10 Peter Pan Tattoos - Literary Ink Series

I haven't done a Literary Tattoos post in ages and this one was particularly fun for me to research as Peter Pan was one of my favourite books when I was younger. I've deliberately tried to steer clear of tattoos inspired by the Disney film of Peter Pan as I want to focus on ones from the book by J.M. Barrie. There's probably a bit of cross over but I've tried to include the literary ones wherever possible.

Also, my internet has been really slow today and Pinterest hasn't worked at all so this has taken me all, bloody, day. Please appreciate it!

1st Anniversary and Philip Pullman Wedding Reading

I got married a year ago today. Apart from having to halt the ceremony briefly because I thought I was going to faint and/or vomit, it was an amazing day.

I won't waffle on about the wedding as I know that can bore people to death, but I wanted to share with you my wedding reading. We're not religious and, me being me, I wanted readings from books. But, in the end, we only had one reading because only one really stood out for me.

July 2017: Favourite Books

July was more of a mixed month of reading than last month, though there were still a couple of Midsomer novels too. There's a mix of old and new, fantasy, comedy, classic and, of course, crime. Plus, I've actually read a couple of books which I've been meaning to read for a long time, so I feel good ticking them off my list.

10 Lord of the Rings Tattoos - Literary Tattoos Series

Another in my randomly posted Literary Tattoos series. I chose Lord of the Rings tattoos, not just because I like the books, but because they have such huge potential for tattoos. Elvish language, symbols, quotes, maps, characters, there are so many Lord of the Rings tattoos out there that it was hard narrowing it down to ten of my favourite ones, especially as I'm including The Hobbit tattoos in this post. However, I have whittled it down and here are ten amazing LOTR tattoos.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Book Review

"I liked myths. They weren't adult stories and they weren't  children's stories. They were better than that. They just were."

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is written by Neil Gaiman and published by Headline in the UK and William Morrow in the US and Canada, where I bought my copy.

I can't believe that I hadn't read any Neil Gaiman books until last year. As a big Terry Pratchett fan I started with Good Omens, written by Pratchett and Gaiman. Then I came across this lovely paperback edition of The Ocean at the End of the Lane at Mermaid Tales bookshop when I was in Tofino for my honeymoon and decided to try out my first fully Gaiman novel. I was not disappointed, in fact I was a little surprised; described as a fairytale for adults I thought the book might be a bit cutesy, but it manages to be nostalgic and magical but also terrifying and intensely sad.

10 Discworld Tattoos - Literary Tattoos Series

I'm continuing my Literary Tattoos series with tattoos inspired by one of my favourite authors, Terry Pratchett. I'm focusing on his Discworld series which provides plenty of potential for interesting and sometimes downright bizarre tattoos.

April 2017: Favourite Books

It's been a full month of reading this April, with a little more variety than usual, though there's still the usual big dose of murder.

December 2016: Favourite Reads

Happy January! If there is such a thing. I hope everyone had a lovely New Year and are now not too depressed about going back to work tomorrow.

I read a lot of books in December; with work winding down, the holidays and the generally rubbish weather, I've had a lot of time to hibernate under a duvet with a book. This is my list of favourite reads from December. It's quite a mixed bag this month; the usual crime fiction, but also quite a few new releases and a classic thrown in.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Book Review

"...foolish girl to believe in fairy tales"

The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden will be published by Ebury Publishing on 12th January, 2017.

The Bear and the Nightingale is perhaps the perfect winter read; freezing forests, folklore, fairy tales and a family dynamic to get into (I didn't intend the alliteration there but it worked quite well!).
Based on Russian folklore, this book is one of the 'grown up fairy tales' which are having a moment, like The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy it, if it's done well, and The Bear and the Nightingale is mainly done well, though there are a few pace and plot elements that let it down.


Blurb from NetGalley

A young woman's family is threatened by forces both real and fantastical in this debut novel inspired by Russian fairy tales.
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning the father hides the gift away and his daughter, Vasya, grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only on who can keep darkness at bay."

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard (Johannes Cabal #1)

Book Review

I've mentioned Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard in my September Favourites and Halloween Books post, and keep saying I'll do a review, now I've finally got round to it!

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (Peter Grant / Rivers of London #6)

Book Review

I was so lucky to receive an advance copy of the latest Peter Grant novel, The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch.

Total jammy git, in fact.

I've only recently got into the Peter Grant series, having read The Rivers of London earlier this year. I loved it so much I quickly read the rest of the series and have been waiting impatiently on this one.

The Hanging Tree sees Peter Grant, copper and trainee wizard, back in London and still on the trail of the Faceless Man.

September Favourites

I thought I'd start doing a monthly favourites; a collection of the best books I've read each month.

I read even more books than usual in September as I was spectacularly jet lagged at the beginning of the month after getting back from Canada, then I had a bastard of a cold all last week, so there has been even more lying around and reading done than usual.

So, here a few of the favourite books that I've read this month.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Book Review

First off, I apologise if this review is rambling and confused; I've only been back from my honeymoon in Canada for a couple of days and I'm still incredibly jet-lagged. I'm actually writing this to try and stay awake.

I meant to review Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (Gollancz) ages ago but it somehow got lost on the list. It was one of the books that I won in my crime book bundle from Orion and I read it a few months ago now. I was reading the second of the series, Moon over Soho, on holiday and realised that I never got round to reviewing this one.

Which I'm now rectifying because I thoroughly enjoyed it, I haven't read such an original book in a long time.