Lotte's Shelves

LEAP OF FAITH- DANIELLE STEEL 15/03/21 This story was very fast paced which I guess I should have expected since the book is only 256 pages long. The kids in it grow up very fast and even as adults, a lot happens in just one chapter. It’s kind of realistic to real life as life often is fast paced (although 2020 was definitely a slow year for most people). Because it’s so short and so much happens very quickly, it’s a pretty gripping read and I flew through the majority of it in one sitting. The only thing I would at isn’t good about the pace, is that you don’t really have enough time to connect with the characters and then it’s all over. But if you have read or will read this book, you’ll know that the story doesn’t truly start until the end. Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx

 BOOKTUBE 29/01/21   Hello everyone! I have almost finished reading the Harry Potter series, so I shall soon be back to writing my reviews. However I just wanted to pop on here to say that I’ve created a BookTube! I’m going to be doing all sorts on there including tags, talking about reading goals, favourite and least favourite books and all that fun stuff! I thought I’d leave my blog just for reviews, and do all the fun stuff in video form! So here is the link, I hope you enjoy the videos and subscribe for my fun bookish content. https://youtube.com/channel/UCBdDI7oTEu4-5sxs0yBM-FA Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx

HERE COMES 2021! 01/01/21 Hello lovely people! Wow it’s been one heck of a year, hasn’t it? But I feel like it’s been a successful year in terms of reading. I only re-read one book that I’d read before. Other than that, all new books for me! I’d have to say my favourite book of the year was “A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder” by Holly Jackson, closely followed by the sequel “Good Girl, Bad Blood”. I thought I’d make a post to say that I will be continuing the read new books in 2021, however right now, I’m re-reading Harry Potter because I miss it okay? It’s been a few years since I last read it. So I hope you all have a wonderful new year, and I shall see you when I’ve finished Potter. Lots of love, Lotte :) xxx

JENNY’S WAR BY MARGARET DICKINSON 06/12/20 It’s hard to write about this book, because I read it so quickly! The author builds suspense very well and there’s lots of twists and turns that make it so fun to read. I literally could not put it down! I like that there’s one main love plot point that just pops in every so often but it doesn’t take up the entire story. It’s not your usual love story, that’s for sure. It’s easy to forget that this is based on true events in the sense that evacuees were sent to the country and there was a war on. I found myself thinking “oh I hope this war ends” and then would realise that I know how it turns out. Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx

  HOW TO HANG A WITCH BY ADRIANA MATHER 07/11/20 The main thing about this book that I love is that it’s not a classic teenage book. Yes there is romance, but the whole plot doesn’t revolve around it. There’s not the usual drama you have in many teen books which can often be cringe-y. It’s an easy story to sink into, with no laborious introduction, it just gets straight into the story. This may be because most people have heard of the Salem witch trials, so there is no need for a massive explanation in the beginning to set the tone of the story. Whatever it is, it made the book impossible to put down from the get-go. It reads at a nice pace, you find out information as you go, not all rushed at the end like a lot of teen books. The author gives you time along the way to figure things out for yourself rather than just springing everything on you at the end which I thought was nice. I would love to see a movie adaptation or a TV show of this book, I think it’d be amazing and something qu

337 BY M. JONATHAN LEE 04/11/20 This book makes you think. From start to finish, your mind is constantly buzzing with questions.  Compelling and hard to put down: you want to find out what happens next and as you find that out, something else will have you wondering again. On the first read, you are not sure if the author is lucky or genius - perhaps both. After the second read, you know. It is tempting to read this is one sitting, but more of a treat if you eek it out. A sad, moving tale, which highlights the truth about grief and last moments with people and illustrates mental illness in a way I have not before come across. With the early discovery that Sam’s Gramma is in a care home a mile from his house, he wants to find out as much as he can from her before he can no longer ask those questions. A difficult book to review without giving anything away. Reading this book is like a treasure hunt; I don’t want to give away any of the clues because where is the fun in that? You need to

  GOOD GIRL, BAD BLOOD BY HOLLY JACKSON (Sequel to A Good Girl's Guide To Murder) 29/06/20 I like that the structure of this book is similar to the first one but a little bit more "updated" as the girl now has a podcast and there are pictures which brings the story to life a bit more. Something I find fun about these kind of investigative books is sometimes you the reader come up with ideas that the character hasn't thought of yet and it's fun to find out who's right because the author may lead you/the character down the wrong path before finding the right one. I think there were a lot more twists and turns in this one than the first book but I like that the story was a lot different. Different in a good way though, if you liked the first book, you'll like this one. In the first book you're getting to know Pip and how her brain works but with this one you know her though process well enough that I found you kind of end up thinking a bit like her... Jus

 A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER - HOLLY JACKSON 13/06/20 Innocent until proven guilty? I really enjoy mystery books like this because it makes you price up the clues and come.up with your own theories as to who did it, as well as following the ones that the characters come up with. And I love when things are suddenly thrown at you, that make your theories impossible. That being said, I've never read a book quite like this one where it's trying to prove innocent the murderer who the police believe was guilty. It's a very interesting concept for a book. I like the way that the pages are set up, some text conversations, some emails, some reports from.the investigation and then sort of "main story" pages where it's more of a narration of the character rather than in first person. It keeps the story very fresh and makes it easier to read. I could not put this book down, if I hadn't had any plans for the day, I definitely would have read this in one sitting!

  A LITTLE IN LOVE - SUSAN FLETCHER 08/06/20 Les Misérables holds a very special place in my heart and this story just adds to the love I hold for it. Obviously it is not written by Victor Hugo but I love the extra added backstory it paints for Eponine as in the musical, she's not actually in it that much. She sort of, pops in every so often and does her little bits. And you don't see much of her life. But this story helps you picture more of what she went through. In the theatre world, people always disagree on Cosette. Most say that she's a wet character and had it easy. But I think this book really shows the other side of things before Jean Valjean took her from the Thenardier's. I think people forget about their mistreating of her. There's a quote in this book which I think is beautiful and sums Eponine up really and it's actually from the original book too. "Et puis, tenez, Monsieur Marius, je crois que j'étais un peu amoureuse de vous". Googl

 THE SHOCK OF THE FALL - NATHAN FILER 23/04/20 The writing style of this book is very juvenile, but not in a bad way; it really helps tell the story. I thought at first it was because he was very young, but I think it's mainly something else, which you kind of learn more about as the book goes on, and then fully understand by the end. The story is very intriguing from the get go, you definitely want to read on and learn what happened. What's also quite intriguing is how you have to sort of figure out what's going on through the chapters, and you're not 100% sure what he's talking about, but by the end of the chapter, things get explained or there's a brief statement that makes everything suddenly click into place. This book definitely shows you some truths about mental illness and also dealing with grief, without fully coming out and saying it. It's quite subtle and things happen or something will be said and it'll make you think (especially if there'

 THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY- RACHEL JOYCE 21/03/20 The first thing I want to say about this book, before you even start reading, just look at the font. It's a very satisfying don't to look at. I don't know if anyone finds that interesting but I love it. One of the best things about this story is that it gets started straight away and then you slowly learn more about each character as the story goes on. I think it's a really interesting approach to storytelling. It's the kind of story that makes you feel very sentimental and like you need to go and tell all your loved ones how much you love them. It's a mixed blessing learning things about Harold's past, some are happy but some are really sad. It's confusing because you don't know whether to sympathise with him or not. Something that makes me really sad is about halfway through when he starts getting a lot of publicity for his walk. It takes away the original message if his walk, he's n

 THE SHINING- STEPHEN KING 05/03/20 Just a disclaimer: On the day of posting this, I have not seen the movie of "The Shining", I knew limited information about it so I have nothing to really compare it to, unlike a lot of books I have previously read where I've seen the films first. That being said, I was slightly disappointed, only because the only thing I knew about it, was that there are twins in a hallway at a hotel and it's really creepy in the film, or something of that extent. But in the book the only mention of the twins is that  used to live there and they got killed. Maybe in the film this is where the creepy bit is? Not sure but anyway, I thought the scary parts were going to involve the girls. I had a surprise with that though. The scary parts were truly terrifying and I can only imagine what they'd be like on a screen. The book has quite a slow start but it's good because it gives you a really insight to the characters (past and present) and a goo

