This is a meme created by Reviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles. This months theme is Nostalgia and I thought I would showcase some books from a series I used to love as a child… The Rainbow Magic Fairies by Daisy Meadows. I still have my unfinished collection at my parents house but I am always looking for the ones I still need in charity shops when I visit them. The link for it is here 🙂
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week there is a new topic for bloggers to choose and list their top ten. This week on Top Ten is The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from my Shelves.
This is so much fun as it offers up the opportunity to showcase a variety of books you own…
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (TBR)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (TBR)
Flawless by Elsie Silver (Read)
Seven Summers by Paige Toon (Read)
Fairest of All by Serena Valentino (Read)
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (Read)
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens (Read)
Spy x Family: Family Portrait by Aya Yajima (TBR)
The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters (Read)
Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (TBR)
Happy TTT! Leave your link down below for me to check out and start chatting 😀
Flawless by Elsie Silver Series: Chestnut Springs #1 Genre: Romance Pages: 400 Published By:Piatkus on 24th June, 2022 Format: Paperback Add to Goodreads Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Forbidden Romance, One Bed Series Ranking: 3rd
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Heartless by Elsie Silver Series: Chestnut Springs #2 Genre: Romance Pages: 432 Published By:Piatkus on 14th October, 2022 Format: Paperback Add to Goodreads Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)
Tropes: Age Gap, Forced Proximity, Grumpy x Sunshine, Nanny x Single Dad Series Ranking: 1st
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Powerless by Elsie Silver Series: Chestnut Springs #3 Genre: Romance Pages: 464 Published By:Piatkus on 10th February, 2023 Format: Paperback Add to Goodreads Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)
Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Sports Romance, Road Trip, Runaway Bride Series Ranking: 2nd
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Reckless by Elsie Silver Series: Chestnut Springs #4 Genre: Romance Pages: 448 Published By:Piatkus on 9th June, 2023 Format: Paperback Add to Goodreads Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)
Tropes: Grumpy x Sunshine, He Falls First, Secret Baby, Close Proximity Series Ranking: 5th
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Hopeless by Elsie Silver Series: Chestnut Springs #5 Genre: Romance Pages: 448 Published By:Piatkus on 13th October, 2023 Format: Paperback Add to Goodreads Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)
Tropes: Fake Fiance, Tortured Hero, Military Romance, Virgin Heroine Series Ranking: 4th
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Series Review
This book series was my first time ever reading books in a small-town setting and I absolutely adored them. Each book had a different mix of classic romance tropes throughout and it allowed me to discover new tropes that have ended up becoming some of my favourites.
I really like how each book was bingeable and so quick to fly through. I also love the text messages we got to see at the start of each chapter–it helped me connect with the characters a little more. Each book can be read as a standalone but if you read them all you can see how they are interconnected. The characters from each book will pop up in other books too which I really enjoyed as we got to see a little more of them.
Heartless ended up being my favourite which I didn’t expect because of it being a single dad and an age gap but I just couldn’t get enough of it! Reckless ended up being my least favourite. I just couldn’t get on board with the secret baby trope and I didn’t really care much for the characters the book focused on.
I think the Chestnut Spring series would be great to pick up and read if you are in a book slump, or if you are needing your romance fix. When I was in a book slump, these books definitely helped me get out of it really quick. I can’t wait to read more from Elsie Silver!
October was a bit of a better reading month for me— it was definitely much quieter than September which meant that I was able to read 4 books!
Pages read: 1,228
My Rock Star Neighbor by Kathy Strobos (BLOG TOUR) – Started: 25th September – Finished: 5th October. This is book #4 in the New York Spark series which I read as an eBook on my Kindle. I read this as part of a blog tour and ended up really enjoying it. Think I may need to read the previous books in the series now.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc – Started: 6th October – Finished: 11th October. This is a standalone book which I started reading physically but ended up finishing it on Audible so I’m counting it as an audio book. This book was cute for the season but it didn’t wow me.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Autumn Wishes and Fireside Kisses by Rosie Green (BLOG TOUR) – Started: 12th October – Finished: 19th October. This is book #42 in the Little Duck Pond Cafe series which I read as an eBook on my Kindle. I read this book as part of an upcoming blog tour which I enjoyed. I haven’t read any of the others in the series but I have got the Christmas one coming soon.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Last Rites by Ozzy Osbourne – Started: 9th October – Finished: 30th October. This is a standalone memoir that I read physically. Such an informative read with lots of emotions to go with it. It was funny yet heartbreaking at times. I’m glad I ended up buying this to read because I really enjoyed it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I DID IT!!!!!! I’ve completed my Goodreads goal for the year and I am already over by 1 book at the end of October. I wonder how many more I can go over in the last couple months of the year…
What was your best read for October? Are you on track to reach your reading goal?
Well, it is officially November! Can’t believe we only have 2 months left of the year…
Leslie at Books Are The New Black hosts this fun monthly theme and I had a look at November which in fact has two birthstones… I love the colour birthstones this month has so I decided to combine both for this post!
Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
HAVE FUN!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY…
to all the November babies out there!
I chose to use both Citrine and Yellow Topaz for November and after doing a little research, I found some interesting information on this website for what they mean…
“Citrine, believed to derive from the French word for “lemon” (citron), is given for the thirteenth wedding anniversary.It was particularly popular in colourful Scottish jewellery from the Victorian era.”
