Category: books

books, lifestyle boxes, reviews

The Bookish Box – Fantasy Edition

ramblingmads

I do love a box of book related goodies so I treated myself to a Bookish Box. They come from the States so take a while to get here, but they’re worth it. 

This month’s is Fantasy themed, one of my favourite genres, and every item has a link to a fantasy book or series. 

I don’t drink coffee but I live with a caffeine addict, so while I won’t get any use out of this Passive Juice Motel Saphira Eragon Blend Coffee someone else certainly will. 

I read the info card before I saw this so at first I was expecting a different kind of antler headband. However this is really cute and as I’m trying new hair styles in the heat, the Night and Day Baby Fantasy Antler Headband will be making an appearance on my head. 

This cute bangle from The Geeky Cauldron, inspired by Game of Thrones almost set me off again. *spoiler * the death of Hodor really upset me, he was probably the noblest soul in the series and in the books. 

Why is the coffee fuzzy?

The Mortal Instruments series isn’t one I’ve read so I may not be fully appreciating this tote bag from Fiction Tea, but since shops charge for plastic and canvas is washable, this will definitely be added to my hoard of shopping bags. 

Antlers!

Finally there’s the exclusive Appraising Pages t-shirt from the Bookish Box’s creators. This month’s is printed with a quote from one of the fathers of fantasy – J.R.R Tolkien. 

Hold the Door *sob*

I really like this box, even the packaging is lovely, and I’m pretty sure everything will get used and loved. 

Bag story

Are you a fantasy reader? Or a Bookish Box subscriber? Let me know what you think in the comments below. 

A single dream…
books, feminism, reviews

Book Review – Animal by Sara Pascoe

ramblingmads

Whenever I pick up a book by a comedian I hope for humour – Pamela Stephenson’s biographies of her husband Billy Connelly spring to mind – so funny I was snorting (attractive) on a bus. 

But Sara Pascoe’s Animal is only sort-of funny. Subtitled The Autobiography of a Female Body, it intersperses moments in Pascoe’s life with scientific information about female anatomy and evolution. Bit heavy for a Friday morning commute. 

It is however a fascinating read, covering aspects of female sexuality and history with a wry tone. Pascoe looks at love, sex, reproduction and more, from the perspective of a lay person, not an expert, so it’s not a textbook but you may want to read it with a notebook at hand to jot down things to look into further. 

books, fun stuff

PokemonGo Reading Tag 

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Stacey at Pretty Books did this fun tag, combining books with everyone’s current obsession – Pokemon Go! 

The first I read for myself was a Beatrix Potter book of rhymes – I was three. I have no real memory of this, just what my Mum said. My favourite book growing up was Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, which sparked a love of horses. 

Alice in Wonderland – it’s a strange, magical book that I’ll never tire off because there’s so much to unpack. 

Harry Potter fans look away now! 

I can’t bear that series- I have my reasons and if you’d like to discuss them, please email me at ramblingmadsblog@gmail.com 

I don’t know about love but I quite liked The Magicians by Lev Grossman – despite it’s obvious influences and many references to a Narnia-like land. 

Nothing phases me – I have read my way through some enormous books and series’. 

I read Red Hot Chili Peppers’ lead singer Anthony Kiedis’ autobiography Scar Tissue in one sitting, his life was so gripping and the writing hooked me in. 

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None – gripping. 

Erm, I am rather invested in Claire and Jamie in the Outlander books at the moment, and waiting for the next one. 

From an academic perspective I am quite interested in the un/authorised sequels of classic children’s novels like Peter Pan and The Wind in the Willows. 

The Gentlemen Bastard sequence by Scott Lynch is fabulous and seriously underrated. I thought that it would be just another fantasy series but it’s a cracking read – bring on book 4. 

Although I’ve read them now, the hype around The Raven Boys and its sequels, was pretty heavy. But then I started reading them and was hooked. 

The Discworld series’ collector editions are pretty lovely and I certainly wouldn’t mind having them on my shelves. 

Erm, I don’t know – if someone could suggest an upcoming release they think I’d enjoy – please do. 

