#Freya Sampson

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

My last holiday book haul 🫶🏻

[bibliollama]

May Reading Wrap up

May wasn’t a great mental health month, the ADHD flared up and I started so many books but I did still manage to finish 8 of them: Jeremy Clarkson – Diddly Squat: Pigs Might Fly 4 stars I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first couple of Diddly Squat books – I think it’s because I watched the show first and read the book after with the others. Reading the book first, it fell a little flat because…

[sheilajsn]

The Lost Ticket de Freya Sampson

Todos los años, cuando Lizette y yo hacemos el Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag, hay una pregunta que siempre me da trabajo contestar: “¿Qué libro que te hizo llorar?” Y es que, honestamente, no soy el tipo de persona que llora leyendo un libro. Puede que me dé sentimiento o que hasta se me aguen los ojos un poco. Pero llorar, lo que se dice llorar… Extremadamente raro. Pero este año, ya tengo mi…

[tudorblogger]

Monthly Reading Summary – November 2023

[booksteacupandreviews]

Authors I discovered in 2022

What new authors did you discover in 2022? #BookTwt Check out mine on my #bookblog by following the link and let me know if you have read any of these authors or their books?⬇️

[protagonistspub]

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson was a digital read from the library. It falls under clean contemporary fiction, in a general sense. What happens when a young woman at the worst time in her life meets an old man on a double-decker bus in London? That is the plot line of the book and what ensues will warm your heart and restore your hope in humanity. This is published by Berkeley in August 2022.…

[booksandwords]

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

Read time: 2 Days Rating: 4/5

The quote: "Well, obviously the library is vital to us and our community. But they were protesting for huge, universal things, like the vote for women and the of segregation." "And we're fighting for social equality, for literacy and the futures of our children." — June Jones and Mrs Bransworth (on the similarities between FOCL and the Suffragettes)

The Last Chance Library begins on the main character June Jones's birthday. With her workday and her evening, it's a perfect introduction to June, her day and her community. My initial reaction was I really like June. That initial reaction was basically was my lasting one. June is a library assistant in a British village called, Charlot for just over 10 years. She has an often disgruntled cat called Alan Bennett. A librarian with a cat pet, a stereotype yes but not an unearned one. One of the most endearing things about her for me is her habit of making stories up in her head for the people, the strangers around her, especially patrons. June is shy loves to read and help the people in her library in varying ways from Stanley with his crossword to young Jackson and his voracious reading habits. Her character changes so much throughout the book. Becoming so much more strong and empowered throughout. I really like her arc it's done well. This story really is led by her as much as it is the people around her.

The main characters in the book are largely those in FOCL (Friends Of Charlot Library). Who range in age from the pensioners to Jackson a homeschooled child who reads well above his age and voraciously to Leila a new migrant who barely speaks English. These characters are diverse and funny. Mrs B is hilarious an older queer woman with the immortal line "No, I bloody well wasn't. I've never really seen the point of men." in response to the question "Were you ever married, Mrs Bransworth?". Jackson is just sweet his best line is a haiku that I would use in a save a library campaign, it's also true "Libraries are boats / And the books are life jackets / Without them we'll drown.". Stanley is possibly the most powerful character, he's something of a father figure to June. To say too much about him would mean spoilers. Marjorie is such a strong and smart character but in an unexpected way. Leila, Leila is a total sweetie and the representation and side of libraries she shows means so much to me. Then there is Vera. Vera is the personification of the quote/idea "be kind to everyone because you never know what someone is going through" or in her case been through.

One of the core relationships in the book is June and Alex, though it doesn't have the weight that the blurb may imply. I adore their relationship. While they did know each other at school their adult relationship is built on a shared love of books and reading. It starts with a discussion of their preferred genres, June's is classics and Alex's is fantasy and science fiction. The first books recommended are Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This alone made me half wonder if Sampson started with the books and came up with the genres after that. Nearly every time they have a conversation books come up. Importantly, to some library workers, this would feel like work to June they don't. But on these books, all the books mentioned in The Last Chance Library may end up being a pretty good reading list for people. I kinda regret not writing them down as I went.

The ending is fantastic. I love it. It's a clever choice. (this is where the spoiler discussion is on goodreads) This is such a lovely book that features so much growth and a variety of characters that will make you smile. I particularly recommend it to library workers and book lovers.

