Tag: s4s

S4S – 2018 Must Reads

5 Comments

Helloooo!

It is Sunday again, which can only mean one thing: #SixforSunday!

Continuing on our mission to spread the love of kids lit this month, today we are looking back to last year and the myriad of increidble books that were released! Today’s #SixforSunday theme is:

2018 Must Read Books

So here we are, 6 books that I read in 2018 that I think are MUST READS for anyone. 

2018 must reads

Brightstorm – an incredible adventure over snowy lands, with wolves, inventions and wonderful characters.

Truth Pixie – mental health meets kids lit in this incredible story of the Truth Pixie. Matt Haig can do NO wrong in my eyes!

Pages and Co – you can’t get better than a book featuring other books. I loved Anna James’ debut novel of Tilly and her wonderful bookish life. 

Secret on the Night Train – a surprise in this category, but I adored it. It’s a brilliant book for 5-8s and I think we need more books like this!

The Storm Keeper’s Island – Catherine Doyle’s debut kids novel was magical and EVERYTHING you could need from a beautiful book. I can’t wait for the sequel!

The Lost Magician – this book was another bookish book. I adored every page of it!

Don’t forget to share your must reads from 2018 with me! Use the hashtag #SixforSunday! Let’s get the world talking about kids lit! Celebrate the books that came out last year that we love. 

See you next week for 2019 must reads!

S x 

S4S – Books from my childhood

6 Comments

Afternoon! How is everyone on this here chilly Sunday?

Today we’re here for another installment of #SixforSunday! I hope you’re enjoying this celebration of everything kids lit… I know I am! 

Today’s #SixforSunday is a celebration of:

Books from my childhood

So here are 6 books that I read as a child, or that were read to me as a child that I STILL find myself wanting to reread as an adult!

I don’t think these will really surprise anyone. Some of the best stories I’ve ever read are still here on this list. I’ve included books form being a proper tiny to vividly remembering reading them as a child and them sparking a love of reading in me!

Share your favourite 6 books from childhood with me using the hashtag #SixforSunday and I’l check them out! 

See you next week! 

S x 

S4S does #kidslit – Kids books I love!

2 Comments

Hello there!

We are in April now. April’s #SixforSunday is all about celebrating one of my fave kinds of books:

KIDS LIT.

Kids lit is BLOODY MAGNIFICENT and people need to start realising this… hence why I’m spending a month of #SixforSundays celebrating kids lit! 

We are kicking off this week with the prompt:

Children’s books I love

Now I’m technically going to cheat here and go with authors I love… 

  1. David Litchfield
    The Bear and the Piano is one of my favourite picture books to ever exist… and when the second one came out I was overjoyed! 
  2. Maz Evans
    Yes, yes, I know. This will come as no surprise to be on the list, but you guys REALLY need to get on the Who Let The Gods Out? train if you’re not on it already. That series is just BLOODY wonderful and hilarious.
  3. Lisa Thompson
    I’ve had the utter joy of meeting Lisa and she’s properly lovely! Her books are all equally wonderful, but I have a very special place in my heart for her newest book The Day I Was Erased. My kids and I just devoured it!
  4. Kiran Milwood Hargrave
    Kiran can do NO wrong in my eyes. Her kids books are like written gold. They’re so beautiful and have such incredible worlds. Girl of Ink and Stars will FOREVER be my fave Kiran book: that book man. Read it if you haven’t.
  5. Oliver Jeffers
    Another author who I believe has written absolute winner after winner. I know his books are VERY popular with teachers and parents alike and RIGHTLY SO. I just adore his books. Massivest shout out to The Heart and the Bottle.
  6. Abi Elphinstone
    I can’t NOT write about kids authors I love and not mention Abi. Her books are JUST wonderful (so wonderful that I definitely had 3 copies of The Dreamsnatcher borrowed and never returned by my kids!) Her newest adventure Rumblestar is a PROPER winner and I can’t wait for everyone to experience it! 

Remember to share your #SixforSunday posts with me! I can’t wait to see everyone shouting about kids lit this month! 

