November 24, 2017

BOOK TAG| I AM A GUILTY READER

I don't remember if I have been tagged for this one, or not. It went around on Booktube awhile back and ended up just tagging myself. I guess. 

Anyway, the questions:

1. Have you ever re-gifted a book that you’ve been given?

No? I don't think I have had that pleasure.


2. Have you ever said you’ve read a book when you haven’t?


Yes. There is a fair few. Haven't gone there since I was a lot younger, but let's just say I never read 1984 until I seventeen, not fifteen. Sorry, folks.

But, if it makes you feel any better about my lying, George Orwell is one of my favourite authors of the 20th Century. 

3. Have you ever borrowed a book and not returned it?

I have a copy of Anne Frank's diary somewhere that I got when I was eleven from the library. It had to be called in from another library in the borough, let's just say- it never saw that library ever again. 


4. Have you ever read a series out of order?


I don't think so?


Oh no! I did try to read The Vile Village (book 7 in A Series of Unfortunate Events)  before I had read the first book. We had this box set come into my classroom's reading corner, everyone went made and kept taking them out and the first book was never there. So, I thought I would just read the seventh.. cause I'm an idiot. 


5. Have you ever spoiled a book for someone?


BAHAHAHA- no, me? NEVER!


6. Have you ever doggy eared a book?


I used to do that when I was younger. I didn't own a bookmark til I was like ten. I used to be a prolific dog-earer(?) and spine cracker too. 


7. Have you ever told someone you don’t own a book when you do?


I remember this, actually. Someone asked if I owned a copy of Beautiful Creatures, so they could borrow it, and told them that I no longer did. I ain't having nobody disrespect my books but myself.


8. Have you ever told someone you haven’t read a book when you have?


Maybe.


9. Have you ever skipped a chapter or a section of a book?


Nope. If I say I'm gonna read a book, I will either read every word or DNF when I can bare it no more.


10. Have you ever bad mouthed a book you actually liked?


A lot of people who I've seen answer this question always brings it back to Twilight. Never read them, so...


But, I am critical about the things I read. Just because I am a fan of a book, doesn't mean I cannot criticise what I am reading. 



Like I do with all my tags, I tag anyone who hasn't participated before. 


November 22, 2017

Top 5 Wednesday| Thank You, Book.

Top 5 Wednesday is a book meme that was started by Laini from GingerreadsLaini and is now hosted by Sam over at Thoughts on Tomes.


If you ever want to join the fun, join the Goodreads group- here.

There are so many books that I am grateful for. Some are ones that I recieved as a child and helped kick start my borderline book obsession. Others are books that I have only read in the last year. And of course, a wild array sprinkled across my lifetime. 

I'm just going to warn you- I am probably going to be repeating myself, as I've highlighted a lot of these over the past few months. On the bright side, I am completely throwing Harry Potter off the list, as I think it might just be on 99% of them for this week's topic.


1. Truthwitch (Witchlands #1)
Susan Dennard

A book that started with strong female friendship. Which then went on to being a great reason I am still blogging today. When the whispering of Truthwitch began on Twitter, I was only just beginning my blogging journey. 

2. A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1)
V.E.Schwab

Of course, Victoria was going to make it on the list. I struggled. Really struggled to deciede on what book to pick and ended up going for the book that inspires me the most. My copy hold the inscription "Lila would get it done". The past year has been one of the hardest and that sentence has helped me keep pushing me through.

3. Strange the Dreamer (Muse of Nightmares #1)
Laini Taylor

I knew when picking up this book, that it would stay with me for a long time. Any book by Laini Taylor does. Her writing is beyond just storytelling. 

4. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
Cassandra Clare

Looking back on the past 10 years or so of CoB's publication, this book has had so much influence on who as a reader, I am, today as well as all the friends that I've had. 

5. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1)
Becky Chambers

This book just helped me remember how fantastic the human race can be, and should be. Accepting for who we are.


November 15, 2017

Top 5 Wednesday| Nostlagic AF

Top 5 Wednesday is a book meme that was started by Laini from GingerreadsLaini and is now hosted by Sam over at Thoughts on Tomes.


If you ever want to join the fun, join the Goodreads group- here.

The topic for this week was suggested by in the suggestion thread-  nostlagic book boyfriends/ girlfriends of our bookish pasts. We can all pretend that I don't still have some that I consider as book boyfriends, but it doesn't help when I haven't grown out of fictophilia. 

1. Will Herondale
The Infernal Devices

Will Herondale was like Cassandra Clare had took everything I would ever look for in a partner and wrote him into a book that I will forever treasure. He's not exactly "nostalgic", as I still consider him to be high on my book-boyfriend list.

2. Finnick Odair
The Hunger Games

I have a feeling that our Finnick is going to be on one to many lists for this week. 

3. Augustus Waters
The Fault in Our Stars

This one is more along the lines of cringe. 2012 seems like it was an age ago, but in reality it was only five years. 

4. Morpheus
Splintered

5. Dorian Havilliard
Throne of Glass

Dorian still remains my favourite male character that Sarah J. Mass has written for the Throne of Glass series. 

November 13, 2017

Liebster Award

Hello! Back in September, I was nominated to do the Liebster Award by a wonderful blogging pal, Nicky from An Introverted Bookworm



The Liebster Award is an award presented to bloggers by other fellow bloggers, with the pure intention of supporting each other! As part of being nominated, you must answer the eleven questions given by the blogger who kindly nominated you. Then, in turn, nominate eleven more bloggers and leave eleven new questions for them to answer.

