Author: Niamh O'Connell

I first read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott when I was 10 years old. However, due to being so young and the language it used, I really struggled to read it. It also didn’t help that the book had been spoiled for me by an episode of Friends (if you’re a fan you know the one). Even though the edition I own is a beautiful one, first published in the 70s, I never had much motivation to read the book. As I got older, I started to read more classics, such as The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, and…

Fantasy is one of the most popular genres when it comes to reading and even if it’s not your favourite, you can guarantee that you have read a fantasy novel at some point. Whether it be the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, along with other Tolkien works such as the Silmarillion, the collection of notes for the world of Lord of the Rings, or maybe you were a bigger fan of the Harry Potter series, having grown up alongside the characters. Whichever you prefer, this collection of recommendations may help with getting you into more fantasy series and growing…

With us already two months into 2020, you may have already started on your reading for the year, and if not, don’t worry; you have another ten months to do so. However, if you are like me and read a lot of books during the year (hoping you don’t get into a big reading slump) or just have a terrible memory, you can sometimes lose track of how much you’ve read so far in the year. So, here are a few suggestions on how you could track your reading this year. Goodreads: Goodreads is one of the most accessible ways…

The christmas period might be the time of the year where you love to pick up a new book and enjoy the atmosphere of christmas  or maybe you have a friend you loves to read around the festive period who would love to add a new book to their shelves that they can read this year, either ways christmas is a great time to settle down and find yourself some new books to read, with plenty of genres, which all have a little bit of Christmas magic. Curl up under a blanket, make yourself a hot chocolate covered with whipped…

If you are struggling to decide what to get for your friend or family members for Christmas, and if you know that one of the people close to you loves to read, here is a small collection of ideas that are a great gift for one of your bookish friends and family. Bookmarks As someone with an ever-growing collection of my own, bookmarks are a great gift for someone who loves to read – you can never have enough of them. Bookmarks can also be found anywhere in many different styles, such as: the magnetic ones that fold over the…

Erin Morgenstern returns with her second novel, The Starless Sea. One of the most anticipated releases of the year was finally released this month on the 5th November. Morgenstern is the author of The Night Circus, which debuted in 2011 and quickly became a national bestseller due to its whimsical setting and beautiful writing. Erin Morgenstern has enriched both the start and end of the decade with her rich prose and whimsical settings, that are characters of their own within the book.  The Night Circus (2011) The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there when…

Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins  Avg. Goodreads score: 3.79 This book follows Daisy Winters, an off-beat 16 year old from Florida. Daisy finds out that her sister, Ellie, has just gotten engaged to her long-term boyfriend, who just so happens to be the crown prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to be in the spotlight, but due to being the younger sister of the Prince’s fiancée, she becomes tabloid target number one. Due to this, she has been forced to join her sister Ellie in relative seclusion across the pond. To help with her image, dashing Miles has been…

It looked like love, it felt like love. But this is not a love story. With 12 novels under her belt and counting, British author Holly Bourne may be a name you have heard of, but if not, she should be. She has a knack for writing amazing novels, both young adult and adult, that make your heart melt and break. In her latest YA novel though, it is all about the recovery. Amelie loved her boyfriend Reese, and he loved her. Or so she thought, but she’s beginning to realise that love isn’t supposed to hurt like this. After…

It is that time of year where the shops are decked out with giant bags of sweets, cobwebs are used as dressing for the windows, and everyone is getting dressed up, Scary or not. Halloween is a very atmospheric time of year, and in your free time you might be able to find time to read a book. Maybe around Halloween you already have chosen what books you want to read, however if you are looking for something new, or maybe you always want to hear about new books, here are five books that fit this time of season. While…

“To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime?” This sweet rom-com is a soon to be classic just like the 80’s and 90’s movies that it has been inspired by. This book plays into the classic tropes of a rom-com but still manages to remain witty and truly authentic. The story follows Nadia, who after a breakup is on the track for The New Routine To Change Her Life – which involves catching the train on time at 7:30 (well, except for when she oversleeps) – and…

On October 14th 2019, the winner of the annual Booker Prize was announced with the shocking twist that it would be shared with two authors instead of one. Winners of the award were Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood for The Testaments (a companion novel for The Handmaid’s Tale) and British author Bernardine Evaristo for the book Girl, Woman, Other. First established in 1959, within the 50 years that this prize has been awarded, it has only been shared twice before, in 1974 and later in 1992. However, after the second time, the rules for the Booker Prize were changed so only…

Bookish podcasts to listen to when you want to hear thoughts on everything book related Sometimes after you read a book the one thing you want to do is discuss it, or maybe you like to see discussions of anything book related, including the writing process. However, sometimes finding the people you want to discuss these things with can be difficult, as the people you know may not be as avid in their reading as you. So, to help solve that issue here are a few podcast suggestions that are perfect for this situation. 88 cups of tea This podcast…

Released in February 2019, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new novel is one to make you laugh, cry and feel every emotion in between. Daisy Jones and The Six is a novel that, just like your favourite song, is one to stick with you for a long time. Everyone who knew something about music, or even if they didn’t, knew about Daisy Jones and The Six. They sold out arenas from coast to coast and their music helped to define the era. Every young girl in the 70s idolised Daisy, however on the 12th July 1979, the last concert of their Aurora…