Having seen this tag on a number of wonderful blogger sites over the past week, most recently from Nicki over at The Secret Library Site I thought I’d join in with the fun!!
Click on the titles to read my reviews! Have had some fun with this one!!
Having seen this over at Secret Library Book Blog I thought I would join in with the fun and give me an excuse to notice books on my shelves that I’d not looked at for a while! Bibliobeth has started this seasonal book tag after seeing Lauren at Lauren and the books – one of my fave Booktubers! – do something similar on her channel. You just go through your bookshelves to find a corresponding book title!
So I’ve scoured my TBR shelves for my suitable entries and this might even spur me on to read some of them sooner rather than later!
WABI SABI by BETH KEMPTON
A whole new way of looking at the world – and your life – inspired by centuries-old Japanese wisdom.
Wabi sabi (“wah-bi sah-bi”) is a captivating concept from Japanese aesthetics, which helps us to see beauty in imperfection, appreciate simplicity and accept the transient nature of all things. With roots in zen and the way of tea, the timeless wisdom of wabi sabi is more relevant than ever for modern life, as we search for new ways to approach life’s challenges and seek meaning beyond materialism.
Wabi sabi is a refreshing antidote to our fast-paced, consumption-driven world, which will encourage you to slow down, reconnect with nature, and be gentler on yourself. It will help you simplify everything, and concentrate on what really matters.
From honouring the rhythm of the seasons to creating a welcoming home, from reframing failure to ageing with grace, wabi sabi will teach you to find more joy and inspiration throughout your perfectly imperfect life.
This book is the definitive guide to applying the principles of wabi sabi to transform every area of your life, and finding happiness right where you are.
ISABEL’S SKIN by PETER BENSON
David Morris lives the quiet life of a book-valuer for a London auction house, travelling every day by omnibus to his office in the Strand. When he is asked to make a trip to rural Somerset to value the library of the recently deceased Lord Buff-Orpington, the sense of trepidation he feels as he heads into the country is confirmed the moment he reaches his destination, the dark and impoverished village of Ashbrittle. These feelings turn to dread when he meets the enigmatic Professor Richard Hunt and catches a glimpse of a screaming woman he keeps prisoner in his house.
NIGHTBLIND by RAGNAR JONASSON
Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village on the northernmost tip of Iceland, accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a local policeman, whose tumultuous past and uneasy relationships with the villagers continue to haunt him. The peace of this close-knit community is shattered by the murder of a policeman – shot at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark arctic winter closing in, it falls to Ari Thór to piece together a puzzle that involves tangled local politics, a compromised new mayor, and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik, where someone is being held against their will. Then a mysterious young woman moves to the area, on the run from something she dare not reveal, and it becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all.
Dark, chilling and complex, Nightblind is an extraordinary thriller from an undeniable new talent.
THE UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY OF EZRA MAAS by DANIEL JAMES
Ezra Maas is dead. The famously reclusive artist vanished without a trace seven years ago whilst working on his final masterpiece, but his body was never found. While the Maas foundation prepares to announce his death, journalist Daniel James finds himself lured to write the untold story of the artist’s life – But this is no ordinary book. The deeper James delves into the myth of Ezra Maas, the more he is drawn into a nightmarish world of fractured identities and sinister doubles.
A chilling literary labyrinth, The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas deftly blends postmodern noir with psuedo-biography, letters, phone transcripts, documents, emails and newspaper clippings to create a story like no other before it.
EDEN’S GARDEN by JULIET GREENWOOD
It’s 2011, and Carys agrees, with mixed feelings, to look after her mother after a fall. This decision unsettles everything—her job, her plans, and her relationship with Jack. Once home, she is drawn back into village life, into her family history hidden in the attic, and into the history of Plas Eden, the ramshackle great house that was so much part of her childhood. It was where, at 18, she forced herself to say goodbye to David Meredith, and she wonders how she will feel when they meet again. In 1898, Ann is destitute and standing on London Bridge. She remembers her last visit to London, a spoiled, aristocratic bride, sure of the power of her youth and beauty. Now she is running from everything she trusted and she wonders if the river is her only option, or if the Meredith Charity Hospital will hide her. The two women struggle with love, family duty, long-buried secrets, and their own creative ambitions, but over 100 years ago, Ann left a trail through North Wales, Cornwall, and London that may help Carys find her true path.
