Library Book Review – A Year of Nature Poems by Joseph Coelho withKelly Louise Judd (Illustrations)

Library Book

Genre: Poetry

Number of Pages: 32

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS📖

From Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho comes a beautiful anthology of monthly nature poems which encourage a love for the natural world and the importance of looking after it. 

See how animals behave through the seasons, and the cycle of trees and plants, from the first blossoms of spring through to the stark winter wonderland in December. Twelve inspiring poems from Joseph Coelho, one for each month of the year, paired with folk art from Kelly Louise Judd give this book year-round appeal. A beautiful book for your bookshelf, to spark an idea for your own poem, or to teach a love for nature and to help children foster a love for the natural world. 

‘Heart-flutteringly lovely and powerful’ – Book Trust

‘In the classroom, this book could be used as a reference for writers to create their own season poems; play with the language of the original poems or pair their own personal memories with the weather or changing seasons.’ – North Somerset Teachers Book Award

‘This will appeal to all ages and never date…’ – LoveReading4Kids

With stunning illustrations, this true celebration of the world we live in is a treasure for you and your child to share.

💭THOUGHTS💭

I saw this book on the Libby App and thought that I would give it a go for National Poetry Month (in April – I will admit that I forgot to post this review then!). I don’t read a lot of poetry and would generally describe myself as “not a poetry person”. Despite this being the case, I do like to try poetry now and again just in case anything has changed. With regards to this specific poetry book, I found it difficult to get to grips with what was being said. My mind just didn’t work in the way that these poems required, which lead to me giving a 2 star rating. I have no doubt though that others will be able to see what I couldn’t and enjoy reading it.

The illustrations were beautiful and I enjoyed the description at the top of the page about certain things in nature that generally happened in that month. The poem then followed and related back to the description at the top of the page.

I also enjoyed the length. I didn’t want anything too long and so for that this was perfect. You could either get through it in one sitting or you could take your time and easily spread it throughout the year.

Overall a pretty book.

⭐Rated 2/5⭐

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #poetry #library #bookreview #nature

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “fiction”, “spring reading”, “library book”, “book review”, “poetry”, “nature”

Library Book Review – The Adventures of Paddington – The Crown Jewels Caper

Library Book

Genre: Children Aged 2-5

Number of Pages: 32

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS📖

Paddington goes on a royal adventure in this hilarious new picture book! ( This ebook is optimised for Kindle tablets and the Kindle App. It is not suitable for e-Ink kindle devices, such as the PaperWhite. We recommend you download a sample to your device before purchase if in doubt. ) The Browns have planned a special outing for Paddington’s birthday – a trip around London! But when the young cub gets lost and ends up at the Tower of London dressed as a Beefeater, he is mistakenly accused of stealing the Crown Jewels!

💭THOUGHTS💭

I saw this book when I was looking through the Libby App for books with a Royal theme. It was a new book and to my surprise had rather a long wait on it. During my wait the library actually purchased another electronic copy! I can confirm that it was worth the wait and was a lovely book to read. 

The writing was engaging and in fairly long sentences (when looking at the age range on Amazon of 2-5 years). There wasn’t a lot of writing on each page though so it wouldn’t overwhelm a young child reading it, or an adult reading it to a child. 

I particularly liked the fact that the font was a clear, basic font and that all the writing had a white background behind it. There were eye catching, bright and colourful pictures that surrounded the writing, but as they didn’t interfere with it, it was easy to read and would cater well to a wide range of readers. The writing wasn’t always in the same place on each page so that kept you engaged. Whilst the majority of the font was a clear, basic one, I did enjoy that the odd word that was in a different font. That also added interest and an extra layer to the story (as the words were often sounds). I also found the size change of the odd word in the main bulk of the writing interesting. 

Lastly, I enjoyed the typical letter that we expect to see from Paddington to Aunt Lucy, which started at the beginning of the book and finished at the end with Paddington’s pawprint signature. 

The story itself was fairly short, as you would expect from a children’s book, but it was full of action and entertainment. I love Paddington as a character and his personality came through well in this story. 

Overall a lovely book and one that I would recommend!

⭐Rated 5/5⭐

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #romance #library #bookreview #royal #coronation

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “spring reading”, “library book”, “book review”, “coronation”, “romance”, “royal”

👑 Stacking The Shelves/Library Loot- Coronation Day Special 👑

Welcome to my Stacking The Shelves/Library Loot post, hosted by Reading Reality (Stacking the Shelves) and The Captive Reader and Real Life Reading (Library Loot).

This month my reading theme is Royal. I have been lucky enough to get these two books from the Libby App:

The Boy Who Would Be King by Michael Morpurgo (click for link to Goodreads)

Book Description From Goodreads:

“A beautifully illustrated full-colour tribute to King Charles III, published to mark his coronation – from the bestselling creators of There Once Is a Queen.
There once was a boy who was going to be king one day . . .

From the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller Sir Michael Morpurgo comes a poetic celebration of our new monarch, King Charles III, beautifully illustrated in watercolour by acclaimed artist Michael Foreman.

