Tag: 2018s4s

S4S – Blogging highlights

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Hello hello hello!

It’s Sunday again! Time for some reflections on what have been some of my top moments of the year! Today’s #SixforSunday looks at:

2018 Blogging Highlights

2018 has been QUITE THE YEAR for me… so let’s find some of my highlights.

  1. Winning a UKYA Blogger award. 
    I’m still not sure how I won the ‘Best Newcomer’ category, but my word, what a moment that was!
  2. Chairing an event with my absolute queen, Melinda Salisbury, and the brilliant Alice Broadway
    I was SO NERVOUS for this, but it was absolutely incredible. I love both Alice and Mel so so much.
  3. Chairing Laura Steven and David Levithan
    HE’S A MASSIVE AMERICAN AUTHOR and she’s one of the best people in my life, so this was an absolute honour. I’m still not sure how I was asked to do this event.
  4. Hitting 30,000 views on my blog
    I NEVER thought I’d get to the point where I thought 10s of 1000s of people would view my blog, but here we are and I legit cried when I hit 30,000 views. It’s insane.
  5. Watching #SixforSunday get some new friends
    Any time someone has joined in #SixforSunday, my little heart grew exponentially. I’ve absolutely loved creating and doing #SixforSunday. Watch this space for the prompts for next year! 
  6. Having my words immortalised in books!
    This year has seen some of my blogging words included on books and that is INSANE. It’s an incredible feeling and I am ALWAYS here to shout about books! 

These are not in any order really, but there’s so many amazing things that happened in 2018. It’s been such an incredible year for blogger me. I can’t believe this is quite my bookish life.

S x

S4S – Please Santa!

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Good afternoon friends! 

How are we all this chilly yet sunny Sunday?! What are you reading? How is December going for you?

Today I’m coming at you with a #SixforSunday with wishes from the North Pole. Yes we’re talking:

Six books you wish Santa would bring you

Now we all know that Santa can bring pretty much ANYTHING don’t we? My choices clearly reflect that! 

  1. Six of Crows Collector’s Edition – Leigh Bardugo
    This is actually on my Christmas list, so fingers crossed!
  2. Pages and Co sprayed edges edition – Anna James
    This is actually sold out… but Santa can work miracles, yeah?
  3. Song of Sorrow – Melinda Salisbury
    COME ON SANTA. IT IS SO CLOSE TO NEXT YEAR. IT MUST BE TIME.
  4. Against all Gods – Maz Evans
    AGAIN. HOWARE. I’ve been waiting forever.
  5. The Day I Was Erased – Lisa Thompson
    NOW would be nice Santa.
  6. The Boy: His Stories and How They Came to be – Oliver Jeffers
    I am a MASSIVE fan and would LOVE this thanks.

So there we go… challenge set Santa!

Share your #SixforSunday choices with me! I’d love to know what is on your list! 

See you next week! Keep your eyes peeled in the next few weeks for 2019’s #SixforSunday topics!

S x

S4S – Characters you’d love to see together

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Happy Sunday friends! 

How are we all? Are we all ready for more #SixforSunday? 

Today’s challenge is a TOUGHIE. Just as I have the past few weeks, I have TOO many options for the 6 I’m allowed to choose! Today I have to only find 6:

Characters you’d love to see together

  1. Jack (from Jack of Hearts and Other Parts) and Simon (Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda)
  2. Jupiter (Nevermoor) and Felix (The Polar Bear Explorer’s Club)
  3. Stella (The Polar Bear Explorer’s Club) and Owl (A Girl Called Owl)
  4. Twylla (The Sin Eater’s Daughter) and Sorrow (State of Sorrow)
  5. Twylla (The Sin Eater’s Daughter) and Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows)
  6. Tilly (Pages and Co) and Property Jones (The Bookshop Girl)

There we go, some MG and some YA choices! This was a lot of fun! My list surprises me… I definitely have a whole chunk of others I’d love to see. If you’re interested, talk to me! I’d love to share more of my ideas! 

S x

S4S – Authors I’d love to see collaborate…

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STOP, COLLABORATE AND LISTEN! 

Hello there! Wecome to another installment of #SixforSunday! This week sees me take on something that took an AWFUL LOT OF THOUGHT. Mainly because I needed to get it right. And I didn’t want to miss out anyone who I loved. Mainly, I have too many choices! 

Today we take on:

Authors you’d love to see collaborate

Now… the majestic book that is Floored came along and saw many of my faves ACTUALLY collaborate in an EPIC way, so if you’ve not got on that yet, I’d really like you to. 

