A Look At The Soul in the Sword (A Throne of Pearls and Bones Book 1)

 

Synopsis:

When the storm stopped, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay beneath that tiny roof and listen to the boy with the nice words forever.

Six years. Six years, and I’ve never quite shaken him from me, each word he utters in my direction as thunderous as that moment beneath the rolling clouds.

For hundreds of years, the kingdom of Albion has worked to exterminate the fey, but when the Blight, an infection that turns ordinary people into monsters rears its head again, Princess Brianna ends up taking on the mantle of Celeste, an ancient fey warrior of legend.

Andy and the Extroverts by Jessica K. Foster

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Title: Andy and the Extroverts
Author: Jessica K. Foster
Genre: Young Adult Coming-of-Age
Where to Read:
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Andy-Extroverts-Jessica-K-Foster/dp/196072410X
Barnes and Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/andy-and-the-extroverts-jessica-k-foster/1143406351

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old bookish Andy has no friends. When her over-involved mother has the audacity to ship her off to summer leadership camp, she's thrust into an introvert's nightmare. Everyone is a Communicator with a capital C, icebreaker activities are scheduled into every waking moment, and horror of all horrors: there's no coffee. Even the girls who take her under their wing are the kind of self-assured people Andy could never dream of becoming.

Then she meets Lucas-hot, attentive, and everything Andy reads about in her books. Though the girls in her cottage try to warn her about him, she's swept into the first romance of her life. But when she discovers her friends may be right, she'll have to find her inner confidence to save her summer and become the leader she was always meant to be.

The Fish King and the Two Wise Ghosts by Francis H Powell

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Title: The Fish King and the Two Wise Ghosts
Author: Francis H Powell
Genre: Childrens picture book
Where to read:
The Fish King and the Two Wise Ghosts : Powell, Francis H: Amazon.co.uk: Books
The Fish King and the Two Wise Ghosts by Francis H Powell, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
The Fish King and the Two Wise Ghosts – Blossom Spring Publishing

Synopsis:

The Fish King is lonely and wishes he has a wife to keep him company. So when his chance of happiness is dashed by Princess Chipolata, after she is caught by the two wise ghosts stealing the crown jewels and is sent to prison, the king is still left feeling miserable. The Fish King has many suiters but it is Princess Alice’s sister, Lilly, who finally wins his heart!

However, there’s only one problem…he must introduce her to the two ghosts that reside in his palace and who like to play jokes on people!

A grand wedding takes place at the palace and soon after the king and queen produce a royal heir – Prince Erik. The young prince grows to love the two wise ghosts as much as his father does and, as soon as he is old enough, he leaves the palace to embark on a magical adventure with his ghost friends; until at last it is time to go home and share his many stories with his parents and Aunt Alice.

The Summer We've Had by Katherine Blakeman

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Title: The Summer We've Had
Author: Katherine Blakeman
Genre: Sapphic fiction/lesbian fiction
Where to read: Amazon (electronic or paperback) and Kindle Unlimited

Synopsis:

After a nightmare couple of years following the death of her celebrity singer mother, Cass Mulligan is moving down to the sun, sea and shingle of Cornwall for a fresh start. But she soon realises that she’s not the only one in need of some TLC…

Felicia Wilson’s life is one long series of spinning plates. She has Dissociative Identity Disorder, a system of five alternate personalities living in her body, and they all have different hopes, fears and desires.

When Cass is thrown together with Felicia, some beautiful friendships grow, and soon there is substantial mutual attraction between Cass and dominant alter Heather. But if things go wrong, they could go very wrong. Can they build a relationship AND keep everybody happy?

The Butter Thief (1st in the Basil Basset Books Series) by Ellie Lieberman

 

Title: The Butter Thief (1st in the Basil Basset Books Series)
Author: Ellie Lieberman
Genre: children's fantasy
Where to read: available as paperback, ebook, & through KU (https://amazon.com/Butter-Thief-Basil-Basset-Books/dp/1727894294…)! Can also be ordered through your favorite indie bookstore or local library! Signed copies are available in my Etsy Shop!

Synopsis:

Brigid and her mom are making their annual birthday butter biscuits, but someone keeps trying to steal the butter they've worked so hard on. Is it Basil, their basset? Or, is it someone else? 

