Candles, Bookmarks and Book Boxes

Happy Saturday everyone! Today I’m going to talk about my favorite bookish shops and businesses! As a booklover I love buying books but as a bookstagrammer I also love buying bookish merch and always love discovering new shops on Instagram! My favorite type of bookish merch is probably candles – I am undeniably obsessed with them – but bookmarks come a very close second and I absolutely love collecting them! I mean honestly, who can say no to bookmarks?

So today I’m going to talk a bit about my favorite bookmark and candle shops and throw in some book box love too because book boxes usually combine both and I absolutely love receiving them!

Book and Nook Shop

I ordered my very first bookish candles from this shop and have been a huge fan of it ever since! Bella’s candles are gorgeous and always smell amazing! Plus the glitter! I can never say no to the glitter! I own a bunch of Bella’s candles (she also has a monthly candle box and all the themes are amazing) but my absolute favorite one has always been her Sunai candle! It smells like apple which is my favorite and I have been obsessed with it ever since I took the first sniff! Unfortunately she has retired it from the shop but I managed to order myself a second one before she did so I’m planning to finally burn the first one very soon! I also adore her Parabatai candle which also smells incredibly and has the most gorgeous teal color!

Mid-month Check In and Randomness

Happy Sunday everyone! Finally found some time to blog today and since we’re literally half way through my favorite month, I figured a small check in was in order! I’ve had a very busy month so far but it was mostly the good kind of busy so I’m not complaining! So here we go!

Currently Reading

I’m currently reading Riders by Veronica Rossi and loving it! I’ve actually haven’t been reading as much as I wanted to this month and considering my very ambitious October TBR I’m not very happy about it but I’ll try to tackle as many books on it as I can!

Currently Listening

Let’s start with the music! I’ve been obsessed with movie soundtracks lately! I love listening to my favorite bands and artists but epic soundtracks are my weakness! I’ve made a playlist with all my favorites and listen to it all. the. time! I’m actually thinking of doing a separate post about my list in case anyone is interested so keep an eye out for that during the week! You’ll see a lot of scores by Hans Zimmer because he’s is my favorite!

Music aside, I’m also listening to the audio book of A Discovery of Witches right now! I started it yesterday and I’m already hooked! Plus, books with witches and vampires make for very fitting October reads don’t you agree? Huge thanks to @thebookishbox and @audiobooks_com for the free book!

The “Autumn Time, Cozy Time” Book Tag

Happy Sunday everyone! I woke up feeling super productive this morning, so I decided a bit of blogging was in order! But since I don’t have much time because I’m working in the afternoon, I decided to go easy and do a tag! I love doing those and what better tag to do on a fine Autumn day than this one?

Crunching leaves: Choose a book that has reds, yellows and oranges on it.

The first book that immediately sprang to mind for this was Illuminae! I’ve always been in love with the cover and it has such perfect colours for Autumn, doesn’t it?

 

 

 

 

Cozy sweater: What book gives you the warm fuzzy?

For this one, I decided to choose a childhood favorite! The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe has always been and will always be one of my favorite fantasy books and I always think of white forests and drinking tea by the fire when I pick it up! It’s also a very special book for me because it was one of the first I ever read, so it always gives me a warm feeling!

 

 

 

My Very Spooky October TBR

What is this? Another blog post? Two days in a row? What is happening? It’s the first day of October that’s what’s happening! I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited for this month! I mean pumpkins! And fallen leaves! And pumpkin spice latte! And Halloween! What’s not to be excited about! Plus, my birthday’s in October so that’s another thing I’m looking forward to! No wonder October is my favorite month, right?

Anyways, on to my October TBR! I usually don’t set a TBR because I’m horrible at sticking to it but this month I decided to go for it! It’s actually a pretty ambitious one but I’m hoping my favorite season will inspire me to read more because I used to read ten books a month and now I read only one or two (if I read at all) so I really need to change that! And since October is the month for dark and spooky, I mostly chose dark and spooky reads!

Top 10 Fictional Places I Want to Visit

Happy Saturday everyone! I’m back today with another post! It feels so good to be blogging regularly again! I probably won’t be able to post again during the next couple weeks because my exams just started (though I’ll try) but I had to take some time off studying this weekend to write this one because it’s been on my mind for weeks!

I don’t know about you but I absolutely love reading about fictional places in fantasy books. It’s one of my favorite parts about fantasy, the fact that it always gives me the chance to lose myself into a world entirely different from our own and travel to magical places without even moving from my couch! High fantasy has always been the most fascinating genre for me and you can always count on fantasy writers to create amazing fictional places that go beyond everyone’s imagination! So without further ado and in no particular order, here are the top 10 fictional places that I really want to visit (and desperately wish were real) right now!

Cair Paravel

“The castle of Cair Paravel on its little hill towered up above them; before them were the sands, with rocks and little pools of salt water, and seaweed, and the smell of the sea and long miles of bluish-green waves breaking for ever and ever on the beach.”

Contrast to popular belief the first fantasy book I ever read was not Harry Potter but The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Harry Potter followed shortly after but Narnia was the first fictional world I lost myself in when I was a child and for that it will always have a special place in my heart! I mean who wouldn’t want to discover a magical land in their wardrobe? I definitely would! I would love to explore every part of Narnia and its surrounding lands but one of the places in it I have always been fascinated by is Cair Paravel and I always tried to imagine what it would look like when I was younger. Luckily the movie satisfied my imagination because I love how they depicted it in it and it still remains one of my favorite fictional places ever!

Guide to Autumn Reading

A little belated but happy September everyone! I don’t know about you but I absolutely love Autumn! I love the rainy weather, I love hearing the crisp Autumn leaves under my feet and above all I love the month of October because of Halloween! While September is a super busy month for me because of exams, Autumn is a season that always inspires me to read more. Mainly because the rainy weather compels me to stay inside and enjoy the warmth along with the company of a good book! Here are a few things to try, that in my opinion, will make Autumn an even more amazing reading season!

Hot Cup of Tea

I absolutely love tea and I love drinking it when the weather is cold and rainy. For me, tea is the best companion to reading and cosying up with a cup of a delicious tea brew and a good book on an Autumn day is the definition of happiness. Don’t like tea? You can always accompany your reading with coffee or hot chocolate!

Your Favorite Blanket

We all have a favorite blanket, more or less. I love curling up on an armchair with mine and watching the rain outside my window. And if you have a furry companion even better!

Enjoy the Season

Like I said, cosying inside with a blanket and my current read is one of my favorite Autumn pass times. But I also love reading outside so I try to do it as often as possible or at least whenever the weather permits it. Reading in the leaves on a mild Autumn day is the best way to enjoy the beauty of the season! You might need a jacket to keep warm but it is definitely worth it!

Most Anticipated September Releases

Happy Wednesday everyone! How’s the middle of the week going for you? With August coming to an end, I figured a post about my most anticipated September releases would be fitting! Let me know if we have any in common and what September books you’re most excited for!

Tower of Dawn

Goodreads summary:

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent’s mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

My thoughts: You already know how much I love Sarah J Maas don’t you? Chaol was one of my favorite characters in the beginning of the Throne of Glass series and even though he really got in my nerves in Queen of Shadows, I still love him! So when I found out Sarah was writing a book all about him, I knew I needed it as soon as it came out! I’ve already pre ordered my copy and I can’t wait to for it to arrive!

Game of Thrones Book Tag

Hey guys! How’s your Thursday going? I haven’t had much time to write this week because I’ve been working full time but I still wanted to post, so I decided to do a quick and easy tag! And after this week’s mind blowing Game of Thrones episode (I’m still unable to form coherent thoughts about it!) I decided to go with a Game of Thrones one! Here we go!

1. Cersei Lannister ~ A book that took you by surprise

Salt to the Sea was definitely a book that took me by the surprise, simply because I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did! Historical fiction is not a genre I usually reach for, so I was very reluctant to pick it up! But luckily I didn’t regret it and it turned out a five star read for me! You can check out my full review here!

 

 2. Tyrion Lannister ~ A quotable book

I had to go with one of my absolutely favorite books of all time! Cassandra Clare’s writing in The Infernal Devices was phenomenal and there are so many memorable quotes in it! Will’s “it was books that made me feel, that perhaps I was not completely alone” comes to mind first but there are so many more in all three TID books! And we all have to admit that Clockwork Princess was one of the best series finales ever! Still heartbroken about that epiloque!

Review on “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys

Genre: historical, YA

Format: paperback

Publisher: Puffin

Published: February 2nd, 2016

Pages: 391

 

Goodreads summary:

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide.Among them areJoana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to theship that promises salvation, the “Wilhelm Gustloff.” Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other testedwith each step closer to safety. 
Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Notcountry, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people adults and children alike aboard must fight for the same thing: survival. 
Told in alternating points of view and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning”All the Light We Cannot See,” Erik Larson’s”Dead Wake,” and Elizabeth Wein’s Printz Honor Book”Code Name Verity,” this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the”Wilhelm Gustloff “the greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in”Between Shades of Gray,” Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity and love can prevail, even in the darkest of hours. 

 

My thoughts:

“Per aspera ad astra,’ I whispered. Through hardship to the stars.”

First of all let me just say that this is not a book I expected to love as much as I did! Mostly because historical fiction is not a genre I usually reach for and I had no idea what to expect when I picked it up. But Salt to the Sea managed not only to surprise me, but also move me more than any other book ever has. So much, that I have come to love historical fiction because of it, and especially historical fiction set in the era in which it takes place which is World War II.

More specifically, the book is set in 1945 Germany, and I was actually amazed about the way Ruta Sepety’s rich world building and vivid images  immediately drew me into the story and hooked me right from the first page! Not only that, but the multiple point of views give you the chance to both discover the story and rediscover the era through different perspectives and sides and it’s what I loved the most about it!

My Summer TBR

Happy Thursday y’all! As promised, I’m back today with a regular post! It feels so good to be blogging again! Like I said yesterday, I’ve had a very meh year reading wise, so I’m hoping to read as many books as I can until September because I desperately need to do some catching up! Now, I don’t know about you but I love watching tbr videos and reading tbr posts, mainly because they give me a chance to discover new books! So here are some of the books I’m planning to read in July and August:

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

I got this one in May’s Fairyloot and I’ve been dying to read it ever since I found out about it! I mean seriously, who wouldn’t love a retelling of Mulan? Plus, I’ve already read The Wrath and the Dawn by the same author and absolutely loved it so I’m very confident about this one too!

Magnus Chase and The Sword of Summer

I absolutely love Rick Riordan and all his sassy characters, so I’m super excited to finally get to this! I started this a while ago and read a few chapters but even though I didn’t go very far because of a horrible reading slump, those few chapters were enough for me to fall in love with Magnus just like I did with Percy. And besides, that title is super fitting for a summer read!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Strange the Dreamer is another book I got in Fairyloot (more specifically in March’s box) and I’m particularly fond of this one because it’s the special UK edition with the blue sprayed pages which is absolutely stunning! But cover aside, I absolutely love the storyline of the book and I can’t wait to meet Lazlo and dive into his strange world of dreams! Judging from what I’ve read about this so far, it’s easily going to be a new favorite!