The most beautiful bookish places I know

There are some beautiful book havens in the world and obviously they are all miles away from me. This week is sort of like a bucket list for me, of all the places I want to go when I have enough time (and money). The majority of these placces are in Europe so maybe I'll plan an epic road trip and visit them all one summer.

Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, Italy

My family actually went here last year, but I was still in school so I didn't get to go. The idea of a floating bookshop is magical and the decorations are all nautical so it looks like you are inside a boat. My favourite picture from this shop is the one of the boat that is full of books of all shapes and sizes, which is a book lovers dream (or at least my dream). Sometimes stray cats wander in off the streets so you might get to see a fluffy friend when you go there.

Boekhandel Dominicanen (Polare Maastricht) in Maastricht, The Netherlands

I actually only live about an hour away from this  bookshop so I could very easily get here. The book shop itself isn't spectacular, especially not for English readers, but the building itself is gorgeous. The church is a Medieval Dominican church that has been converted into a bookshop and the beautiful, swooping arches are enough to distract anyone form the books.

Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France

Arguably the most famous bookshop in Paris, I've always dreamt of visiting this bookshop. It looks like the definition of organised chaos, utterly beautiful but also frantic. One day I'm going to live in Paris and spend as much time as possible visiting this bookshop.

Word on the Water in London, England

This bookshop is a lovely 1920s Dutch barge that floats around the Thames all year round. Apparently there is a wood burning stove for the winter months which is a) dangerous b) absolutely adorable. I'll have to hunt it down next time I'm in London and have a look around.

Cărturești Carusel Bookstore in Bucharest, Romania

This is the fanciest bookshop I think I have ever seen, with ornate staircases and white...everything. It looks clean, fancy and modern with light pouring in from the ceiling windows that cover the roof. I think I'd be intimidated by how many books are held in this shop.

Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal

I understand why JKR used this bookshop as inspiration for Harry Potter because it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It is this fancy place that has beautiful staircases, lots of dark wood everywhere, and ceiling to floor bookshelves.

Admont Abbey Library in Admont, Austria

So technically Admont Abbey Library is not a bookshop, but it is too beautiful to leave off this list. The ceilings are decorated like the Sistine Chapel with the same extravagant, stunning paintings.

Which of these beautiful bookshops have you been to? Which do you want to go to?

Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
Release Date: September 12, 2017
Pages: 416
Rating: 💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Three years ago, Tanner Scott was nudged  temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity. It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel . And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him. 


I adored this book. Not only is it GORGEOUS, but it is such a heart-warming story that made me feel so good inside.

Autoboyography is a typical, coming-of-age story, and I am here for it. I loved the fact that everything felt like a 'stereotypical' high school contemporary because the fact that they are both on the spectrum isn't forced on you. Obviously the book does talk about them being gay/bi but it is more an exploration of the Mormon religion and having a relationship when you're young. It was a coming-of-age story that warmed my heart to the core.

I loved the way that the Mormon religion wasn't portrayed as some sort of evil overbearing force. Of course there were moments when the religion seemed (kicking gay children out of their households), but the book also explored the sweeter sides of the Mormon belief system. I knew nothing about the Mormons before reading this book, apart from the fact that they are very strict and very religious, but after reading Autoboyography I just wanted to learn more and more about the Mormons. I don't know how accurate the representation in this book was (I can't remember if it is own voices or not), but every topic that was 'explored' in this novel seemed explored well.

There was definite insta-love in this book which irked me a little (and is literally the only reason why I gave it 4 stars, not 5). I am all for love at first sight, and think it is one of the cutest things in this world. But when a character won't stop talking about how 'fit' their boyfriend is, I get annoyed. Talk about their personality! Don't be shallow!

Overall I loved this book. It was a cute and beautiful coming-of-age book that had great representation for some under-represented topics. I want everyone to read this book because it filled my heart with so much hope for the world, and I think we need some hope these days.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Release Date: October 20, 2015
Pages: 624
Rating:💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the worst thing she'd ever been through. That was before her planet was invaded. Now, with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra are forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating craft, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their biggest threat; and nobody in charge will say what's really going on. As Kady plunges into a web of data hacking to get to the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: Ezra. 

I was surprisingly let down by this book. After all the hype that had surrounded it I was expecting an incredible master piece, but I just didn't get find what was so incredible about this book.

This book is  definitely beautiful; anyone could see that. The diagrams and pictures that make up the majority of this book were what kept me reading. I loved the format of the book because it was so different from every other book I ever read. There were interviews, messenger chats, files and logs that had been collected together to make this book and tell the story of what happened on these spaceships. It was different and intriguing and, honestly, the only reason why I picked up the book.