[authorsamanthapicaro]

Monday Book to Movie Rec:

Second Chance Library by Freya Sampson

I recommend this adult fiction book about a shy, quiet librarian who is forced to open up to people in order to prevent her library from closing.

Good for fans of:

Shy, quiet heroines

Small towns

Libraries (of course)

Community

Inter generational friendships

[rachaelreadsposts]

Books Read in 2023 and their Ratings!

Reading Goal: 25 books

Books Read in 2023: 34 books

(I'm going to be rating out of 5 stars)

A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair (★ ★ ★ ★)

A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair (★ ★ ★ ★)

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate (★ ★ ★ ★)

Odder by Katherine Applegate (★ ★ ★ ★ ★)

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson(★ ★ ★ ★)

The Duke & I by Julia Quinn (★ ★ ★ ★)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (★ ★ ★)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (★ ★ ★ ★)

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (★ ★ ★ ★ ★)

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (★ ★ ★ ★)

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (★ ★ ★ ★)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (★ ★ ★ ★ ★)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (★ ★ ★ ★)

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins (★ ★ ★ ★)

Book Lovers by Emily Henry (★ ★ ★ ★)

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (★ ★ ★)

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score (★ ★ ★ ★)

Neon Gods by Katee Robert (★ ★ ★)

Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score (★ ★ ★)

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (★ ★ ★ ★ ★)

Electric Idol by Katee Robert (★ ★ ★)

Heartstopper Volume One by Alice Oseman (★ ★ ★ ★)

Heartstopper Volume Two by Alice Oseman(★ ★ ★ ★)

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (★ ★ ★ ★)

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (★ ★ ★ ★)

The Deal by Elle Kennedy (★ ★)

Throttled by Lauren Asher (★ ★ ★)

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson (★ ★ ★ ★)

A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair (★ ★ ★ ★ ★)

An Offer From a Gentlemen by Julia Quinn (★ ★ ★ ★)

The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan (★ ★ ★ ★)

Twisted Love by Ana Huang (★ ★)

Wildfire by Hannah Grace (★ ★ ★ ★ ★)

Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan (3 stars)

Shortest book I read in 2023: 190 pages

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Longest book I read in 2023: 594 pages

Things We Hide From the Light by Lucy Score

Total pages read in 2023: 12,710 pages!!!

Book Superlatives

Thank you guys so much for another year! I'm so proud of myself for going past my reading goal this year! I read so many great books this year and have plenty of books to go into 2024 with. (Yes I'm still on the ban...)

I hope everyone had a great year of reading and wish the best for the next year. <3

[cheshirelibrary]

42 Charming, Heart-Warming, and Quirky Books 

[via GoodReads]

Ever get just plain worn out? Yeah, us too. Quite frankly, the 21st century has been a lot more stressful than we were hoping. Sometimes you just want a book that’s light and/or quirky and/or funny–a heart warmer.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson

...

Click through to see the full list.

[chillingcinemachronicles]

Top 5 Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix

5. Predestination (2014)

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Alicia Pavlis, Annabelle Norman, Arielle O’Neill, Ben Prendergast, Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen, Cate Wolfe, Christopher Bunworth, Christopher Kirby, Christopher Sommers, Christopher Stollery, Dennis Coard, Dick York, Elise Jansen, Eliza D’Souza, Eliza Matengu, Ethan Hawke, Felicity Steel, Finegan Sampson, Freya Stafford, Giordano Gangl, Grant Piro, Hayley Butcher, Jim Knobeloch, Katie Avram, Kristie Jandric, Kuni Hashimoto, Lucinda Armstrong Hall, Madeleine West, Maja Sarosiek, Marky Lee Campbell, Milla Simmonds, Monique Heath, Noah Taylor, Noel Herriman, Olivia Sprague, Paul Moder, Raj Sidhu, Rob Jenkins, Sara El-Yafi, Sarah Snook, Sophie Cusworth, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Tyler Coppin, Vanessa Crouch

Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig, The Spierig Brothers

Rating: R

One of the most original time-travel thrillers since 12 Monkeys. A brilliant subversion of the Time Paradox trope, with enough plot twists to keep you entertained until well after the movie is finished. Predestination is an amazing movie with great performances from Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook. It’s a movie that will feel like Inception, when it comes to messing with your mind and barely anyone has heard of it. It is highly underrated and unknown, sadly.

4. Train to Busan (2016)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Ahn So-hee, An So-hee, Baek Seung-hwan, Cha Chung-hwa, Chang-hwan Kim, Choi Gwi-hwa, Choi Woo-shik, Choi Woo-sung, Dong-seok Ma, Eui-sung Kim, Gong Yoo, Han Ji-eun, Han Sung-soo, Jang Hyuk-jin, Jeong Seok-yong, Jung Seok-yong, Jung Young-ki, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Chang-hwan, Kim Eui-sung, Kim Jae-rok, Kim Joo-heon, Kim Ju-hun, Kim Keum-soon, Kim Soo-ahn, Kim Soo-an, Kim Su-an, Kim Won-Jin, Lee Joo-sil, Lee Joong-ok, Ma Dong-seok, Park Myung-shin, Sang-ho Yeon, Seok-yong Jeong, Shim Eun-kyung, Sohee, Soo-an Kim, Soo-jung Ye, Terri Doty, Woo Do-im, Woo-sik Choi, Ye Soo-jung, Yeon Sang-ho, Yoo Gong, Yu-mi Jeong, Yu-mi Jung

Director: Sang-ho Yeon, Yeon Sang-ho

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

A zombie virus breaks out and catches up with a father as he is taking his daughter from Seoul to Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city. Watch them trying to survive to reach their destination, a purported safe zone.

The acting is spot-on; the set pieces are particularly well choreographed. You’ll care about the characters. You’ll feel for the father as he struggles to keep his humanity in the bleakest of scenarios.

It’s a refreshingly thrilling disaster movie, a perfect specimen of the genre.

3. Serenity (2005)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Carrie ‘CeCe’ Cline, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Colin Patrick Lynch, David Krumholtz, Demetra Raven, Dennis Keiffer, Elaine Mani Lee, Erik Weiner, Gina Torres, Glenn Howerton, Hunter Ansley Wryn, Jessica Huang, Jewel Staite, Linda Wang, Logan O’Brien, Marcus Young, Mark Winn, Marley McClean, Matt McColm, Michael Hitchcock, Morena Baccarin, Nathan Fillion, Nectar Rose, Neil Patrick Harris, Peter James Smith, Rafael Feldman, Rick Williamson, Ron Glass, Ryan Tasz, Sarah Paulson, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Tamara Taylor, Terrell Tilford, Terrence Hardy Jr., Tristan Jarred, Weston Nathanson, Yan Feldman

Director: Joss Whedon

Rating: PG-13

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

Serenity is a futuristic sci-fi film that serves as a feature-length continuation of the story-line from the TV program Firefly (2002–2003). The story revolves around the captain (Nathan Fillion) and crew of the titular space vessel that operate as space outlaws, running cargo and smuggling missions throughout the galaxy. They take on a mysterious young psychic girl and her brother, the girl carrying secrets detrimental to the intergalactic government, and soon find themselves being hunted by a nefarious assassin (Chiwetel Ejiofor). The first feature-length film from Joss Whedon (The Avengers), Serenity is a lively and enjoyable adventure, replete with large-scale action sequences, strong characterizations and just the right touch of wry humor. An enjoyable viewing experience that stands alone without demanding that you have familiarity with the original program beforehand.

2. Sorry to Bother You (2018)

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Actor: Armie Hammer, Danny Glover, David Cross, Ed Moy, Forest Whitaker, James D. Weston II, Jermaine Fowler, John Ozuna, Kate Berlant, Lakeith Stanfield, Lily James, Marcella Bragio, Michael X. Sommers, Molly Brady, Omari Hardwick, Patton Oswalt, Robert Longstreet, Rosario Dawson, Steven Yeun, Teresa Navarro, Terry Crews, Tessa Thompson, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tony Toste, W. Kamau Bell

Director: Boots Riley

In the year of the Netflix TV Show Maniac, another absurdist title stole critics’ hearts. Sorry to Bother You is a movie set in an alternate reality, where capitalism and greed are accentuated. Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta) is a guy called Cassius who struggles to pay his bills. However, when at a tele-marketing job an old-timer tells him to use a “white voice”, he starts moving up the ranks of his bizarre society. A really smart movie that will be mostly enjoyed by those who watch it for its entertaining value, and not so much for its commentary. It is like a Black Mirror episode stretched into a movie.

1. Ex Machina (2015)

Genre: Drama, Science Fiction

Actor: Alex Garland, Alicia Vikander, Chelsea Li, Claire Selby, Corey Johnson, Domhnall Gleeson, Elina Alminas, Gana Bayarsaikhan, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno, Symara A. Templeman, Symara Templeman, Tiffany Pisani

Director: Alex Garland

Rating: R

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

Ex Machina is the directorial debut of Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later (and 28 Weeks Later). It tells the story of Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson from About Time), an IT developer who is invited by a billionaire CEO to participate in a groundbreaking experiment — administering a Turing test to a humanoid robot called Ava (Alicia Vikander). Meeting the robot with feelings of superiority at first, questions of trust and ethics soon collide with the protagonist’s personal views. While this dazzling film does not rely on them, the visual effects and the overall look-feel of Ex Machina are absolutely stunning and were rightly picked for an Academy Award. They make Ex Machina feel just as casually futuristic as the equally stylish Her and, like Joaquin Phoenix, Gleeson aka Caleb must confront the feelings he develops towards a machine, despite his full awareness that ‘she’ is just that. This is possibly as close to Kubrick as anyone got in the 21st century. Ex Machina is clever, thrilling, and packed with engaging ideas.

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

January Wrap-Up

The Once and Future Witches (Alix E. Harrow) ★★★★★

Love on the Brain (Ali Hazelwood) (audio) ★★★★

The Lost Ticket (Freya Sampson) ★★★★1/2

A Fire Endless (Rebecca Ross) ★★★★★

The Ingenue (Rachel Kapelke-Dale) (audio) ★★★1/2

The Stolen Heir (Holly Black) ★★★★1/2

Lost in the Moment and Found (Seanan McGuire) ★★★★1/2

One Dark Window (Rachel Gillig) ★★★★1/2

The It Girl (Ruth Ware) (audio & physical) ★★★★★

A Light in the Flame (Jennifer L. Armentrout) ★★

A Flicker in the Dark (Stacy Willingham) (audio) ★★★★

A good start to the year if I do say so myself! Find me over on Goodreads (linked) if you want to be friends there.

[rockislandadultreads]

National Library Lovers Month: Fiction

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people - though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she's invisible.

All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend - her grandmother Zelda - who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda's past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing - a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell….and Earth.

This is the first volume “Hell’s Library” series. 

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that holds the dearest memories of her mother.

Joining a band of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer's feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won't believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way. To save the place and the books that mean so much to her, June must finally make some changes to her life. For once, she's determined not to go down without a fight. And maybe, in fighting for her cherished library, June can save herself, too.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it's already been stolen.

London's underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something - secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself. Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies. And failure is not an option—because it isn’t just Irene’s reputation at stake, it’s the nature of reality itself...

This is the first volume in “The Invisible Library” series. 

[ravenclaw-booknook95]

Sooo..... I bought more books and I finally got them in the mail. Let's see what I got this time. For reference, I got my books from BookOutlet which is an online overstock bookstore.

The books on the left are part of a classics collection by Paper Mill Press and I love these covers. They're the soft covers and the designs are pretty good when you take into consideration that these stories have been around for a long time. I also blame Tumblr for encouraging me to get Dracula and the fact I couldn't find my other copy.

On the left, we have Bridgerton 1 and 2 with a permanent Netflix sticker (I hate this trend so much) and The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson. I wish the Bridgerton: The Duke and I cover was in a similar style to The Viscount Who Loved me. The latter not only tells me who it is about but gives a mystery since we do not see his face. I don't know. It looks too different. The Last Chance Library gives me 'introvert librarian' vibes and I am all for that.

I seriously can't wait to read every single one of these books though my top two in this batch would have to be Dracula and Bridgerton.

[candidcover]

(via Review: The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson)

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson is a sweet story that will put a smile on your face. The characters are intriguing and the story is one that has a theme of perseverance. If you enjoy books with multigenerational friendships and a heart-warming message, this is one to watch for.

[bookinetcie]

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