Review: Second Chances in New Port Stephen by T.J. Alexander

On By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare.
Just when he thinks this trip couldn’t get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who’s somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick’s world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can’t keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli.
Against the backdrop of one weird Floridian Christmas, the two must decide whether to leave the past in the past…or move on together.

As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I felt like I was going to enjoy it. I love a festive romance, and this one felt like it had some themes I haven’t seen before in Christmas contemporaries.

I really loved how this book was revisiting a relationship, a small town, an old life. This book had so many discussions of both nostalgia but also the difficulties of revisiting the place you were in and people you were around as a teen, especially as a trans man. There were so many layers to this story, and it did include a lot of difficult topics, outlined in a thoughtful content warning at the start of the book (see the bottom of this review).

Although this book did tackle some heavy topics, it also felt so touching and heartwarming at every step. Yes, these topics are discussed and do trigger some emotional scenes within the plotline, but they are also explored with understanding and heart. They are balanced with a blossoming romance, some lovely side characters and a very cute character in Nick’s daughter.

I really loved the way this book explored all topics with understanding and openness, but also showed a myriad of characters, not all of them approaching these topics in the same way. I particularly enjoyed Nick’s plotline of exploring his queerness as an almost forty year old man, and the discussions of demisexuality.

Overall, this book had so many joyous moments and often felt like a warm hug, with all of the difficult discussions being approached with care. I’ll definitely be checking out more books by this author!

Author’s Note (from the start of the book: This is a funny book with a happy ending. However, it contains some heavy subject matter, including the rise of hateful trans-phobic legislation; the loss of a parent in an accident, which occurs before the events of the book; discussions of racism; and alcoholism. You can find a detailed list of content warnings at tjalexander.com.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Booktube | Storygraph | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok | Goodreads

Review: Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (Animated Classics) by Sally Morgan

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

A retelling of Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, accompanied by original concept and sketch art from development of the film. This beautiful hardback features premium cloth binding, a ribbon marker to match the cover, foil stamping and illustrated endpapers, making this the perfect gift for all those who have been enchanted by the magic of The Nightmare Before Christmas and a book to be treasured by all. A family favourite and cult classic, Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the best-loved films of all time. Relive the magic through this retelling of the classic film, accompanied by paintings, sketches and concept art from the film’s development.

Just like The Nightmare Before Christmas Novelisation, this book was always going to be a comfort read for me. I’ve watched the film a few times over now, and I’ve read the novelisation. Revisiting the story in a new way, with concept art and sketches, felt like a lovely way to indulge with a revisit to this world.

Seeing the art, paintings and sketches from the film’s development was super interesting, and I love how it added an extra layer of depth to this story for me. I love seeing behind the scenes of films and their development, and I honestly enjoyed pouring over the pages about who drew which art piece and their involvement in the film (right at the back of the book).

However, this book wasn’t without a few flaws. This book is quite short at only 64 pages including the extra information at the back, and I felt like it jumped quite a bit between scenes, missing out quite a bit of context from the film. This was difficult to judge with a background knowledge of the film, but I couldn’t help but feel I would be a bit lost as a first time reader. At points, I even jumped back in case I’d missed out a page.

Saying that, I can still see this as a quick version to consume in the run up to Christmas, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy flicking through the pages again and again.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Booktube | Storygraph | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok | Goodreads

Review: The Last Party (#1) by Clare Mackintosh

On By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests.
His lakeside holiday homes are a success, and he’s generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbours. This will be the party to end all parties.
But not everyone is there to celebrate. By midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.
On New Year’s Day, DC Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects.
The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbours, friends and family – and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.
With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead . . . but who finally killed him.
In a village with this many secrets, a murder is just the beginning.

I’m not often drawn to an adult thriller, but there was something capturing my attention about The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh. When I found out this book was set in Snowdonia, where the author now lives, I found myself much more interested than I originally expected. I also heard the author talk about this book, which definitely made me want to pick it up!

However, it didn’t quite hit the spot for me. I listened to the audiobook, and I found it not as gripping as I expected it to be. I did really enjoy the setting, and the lakeside location was enjoyable to read about and fit the plot well. However, it didn’t feel overwhelmingly like it was Snowdonia, it felt like it could have been set in a lot of remote, mountainous locations.

I also found the cast of characters to be very large, and difficult to follow, especially on the audiobook. Because there was so many characters, it was difficult to connect to any one of them, meaning I was not too tied up or interested in the murder or who the murderer was.