Anything Neil Gaiman or Tamora Pierce write – as far as I’m concerned they’re both genuises. 

I waited five years for The Republic of Thieves to finally be published – don’t do it to me again Scott Lynch. 

The final ever book written by Terry Pratchett will be released later this year and that’s pretty exciting and a little sad. 

If you’d like to do this tag, go for it. It was quite fun and gave me an opportunity to think about the books I’ve read over the years. 

books, fun stuff

#IBW2016 @booksaremybag

ramblingmads

Cross posted from the Books Are My Bag site:

IBW2016 TAG

You may have seen bookish people doing the #IBW2016 TAG over the past week or so, either on Twitter. YouTube or on blogs – all discussing books and bookshops – what’s not to like? Will at Vintage Books kindly started the TAG off and we’re so pleased to see so many book lovers get involved.

If you’d like to join in with the TAG, the questions are below:

1. What book(s) are currently in your bag?
2. What’s the last great book you read?
3. What book have you gifted the most?
4. What’s your favourite independent bookshop?
5. What’s been your favourite book recommended by a bookseller (or fellow Booktuber)?
6. What’s your favourite bookshop memory?
7. What do bookshops mean to you? What do you love about them?
8. What are the books that made you? Which books have most affected or influenced you?
9. What book do you recommend readers gift for Father’s Day?
10. What book is currently at the top of your TBR pile?

You can watch some of the videos that have been uploaded so far includingLegend Press, Savidge Reads and Jean at Bookish Thoughts on our playlist here.

If you take part in the TAG, remember to tweet us @booksaremybag or tag#IBW2016 

My answers;

1. What book(s) are currently in your bag? None – but I am reading The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCuers for Book Club.

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2. What’s the last great book you read?

Elephants can Remember by Agatha Christie, love me some Poirot. She was a total genius.

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3. What book have you gifted the most?
Probably Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, I gave it as a World Book Night book some years ago and still highly recommend it and gift it to this day.

4. What’s your favourite independent bookshop?
Much Ado Books in Alfriston, Sussex. Nowhere near where I live but totally worth the trip and run by truly lovely people – plus they’ll post you books if you’re not local.

5. What’s been your favourite book recommended by a bookseller (or fellow Booktuber)?
I was waiting for my beloved Mr once and drawn into the lure of a bookshop, the lovely bookseller recommended the Ketty Jay series, brilliant if you like your fantasy Steampunk and with wings – also reminded me of the cancelled far too soon Firefly.

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6. What’s your favourite bookshop memory?
When I got so many book tokens for my birthday I staggered to the counter with a stack of books I couldn’t see over and the assistant said “are all these for you?” Oh yes they were!

7. What do bookshops mean to you?
What do you love about them?
I think of them (much like libraries) as sanctuaries.

8. What are the books that made you? Which books have most affected or influenced you? Hello, Cruel World by Kate Bornstein, the work of Tamora Pierce and Terry Pratchett, so many books have changed and developed my thinking.

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9. What book do you recommend readers gift for Father’s Day? My Dad loves crime thrillers and sci fi, so probably David Baldacci’s latest.

10. What book is currently at the top of your TBR pile? I just ordered some more Poirot stories so they’ll probably be in there somewhere, along with Half a King by Joe Abercrombie, Half Light (crowdfunded through Unbound – a tribute to Alan Gardner) and many others (it’s more like a mountain than a pile).

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books, reviews

Book Review: The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson

ramblingmads

I don’t believe in ghosts, in things that go bump in the night, I grew up in a house that’s the best part of 200 years old and felt perfectly happy, I wandered around Hampton Court Palace and didn’t notice a single cold spot or headless Ann Boleyn.

I think ghost hunters and stories work best if you’re susceptible to them, and that’s certainly what happens when Eleanor is invited to spend a summer in the supposedly sinister Hill House by Dr Montague.

There are strange noises, cold spots, singing coming from empty rooms and blood dripping down the walls. As Eleanor, Theodora, Luke and the Doctor spend their nights trapped in Hill House, they all start to go a bit odd.

