C.K. Robertson's Blog, page 8

Why I Gave Up on The Goldfinch

Hello Readers & Friends,

I should have known I would be writing this post! I have seen Donna Tart raved about everywhere. People love to say they've read A Secret History, or The Goldfinch, and to be honest, the paperbacks are very instagrammable.

I had my concerns, but I got my copy second hand and it wasn't a big investment so I figured I'd get round to it. I put it off for a year. Something about just looking at it and reading the blurb put me off. I wrote a post on Instagram and a few people suggested the audiobook as an easier option, so I downloaded that and off we went.

I DNF at chapter 6. Why? Because, just like I suspected, I am 6 chapters deep and don't know anybodies name and nothing is happening. And this isn't a problem with Tart, it's a genre issue. I just really, really hate literary fiction. I've tried to love it, I want to sound intelligent and find deeper meanings in the book I read, but I just fall asleep trying to get there.

I asked a girl at my work who specialises in literary fiction to describe it as a genre and she replied, "Books where nothing happens but the character develops."
That. Is. Spot. On.
But there's the problem - I don't like books where nothing happens! I want drama and action and romance and heartbreak and twists and turns and world building is a bonus! I don't want to read a book as fat as The Goldfinch and come out thinking, what a waste of time.

There are only two literary fiction books I have ever enjoyed. The first was Catcher in the Rye, which I enjoyed so much  because it's the most goddamn depressing book I've ever read (and it's short), and A Little Life, which is also the most depressing thing ever written.
But would I read either of them again? No.

I feel like literary fiction is just like olives. I try one a year and every year I remember why I hate them.

Sorry, I guess I'm just not high-brow enough! (But we all knew that anyway because I gave a Wattpad book called The QB Bad Boy and Me 4 stars.)

Love,
C x

Book Review: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Hello Readers & Friends,
I have a bit of a ranty review today. I have such a love-hate relationship with Cassandra Clare. I absolutely love and would die for The Mortal Instruments series. I enjoyed The Infernal Devices series, but hated Tessa and Will and the romance there, which kind of ruined it for me a bit. The thing with Cassandra Clare's books is that her characters are all so utterly loveable and relatable. Fan favourites such as Magnus Bane feature across all her series thanks to his warlock immortality, which keeps us all coming back again and again. (Bane even got his own spin-off, which I am yet to read but have on my shelf!) 
I am extremely excited to read her newest venture, Chain of Gold. The world of Shadowhunters is so intricate and well-built, all the magic and politics of it is so well thought-out you can really lose yourself in it.
SO, onto the actual review. I read Lady Midnight a while ago and enjoyed it, reviewing it here. Lord of Shadows is the sequel, and is just as meaty as the first, and it took me quite a lot longer than anticipated for me to finish.I had concerns about where Emma and Julien's romance was going to go in this second book, and am relieved that it wasn't as annoying and frustrating to get through as I thought it would be. In fact, it was really nicely played out, and we had romance stories of other characters that got just as much spotlight so Emma & Julien weren't as overbearing or tiring as I found Will and Tessa to be in TID. In particular, I loved Mark and Kieran's romance and the complexity of their relationship. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I want a spin-off of their time in The Wild Hunt!

But ultimately I only gave this book 3 stars. It dragged on and on and on with not a lot happening, and when things were happening it was confusing and complicated. I found the plot extremely messy, and we are being told the story from so many different points of view that it's difficult to keep track of where everyone is and why. I found myself going, 'why are they there again?' a few too many times.
The way the book wrapped up didn't leave me dying to read the third, and I felt like there were a lot of dramas happening for the sake of keeping the story dragging out rather than that they needed to happen. Dru was pretty much exiled from the entire book until one super weird part where it's as though Clare went, 'oh, I forgot about Dru, let's give her something to do', and it was dragged out for a few chapters with no real reason or need.
I felt like this about a lot of the book. 90% of the issues were resolved without the characters needing to do very much. I think writing a book with such a huge host of main characters will always be difficult, but in the end I just got really lost in this plot and found myself wondering what the point of any of it was at the end. It was one of my least favourite Clare books, and I think my 'neither here nor there' attitude about Emma and Julien as the protagonists doesn't help. 
I'll read the last one eventually, but I'll save it for a very dull and rainy day. Until then, I'm excited to tuck into Chain of Gold and hope for a tidier plot and better characters akin to her Clary and Jace group.
Love,C x 

Shortlisted: Book Blogger of the Year 2020

Hello Readers & Friends,

I'm very excited to be able to announce that I was shortlisted for Book Blogger of the Year! I wasn't able to share this news sooner and then the cancellation of the London Book Fair due to coronavirus meant that I wasn't sure what was happening, but I got the final press announcement today!

The winner was the lovely Julia from Julias Bookcase, and I do recommend going to check her blog out - it's different to mine in that she travels around wonderful bookshops so there's lots of great travel imagery there to enjoy!

And the only other shortlister was Bluebird Reviews, who focuses on children's book reviews. 

This has come at a great time for me, as I have been feeling quite down-trodden and unmotivated for my instagram account. 
I started this blog off-handedly, not expecting any industry notice and am very touched and proud that it has grown into something people enjoy! I hope you will all share in my excitement about this!



C x

February Favourites

 Hello Readers & Friends,

My second monthly favourite post! A shorter month that has flown by, but filled with lots of fun things to share.
These have been my favourites...
February Book Roundup:Less books than last month, to be expected as it's a shorter month!
The Sight of You by Holly Miller (Out June)The Flight by Julie Clark (Out June)The Midnight Lie by Marie RutkoskiThe Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
TV


Friday Night Lights  - Amazon Prime

I've started Season 4 of FNL and it's one of the better seasons so far. It essentially follows the lives of a group of teenagers in this tiny fictional town in Texas, which revolves around American Football. It follows the team and their coach, and all the struggles that come with this small-town American life.
I'm so obsessed with Tim Riggins and this weird little life they all lead in Dillon. I've loved the East Dillon twist this season and seeing a darker side to their town. Basically it's just really easy watching and I don't know why but the theme tune makes me want to cry every time it comes on because I feel so emotional. The only thing I hate about this show is how they discard characters constantly and we never hear of them again. But I can get past that.

Film


All The Bright Places - Netflix


A new, coming-of-age style drama by Netflix. It follows the story of Violet and Finch, who meet on a bridge when Violet is struggling with ideas of suicide, triggered by the death of her sister. Violet is very stereotypical when it comes to her depression. Moody, locked away a lot, not smiling or wanting to socialise. Finch works to break her out of her cycle by taking her around Indiana to see all the sights. But he's hiding his own mental health struggles, and depicts (in my opinion) a much more realistic portrayal of what life is like for the very depressed. He hides his struggle in an attempt to live life normally. I found this film very sobering, but also quite triggering and advise anyone who has struggled with ideas of suicide to tread carefully going into this film. It spreads an important message, very similar to my book.

BooksMy favourite book this month was The Sight of You, but I have written a whole blog post and review on this one so instead I'll talk about my second favourite:

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Another favourite that follows a flawed male protagonist! The Rosie Project is a hilarious story about Don, who is a handsome genetics professor with aspergers on the hunt for a life partner. He stumbles across Rosie, who is definitely not suitable. But he finds her quite alluring and ends up agreeing to help her on a journey to discover who her paternal father is from a (quite large) pool of potential candidates. This was a very heartwarming and laugh-out-loud take on a serious subject, as we watch Don struggle terribly to adjust to social norms and win over his lady. I really recommend, giving it 4*. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel!
Music

Hard to Handle by The Black Crowes

A more mentally stable month for me and my music taste has gone back to its classic rock roots with this 80s band. This song in particular was stuck in my head for a couple of days.



Straight to Hell by Ozzy Osbourne

A playlist on Spotify brought me this old classic, which I've really enjoyed as a Monday morning tune this month. Just what I need to keep me awake at my desk while I do my weekly reports!



Gods & Monsters by Lana Del Ray / Jessica Lange Cover

I had the American Horror Story cover of this by Jessica Lange stuck in my head for agessss. It's such a weird, creepy song. I love all the AHS soundtracks, I think they always pick the most ethereal, amazing songs for each season. (Life on Mars, Freak Show, Dominique in Asylum... need I say more?)


How was your February?
Love, C x

Book Review: The Sight of You by Holly Miller

Hello Readers & Friends,

I have an exciting review for you all, as this book isn't out yet! The Sight of You is releasing this June 11th, and I managed to get an ARC at my work. I devoured it in two days.

I don't really read romance, but everyone in my office was raving about this as the big summer read, and I can 100% see why. I gave it 5* on GoodReads.

