Valentine’s Day Gifts for Book Lovers

On February 12, 2020May 11, 2020 By Beth JonesIn Let's Discuss!5 Comments

Hi readers! Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and I thought today I’d come up with some cute ideas for gifts for the book lovers in your life.

Aren’t these miniature chocolate books so adorable? I don’t think I could eat them!

Paper rose single stem made of pages from 'Winnie the image 0 — Source – AlanaPhoenixandCo on Etsy

I’m not sure how I feel about using books for papercraft…but this is just simply beautiful. This specific flower uses pages from Winnie the Pooh, and the colours are so lovely.

Bookshop Enamel Pin. Book Pin. Book Enamel Pin. Literary Pin. image 0 — Source – fableandblack on Etsy

I don’t think it’s hard to go wrong with a bookish pin. There are some gorgeous ones out there, fableandblack being one of my favourite shops.

Some more beautiful papercraft from LiaMiaCasa on Etsy here! There are a few different variants of garland on her shop, and these floral ones are gorgeous.

Currently Reading Bookish Book Soy Candle image 0 — Source – ruthlessheroines on Etsy

Candles are just so romantic, and I couldn’t post this without including one. My lovely friend Courtney bought me this currently reading candle for Christmas, and it smells amazing!

Another classic idea that we’re doing in the bookshop I work in is a blind date with a book. You wrap up a book, and put a note on the front outlining a little bit about it. What you receive is a complete mystery!

Which gifts would you like to buy or receive this Valentines?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

Let’s Discuss! Visiting the Bookshops of London

On February 11, 2020May 11, 2020 By Beth JonesIn Let's Discuss!2 Comments

Hi everyone! In the past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to have a few days in London. I’ve spent more time in London recently and a couple of weeks ago I had the chance to have a day on my own in the city. Of course, I decided to have a day wandering the bookshops of London. I managed to visit a few that I’ve wanted to see for quite a while, and I’ll talk about them below.

I took the chance to visit Waterstones Piccadilly and spend a few hours in the cafe there. I’ve visited the bookshop before, but only for events and have never had the chance to look around as much as I wanted to. I loved the children’s floor with the beautiful bunting. And on my second visit, I noticed the beautiful drawing from Charlie Macksey in the entrance.

I was lucky enough to be visiting on the last day of January, which meant The Binding installation was still on floor 3. They had the whole binders room from the book, which was so beautiful and I felt so lucky to see it.

Last Saturday, I went back into London for the day with my lovely friend Pete! We also visited Waterstones and Foyles, alongside other independent bookshops.

Our first stop was Notting Hill, where we popped into this beautiful little shop. I wish I could have taken some photos inside, but it was super busy!

I also took Pete to Gay’s the Word in Russel Square, after I had visited there the previous week on my own. It’s Britain’s only LGBT bookshop and was also featured in the film Pride. I loved the shop so much and just had to take Pete back!

Where are your favourite bookshops?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Let’s Discuss! February Releases I’m Excited For

On February 4, 2020May 11, 2020 By Beth JonesIn Let's Discuss!2 Comments

Hello lovely readers! Welcome to a new month and it’s time for a new set of exciting YA releases. There are so many exciting new releases and here is just a few of them – if you’d like to see more there’s a Goodreads list here.

Goodreads | February 4th

Caledon Holt is the Kingdom of Renovia’s deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in brawn or brains, which is why he’s the Guild’s most dangerous member and the Queen’s one and only assassin. He’s also bound to the Queen by an impossible vow–to find the missing Deian Scrolls, the fount of all magical history and knowledge, stolen years ago by a nefarious sect called the Aphrasians.
Shadow has been training all her life to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunts–to become skilled enough to join the ranks of the Guild. Though magic has been forbidden since the Aphrasian uprising, Shadow has been learning to control her powers in secret, hoping that one day she’ll become an assassin as feared and revered as Caledon Holt.
When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they’re forced to team up as assassin and apprentice to hunt down a new sinister threat to Renovia. But as Cal and Shadow grow closer, they’ll uncover a shocking web of lies and secrets that may destroy everything they hold dear. With war on the horizon and true love at risk, they’ll stop at nothing to protect each other and their kingdom in this stunning first novel in the Queen’s Secret series.

