This week’s topic is Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes (List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wishes. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your e-reader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!)
Christmas is just around the corner so what better time to post The Christmas Carol Book Tag than now? 🎄 I saw this on Caro’s blogthe other day and thought it looked like fun so I thought I’d give it a go and I’m going to get right to it!
The Ghost of Christmas Past A book that was a childhood favourite
I remember discovering Where the Sidewalk Ends and Silverstein’s other poetry books and falling in love with the rhymes and matching illustrations. It has been years since I last read it but I distinctly remember the joy and comfort these books brought me! 💜
The Ghost of Christmas Present A recent book that you think will become one of your all-time favourites
There are a number of books I’m excited for in 2025 but I’m really looking forward to this one! I thought this was out in December but maybe I got it wrong or the date got pushed back. Either way, I’m keen to get it!
Bah, Hambug A book that everyone else loves that you just can’t stand
Alright, it’s time for the truth. I don’t even care if I get flack for this but I just can’t with this entire series. 😅 The first book was just okay but the rest? Yikes! I’m sorry, it was just really bad and I don’t understand… I just don’t understand. 🫣
Bob Cratchit An old dependable that you always recommend
I find recommending books scary (lol) but this is the one that I’ve had the most “success” in recommending, I think. It’s a cosy slice-of-life fantasy where not a whole lot happens but it’s sweet, warm, and delightful!
Tiny Tim An underhyped book that you think deserves more love
I’m going to focus on a release that I read this year that I don’t think received as much hype as it deserved! I didn’t see Immortal Dark mentioned in many places (or maybe I’m not in those places but…) I don’t know why cos it was fantastic!
Today? Why it’s Christmas morning! What’s a book that always gets you in the mood for Christmas?
I’m not much of a rereader so I don’t have one go-to to kickstart the holiday season. However, I did read Big Nick Energy recently and thought it was such a great feel-good holiday romance and I would recommend it!
The Muppet Christmas Carol Your favourite film adaptation of a book
This might be a very unpopular opinion, especially with those who are die-hard Tolkien fans or who treasure his books. However, I was not a fan of The Hobbit novel yet I love the movie and it’s one of my go-to comfort movies! 🤷🏻♀️ I can’t even begin to tell you how hard the disappointment hit when I read the book! 😭
🎄 And that’s it for the Christmas Carol Book Tag, folks! Even if you’ve not been tagged and want to do it, do link back as I’d love to see your answers! 🎄
We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.
I’ll spend the rest of my Sunday in bed with Angel in a Devil’s Arms. This is the second book in The Palace of Rogues series I started last weekend. I guess I’m in a bit of a histrom mood!
Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly featurefor book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?Here are the rules:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
First lines:
“Lady Derring had been raised to believe breeding and manners were a bulwark against all of life’s vicissitudes. So as she peered through her black veil at her husband’s solicitor, her spine was straight, her chin was high, and her brow was as smooth as the curve of the Chinese porcelain urn she’d wrested from the hands of the man who had come to take it away this morning.”
I put this off for as long as I could out of fear I’d miss my next new favourite but with two weeks to go until the year ends, the time has finally come to do the End of Year Book Tag — 2024 edition! I still can’t believe we’ve reached the end of another year and I’m almost terrified to know how quickly 2025 will fly by! But I digress.
Let’s get on to the book tag now and see what my 2024 reading year was like…
Check out the End of Year Book Tag in previous years: 2019 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023
This tag was originally created by booktuber Ariel Bissett.
Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
I was doing so well with cleaning out my “currently reading” shelf all year but I’ve got five books on there now. I’m hopeful about finishing at least 4 of these before the year ends but I’m not sure about the chonkiest one of the lot.
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz, Rare Blend by Michelle Naomi Mosley, Whisky Business by Elliot Fletcher, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?
I’m not much of a seasonal reader nor do I often re-read so I don’t have a “go-to” book to transition into the end of the year. I did read a few this year that were wonderfully atmospheric options though:
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli
Is there a new release that you’re still waiting for?
I honestly didn’t have a clue about what was being released in December before this book tag. The only book on my radar was A Cruel Thirstand I was lucky enough to read an ARC (I recommend it if you’re looking for a fun historical paranormal romance romp—you can check out my review here). Here are a couple other titles that piqued my interest… 🤭
A Series of Rooms by A.J. Barlowe, Bourbon & Secrets by Victoria Wilder, The Cure for Women by Lydia Reeder
What are three books you want to read before the year ends?
Of the titles that aren’t on my “currently reading” shelf, these are three titles I hope I can squeeze in before the year ends.
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, Black Water Sister by Zen Cho, Somone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell
Is there a book that you think could still shock you and become your favourite of the year?
Oh gosh, this is tough because I’m really not sure what I plan to read for the rest of the year… I’m going to leave this blank for now because I really can’t think of anything that I plan to read that could end up as a top favourite. 🫣 (oop, boring answer—sorry!)
Have you already started to make reading plans for 2025?
Surprisingly, yes! I tend to kind of wing most things but I’ve been thinking a lot about the reading challenges that I want to take part in next year. I was also emailed about a few YA releases that sound incredible and I’m keen to check out. I’m also making plans for buddy and group reads to tackle the backlist and Owlcrate editions (plus, I’m thinking about doing an Illumicrate editions buddy/group read if there’s interest for it). Lots of exciting things in the pipeline! 😊
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson, Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar, I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang, If We Were A Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal, The Wilde Trials by Mackenzie Reed
I’m not tagging anyone but I’d love to see your answers if you do it! How was your reading in 2024? Are there any books that you hope to get to before the year ends? Any that could possibly be a new favourite?
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
“How about making a bargain with me?” said the demon. “I’ll break your spell if you agree to break this contract I’m under.”
In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help – the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills.
But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls . . .
TL;DR: I’m not sure I know where to begin with this review. Let’s start by saying that the Ghibli movie is one of my all-time favourites. It’s comforting and familiar and I rewatch it (along with the other Ghibli’s) several times a year. I’m so glad that I knew in advance how different the book would be because that also helped me manage my expectations. Howl’s Moving Castle fits perfectly under the category of “I loved this book but I can’t begin to tell you why”. Many elements normally would not have worked for me but I found myself enjoying it regardless. Diana Wynne Jones sweeps you along for the ride before you even know it and what a ride it was!
We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.
I’ve got three reads on at the minute but I think I’ll be spending the rest of my Sunday night in bed with Lady Derring Takes A Lover by Julie Anne Long. I’ve been meaning to read JAL’s books for a while now and am excited to read more. I’m only at 16% but am enjoying it so far!
It’s been a minute since I wrote one of these so I’m sorry if I waffle on a bit too much in this post! 🤣
Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits, and it’s where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Check out all the past topics if you want to join in the bookish discussion fun.
Today’s topic is:
Is there such a thing as buying too many books?
[Suggested by: Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly] Prompts: Is there such a thing as buying too manybooks? Do you limit the number of books you buy? Do you only buy certain types of books or books from certain authors? Are there any books you’re hoping to get over the holidays?
dinipandareads 