The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

It's Tuesday and perhaps time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was comfort reads. Here's my picks. The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans Description from Goodreads Today is the Mondayest Monday ever. Hallie Winstone has been fired – and it wasn’t even her fault! Having lost her job and humiliated herself in front of a whole restaurant full of diners, this is absolutely, one hundred percent, the worst day of her life. That is until she receives an email announcing that she is the lucky winner of the Once Upon a Page Bookshop! Owning a bookshop has always been Hallie’s dream, and when she starts to find secret love letters on the first pages of every book, she knows she's stumbled across something special. Things get even better when she meets gorgeous, bookish Dimitri and between them, they post a few of the hidden messages online, reuniting people who thought they were lost forever. But maybe it’s time...

As May is more or less over, I figured out it was time for a monthly summary of all the books I've read this month. The books I've read in May 2022 are... Lace and Lies by Nancy Warren Bobbles and Broomsticks by Nancy Warren Popcorn and Poltergeists by Nancy Warren Garters and Gargoyles by Nancy Warren Diamonds and Daggers by Nancy Warren Herringbones and Hexes by Nancy Warren Ribbing and Runes by Nancy Warren The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon The Thirteenth Koyote by Kristopher Triana Only the Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones Måneønsket by Helene B. Clamén

It's Sunday and perhaps time for a new #SixForSunday post, courtesy of A Little But A Lot . The theme of the week was stories that feels like magic. Here's my six picks. Chocolat by Joanne Harris The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen by Ada Bright & Cass Grafton Astrid And Veronika by Linda Olsson The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans The Saffron Trail by Rosanna Ley

I came across the A to Z TBR Book Tag over at  Lala's Book Reviews and decided to participate, as it looked like a fun tag to do. Although I found books for most of the letters, I didn't find any for Q and X. Here's my A to Z TBR. A - Ash by Malinda Lo B - Black Water Sister by Zen Cho C - Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi D - Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland E - Emma and the Vampires by Jane Austen and Wayne Josephson F - Fable by Adrienne Young G - Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan H - Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones I - Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao J - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton K - Kindred by Octavia E. Butler L - Little One by Sarah A. Denzil M - Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice N - Nana by Brandon Massey O - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon P - Perennial by Bryce Gibson Q - N/A R - Runemarks by Joanne Harris S - She's Magic & Midnight Lace by Ann Marie Eleazer T - Talk Bookish To Me by Kate Bromley U - Ulysses by James Joyce V - V2 by Robert...

It's Friday, which means it's time for a new Let's Talk Bookish post, courtesy of  Book Nook Bits and the theme of the week was tracking reading. Here's the further prompts. Do you keep track of the books you read? If so, do you use Goodreads? Storygraph? Another platform? Has the way you keep track of your reading changed since you started blogging? What are the pros and cons of tracking your reading? Personally, I track my reading with Goodreads, even though I'm tempted to jump over to Storygraph, but haven't made the plunge yet. Storygraph seems a bit neat with the graphs and such and some different things than Goodreads (as well as NOT having that link with Amazon). When I first started blogging, I also used a Norwegian website called Bokelskere, but as I had to manually add the majority of the English books I read, I found it a bit too much of a chore being both places, so I dropped the Norwegian one after a while. I would say that the pros of tracking th...

As it is Dracula Day and I'm a bit of a Dracula/vampire geek, it's pretty obvious that I had to write a list of book recommendations for today. So in honour of Dracula Day, here's five books to pick up if you're into vampires (and of course I'm listing Dracula). Dracula by Bram Stoker Description from Goodreads When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck; and a lunatic asylum inmate raves about the imminent arrival of his 'Master'. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire. Stoker's Wilde by Stephen Hopstak...

It's Wednesday and time for a new Top Five Wednesday post, courtesy of Top Five Wednesday , and the theme of the week was colours of spring, aka book covers with a spring vibe to them. Here's my five picks. The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns Where the Light Gets In by Lucy Dillon A Summer to Remember by Sue Moorcroft The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts by Annie Darling

It's Tuesday and perhaps time for yet another Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was a book quote freebie, so I decided writing a list of quotes about books and reading. Here's my picks. "There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." Walt Disney "My alma mater was books, a good library…. I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity." Malcolm X "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." C.S. Lewis "You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." Ray Bradbury "The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries." Descartes "Books are a uniquely portable magic." Stephen King "A room without books is like a body without a soul." Cicero "I have a passion for teaching kids t...