I just finished an ARC copy of this book and I enjoyed it! Review coming tomorrow.

Goodreads | February 4th

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.
Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.

This book looks gorgeous and I adore the cover.

Goodreads | February 4th

Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state candidate – as long as he’s behind the scenes. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is cancelled, her parents are separating and now her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing – with some awkward guy she hardly knows …
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer – and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.

I also have an ARC copy of this book and I’m buddy reading it with Faye and Alex next week! I’ve loved all of Becky Albertalli’s books so I’m excited for this one.

Goodreads | February 6th

In this volume we’ll see the Heartstopper gang go on a school trip to Paris! Not only are Nick and Charlie navigating a new city, but also telling more people about their relationship AND learning more about the challenges each other are facing in private…
Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem… rather close…?

This week also brings Heartstopper Volume 3. I’ve loved all of the Heartstopper books so far and I’m pretty much up-to-date online, so I can’t wait to add this to my collection.

Goodreads | February 18th

For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?
His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can’t shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…
As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.

This is another read I’m not sure I’ll pick up right away but looks really intriguing and I might look out for a copy.

Which February releases are you excited for?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Let’s Discuss! Reading Resolutions for 2020

On January 27, 2020May 11, 2020 By Beth JonesIn Let's Discuss!3 Comments

Hi all! I try not to give myself too many targets to avoid disappointment or aiming for anything I realistically can’t achieve, but I also love completing things I aspire to do! So, today I’m going through some reading and blogging resolutions for the year.

Read 50 books

I’ve been aiming to read 50 books per year for the past few years, and I only change my Goodreads goal towards the end of the year if I feel I can achieve over that. I managed to up my goal and hit 65 last year, but I’m going to go for 50 again as to not stress myself too much and see how it goes.

Read more than I buy

This is a big goal for me right now – I ended last year with more unread books than I had at the start, but I’d like 2020 to be different.

Read some of my series

In this post, I discussed some series I’d like to read in 2020. I have a lot sitting on my shelves and it’d be great to get them done!

Read a classic

As with last year, I’d like to read just one classic, or more if I can. I imagine with how much I adored the movie, this will end up starting with Little Women, which I’m now desperate to read.

Keep up to date on reading ARCs

With me now working as a bookseller, I tend to be lucky enough to pick up ARCs often. But I’m trying, with the help of buddy reads with the lovely Faye and Alex, to keep on top of them!

Keep up a blogging schedule

Something I’ve been finding super handy is having this amazing Google sheets document! Faye at A Daydreamers Thoughts shared it with me at the start of the year, and it’s already helping me immensely with keeping on top of my blog.

Thank you for reading! What are your resolutions for the year?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Binding by Bridget Collins

On January 26, 2020May 11, 2020 By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

Books are dangerous things in Collins’s alternate universe, a place vaguely reminiscent of 19th-century England. It’s a world in which people visit book binders to rid themselves of painful or treacherous memories. Once their stories have been told and are bound between the pages of a book, the slate is wiped clean and their memories lose the power to hurt or haunt them. After having suffered some sort of mental collapse and no longer able to keep up with his farm chores, Emmett Farmer is sent to the workshop of one such binder to live and work as her apprentice. Leaving behind home and family, Emmett slowly regains his health while learning the binding trade. He is forbidden to enter the locked room where books are stored, so he spends many months marbling end pages, tooling leather book covers, and gilding edges. But his curiosity is piqued by the people who come and go from the inner sanctum, and the arrival of the lordly Lucian Darnay, with whom he senses a connection, changes everything.

