As I’ve said before, I love reading middle-grade fiction. It makes a nice change from my usual literary fiction which often deals with fairly depressing subjects. I loved The Happy Couple but I needed to read something jolly afterwards. So, of course, I was attracted to the rainbow-stencilled edges of this book. It was pure joy. Although, as we know, a petty cover doesn’t necessarily mean a pretty interior. Would the actual book live up to the artwork that had drawn me in?
I’ve been meaning to get this book for ages because it just sounded perfect. The fact that it was winning all of the awards only convinced me further. I think hyped books for older readers tend to be disappointing for me. However, hyped kids’ books are usually as good as we’re told. So, I was excited to read this book. Partly because of something I did at school. We were asked to write a leaflet about an animal and I chose bears. I went into so much detail that I became a bit obsessed with bears. I’ve never forgotten it and, as I found out when I discovered it recently, the leaflet holds up. The clipart isn’t great but the rest is gold. So, I reckon younger me would have loved this book and I’m reading it for her.
By now, you should know that I love a good piece of middle grade fiction. If it’s an exciting book that’s intended for kids then I’m probably going to read it. It helps that Waterstones email everyone about their books of the month so often. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t even know about the most recent releases. This is one of the books that I was introduced to through email marketing. Honestly, if all of our customers were as easy to market to as I am then my job would be so much easier. This book just sounded like so much fun and I’m always going to be up for a story set in a magical school. Especially
I think I’ve forgotten how to read long, grown-up books. Or at least, physical books. Normally, Birnam Wood would take me a bit of time but not this long. I’m nowhere near finishing, so I had to find something quick to fit in for today’s review. Thankfully, my recent book haul had given me the perfect choice. This had the benefit of being super short and it looked like it was going to be a lot of fun. Children’s books these days are so much fun. They probably always were but I probably didn’t appreciate them enough when I was a kid. I can do that now and I can just pretend I’m researching books for when my niece gets older. It’s just amassing a library for when she’s old enough.
I’d seen this book all over but didn’t pay attention until Foyles named it their Children’s Book of 2022. I know, I’m fickle. There are so many books published each year, so you need to be discerning about what I pick up. Unless a children’s book is really making waves then I don’t tend to think about reading them. When I actually looked into this book, it just sounded like my kind of thing. I’m not a massive fantasy lover but I think children’s fantasy might be my ideal for the genre. The world-building tends more engaging and fun. A lot of the adult fantasy books I’ve read recently have been too ambitious and I haven’t connected with them. Children’s fantasy books tend to keep things a bit simpler which means they don’t get too tied up in knots.
One of the first books that I read this year was Julia and the Whale by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. It has been sitting on my shelf for a while but in the pre-Christmas madness, I hadn’t managed to get to it. It remains one of my top books of 2022, so I knew I had to fit Leila and the Blue Fox into my reading list as well. How could it not be as good as the previous one? I managed to finish it just before the end of November. I knew that I wouldn’t finish my current read in time, so decided to fit this one in instead. It was a quick read last weekend and a great way to end my month’s reading.
Number of books read: 7
Number of rereads: 0
Number of physical books: 2
Number of ebooks: 1
Number of audiobooks: 4
Number of ARCS: 0
5* reviews: 3
4.5* reviews: 0
4* reviews: 3
November seems to have come and gone really quickly. Too quickly to get much reading done. Although, it hasn’t helped that I’ve become slightly obsessed with playing Disney Dreamlight Valley recently as well. I didn’t want to get sucked in but it’s really enjoyable. Like Animal Crossing but with added plot points to follow. I tend to get bored of just arranging my island, so the storyline keeps me going. So, I’ve not read as much as I should have in November but what did I manage to finish?
I have a few writers that I instantly buy. Richard Ayoade is one of them. I think everything he’s ever written is hilarious and well worth the read. So, I had to pre-order his new children’s book. I could imagine him being the perfect writer to create a unique and engaging story for younger readers.
I found out about this film after watching The Curse of Bridge Hollow for Halloween. That should be obvious though really. Why else would I have chosen to watch a Marlon Wayans film instead of animation directed by Henry Selick. After all, he’s responsible for two of my favourite animated films. What a legend.
I’m not a horror movie fan. They just aren’t my thing. For one thing, I hate jump scares. I’m so easily spooked. So, when it comes to Halloween movies, I tend to gravitate towards kid’s movies. They’re more my speed and tend to be quicker. I’m still not at the top of my film-watching game, so have no attention span. Thankfully, Netflix always has something stupid that fits the bill.
Yipee ki-yay, motherbooker 