They become suspicious of one another, listening at doors and watching each other. Their paranoia knows no bounds. When Dr Montague’s wife and her ‘friend’ arrive to test the house’s manifestations, the whole thing begins to boil over.

The claustrophobia of the house, combined with the sinister layout and the apparent religious fervour of its builder, create a heady atmosphere for people, like Eleanor and Theodora (picked by the Dr for their supposed psychic sensitivity), and drives things to a tragic conclusion.

Jackson is a wonderful writer, her work is atmospheric and sinister, I loved We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which played out like an extended locked room mystery with its cast of characters self-imposed prisoners in one big, slightly creepy house, and here she presents another.

I wasn’t scared, but intrigued by the premise, is the house sinister because the Dr has told them it is, or is there truly something there? You decide.

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books, reviews

Book Review; Uprooted by Naomi Novik

ramblingmads

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One of my favourite forms of story telling is the re-imagining of fairy tales and myths, I wrote part of my MA dissertation on this form of literature and whenever I find an old story in new words I am really excited to read it. Naomi Novik doesn’t disappoint.

Set in what might just be Poland, near the Russian border in a village plagued by an evil Wood, there’s a wizard called Dragon and a heroine called Agnieszka (after a Polish fairy tale), a legendary witch called Baba Jaga, and a tragedy that started it all.

It is absolutely beautifully written, totally captivating from the brilliant opening

line;

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley.”

to the fairytale ending where the heroes, having overcome terrible odds, live happily once more.

One of the things that interested me most was the changes made to the story of Baba Jaga (or Yaga) – a witch I was genuinely terrified of as a child having read about her. She lived in a house on chicken legs that could walk and when in one place it was surrounded by a fence made of human bones and she ate people. Oh and she travelled in a giant pestle and mortar. I was absolutely convinced she was real and going to come and get me.

Here, however, she is recast as a historic figure, her spells those of ordinary folk not educated wizards, her power rooted in the earth. I think I would have been less terrified if she had been presented a little more sympathetically than in my book of fairy tales as a child.

This is one of the things I find more intriguing than anything in these retellings, the subtle changes made to the stories, so that while still familiar, they are also wholly new and fresh every time.

Have you read Uprooted? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

books, reviews

Book review: When We Collided – Emery Lord

ramblingmads

This brightly coloured book was at the bottom of my first Illumincrate (review coming soon) and at a loose end for something to read, despite my endless TBR pile, I picked it up.

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I was hooked on the story of Vivi and Jonah’s summer in the idyllic Californian coastal town of Verona Cove.

Jonah’s dad died six months ago and his mum’s not coping, while he and his siblings try to pull together despite their own grief.

Vivi and her artist mum have moved to the town for the summer following Vivi’s own annus horribilis.

When they meet one morning sparks fly and Vivi’s vibrant brand of fun lights up Jonah’s life.

This book has a lot of heart and more going on underneath than the rainbow cover suggests.

Despite my age, YA lit is something I often dip into, there’s some fantastic writing going on in there.

Have you read When We Collided? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

books, lifestyle boxes, reviews

The Bookish Box – Special Edition Outlander box

ramblingmads

Earlier this year I read the first Outlander book and became hooked, devouring all the currently available books in the series.

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While I haven’t quite got round to watching the TV series on Amazon Prime, I can tell you that I will definitely be reading the next book the moment it becomes available.

When The Bookish Box announced a one-off special edition no subscription required Outlander theme box, I had to jump right in.

All of the items in this box are themed around Outlander, which is set partly in 18th Century Scotland, so there’s a strong Scottish feel to the box, from the use of Gaelic words like ‘Sassenach’ meaning ‘Southerner’ but usually used to indicate someone English, to the thistle, Scotland’s national flower.

This all appeals to me as my family’s roots on my mum’s side extend into Scotland, we even have clan tartan.

Let’s dive in and have a proper look at the box.

I love the watercolour inspired finish on the box itself, with tartan print on the side.

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As always with the Bookish Box there’s an Appraising Pages printed T-shirt, this one in a royal blue and gold, quoting the series’ hero Jamie when he tells his beloved Claire this.