I did enjoy the plot, however, and it was the strongest part of the book in my opinion. I was interested in the ending especially and finding out how everything tied together by the end.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read with some elements I liked, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing with the series.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Shop | Booktube | Storygraph | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok | Goodreads

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

April Wrap Up: 9 Books Read

On By Beth JonesIn Wrap-Ups + TBRsLeave a comment

Hi everyone! It’s time for my April wrap up – I read 9 books in April, which definitely isn’t my best month but it’s not too shabby either. If you want to watch a video about all the books I read, you can view this below.

Books I read in April

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

What if men built a tower from Earth to Heaven-and broke through to Heaven’s other side? What if we discovered that the fundamentals of mathematics were arbitrary and inconsistent? What if there were a science of naming things that calls life into being from inanimate matter? What if exposure to an alien language forever changed our perception of time? What if all the beliefs of fundamentalist Christianity were literally true, and the sight of sinners being swallowed into fiery pits were a routine event on city streets? These are the kinds of outrageous questions posed by the stories of Ted Chiang. Stories of your life . . . and others.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them…

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.
But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined. 

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

‘But where are you REALLY from?’
Phil Wang has been asked this question so many times he’s finally written a book about it.
In this mix of comic memoir and observational essay, one of the UK’s most exciting stand-up comedians reflects on his experiences as a Eurasian man in the West and in the East. Phil was born in Stoke-on-Trent, raised in Malaysia, and then came of age in Bath – ‘a spa town for people who find Cheltenham too ethnic’.
Phil takes an incisive look at what it means to be mixed race, as he explores the contrasts between cultures and delves into Britain and Malaysia’s shared histories, bringing his trademark cynicism and wit to topics ranging from family, food, and comedy to race, empire, and colonialism.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.
In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.
 Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Roach – bookseller, loner and true crime obsessive – is not interested in making friends. She has all the company she needs in her serial killer books, murder podcasts and her pet snail, Bleep. 
That is, until Laura joins the bookshop. 
Smelling of roses, with her cute literary tote bags and beautiful poetry, she’s everyone’s new favourite bookseller. But beneath the shiny veneer, Roach senses a darkness within Laura, the same darkness Roach possesses. 
As Roach’s curiosity blooms into morbid obsession, it becomes clear that she is prepared to infiltrate Laura’s life at any cost. 

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

An all-new collection of spring-themed mysteries from the master of the genre.
The days are growing warmer and the nights are growing shorter… It’s the perfect time to relax in the garden with this spring-themed collection from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. Blossoming flowers and countryside strolls may sound innocent enough, but not when there’s murder in the air. Beware of secluded cottages, stolen treasure and fatal revenge schemes. This compendium of short stories, some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect gift for mystery lovers.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

It’s the summer before senior year. Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small, rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. But they have plans for the summer, each about to embark on a new adventure.
Gabriel is volunteering at an environmental nonprofit in Boston.
Reese is attending design school in Paris.
Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a senator.
Heath is heading to Florida, to help out at his aunt’s boardwalk arcade.
What will this season of world-expanding travel and life-changing experiences mean for each of them–and for their friendship?

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

I had quite a positive month and I enjoyed all of my reads. The one I enjoyed the least was Sinister Spring, and my favourite was either Book Lovers or Legends and Lattes – both were so good I can’t decide which was better!

What did you read in April?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Shop | Booktube | Storygraph | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok | Goodreads

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

Review: Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

On By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

I’ve wanted to read Mexican Gothic for such a long time, but sadly it let me down a bit. I wanted and expected this book to be similar to Rebecca, which I read last year and I really enjoyed. I loved the atmosphere and gothic mystery of `Rebecca, and in a way it was reflected in the story of Mexican Gothic.

The part of this book that didn’t surprise me at all is that it was so slow. I really found it difficult to motivate myself to pick this up, because the plot just didn’t seem to be moving. I broke this down to few pages a day as I was reading this as part of a buddy read, which definitely helped and I think I would have struggled to finish it if it wasn’t for that. Even reading 20-30 pages at a time felt like a slog.

The plot was really interesting but sadly didn’t carry much weight or tension for me. As the book continues, there was more intrigue and I was fascinated by how the house played a role in this story. However, parts of the plot were much darker than expected, and please check trigger warnings if you are going to check this one out.

