Here we go... my #nomakeup #nofilter selfie for #BFCr2 I've had to wait for today as I was being a bit vain and was waiting for the scratch on my cheek to heal 🙈

#teamlitnfit

@mcipher @wanderinglynn

This chunkster took the best part of a week to read, but it means I can cross off one more book on the #TBRbingo

A new epic fantasy with lots of classic fantasy vibes, THE EMBER BLADE was a fun read. I really liked that it had a few more shades of grey than you usually find in classic-style fantasy, and I loved how much the main character grew throughout the story. My only niggle is the lack of strong female characters who really affected the story which, sadly, is too often the case with quest fantasies.

#fantasy

I'm rather pleased with myself this week! I finished two books, and made a solid start on a third. Also, I did three yoga sessions, and two stints of housework as I'm moving on Tuesday 😬

#BookFitnessChallenge #BFCr2 #TeamLitnFit

@mcipher @BeckyB @krayoncolorz @twohectobooks @Books.Bottles.and.Babies @okthislooksbad @DebbieGrillo @wanderinglynn

I'm a quarter of the way through #TBRbingo I love the summer holidays... lots of books and all the time in the world.

Except for packing up and leaving Spain. And then moving to Thailand. ARGHHHH...

I enjoyed JUST ONE DAMNED THING AFTER ANOTHER a lot. It was fun and full of snark, and reading about the eccentric time-travelling historians of St Mary's was exactly what I needed after the interminable slog that was 2312. A quick, easy read that fit my mood perfectly. ⭐⭐⭐

I can't finish this book. I tried. I really, really tried but I've given up. The world-building is astonishing and KSR has some really cool ideas about what humanity could look like in three hundred years. But I need more than just cool world-building. Like a plot. And interesting characters. And a protagonist I don't want to punch in the face for being such an immature, selfish, spoilt and downright unlikable human being. Ugh.

A light and easy to read YA fantasy with a very relatable heroine, a good sense of humour, and lots of heart. I enjoyed THE SEVENTH BRIDE but it didn't quite have the charm and humour of her more adult fantasies.

#fantasy #youngadult

Tackling Mount TBR with a #TBRbingo

Photo challenge for #BFCr2 I don't cook much, so boiled eggs on wholemeal toast is my go to healthy breakfast. Smashed avo on toast is another fave. No recipe needed!

#BookFitnessChallenge @wanderinglynn @mcipher

Week 2 check in for #BFCr2 I'm pleased with the bookish side of things - hooray for the summer holidays! I'm not so pleased with the fitness side - I've done a couple of walks. It's been hot and I've been lazy 🙈 The top photo is the view from my teeny tiny balcony, and the bottom photo is Valdemossa - a gorgeous wee mountain town

@wanderinglynn @mcipher @DebbieGrillo @BeckyB @twohectobooks @krayoncolorz @Books.Bottles.and.Babies @okthislooksbad

First book down on the #TBRbingo 🙌

I liked this retelling of Beauty and the Beast even if I didn't love it. The story sweeps you up, there's lots of meaningful glances and guarded secrets, and I devoured the last few chapters all while rolling my eyes at the teenage intensity of it all.

#fantasy #youngadult #retelling

Here are my #Top6Reads of 2019 so far - thanks for the tag @DebbieGrillo

Tagging the rest of #TeamLitnFit @mcipher @BeckyB @okthislooksbad @krayoncolorz @Books.Bottles.and.Babies @twohectobooks

I made a #TBRBingo for summer to help me tackle Mount TBR. I'm starting with Thunderhead for the Utopia prompt. I loved Scythe, so fingers crossed

I forgot to post this last night - oops! 12 hours of reading done, and two books down. I started a third, DNF-ed it, and then got a few chapters into the tagged book. I'm pretty pleased with myself 🙌

#24B4Monday @TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65 @jb72

My #BFCr2 check in! I read three books last week 🙌 so I'm happy about that. And although I didn't exercise everyday, I went for a couple of walks and spent two days digging out my classroom which #LitnFit have decided totally counts as exercise! Also, I'm slowly melting in this heatwave... It's 32 C / 90 F already 😧

#BookFitnessChallenge @mcipher @BeckyB @krayoncolorz @DebbieGrillo @okthislooksbad @Books.Bottles.and.Babies @twohectobooks

I enjoyed Nocturna a lot more than I expected to. Maybe it was the two glasses of wine, but I really enjoyed this Latino YA fantasy. Honestly, it felt like a Disney film from the 90s; fun characters, an action-packed plot, unexpected dark moments, and moments that just hit me in the feels.