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The Sassenach bookmark from artist Lexy Olivia made me smile, technically I’m a Sassenach, but in the context of the book it’s Jamie’s nickname for Claire.

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Next up there’s a mug from Coffee Reading Writing, printed with the Scottish thistle and a quote from one of the books.

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The scent of the Highlands is encapsulated in Novelly Yours’ candle with heather, herbs and firewood evoking the land Jamie loves.

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Finally, and I almost missed this hidden in the box, is a simple silver thistle necklace from Eliza Jane K Jewellery, which I will wear with pride, promoting my heritage.

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The box has clearly been compiled with love and definitely connects with the Outlander series. I am really pleased I got my hands on this box as they were limited, but the regular monthly box can be subscribed anytime.

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Are you a fan of Outlander (the books or the show)? Let me know in the comments.

books, reviews

Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

ramblingmads

This is the first book in The Raven King series, the last of which has recently been published in paperback.

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All over the world are mysterious paths, known as ley lines, here in the UK they run through places sacred to the ancient Britons, like Glastonbury Tor and Stonehenge.

Gansey has been following clues that he hopes will bring him to the final resting place of an ancient Welsh king Owen Glendower, buried somewhere along one of these ley lines in the hills of Virginia.

His friends Adam, Ronan and Noah may unknowingly hold keys to the puzzle of The Raven King, and local girl, the only non-psychic in her family, Blue, might also be able to help him. If she can stand being around these privileged raven boys for that long.

The whole series is rather compelling and sucked me in. Like the best writing, the plot twists and turns, the characters are really well drawn and the story is rich and enticing.

Don’t let the fact that it’s intended for Young Adult readers put you off, YA lit is hugely popular with so-called “grown ups”, good writing doesn’t have an age limit. This particular series also doesn’t feel gendered, so anyone could enjoy it, the way stories should be.

Have you read The Raven Boys and it’s sequels? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

books, reviews

Book Review: The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz

ramblingmads

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The Millennium trilogy was the publishing sensation of the early twenty first century, Steig Larsson’s three novel story featuring antisocial hacker Lisbeth Salander and noble journalist Mikael Blomkvist sold in their millions, translated from the original Swedish, made into films (including a not very good Hollywood remake – seriously, stop it!).

But then Larsson died. With rumours of a projected further seven novels and a legal battle over his drafted fourth book, it looked like that was it for Salander and Blomkvist.

But here we are, legal wrangles over (however you feel about it), and a fourth book. Written by fellow Swedish novelist David Lagercrantz, from Larsson’s notes, The Girl in the Spider’s Web.

Larsson’s books were noticeable not only because they were hefty tomes, but also because of their often extremely violent and graphic content. The planned title for the first book was “Men Who Hate Women”, but The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was easier to sell to a public who might have felt uncomfortable with such a clear misogynistic theme.

Larsson, like his hero Blomkvist, was a journalist who believed in the socialist ideals the Nordic region is famed for, he wrote campaigning political pieces, espoused feminism, fought corporations he saw as exploitative in his writings and his novels, to some extent, are a continuation of his beliefs and ideals.

Lagercrantz, isn’t quite as heavy hitting. Spider’s Web has less explicit violence, fewer political rants, and seems a little gentler on the reader.

That’s not to say it isn’t good, it is. Well written and paced, with a story that suits a world post Edward Snowden and the Panama Papers, a world that knows the governments of most nations are spying on their citizens, a world that has heard about the NSA’s counter intelligence game, a cynical world that knows criminals are more tech savvy than law enforcement and manage to get away with their crimes because of it.

Blomkvist is older, battle weary and close to giving up, it’s been some time since he last saw Salander, and his magazine is in trouble.

When a tech genius calls him in the middle of the night claiming his life is in danger, little does Blomkvist realise he’s about to he thrust into international conspiracy, tech fraud and meet a young boy who sees the world very differently. This case will bring him into contact once again with volatile Salander, who has her own reasons for getting involved.

I really enjoyed this, it was different in tone to the original trilogy, but I don’t think it suffers for it, personally I can do without extreme sexual violence, and I thought this was well executed.  

Have you read Girl in the Spider’s Web? Were you a fan of the original trilogy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.