RATTLE by FIONA CUMMINS
Fiona Cummins delves into the seam of darkness that runs through us all as a detective hunts down a twisted killer with a macabre obsession . . .
On still nights, when the curve of a winter moon is smudged in the flow of the River Quaggy, the dead clamor for him. And sometimes he coaxes the living to join them. To other people, his victims might be mere medical oddities. To him, they are fascinating specimens, worthy of display. Above all, he is a collector, eager for recognition even as he hides in the shadows.
Detective Sergeant Etta Fitzroy is the first to recognize the connection between the disappearance of a young girl and a cold case that almost cost her the career she’s sacrificed so much for. A faceless psychopath is walking the streets of London, tantalizing the authorities with clues, taunting them with his ability to spirit his victims out from under their very noses.
Better than anyone, Etta Fitzroy understands loss. But this is one contest she will win if it kills her . . .
❆❆❆❆❆ Nice little mix of books going on there! What would make your cut for this tag?! Hope you take part too as would love to see your lists!
It’s that time of year when I start thinking about reading some of the scarier titles on my bookshelves, and thanks to Jessie at Dwell In Possibility I have been made aware of the RIP 13 challenge! One I’d never heard of before but it sounds perfect and lots of fun! Hosted by Readers Imbibing Peril, this is the 13th year they’ve hosted the RIP challenge and it’s as simple as this;
The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as:
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
The emphasis is never on the word challenge, instead it is about coming together as a community and embracing the autumnal mood, whether the weather is cooperative where you live or not.
The goals are simple.
1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.
There are no set targets so you can join in as much or as little as you want – that sounds like my kind of challenge! So here’s a look at some of the books I’ve picked out to hopefully pick up between now and the end of October when the challenge finishes! Click on the title for a link to the GoodReads page!
Have you read any of these?! I just hope they won’t be too dark and scary! I’m sure there may be some other additions to my list along the way – we will see where my RIP13 path takes me!
It’s Tuesday again! Don’t they keep coming round quick?!! So time to take part in another fabulous Top 5 Tuesday, hosted by Shanah over at Bionic Book Worm, and her choice for the topic today is a FREE CHOICE!! Endless possibilities!! But I’ve gone with books I’ve read and enjoyed whose title begins with a J – for June! Obviously!! Nice and simple, so let’s get on with it!!
I love a good challenge and, when I saw this one on Kristin Kraves Books, started originally over on Youtube I think, I knew I wanted to give it a go!!
Find a book on your bookshelves that contains (either on the cover or in the title) an example for each category. You must have a separate book for all 20, get as creative as you want and do it within five minutes!! (or longer if you have way too many books on way too many overcrowded shelves!)
1. food
The Cake Shop in the Garden by Carole Matthews
2. transportation
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
3. weapon
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
4. animal
Larry and the Dog People by J.Paul Henderson
5. number
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
6. something you read
The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett
7. body of water
Sea Lovers by Valerie Martin
8. product of fire
Smoke by Dan Vyleta
9. royalty
Queen of Bedlam by Laura Purcell
10. architecture
Letters from the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll
11. item clothing
The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer
12. family member
Dadland by Reggie Carew
13. time of day
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
14. music
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
15. paranormal being
The Ghost Tree by Sara Bain
16. occupation
The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman by Denis Theriault
17. season
The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman
18. colour
Dragon’s Green by Scarlett Thomas
19. celestial body
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
20. something that grows
The Trees by Ali Shaw
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Consider yourself tagged if you’ve enjoyed this post – I look forward to seeing what books you have on your shelves to fit these categories!!
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm which explores a number of different topics to get you all thinking!
So I’ve had a little think – my poor brain! – and come up with a list of 5 books that have always intimidated me for a number of reasons! Hopefully you can put my mind at rest over some of them and I can finally stop being so scared!!