There once was a little boy, born a prince. Encouraged by his parents, he grew up with a passion for the countryside, wanting to look after it. Then, as the longest-serving Prince of Wales in British history, he dedicated decades of his life to raising awareness for conservation. Now our King, his devoted work will continue to inspire the protection of our planet for future generations.

This allegorical story tells how – with the help of a tiny acorn – a wise old woman gives a lonely boy, who would be king, the courage and determination to change the world for the better, for everyone. An exquisite companion to There Once Was a Queen, this commemoration of King Charles III’s coronation is a gift book truly to be treasured.”

Royals by Rachel Hawkins (click for link to Goodreads)

Book Description From Goodreads:

“Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.”

What have you been stacking your shelves with this week?

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #stackingtheshelves #whatshouldIread #library #coronation #royal #childrensbooks

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “royal”, “coronation”, “library”

Book Review – Christmas At Carringtons by Alexandra Brown

Library Book

Genre: Christmas/Romance

Number of Pages: 384

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS 📖

Carrington’s Department store is thrown into a spin when the staff learn that a hot new reality TV show is to be filmed in-store, featuring the formidable retail guru, Kelly Cooper. Georgie Hart, in charge of Luxury Handbags, is reluctant, but quickly realises that the show could give Carrington’s a new lease of life. With Christmas around the corner, she’s also hoping that the season will deliver her the perfect Christmas present, in the form of Tom, the store’s dishy boss.

When the film crew arrive, things start to go wrong. One of Tom’s old flames, Zara, is working on the show and then, to top things off, Tom and Zara are sent off to Paris and New York for a spot of extra filming. When Georgie settles down in front of the box to watch the first show, worse it to come – Georgie is shown in a far from flattering light and she is horrified to learn what Tom has been up to.

Georgie fears this is turning out to be the worst Christmas ever, but Santa might have a got a little surprise in store for her stocking this year – but she’ll just have to wait until Christmas to find out!

💭THOUGHTS💭

I saw this on the Libby App and thought that it was a great looking Christmas read. There was a bit of a wait on it so I had high hopes! I did enjoy it and have since learned that it is part of a series, so I will be keeping that in mind. 

The writing was light and entertaining and I enjoyed being on the journey with the main character. The misunderstandings throughout were interesting and I really felt for her. There were also a couple of emotional moments which I think added to the story. 

It was written from the point of view of the main character which drew me in to the story and made me feel part of the journey. There was a good amount of description that was cleverly weaved in so you could easily picture what was going on. 

There was a fast pace to the story, with things constantly going on. The chapters were a mix of lengths which helped with the pacing and kept my interest. I enjoyed the titles on each of the chapters and I felt that they also helped to move the story on. 

The characters were great. The friendship shone through when the main character was having a time of it, and they added entertainment to the story.  

Lastly the settings. I loved the setting of an old fashioned shopping department. There is something cosy about reading about them especially as they are becoming a rare thing on our high streets. 

Overall an enjoyable Christmas story. 

⭐Rated 4/5⭐

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #christmas #romance

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “winter reading”, “christmas”, “christmas romance”, “library book”

WWW Wednesday – Currently Reading, Finished Reading, Reading Next

It’s W W W Wednesday! Hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words, here are my 3 Ws (Currently Reading, Just Finished Reading and Future Reading):

What I am currently reading:

Christmas At Carrington’s by Alexandra Brown (click for link to Goodreads)

I am still reading this, but now about 70% of the way through!

Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien (click for link to Goodreads)

I have to say that I haven’t read any of this this week. I have been a bit off of my reading with this cold. I am hoping to get back into the swing of it later this week!

What I have finished reading:

NOTHING. I am hoping to finish Christmas At Carrington’s really soon though!

What I am reading next:

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (click for link to Goodreads)

I am on the Blog Tour for this book on 13 January 2023 so keep your eyes peeled for my review on here, Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Book Description From Goodsreads:

“A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love, in this heartwarming and enchanting fantasy.

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.”

What are your 3 Ws for this week?

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #finishedreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #wwwwednesday #winterreading #christmas

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”, “new”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “reading slump” “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “winter reading”, “christmas”

Sunday Salon

Welcome to my Sunday Salon post! Hosted by Readerbuzz this post is a chance to have a weekly bookish and non-bookish catch up with other bloggers.

What I have been reading this week:

Christmas at Carrington’s by Alexandra Brown (click for link to Goodreads)

Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien (click for link to Goodreads)

Memes that I have participated in this week:

Goodreads Monday – Hosted by me Budget Tales Book Blog

Top Ten Tuesday – Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

WWW Wednesday – Hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words

Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday – Hosted by Goodreads T5W group

Book Blogger Hop – Hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

The Friday 56 – Hosted by Freda’s Voice

Sunday Post – Hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer

What else has been happening this week:

Basically nothing, I have caught yet another cold, so even my reading has taken a hit. I have been mainly watching TV as that is all I can “concentrate” on. My mum came round on Thursday after picking me up to collect my son from school (we normally walk home from school, but my son loves Granddad’s car so we treated him!). Saturday we went shopping as I thought that I needed to get out, but I came home feeling my illest yet. Today we are round my partner’s parents house for lunch, but I have been assured that all I be required to do is sit there and be unwell!

