Novelicious.com | The Women's Fiction Blog for Readers and Writers

Five Beautiful Bookish Bracelets

You’ve heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve, right? Well, why not wear your love of books on your wrist?  

1. Bibliophile bracelet by A Likely Story on Etsy. Made with copper-toned replica typewriter keys and a tinted pewter book charm, this bracelet has a lovely vintage feel. You can adjust the length of the bracelet between 7.5 and 9 inches and it costs around £19.

2. I am in love with the hand-stamped aluminium jewellery by Emery Drive. There is a terrific range of bracelet designs, including the ‘writer’ one pictured above and an Austen themed version with a quote from Persuasion: ‘I am half agony, half hope.’ The cuffs are made to order and you are welcome to customise your bracelet (up to fifty letters and spaces) at no extra cost. The writer cuff pictured costs around £10 and is available from Etsy.

Five Pretty Notebooks

Like every writer I know I have an addiction to stationery and I cannot - simply cannot - resist the lure of a pretty notebook. It's more than their aesthetic loveliness, of course; it's the promise that they hold. 'Take me home,' they whisper, 'fill my pages with thoughts and dreams and I will fulfill them all'. Or is that just me? Ah-hem.

1.This raspberry wrap journal looks utterly strokable. The cover is soft (real) leather and inside are 198 plain cream pages. There is a leather tie closure and it costs £22 from Oh So Cherished.

2. Esmie notebooks. Esmie stands for ‘Elegant Stationery Made In England’, which seems pretty apt. These notebooks are handstitched and glued to a hardback cover and covered with Japanese-style silk screened paper. The prices start at £11.95 for the smallest size and are available from The Paperie.

3. Daisy blue journals by Paper High. These pleasingly-chunky notebooks are Fair Trade and made with khadda paper pages (acid-free, made from recycled cotton). Extra large is 21cm by 13.5cm and costs £17.95, the smaller size (15.5cm by 11cm) is £11.95. 

4. I'm a huge fan of Liberty (my best friend and I refer to the shop in London as 'the mothership') so this Liberty floral notebook is something of a no-brainer. It's A5, has a ribbon tie closure and costs just £10 from John Lewis. 

5. I own several Paper Blanks notebooks (including this one, actually); they're good quality, the paper inside is a nice weight and texture, and I adore the little magnetic closures. This one is a useful size (18 x 23cm) and has a stitched binding that allows the book to lie completely flat when open. The Tiffany Magnolia design on the front cover has an embossed, glossy finish and is truly beautiful. You can get it for £19.99 from Artyfect.  

Five Brilliant Bookshelves

There is only one problem in my house with regard to bookshelves; I never have enough of them. Despite holding regular culls of my book collection and being a devoted user of both my local library and my Kindle, there never seems to be enough shelf-space. If you suffer from a similar affliction, I can't promise that the following selection will ease your pain. After all, the most useful bookshelves tend to be the most basic and utilitarian (Billy bookcases from IKEA, for example), but these five sure are nice to look at. 

1.Conceal bookshelf by Umbra. A cunning hidden metal bracket makes it look as though your books are floating on your wall. Available in small or large and currently on sale at RedCandy for £10.50 (for the small one).

 

2.This cloud wall shelf has been designed with children in mind, but I think it’s rather lovely. Handmade in painted wood, the shelf is also available in blue or grey. Around £29 from Etsy.

 

3. Wooden ladder shelves. As it’s made from oak, this isn’t a cheap option, but its simple design will suit a variety of settings and the ‘ladder’ idea is quirky without being overly so. It's also practical as you'll be able to store a fair amount of stuff on it and move it around easily. £225 from Cox & Cox.   

 

 

4. This blue metal shelf from UrbanOutfitters is perfect for either modern or retro interiors. It's also available in red, white or yellow and costs £20.

 

 

5. Who knew that putting a little wooden house on the end of a shelf would make it so instantly covetable? Made from either walnut or oak, this shelf isn't especially cheap. Neither is it particularly practical as it's designed for lightweight use, only. It is, however, adorable. £55 from NotOnTheHighStreet in either a walnut, oak or white finish.

Five Mugs for Readers

Last Friday we featured mugs for writers and this week readers get their turn. Whether you're drinking tea, coffee, hot chocolate or Lemsip, these mug will proclaim your love of books and reading to the world.  

 

1. This Shakespeare-inspired mug is perfect for romantic souls. It features a heart-shaped portion of text from Much Ado About Nothing (featuring the bit in which Beatrice and Benedick kiss). If Shakespeare isn't your cup of tea (sorry), the Happily Ever After mug is also available in Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice and Middlemarch editions. £9.95 from The Literary Gift Company.

2. Classic Ladybird book cover ‘read and write’ in mug form. I must admit to having a soft spot for the current 'vintage' trend and, having grown up with Ladybird books, this mug makes me feel warm and fuzzy. How about you? £9.95 from NotOnTheHighStreet.

3. Emma Bridgewater china is known for its combination of lovely design and excellent quality. This mug matches her ‘Black Toast’ range and reads ‘Happiness is a cup of coffee and a really good book’. On the other side of the mug, it says ‘and a piece of cake’. Can’t argue with that. £17.95 from Rigby&Mac.

 

4. 'Reading is my superpower' earthenware mug by Lenny Mud on Etsy. The slogan and sillouette of a woman reading are handpainted in black and the inside of the mug is pink. This quirky mug is dishwasher and microwave safe and costs approximately £11.  

5. Literary Transport mug featuring Gulliver's Travels. This range by Wild & Wolf celebrates the way in which 'a good book transports the reader to another time or place'. Choose from a wide variety of book titles including The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Available from Not The Usual for £7.95.

Five Mugs For Writers

All writers love tea or coffee, right? If not, they certainly love hiding their tipple of choice (wine for brekkie?) in an innocent-looking mug. I know that I can't possibly begin a writing session without a mug of tea the size of my head.

1.Virginia Woolf famously said “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." If you can’t quite afford to give yourself (or the writer in your life) a dedicated writing space you can, at least, give the sentiment in mug form. £8.95 from Penguin.

 

 

2. Scrabble is like catnip for writers. If you’re sick of your pet wordsmith rolling around on your Scrabble set then perhaps this letter mug will keep them quietly at their desk. All the letters are available and the mugs cost  £6.95 each from bloomsbury&co.

 

3. Not sure how to gently break the news to your friends and family that you are busy working on your novel and would prefer not to be distrurbed? How about this Go Away I’m Writing mug? That ought to do it… £9.95 from SomethingLiterary.

 

4. Remind your writer friends of the importance of taking breaks, getting fresh air, and, you know, not working at a typewriter in a creepy-ass haunted hotel a la The Shining. Mug reads ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ over and over again with occasional (intentional) mistakes. £5.99 from MugBug.

 

5. I love this mug by British designer Snapdragon. The retro typewriter design is from an original mixed-media collage, and the blue stripes look fabulous against the red. Better yet, the mug can be personalised. You have six words to play with on the paper coming out of the typewriter and a further ten on the back of the mug. I think I'd choose a literary or inspirational quote or, perhaps, just a gentle reminder: 'You Should Be Writing'. £12.50 from Snapdragon at NotOnTheHighStreet.

Win! Rachael Taylor Kindle Case from Will & Glory

How pretty are these Rachael Taylor Kindle and Kindle Fire cases? We love them. We love them so much that we've roped the kind folk at Will & Glory into giving one away to one of you lot!

To enter all you have to do is choose the Kindle case you would like to win from the selection on the Product Page and tell us which in the comments below. That's it!

The competition is open until next Friday afternoon and is open to entrants living in the UK and Ireland.

Good Luck!

Review - 'Write' - compiled by The Guardian

Reviewed by Cesca Major

I was sent 'Write' - a neat little piece of non-fiction to help fledgling writers craft a novel.  It is an attractive book that could pop in any handbag or pocket, and is also a handy little read for giving you a kick start and helping you consider all the elements in the process of writing a book. The chapters are concise and to the point. They are written by a range of esteemed novelists - Margaret Atwood, Susan Hill, Martin Amis to name a few - who offer practical advice and examples of what NOT to do.

I have recently been editing my novel and found the section on re-drafting extremely helpful. It reminded me of the importance of cutting out clichés and getting rid of embarrassingly long similes. It also reminded me that if it sounds like writing then it needs to be re-written!  

A lot of this stuff isn't new, but it is a good refresher. If you are staring into space you could get yourself going by making one of the sections your focus. You could do a lot worse than this writing guide. The Guardian have collated plenty of tips from an inspiring bunch of writers and it is an accessible and logical little read.

8/10

The Guardian Bookshop

Stationery Spot - Owl Bookends by The Literary Gift Company

I use bookcases but might have to find a place for a bookshelf so I can buy these linen and faux leather owl bookends. Too cute.

They cost £16.95 from the fabulous The Literary Gift Company.

Read A Book Clock

What the clock said.

Via Bookmania. Available to buy at Cafepress

Stationery Spot - Vintage Floral Laptop Sleeve

I'm on the hunt for a new laptop case (currently using a dubious smelling Adidas rucksack from the year 2000) but the ones I've seen around recently have been ultra modern or super business-y and just not my cup of tea. Then I happened upon this padded velvet one and it is soft and lovely and looks a bit like a cushion. Do you like it?

It's from Graham and Green and costs £25.  

Do You Want To Smell Like Books?

Well, now you can. Paper Passion, a scent by the highly regarded Geza Schoen, Gerhard Steidl, and Wallpaper* magazine, apparently smells like new books!

This would be particularly good for those kindle lovers who miss the papery stench that used to waft about their person.

The packaging of the perfume (designed by Karl Lagerfeld) is a book with a secret section carved out for the bottle to fit in to. Amazing.

I love the idea of this, but for £68 I'm not sure if I'd rather just rub myself down with a couple of proof copies before heading out.

What do you think? Would you buy Paper Passion? And while we're on the subject of reeking like books (I'm not sure how long it will be before it comes up again), which book would you most like to smell of?

Thanks to Lynette Holmes for telling us about this!

More about Paper Passion

Wear A Book!

Our Amanda spotted these fantastic book cover t-shirts on the Truffle Shuffle facebook page. What makes them even cooler is that for every t-shirt sold, one book is donated to a community in need via Books for Africa.

Which one would you choose?

 

These t-shirts are £27.99 from TruffleShuffle.com

Bookish Etsy Pick - Silver Book Ring

I wasn't so sure about this at first. But the more I see it, the more I like it. Loads of book-themed jewelry is so twee (which I happen to enjoy) but for those wanting something with a modern edge, this is a good choice.

Do you think it looks also looks a bit like an book inspired knuckle-duster?

This silver book ring is £55.45 and can be bought from Metalnat's store on etsy.

WurdyCards by Miranda Dickinson!

With her ChoirStars comp, the New Rose Prize, three Sunday Times bestselling novels and (perhaps most impressively) a Novelicious Author of the Year Award under her many hats, Miranda Dickinson doesn't stay still for long! Soon she will be launching a fantastic set of inspiring and motivational postcards for writers.

I spoke to Miranda about the cards and this is what she had to say...

"Every writer needs a bit of inspiration, especially when self-doubt creeps in, you hit a block in your story or you're just having a bad day. So I've created WurdyCards© - a set of five funky postcards that will inspire you, make you smile and encourage you to keep going. They will be available in my brand new online shop, which launches this month, together with signed books, exclusive short stories and my music (at last!) 

Also, I'm currently developing an online writing course, which I hope to launch after I get married in September. I have all sorts of exciting things planned, including the possibility of webchats, podcasts, videos and podcasts that only course participants have access to. It's part of what I hope will become a range of writing resources - I'm even planning to run some writers' weekends next year at a lovely country club hotel in the Staffordshire countryside. All exciting stuff!"

WurdyCards© will launch in a couple of weeks, so keep watching Miranda's Twitter for news!