“Some believe the word “topaz” comes from the Sanskrit word tapas, which means “fire.” Others trace it back to the Greek topazos.The ancient Greeks believed that topaz gave them strength. From the 1300s to the 1600s, Europeans thought it could thwart magic spells and dispel anger. For centuries, many people in India have believed that topaz worn above the heart assures long life, beauty and intelligence.”
Right, lets get onto the book covers that I was able to find from books I’ve read but not longer own, my read bookshelves and my TBR cart… I found this quite easy to complete for November and I’m glad I chose both.
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (Read – unhauled)
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (Read – still own)
When You Wish Upon a Star by Elizabeth Lim (TBR)
Be Prepared by Farrah Rochon (TBR)
The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon (Read – still own)
The Sunrise Sisterhood by Cathy Bramley (TBR)
Five Survive by Holly Jackson (Read – still own)
Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo (Read – still own)
I Confess by Alex Barclay (Read – unhauled)
This was a lot of fun to take part in for November and I’ve already taken a sneak peak for December which I will be taking part in!
What citrine or yellow topaz books would you recommend? What would you add to the list?
Welcome to entry #11 for First Lines Fridays! Every week (or whenever the mood strikes), I’ll be sharing the opening line of a book—no title, no author—just the first sentence that sets the whole story in motion.
First Lines Fridays is a weekly post hosted by Wandering Words. In this post instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines.
To do this simply:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
First line:
Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate frequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.
Do you recognise what line this book is from?
Okay, here’s a hint for you… it’s a popular YA romance that was made into a film.
Still unsure? Here’s your last hint… it’s written by John Green.
I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.
Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis.
But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
Last Rites by Ozzy Osbourne Genre: Celebrity, Memoir, Nonfiction Pages: 368 Published By:Sphere on 7th October, 2025 Format: Hardcover Add to Goodreads Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)
Book Synopsis:
‘People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what youknow now, would you change anything? I’m like, f*ck no. If I’d been clean and sober, I wouldn’t be Ozzy. If I’d done normal, sensible things, I wouldn’t be Ozzy.’
At the age of sixty-nine, Ozzy Osbourne was on a triumphant farewell tour, playing to sold-out arenas and rave reviews all around the world.
Then: disaster.
In a matter of just a few weeks, he went from being hospitalised with a finger infection to having to abandon his tour – and all public life – as he faced near-total paralysis from the neck down.
Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy’s descent into hell. Along the way are reflections on an extraordinary life and career, including his marriage to wife Sharon, and what it took for him to return to the stage for the triumphant Back to the Beginning concert, streamed around the world, where Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the final time.
Book Review
I wouldn’t say I am a hardcore fan but I definitely do like some of Black Sabbath’s songs. I’ve also recently watched The Osbournes which was hilarious! Growing up, I’d heard numerous stories about Ozzy Osbourne, and his career has always intrigued me. When I saw this book was coming out, I knew I had to read it. In this Ozzy Osbourne book review, I share my thoughts on his hilarious, raw, and emotional memoir. I’m going to keep this review short because the book speaks for itself.
The writing style is perfect because you can hear Ozzy speaking in your head whilst reading. I think it adds much more personality to the book.
I really enjoyed that the story answered a lot of my questions about Ozzy. This books goes into a lot more depth about his medical history (which some people might find boring). For me, the outrageous stories he tells about his rock ‘n’ roll days balanced out this topic. I admired the level of honesty he had in this book with his demons and the victories — it’s very reflective.
This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions! It’s raw, funny, filled with larger-than-life characters, but also very moving at times. I never normally tab in books but some of the stuff he said really resonated with me.
That’s all I’m going to say about this book. Even if you’re not a die-hard fan, this Ozzy Osbourne book review shows how his honesty and outrageous stories make the memoir a fascinating read. I’m glad I read it, even though it felt even more heartbreaking to do so soon after his death.
*I never normally tab in books but there were a few quotes he said that resonated with me. I thought I would share them at the end of this review.*
“Because you know that if you wait too long to tell someone how much they mean to you, the chance might never come around again.”
“I honestly believe you only get one true love in your life.”
“But you know, everything happens for a reason.”
“When your number’s up, its just your time to go. Even when it’s cruel, Even when it’s unfair. Even when it’s far too soon. It doesn’t make it any easier when you lose the people you love. But it’s a way of accepting it, I suppose.”
Welcome to the Kiss, Marry, Avoid book challenge — a twist on the classic game, but make it literary. Here’s how it works: Kiss stands for the books I can’t wait to read, Marry is for the ones I’ll love and recommend forever, and Avoid… well, those are the poor neglected reads I’ve been side-eyeing on my shelf, too scared they won’t live up to the hype. It’s equal parts confession, commitment, and a little bit of bookish chaos.
💋Kiss – books you’re looking forward to reading
1. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid 2. Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher 3. Off to the Races by Elsie Silver
💍Marry – books you always recommend
1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 2. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson 3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
❌Avoid – books you’ve been putting off reading (scared they won’t live up to the hype)
1. Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope 2. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 3. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Feel free to have a go at this challenge if you like! And if you do, be sure to let me know so I can check it out 🙂
28 / 60 books. 47% done!
Join 62 other subscribers.
WELCOME This is my cosy corner of the internet dedicated to all things books. I am an avid reader of mainly romance, fantasy, YA and mystery/thriller books. I hope to connect with other readers who share the same love for books that I do!
