Library Corner

This weekend the boyfriend and I officially became real life, full-fledged adults; we bought our first pieces of furniture together and, yes you guessed it, the most exciting piece of all was a quirky bookcase made out of old doors (apparently) that acts as both ornament and as our saviour as our cheapo B&Q bookshelves have started to bow under the strain of Mount TBR.

All this purchasing has resulted in a major shuffle around at Relish Towers, a reshuffle that has resulted in what I am fondly calling 'Library Corner'. It may not quite be a library of Beauty and the Beast proportions but now our collection is all pretty much in one place and when I sit in my little rocking chair, well, I'm a very happy girl indeed.

In other tip top news, I have been awarded a 'Liebster Blog' award by the lovely Victoria Corby (do check out her wonderful blog here) an award that aims to promote fledgling/little known blogs that deserved more recognition. Now, I'm loath to guess how many followers/hits my favourite bloggers get as I know that this often isn't obvious to the casual reader so really I'm just sticking my very favourites down here, perhaps omitting those superstar bloggers of whose heights I'm sure we all aspire to reach one day!

1. Only Orangery - This lovely lady's blog had to hit the top of my list. Around for about as long as Literary Relish I have been absolutely astonished (and slightly envious) at just how many books she manages to get through and completely and utterly entertained by her short, snappy posts that, more often than not, express feelings very close to my own.

2. The Oliva Reader - 'Spangle' is a blogger whose posts really do brighten up the day. Clear, concise reviews (split down into sections such as 'what's good/bad about the book' etc) 'Sunday Snippets', 'Wordless Wednesdays' and 'Words of the Week' make for a relaxing, intriguing and diverse read.

3. Bundle of Books - Another great book blogger I have been lucky enough to discover over the past couple of months. A big Twitter fan (a way of networking I am increasingly becoming a fan of myself) BundleofBooks has a highly imaginative and aesthetically pleasing website and lots and lots to say; excellent taste in books and in everything good that life has to offer.

4. Deborah Lawrenson - This is a MASSIVE cheat for the above award because, as I'm sure many of you are aware, Deborah is an extremely successful/well-known author as well as being a very accomplished blogger as well. However, I can't help but count her on my favourites list. Her dreamy pictures and prose right from the heart of Provence really do brighten up the Manchester gloom.

5. Open a Book - Geetanjali first caught my eye with a post about the book markets in Delhi (a part of the world that really has captured my imagination.) Her posts are chatty and engaging and feature books (and passages from books) that seem to spring up from her personal library, whims and fancies, just like me! It's nice to find a kindred spirit out there...especially one whose last post feature Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes, now there's a classic!