The atmosphere was definitely my favourite part of the story, and was quite involving. When I found myself reading this one, I could lose myself in the pages only because of the atmosphere. Overall, there were aspects of this book I enjoyed, but there weren’t enough elements to really love the story, sadly.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Shop | Booktube | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

Review: If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

On By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Alice Sun has always felt invisible at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student among China’s most rich and influential teens. But then she starts uncontrollably turning invisible—actually invisible.
When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.
But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.

This book was sent to me by Harper Insider in exchange for an honest review – thank you!

I honestly enjoyed this book so much. I picked up the audiobook (Harper do some great audio!) and it gripped me from the start – I finished it in about 24 hours. The plot was so easy to get caught up in but also focused heavily on these little moments between the two main characters, who I ended up really liking.

The concept of this book was so fun and entertaining but considered some really heavy topics as well, especially as money was such a huge part of the story. It also discusses themes such as racism, class divide, poverty and inequality. There was so much of this book that felt considered and balanced against the entertainment factor.

And everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that I’m almost afraid to hold it. 

This had such an interesting magical realism element – although this book is set in the real world and feels like a contemporary, our main character does have the power of invisibility that adds a fantasy layer. I really liked how this was done and it felt really easy to read and easy to fall into as a story.

I liked both of the main characters, and their relationship between us which had an academic enemies to lovers trope. There was little moments between them which I really enjoyed reading, but the only disappointing part was that I didn’t always feel connected to the characters, it did feel intermittent depending on the scene.

Afraid that the spell will break.

Overall, this book was really enjoyable and the concept was so clever. It had such a unique storyline with some great characters and the audiobook was great too.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Shop | Booktube | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

Review: Kingdom of the Feared (#3) by Kerri Maniscalco

On By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.
Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.
Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.

I’ve read a lot of Kerri Maniscalco’s books and I was really happy to read the 3rd and final book in this series soon after it was initially released. I’ve been following Emilia and Wrath through several worlds and mysterious plots, and we finish in the demon court.

The world has always been magical and well painted throughout this series. Maniscalco writes dark and mysterious fantasy worlds so well and I can still picture some of the scenes months after finishing this series. The world building is one of the biggest appeals for me, and I really wanted to pick up the book because of it.

I’ve had my qualms about Emilia and Wrath throughout this series, including the power dynamic between them that was heavily demonstrated in Kingdom of the Cursed (review here). Although there is definitely heat and tension between them, the sex was definitely in the forefront of this story, and I had mixed feelings about it.

There is no doubt that these books are full of sexual tension and smut, and I do enjoy these scenes for the most part. However, the smut has become heavier and more frequent as this series has gone on, and the balance was a little off by the end. I also couldn’t help but feel like the scenes could occasionally feel just a touch repetitive and lose their excitement.

I love the atmosphere and writing in this book, but did edge down my ratings a little because of the romance, as I couldn’t help but feel it took away from the plot. However, I still really enjoyed the conclusion to this enjoyable fantasy series.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Shop | Booktube | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

Review: Mina and the Slayers (#2) by Amy McCaw

On By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

NEW ORLEANS, 1995. MINA’S HAVING A KILLER HALLOWEEN.
Three months after Fang Fest, Mina’s settling into her new life.
Despite the teething problems in her relationship with Jared, she has her sister back, new friends and a part-time job to die for.
Over Halloween, Mina and the gang have planned a spooky week of Gothic restaurants, horror movies, ghostly tours, creepy carnivals and a costume ball.
But the fun doesn’t last. Mina is on work experience with Detective Cafferty while the police are investigating a savage masked killer and a rise in suspicious ‘animal attacks’.
During her own investigations, Mina discovers a mysterious group of slayers, who are battling to control the rogue vampires.
The threats circle closer as Mina spends her days with the police and nights with the slayers.
Will she and her friends survive Halloween without being staked, stabbed or bitten?

I was so excited to dive back into the story of Mina and the gang and see what the next steps were for them. In the first book, Mina and the Undead, we follow Mina as she finds herself in New Orleans and in a world of vampires.

I wasn’t sure where the story would go after the first book, but I was really intrigued in the continuation of Mina’s story from the very start of the second instalment. We rejoin the cast of characters in October, which felt perfect for the plot and added to the ambience and atmosphere of New Orleans.

One of my favourite parts of returning to these characters was how familiar they already felt – and the found family aspect of the first book has definitely continued in to the second. Knowing some of the relationships between the characters meant we could delve deeper into their dynamics.

This book is longer than the first one, but still kept me hooked until the very end and had such an interesting plot line. I also, once again, really loved all of the 80s and 90s references to music and movies!