I hope that you have had a better week.

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #bibliophile #sundaysalon #winterreading #christmas

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “book meme”, “weekly wrap up”, “sunday salon”, “what books do you recommend”, “what book should I read next”, “winter reading”, “christmas”

Sunday Post

Welcome to my Sunday post hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. A very quiet week this week as I have yet again caught another cold. I am very fed up especially as I have been taking vitamin tablets that are supposed to boost your immune system etc etc!

Anyway, here are this week’s posts:

Sunday Salon (last week)

Goodreads Monday (add your links in the comments section for all to see!) – Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

Monday Night Reading

Top Ten Tuesday – Winter Covers

WWW Wednesday – Currently Reading, Finished Reading, Reading Next

Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday – Ongoing series I am still loving

Happy Publication Day! Dashboard Elvis is Dead by David F Ross

Happy Publication Day! When The Lights Go Out by Chris Curran

Friday 56 – Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien

Book Blogger Hop –  Do you have a favourite reading nook?

I hope that you have all had a good week!

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #sundaypost #autumnreading #fallreading #popularbooks #bookmemes #bookquotes #booklists #christmas

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “mystery”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “winter reading”

Sunday Salon

Welcome to my Sunday Salon post! Hosted by Readerbuzz this post is a chance to have a weekly bookish and non-bookish catch up with other bloggers.

What I have been reading this week:

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (click for link to Goodreads)

A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton (click for link to Goodreads)

Dashboard Elvis Is Dead by David F Ross (click for link to Goodreads)

Memes that I have participated in this week:

Goodreads Monday – Hosted by me Budget Tales Book Blog

Top Ten Tuesday – Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

WWW Wednesday – Hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words

Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday – Hosted by Goodreads T5W group

Time Travel Thursday – Hosted by me Budget Tales Blog

Book Blogger Hop – Hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

The Friday 56 – Hosted by Freda’s Voice

Stacking the Shelves – Hosted by Reading Reality

Sunday Post – Hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer

What else has been happening this week:

My son has been well all week! Finally it has happened! Monday I was at home, Tuesday I went Christmas shopping with my mum to the local town, Wednesday was quiet at home, Thursday I went Christmas shopping with my partner’s mum and Friday I went into school in the morning to read with my son and then in the afternoon I went back in early to see some of his work that he had been doing on London. This weekend we are baking some Christmas cupcakes (and making our Christmas wishes!) and getting the Christmas decorations up as it is the last weekend before the Elves arrive on 1 December!

How has your week been?

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #bibliophile #sundaysalon #autumnreading #fallreading #gothicfiction #christmas

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “book meme”, “weekly wrap up”, “sunday salon”, “what books do you recommend”, “what book should I read next”, “gothic fiction”, “christmas”, “autumn reading”, “fall reading”

Tuesday Night Reading

Such a short amount of reading time this evening that writing this will probably double the time I spent reading! I managed to read a couple of pages of my Blog Tour book Dashboard Elvis Is Dead by David F Ross (so that I can say that I have at least made a start!) and a few more pages of my library book A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton. I was planning on reading a bit of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, but I was just too tired!

I have high hopes for Dashboard Elvis Is Dead even after the tiny amount that I read and I am still enjoying A Bookshop Christmas.

I hope that you had a good Tuesday and enjoyed my Top Ten Tuesday – Thankful Freebie post. Tomorrow on the Blog it’s WWW Wednesday and Top 5 Wednesday.

See you then!

#classicbooks #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworms #bookaddict #bookshelf #goodreads #reads #bookaholic #reader#bookstagram #booklover #reading #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookish #readersofinstagram #booknerd #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #instabook #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookphotography #bookaholic #booklove #bestseller #instabooks #bookclub #currentlyreading

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “new”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “reading slump”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”

Sunday Night Reading

A shorter evening this evening as I had dinner round my parent’s house and didn’t get home till fairly late (for a school night!). I have however managed to read 2 books; The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop by Cressida McLaughlin and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I am enjoying them both and could easily have carried on for much longer with both of them!

I hope that you have had a good Sunday and enjoyed my wrap up posts Sunday Salon and Sunday Post. This weekend has gone way too fast, but then again every week seems to fly by!

Tomorrow on the Blog I am on a Tour for Someone to Kiss by Jamie Anderson and it’s Goodreads Monday.

See you then!

#classicbooks #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworms #bookaddict #bookshelf #goodreads #reads #bookaholic #reader#bookstagram #booklover #reading #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookish #readersofinstagram #booknerd #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #instabook #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookphotography #bookaholic #booklove #bestseller #instabooks #bookclub #currentlyreading

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “new”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “reading slump”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”