A quick summary: Joel has dreams about the people he loves. And whatever happens in the dreams, come true. He is deeply affected by this, pushing people away for fear of the dreams he'll have - dreams of them being ill, being in accidents, arguments that are still to come... it's a difficult life for him. It becomes more difficult when he meets Callie.
Callie is mourning the death of her best friend, and Joel pushes her to continue chasing her dreams and to make the most of her life. Of course, they fall in love.
And then Joel has a dream about how it all ends...

I have to say, I wasn't expecting what happened, to happen. Most of you know I am not a big cryer. I've cried reading a very small handful of books; A Little Life, The Book Thief, Marley & Me... you know - the real tear-jerkers that pull out all the stops to get you weeping like a baby.

I wept like a toddler for pretty much the last 20 chapters of this book. It was heartbreaking and uplifting somehow all at once, which always makes me cry more. (Pursuit of Happyness ending, anyone?)

It really, really reminded me of a Nicholas Sparks film, or Me Before You. I hope, hope, hope it gets made into a film because I adored it, it will stay with me for a long time afterwards and it teaches you a lot of lessons about unconditional love and making the most of your life.

And now I remembered why I don't read romances so often - I need about 10 happy books now before I'll be ready to have another emotional journey like that!

The tagline for this book was 'would you choose love if you knew how it would end?'
I'd have to say no! I went on a little book tour with the author and she is obviously a classic romantic who always will vouch for love, but for the cynics out there like me, I think it's too heavy a burden to carry and I would always feel sad!

For you, is it about the journey or the ending? Let me know!

Love,
C x

A Girl Called Whisper: New Cover

Hello Readers & Friends,

I have made a new cover for the ebook version of AGCW!

I wanted something better suited to online audiences and more appealing to Kindle users specifically, so I created a more targeted cover. I'm still learning everything as I go, but I hope you love this cover as much as the last :)

The paperback cover still features the illustration of Whisper by Dodo.

The ebook is now only £1.99 and available for Kindle Unlimited readers. :)

SHOP NOW

Starting a Book Business: Samantha @ Scndhndbks

Hello Readers & Friends,

I'm sure many of you know by now that I love supporting independent stores and creators. I came across Sam's page just before it launched, and have been following it with interest ever since. ScndHndBks is a little online space where people can buy second-hand books at very reasonable prices, and unlike other similar sites, the difference is that they are all YA.

Sam, who describes herself as a reader, writer, blogger, dog mama, digital marketing manager and now... book shop owner (!) kindly chatted to me about her exciting endeavour and I'm excited to be share her story and advice for anyone else wanting to start an indie bookish business!

How it all started:

"I'd always had a dream of running a book shop but the financial elements of it made it seem impossible. My initial idea was to start selling my own used books online but I couldn't figure out a way to do it without involving other people. One day, whilst I was suffering from a very bad cold, all my ideas merged into one and I registered the website name in the heat of a fever! As someone who is all about trying to live a sustainable life the idea of creating a second hand book shop specialising in young adult and children's literature seemed like the perfect business for me! "
The struggle she hadn't expected:
"My own insecurities - of which I don't usually have many! It's funny how as soon as you open a shop and put yourself on the line you start to feel like you've made a mistake and you just want to shrink away from it! Every day is a day to tell myself to keep going and I'd offer that advice to anyone and everyone doing ANYTHING that scares them. Keep going; push through the fear, it might all work out! "
Her secret tips for finding the best second-hand books:
"Definitely charity/thrift shops but also Facebook market place - your local community probably has more hidden gems than you realise!"
Her favourite find (so far!):
"I loved the 100th year anniversary of Wind in the Willows because it's a classic book and the reprint was stunning but I'll always love finding the Harry Potter series in the wild! "
On her team:
"I'm definitely at the forefront of the business but my boyfriend is a huge part of the whole thing! He helps me with the book shopping, often finding things I've overlooked, and he's got more of a maths mind, so takes all the anxiety out of the money side of things for me (I am dyslexic and numbers cause me to have huge anxiety). "
Sam's personal favourite reads:
"Young adult fantasy books are my bread and butter - I love falling into fantasy books and if there are vampires, werewolves or witches that's a huge plus for me! I have been finding a lot of joy in young adult science fiction recently as well so I'm on the lookout to find more books in that genre."
On Bookstagram:
"I love the bookstagram community - it's a tough nut to crack because it's so huge but every single interaction I have with either my own followers or just accounts I follow and comment on, is friendly and fun. I think book nerds are the best types of people! "
On her everyday routine:
"My morning always starts at 7:30 with a walk with the dog (@junobonbuno), shortly followed by breakfast and at least one episode of whatever TV show I'm watching! I like a lazy morning and have to have a couple of hours to officially wake up before heading off to my day job as digital marketing manager. Thankfully, I get to take my dog to work with me and the workplace is very casual so I'm generally juggling my real work with my side-businesses throughout the day. I try to post on Facebook and Instagram during my lunch break and do all my social media interactions in that one hour slot in the day because whilst I'd love for my bookshop to be more full time, it's only just getting started and it doesn't demand too much of my time right now! When I get home from work I cook dinner (me and my boyfriend are both vegan and cooking is one of my favourite hobbies so I'll mostly spend an hour cooking something from scratch) and then I try to do some writing work - either on my current manuscript or a blog piece - and end the day with a yoga session and a book in bed at about 11pm. I'm tired just thinking about it!"