#fantasy #youngadult

Solid start on the #24B4Monday readathon - not as long as I hoped, but I got tempted out for a caña or two!

My positive quote for #BFCr2 When the going gets tough, stand up straight, set your shoulders, and keep on going because to do otherwise is to give up. I love this quote (even if Churchill was a bit of a bastard).

#BookFitnessChallenge @wanderinglynn

I'm packing and leaving Spain in two weeks, and I need to get some of my books read before they go back into boxes! The #24B4Monday challenge is exactly the push I need. Happy reading, folks

@TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65 @jb72

The Prefect ain't flashy with it's bare bones prose, but I was completely hooked. It's half sci-fi thriller, half police procedural with ever increasing stakes and a deftly woven plot. An unexpected favourite of 2019 so far! Also, the first book for #BookFitnessChallenge #BFC

@mcipher @wanderinglynn

Phew, it's getting hot this week 😓 my class and I went for a walk this morning so I've met my fitness goal for today! #BookFitnessChallenge #BFC #LitnFit

How's everyone's Tuesday going?

@mcipher @krayoncolorz @DebbieGrillo @BeckyB @okthislooksbad @twohectobooks @Books.Bottles.and.Babies

I'm excited! Today is the first day of the #BookFitnessChallenge #BFC Round 2. These are my goals for the next six weeks... wish me luck! I'm off to the beach today so I should be able to get in a walk and some quality time with the tagged book.

Shout out to my lovely team mates @DebbieGrillo @mcipher @krayoncolorz @BeckyB @okthislooksbad @twohectobooks @Books.Bottles.and.Babies

I thought I would love this book, but I was so disappointed 😕 Aristocrats hunting demons in Regency London sounded exactly like my thing, but it was soooooo slooooooow and it was really dragging by the end. Also, I wanted Lady Helen to kick some arse, but all she did was moon around and go to parties. Sigh. Not for me.

#fantasy #historicalfantasy

Ugh, I've put this book aside for now. There's too much teenage angst and drama - it's exhausting. I get enough of it at work!

#teachersoflitsy #youngadult #dystopia

Whew, this was an exhausting read! The plot hurtles along, things go from bad to worse to terrible, and teenage angst levels are off the chart. Teenage me would have probably loved this. Adult me just found the constant drama exhausting!

#youngadult #dystopia #rebellion

I'm going to give this fitness challenge a go because I'm obviously not busy enough with finishing up the school year and moving countries (twice!) 🙈

#bookfitnesschallenge @wanderinglynn

1. I just finished The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi this morning, and trying to decide my next read...
2. I'm in the middle of The Expanse and OMG it's sooooo good
3. Good Omens

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Happy birthday @Jerdencon What a fab way to celebrate! #49bdaygiveaway

This is my #litsyneighborhood @MrBook

It's lovely and peaceful until the church bells and the buskers get going!

I loved this book as much as The Collapsing Empire. It's fast, it's funny, and foul-mouthed with clever characters and lots of twisty political machinations. Great stuff!

#scifi #spaceopera

This space opera was so much fun to read, and exactly what I needed during a hectic week at work. Fun, fast, and foul-mouthed - it was a blast!

#scifi #spaceopera

So many people have so much love for this book, but I've put this classic fantasy aside at 25%. I realised that I was just... bored. I found it very narrative, the characters were a little too perfect and there was no real conflict. I need shades of grey in my fantasy!

#fantasy

1. Luce is what I get most of the time
2. Tagged! Not so much strange as intriguing!
3. Not so much, but I tend to let books with lots of hype linger on my TBR for a while
4. Massively! For some reason, I really don't like covers with actual real-looking people on them!
5. Consider yourself tagged!