I’m looking forward to the newly announced 3rd instalment in the series, Mina and the Cult!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Shop | Booktube | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

February Wrap-Up | 12 books read

On By Beth JonesIn RandomLeave a comment

Hello and welcome back! I’m going to be listing the 12 books I managed to read in February.

12 is pretty average for me but on the good side of average! I’m ahead of my reading goal for the year, which is really nice.

If you want to see this in video format, you can find it below.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law–risking exile–to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world. 
Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer–a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery. 
Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies–mortal and divine–determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

When Harvey accidentally sets fire to his headteacher’s trousers, Mum decides it’s time for a BIG change. So, she packs him off to Madame Bogbrush’s School for Gifted Giants. He’ll grunt. He’ll clomp. He’ll bash things with clubs. But Harvey’s not a giant. He’s a boy on stilts. And if his classmates find out, they’ll stomp him into a sandwich! Then the Beastly School Board arrives for a surprise inspection and Harvey realises he’s not the only one in danger.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Lewis has a few things to say to his younger teen self. He knows she hates her body. He knows she’s confused about who to snog. He knows she’s really a he and will ultimately realize this… but she’s going to go through a whole lot of mess (some of it funny, some of it not funny at all) to get to that point. Lewis is trying to tell her this… but she’s refusing to listen.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Nura has worked all her life in the mica mines, earning just enough to keep her family afloat – and to enjoy the odd delicious gulab jamun from the market. Some day she’s going to find the Demon’s Tongue, a legendary treasure buried deep in the mines, and she’ll never have to worry about money again. Then a terrible accident in the mine buries her best friend below ground. Desperate to save him, Nura digs too deep and passes over into the magical and terrible world of the jinn. Across a pink sea and under a purple sky, she finds her way to a palace, where great riches and a whole new life are on offer. But it’s not long before Nura discovers this world to be as unfair as the real one, and that trickster jinn will always live up to their reputation…

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

When Rachel and Robert are passed a stolen book by their librarian father, they have to go on the run and protect it at all costs. With their father captured and everyone hunting for the Book, they must uncover its secrets and track down the final, missing page. But the cruel and calculating Charles Malstain is on their trail.
When the children discover the astonishing, magical truth about the Book, they resolve to do everything in their power to stop it falling into his hands. For if it does, he could rule forever. Step inside the pages of an immortal adventure and discover a truly unforgettable journey of wonder, courage and magic…

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Romance book connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men—all of whom dumped her because of her “stage-five clinger” tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find The One. The only problem? Classic meet-cutes are dead, thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to revisit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance.
Boston firefighter Trevor Metcalfe will be the first to rush into a burning building but the last to rush into a relationship. Love just isn’t his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes, he reluctantly agrees. But Tara’s journey is leading him to discover his own new chapter.
The more time they spend together, the more Tara realizes Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim their happily ever after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection?

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project—a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia—Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.
Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school—archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it’s her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do? 

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph

The Garden of Words brings to the manga page all the beauty and mystery of the award-winning film from artful animator Makoto Shinkai. Beloved for the simple grace of its artwork as much as the poetic elegance of its text (adapted by Midori Motohashi), The Garden of Words begins with a chance, rainswept encounter between Takao, a young man who dreams of becoming a shoe designer, and Yukari, an enigmatic woman he finds sitting alone, nursing a beer on a park bench. The spare interaction of these two lonely souls sparks a spiritual transformation for the young man, and perhaps the woman as well. As this intriguing, understated story unfolds, their lives will become further intertwined amid rain, beer, school, and shoe cobbling. Words are not often necessary, but in this case just a few words can make a difference in one’s heart.

★★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Agatha Christie’s first ever murder mystery, now presented as a sumptuous special edition hardback.
‘Beware! Peril to the detective who says: “It is so small – it does not matter…” Everything matters.’
After the Great War, life can never be the same again. Wounds need healing, and the horror of violent death banished into memory.
Captain Arthur Hastings is invited to the rolling country estate of Styles to recuperate from injuries sustained at the Front. It is the last place he expects to encounter murder. Fortunately he knows a former detective, a Belgian refugee, who has grown bored of retirement…

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-’60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage. 

