As a prequel, there are certain things that won‘t come as a surprise in this book, but that doesn‘t mean they don‘t pack a punch!

Haymitch‘s hunger games was an excellent choice for its own book, and really shows how he became the man we meet in the hunger games trilogy. It was great to see some other familiar people in there too, along with Snow being as despicable as ever.

This was (despite the content) a fairly light audio read.
I quite liked the narration breaking the forth wall, trying to point you towards the same conclusions by making sure you are following clues and things. It was an interesting way to do the mystery thing.

And the story overall held my interest. I never work out who did it… maybe I need to read more mysteries 😂

I really enjoyed this memoir of lessons learned while learning the way of tea. I feel like I gained a greater appreciation of Japanese tea, and the lessons (life lessons, not tea) felt very timely. I also would like to try a bunch of traditional Japanese sweets now too!

A quick and inspiring book, best enjoyed with matcha 🍵

#BookSpin #BookSpinBingo

April #BookSpinBingo board

My #BookSpin is: The Wisdom of Tea
My #DoubleSpin is: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

March roundup.

I finished 4 books:
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Started in Feb)
• Sleeping Beauty (Feb Bookspin)
• The Terror (Started in Jan)
• Snowflake (Food and Lit and Doublespin)

I haven‘t started anything else yet so will make a start on my April books soon 😂

#BookSpinBingo

This was my #Ireland pick for #FoodAndLit

It was a tough read in places but it was good and I finished before I knew it!

Debbie starts at Trinity College and struggles to adapt to college life and to make friends. It‘s a coming of age story, which covers tough topics such as mental health, alcoholism, body image, death and attempted suicide, but while also being lighthearted.

#DoubleSpin

This #Chunkster has taken me a while, but I really enjoyed it!
A historical novel mixed with some folklore, based on the ill fated Franklin expedition to find the north west passage.
I watched the tv show a while ago which was amazing, so I am glad I have finally managed to read it :)

(Ash isn‘t super impressed about joining in for the photo)

Ham, champ, and baked leeks with cheese for #FoodAndLit #Ireland
It was very tasty!

This was a pretty solid retelling of sleeping beauty.
I liked the idea of magic knights, and Briar Rose was a likeable character.
I would say that I didn‘t feel super invested in the story as a whole, and it was a fairly quick resolution, but I did still enjoy it ☺️

This was my February #BookSpin

This was a lovely sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. A book about acceptance and standing up for your rights, and family.

While I preferred the first book overall, I did enjoy revisiting the characters and seeing how they have grown and come into their own ☺️

My March #BookSpinBingo card

Bookspin is A Gathering of Shadows
DoubleSpin is Snowflake

My Feb roundup.

Not a lot of reading done this month.
I finished 3 books:
• Fledgling (audio started in Jan)
• A Fair Account of the Traitors Snow White and Rose Red (started in Jan)
• Yak Girl (Feb food and lit finished at the last possible moment 🤣)

I also started:
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea (audio, 4 hrs left)
• Sleeping Beauty (34% through)

And still going with The Terror, though I didn‘t touch it this month 🤭

#BookSpinBingo

This book is about the early life of the author in a remote village in Dolpo in the mountains. Most of this is set in the Dolpo region with Dorje growing up and herding her animals. The last part of the book about some of her family going to Kathmandu to try and find medical help for her brother and ending with her staying and moving to America for surgery. It was interesting and I‘m glad there was a family update at the end!

#FoodAndLit #Nepal

Tonight was Dal Bhat for #Nepal #FoodAndLit
It was slightly spicy and very delicious ☺️

This one isn‘t in the database yet, but I read “A Fair Account of the Traitors Snow White and Rose Red” for #FairytaleRetellingChallenge

This is a mix of Snow White, and of Snow White and Rose Red. It was pretty good! I enjoyed the story, but in 300+ pages, the characters weren‘t fleshed out very much.

I found the overall idea interesting - MC wakes up with no memory of what has happened, begins to find out who and what she is. I found some parts of the relationships between Ina and humans interesting. There were lots of tough topics covered here.
BUT
When I put it down, I found it hard to pick back up again. It just didn‘t grip me. And I don‘t like the constant references to adults who are attracted to or sleeping with the MC who looks 10/11

My Feb #BookSpinBingo board

My #BookSpin is Sleeping Beauty
My #DoubleSpin is Cry Wolf

So, it doesn‘t look like much 😂
But this is zuurkool stamppot for #Netherlands #FoodAndLit

It‘s basically mash potato with sauerkraut and apple, served with smoked sausage.
It was very quick to make, and very tasty. But jeez it was a big portion for some serious comfort food 🤣

This was a reread for me before trying to finish the trilogy this year. I knew I enjoyed the story before, which is good, as I would probably have given up with the audio if I hadn‘t! There wasn‘t anything specifically wrong with the narrator. I just didn‘t like it (or his voices for dialogue) 🤷🏼‍♀️

This was great to revisit, and I am looking forward to the next ones.

#BookSpin

Yeongju leaves her old life behind and opens a bookshop in Hyunam-Dong. She learns how to navigate her dreams along with reality and societal expectation, makes a group of friends, and everyone helps each other think about where they are in life and where they want to be.
I have to say that some bits felt particularly poignant as I am a bit fed up with work at the moment. So it definitely left me with some things to think about!

#DoubleSpin

This was my #Netherlands #FoodAndLit pick, and first read of the year.