Where this book fell short was with the characters. Personally, I am a character reader. I need to know what they look like, what their dreams are, what they like to eat for breakfast, everything about the character. I just love to be able picture the characters and what they are doing. Even if the book only has a tiny description of what they look like, I'm able to picture their voice talking and it makes my reading experience so much more enjoyable. But with this book, there was none of that. I had no idea what the characters were like, and the little bits of information we did get I didn't like. Both the main characters were whiny and annoying which made me feel detached from them. I wasn't invested in them, and I didn't really care what happened next.

I might be willing to give this book another chance in the future, especially if I listen to the audiobook. I had no problems with the plot of the book, but because I couldn't imagine the characters voices I couldn't enjoy the story.

So there we go. I would recommend that you read this book, but maybe chose the audiobook version over the physical version (or do both, go crazy!).

The Fall Book Tag

It is finally Autumn again and I couldn't be happier. I love Autumn so much, it is colder, cosier and the world just becomes so pretty.

This tag, created by the Bionic Bookworm, is the Fall Book Tag which suggests it is created by someone American. I actually researched why it is Autumn in English and Fall in America, because I'm a word nerd and love to learn (I know, ultimate nerd). In short, autumn and fall were both used in England but because autumn is from Latin and English people spoke Latin for a lot longer than those who lived in America. 

Anyway...onto the tag!

Crisp Fall Leaves - A book that felt fresh and new

I generally read the same style and genre of book (because I'm not very adventurous) but one book that did feel new was  Daughter of Smoke and Bones by Laini Taylor. I don't read fantasy very often because I struggle to stay focused, but this book had me hooked.

Howling Winds - An ending that blew you away

This might not be very original but I'm going to say Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. This book, and indeed the whole series, had so many twists and turns that everything in this book was surprising. I honestly was expecting the ending that came with this book and I spent a solid fortnight getting over the ending.

Comfy sweater - A book that gave you warm, fuzzy feelings

To All The Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han is the warmest and fuzziest book I've ever read. Although Harry Potter makes me feel warm and fuzzy, TATBILB is loveliness in a book.

Bright colours - A book cover with yellow, red or orange on it

The most obvious book for this one is Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It has all three of these colours on it and does scream autumn. Although the story doesn't have anything to do with autumn, being set predominantly in space, it is all the colours of autumn.

Leaf Fight - A book with non-stop action

Definitely The Sign of One by Eugene Lambert, the one book series I can't stop raving about. This whole series is jammed full of action and adventure which kept me gripped to the very end.

Pumpkin Spice - Your most anticipated read

I don't have too many new releases on my radar at the moment but one that I am very excited about is Broken Things by Lauren Oliver. I love Lauren Oliver's writing style and this book sounds so intriguing. I've been really into mystery books at the moment so this is right up my alley.

Which books remind you of Autumn? Which genre do you read the most at this time? 

Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Books that take up too much space on my shelf

Top Ten Tuesday: Longest Books I’ve Ever Read

I don't read long books very often, mainly because I love sitting down and reading a book in one sitting (although they do also intimidate me a little). Another problem I have with long books is the fact that I'm a chapter reader: I read one chapter, do some work, then read another chapter until I've done all my work. Longer books mean longer chapters and that just doesn't work for me.

HOWEVER, I have read a couple of long books in my life. Most of these books took me weeks to read and still intimidate me, even though I've read them. I still can't believe I've actually read them, and can't imagine ever reading them again.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Amazon - Book Depository - Goodreads

Total page count: 4,911

This book series is famous for being incredibly long, with the longest book being 870 pages (Order of the Phoenix). Surprisingly enough this book is actually my favourite book of the entire series, even though it is the longest. And even though the series is 4,911 pages in total I've read it 5 times in my life. I guess that is just the magic of Harry Potter.

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer 

Amazon - Book Depository - Goodreads

Total page count: 629

The third, and arguably best, book in the Twilight series is actually a lot longer than I remembered. The book series was actually fairly good up until the fourth book, so I guess you could say that this book was Stephanie Meyer's last triumph. 

Dreams of Gods and Monster by Laini Taylor

Amazon - Book Depository - Goodreads

Total page count: 613

This series killed me. I read the entire thing in two weeks, which was far too fast I'll admit, but I couldn't put it down. I don't often read fantasy but this was entirely captivating. The funniest thing is that now I look at this and can only feel dread at how long it is. I don't know how long it would take me to read it now, but it is definitely going to be longer than two weeks!

Illuminae by Amie Kaufmann
Amazon - Book Depository - Goodreads
Total page count: 608

I didn't actually enjoy this book when I read it. I felt awful about disliking this book when everyone else was raving about it but I just couldn't get into the story. It was so long and the writing style was so different from what I'm used to that I ended up getting bored. I guess this is what happens when you go into a book with such high expectations.

