📚Top Ten Tuesday – Christmas freebie📚

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.

This week we were the given the topic of freebie, so of course to celebrate it being Christmas month I am going to make this a very festive post (sorry, not sorry).

It’s not going to be book related, so I apologise for that in advance. This time it’s going to be my top five Christmas things🎄🎅🎁

1 – Picking our Christmas tree.

It’s only in the last 3 or 4 years that we’ve started to have a real Christmas tree at home, we used to have a fake one before this, so picking our real tree to come to our house is a relatively new tradition. Me and my Mom will get up quite early and get into our comfy and warm outfits, go and look at all of the trees, say we’re going to get a smaller and more manageable one this year and then end up with one of the biggest of the bunch. We never learn :))))

2 – Putting the tree up.

My brother is actually my half brother, so ever since we were little we would put the Christmas tree up on the first weekend in December, so that he got to help put our tree up and the one at his Mom’s house. Now putting the tree up on the first weekend in December is just something that has stuck, even if that means the tree goes up literally on the 1st December…

3 – Decorating the tree.

Arguably the most important part of the decorating process is doing the tree. It’s the centrepiece of Christmas so it needs to be perfect… I will start sorting the decorations out into little groups (so that no two same decorations are ever directly next to each other) and then me and my BF will get to work stringing the lights (usually resulting in me having an allergic reaction from falling into the Christmas tree) and then put the decorations on. It’s actually really joyful, allergic reaction aside.

4 – Playing Christmas music.

I admit, I would play Christmas music in November if I thought it was socially acceptable, however, my family do not agree and threaten to disown me if I play Christmas songs too early. Which is why, when December comes around I listen to NOTHING but Christmas music.

5 – Baking.

I love baking any time of the year, it’s one of my fave hobbies and I love to give people little sweet treats, but for Christmas it’s something else! There is constantly the smell of mince pies or cupcakes or biscuits coming from our kitchen at Christmas.

Let me know what your favourite things to do at Christmas are and if you’re taking part in Top Ten Tuesday so I can check out your post too!

Until next time, Em xxx

📚Top Ten Tuesday – Book characters I would love an update on📚

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.

This weeks topic is book characters that I require an update on IMMEDIATELY. Okay, it’s actually characters I would like an update on, but come ONNNNNN ya girl needs to know where these people are at.

1 – Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. Of course I grouped them together, because they are very much a couple but I need to know, are they married?! Do they have pets?! Do they have children?! Come on I need something!

2 – Bella and Edward. Stephenie, honey, they’re vampires that are going to live forever you could create so much more content for them. PLEASE.

3 – Matt and Ava. These are two characters from Sophie Kinsella’s book Love Your Life that I recently read, and I grew so attached to these two main characters… All I need is a small update and maybe a book about the rest of their lives?!

4 – Literally everyone still alive from This Lie Will Kill You. I just need to know what’s going on with them. The ending kinda confused me and I just wanna know everyone is okay 😦

5 – Every single book that ever ended on a cliff hanger. Now I know this technically isn’t a character, but since characters are usually in cliff hangers I felt it appropriate to include this one… I just need to know how our characters are doing, I NEED CLOSURE PEOPLE.

I feel like this list got more chaotic as time went on, but that’s okay because I feel like knowing more about these characters is of vital importance to my life and I wanted to stress that feeling in my post!

As always, be sure to let me know if you’re taking part in TTT and I will come check out your post and see who we’re all looking (and holding out hope) for updates on.

Until next time, Em xxx

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I would hand to someone who claims they don’t like reading!

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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.

This week’s topic is books that I would hand to someone who claims they don’t like reading. (This is after I’ve spent an appropriate amount of time standing in shock that someone doesn’t like to read?!?!?! Sounds fake).

These are books that all mean something to me, for various reasons, and whilst they may not be books that others would think about handing out, I’m hoping that the personal connection I have with the books will compel whoever I’ve given them to read them!

Here we gooooo…

1 – The Shining by Stephen King. This is hands down my favourite S.K. book, ever. So I’m hoping that even if the person doesn’t like reading I can guilt trip them into reading this one 😀

2 – Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. I personally think this is a classic and if you like the film then you HAVE to read the book, it offers so much more insight.

3 – Psycho by Robert Bloch. Like come on, it’s a short book, you can manage to get through it!

4 – The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I added this one purely for the fact I love it and I need more people to talk about it with haha.

5 – The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. I couldn’t leave this one off, it’s one of the best books I have ever read and if the person who doesn’t like reading doesn’t enjoy this one then honestly there is no hope for them at all!

I only picked 5 because I fear that 10 would overwhelm the person, and scare them off, especially if I follow the same horror/creepy/scary vein…

Let me know if you’ve taken part in TTT so I can check out your post and come and see what books you would suggest to a non-reader!

Until next time, Em xxx

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my fall to read list!

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.

This week’s topic is books on my fall (Autumn if you’re in the UK like I am!) to read list.