#wonderouswednesday @Eggs

I liked this lush YA fantasy, but I didn't love it. The premise is fascinating, as is the world building which shows a society obsessed with beauty and celebrity. However, the book was slow to get going and the characters weren't as full-blooded as I like them to be. Still, it was a pleasant way to spend a sunny afternoon.

#fantasy #youngadult

Full of twists and turns, dark family secrets, blackmail, and murder, this was a great read that was just as complicated as real life. What I really like about these books is that there's rarely a happy ending, and solving the mystery always has complications of its own.

#mystery #crime #london #blackmail

Happy Saturday, folks! A whole load of books were donated to the school this week, and I nabbed this one as it's been on my TBR. It's a page turner - lots of complicated emotions, lots of backstory, and a mystery that kept me guessing. But I had to immediately buy the next book because of THAT ENDING... I need to know!

#mystery #crimefiction #london

Morning everyone! I have a package arriving today which means hanging around at home until it comes - so a good excuse for a reading day! I finished up Everless today... and was so disappointed. The premise is really cool - time is literally money - but the plot relies too heavily on inexplicably terrible decisions and secrets that are kept secret FOR NO REASON other than to advance the plot. And the characters are boring. Ugh.

SO FRICKING GOOD! Second books can be tricky, but The Bitter Twins just kept getting better and better. The stakes became higher, difficult decisions had to be made, things started to fray around the edges, and a fascinating antagonist has emerged. Loved it!

#fantasy #epicfantasy #dragons #vampires #aliens

Happy Wednesday, folks! I finished up The Ninth Rain last night. While I wasn't completely sold on the premise, I did end up really enjoying this high fantasy. With vampires, witches, monster plants, and aliens from outer space, there's a lot going on but it kinda works!

Picking my next read is tough, so I made this cute TBR jar!

Well late to the party I know, but I finished off Uprooted this morning. I'm in love with this lush fantasy steeped in Eastern European folklore and full of the dangers of the deep dark woods. And it made me dangerously teary-eyed in public.

#fantasy #retelling #folklore #magic

Looking for a slow burn mystery that'll have you hooked? The Dry is full of unspoken secrets, small town rivalries, and desperate acts. Great read!

I think Robert Jackson Bennett is becoming one of my favourite authors, because his books are exactly the kind of fantasy I love to read. Foundryside is a full blooded fantasy with lush world-building, a magic system with actual rules, a clever protagonist, and a murderous conspiracy at the centre. Full of twists and turns and shot through with sly humour, it was a great read!

It's the holidays... and it's cold and windy. I don't mind though as it's perfect reading weather! I finished up Siege and Storm this morning. I enjoyed it, but it didn't quite live up to the first book. I loved the characters and the writing, but there was a long period in the middle where nothing really happened. I'd still recommend it though as the ending was fantastic.

First lie in of the holidays, and I spent it in bed with a cuppa and this cute little historical fantasy. The world-building is a little skinny, and the mystery took ages to get anywhere, but I enjoyed Witchmark even though it didn't get me hooked. The romance is sweet, if a little instalovey, and I really liked the chapters that explored Miles' complicated relationship with his family.

I just finished this gem! Sabriel is a fun, scary, and action-packed historical fantasy which is aimed at younger readers but I enjoyed it none-the-less. Sabriel is a great protagonist. She's a necromancer with dark and deadly abilities, but she's also tough and sensible and does the right thing even when it's harder than giving up. The middle sagged a little, but the last few chapters were absolutely gripping.

The Magician's Guild was ok, but not amazing or even particularly memorable. It's your stock-and-trade fantasy with a predictable plot and genetic world-building. Mostly it suffers from under developed characters who lack depth and complexity. But I liked the premise, and there were hints of a darker and more interesting story to come.

#fantasy #highfantasy #magicschool

So I liked A Wizard Of Earthsea, but I loved The Tombs of Atuan even more. It's just as beautifully written, the world-building is compelling, and the story is simple but absorbing. What makes the difference for me, though, is that this is a story dominated by female characters - a rare bird in fantasy. How have I only discovered Ursula Le Guin now?!?