Author: Rosie | Little Bird Book Blog

Rosie | Little Bird Book BlogLeave a comment

little scratch by Rebecca Watson

Firstly, huge thank you to Faber for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Faber & Faber
Publication Date: 14/01/2021
Length: 205 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction | Contemporary Fiction

CW: self harm, sexual assault, rape

Blackwells.co.uk

little scratch tells the story of a day in the life of an unnamed woman, living in a lower-case world of demarcated fridge shelves and office politics; clock-watching and WhatsApp notifications. In a voice that is fiercely wry, touchingly delicate and increasingly neurotic, the protagonist relays what it takes to get through the quotidian detail of that single trajectory – from morning to night – while processing recent sexual violence.

GoodReads
Continue reading “little scratch by Rebecca Watson” →

Rosie | Little Bird Book Blog6 Comments

Thoughtful Thursday – My 2021 Goals

Last month I went through what I was able to achieve with my blog in 2020 and now, as it is January, I wanted to outline the goals I have for myself and my blog this year for my first Thoughtful Thursday post! I’m not really one for resolutions, I always start off with good intentions but they never last the full year- I’m lucky if they last past January and some even past 2021!

Goodreads Reading Challenge

Although I managed to read over 100 books in 2020, this is definitely not the norm for me! So, with that in mind, I’m going to set my reading goal at 50 again and hope that last year wasn’t just a fluke!

12 Classics in 12 Months

In addition to my usual reads, each month I want to read a classic or a modern classic. These aren’t necessarily for reviews, but I might do a feature on the classic I read a month if you guys are interested in that. I have an idea of the classics that I want to read but, if you have any suggestions for me I would love to hear them!

Read One Japanese Book

For people that have been following me for the last few months, this might seem like an odd goal considering how much Japanese fiction I read last year. However, what I actually mean by this goal is to pick up Japanese studies again and enough to read a book – whether it be a short story, or more likely, a children’s book.

To Wait Before I Rate

Whilst I was very lucky in 2020 with the amount of great novels that I read, there were a few times where when I reflected a later few days or came to write the review, I felt that the rating I added to GoodReads was no longer accurate. Therefore, this year I’ve decided to wait before adding my rating to GoodReads instead of doing it as soon as I finished the book, as this will be a more accurate reflection of what I thought.

Read More Blog Posts

As things started to pick up towards the end of the year, I found that I was spending less time reading other blogs and reviews so I want to rectify this in 2021! Not only do I want to read more blog posts by the wonderful bloggers that I’m already following, but I want to discover some new ones as well so please send me any recommendations!

Keep Up With Tags Better

I love doing tags and ended up being tagged in quite a few last year, however I struggled to keep up with them as I was still getting settled into a schedule – then by the time I was it felt too late to do it. So next year, I want to stay on top of them much better and take part in them!

What are your goals for 2021? What do you want to focus on? Let me know in the comments!

Rosie | Little Bird Book Blog2 Comments

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Gollancz
Publication Date: 01/05/2005
Length: 590 pages
Genre: Fantasy

CW: human sacrifice, sexism

Blackwells.co.uk

Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.

Arelon’s new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping — based on their correspondence — to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.

GoodReads
Continue reading “Elantris by Brandon Sanderson” →

Rosie | Little Bird Book Blog2 Comments

Thoughtful Thursday – Reflecting on 2020

I can’t believe that it is the end of 2020, if I was reviewing this year the way I would a novel it would simply state that it did not live up to expectations and the pacing was way off at times – the beginning dragged and the end was rushed. That being said, I feel that I have been able to make the best of a, globally, terrible year.

In fact, if it wasn’t for lockdown then I may still be suffering from severe book burnout – instead I have read the most books that I have ever read in a single year. With this renewed enthusiasm for books, and reading, I found myself wanting to talk about them and start blogging again. As I had been away from the book community for as long as I was – I fully expected to spend the first six months to a year just shouting into the internet void. Instead, I was welcomed into the community in a way that I never was before and felt a part of it straight away instead of as an outsider looking in. So, thank you for that and for all the support you have given me.

