Lucy Turns Pages

A Look At... The Book of Stolen Dreams by David Farr

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Title: The Book of Stolen Dreams

Author: David Farr

Genre: Middlegrade Fantasy

Buy links: Book Depository - Waterstones - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com

Synopsis:

An exhilarating, awe-inspiring debut from a master storyteller writing for children for the first time, perfect for fans of Philip Pullman, Katherine Rundell and Eva Ibbotson.

When Rachel and Robert are passed a stolen book by their librarian father, they have to go on the run and protect it at all costs. With their father captured and everyone hunting for the Book, they must uncover its secrets and track down the final, missing page. But the cruel and calculating Charles Malstain is on their trail.

When the children discover the astonishing, magical truth about the Book, they resolve to do everything in their power to stop it falling into his hands. For if it does, he could rule forever. Step inside the pages of an immortal adventure and discover a truly unforgettable journey of wonder, courage and magic...

My thoughts:

Firstly, I have a hardback copy of this book and it is absolutely stunning. Secondly, I really like when books have a story about books. I have a few of these kind of books on my TBR. This book sounds really interesting and I can't wait to get to it.

Book Spotlight: Where There's A Will: Inspector Stone Mysteries #1 by Alex R Carver

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Title: Where There's A Will: Inspector Stone Mysteries #1
Author: Alex R Carver

Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Crime Fiction

Price - $0.99/£0.99 for the e-book copy
Buy links: Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk - Kobo - Google - Apple - Barnes & Noble
Add it on Goodreads

Synopsis:

The kidnapping of a child is every parent's worst nightmare, for the Keatings though it isn't a nightmare, it's a reality.

Inspector Stone is tasked with finding Alice Keating and bringing her home safely. Hard enough under normal circumstances, but between investigating an unrelated armed robbery, family problems, and the machinations of an ambitious underling, it's almost impossible.

Unbeknown to either Stone or Alice's parents, the kidnappers have more in mind than collecting a ransom. And when it turns out that the Russian Mafia might be involved in the kidnapping, things begin to spiral out of Stone's control.

Can Stone find Alice before the kidnappers make good on their threats? If not it won't just be Alice that becomes a victim to their deadly plans...

Author bio:

After working in the clerical, warehouse and retail industries over the years, without gaining much satisfaction, Alex quit to follow his dream and become a full-time writer.

His non-writing dream is to one day earn enough to travel, with a return to Egypt to visit the parts he missed before, and Macchu Picchu, top of his wishlist of destinations.

When not writing, he is either playing a game or being distracted by Molly the Yorkie, who is greedy for both attention and whatever food is to be found.

Links:

A Look At... The Weather Weaver by Tamsin Mori

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Title: The Weather Weaver

Author: Tamsin Mori

Genre: Middlegrade Fantasy

Buy links: Book Depository - Waterstones - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com

Synopsis:

What if you could befriend a cloud? What weather would you choose? What if the weather matched itself to your mood, whether you wanted it to, or not?

11-year-old Stella has returned home to Shetland to spend the summer with her Grandpa, but it's nothing like she remembers. Grandpa is lost in his grief for Gran, the island is bleak and Stella feels trapped, until she encounters an old woman, Tamar, who can spin rainbows and call hurricanes.

With the help of Nimbus, a feisty young storm cloud, Stella begins to learn the craft of weather weaving. But when her cloud brain-fogs Grandpa and The Haken (a sea witch) starts to close in, she realises that magic comes with big responsibilities. It will take all her heart and courage to face the coming storm...

My thoughts:

The Weather Weaver sounds like a super cute children's fantasy with a pretty unique concept. This one is on my TBR and I can't wait to read it!

Twin Crowns by Katherine Webber & Catherine Doyle

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I was sent this beautiful promo box in anticipation for the release of Twin Crowns by Katherine Webber & Catherine Doyle so I thought I would show you what was in the box and give you some information about the book!

Title: Twin Crowns

Authors: Katherine Webber & Catherine Doyle

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance

Release date: 12th May 2022

Pre-order links: Waterstones - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com

Add Twin Crowns on Goodreads

Publisher's website

Christmas Books to Read!

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It's almost that time of year again. How does it always seem to come around so quickly? Well if you would like some helping getting into the spirit or just want to celebrate this time of year, here are some perfect Christmas-themed books to read!

A Boy Called Christmas

This sounds like an adorable origin story for Santa Claus! We follow Nikolas, a boy who is unlucky and has a tough life but then one day, something magical happens...

The Christmasaurus

This book sounds adorable! It's all about a boy who meets a dinosaur in the North Pole. Christmas, a dinosaur and an adventure? Sign me up!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

An original Christmas villain. I love Dr. Seuss' writing and the Grinch is an emotional story I'd love to read in rhyme. A perfect Christmas read for adults and children alike.

The Holiday Swap

This book gives me total The Holiday vibes (which I am actually watching whilst writing this post). We follow twins who are going through a difficult time and decide to switch places. How could that possibly go wrong?

On The Film, Julie & Julia and Being a Blogger

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Have you ever seen the film, Julie & Julia? It's about this writer living in America who decides to challenge herself to finish a project for once. The project she chooses is to cook all of the recipes from this sentimental cookbook in a year and to top it all off, she blogs about the journey. It is also told in alternating points of view, with us seeing the creator of the cookbook living in France in the 1960s.