Come back next week for #SixforSunday does Books from my childhood!

S x 

 

 

S4S – Debut authors

1 Comment

Hello there! It is Sunday again, which means it is once again time for #SixforSunday! The final #SixforSunday of March – boohoo! But there is OF COURSE more #SixforSunday to come next month (when we will be celebrating everything MG books… I KNOW RIGHT!) 

Today’s #SixforSunday sees us celebrating:

An ode to debut authors

I toyed for a very long time about where to take this prompt. I’m loving seeing everyone’s interpretations of the prompts on a weekly basis btw! Keep up the good work. I decided to write my #SixforSunday post for 2019 debuts I can’t wait to get my hands on (or 2019 debuts I’ve already got my hands on and loved!)

  1. A Pocketful of Stars by Aisha Bushby
    FOR REAL. This is one of the books I am MOSTexcited for this year. I adore Aisha (she is such an amazing humn) and my kids and I are patiently waiting for this to arrive so we can JUST DEVOUR it.
  2. Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes
    I was VERY lucky to have read this quite a while before it came out, and guys, let me tell you it is EXCEPTIONAL. 
  3. Shadowscent by P.M.Freestone
    I heard about this at the Scholastic Blogger event and my word… this is a book I need to dive into ASAP. It sounds exceptional.
  4. The Paper and Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie
    I am currently reading this and I’m digging it. My full review will be online once I’m finished. But I know this is one that is HIGHLY anticipated by many!
  5. We are Blood and Thunder by Kesia Lupo
    This is one I managed to get my hands on and I DEVOURED it in the space of a train journey. It’s just exceptional. I HOPE we will get more because I loved both of the girls so much and their world is just brilliant!
  6. Oh My Gods by Alexandra Shepperd
    This is another one that I’ve read already and I just adored it. It’s so fun. Would recommend WHOLE HEARTEDLY!

And there you have 6 of my MANY MANY most anticipated debuts of 2019! Don’t forget to share your #SixforSunday post with me and share it on twitter! 

S x 

S4S – An Ode to my Favourite Genre

3 Comments

Happy Sunday!

How are we all this Sunday morning? What are you reading at the minute? 

It’s Sunday again, so that means it’s time for #SixforSunday. Continuing on our mission to spread love for our favourite bookish things (so far we’ve spread love to our favourite authors, illustrators, bookish couples!), we are today sharing:

An ode to favourite genre

Now, this was EASY PEASY for me. I have one resounding favourite genre. It will not surprise anyone to know my favourite genre is fantasy. So here goes, my favourite 6 things about reading fantasy books:

  1. You have some of the best main characters that could possibly exist (I could be here a while naming them all that I love, but know that it is your characters who are among some of my favourites)
  2. The worlds that are created within you are some of the most vivid and places I’d love to visit (I’d be terrified and would definitely die within minutes because I am not built for a fantasy novel)
  3. There are incredible adventures that happen within your pages (again, I’d not go on them, but I LOVE reading about them!)
  4. You have some of the WORST (best) villains who can possible exist (they’re generally horrid horrid people who I hate but who make the stories so much more incredible)
  5. MAGIC (everything about me wants to have magic, so living vicariously through your characters is just wonderful)
  6. The authors of your books are some of my favourites in the land 

YES THOUGH. I mean, I’m not a high fantasy kind of girl, but YES FANTASY. 

Don’t forget to share your #SixforSunday on twitter and let me know which genre is your favourite! 

See you next week for #SixforSunday does An Ode to Debuts

S x 

 

 

S4S – Fave bookish couples

5 Comments

Good afternoon! 

Sorry for my radio silence this week – it was a MAD weekend last weekend and I just never did manage to catch my tail. Don’t worry… this week I have a whole host of blog posts coming to you! 

However, today we are here to celebrate another week of #SixforSunday! I’m loving this month of finding my favourite bookish things! This week we are celebrating:

Favourite bookish couples

Now, I’m going to TRY and be unspoilery, but TO BE HONEST the statute for spoilers may have ran out on most of them! 

