Hi, I’m Charlotte.
I’m a blogger, podcaster, occasional video maker, knowledge hoarder, and most of all, book lover.
I started this blog in 2015 to write about what I was reading, and I’ve decided 7 years later to focus the blog particularly on LGBTQ+ books!
Latest Blog Posts
Culhwch and Olwen by Catherine Fisher: an accessible retelling of Welsh folklore
Genre: Mythology, Retelling, Children'sDate Published: June 2024Rating: ★★★★ A mythical adventure of love and heroism. Culhwch falls madly in love with Olwen, the daughter of the malevolent giant Yspaddaden Penkawr. But Olwen’s father isn’t happy about the pairing...
Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend by Lizzie Huxley-Jones: a diverse adventure rooted in Welsh mythology
Genre: MG FantasyDate Published: June 1, 2023Rating: ★★★★★ The lake has been calling to twelve-year-old Vivi Conway. On the day she and her Mams will move from Wales to London, she sneaks out to investigate what is calling her there. Instead of a quiet swim, she...
Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai: an excerpt from the tale inspired by Japanese legend
Magical realism blends with Japanese myth and legend in an original story about grief, memory, time and an earthquake that shook a nation. There's a catfish under the islands of Japan and when it rolls the land rises and falls. Sora hates the catfish whose rolling...
The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho: contemporary verse inspired by ancient mythology
Genre: YA Verse, Contemporary, MythologyDate Published: October 6, 2022Rating: ★★★★ This story is about two boys, separated by centuries, parted by myth, divided by reality. Two boys hoping to be men. Two boys severed from their fathers. Two boys searching a maze of...
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor: an addictive, diverse YA mystery
Sam Sylvester's not overly optimistic about their recent move to the small town of Astoria, Oregon after a traumatic experience in their last home in the rural Midwest. Yet Sam's life seems to be on the upswing after meeting several new friends and a potential love...
Graphic Novel Readathon: 20th & 21st August 2022
Do you love graphic novels? Do you love buying them so much that you have a huge stack of them waiting to be read? Well, if this sounds like you and you're free this weekend, you're in luck! On Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August 2022, my friend Kate and I will be...
MORE BLOG POSTS
Latest BOOK REVIEWS
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating – Adiba Jaigirdar
Genre: YA Contemporary, RomanceDate Published: May 25, 2021Rating: ★★★★LGBTQ+: ✅ 📖 Click here to read the synopsis Everyone likes Humaira "Hani" Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they...
Mooncakes – Wendy Xu & Suzanne Walker
Genre: Graphic Novel, FantasyDate Published: October 22, 2019Rating: ★★★★★LGBTQ+: ✅ 📖 Click here to read the synopsis A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers'...
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World – Sarah Prager
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography, HistoricalDate Published: May 23, 2017Rating: ★★★★LGBTQ+: ✅ 📖 Click here to read the synopsis World history has been made by countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—and you’ve never heard of many of them....
Loveless – Alice Oseman
Genre: YA ContemporaryDate Published: July 9, 2020Rating: ★★★★★LGBTQ+: ✅ 📖 Click here to read the synopsis Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. As she...
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![[ad • book provided by publisher] Today I'm so excited to be on the @pridebooktours tour for ELLIE ENGLE SAVES HERSELF by @byleahjohnson! 🦸🏾♀️🐸
This middle grade novel follows Ellie, a girl who often feels invisible—but she's fine with it being that way. That's until she wakes up after an earthquake and discovers she has an unimaginable superpower, which shoots her to a kind of fame that she never, ever expected—or wanted.
This book is just such a joy. It deals with the highs and lows friendships, experiencing first queer crushes, and the everyday implications that come along when Ellie's life suddenly changes overnight. I read the whole book in a day because I really didn't want to put it down. It's intriguing, exciting, and emotional too.
Most importantly, it has my absolute favourite themes: the importance of friendship above all else, and having the strength to put yourself first in times when you should be your own #1 priority.
ELLIE ENGLE SAVES HERSELF is out now, and if it wasn't clear, I would highly recommend picking up a copy!
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#bookbloggers #bookworm #bookstagrammer #books #bookstagram #reader #readingtime #bibliophile #bookish #bookphotography #ilovebooks #bookrecommendations #igreads #instabooks #middlegrade #leahjohnson](https://scontent-lcy1-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.29350-15/345291632_550241660513935_7703682620366981773_n.webp?stp=dst-jpg&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8ae9d6&_nc_ohc=BHV57a3d49IAX-vbeRt&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-2.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&oh=00_AfCvRKyiRKbdUlxGOMNJWzvmDAgIRpPfSRDPhzH4yyTAMQ&oe=6472D67B)
![[ad • book sent in return for a review] Today I'm on the @pridebooktours #bookstagram tour for LARK & KASIM START A REVOLUTION by Kacen Callender!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The book tells the story of Lark, a teenager who is trying to publish a book and grow a following on Twitter, which they believe will help them secure a literary agent.
When Lark's former best friend Kasim accidentally tweets a thread declaring his unrequited love for someone from Lark's account, Lark takes the fall, pretending they posted the thread instead of Kasim.
But who knew it could have such huge consequences, and that Lark would find themselves becoming closer to Kasim than ever before?
The thing I love most about this book is the wide range of diversity. There are multiple trans and non-binary characters, as well as polyamorous relationships (something definitely not explored very much in YA!). It's a book where the majority of characters are people of colour and within the LGBTQ+ umbrella, and I wish we had a lot more books like this with effortless inclusion and diversity.
In terms of the story, I was hooked right away, although I sometimes felt like the target audience is slightly younger than me (but I always bear that in mind as a regular YA reader). I never knew who to trust, and it was also interesting to follow a character who often says things that maybe aren't perfect, but learns to take accountability for them. That's a big part of the plot—the difference between shaming vs holding accountable, and it gave me a lot to think about.
I'd especially recommend this to teens who spend a lot of time online, especially ones who have built up a fairly large following, but also to anyone who is interested in reading a book with interesting perspectives on politics, racism, and taking accountability for the things we say or do that might unintentionally hurt others.
Thanks again to @pridebooktours @faberbooks for the early copy!
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#bookbloggers #bookworm #bookstagrammer #books #reader #bibliophile #bookish #bookphotography #ilovebooks #bookrecommendations #igreads #instabooks #booktour #bookreview #racism #cancelculture #yabooks #lgbtqya #yalit](https://scontent-lcy1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.29350-15/307658009_629567492070004_7363751204747106015_n.webp?stp=dst-jpg&_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8ae9d6&_nc_ohc=veOZapIUuhkAX_-1xoM&_nc_ht=scontent-lcy1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&oh=00_AfBH9he-kUXOTDrqj3tz7hVxW6Mzhfgo2dT8toBuFGHciw&oe=64734392)