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

One day, everything was exactly as it was supposed to be. And the next, the closest thing Abby ever had to a sister, Noreen, was just… gone.
Distracted by the annual preparations for the Samhain festival, Abby’s classmates are quick to put Noreen’s disappearance aside. The Coven will find her, Abby’s friends say. They have it under control.
But Abby can’t let it go. Soon a search for answers leads her down a rabbit hole that uncovers more secrets than Abby can handle. As mounting evidence steers her toward the off-limits woods that surround the academy, she begins to see that Noreen’s disappearance mysteriously has a lot in common with another girl who went missing all those years ago…

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Twelve-year-olds Lizzie Sancho and Dido Belle are from different worlds – Lizzie lives in Westminster in her dad’s tea shop, while Belle is an heiress being brought up by her aunt and uncle at grand Kenwood House – but they both share a love of solving mysteries.
And when their eyes meet in the audience of the Drury Lane theatre one night, both girls are sure they’ve seen something suspicious on stage.
Lizzie and Belle soon find themselves on the trail of a mystery – and becoming best friends. But can they work out what’s going on in time to prevent a murder?

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

I read quite a mix of books this month but I definitely didn’t dislike any of them! My favourite was Bingo Love and my least favourite was The Book of Stolen Dreams (but all of these I at least liked!).

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Shop | Booktube | Storygraph | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok | Goodreads

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

London Bookshop Vlog and Book Haul

On By Beth JonesIn Book HaulLeave a comment

Hi everyone! I recently visited London so I thought I’d include my London Bookshop Vlog here where I visited Daunt Books for the first time, which was so cool. Daunt Books has a ‘travel bias’, meaning a good portion of the shop is organised by place – for example, countries have separate shelves and these sections include travel books, non-fiction and fiction.

You can find my bookshop vlog below, and my haul further down the post.

These are the books I got in London and a few others!

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Two friends meet across three dinners.
In the back room of a pet shop, they snack on dried shrimps and discuss fish-breeding. In a remote new home in the mountains, they look for a solution to a weasel infestation. During a dinner party in a blizzard, a mounting claustrophobia makes way for uneasy dreams. Their conversations often take them in surprising directions, but when one of the men becomes a father, more and more is left unsaid. 
With emotional acuity and a wry humour, Weasels In The Attic is an uncanny and striking reflection on fertility, masculinity, and marriage in contemporary Japan.

I asked my boyfriend Mark to choose a book from Daunt for me to help me decide what to buy, as I like having a book as a souvenir when I visit a new shop or place. I knew I wanted one from the Japan section, so I gave him a few options, but just before we headed out he spotted the above book. It’s a short, 70ish page novella and I’m excited to check it out.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Take a story and shrink it. Make it tiny, so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. Carry the story with you everywhere, let it sit with you while you eat, let it watch you while you sleep. Keep it safe, you never know when you might need it. In Kawakami’s super short ‘palm of the hand’ stories the world is never quite as it should be: a small child lives under a sheet near his neighbour’s house for thirty years; an apartment block leaves its visitors with strange afflictions, from fast-growing beards to an ability to channel the voices of the dead; an old man has two shadows, one docile, the other rebellious; two girls named Yoko are locked in a bitter rivalry to the death. Small but great, you’ll find great delight spending time with the people in this neighbourhood.

This is one of the books I asked Mark to pick from, and I’ve wanted to read it ever since I saw it in Foyles Charing Cross Road a few years ago! Mark actually bought me both of these, thank you 🙂

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

In the aftermath of tragedy, it’s strange the things you remember.
 The deafening boom as the house exploded.
 The paralyzing fear as I searched for my wife.
 The blinding smoke burning my eyes as I carried her out. 
But carved into my soul for the rest of my days would be the earth-shattering realization that the woman in my arms wasn’t my wife. 
Bree and I were the only survivors—not that either of us were truly living after that night. As a single dad with nowhere else to go, I moved into her guest house. And somehow, through the guilt and grief, we forged an unlikely team. 
It took years, but I watched the gradual return of her smile—slow and life-altering. The two of us could sit outside for hours, talking about nothing, and it filled the massive hole in my chest with new life. 
I may have carried her out of that fire, but the truth was, Bree saved me. 
As we healed, the secrets and lies of the past smoldered in the ashes, threatening to ignite again. 
Our love was born from the embers, and together we would go up in flames.

The day after we got home from London, I visited the bookshop I used to work in to pick up a few things, including From the Embers by Aly Martinez, which was sent to me from the publisher. Thank you, Hachette!

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

I also decided to buy a standard hardback of Chain of Thorns to round off my Last Hours trilogy! I now have the hardback rune editions and standard editions. I’m sure it’ll be a while still before I pick these up, but I’m glad to have them.

What have you purchased or received recently?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Shop | Booktube | Storygraph | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok | Goodreads

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere