Bookstores of New York: Books Are Magic plus Vlog!

Books Are Magic is another book store I heard about in New York  only this one I heard had a mural SO CLEARLY MY BODY WAS READY!

Oh and it was a sweet little shop! I loved it for it's lack of crowd and vintage styled doors, for it's good light and it's encouraging reading merchandise. I loved it for it's comfy couch, it's wooden book nook and it's collection of childrens' literature that reminded me of my own childhood adventures between the pages.

I loved it for it's mural too, of course!

It was a wonderful trip!  

Check out the corresponding vlog below:

Book Stores of New York : The Strand plus Vlog!

From the moment I found out The Strand existed I knew i had to go there.  I once read somewhere that everyone has different reasons for which they travel, different fascinations that grip them and with which they connect.  My fascination with the human psyche is tied up snug with my love for literature. Literature is my history book of choice. I deeply believe that if you want to understand the culture of a people you can find it in the bindings of their uncensored opinions and that literature is a safe and faceless vehicle through which that is made possible.

I'm not a foodie so i don't connect with a culture through food. I come alive at museums and books stores and libraries. We don't have many of those where I am from so when I travel I feel like my soul is on fire to get to them, as many of them as I can to savour them and know them and climb into their warmth and be glad they exist in this world.

I went to The Strand Bookstore perhaps tree times in my last visit to the city of New York. It blew my mind every time.

I seem to have a fascination with taking pictures of my favourite books at wonderful books tores that honestly I don't understand myself. As if, by those books simply being there the book store has won more of my favour, racking up cool points and proving itself worthy indeed. The books are Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi and the just comics with Storm, my forever favourite X-men character.

Here I am making one of my, apparently famous, apauled faces at my friend Emmie

  Here I am being a nerd with relatively new and extremely kind riend Jermaine

 Here I am being shamelessly nerdy with Emmie,

 Mine is a Falcon, hers is a horse if you were wondering. NO SHAME RAVENCLAW POTTER HEAD GIRLS

Looking at these pictures you'd never know how scared I was to head out on my own to find this place. The anxiety attack I had to beat before I got out the door...the prays I said. How I had to pick my fear up of the floor with both hands, stuff 'em in my back pocket and go anyway. Going to places like this reminds me that I am a real person, that I am alive and not just a character in a book. Is that strange? Maybe...Probably. Oh well.

I want to see all of New Yorks great book stores someday, I have a list and all! The Strand was first on my list. So far I have seen three from the five on my list.

Soon I will see more of them. I will come to know more of them. Then I will know the ones in Paris, in London and Italy. I will know them and they will know me and they will know books authored by me.

God, I love literature.

Check out the vlog!

2018 Reading List

1. Love, Lies and the List by Kasie West Done, didn't much like it, barely scraped 3 stars
2. Cruel Prince
3. The Mortal Instruments Series
4. The Poet X 
5. Saints and Misfits
6. Illumina 3: Obsidio
7. Iron Gold
8. Milk and Honey
9. The Princess Saves Herself in this One
10.  Restore Me
11. A Case for Jamie
12. The Infernal Devices 

 So edit: it's March, crossed out what I've already ready there are a lot more that are on on this list follow me on goodreads to stay up to date. Warning, I am an adult who sometimes reads adult content books.

12 Books on My To Read List in 2017!

Okay, so here are the books I am DEFINITELY reading this year

- Throne of Glass series (A 6 book series so lets see if i dig it )
- The Infernal Devices ( I'll read the trilogy if it catches me )
- One Dark Throne
-The illuminae Files book 3
- A Crown of Wishes
- A Court of Mist and Fury
- The Forgetting
- The Reader
- The Sun is Also A Star
- Iron Gold
- Our Dark Duet
- Unwind
- The Book Thief done!
- ANYTHING Marissa Meyer publishes!

As you can see my reading has been quite taken over by Young Adult Fiction but I also hope to read more adult fiction this year. I have recently been LOVING the adult fiction genre. Contemporary fiction is rarely my thing but I know I will have to include some just so I can keep my brain calm after some really good books that are a part of a series which suck me in and leave me waiting a year.

My reading goals include:

• Read a least one classic this year, maybe polish of Jane Austen as I believe I've only one of her novels left.
• Read more adult fiction.
• Write more literary reviews on what I have read.
• Read at least 2 books of historical fiction. 

Black Friday Book Deals: // SIGNED COPY OF Edition

These titles are on my to be read list (tbr) and will also be available at Barnes and Nobels this Black Friday weekend, their  SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR copies that is:

high on my TBR:
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Maybes on my TBR:
Children of Eden by Joey Graceffa
Empire of Storm  by Sarah J. Mass (Throne of glass series book 5)
Commonwealth by Anne Patchett 
The Book Thief by Markus Susak (10th Anniversary Edition)
The Midnight Star by  (young elites series book 3)

They also have a host of other titles available in signed version. 

You can check out the list here