It feels odd to be doing a year wrap up when I’ve barely been blogging five months or so. However, I think I have achieved a lot in those five months! 

  • I have a total following across all my platforms that exceeds (by a whole lot) the total that I had amassed after five years of blogging previously. 
  • I’ve also taken part in blog tours for the first time and love it!
  • I have created my own blog branding and even bought a domain.
  • So far I have been able to stick to a consistent blog schedule.
  • I have begun to form relationships with publishers and be sent arcs unexpectedly.
  • I am an affiliate of Blackwell’s and Bookshop.org UK. 
  • Most importantly, I have made so many friends in the community and I look forward to making many more in the future.

Outside of blogging the biggest, and most unexpected, aspect of this year was getting a fluffy addition to the family! It still feels very surreal to finally have a cat after wanting one for nearly two decades – even though I’ve only had Yuki for a couple of months I genuinely can’t imagine life without him – or what it feels to sleep through the night… or what it feels like to take photos of something other than him…

This is a fairly short wrap up as, like I said, I have not been back blogging for very long and I’m still very much still finding my feet. I hope to create more new content next year and have a fully fleshed out end of year review for 2021! I’ve already put together some goals for 2021 which I’m excited to share with you all in the New Year!

If you missed my top 5 books of the year, go and check it out – you may even find a new favourite yourself! 

Regardless of what 2020 brought for you this year, I hope that 2021 is everything you need and want it to be. 

Rosie | Little Bird Book Blog1 Comment

Monthly Wrap Up – December 2020

I can’t believe tomorrow is the last day of 2020, it’s insane to think about when how long this year felt back in the Spring! I hope you all managed to enjoy the holiday period despite the pandemic. I haven’t read as much this month which was to be expected with Christmas and New Year, plus I have been working on getting blog content ready for 2021, however I did still manage to read some great novels this month!

Books read this month

This month I read a total of 6 books (6 physical and 0 ebooks)

  1. The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
  2. The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea
  3. The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
  4. Sorry It’s A Girl by A.A. Khan
  5. little scratch by Rebecca Watson
  6. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Favourite books read this month

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
I doubt that this comes as a surprise as all as both of the instalments before this one have made it to this section in previous monthly wrap ups! As you can tell from my previous review, I could talk about this book for a while so I will keep this brief: this is a great end to the series. It was brilliant and bittersweet. I’m genuinely sad that this series is over but it has spurred me to read many more fantasy series in 2021!

The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
This is one fantasy series that I will be continuing in 2021 after loving this first instalment. Although I’ve been reading more fantasy novels this year, I have been slightly disappointed with the lack of fantastical creatures in them (even if the novels were still great) so when I came across this novel all about fantastical beasts and caring for them I was thrilled. I loved the characters in this book and even though it is a title from Pushkin Children, it is one that I would encourage everyone to read no matter how old you are.

little scratch by Rebecca Watson
My full review of this novel will be coming out in a couple of weeks, so you’ll be able to see read my gushing then! Just know that this is a very challenging novel due to its content and the writing style and I loved every page of it. It’s a very raw and refreshing read that I’m still thinking about even now.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
In 2020 I rediscovered my love for fantasy novels and my last book of the year became one of my favourites of the year when I read Brandon Sanderson for the first time, after his books have been recommended to me for quite some time. Filled with brilliant characters in an expertly crafted world with such fascinating lore. I’m very excited to read more of his work in 2021.

Did you manage to get much reading in December? Was it a race to meet your reading challenge goal or did you fit in reading time around what festivities you were able to have? Let me know in the comments!

www.blackwells.co.uk

Rosie | Little Bird Book BlogLeave a comment

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

Publisher: HarperVoyager UK
Publication Date: 26/11/2020
Length: 640 pages
Genre: Fantasy

CW: sexual assault, violence, drug use

Blackwells.co.uk

After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. 

Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation.

Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it? 

GoodReads
Continue reading “The Burning God by R.F. Kuang” →