Come and escape from the world in some great books!
‘What did he say before you murdered him?’‘He asked me to kill him.’‘That’s convenient,’ she said.‘And told me the Dragon had made his daughter a monster. He told me she was strigoi. They say the thirst for blood is like a madness – they must sate it. Even with their own kin.’ I remember really… Continue reading Book Review: The Deathless Girls, Kiran Millwood Hargrave
“Are they supposed to be happy or sad? I mean, is it a celebration of the people who made it, or a memorial to the ones who didn't?” One thing that Jane Harper can do extraordinarily well is to create a sense of place in her writing: her settings, whether they be the oppressive heat… Continue reading Book Review: The Survivors, Jane Harper
Reading Round Up Three books completed is a little lower than last month, but alongside those I have begun a re-read of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. I rarely - very rarely - re-read a novel but this one absolutely rewards it! Characters are more vivid, the chronology is clearer, the language shines more! Favourite Adult… Continue reading Monthly Round Up: February 2021
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: February 2: Books Written Before I Was… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Whose Job I Wish I Had
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: December 29: Favourite Books of 2020January 5: Most Anticipated… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud
A massive congratulations to the authors on the 2021 longlist for the Carnegie Medal, announced this week. It looks like a diverse list with some familiar names - Francis Hardinge, Elizabeth Acevado. And of course Patrick Ness. Would the Carnegie Medal be the Carnegie Medal without a book by Ness appearing on it? - and… Continue reading Carnegie Medal 2021 Longlist
‘What would one call a group of Mitfords?’ asked Nancy, her tiny waist beautifully shown off in its tailored jacket of black and white dogtooth check. She sat by a round table, a glass of sherry at her hand. ‘A haven? A giggle?’‘A swarm,’ said Tom, taking a long draught of ale. Once upon a… Continue reading Book Review: The Mitford Trial, Jessica Fellowes
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: December 29: Favourite Books of 2020January 5: Most Anticipated… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Purple, Yellow, and/or Green Book Covers
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: December 29: Favourite Books of 2020January 5: Most Anticipated… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Valentine’s Day / Love Freebie
So I thought I'd try to introduce a monthly round up of my reading onto the blog. Aiming to get it posted on the first Wednesday of each month, reviewing my reading and blogging the previous month. Reading Round-Up With the unexpected return to lockdown I had high hopes of reading more... but with an… Continue reading Monthly Round-Up: January 2021
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: December 29: Favourite Books of 2020January 5: Most Anticipated… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Books Written Before I Was Born
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: December 29: Favourite Books of 2020January 5:… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020
“But then, maybe “I don’t believe in you” is the cruelest way to kill a monster.” Oyeyemi has been on my radar for a while, but has been languishing on my bookshelf for longer than she deserves. There were words and phrases connected to her which tantalised - fairy tale, gothic, ghost, unconventional - and… Continue reading Book Review: White is for Witching, Helen Oyeyemi
“The only place I went wrong, he writes, was expecting things to be perfect. Abruptly, he signals for a turn, and when the light changes he heads east instead of continuing north.” After reading a number of heavily plot driven books this year, Redhead was a definite change of pace for me. I'd not read… Continue reading Book Review: The Redhead by the Side of the Road, Anne Tyler
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: December 15: Books on my Winter TBRDecember… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read In 2020 but Didn’t Get To
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: December 1: Books I Want to Read… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Resolutions / Hopes for 2021
“What do you do when the things that are supposed to protect you, fail you like that” A Good Girl's Guide to Murder seemed to explode over my social media last year - and it warranted the press and publicity once I got round to reading it. Pip Fitz-Amobi's investigation into Andie Bell's disappearance and… Continue reading Book Review: Good Girl, Bad Blood, Holly Jackson
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: December 1: Books I Want to Read… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021
Stories can sense happiness and snuff it out like a candle. I have a certain weakness in my reading, and that is fairytales. Fairytales that cleave to the dark and unnerving quality of pre-Disney versions. Fairytales which are anything but children's stories. Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber is one of my favourite books and a… Continue reading Book Review: Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado
I thought I'd try something different this year: I'd dedicate a Google Calendar to my reading year with dates of books prize announcements and future releases as well as ARC publication dates and various useful date-related data. https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=thebookloverssanctuary%40gmail.com&ctz=Europe%2FLondon I also thought I'd try to add a little bit of live data from a spreadsheet I… Continue reading 2021 My Reading Year Ahead
It has been a hell of a year, 2020! Nationally we have seen pandemics and lockdowns, panic buying and food shortages - not to mention Brexit - and we have grappled with tiers, bubbles and Zoom chic. On top of that, personally, I have said farewell to my grandmother and my stepson (barely) survived a… Continue reading 2020: A Year in Books
“'My mum.’ The images of death are involuntary and relentless: crushed snail shells, veins in meat, vampire teeth, soil filling a mouth.” The year's end is always a great time to read a chilling novel: I remember finishing 2018 with Melmoth by Sarah Perry; 2019 with Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley; and now 2020… Continue reading Book Review: Pine, Francine Toon
“If the Devil is poverty, and hunger, and grief, then yes, I think they know the Devil.” Before I begin this review, imagine the following scene. A colleague who generally shares similar tastes to you in reading comes up to you and starts to rave about her current read. It is apparently wonderful, so heartbreaking,… Continue reading Book Review: The Familiars, Stacey Halls
“Hate is loud, but I think you'll learn it's because it's only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as your remember you're not alone, you will overcome.” You know what it is like where there is a book that you… Continue reading Book Review: The House In The Cerulean Sea, T. J. Klune
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. PREVIOUS TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPICS: November 10: Non-Bookish HobbiesNovember 17: Characters I'd… Continue reading Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books of 2020
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