About the hands-on nature of her business:
"As it's just been Christmas I have a lot of boxes from various other things I've bought over the past few months - because of costs I'm working through re-purposing those boxes to ship out items so if you get something from us that comes in a repurposed box don't be surprised! I'm all about reducing, reusing and recycling - just check my kitchen cupboards for all the glass jars and bottles I collect :P One day I plan on having branded book boxes but I'm trying not to get ahead of myself!My local post office is incredibly small and very well used by all the small businesses and elderly generation crammed into the village so it's always a hub of activity when I drop off orders to be sent out. I love to stand in line and have a sneaky listen to whatever is going on around me!"
On choosing her books:
"I love finding the best condition books I can find so that's a huge contributing factor but I do stock what I like to call 'pre-loved' books; those are the ones that might have some torn pages or really well-cracked spines. I enjoy finding those kinds of conditions for more classic books like The Little Prince or The Secret Garden because I feel like it adds to their charm. I'm a huge reader of young adult books, though, and I write YA fiction so I generally know what books are popular and like to think I know what like-minded readers will like."
Advice for bookish business wannabes:
"To plan, plan and plan. Lists are life, I swear by them. I'd always suggest making a list of everything you think you'll need and then once you feel kind of prepared JUST DO IT. Watch that Shia LaBeouf video and get pumped up! When you start anything you're always going to have to work your way up so don't wait for a perfect moment - if you feel the passion, let it rip!"
Sam's biggest challenge:
"It's an ongoing challenge to figure out which books are going to sell and whether we'll make a profit (as per every business, every day)! It's also an ongoing struggle to try to reach the right people as Facebook and Instagram have very different types of book consumers so every day is an adventure in targeting the right audience. Good job I do it for my day job or my head would hurt a lot more! "


On the future of ScndHndBks:
"Future plans involve getting a regular book stall on the go in my local town to become a local fixture - scndhndbks is an attempt to create a book lovers community both locally but also in the bookstagram community so building our stock list and presence is a huge item on my list of things to do this year. In the absolute long term I would love to get a bricks and mortar book shop up and running. Always specialising in YA and children's literature, of course! "
Sam's end note:
"As much as I want people to turn into friends and customers I am still a huge advocate for people finding their own books in charity shops or independent book shops - it doesn't have to be mine! It's easy to buy books cheap from giant corporations but when you can put that money into the pocket of someone who it will make a difference to, it seems silly not to! "

So, there you have it. 
Find your next read at Scndhndbks, or support Sam's business on Instagram and be first to know when stock drops!
Love, C x

All images in this post belong to Scndhndbks.

January Favourites

 Hello Readers & Friends,

I've decided to start doing monthly round-up posts. I've seen these being done everywhere (Chapter 92 inspired this particular post) and never thought I did enough in a month for it to be worth sharing, but I figured I'd give it a go anyway and see how far we get. It's a nice way for me to share more about myself with you all as well as recommendations. So, here we go.

So, these have been my favourites for this month.

January book roundup:As I average one book per week, I had a very strong week for reading! I got through 6.5 books this month!



1x book submission which I cannot yet name from work! (Annoying as it's an entire book and doesn't count on GoodReads.)The Return by Rachel HarrisonLady Midnight by Cassandra ClareChildren of Vengeance and Virtue by Tomi AdeyumiMy Mother the Psychopath by Olivia RayneThe Hunting Party by Lucy FoleyA book that will remain anonymous, which I DNF at 50%. TV

  You, Season 2 - Netflix

This month Steven and I made our way through the second season of You, which follows a disturbed, crazy guy who kills all his girlfriends. I loved Season One, and if I'm honest I kind of wished they ended it there. Most of this season was good, very tension-building and creepy, but for me the ending really fell flat and kind of annoyed me. But I loved it until the very end, so it still makes my favourites list. We meet a lot of complex and interesting new characters, such as Forty and Will Beddleheim (someone give him a side show) which keeps things different from Season One. And, as before, Penn Badgley does an incredible job portraying Joe Goldberg. Although I still stand by the theory that You is just Dan Humphrey's story after the end of Gossip Girl.

Film


  The Green Book - Amazon Prime


This was our hungover, New Year's Day film. It's based on a true story which I loved, and the two main characters are both hilarious in their own ways. It's a sad story about the racism of the deep south with light humour ran through it, which stops it from getting too upsetting. I would compare it a little in it's tones to one of my all-time favourite films, The Blind Side. They are similar in the way they cover true stories, societal problems in America, tragic character struggles with light humour and lovable characters.




   The Joker - Online 

I never thought anyone would be able to top Heath Ledger's portrayal of the joker, but Phoenix did it. This is the most amazing performance I've seen from an actor in a really long time. This whole film was heartbreakingly sad. I could hardly bear some of the scenes that the main character, Arthur, goes through. It covered issues in America to do with class systems and mental health illness, and was very upsetting. I can't believe any critic wouldn't give this film all the stars it deserves. Arguments that it promotes violence and paints the mentally ill in a bad light, for me, are ridiculous. This was a film about a man struggling to be good when the world kept breaking him down until all that was left was the bad, and I found it unnervingly relatable. Plus, the cinematography is incredible. But really, I just recommend everyone watch it for Joaquin Phoenix's masterful performance.
Fashion & Beauty


Wedding Shoes


I bought some shoes for my hen do and think they're so cute. I'll be wearing these with mom jeans. I love them, and may even wear them for a portion of my wedding if they survive the hen night out!
Books
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

I loved delving back into the world of the Shadowhunters, and this was my first 5-star read of the year. I have written a full review which you can check out here.


MusicI have a weird taste in music. Generally, I don't seem to like anything in the charts. I hate RnB and I don't like modern hip hop either. I love classic rock, acoustic covers, EDM, 90s hip hop, 80s rock, 2000s punk indie... basically anything outdated!

This month two songs were played on repeat. I rediscovered Fell in Love with a Girl by The White Stripes in an old playlist, which I had gone quite a while without listening to! Forgot what a banger it was, so this was played a few times.

You can always tell my mood by what music I'm listening to, and I had quite a few 'lows' this month. Towards the end I found myself really struggling mentally with my depression, and found that even Slipknot wasn't heavy enough to channel my energy into, so I turned to my EDM playlist and had New Noise by Steve Aokie on repeat, which seemed to be the only thing able to calm me down!

Fell in Love With a Girl by The White Stripes
New Noise Steve Aokie
Killing In The Name






Hope your January was good!

Love, C x

Book Review: Children of Virtue and Vengeance

Hello Readers & Friends,

I finally got around to finishing COVAV, after very much adoring Children of Blood and Bone early last year. I gave it 4* - though this may be a little stretch. Perhaps 3.5 is more accurate.

I found it a little bit slower to get into the action again, and some of the scenes with the magic were a tad hard to follow, but this may be because I was reading whilst crammed like a sardine on the tube underneath sweaty armpits rather than my preferable locations - in the bath surrounded by bubbles with a glass of wine or in my pink armchair with a cup of tea.

Regardless, I enjoyed the book, with it gripping me completely in the last 5 chapters or so. If it had been this way much earlier on it would have had a better review from me.

A quick summary: it is basically a continuation of Zelie's struggles from the first book, and a continuation of the Magi's fight against the monarchy for equal rights. For years the Magi (magical people) have been persecuted and attacked simply for existing, and Adeyumi has made very clear that this was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, which I feel very strongly about. The first book saw heroine Zelie fall in love with Prince Inan and on a mission to revive the power of the Magi in Orisha. This book explores what happens now that their power is back, and the war that commences against the monarchs.

Of course, we see Zelie's struggle after the betrayal of Inan in the last book, and she spends much of the story mourning her countless losses. This is why it was a little slow for me. As someone with depression, it got quite tireless reading again and again and again about how bad Zelie felt, and seeing her feeling bad. I do understand why Adeyumi did this and how she wanted to give Zelie's character a lot of depth, but for anyone who may be a little depressed already it can be quite a draining read. However, I really enjoyed her new budding relationship with Roen, who, if I'm honest, is a much more interesting and likeable character than stinky Inan The Betrayer anyway.

Amari, for me, became completely unlikable in this book. However, I feel that this was very much intended and this will be a classic Cardan from The Cruel Prince series situation, where readers either decide to love her despite her faults, to forgive her mistakes, or like me they will decide she's a bit of an ass and wipe their hands of her.

I enjoyed the twist at the end that we discovered about Inan's family history, and there are countless action-packed scenes full of magical fighting, which is always a plus for me. There were some very heartbreaking scenes towards the end that were emotional to read - not tear-provoking for me, but sad nonetheless.

As many reviewers have said on GoodReads, I didn't feel quite as gripped or enjoy this book as much as the first, but I am still looking forward to it's conclusion.

Love, C x

Travel Log: Bristol

Hello Readers & Friends,
Today I'm sharing some peeks into my trip to Bristol. Steven and I had the most lovely time in Bristol, and we went Thursday-Saturday which was nice as it was a little quieter on the Thursday and Friday.






 We stayed at the Hotel Du Vin, which was honestly one of the nicest places I had ever stayed. It was in a great location, right in the middle of the centre so everywhere was walkable and we were lucky to get a Winter Deal which got us a superior room and free breakfasts for our stay. The breakfast menu was amazing, with a buffer and hot breakfast option. The salmon and scrambled eggs was great and our room was huge and gorgeous, with a deep green roll-top bath which we spent some time in on the Friday with a bottle of Prosecco. We also meandered around the stores a lot, and one of the ones I wanted to visit specifically was Beware of the Leopard Books, which sat in the indoor marketplace. I didn't actually find anything in there but there were tons of options, particularly for non fiction and it had that great, authentic old-book-smell I love.  

We also went to the Bristol Museum. I'm so glad we went on the Friday morning as it was dead quiet. I imagine on a Saturday it would be crammed with screaming children, so it was really peaceful. I loved the taxidermy floor, I love seeing animals up-close like that. (The Horniman museum in London is great for this!) and Steven loved the art floor. This killed a few hours and we both really enjoyed it.   I spent a while in Bloom & Curll, another second-hand book store though I noticed the prices weren't second-hand cheap as you'd expect. I think I paid a fiver for one of them! But it was a very darling and cosy store and it was a nice atmosphere to browse in. I'm sure if you had more time (or were tall enough to see the higher shelves!) you could find some great gems.  A couple of other things we did: Went to The Apple which was a boat on the canal all lit up by fairy lights with great cider options and cheap drink dealsKilled many hours in Chance & Counters, a boardgame bar. They have over 900 games and the guy serving us was so great, showing us the best 2-player ones and running through the rules with us quickly and clearly so we didn't waste time reading the complicated manuals. We honestly had so much fun discovering new games, drinking wine and enjoying some of the sliders and side dishes they offer. The mini burgers were great.


 My favourite thing we did was going to Smoke & Mirrors on the Thursday night and watching Mark Bennett's comedy magic show. He was absolutely hilarious, and the magic was amazing. It was all close-up illusion work and Mark is just a great entertainer. Steven and I even got dragged up on stage to help him with something which was somewhat mortifying but it makes a good story. (Unrelated: How cute are these little illustrated dog breed playing cards I found in the market?!)

The rest of our time was spent trying out coffee shops, wandering the cobbled streets, and bar-crawling. it was the perfect relaxing break away and I think two nights was the perfect amount of time to get everything done. 
As for my book haul, I picked up a beautiful vintage edition of Tom Sawyer, The Book Thief (Obviously I already have this but needed this other edition I found because it's one of my favourites), The Rosie Project, Diary of a Bookseller and a very old Jane Austen novel which I will probably use more as a prop. That one was picked up for pennies at an Oxfam, so I don't feel so guilty about using it for vanity shots rather than actual reading!
Have you been to Bristol? Did you visit any of the places we did? 
Love, C x