  1. Jin and Amani
    These 2 are my everything. The Rebel of the Sands trilogy is just one of those sheer delights in the world and I think everyone should go and read it. JIN THO.
  2. Sorrow and [spoiler redacted]
    I don’t know that this would be a spoiler, but Song of Sorrow has only been out a little while, so I won’t spoil it. But if you’ve read it… YOU KNOW. Oh you know. (If you haven’t and WANT to know, hit me up and I am HAPPY to talk about it!)
  3. Simon and Blue
    Let’s be real, I couldn’t NOT choose these two. I just ADORE them. As I read Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda, I just wanted more. I want a book of just Simon and Blue goodness though. So if someone could make that happen, I’d be grateful. Or if someone could point me in the direction of Simon/Blue fanfic that they love… I’d be on board for that thanks.
  4. Rhys and Steffi
    Fans of Sara Barnard will know that she writes the BEST. I love that Sara writes HEALTHY relationships and her boys are genuinely good eggs. I don’t think you can beat Rhys though. (Connor comes a close second… I’ll give him that!) A Quiet Kind of Thunder is INCREDIBLE, so if you haven’t read it, then get on it!
  5. Inej and Kaz
    Do we technically know these two are a thing? NO BUT I SHIP IT. They quite clearly love each other an incredible amount. And I love it OK? If you’ve not read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, then please get on it ASAP.
  6. August and Beck
    I think I’ve decided that CGDrews can do no wrong in my eyes (even though her writing KILLS ME). In A Thousand Perfect Notes my HEART was living for August and Beck. I just love a good like “she brings light into my life” kind of moment. In fact, August and Beck are 2 of my favourite book characters of ever. 

Shout out to many many many other bookish couples. I LOVE a good ship. Like, seriously love a ship. I am a PROPER romantic at heart!

Don’t forget to share your #SixforSunday posts with me and use the hashtag on twitter! 

See you next week for An Ode To: Your Favourite Genre

S x 

S4S – An ode to… my favourite author

2 Comments

HOLA. 

Tis I, your friend, #SixforSunday, again! Welcome back to my home. Here we start a new month and a new theme for #SixforSunday in March. In March, we are celebrating the things we love most about the bookish things in our lives. March’s theme is titled “An ode to…” so this is a brilliant time to celebrate everything you love about your fave author/illustrator/bookish couples/genre and debut authors/novels. I am very excited for this month, because I am ALL FOR having a good shout about things I love most. 

Today’s #SixforSunday prompt is:

An ode to… my favourite author

I love MANY authors. Like, this post could have been dedicated to many many humans that I love most. In fact, I could do a MONTH of this post (that wouldn’t be very interesting for you lot to read…) and still not have dedicated my life to enough authors. 

However, being very on brand… I am dedicating my ode to Queen Mel. (I KNOW RIGHT SHOCKER!!) 

To Mel, thank you for:

  1. Being brilliant and badass (you never fail to just be BRILLIANT)
  2. Writing incredible females (Sorrow is just wonderful and I am ever so thankful for you bringing Twylla into my life… we all know how much I love Twylla)
  3. Bringin Luvian Fen into existence (if you’ve read Song of Sorrow, you’ll know why I needed to make this a thing. I love Luvian Fen so so so so much)
  4. Being HILARIOUS (if you’re not following Mel on twitter, then you most definitely should be…)
  5. Always having an ear for me (whether it’s to let me livetweet you as I read your books, to offer me a shoulder to cry on, or a place to rant…)
  6. Showing me I’m brilliant (thank you for the times you’ve done this, particularly when you told me to embrace my crown)

I have WAY MORE THAN 6 things to write in my ode… but there’s 6 of the most important ones! I could keep going and turn this into a letter… but I decided to keep it short and sweet.

Share your ode on your blog and share the author love – use the hashtag #SixforSunday, cause I want authors to know how much we love them! 

See you next week for An ode to… my favourite illustrator! I can’t wait to see what people’s choices are!