  1. Melinda Salisbury and Sara Barnard
    This is a YA collab I will shout about forever. LADIES I NEED THIS TO HAPPEN. (C’mon, none of you will be surprised by this at all)
  2. Kiran Milwood Hargrave and Piers Torday
    I think this MG book would break my heart and be the most beautiful book ever!
  3. Sara Barnard and Alice Oseman
    This one literally just came to my brain and I think my brain is a genius. I think this could be such a brilliant combination!
  4. Sara Barnard and Laura Steven
    GUYS. I need this to happen… I just think these 2 would boss a YA contemporary that punched me in the face and made me cackle with laughter.  
  5. Maz Evans and Lisa Thompson
    I just think this would be a BRILLIANT MG book pairing… happy to read WHATEVER!
  6. Melinda Salisbury and Alice Broadway
    I think this would be such a brilliant meeting of minds… 

So if there’s anyone reading this who can make these things happen, that’d be amazing thanks!

Remember to share your #SixforSunday posts with me and I look forward to going “OMG YES THAT WOULD BE A MINT PAIR THANKS!” at all of your suggestions! 

S x 

S4S – Ultimate panels

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Hello everyone!

Sorry for the hiatus this week… there was just a little need for my brain to take a break after a very busy half term! I am back though! And today’s #SixforSunday sees me taking on:

Dream panels/events

So, my dream panels? WELL THIS IS GONNA BE FUN. I’m gonna go 3 MG and 3 YA because LOVE.

“Contemporary YA: Why it matters” with Laura Steven, Alice Oseman, Sara Barnard and Katherine Webber.

“Writing badass characters” featuring Leigh Bardugo, Melinda Salisbury, Alice Broadway and Alwyn Hamilton.

“Writing stories that make our readers cry (we love it)” featuring C.G.Drews, Karen Gregory, Lisa Healthfield and Adam Silvera.

“Creating worlds kids want to read about” featuring Helena Duggan, Maz Evans, Ross Mackenzie and Kiran Milwood Hargrave.

“Writing incredible characters” featuring Peter Brown, Lisa Thompson, Alex Bell and Jessica Townsend.

“Books: an ode to books” featuring Anna James and Piers Torday in conversation.

Side note: I am still waiting for a Floored Seven panel. 

There we go! I LOVE hearing authors talk about their books, so please GET ME MORE EVENTS IN THE NORTH. I’m more than happy to host any of these *wink*

Remember to share your dream panels using #SixforSunday! I can’t wait to see what you all think! 

S x 

S4S – Rereading books?!

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Morning friends!

How are you all on this here Sunday morning? What are you up to today? Anything nice? What are we all reading?

Today’s #SixforSunday is all about:

Books I want to reread

Now, I’m not a regular rereader of books. I am a keeper of books that I love, but I don’t often reread them.

1. The Sun Eater’s Daughter trilogy – Melinda Salisbury

2. Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo

3. Nevermoor – Jessica Townsend

4. The Explorer – Katherine Rundell

5. The Exact of Opposite of Okay – Laura Steven

6. A Quiet Kind of Thunder – Sara Barnard

Easiest #SixforSunday in a long time. I love each of these books with all of my heart and for different reasons. The magic of all of them, experiencing them for the first time was just great. Reading them a second time, I might get to witness something new! (Will I ever get round to reading them again? Who knows!)

Thanks so much for popping along! Don’t forget to check out my other posts this week and join me next week for more #SixforSunday! Share your post using the hashtag!

S x

S4S – Favourite trilogies

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Hello guys!

Happy Sunday! How are we all today? I spent all day yesterday at amazing reading CPD so I’m pretty tired today, but envigorated about reading in school!

Today’s #SixforSunday explores one of my favourite things:

Favourite trilogies/series

I am a TOTAL sucker for a trilogy. I LOVE getting to know characters and then seeing them through their stories. I’m also team standalone, but there’s something special about trilogies. 

So here we go… (I’ve totally bent the rules, I’m doing 6 YA and 6 MG… I’m the boss!)

YA

  1. The Sin Eater’s Daughter trilogy by Melinda Salisbury
  2. The Paper Magician trilogy by Charlie N. Holmberg
  3. Rebel of the Sands trilogy by Alwyn Hamilton
  4. Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
  5. Show Stopper duology by Hayley Barker
  6. The Spinster Club series by Holly Bourne

MG

  1. Who Let the Gods Out? by Maz Evans
  2. Violet series by Harriet Whitehorn
  3. A Place Called Perfect series by Helena Duggan
  4. The Wild Robot series by Peter Brown
  5. The Nowhere Emporium series by Ross Mackenzie
  6. Amelia Fang series by Laura Ellen Anderson

So yeah, ALL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS. Sue me. 

What are your favourite series? Do you prefer a standlone or a series? 

Talk to me! Tweet me using #SixforSunday and I’m looking forward to seeing the series I am missing out on!

S x

 

 

S4S – Advice for new bloggers

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Hello there friends! How are we all this last Sunday of September? Have you had a lovely month? What have you done that makes you smile?

Today’s #SixforSunday is all about:

Advice for new bloggers

Now, I do not feel qualified in the slightest to give this advice and I think this advice is as much for me as it is for “new bloggers”.