The Memory Tree by Ellie Lieberman

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Title: The Memory Tree
Author: Ellie Lieberman 

Genre: Holiday Fantasy Short Story 

Where to read: available as paperback, ebook, & through KU (https://amazon.com/Memory-Tree-Ellie-Lieberman/dp/1092885501…)! Can also be ordered through your favorite indie bookstore or local library! Signed copies are available in my Etsy Shop! 

Synopsis: 

A collection of old ornaments come alive to aid a grandmother, on her last Christmas Eve night, in telling family stories and imparting her final wisdom to her granddaughter. Inspiration for the book: my own family's holiday tradition 

An Impossible Dream by Ellie Lieberman

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Title: An Impossible Dream 

Author: Ellie Lieberman 

Genre: Fairy Tales, Historical Fantasy, Coming of Age 

Where to read: available as paperback, ebook, & through KU (https://amazon.com/dp/B0C7GN6QWD/)! Can also be ordered through your favorite indie bookstore or local library! 

Synopsis: 

A story of friendship, love, survival, and dreams, even when they seem impossible... Sare has survived fifteen years playing the perfect little servant, but can she survive the castle? After all, nowhere compares to the castle and no one compares to the King. 

Where to get free and discounted books!

 This post contains referral links

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Hi everyone! So if you've been here before, you'll know that I love books! Along my reading journey I've looked into different apps and stores and here are some great places where you can get free or discounted books.

1. Better World Books

Better World Books sell new and used books at typically discounted prices. They ship to the UK, US and internationally. They also run regular deals. A wonderful thing about Better World Books is that they fund libraries and literacy programs! They also donate books when you buy books! If you use this link, you'll get $5 (or the equivalent) off of your order.

2. Scribd/Everand

Scribd, which has recently rebranded to become Everand, is a fantastic resource for ebooks and audiobooks. They have an expansive collection and you can read as many books as you like each month (sometimes they limit you if you've read a lot of popular books in one month and you have to wait but this has only happened to me once). I have read so many excellent books through Scribd. Use this link to get 60 days free, you can cancel anytime.

3. Libro fm

Libro fm is another wonderful company, you can get audiobooks and each purchase supports independent bookshops. It is also now available internationally! You can currently get two audiobooks when you join using code CHOOSEINDIE.

So those are three amazing resources for finding free and discounted books! Have you used any of these? Would you like to?

Baby Steps by Hazel Meredith-Lloyd

This is a post written by the author

Title: Baby Steps
Author: Hazel Meredith-Lloyd
Genre: Contemporary commercial fiction/women’s fiction/Romcom
Where to read: Kindle Unlimited or buy on Amazon in e-book or paperback https://amzn.eu/d/9akpStP

Synopsis:

Jenny has cystic fibrosis and diabetes. She has a colour coded list of things she wants to give to her future children, but her genes aren’t on it.

As she and her husband Kyle navigate the challenges of the adoption process, their best friends, Helen and Jake, fall unexpectedly pregnant.

Can Jenny convince the adoption panel that she and Kyle can cope with looking after her health conditions as well as parenting two children who’ve had a difficult start in life?

Moreover, can best friends stay close when one has thrust upon them what the other longs for?

My 2024 Goals/ From Now!

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I always get excited towards the end of the year/at the beginning of a new year because I love setting goals. I've been thinking about things I want to focus on next year/from now really. Here are those things:

Note: So I don't know if I'm going to change this but, the last few years I have focused on reading a lot of books. I think now I want to focus on other things instead and just read when I feel the desire to. I do have some physical books I want to get to soon though.

1. Finish Duolingo: I have been trying to learn two languages on Duolingo for a long time! Now I want to spend some of the swapped reading time and other times doing the lessons and aiming to finally complete all of the levels! If I finish this, I want to move on to practicing and expanding my vocabulary, grammar and skills. Do you use Duolingo? What do you recommend using after it?

2. Blogging:So going forward I really want to post more regularly on my blog again, specifically I want to focus on uplifting others, sharing their thoughts, experiences and advice on a range of topics including reading, writing, mental health, chronic illness and art. I also want to keep sharing indie books! If anyone would like to write a guest post please email me at lucyisreading@gmail.com!

3. Cosy games: I really want to play a lot more. (P.S. definitely check out Instant Gaming for discounted games, it's so good!)

What are your goals?