S x 

 

S4S – LGBTQ+ TBR

16 Comments

Hellooooo…

Today is the last #SixforSunday celebrating all things Pride. But let’s be honest, my life is all about celebrating pride, so expect to see some more things about it in the future! 

A quick thank you from me to say thank you to everyone who has suggested books for me to read, or characters for me to discover, in the past month or so. I’m all about diversifying my reading pile, so please keep suggesting me books! 

Today’s #SixforSunday is:

What’s still on my LGBTQ+ TBR pile!?

So these are either newly recommended books to me, or books I own that I still haven’t got round to reading!

I already own 2 of these, I need to get to buying/borrowing the others! 

See you next week for March’s #SixforSunday theme of  ‘An ode to…’, starting with your favorite author. 

S x 

S4S – Characters I’d Go On A Date With…

4 Comments

Evening #SixforSunday pals,

How are we all on this fair Sunday? It’s been very sunny (but chilly) in Newcastle today. I’ve been for my breakfast, cried at my book on the bus home (standard Elliott craic really) and have scheduled all of next week’s blog posts… I know, productive OR WHAT?!

Today’s #SixforSunday post was one which took me some time to think of because I had TOO MANY ANSWERS and then was brutal and had NO answers… so bear with me! 

Today we’re talking:

Six characters I’d like to go on a date with

Now I’m listing characters, regardless of their sexuality (because let’s be frank, they’re fictional so it won’t happen anyway!)

  1. Izzy O’Neill from The Opposite of Okay.
    Yes, she’d frighten the life out of little old me, but she’s HILARIOUS and I have such a weakness for people who make me laugh.
  2. Kaz bloody Brekker from Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.
    Do I even need to explain this one?!
  3. Luvian Fen from State of Sorrow.
    I love this sarcastic, charming, witty twat man 
  4. Jin from Rebel of the Sands trilogy.
    JIN THO. I mean, I can’t NOT want to go on a date with him. I think he is one of my biggest fictional crushes in the world.
  5. Amani from Rebel of the Sands trilogy.
    She’s badass, she’s brilliant, she’s funny – what more could I possibly want?!
  6. Emery from The Paper Magician trilogy
    I adore this man. I miss him so much. I may have to read The Paper Magician again soon. 

What about you? Who are some of your fictional crushes? I have ALL KINDS of other people on my list… but those, I think, are my final 6. Ask me again in a few months and I’m sure it would look VERY different!

Remember to share your #SixforSunday posts using the hashtag!

S x 

S4S – Fave LGBTQ+ characters

4 Comments

Good afternoon friends! 

How are we all this fine (but chilly) Sunday?! I hope you are all well. I was in London yesterday for the Scholastic Book Feast blogger event (see my post coming next week for more details!) and today I’m just chilling. 

You’re not here to hear how my weekend has been though, you’re here for #SixforSunday… I know your priorities! 

Today’s #SixforSunday prompt is:

Favourite LGBTQ+ characters

Surprisingly, all of my fave LGBT+ characters are all male characters! 

  1. Jack from Jack of Hearts and Other Parts by L.C.Rosen
    He just made me laugh SO much. I loved him. I MAY have to reread this book sometime soon. 
  2. Simon AND Blue from Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
    I couldn’t choose between them, so I get to choose them both. 
  3. Aaron from More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera
    I just wanna hug him. I’ve BEEN there. Poor Aaron
  4. A from Someday/Every Day/Another Day by David Levithan
    Tbh, I could have chosen ANY of David Levithan’s characters, but A is one of those characters who has stuck with me for a few years now. I really love the character of A.
  5. Aled from Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
    I remember reading this book and LOVING Aled so much. This is another book I need to reread sometime soon. Would DEFINITELY recommend.
  6. Jimmy from I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman
    I loved Jimmy. In fact, I loved MOST of the characters in this book and Alice Oseman does SUCH GOOD diverse characters. 

So… since the men are repping here… can you all shout your fave LGBTQ+ characters at me? I need more of them in my life! 

S x