As I have a World Literature Project going on, I ended up reading The Blue Sky by Galsan Schinag from Mongolia and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads In the Altai Mountains of northern Mongolia, the nomadic Tuvan people’s ancient way of life is colliding with the pervasive influence of modernity. For the young shepherd boy Dshurukuwaa, the confrontation comes in stages. First his older siblings leave the family yurt to attend a distant boarding school, followed by the death of his beloved grandmother and with it, the connection to the tribe’s traditions and deep relationship to the land. But the greatest tragedy strikes when his dog — “all that was left to me” — dies after ingesting poison set out by the boy’s father to protect the herd from wolves. His despairing questions to the Heavenly Blue Sky are answered only by the silence of the wind. The first and only member of the Tuvans to use written language to tell stories, Galsan Tschinag chronicles their tradi...

Det er søndag og kanskje på tide med en ny Smakbit på Søndag, som blir arrangert av Betraktninger . For litt siden leste jeg krimromanen A Witch Hunt in Whitby av Helen Cox og boka omhandler en seriemorder som tapper ofrene sine for blod, og de ender opp med to stikk-lignende merker på halsen. Til felles er at alle ofrene har en eller annen link til det okkulte. Bibliotekaren og privatetterforskeren Kitt Hartley er blant de som skal etterforske det hele. Smakebiten jeg vil dele, er fra da Kitt og to venner møtes i York. "Morning, both, glorious day, weather-wise, isn't it?", said Kitt, her smile considerably wider than one might expect given the mammoth task ahead. She breezed past Grace and Evie, who had beaten her down to the meeting place and were sitting on a bench. She then unrolled a large tartan blanket from her satchel and began spreading it out on the grass enar the weathered ruins of St Mary's Abbey. The opportunity to lounge out on the grass surrounded by ...

Earlier this year, I read the South-Korean novel Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy. Kim Jiyoung is a sister made to share a room while her brother gets one of his own. Kim Jiyoung is a female preyed upon by male teachers at school. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father blames her when she is harassed late at night. Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn't get put forward for internships. Kim Jiyoung is a model employee but gets overlooked for promotion. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career and independence for a life of domesticity. Kim Jiyoung has started acting strangely. Kim Jiyoung is depressed. Kim Jiyoung is mad. Kim Jiyoung is her own woman. Kim Jiyoung is every woman. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is the life story of one young woman born at the end of the twentieth century and raises questions about endemic misogyny and instit...

A while ago I read the short story collection Mother's Beloved: Stories From Laos by Outhine Bounyavong, which enabled me to cross off yet another country in my World Literature Project. Today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads This book presents 14 of Outhine Bounyavong's short stories in English translation alongside the Lao originals, marking his formal debut for an American audience. It is also the first collection of Lao short stories to be published in the English language. Peter Koret's Introduction explores the history of modern Lao literature and considers Outhine's writing within this broader context. My Thoughts on the Book Although I found some of the short stories a wee bit basic and simple, Mother's Beloved was still an entertaining read with glimpses from Laos and for that, it was worth the read.

I came across The Europe Traveller Book Tag over at  The Book Dutchesses and decided to play along as it looked like a fun tag to do. Here's the prompts. France – Your favourite love story The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans Spain – A colourful cover The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns Italy – A book taking place in Summer The Lemon Tree Hotel by Rosanna Ley Greece – A book with mythology Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi Belgium – A book with politics In the Name of Honour by Mukhtar Mai Ireland – A book with a strong friendship group Pieces of Happiness by Anne Østby The Netherlands – Flowers on the cover! Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang Germany – A book taking place at Christmas Murder Most Festive by Ada Moncrieff

It's Wednesday and time for a new Top Five Wednesday, courtesy of  Top Five Wednesday and the theme of the week was current obsessions. Here's my five picks. The Story So Far by Jane Eklund A Witch Hunt in Whitby by Helen Cox The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

It's Tuesday again and perhaps time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was books I was SO EXITED to get, but still haven't read. My picks are; The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab Heartless by Marissa Meyer Wench by Maxine Kaplan Ash by Malinda Lo Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao One for All by Lillie Lainoff Lizzie by Dawn Ius