I originally saw Julie & Julia one day randomly on TV and I instantly fell in love. Every time I think about it, it reminds me of my passion for blogging and writing in general.

I love writing poetry and blog posts. I love blogging about books, mental health and topics that represent life and living. I feel that it's important to use this platform to help others, something that I strive to do in my life. I want to bring attention to real issues, reduce stigma and make people feel less alone. I want to help people find books they will love, books they can escape into and books they feel represented in. I want to help writers to find new readers. I want to do so many things with this blog.

I love being in the blogging/writing community. I have met so many kind and supportive people. I have gained advice, books to read and most importantly, new friends.

Blogging gives us a platform to feel like our writing is valued but also somewhere where we can communicate with others and create a sense of community.

Even after all these years of blogs, we are still here. Bloggers and readers and supporters. You reading this keep blogs alive and I hope that this is something that will never go away.

Support me via Ko-Fi- here you can join my Ko-Fi exclusive book club, request content, join our Discord server and more!

Graphic Novels to Read!

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I love graphic novels. They are quick reads with generally witty dialogue and beautiful illustrations. I really want to pick more graphic novels up so here is a list of some I would like to read. Please let me know if you have any recommendations!

The Tea Dragon Society

This is a super cute graphic novel set in a world where there are dragons named after different teas I believe! I read the sequel as a review copy but I am yet to read the first book and I would really like to!

Lore Olympus

This was originally a webcomic but it has been picked up and published in these beautiful hardback copies. Lore Olympus follows characters from Greek mythology, I think in a modern day setting. I am so excited to pick it up!

Why I Love You've Got Mail: An Essay on Comfort Movies, Mental Health & Books

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I love the film, You've Got Mail. To me it is a classic romcom, a type of film that I used to devour. You've Got Mail is a film that I have watched several times. For me, it is one of my 'comfort movies', a film that feels like a hug, a blanket and a ray of positivity all in one.

Kathleen Kelly, one of our protagonists, is a children's bookshop owner. A role that so many of us bookworms would love to have. Yet, she wonders "so much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?" This existential question is so relatable. It poses the question, when we get what we've been working for, is it really as good as we dreamt? Reminding us to be mindful, to be present and enjoy every day as it comes.

Meeting a partner through the internet is something that so many people can relate to in this present age. But when this film was created, it feels like the meeting of Tom Hanks' Joe and Meg Ryan's Kathleen, was written in the stars. Their developing friendship, then enemies to lovers relationship (a trope that I have coincidentally realised is in a lot of my favourite films and books), is something that is so captivating that it keeps you watching, loving each beat of this perfectly crafted story.

Whilst You've Got Mail is not the first film to use alternative points of views to progress the story (I'm thinking When Harry Met Sally, for example), the alternate email scripts and stories of each character really give you a feel for that character and their life, whilst progressing the story through the use of situations that are, on their own, typically viewed as mundane.

Comfort movies are much more valuable than their name suggests. On a day when you are feeling low, anxious or unwell, an old favourite film or TV show can whisk you away and bring you back to reality with a potentially more positive approach. If not, they can provide you with escape, and when you are trapped in a spiral, a film or a book can distract you from your thoughts, which at the end of the day, is necessary and immensely important for getting through bad mental health periods.

What are your favourite comfort movies? Have you seen You've Got Mail?

Support me via Ko-Fi- here you can join my Ko-Fi exclusive book club, request content, join our Discord server and more!

Some books I've promoted so far part 1: children's books

Books are magical. They bring us to whole new worlds, allow us to meet new people and transport us to different times. The books we read as children make such an impact, not only on our reading and writing skills but on our imagination and our love of reading. The passion for reading can be passed on to the next generation to seize, to escape, to create, to enjoy.

So I have a book promotion service where I work with authors to create spotlight posts for their books. I then promote these posts on Twitter and I index them on my book spotlights page for everyone to find. I wanted to start doing some block posts where I show some of the books I've promoted so far, separated by genre or whichever grouping makes the most sense. My blog is open to all genres but in this post I will be showing you the children's books I've spotlighted so far. Click the title or picture to see the post and find out more about the book! These authors work extremely hard and I would love for them to find new readers who will learn something new or find a new world to love.

The books:

Alexander Lee And The Sunken Ship by Laura Austin

Alexander Lee To The Rescue and Tag With Jazz, a double feature by Laura Austin

Angus: the Little White Fluffy Cloud Who Fell in Love with the Sun by Lesley Cordell

My Brother is a Werewolf by Ray A. Price, illustrated by Sam Aston and Arin Bray

So those are the children's books that I have spotlighted so far! Let me know if you pick any of these up. If you are an author and you'd like to commission a spotlight, check out my Ko-Fi commission page for more information.

Doctor Who Books in Order! Doctor Who Book Guide- Original Novels & Reference Books

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Doctor Who is a worldwide science fiction tv show phenomenon. Many of us joined the fandom through the 'new who' in the 2000s whilst others started with the original series in the 1960s. During this time, a lot of books have been released that are set within the whoniverse. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. In this post, I will try to create a doctor who book guide! This will go in order from books based in the era of the current doctor backwards. There are so many more Doctor Who books available, see this page for all of the books!

The Thirteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Vol. 1: Alternating Current