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
Amazon - Book Depository - Goodreads
Total page count: 597

I will read literally any Rick Riordan no matter how long it is. I remember reading this book, putting it down, and wishing it was longer. It was over too fast and I wasn't prepared for the story to end. Maybe it is just Rick's utterly captivating writing style that kept me hooked, or maybe it is my total adoration for these book characters that kept me reading; either way I loved the story.

Hunger by Michael Grant
Amazon - Book Depository - Goodreads
Total page count: 590

I don't know whether I talk about this series enough on here but it my favourite series in the world. My first YA series and my first dystopian...anything. It is one of the only series I've read where I had to wait for the next book to be released before I could read it and it was absolute torture. Surprisingly the second book in this series was the longest, which (in my mind) makes no sense.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Amazon - Book Depository - Goodreads
Total page count: 584

This book! This book! It may be long but it only takes one page to destroy you. I loved this book when I read it about 4 years ago, and ever since then I've wanted to re-read it. When you look at this book it really doesn't feel like it is almost 600 pages long, but I guess it has very thin pages that makes it this long.

What is  the longest book you've ever read? Which book on your shelf is the longest?
Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
Release Date: January 1,  1962
Pages: 211
Rating: 💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother are visited by a most disturbing stranger who is connected to Meg's father, who had been experimenting with a fifth dimension of time travel, when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their journey?


This classic is such a great introduction to the sci-fi genre. As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy sci-fi I loved this story, and really enjoyed reading this story. It seems to go quite fast because of how short  it is, meaning you can fly through it.

To be honest, I don't know if I would have read this book if I wasn't so interested in the movie. It looked so interesting and peculiar that I knew I had to read the book as soon as possible. I didn't even realise it was so short; I thought it was going to be a 500-page classic that would send me to sleep. But this book did the opposite to me. It made me interested in the sci-fi worlds that people create, and the idea of time travel, so I'm glad it opened up my eyes to this genre.

The book did seem to drag on a bit, and I even considered DNF-ing it a couple of times. There just seemed to be a lot of talking and not a lot of doing anything. It wasn't until the last chapter or two that any action really happened, and even then it wasn't that dramatic. I guess it was more of an exploration of the sci-fi genre (considering when it was written) rather than a sci-fi book, but it did make it harder to get through. And the ending was so vague that I couldn't believe that was how it ended!It just sort of ended, like many books from that time do, with little to no explanation. It just...stopped.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and I'm super excited for the film (which has just come out!). However I did feel a little let down by the book, especially after how much everyone has been raving about it, so I'll have to see if I enjoy the film more!

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Pages: 380
Rating: 💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Everything is going right for Lucy Hansson, until her mom’s cancer reappears. Just like that, Lucy breaks with all the constants in her life and lands at a camp for kids who have been through tough times. As a counsellor, Lucy is in over her head and longs to be with her parents across the lake. But that’s before she gets to know her coworkers, who are as loving and unafraid as she so desperately wants to be.

This book was a fun contemporary book and I'm glad it was one of my first reads of the year. Sure, it had some problems but I did enjoy reading it.

My main problem with this book is that I didn't feel attached to any of the characters. When something bad happened to one of them I just went "Okay then" instead of truly empathise with them. Alongside that, I did not enjoy reading from Lucy's point of view. I found her whiny and dramatic, something I highly doubt a girl of her age would be (not to that level anyway). I understood that yes, her mum had cancer, but the fact that she didn't put any effort into the camp and it wasn't until hot boy starts liking her that she really wanted to stay. It just...irked me.

Apart from that, this book was enjoyable. I loved reading about the teens and what they got up to over the summer. Going to camp has always fascinated me, so this book was a brilliant learning experience me. I loved the amount of freedom they all seemed to have, being allowed to go do whatever they wanted on their days off. I especially loved their Friday meet-ups, with the one good thing and one bad thing that happened that week. It was such a beautiful way to get to know each of the characters, and discover what made them happy and sad.

The LGBTQ+ representation in this book was subtle, but it was there. I don't know much about the community that was represented (trying not to spoil anything here!) so I can't really judge how accurate the representation was, but I felt that it was dealt with well. There was no point where the character's position was shoved in the your face or used just as a plot device. It was quite nice to read about, especially in a book where religion obviously plays a major role. So, yes...very pleased.

Overall I think this book was enjoyable but nothing special. (no offence, Emery Lord). It was fun to read but now I've finished it I won't think about about again (unless I'm forced to).  If you're looking for a light-hearted summer contemporary to read, give this book a try. It is a nice book and put me in a good mood for the start of the year.