the most ridiculous person award goes to Henry Crawford. This man is such a pompous ass, in fact he is almost a caricature of the typical womaniser of Jane Austen's day. He makes sport of causing young women to fall in love with him, filling his jar of hearts everywhere he goes. Sounds familiar for some men (and women) of our day too right? However, he meets his match with Fanny. He chases her for so long to no avail that he convinces himself he is in love with her! Obviously he isn't really, it is a case of wanting desperately that which he can never have. A very good taste of his own medicine if you ask me. 

3. Hating a literary character is a lot of fun

I'm assuming many of you have read Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, or at least watched the movie. Is Dolores Umbridge not one of the most hateful characters you have ever read? Well Fanny's Aunt Norris certainly gives her a run for her money. I hated her from my first encounter with her, she is mean spirited, snobbish and controlling. She despises Fanny for no better reason than the circumstances of her birth and idolises Maria for being high-born and beautiful, despite Fanny being a far nicer person than Maria could ever be. Reading her downfall at the end of the book and watching her get the social isolation she deserves is so much fun! 

4. Mansfield Park is a clever piece of social commentary

This book shows close up the very common practice of poor relations handing one or more children over to wealthier relatives to raise and house as their own. In the days before birth control family sizes could get a bit out of control and sending your children away wasn't seen as harsh, but as a kindness. Fanny is a recipient of this "kindness". Theoretically it should be great for her going to live with richer "betters", but in reality she is never truly accepted as one of their own. She lives in that twilight zone of better than a servant, but not as good as one of the children. It is a hard place for her to live and gives her all her strong morals and very dutiful nature. The commentary is seen most strongly when Sir Thomas (Fanny's uncle) urges her to accept Henry Crawford's proposal of marriage based on his lineage and wealth. Sir Thomas purposefully ignores his questionable morals and improper behaviour, growing angry at Fanny's protestations that she does not love him and would be miserable. In those days women were almost forced to marry men they did not care for on a daily basis and this is something Jane Austen spent her whole life rebelling against. Obviously there are more areas of social commentary than this, but I chose this as an example because I felt it to be the moist poignant. 

5. There is romance in abundance! 

So many people read Jane Austen's novels for the romance and it is definitely not lacking in this story. There is something here for everyone! The unrequited love of Julia for Henry Crawford is touching and cute, making you reminisce about all the silly crushes you had when you were young. Edmund and Mary's love burns bright and passionately, with arguments causing sparks to fly. This one definitely reminds you of that destructive relationship you held onto for too long. Maria and Mr. Rushworth have a selfish form of love, with Maria loving his money and status far more than she loves the man himself. Henry Crawford's pursuit of Fanny is comical and laughable, it made me want to reach into the pages and shake Fanny saying "please don't fall for this man, he doesn't really love you!" And finally, the slow-burning natural love of Edmund and Fanny is the cherry on top of a wonderful bookish cake. Fanny loves Edmund for years, supporting him and advising him even when it pushed him into the arms of another. She is so selfless and kind, that you wish for Edmund to love her almost as much as she does. Eventually he comes to his senses and realises that he what he desperately wanted to see in Mary Crawford has always been there in Fanny Price if he had only cared to look :-) 

Those are my reasons to read Mansfield Park and if they don't persuade you nothing will! I wish I could go back and read this book from scratch all over again, but as I can't do that, instead I'll look forward to the many times I will be re-reading it. I hope you enjoyed this post, if you've read this book let me know your thoughts on it in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Bedknobs and Broomsticks Review

Hello everyone, 

There is nothing nicer after a long day at work than settling down with a good book. For the last couple of years I have been trying to deepen my knowledge of children's classics. I find them so relaxing and soothing after a stressful day, is that silly? I did read quite a few when I was a child, but there are some I missed and some I want to re-read. One of the ones I missed was Bedknobs and Broomsticks by Mary Norton. 

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is an amalgamation of two shorter stories: The Magic Bedknob and Bonfires and Broomsticks. The stories start with Carey, Charles and Paul going to stay with their aunt in the countryside. Whilst there Paul discovers a witch and starts to watch her flying her broomstick every night through his window. One night she falls off! Paul, worried about her, alerts his older siblings and they set out to help her. This sparks a lovely friendship between the witch, Miss Price, and the children. In return for their silence she gives them a magic bedknob which allows them to travel anywhere in the present and into the past. However, all magic comes with a price and some hilarious and hair-raising adventures follow...

Rating - 5 stars! 

Positives: Charming characters, funny and whimsical plot 

Negatives: I wish there was a never ending supply of these stories to read

For lovers of: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, Children of the New Forest by Captain Marryat and The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

I loved these stories and sped through them in one afternoon. At times they had me on the edge of my seat and I have since found myself wondering how Miss Price is getting on with her new life in the past! Only a truly good book can make you miss the characters after you have finished reading it. The narrative is simple, as it is aimed at younger children around 5-10 years old. However, the plot line is fast paced, with twists and turns only conceivable in children's literature. I think this is a perfect book for adults and children alike, and reading it aloud must be loads of fun :-) 

If you were wondering, this edition is from Orion Books. They have three titles so far in this collection: Ballet shoes, The Borrowers and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. This book is particularly special to me as it was a present from Mr. Gingersnap to match Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, which was the first book her ever bought me. 

Did you read this book as a child or older? Did you love it and do you have any similar recommendations? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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July Reading Wrap Up

Hello everyone,

Last month wasn't too busy on the reading front really, I didn't have much time to read a lot! I think I read more books at the beginning of the month than anything else. Some of the books I have already done a full review for, so I'll link those in as I go along :-) 

Sorry about the poor lighting and photo quality, a grey day makes photo taking tricky! 