It was very atmospheric, and creepy. But most of the scary parts didn‘t come from the evil witch, but from what people are willing to do if they feel threatened, even if the threat isn‘t real. (And yes I looked up the Dutch ending and it sounds pretty similar. I didn‘t mind the ending 🤣)

My January #BookSpinBingo

My #BookSpin is A Darker Shade of Magic
My #DoubleSpin is Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop

Final check in for #WinterGames2024

I have a total of 17,875 points for team #ChristmasChapterChasers
Thanks for a fun festive season all! ☺️

#WinterGames #XmasChaCha

Both versions of the book bracket have Gideon the Ninth as my top read for 2024

My first trip to Dream Harbour (I got the others but wanted to read the Christmassy one first) and it was pretty good! A nice small town, romance tropes, Christmas activities etc. I certainly liked the MCs more than in some other similar hallmarky Xmas books 😂

This had 497 wordsearch words :)

#WinterGames2024 #WinterGames #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This was my #FoodAndLit pick for #Finland

I liked the way the story was set out, where you learn more about Trolls as the story progresses, through snippets of stories, web searches, a vet, and as Angel discovers things by living with a troll he rescued by his apartment block.

The characters are all awful by the way 😂 but I still enjoyed the read!

#WinterGames2024 #WinterGames #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha

I enjoyed this one. Beautiful settings (both Prague and Wales), snow, sightseeing, second chance love, and a historical love story that brings all the characters together.

This also has a whopping 508 wordsearch words!

#WinterGames2024 #WinterGames #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha #DoubleSpin

I was a bit dubious about this audiobook as I am not a HUGE Hugh Grant fan (don‘t get me wrong though I will watch his films 😂). But this was actually pretty good!

This Christmas classic also has 152 wordsearch words in it 😉

#WinterGames2024 #WinterGames #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha

A short listen about the origins of Christmas traditions and how they have changed over time.

#WinterGames2024 #WinterGames #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha

Also made some Finnish Christmas cookies (Joulupiparit) and had to freeze half the dough because damn that‘s a lot of cookies 😂

#Finland #FoodAndLit

They kinda lost their shape (and some filling) during the cooking process 😂
But this is my attempt at cinnamon rolls for #Finland #FoodAndLit (korvapuusti)

They may not look pretty but they are tasty 😋

First check in for #WinterGames2024
3195 points so far :)

#WinterGames #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha

Thanks @Yuki_Onna for the tag

Physical (though I do like a digital and audio read too!)
Stay home
Christmas Eve
Watch D&D
Gift giver (but of course both)
Hot chocolate
Cake
Shower
Morning read

#ThisOrThat #WinterGames #WinterGames2024 #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha

This was a great cosy mystery and the audio version was amazing!

Holly moves back to her hometown of mistletoe after her engagement is broken off. She throws herself into helping on her parent‘s christmas tree farm and the 12 days of games for Christmas season. But when one of the locals is murdered on the farm, Holly finds herself as the next potential target.

#WinterGames #WinterGames2024 #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha #BookSpin

My first time getting a real Christmas tree this year!
Needed a few more baubles and lights since it‘s much bigger than our old artificial tree 🤣
I think we did a decent job decorating though :)

#WinterGames #WinterGames2024 #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha

This was my #Canada #FoodAndLit read from November, and my November #DoubleSpin

It follows two Cree, an aunt and her nephew who goes to war with his friend.
It was such a good read but hard going! I enjoyed it though :)

#WinterGames #WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers

A bit late posting, but here is my December #BookSpinBingo card

My #BookSpin is Twelve Slays of Christmas
And my #DoubleSpin is A Christmas in Prague

This is only available on audible and fairly new so not on the database yet.

This hit the holiday hallmark level of cheese I was looking for. Snowy Christmas setting, MC that makes Christmas ornaments and another that has a cherry orchard, fake relationships, wanting to move from a big city job to a small home town, misunderstandings, and on top of that two dogs in love 🥲

#WinterGames #WinterGames2024 #XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers

This or that

#WinterGames #WinterGames2024 #ChristmasChapterChasers #XmasChaCha

Some of the books on my #TBR for #WinterGames
Focusing mainly on Christmassy/wintery reads.

#XmasChaCha #ChristmasChapterChasers #WinterGames2024

Another great read!
However I do wish they wouldn‘t end on such complicated cliff hangers. It wasn‘t so bad when I had the next book to keep going with, but now it‘s a waiting game for book 4 😂

An attempt was made at poutine for #FoodAndLit #Canada

And my husband did most of the heavy lifting here as I got stuck in traffic on my commute home 😂

Starfield library in Suwon.
Stunning 🤩

This was a cute book with a little bit more action than the first. Really enjoyed reading these :)

I am currently in Seoul, so here is a picture from the older #StarfieldLibrary in Gangnam.
Hoping to get to the new one next week ☺️

My November #BookSpinBingo board

#BookSpin is The Boy on the Bridge
#DoubleSpin is Three Day Road

Took my first trip to a Tim Hortons for #Canada #FoodAndLit

We took a coffee and a doughnut home after 😉
They aren‘t super common in the UK so it was nice to find one near by!

This was exactly what I expected from a book described as high fantasy, low stakes.
The book is cosy and the friendships sweet.
And I would very much like to visit this coffee shop and eat all the pastries!

Final tally for my #HauntedShelf #SkeletonCrew points.

I had a great time :)

This was my #FoodAndLit pick for #Botswana

It was interesting to read about Mark and Delia‘s experiences living in the Kalahari desert and the relationships they made with the animals living there.
Even as a reader you become invested in the livelihood of the animals.