All posts filed under: lit lists

My favourite books of 2016!

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Well, 2016 is finally gone. Thank goodness! What a terrible, terrible year. 2016 was probably the worst reading year I have ever had (and the worst year in general?), I had a pretty terrible time last year, and I just couldn’t focus on reading because too much other crap was going on and distracting me with it’s awfulness. But I’ve decided that 2017 will be better (it better be or I WILL become an evil supervillain scientist and destroy the world with a super-mega death ray or something). Anyway… I decided to just do five of my favourite books of the year, and I doubt any of them will be a surprise…. but they are all books released in 2016. Yay. These are in no particular order, except for number 1 which was my favourite, because these books were all phenomenal. 1 – Morning Star by Pierce Brown (review) 2 – Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (review) 3 – A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (review) 4 – Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas …

Halloween Reads!

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Happy Halloween! So I am a lover of horror fiction! (I even helped write a horror novel which you can find here – but warning it’s super bloody – and it’s sequel, which I co-authored and had a bigger part in writing here ). Anyway… shameless self-promotion over, here are my top Halloween reads! The literary horror – The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman Yeah… I know, I talk about this book a lot, but that’s because it’s definitely one of my absolute favourites! A vampire who was turned as a 14 year old boy, tries to stop a group of crazy vampire children from ruining everyone’s fun. A vampire tale with a very Fitzgerald/Salinger-esque vibe; what more could you want? Review The spooky-but-not-scary horror – The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman This tale about the undead residences of a graveyard raising a toddler after his family is killed is super fun! And you know Neil Gaiman is always worth your time! The actually-really-super-creepy horror book – Birdbox by Josh Malerman Another one I talk about ALL THE …

Books and Tea – ACOTAR!

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Hello everyone, I’m sorry I’ve been a bit absent, but my thesis submission is looming (Due on the 1st of September, but I’m off to the International Congress of Immunology conference next week -terrible timing). During the plane rides I hope to finish Nevernight (which, so far, is insanely awesome), and I’ll be posting that while I’m away (wifi permitting), so stay tuned for that! I also wanted to take far more photos for today, but my thesis is taking up most of my time (urgh!), and I have a clinical trial meeting in about an hour, so I just snapped a few photos (forgive me?). But now, to some tea pairing! Feyre Archeron  – Blooming Tea This beautiful jasmine tea is a work of art, which continues to awe everyone who encounters it. This tea starts off as a simple ball of tea, but once it’s steeped it unfurls to reveal a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The fact that the beautiful florals manage to hold themselves together is pretty impressive.(Unfortunately, I seem to have run …

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 …

Lit Lists – My Favourite Classics (Part 1)

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I definitely collect beautiful editions of classic novels, but I am finding myself a bit overwhelmed with trying to actually read them all, because I have a lot of them now. But I thought I would share some of my favourites with you all. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Probably my favourite classic of them all is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This book is actually where my collecting of classics edition started. This book is just the ultimate gothic tale. Mary Shelley was a genius, and a beautiful writer and the combination is fantastic. This book is so deep and rich with symbolism and no two people seem to come out with the same interpretation of it. This edition Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll This is another book that features heavily in my collection, as well as on my body (I have a rather large Alice in Wonderland tattoo on my back), so I obviously love it. It’s vivid and absurd and just so incredibly fun. This edition  Dracula I was surprised when I first read this. …

Lit Lists – My Ultimate Zombie Apocalypse Survival Team

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Hello! It’s time for another Lit Lists I think, and for today I decided to list my ultimate Book Character Zombie Apocalypse Survival Team. And then I think I’m going to tag some other victims to do this list with me. As a scientist, precisely an immunologist, I think I could be pretty handy in any zombie apocalypse, what with my experience in developing vaccines and stuff. I would be pretty valuable in a post-apocalyptic world. So who would I want around me to protect me and ensure I survive long enough to develop a human-race-saving vaccine against the undead? 1. Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Not only is she one of the most bad ass fighters that exists, I’m pretty sure she can also scent out food (particularly the sweet kind) like a bloodhound. I would feel pretty safe knowing Celaena had my back. 2. Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore. With an unnatural ability for fighting, Katsa would be absolutely indespensible in a zombie apocalypse. This girl is the one …

Lit Lists: Magical Universities/Schools! You want to learn magic? well study hard and you may be accepted to one of these…

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So this is a new feature where I make a list of books (with photos of course) based on a particular theme. The themes will range from very broad to very specific depending on where my little heart takes me. It could be a wild ride (probably not though. Reading lists of books is actually a rather sedate activity, now isnt it?). The books may also be either books I’ve read, am currently reading, or books on my TBR. I may also take requests for list themes. We’ll see if you’re very good little daffodils who eat all their vegetables. So, up this week is magical universities. As an almost permanent university student (I should be finishing my PhD this year though and then no more uni unless I decide to do medicine) I have a serious love for all things academic. Hogwarts from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling I figured I should get the obvious out of the way. Hogwarts where student’s study so they can grow up to be the best witches and wizards they …

Lit Lists: Beloved Fictional Animals

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So this is my first of this new feature where I make a list of books (with photos. of course) based on a particular theme. The themes will range from very broad to very specific depending on where my little heart takes me. It could be a wild ride (probably not though. reading lists of books is actually a rather sedate activity now isnt it?). The books may also be either books I’ve read, am currently reading, or books on my TBR. I may also take requests for list themes. We’ll see. We all love fictional animals, often more than the people in the story. But they often go the way of Old Yeller (also a fictional animal, thus demonstrating my point). I don’t know for certain why this is, but I’m working with the theory that authors are just plain evil. Although many of the animals on this list do make it through the book/series alive and unmaimed, I’m sorry if this brings up any painful memories for anyone. 1. Manchee from The Chaos …