I really wasn’t sure about this book. It’s unlike a lot of books I read, especially the historical aspect being a big no-no for me usually. But with it being the Fiction Book of the Month where I work and my colleague adoring it, I decided to give it a go. I also had a niggling feeling it might have underlying tones of The Starless Sea about it, and I loved that book so much!

I wasn’t wrong about it feeling like The Starless Sea. The Binding had the same enchanting, sprawling writing style as Erin Morgenstern does in both of her books which I love so much. But I didn’t feel quite so mystified with The Binding.

‘Memories,’ she said, at last. ‘Not people, Emmett. We take memories and bind them. Whatever people can’t bear to remember.

This book is written in three parts. The first part didn’t draw me in as half as much as I would have liked it too. It was slow and plodding and somewhat problematic, with the protagonist, Emmett, being kept in the dark about a lot of things. The location was vivid and witchlike, and was the main aspect I focused on in this portion of the story.

The second part reeled me in like a fly trapped in a spiders web. With a suddenness that was jarring at first, we are thrown into a much different time, and much different situation. The second part is full of lust, desire and forbidden love. I adored it. This part of the book is the one that captured my heart and left me feeling completely enthralled with the characters and their stories.

The third part was again, much different. We jump ahead, before the first part, and look back on the story. I didn’t enjoy this part as much as the second, but I still felt trapped with my desire to find out what happens to these characters.

Whatever they can’t live with. We take those memories and put them where they can’t do any harm. That’s all books are’

Overall, this book is enchanting and beautiful, and I can see why it seems to be so well loved. For the most part, it didn’t capture my imagination as much as I would have hoped, but I ended up enjoying it quite a lot all the same. If the entire book had enchanted me as much as the second part did, it would have been a solid 5 stars. But due to the first, and sometimes the third parts letting it down a little, I’m going to go with 4.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Let’s Discuss! 2019 Reading Wrap-Up

On January 21, 2020May 11, 2020 By Beth JonesIn Let's Discuss!5 Comments

Hi all! It might seem a bit late, with us now being near the end of January, but I thought I’d do a bit of a wrap-up of my journey of my reading in 2019! I find it so interesting to look back on the Goodreads Year in Books, so I’ll be taking the information from there.

How many books did I read?

I managed to read 65 books in 2019! My original goal was 50, so I’m proud of myself for going above and beyond. Overall, this was 26,849 pages.

What were the shortest and longest books I read?

The shortest book was A Christmas Carol at just 95 pages, and the longest was Queen of Air and Darkness at 893 pages.

What were the most popular and least popular books I read?

City of Bones was the most popular book I read with 1,642,971 ratings and my least popular was Parked with just 23 other readers!

Which books did I read?

Keep up to date with the blog, I’ll be posting about my absolute favourite reads of 2019 soon!

What was your reading journey of 2019?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Let’s Discuss! January Releases I’m Excited For

On January 13, 2020May 11, 2020 By Beth JonesIn Let's Discuss!4 Comments

Hi all! Today I’m here to talk about January releases I’m excited for. It might be a little bit late, but there are so many beautiful books that I wanted to talk about, I thought I’d write it anyway!

Goodreads | January 7th

Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight.
When Atoc demands the real Condesa’s hand in marriage, it’s Ximena’s duty to go in her stead. She relishes the chance, as Illustrian spies have reported that Atoc’s no longer carrying his deadly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristócrata to their rightful place.
She hunts for the relic, using her weaving ability to hide messages in tapestries for the resistance. But when a masked vigilante, a warm-hearted princess, and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, her mission becomes more complicated. There could be a way to overthrow the usurper without starting another war, but only if Ximena turns her back on revenge—and her Condesa.

I’ve seen this book around on Instagram and the cover is to die for!

Goodreads | January 7th

Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen–until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

I adored A Curse So Dark and Lonely so I can’t wait to read this one.

Goodreads | January 7th

When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.
Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.
Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?

