Spell the Month in Books: December

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. To participate, find a book title that starts with each letter in the month’s name, make a list, share your link, and that’s it! You can share anytime by the end of the month. Some months have additional themes, but feel free to participate however you’d like!

This month’s theme is Giftable: Books you would give or like to receive as a gift. Let’s see what I can come up with…

Here are my DECEMBER books:

D:

Dear Lord Akeldama by Gail Carriger:

A terrific gift for fans of the author’s Parasol-verse books.

E:

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

I love this author’s books, and this special edition of her first novel is gorgeous!

C:

Clanlands by
Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish

Perfect for Outlander fans — need I say more?

E:

Everything On It by Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein books are always great gifts… and I’d argue that they make great gifts for all ages, not just children!

M:

Mythos by Stephen Fry

A big, coffee table-sized book with beautiful illustrations — a terrific accompaniment for the Mythos audiobook (which I highly recommend).

B:

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Cozy fantasy is never a bad gift option, and the bookshop setting is a plus!

E:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

I love this series, and the first book is wonderful. It would make a great gift for someone who loves fantasy worlds and portal fiction.

R:

Robots vs. Fairies edited by Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe

Sci-fi? Fantasy? Why choose just one! I’m including this books as a really fun pick for gift giving — it’s a terrific collection of short stories, and I don’t think it’s widely known, so it should be new to whoever you give it to!

Wishing everyone a very happy December! If you spelled the month in books, please leave me a link to your post — I’d love to see it!

20Nov2025

Birthstone Book Covers: November = Topaz + Citrine!

Posted in Bookish Thoughts, Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.

The rules are simple:

Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
HAVE FUN!

November’s birthstones are topaz and citrine. And while they may look very similar, apparently they’re quite different stones!

No, citrine and topaz are not the same; citrine is a variety of quartz, while topaz is a different mineral species. They are often confused because they can have similar yellow and brown colors, but they have different chemical compositions, hardness levels, and crystalline structures.

And from Bremer Jewelry’s website:

WHAT IS TOPAZ?

Check out the raw topaz above and compare it to the raw citrine at the top of this post. It’s easy to see how these pale yellow stones have been easily confused throughout history! Citrine (quartz family) and topaz are actually unrelated mineral species. Topaz belongs to the silicate mineral family, not quartz. Before these differences were clear, many cultures called citrine (the yellow variety of quartz) by other names like gold topaz, Madeira or Spanish topaz—contributing to the confusion.

The name topaz derives from Topazios, the ancient Greek name for St. John’s Island in the Red Sea. Although the yellow stones famously mined there probably weren’t topaz, it soon became the name for most yellowish stones. Pure topaz is colorless, but it can become tinted by impurities to take on any color of the rainbow. Precious topaz, ranging in color from brownish orange to yellow, is often mistaken for “smoky quartz” or “citrine quartz,” respectively—although quartz and topaz are unrelated minerals!

One of my close childhood friends was a November baby, and I remember us comparing our birthstone rings — my sapphire vs her topaz! (Of course, I insisted mine was better — but her topaz was quite lovely too!)

And now for the books!

Here are the topaz/citrine book covers I’ve found on my shelves:

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison
Parable of the Sower (graphic novel edition) by Octavia Butler
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
Bloodhound (Beka Cooper, #2) by Tamora Pierce

Do you have any favorite topaz/citrine book covers to share?

7Nov2025

Spell the Month in Books: November

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This month’s theme is Nostalgia! I’m spotlighting books that hold fond memories for me — some from my childhood, some that I’ve enjoyed with my children, and some that just make me remember how happy I was when I first read them.

Here are my NOVEMBER books:

N:

No Flying in the House by Betty Brock
Nostalgia factor: I was OBSESSED with this book as a child! Especially the “fact” that you could tell if someone was actually a fairy by seeing if they could kiss their own elbow. Did I spend a lot of time trying? Of course I did!

O:

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Nostalgia factor: I’m including this book as a stand-in for the entire Little House series — which I enjoyed during my own childhood and then enjoyed all over again once my daughter was old enough to be interested.

V:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Nostalgia factor: Endless times reading this book with my kids! And always so much fun, especially when they’d read aloud with me.

E:

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Nostalgia factor: One of my daughter’s favorites! She insisted that I read this one the second she finished it.

M:

Merry, Rose, and Christmas-Tree June by Doris Orgel
Nostalgia factor: I remember loving this book! I don’t remember the entire story, but I know there were three special dolls. As a kid, I didn’t know enough to be excited that the illustrations were by Edward Gorey, but as an adult, that makes me even more determined to track down a copy!

B:

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Nostalgia factor: Nightly read-alouds with my kids… and just so sweet and charming

E:

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Nostalgia factor: I’ve read this at several points in my life, and each time it’s been a great experience. This wasn’t my first King novel by any means, but I have such warm memories of how I felt while reading it.

R:

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
Nostaglia factor: At one point, many years ago, I could not get enough of Robin McKinley’s fairy tale retellings (and I still think they’re amazing) — and then had the joy of seeing my daughter become just as crazy about them.

Wishing everyone a very happy November! If you spelled the month in books, please leave me a link to your post — I’d love to see it!

25Oct2025

Birthstone Book Covers: October = Opal!

Posted in Bookish Thoughts, Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

The rules are simple:

Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
HAVE FUN!

October’s birthstone is opal. (Well, also tourmaline, but I’m sticking with opals!) According to the American Gem Society:

The name “opal” originates from the Greek word opallios, which meant “to see a change in color.” The Roman scholar Pliny used the word opalus when he wrote about this gemstone’s kaleidoscopic “play” of rainbow colors that could simulate shades of any stone.

Opal’s characteristic “play-of-color” was explained in the 1960s, when scientists discovered that it’s composed of microscopic silica spheres that diffract light to display various colors of the rainbow. These flashy gemstones are called “precious opals.” Those without play-of-color are “common opals.”

Dozens of opal varieties exist, but only a few, such as fire opal and boulder opal, are universally recognized. Opals are often referred to by their background “body color” of black or white.

Opal’s classic country of origin is Australia. Seasonal rains soaked the parched Outback, carrying silica deposits underground into cracks between layers of rock. When the water evaporated, these deposits formed opal. Sometimes, silica seeped into spaces around wood, seashells and skeletons, resulting in opalized fossils.

Since opal was discovered in Australia around 1850, the country has produced 95 percent of the world’s supply. Opal is also mined in Mexico, Brazil, Honduras, Ethiopia, the Czech Republic, and parts of the U.S., including Nevada and Idaho.

Learn more about the history of opals.

I’ve always loved opals, probably ever since my grandparents gave me a pair of opal earrings when I was a wee tween… which I still have, even though I haven’t worn them in decades.

I’ve only ever seen the white or lighter blue varieties, but apparently there are endless color combinations in these beautiful gemstones.

*Opal varieties (source: http://www.geology.com)*

Which makes it hard to figure out how to match opals with book covers! Since the opals I’m most familiar with have a mostly white look with streaks and splashes of pink and blue, I’ll go with a mix of white, pink, and blue covers… which don’t necessarily look like opals, but I think that’s the closest I can come!

Here are the opal-inspired book covers I’ve found on my shelves:

Echo Boy by Matt Haig
The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson
The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye
Emmett by L. C. Rosen

Do you have any favorite opal book covers to share?

Next month is Opal for October… seems like it’ll be a tricky one!

22Oct2025

Spell the Month in Books: October

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

This month’s theme is Trick or Treat: books that you feel strongly about, whether positively or negatively.

Last month was my first time trying this meme, and I thought it was so much fun that I’m back for more. I’m even trying the theme this time! Here are my OCTOBER books:

O:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Trick or Treat? Treat! I loved Outlander immediately, and have read it (and the entire series) many times so far… and probably will again!

C:

Carrie by Stephen King
Trick or Treat? Trick… but in an awesomely horrific way. I think I was way too young when I first encountered Carrie. (Middle school girls dealing with first periods probably should NOT read this book… much safer to read from the comfort of adulthood!) Later, coming back to Carrie, I was better able to appreciate Stephen King’s talents without it feeling quite so visceral.

T:

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Trick or Treat? Trick… I didn’t hate this book (I gave it a 3-star review), but the workplace romance aspect creates so many problematic situations that I just couldn’t enjoy it as a whole, despite the parts that I actually liked.

O:

One Salt Sea (October Daye, #5) by Seanan McGuire
Trick or Treat? Treat! I love the October Daye series to pieces, and this book, relatively early in the overall series, moves the story in new directions in a really spectacular way.

B:

Battle of the Bookstops by Poppy Alexander
Trick or Treat? Trick… with a little hint of treats mixed in. What’s not to love about a book about battling bookstores? This should have been cute, but just did not deliver. I like some elements, but overall, this was a letdown (See more, here)

E:

Emma by Jane Austen
Trick or Treat? Treat! I’ve loved Emma from the start, and the audiobook version I’ve listened to (narrated by the amazing Juliet Stevenson) makes me laugh every time.

R:

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Trick or Treat? Treat! Ish… I enjoyed all of the Bridgerton books, but they do require a certain willingness to look past cringey sex scenes and a few over-the-top descriptions. Still, these books are generally loads of fun and go down like candy.

Happy October to all! If you spelled the month in books, please leave me a link to your post — I’d love to see it!

19Sep2025

Birthstone Book Covers: September = Sapphire!

Posted in Bookish Thoughts, Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

The rules are simple:

Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post!
Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
HAVE FUN!

September’s birthstone is sapphire. According to the American Gem Society, sapphire gemstones symbolize loyalty, nobility, sincerity, and integrity. Learn more about their history.

Sapphire is my birthstone (yay, September!), and I’ve always loved the rich color (and love checking out sapphire jewelry of all sorts). But more importantly…

Onward to the books! Here are the sapphire book covers I’ve found on my shelves:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
The Poisoner’s Ring by Kelley Armstrong
Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Do you have any favorite sapphire book covers to share?

Next month is Opal for October… seems like it’ll be a tricky one!

12Sep2025

Spell the Month in Books: September

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I see that the September theme is Something to Savor, which might include longer books, books that have been on your TBR a long time, some that have food on the cover or in the title, or simply a few favorites.

Since this is my first time participating, I’m going to keep it simple and just focus on the titles without applying a theme. Here are my SEPTEMBER books:

S:

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire

E:

Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery

P:

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

T:

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan

E:

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

M:

Miss Kopp Investigates by Amy Stewart

B:

Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs

E:

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

R:

Reticence by Gail Carriger

Happy September to all! If you spelled the month in books, please leave me a link to your post — I’d love to see it!

14Aug2025

Birthstone Book Covers: August = Peridot!

Posted in Bookish Thoughts, Fun and Whimsy by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Trying something new! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme, and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I thought I’d jump in.

The rules are simple:

Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post!
Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
HAVE FUN!

August’s birthstone is peridot. According to the American Gem Society:

Though peridot is widely recognized for its brilliant lime green glow, the origin of this gemstone’s name is unclear. Most scholars agree that the word “peridot” is derived from the Arabic faridat, which means “gem;” however, some believe it’s rooted in the Greek word peridona, meaning “giving plenty.” Perhaps that’s why peridot was, according to lore, associated with prosperity and good fortune.

Peridot is the rare gem-quality variety of the common mineral olivine, which forms deep inside the Earth’s mantle and is brought to the surface by volcanoes. In Hawaii, peridot once symbolized the tears of Pele, the volcano goddess of fire who controls the flow of lava. Rarely, peridot is also found inside meteorites.

Peridot’s signature green color comes from the composition of the mineral itself—rather than from trace impurities, as with many gemstones. That’s why this is one of few gemstones that only comes in one color, though shades may vary from yellowish-green to olive to brownish-green, depending on how much iron is present.