City of Bones and City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare: 4 Stars 

These are the first two books in the Mortal Instruments series. I watched the movie, then I watched the TV show "Shadowhunters" and I was completely hooked. I could not get enough of these characters, so naturally I dived straight into the books. They follow Clary Fray as she very dramatically follows her destiny. She starts out like any other girl really, she's arty, close to her Mom and loves nothing more than listening to music with her best friend Simon. Sounds like any other teen romance right? Wrong! All of sudden she's in a club called Pandemonium trying to fight off a demon nobody else can see. She is plunged into a world of shadows, magic, demons and darkness. Her angel blood can't be suppressed and her need to learn more about it is impossible to resist. Her new friend Jace is equally difficult to resist, strong with sparking blue eyes and white blond hair, his strength is what draws her in, but something darker lies underneath. I loved these books and am currently waiting to read the next ones! Although if I'm honest I'm now reading them only for Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane...

Jingo by Terry Pratchett: 4.5 Stars 

Terry Pratchett is actually my favourite author, so I have read many of his books. This was one of the few that I hadn't yet got around to. It's part of the City Watch mini-series within the Discworld series and is so funny I was laughing loudly on the train. Laughing alone in a public place is quite embarrassing, but is worth it for a truly good book. I love all the characters in this book, they feel like old friends at this point. Carrot is frustratingly chivalrous, but lovable for his overwhelming sense of right and wrong. Sam Vimes is overworked and stressed, but such a true to his roots policeman. The job, his personal mania, comes before all else and this makes him such a relatable personality. I love the easy humour of Nobby Nobbs and Fred Colon, their double act never fails to make me laugh. Then there is Angua the werewolf and Cheery the very feminine dwarf. The puns are endless in this book! As usual they are fighting crimes and magic in the most unusual ways, crossing continents and even cross-dressing in their quest for justice. This is a must read for any fantasy fan! 

Alice by Christina Henry: 5 Stars 

I think this is my favourite read of July. This dark re-telling of Alice in Wonderland sees Alice locked away in a mental institution, with only a mad axe-murderer named Hatcher for company. She has just about accepted her life as a prisoner when a mysterious fire allows herself and Hatcher to escape. Thus beginning their bloody journey across the Old City, searching for a way to imprison the dangerous dark magician known as the Jabberwocky. Their journey will take them deep into the heart of the Old City, where an old "friend" of Alice eagerly awaits her. The Rabbit...

This book made me shiver with fear and dark delight, it was such a wonderfully novel take on a timeless story. If you are into thrillers or dark fantasy then this must be read! I'll be putting up a full review of this one and the sequel Red Queen next week so keep your eyes peeled :-) 

South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami: 3.5 Stars 

I won't batter on about this one too much as I already did a full review which you can check out here. This story is a journey through Hajime's life as he pines for his first love. When he finds her again more than 20 years later he needs to decide what he wants out of life. His wife is loving, pretty and kind. His first love is mysterious, beautiful and has a darkness about her which sucks at his soul. I love books like this with a moral dilemma, it's the age old tale of following your heart and learning about what you want versus what you really need. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling: 5 Stars 

This is another one that I have already reviewed. I feel like there was such a huge hype around this book that it made me worry that I would overestimate it. Thankfully, I was wrong to be worried. This story was just as fantastic as any other J.K. book. The fact that it was a script made it different, but in a really good way. It flowed beautifully and spun the wizarding world into being in exactly the way I had hoped. Anybody who hasn't read this yet needs to get on and read it! Click the little link to have a read of my first impressions and a little spoiler free review :-) 

What have you guys read this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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The Cottage Loaf

Hello everyone,

This morning I drove over to Llandudno in North Wales to see my Uncle and my Grandparents. For lunch we went to a lovely little pub called The Cottage Loaf. I have been there several times before with family and their food is delicious every time! 

Time for a bit of history, skip this bit if it’s not your thing! The Cottage Loaf has been a well loved pub since 1981 after it’s conversion from a local bakery. Parts of the pub are made from the masts and booms of a schooner called the Flying Foam which was ship-wrecked off the coast of Llandudno in 1936. The inside of the pub has a lovely homely atmosphere, aided by the stone floor, which actually came from Liverpool. Parts of the pub have been salvaged from all over, giving it a very eclectic feel. On entering the pub you can see the original bakery oven doors at the front of the bar and the mast of the Flying Foam, with a copper strip around it. When the Levi Jeans factory closed down in Liverpool the wooden flooring was recycled by the pub to be used in the upper bar area and the roof slates are from the Royal Liverpool Hospital. To top it all off the bar surface is constructed from two pieces of the vessel’s decking  joined together. 

Now for the food! This time I decided to have something lighter than my usual “Pint of Fish”. I had a very greek style of lunch, with some lovely fluffy ciabatta to dip in olive oil and sharp balsamic vinegar. Along side there was a ramekin filled with marinated green olives, sweet sun-dried tomatoes and tangy feta cheese. I adore greek food and this was such a lovely lunch, we were fortunate with the weather and were able to sit outside in the sun on the pub front terrace :-) 

The atmosphere in the pub is warm and friendly and the food is consistently wonderful, for a family pub lunch or even as a quick stop for a light snack I would give this place 5 stars! 

Let me know in the comments your favourite places for family lunches!

xoxo