Now I’ve said before, I’m not one for setting TBR because I just never stick to them, but there are at least 2 ARCs that I need to read as a matter of urgency!

Anyway, here is my (rough) TBR list…

The House of Dust by Noah Broyles (ARC)

She Kills me by Jennifer Wright (ARC)

Rage by Sue Rovens (ARC)

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

1984 by George Orwell

I will try and remember to update this so I can let you know where I’m at with my reading list and we shall see how it goes!

Until next time, Em xxx

📚Top Ten Tuesday – Books I want to be stranded with📚

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.

This week we are discussing books that we want to be stranded with on a desert island! I have quite a few for this so I’ve managed to narrow it down to 5 with extensive reasons as to why I want to bring these with me.

1 – IT by Stephen King. I’ve chosen to bring this one with me because to be honest I have been trying to read this book for about 4 years now and I just for whatever reason cannot. And I thought, hey, I’m stuck on a desert island with absolutely NO REASON not to read this book, so why not take it with you and actually read it!

2 – The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. This is one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE books in the whole entire universe, one I never get tired of reading, so of course it’s in my bag when they decide to drop me off at some random island and leave me there forever.

3 – The PJO series by Rick Riordan. I will never get bored of reading these books, they bring so much joy and light to my life. They are perfect for when you need to give yourself a happiness boost! Plus, the chapter headings alone are enough to give you those laughs that keep going until you’re crying, which is a reason enough for me to bring these with me.

4 – Wicked series by Piper Lawson. Ya girl is stranded for fucks sake, I need something to keep me entertained and bring some excitement to my life!

5 – How to Survive on a Deserted Island by Tim O’Shei. Now I haven’t read this one (as I don’t plan on ever getting stuck on an island) but the title alone is enough to make me want to bring it along, if nothing else it will give me something to read when I’ve gotten through the rest of my books haha.

And there are my 5 books I will be taking with me when the aliens decide to transport me to the nearest deserted island!

Until next time, Em xxx

📚Top Ten Tuesday – Books I read in one sitting (or I would if I had the time)📚

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.

Today’s post is all about books that I read in one sitting, or that I would have done if I had the time to. While there aren’t many recently that I’ve been able to read in one go, due to time constraints, there are definitely some from when I was younger!

1 – Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. I could easily read this book in one sitting, I find it so easy to devour this one!

2 – Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. I remember vividly when this came out, I read it in one day where I literally only moved to use the toilet or to get a drink.

3 – Goosebumps Horrorland Series. If I remember rightly my re-read of this series a few years ago took place across one full day. Granted they’re only short books but I was so desperate to find out what happened that I just powered through them.

4 – Matilda by Roald Dahl. This is one from my childhood that I never ever tire of reading!

5 – The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Not so much with my re-reads of this book but the very first time I read it I literally flew through it, I couldn’t put it down.

6 – Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine. Now this one was helped by how short the story was, I didn’t think it was going to be that short, but I devoured this in one sitting and it was SO worth it.

7 – Me and Mr Jones by Lucy Diamond. This one was just so easy to read that I completely lost any sense of time and carried on until I finished the whole thing!

And moving onto ones that I would love to read in one sitting if I could…

8 – The Pastel Effect by Arly Carmack. This book gave me all of the feels and was so bloody good that I would love nothing more than to be able to re-read it in one go, without any interruptions so that I could fully immerse myself into the story.

9 – The Shining by Stephen King. I absolutely love the atmosphere of this book and I always get disappointed when I have to put it down as it spoils it for me, so to be able to read this is one sitting would be PERFECT.

10 – The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Now I probably won’t re-read this one but if I could erase it from my memory and then read it again I would do so in one sitting, I felt like I was constantly on edge and I needed to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Every chapter was a cliffhanger.

And there you have it, 7 books that I absolutely flew through in one sitting and 3 that I would love to have done so if I just had the time!

Let me know if you’re taking part in TTT so I can check out your post too.

Until next time, Em xxx

📚Top Ten Tuesday – Book quotes that are scary…📚

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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.

Today’s topics was book quotes that fit X theme, and then the theme was a freebie, we could pick anything we wanted! So I picked book quotes that I thought were creepy/scary/frightening. Anything that gave me that shiver up my spine…

1 – “God! Whose hand was I holding?” The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

There are few things that scare me more than the thought of a ghost or entity or demon holding my hand while I’m standing there thinking it’s my companion or something…

2 – “I am your number one fan” Misery by Stephen King.

Honestly, the thought of being stuck inside with a psychopath, while I am confined to a bed, no thank you. But what makes this even worse is that you just KNOW what she’s about to put him through…

3 – “Oh yes,” said the other mother. “I put her in there myself. And when I found her trying to crawl out, I put her back.” Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

This book absolutely terrified me from start to finish, I actually refuse to watch the film because those little button eyes would give me NIGHTMARES.

4 – “It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it is told.” The Silence of The Lambs by Thomas Harris.