I’ve been eyeing this book up for a while on social media and in the bookshop I work in.

Goodreads | January 7th

It is a year after the action of One of Us Is Lying, and someone has started playing a game of Truth or Dare.
But this is no ordinary Truth or Dare. This game is lethal. Choosing the truth may reveal your darkest secrets, accepting the dare could be dangerous, even deadly.
The teenagers of Bayview must work together once again to find the culprit, before it’s too late . . .

One Of Us Is Lying was one of my favourite books of the year when I read it, so I definitely have to pick up this one. I really need to read Two Can Keep a Secret too!

Goodreads | January 14th

An instant bestseller, A Map of Days launched readers into the previously unexplored world of American peculiars, one bursting with new questions, new allies, and new adversaries.
Now, with enemies behind him and the unknown ahead, Jacob Portman’s story continues as he takes a brave leap forward into The Conference of the Birds, the next installment of the beloved, bestselling Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.

I’m actually up to date on the Miss Peregrine’s books, so I’ll be able to pick this one up straight away.

Which January releases are you excited for?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Welcome back! Blog Plans for the New Year

On January 10, 2020May 11, 2020 By Beth JonesIn Let's Discuss!4 Comments

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog relaunch! I’m now entering my 5th year of owning this blog and I’m choosing 2020 as the year to bring new and exciting things to my journey. 2019 was a rough rollercoaster of a ride for me and it’s ups and downs left me neglecting the blog towards the end of the year. So I’ve chosen to do a relaunch to kickstart a fresh journey for The Books Are Everywhere!

What can you expect?

My shop
– I run an Etsy shop here on which I sell bookmarks! I’m looking forward to adding more designs in 2020
Book reviews and content
– On the blog you can expect to see many more reviews and other book-related content like hauls, wrap-ups, discussions, top 5’s and much more.
Recipes and lifestyle
– I’d love to develop this blog to include other aspects of my life, such as my veganism, lifestyle, films and recipes.

What would you like to see on the blog in the near future?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

On December 3, 2019December 4, 2019 By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

Goodreads | Amazon

Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old skinflint. He hates everyone, especially children.
But at Christmas three ghosts come to visit him, scare him into mending his ways, and he finds, as he celebrates with Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and their family, that geniality brings its own reward.

I find it strange reading these books so late when the stories have so often been ingrained in my fellow readers lives for years. I think a lot of this also comes from my family not being massive film buffs as I grew up!

However, I still adored this story coming into it now. Although I have grown up being familiar with the story itself, I don’t remember having ever watched a movie adaptation or reading any version, other than Marley’s Ghost by David Levithan.

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.”

I’m so glad I’ve read this in the run-up to Christmas. Every time I sat down to read it, often on a night with my fairy lights behind me, I felt like I was being wrapped in a warm blanket and taken on a Christmassy journey. Over and over, this story warmed my heart.

I couldn’t help but smile at the pages every so often as I followed Scrooge on his story. Considering we have such a short time to get to know these characters, I quickly sympathised with Ebenezer and loved seeing how he reacted to each ghost as the book progressed.

“The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”

I can definitely see myself re-reading this every Christmas to get in the mood. Dickens’ writing is so atmospheric and beautiful, and this is just a lovely thing to pick up on a winters night. It reminded me of snow and starlight.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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The Books are Everywhere

Tag: book blog

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Book Lovers

Let’s Discuss! Visiting the Bookshops of London

Let’s Discuss! February Releases I’m Excited For

Let’s Discuss! Reading Resolutions for 2020

Review: The Binding by Bridget Collins

Top 5 Series I Want to Read This Year

Which series do you want to read in 2020?

Let’s Discuss! 2019 Reading Wrap-Up

How many books did I read?

What were the shortest and longest books I read?

What were the most popular and least popular books I read?

Which books did I read?

Let’s Discuss! January Releases I’m Excited For

Welcome back! Blog Plans for the New Year

Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens