Stack the Shelves #3: July 2018

I kind of lost track of time and never posted for May and June, ah well, the book purchases (and reads) of those months will remain a mystery, ha.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. All affiliate links are marked with an *. All opinions are 100% my own though.

Books added in July

Purchased:

  • How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature* (Amazon*/Book Outlet*) by Scott D. Sampson
  • Americanah* (Amazon*) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • The Husband’s Secret  (Amazon*) by Liane Moriarty
  • Moody Bitches: The Truth About the Drugs You’re Taking, the Sleep You’re Missing, the Sex You’re Not Having, and What’s Really Making You Crazy* (Amazon*/Book Outlet*) by Julie Holland (not pictured)
  • Grandmother’s Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and Healing power of Belly Dancing* (Amazon*) by Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi
  • Gone Girl (Amazon*) by Gillian Flynn

Borrowed:

None! I haven’t been to the library since sometime in June :/

Books read in July:

(First link is to their Goodreads page, second links are to Amazon and/or Book Outlet)

Books in my Currently Reading Pile

Total books read for Goodreads challenge: 38/45 (you can see my “Read in 2018” shelf on Goodreads here)

It’s pretty much the same ones as back in April… I need to get these done!

Book Reviews Posted

None, unfortunately… I always have grand blog plans for the summer but June and July were so busy for me it didn’t happen. (A family wedding out of town in June, and five family birthdays in July). My last mini IG review was back in May which I’ll link below.

Finished! This was a great read. I remember back when it happened hearing about the end of apartheid in South Africa on the news but as a (pretty sheltered) young teen growing up in Canada I remember not really understanding what all the fuss was about. I would have been 12 when Nelson Mandela was released. I remember everyone being happy but didn’t know why. I’m much more aware of what’s happening in the world nowadays, ha, but even so I still have never read much about the history of South Africa. For that alone, reading a personal perspective of someone living through that time, growing up in that era, made this autobiography so interesting. Always good to read about someone’s life experiences that are different from your own. It’s also a tribute to his amazingly strong mother. A must read for sure. For anyone who’s ears are sensitive to swear words I guess be forewarned there is some swearing though. ⠀ ⠀ #bookphotography #bookstagram #trevornoah #bornacrime #instabooks #instareads #igreads #books #book #bookblogger #booklover #booknerd #bookworm #read #reader #reading #reads #ulasbookshelf #bookaddict #bibliophile #booklover #addictedtoreading #📚 #booksofinstagram #goodreads #bookish #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #fiction #librarybook

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Have you heard about Book Outlet?

I have ordered books twice now from Book Outlet and haven’t had any issues so decided it was time to share! If you join through my link here: http://bit.ly/2OeE69J you will get a 10$ off coupon for your first $25 purchase!!

They are an online Canadian bookseller that sells books that are mainly publisher overstock, most are in brand new condition but sometimes there’s a little wear and tear but it’s mentioned in the listing. They have a storefront in Ste. Catherine’s, Ontario as well. And YES, they do ship to the USA and internationally. Shipping within Canada and to the USA is FREE over $45 (after any discounts or coupons) or a flat rate of $5 under that amount. (Internationally it depends upon weight and destination).

They don’t have as quite an extensive selection as say Amazon or Indigo/Chapters but whenever there’s a book I’m interested in I now check Book Outlet first before buying elsewhere and will generally save anywhere from $5-$15 off the price of the book. They also have a loyalty program where you can earn points for purchases as well as doing things like filling out surveys (and since I’m being honest, for having people sign up through your links!) The points can then be converted to coupons for purchases. If you’re avid reader –or just an avid book purchaser– you should check them out!

Here’s the link again to sign up:  http://bit.ly/2OeE69J 

AND just an FYI if you have an Ebates account you can earn an extra 5% cashback on your purchases! 

Don’t have Ebates? You can sign up by clicking here Ebates.ca

My IG book account can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/luluandceleste.bookish/ 

10 Illustrated Chapter Books for Early Readers

Reading Challenge 2017: 10+ Illustrated Chapter Books for Children

Standard Disclosure: In order to support my blogging and maybe buy a tea every once in a while, I include affiliate links on my blog. Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk and I may receive a commission if you purchase from those links. Thank you for your support!

I love children’s books!

There are tons of fantastic picture books out there. Some of my favourites (and more importantly my daughters’ favourites) are The Love Monster*, The Best Ever Bookworm Book*, and Shh! We Have a Plan*. I love these just as much for the artwork as for the story.

But this year I want to read more chapter books to my daughters.

I’ve tried in the past but the ones with lots of words and no pictures don’t really hold my older girl’s interest for long (and not at all my youngest girl’s). So I’ll be reading the ones that are so heavily illustrated that they are almost like junior graphic novels. We’ve read the first two Princess in Black* books, and they both love them. They’re cute books, I really enjoy them too. The words and sentences can be a little challenging at times; but they’re colourful with illustrations on each page so it keeps their attention. And the princess doesn’t need saving by a prince.

Here are the 10 chapter books (with lots of illustrations) for junior readers that I will be reading with my girls this year:


  1. The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde*. This is #3 in the series so read the first two (The Princess in Black* and The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party*) if you haven’t yet.
  2.  
    Olive & Beatrix: The Not-So Itty-Bitty Spiders*. I’m hoping Silly Bean likes this one. The story sounded cute and it’ll be a (nice) change to read about witches instead of princesses all the time.

  3. Owl Diaries: Eva’s Treetop Festival*. Looks cute and the illustrations are pretty. The diary format might be a little confusing to read at first.

  4. Lotus Lane #1: Kiki: My Stylish Life*. Another one with cute illustrations that is perfect for early readers also in a diary format. The only thing I’m not too fond of is much it seems to focus on fashion and makeup but my goal this year is to get them more interested in reading longer books.

  5. To balance out all the cutesy books I’ve already posted there is Dragon Masters: Rise of the Earth Dragon* that I’m looking forward to reading. I don’t want the girls to feel like they only need to read about about princesses and fashion (even if the princess has ninja skills!)

  6. Danny’s Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experiment* Has good reviews so I’m looking forward to reading it. (Again trying to get away from princesses and make up a little bit).

  7. I’ve had this Ivy+Bean* book in my shopping cart on Amazon for months now and am looking forward to finally reading it this year. If I could buy every book I wanted I would probably be running a library.

  8. Clementine* sounds a bit like Ramona, and I absolutely loved Ramona books when I was little. From reviews the book sounds funny and engaging for younger readers so even though they are most likely less illustrated than any of the others on this list I hope that it catches my daughter’s interest!

  9. Another one of Scholastic’s early reader Branches series: Missy’s Super Duper Royal Deluxe #1: Picture Day*. Missy’s fashion sense sounds just like my girls’ so I think they’ll enjoy this.

  10. And one more of the Branches series… Princess Pink and the Land of Fake-Believe: Moldylocks and the Three Beards*. It’s supposed to be a funny series, so I’m looking forward to this one as well.

10 Illustrated Chapter Books for Early Readers

 Any illustrated chapter books you would recommend that I try reading to my girls? Let me know in the comments below!

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2016 Reading Challenge

Updated June 18, 2016: Included the list of books read this year that fit the prompts.

Last year I set a personal reading challenge goal of 24 books. I did pretty good. I managed to read 22 and am halfway through #23. If you’re interested, check out the books I read in 2015 on my Books Read Pinterest board.

And yes, I only just read the Game of Thrones series this year. I resisted for so so long, and then just gobbled them up. (I still haven’t watched the series yet though!)

Even though I didn’t quite meet my goal for 2015, I decided to up my goal slightly to 25 books for 2016. AND to make it even more fun (ie. challenging) for me, I decided to create a reading challenge of sorts.

25 Books to Read in 2016. A reading challenge created by Lulu & Celeste. #25booksfor2016

Download the plain PDF version here. There’s enough space under each prompt so you can write down the titles as you go through the list.

I think the hardest prompt will be to find an author with my same initials. Anyone know an author with the initials U.P.? I think I may have set myself up to fail at this, ha.

I will be even sharing on Instagram. I even created a hashtag that I’ll use on Instagram: #25booksfor2016, so if you follow any of the prompts and want to share use the hashtag so I can check out what you’re reading!

I’ve added the names of the books using the prompts below. If the title is clickable I’ve posted a review of the book.

  1. A book that became a movie: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
  2. A book from your childhood: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
  3.  A book with a number in the title: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith 
  4. A book set in the future: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood 
  5. A book written by someone under 30
  6. A book with a colour in the title
  7. A mystery or thriller: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
  8. A book with magic
  9. A book with a one-word title: Gemini by Mark Burnell
  10. A book you own but have never read: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
  11. A nonfiction book: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande 
  12. A book that has been translated
  13. A popular author’s first book
  14. A book written by an author with your same initials
  15. A Pulitzer Prize winning book: The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
  16. A book set in the spring
  17. A book based on a true story
  18. A book with a female heroine: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
  19. A book with antonyms in the title: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
  20. A book with a green cover: Nuclear Jellyfish by Tim Dorsey
  21. A book that came out the year you were born:
  22. A book set somewhere you want to visit: The True History of Paradise by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
  23. A book that was published this year
  24. A book with pictures: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
  25. A book with bad reviews

Other books I read that didn’t fit a prompt:

  • MaddAdam by Margaret Atwood
  • Atomic Lobster by Tim Dorsey
  • Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson
  • A Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
  • The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom

Have a safe and happy New Year! See you in 2016! Happy reading! 🙂

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Ula writes for Lulu & Celeste