  1. You do you – this is your blog, you do it how you want to do it. You’re not posting about the same things that you see everyone else is? You don’t set your blog up the way everyone else does? Someone tells you you should be doing something that you don’t want to? Don’t worry about them… your blog, your rules. 
  2. Don’t do something just because everyone is – linked to the first one, just because everyone else is talking about a certain book, doesn’t mean you should be. I was LATE to the Simon party, but that doesn’t matter. 
  3. There is no set schedule – I remember vividly when I first started blogging asking how often everyone posted because I thought there was a rule for how often you should blog. Nope. There’s not. You do you. Post daily, 3 times a week, weekly, monthly… whatever feels right for you.
  4. Do it for the love – I blog because I love to blog. If I ever don’t love it, I’ll stop. Whatever your reasons for blogging are, know that you have to have the love for it above everything else.
  5. Say thank you – whether it’s to fellow bloggers, authors, publicists… say thank you. If they comment, send you something, tell you they read your review, email you, link up to your blog… thank you is a powerful 2 words. I try and use them as often as I can.
  6. Don’t think you need professional equipment to be a blogger – you don’t need a fancy camera to be a blogger. I use my phone. You use what you have at your disposal. 

Basically, blog because you love it and you do you.

Thanks for coming along to #SixforSunday! 

See you next week for: Best debut books!

S x

 

S4S – Reasons I love blogging

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Guten morgen friends! 

How are we all this fine Sunday? (Is it fine where you are? Is it fine where I am?)

How is it Sunday already? WHY DO WEEKENDS GO SO FAST PLEASE?

However, with Sunday comes #SixforSunday… what an excellent silver lining! 

Today’s #SixforSunday post brings you:

Reasons I love blogging

  1. The sense of community
  2. The friends I’ve made
  3. Blogging gives me a creative outlet
  4. I finally have somewhere to shout about the books I love
  5. The opportunities it brings me
  6. Celebrating my friends’ brilliance 

I mean, are there 600 other reasons? ABSOLUTELY, but these are 6 of the top ones! 

I can’t wait to see what you all think of blogging. I love blogging, it has genuinely changed my life for the better. Don’t forget to share your reasons using the hashtag #SixforSunday!

See you next week for: Advice for new bloggers (lol, as if I’m qualified to do that!)

S x

 

S4S – Favourite bloggers

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Morning all! How are we all doing? 

I’ve done my first week back and man alive, I am exhausted… however, I am also just chuffed that I did it! 

Today’s #SixforSunday talks:

Favourite bloggers

Now I realise that my list could literally go on for HOURS on end because I know a whole host of wonderful and brilliant bloggers. This one was HARD. Like proper hard. But let’s go…

It goes without saying that if you don’t already, you should follow all of these blogs, because they’re magnificent.

  1. Kelly @ Kelly’s Rambles
    Whether you’re looking for her incredible bullet journal posts, her brilliant book reviews or just a blog that is so aesthetically pleasing, you’ll find it all here.
  2. Charlotte @ Charlotte Somewhere
    I bloody love Charlotte’s ‘Coffee and…’ series. There’s so much brilliant content on Charlotte’s blog (including letting people choose her TBR!!) that you could be there for hours. Also, massive shout out (sneaky extra blogger on my list…) to her son, S. He’s BRILLIANT. You should definitely check out his Q&A post! 
  3. Rosie @ Rosie Freckle Reads
    I adore Rosie’s Simply Shakespeare series (I need to get round to writing my post, Rosie if you’re reading this, I promise I will!) and her reviews are always lush. 
  4. Andrew @ Pewter Wolf
    Andrew has some amazing discussion posts on his blog which always call for pondering. I also love his reviews – they’re a brilliant length and they actually make sense (unlike mine) and I quite often find myself wanting to get books because of his reviews!
  5. Cora @ Tea Party Princess
    Cora writes brilliant posts and her blog makes me smile every time I look at it. Her photo skills are also lush (I love her instagram… it’s all black and white!)
  6. Grace @ Almost Amazing Grace
    Grace’s blog is for me inspiring. I stole my much beloved ‘happy post’ idea from her blog many months ago. You go on Grace’s blog and there’s such a diverse bevy of blog posts to read from that you could get lost there for hours! 

I know that TECHNICALLY is the end of my list… BUT… I have to add one of my favourite vloggers to this list too… George Lester (if you follow me on twitter, you know I absolutely adore George. I have no shame in this matter!) His videos make me laugh, they make me smile and they’re just such good bloody fun. George is a babe. You should all go subscribe to his channel. It is so worth it. 

As I said, this list could’ve gone on for DAYS, but I’d hate to bore you all! I can’t wait to discover lots of new bloggers because of your #SixforSunday posts! Don’t forget to share on twitter using the hashtag! 

See you all next week for: Blog posts I’ve loved reading!

 S x