Arguably not the scariest quote from the book, but one that definitely makes me stop dead in my tracks and sends shivers down my spine. I hate this line so much 😦

5 – “Wendy? Darling? Light, of my life. I’m not gonna hurt ya. I’m just going to bash your brains in.” The Shining by Stephen King.

Whenever I re-read The Shining I can’t help but see the film playing out in my head at the same time, and whenever I read this line I always think of Jack Torrence as he’s slowly losing his mind in the Overlook Hotel, and honestly him swinging that axe is something that has always stuck with me.

And a special mention for…

“Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” Inferno by Dante.

I’ve seen these words time and time again in different places and they SHIT ME UP every time. Whether it be in film or written text, there is just something when I read these that makes me want to pack up everything and move to Mars where it is safe from whatever lies in the hellhole beyond.

So, there are my top 5 creep/scary book quotes! I only picked the ones that genuinely scared me, even though there are more that others would consider to be included!

Until next time, Em xxx

Top Ten Tuesday – My 10 most recent reads.

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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.

This weeks topic is the last 10 books you read, which thanks to my handy notebook I was easily able to list off to you!

1 – Thirteen by Steve Cavanaugh. I actually really didn’t rate this one, which is disappointing as I’d heard really good things about the author.

2 – Cinderella is Evil by Jamie Campell. This was short but definitely packed a lot in, I enjoyed reading this one.

3 – His & Hers by Alice Feeney. I’m in two minds about this, it might take a while to write my review!

4 – Abra-Cadaver by Matt Drabble. I was pleasantly surprised by this one and I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

5 – Chopping Spree by Angie Sylvaine. This is one of my favourite reads of the year!

6 – I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll. This was another really good book that I’m glad I picked it up to read.

7 – All Of Me by Leeanna Morgan. Oh my gosh, this was just the sweetest story, it melted my ice heart.

8 – Silent Crime by W.L.Knightly. I haven’t quite come to terms with how I feel about this book yet…

9 – Guilty Crime by W.L.Knightly. This one is definitely better than the first but I feel like I have whiplash from trying to keep up!

10 – Hidden Crime by W.L.Knightly. I’m glad I stuck with this series, but I’m still trying to process everything that has happened, oh my gosh.

I will have full reviews of these books up on my blog in the coming weeks so please keep your eyes open to see them!

And finally, let me know if you’re taking part in TTT so I can check out your post.

Until next time, Em xxx

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I would gladly throw in the ocean…

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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.

This weeks topic is books I would gladly throw in the ocean, submitted by Beauty & Her Books.

Now when I tell you I was excited for this prompt, oh man I was literally reeling books off and had to narrow it down to just 10 for this list. I try not to be overly negative about books, I always try and look for something positive but some of them just are awful and belong at the depths of the ocean.

All of these books have been reviewed on my blog and I will tag the reviews if you wanted to check them out!

1 – Christmas Wishes Come True by Jessica Coulter Smith.

2 – The Crack of Evil by Taylor MacNeill.

3 – Black Edge by Charlotte Byrd.

4 – Flatlined by John Meaney.

5 – Promise You Won’t Tell by John Locke.

6 – Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

7 – Sometimes I lie by Alice Feeney.

8 – Sleeping Beauti by DB Green.

9 – Dr Sleep by Stephen King.

10 – How Much To? by Matt Shaw.

I think it’s pretty clear from my reviews of these books why I wanted to banish them to the depths of the ocean… From the truly awful miscommunication trope to books that could have been better written by children they do not deserve to be out there for people to read!

Let me know if you’re taking part in Top Ten Tuesday and what’s on your list.

Until next time, Em xxx

Top Ten Tuesday – Spring cleaning freebie!

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.

This weeks topic is Spring cleaning freebie!

The examples for this post are books you’re planning to get rid of, books you’d like to clean off your TBR by reading them or unhauling them, books that feel fresh and clean after winter is over… So, I’ve decided to do a mix of them all!

1 – Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella. I picked this one because the spine on my bookcase keeps jumping out to me, it’s beautiful light colours which make me think of spring sunrises.

2 – The Guest List by Lucy Foley. This one has a beautiful and pristine spine and the cover is white, which just screams fresh and clean.

3 – The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I’ve picked this because I’ve been planning a reread for AGES, so I’ll be clearing them off my TBR list.

4 – The Green Mile by Stephen King. This is one that has been on my TBR for years so I want to finally read it. It’s also green which is the perfect spring colour!

5 – The Tanglewood Tea Shop by Lilac Mills. This book just sounds like the perfect spring read so I’m going to make a real effort to read this one over the coming weeks.

As you’ll see I’ve only picked 5 because I’ve not long set up a TBR jar so I want to make full use of that instead of committing myself to set books. If these get pulled out then great, if not I’ll have to wait until they do!

Let me know if you’re taking part in Top Ten Tuesday so I can come check out your post.

Em xxx