GAME OF THRONES by GEORGE R.R. MARTIN
I have the set! And it has been sitting in my wardrobe (hidden away) for a couple of years now!! I adore the TV show but the books just scare me, mainly due to their size! It would be a great time for me to pick them up with the new TV series so far away… should I?!
A LITTLE LIFE by HANYA YANAGIHARA
Another one of those ‘chunkster’ books that has been hidden away in my wardrobe! The reviews are pretty impressive but it does warn of a lot of emotion and often heartbreaking and I’m really not sure I can cope with it! Have you read it?!
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Another chunkster!! Over 700 pages!! I loved the early books in the Mortal Instruments series (this is book 6) but found myself not enjoying the last couple so not sure I can muster up the enthusiasm to put myself through all those pages in this one if I’m not going to like it – or care what happens lol!!
THE MINIATURIST by JESSIE BURTON
Loved The Muse by this author, and then got hold of a copy of this as heard so many wonderful things but never got round to picking it up. I then made the mistake of watching the BBC version on TV recently – and really didn’t enjoy it so that has put me off picking the book up once more!
EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING by NICOLA YOON
I’m always intimidated by books that have a big media ‘buzz’ about them and this one seemed to be everywhere for a while and it also seems to have very divided opinions! Some love it, others hate it! Have a feeling I could be in the hate camp… if I ever picked it up!!
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Do you have books that intimidate you? Should I pick any of these up and get over my issues?!!
Thought I’d join in this week – although so far this week it is turning out to be a very slow reading week for me! Maybe this will help spur me on again!
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived at Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme now hosted by http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/ and I thought it was about time I took part to try and focus my reading a little more!!
So here’s my Top Ten of how I hope my reading will go over the year!
1. Cut back on buying books
Yep easier said than done I know! But as I constantly seem to be decluttering at the moment to release shelf space on the overcrowded bookshelves, I think the time has come where I need to reign in the buying a little…
2. Stop wasting time online
I know it is where we go to find out bookish news online and read fabulous blogs, but I do find myself often wasting time scrolling through stuff when I could be reading! Time to turn off the Wi-Fi me thinks!!
3. Get my NetGalley shelf under control
Despite not visiting there very often anymore – honest! – I seem to have a number of unread books on my Kindle that have been there for sometime, so I need to get through those as I was so eager to read them when I downloaded them to begin with!
4. Organise my bookshelves
They seem a little – ok a lot! – random at the moment in how I organise them and signed books are mixed in with a variety of copies so I’d just like there to be a little more order and to make it easier for me to find things when I’m looking for a certain book!
5. Organise the Kindle
Not sure if you do the same as me, but there are a lot of freebies that I’ve downloaded over the years hoping to get round to and that sounded interesting reads, but once they are on my Kindle I seem to forget about them! So I’d like to make a list of the ones I have and start planning on reading even just one a month would do!
6. Take part in more Tags
I don’t often take part as I never know the best place to look for Tags that are doing the rounds, and then I’m never organised enough to get a post up in time! So I need to search out more organised bloggers than I and see what I can join in with as they’re so much fun to read and join in with!
7. Stop losing notebooks
Whenever I read books for review I often have a notebook by my side to jot down notes on characters/plots etc as I’m rubbish at remembering what is going on half the time! But then I do have a tendency to misplace a notebook that I’m using and thus lose all the notes!
8. Organise my Blog
Happy to admit that I’m not the most competent when it comes to computers, so my Blog has been put together with no real planning – or clue what I’m doing! – so I’d like to learn better ways of presenting things as it often looks messy and hopefully streamline the whole operation!
9. Complete my reading challenges
Doing well so far with my ‘Year of Persephone’ reading challenge so hoping that continues! Also making good progress with my GoodReads Challenges so hope I can remain committed and the dreaded reading slump doesn’t strike!
10. Carry on enjoying reading
I often think that when we review books and have blogs, reading often becomes a chore! So I’m hoping that I can remember why I read in the first place, to keep finding books that I love and become emotionally attached to and not to ever get in that zone of feeling that I’m just reading for the sake of reading and keeping up with reviews
Seems like a possible list of targets….. I hope!! Fingers crossed I can stick to them all!
Books and Me! 