 ME- ELTON JOHN 03/02/20 I've never really been a fan of Elton John. That's not to say I don't like him; there's a couple of his songs I love, I've always found his dress sense very eccentric and I knew he was an advocate for the LGBT and for AIDS. But I didn't know quite the extent of his charity work or how his life began as a session musician and all of that. I have seen "Rocketman" but there's nothing quite like reading it straight from the person telling the story. If you enjoyed that film, you definitely have to read this autobiography. When he was Reg Dwight, he would collect records but he also would write out charts of the current singles that were out and put them in order and stuff and that sounds like something I would do if I am obsessed with something. So it's a comforting feeling to know that you can have obsessions with things and it's totally normal. That being said, don't get obsessed with drugs kids, that doesn't

 CARRIE - STEPHEN KING 21/01/20 I like that the book is based round an event that happens at the prom, but you don't know what happens until the very end, however over time you get more and more details added for you to kind of piece together the story for yourself. So it makes you want to continue reading to find out what happens. The way the book is set out is like a series of police reports and interviews and people telling different stories that all build up to the prom night. And it has an ending that definitely will make you think... It's a very cleverly written book, but do we expect anything less from Stephen King? I found it a fairly easy read. I would pick it up and in half an hour I will have read 30 odd pages. But it was a fun read to. The way King sets a scene will always fascinate me, you always feel like you're actually there in the heat of the action. Carrie is such an iconic story too, so I'm very glad I've read it this early on in the year. It'

 IN THE TIME WE LOST - CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER 14/01/20 Time lost reading, is time well spent... First book review of the year, I've got to make this good, otherwise you won't continue reading for the rest of the year... Carrie's books are interesting. Even if the subject matter isn't specifically about magic, she always incorporates it in there somehow. Sometimes just the way she describes a scene is magical.  It's very funny how the main character Luna is like the author in so many ways, yet so different at the same time. For example, Carrie would never talk about musicals in such a way as: "People randomly burst into song and dance! Isn't that a tad...unrealistic?" As a big fan of Carrie's, it's interesting to see the little similarities and "Easter eggs" that she puts in there. Without giving much of a spoiler, this book is kind of "Groundhog Day" themed. But it's written in such a clever way, that you don't realise

 2020- THE YEAR OF BOOKS 12/01/20 Dear reader, Welcome to my blog! I should probably introduce myself, let's do a quickfire of random information shall we? Name: Lotte Bowbrick Age 19 Job: Front of House at the Sondheim Theatre, London Biggest loves: Musical theatre, Books, Crafts, Writing, Films, Green Tea I feel like that's enough of an introduction for now. So 2020, new year, new decade, new books to read. Last year I only read 5 books which, for me, is not very many compared to previous years. (Although, one of those books was It by Stephen King and at 1116 pages, took me 3 months to read). My "to read" pile in my room is now actually a whole bookshelf and several piles on the floor. Exhibit A: I know, it's embarrassing. Now I work in London, I have a 90 minute commute every day which means more time to read so my aim for 2020 is to get through a chunk of these books. There are some here that I've had for years and there are probably a lot here that I won&

RESTARTING THE BLOG 15/03/21   Hello everyone, I hope 2021 is treating you all well, we had a bit of a rough year last year didn't we? And unfortunately it's not all over yet but there is now a small light at the end of this very long tunnel. Fingers crossed for the 21st June hey? I am restarting this blog which was originally named "Fully Booked". Google was being weird with the ads and stuff and wasn't letting me connect to adsense and I didn't know what to do so I'm starting afresh. Of course I’m not doing this for the money, more of a tracking of the books I’ve read but it was frustrating that Adsense wouldn’t work on the old one.  But I shall be reposting all of my book reviews from last year onto this blog as I have now deleted the old one. Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx