Month: July 2016

Books and Tea (where I match Throne of Glass ladies to types of tea!)

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I am an obsessive tea drinker, with a tea obsession that has on more than one occasion been described as a little bit excessive. And because tea goes so well with reading, I decided to match up the ladies from the Throne of Glass series with some teas that I think are perfect for them. Throne of Glass Tea pairings Caelena Sardothien from The Throne of Glass – Marron Chocolat Marron Chocolat is, to me, the perfect tea for Caelena. The strong full-bodied black base flavoured with bittersweet chocolate and sweetened with candied chestnuts suits both her strength and insatiable sweet tooth. Caelena would sip this while curled up by the fire with a piece of chocolate cake. Flavour profile: sweet, creamy, nutty   Manon Blackbeak – Snow Dragon Jasmine Probably my favourite green tea, this jasmine tea is incredibly fragrant and has an otherworldly depth and a sense of mystery. It conjures up feelings of solitude and jasmine flowers in winter. And also dragons. Flavour profile: Floral, fresh, vegetal   Nehemia Ytger – Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess) Earthy …

Book Review – And I Darken by Kiersten White

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This month I got my first YA chronicles box, and  in it came the YA new release, And I Darken by Kiersen White. What’s it about: It’s a Vlad the Impaler-based historical fiction if Vlad the Impaler was a teenage girl, who did no actual impaling, but a moderate amount of stabbing. Oh and EVERYONE has serious daddy issues. What I thought: I wanted to love it, but I just didn’t. I did like it though. Firstly, it was not fantasy, which is fine, but it just shouldn’t be marketed that way. Firstly, it was far too long, and by halfway through was getting a bit repetitive. This book clocks in at just under 500 pages, and just not that much happens, even when there is plenty of opportunity for some action. When something starts happening, it usually wraps up really quickly, and often even ‘off camera’ so to speak. This book probably could have ditched about 100 pages and been better for it. Secondly, I hated the romance. Lada, one of our two main …

Interview with E. R. Murray, Author of Caramel Hearts

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Today I have a special post with an interview with the author of new YA novel, Caramel Hearts. Caramel Hearts Caramel hearts is the story of Olivia (Liv), a 14-year old girl going through some difficult times. Her mother is an alcoholic, she’s being bullied at school, having issues with friends, and her sister, Hatty, has left college to try to keep social services from putting Liv in foster care. Olivia finds an old recipe book of her mother’s (A number of recipes are scattered throughout this book), and in an attempt to recapture some memories of happier times, begins cooking some of the recipes. But her mission to reconnect with her mother through these recipes might just cause her more problems. This book is both heart warming and heart breaking, with beautiful writing, and recipes for delicious treats that you can make yourself. Interview with E.R. Murray Tina: You’re new YA book, Caramel Hearts, is a coming of age story about a young girl who finds an old recipe book of her mother’s, and a number …

Book Review: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

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This book is the first book in The Witcher series (it has also been made into a video game, which I’ve never played but now really want to). When I got this book, I thought it was a novel but it turned out to be a series of short shorties, which I usually hate, but in this case I absolutely loved. Andrzej Sapkowski is said to be Poland’s master of fantasy, and he’s created a world in this series which is truly epic. What it’s about: It’s a series of short stories about Geralt, a witcher, who is basically a ‘not-quite-human’ monster hunter who roams around the countryside killing monsters for money. Witchers, despite providing a very important service, are not particularly well thought of, as people tend to believe them to be thugs completely devoid of any humanity, but Geralt doesn’t really fit that description. What I thought: I was a bit disappointed when I realised it was short stories rather than an actual novel, but that disappointment faded quickly when I started to …

Friday Photographer Feature – Dylan Reads (d-l-y)

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Hello, everyone! I know it’s been ages since I’ve done one of these features, but I’ve just been super busy and then got out of the habit, but I’m hoping to do lots more of them from now on. Probably not every week, but every couple of weeks for sure. Today’s amazing photographer is the amazing Dylan Reads (known as DylanReads on Instagram and d-l-y on Tumblr, and these photos are just amazing. Question Time! Name: Dylan   Favourite book: Oh, that’s hard. There are so many that I absolutely adore, but I’d have to say Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley.  Favourite classic:  Definitely The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway. Such a beautiful book! Favourite book to photograph: My favorite books to photograph are Uprooted by Naomi Novik and We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen.  Hogwarts House: I actually haven’t read Harry Potter. I know, I know. Shame on me.  Random Question – If you had to spend one night in a haunted house, which fictional character would you want to help you get through …

Book Haul!

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Hi, guys! It’s time for another book haul. I’ve posted pictures of some of these around the place, but these are all the books I got since my last book haul. Firstly, I finally got my hardcover copy of A Court of Mist and Fury! I LOVE this series. And I’m also giving away one of these mugs by Read at Midnight to a lucky Aussie. Hurry while the giveaway is still open! Secondly, I got both Way Down Dark and Last Dark Dust by J.P. Smythe because I’ve heard so many amazing things about this series. I’ve read the first few pages of Way Down Dark and it’s already kinda emotional #THEFEELS I got The Rook by Daniel O’Malley, which I’ve already read and reviewed. So you should go check that out, because this book is pretty awesome. I also love this cover, but I have to wait until December for the sequel to come out in the same size. The struggle is real. I got a copy of the new paperback edition of …

Book Review – Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

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“Tell me, tutor,’ I said. ‘Is revenge a science, or an art?” This was recommended to me when I was whinging on Tumblr about wanting to read some really dark fantasy, and this one is definitely dark fantasy, and it’s definitely not for everyone. But I loved it. What it’s about: Um… so if Joffrey and Ramsay Bolton had a baby and that baby, it’s likely he’d end up like the protagonist, Jorg. Jorg joins a group of maundering thugs at the age of like 10, and then when he’s like 14 decides he wants to be the king, and everyone should be very afraid. What I thought: Okay, this is definitely not a book for everyone, and this is why: Jorg is about as awful as a person can get. He’s a murdering, torturing, raping, pillaging psychopath. He’s impossible to like. But this book isn’t about liking Jorg. It’s about understanding him, and that’s where this book really shines. Interspersed within the story of Jorg doing his awful things is the story of how …

My Top books of 2016 (so far)!

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Hello, everyone, and welcome to July. So I’ve read some pretty great books in the first half of 2016. I think my lowest rating was a 3.5/5 so that’s pretty good. Although I haven’t had a huge amount of time to read as I’ve been writing my PhD thesis, so I’ve only really finished books that have really grabbed me. But I’ve still read some really great books, and here they are (in no particular order). A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (review) My goodness I love this series. I just cant get it off my mind. I think about it all the time. It’s just fantastic. Sarah J. Maas is my Queen.   Morning Star by Pierce Brown (review) This series is just one of the most phenomenal series I’ve ever read. These books have always been there to get me through difficult times when I’ve found it impossible to read anything else. I also named my new puppy after one of the characters, so I think that shows my love …