My answers to Nicky's questions:

1. If you had the opportunity to meet one author, who would it be?

I'm really lucky in that a lot of my favourite authors, I've already met. Like Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Cassandra Clare and Laini Taylor

I guess Robin Hobb because she's just brilliant? Jay Kristoff, so we can talk Metal?

SUSAN DENNARD! 

All these authors are very much alive, so let's throw a dead one into the mix- George Orwell. 

2. What is one book you absolutely hated?

I have a blog post, here, but another book to add on the list is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I was made to read it for an English Literature module at University. Discussed from non racist point-of-view. 

Its racist, though? No, thank you. 

Stop putting it on syllabus.

3. What is your favorite genre?

Fantasy. 

4. Which book character do you have a secret crush on?

SECRET crush? 

I have a bad case of Fictophilia. And I'm known to be in love with several fictional characters and a whole list of book boyfriends that take me at least five minutes to read out.  I don't really keep my adoring love secret. 

I do have a major girl crush on Mia Covere from Kristoff's Nevernight books.

5. What is a book that changed your life in some way?

Kate from Reading Through Infinity wrote a blog post with various book bloggers on this very topic. I am included. Go check it out for my answer and give Kate's blog some love. 

Another  choice, Divergent by Veronica Roth, it made me realize I could make friends and made me more confident to talk about reading to other people, not just on the internet.

6. How do you prefer to read? (Book or E-reader)?

Depends on many different variants. For the short answer- physical books. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your progress in a giant tome, or just the smell and the crisp pages under your fingertips.

7. What’s the funniest book you’ve read?

The Exact Opposite of Okay
Laura Steven

Goodreads

Oh my! This book was just my humour. Look out for this one next year, along with my review. It was brilliant.

8. If you were going away on a trip and could only take one book to read, which would it be?

Can I cheat and take my Kindle?

9. Do you read classics?

Depends on what you define as a classic, I'm guessing the typical written prior to the 19th Century. I do, but have to be in a certain mood or forced to read it for class. 

10. Which fictional universe do you wish you could live in?

I mean if I moved up to Yorkshire, I could technically live in the Shire. This is tricky, because I don't want to go with the obvious Hogwarts answer. Maybe, the Red London universe of Victoria Schwab's Shades of Magic world.

11. Why did you start blogging?

I.. don't really know the full reason for it, to be honest. I've had they username ACityofBooks on Twitter for so many years. And use it now for pretty much everything. I wanted to meet more people with the same love and passion of books that I have, I was bored and  needed friends as a teen? I don't really know.


I'm cutting this Tag short, as I have completely lost track of who has done the Liebster Award. And I'm pressed for time to come up with another 11 questions.

If you would like to consider yourself tagged, feel free. You are welcome to use the questions that I answered.



November 09, 2017

Top 5 Wednesday| It's not me, it's you

Top 5 Wednesday is a book meme that was started by Laini from GingerreadsLaini and is now hosted by Sam over at Thoughts on Tomes.


If you ever want to join the fun, join the Goodreads group- here.

This week is on problematic favourites. And let's face it. We all have those character that we all gush about and love, but in reality they really shouldn't have our affections. You know? You know.

Don't lie to me now.


1. Jaime Lannister 
Book: A Game of Thrones

I know! Another T5W where Jaime Lannister makes an appearance. If you have read/watched the series you know why- hopefully. 

2. Victor Vale
Book: Vicious

We all knew that both Victoria and Victor were going to find itself on this list. 

3. Sarken (The Dragon)
Book: Uprooted

4. Bellatrix Lestrange
Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

I will always  love Mrs. Lestrange. 


5.  The Darkling
Book: Shadow and Bone

Do I need to say more?

November 02, 2017

TBR| November 2017

If you had read my October Wrap Up then it will come to no surprise that I have started a crap tonne of books and not finished a single one. Damn University!

Books that have carried over:

  • A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
  • Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
  • The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams
  • A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
  • Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell


The Fandom
Anna Day

Goodreads


Received a copy of this from Chicken House shortly before meeting Anna at YALC this year. Heard a lot of good things, so far. 






The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen's Bastards #1)
Scott Lynch


I found this first edition hardback in a Charity Shop in Bangor, and with Tome Topple coming up, I think now is the perfect time to finally read it. I just hope I fall in love with it as much as everyone else has over the past TEN years of its publication.

November 01, 2017

Top 5 Wednesday| What Are You?

It's been a while since I've done a Top 5 Wednesday- hello everyone!

Top 5 Wednesday is a book meme that was started by Laini from GingerreadsLaini and is now hosted by Sam over at Thoughts on Tomes.



If you ever want to join the fun, join the Goodreads group- here.

This weeks topic is covering books that defy genre and make themselves just a little bit to hard for us to shelve. There are a million and one possibilities for this one- instead, I present my top 5.

1. The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1)
Samantha Shannon

2. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)
Maggie Stiefvater
3. Replica (Replica #1)
Lauren Oliver


4. My Lady Jane (Janies #1)
Cynthia Hand, Jodie Meadows, Brodi Ashton

5. They Both Die in the End
Adam Silvera