If you liked this board game, try this book! by @natysbookshelf

It is by now good tradition that Naty from Naty’s Book Shelf and I collaborate on a post somewhen before Christmas. As Naty is a book blogger and I am a board game blogger, we have written about bookish board games in 2017. In 2018, we recommended board games based on readers‘ tastes in books. This year, we shake things up a bit – instead of a joint post, we each do a guest post on each other’s blog. So here you find Naty’s recommendations for books to read based on board games you liked. On Naty’s blog, I have written the corresponding post recommending board games based on books you liked. In any case, check out Naty’s blog if you like to read at all – it is a cornucopia of book reviews (especially fantasy, contemporary, and literary fiction) and other book-related fun!

I am happy to be back, this time as a guest blogger! Clio and I have done these posts a few times (and we have some great ideas for future posts!), because although we have blogs in different areas, our tastes in books and games actually converge very often. We play in real life a lot together, and constantly recommend books to each other too, so it’s such a joy to be here again, two years after our first collaboration post!

This time I will matching book recommendations with boardgames!

If you liked Ex Libris…

…try Sorcery of Thorns

BoardGameGeek: Ex Libris / Goodreads: Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson

What I love about Ex Libris is the lovely bookish, magical atmosphere. The books are sometimes a bit monstrous and you can almost give them a personality. Your job as a librarian is to put together a varied, stable, worthy shelf, one that is better than your opponents. This is truly a game that book lovers will enjoy, a pleasant game to spend an hour or so with. Sorcery of Thorns is also a quick, funny experience, with a librarian whose job is to guard books from the people who would use their knowledge and power for evil. I think they both match well in which not only they’re both about librarians and magical books, but also because they’re both rather on the short side, and are cute and funny. I think these two match pretty well.

Check out my Ex Libris review – the only board game review so far on my blog!

If you liked The King is Dead…

…try The Winter King

 

Boardgame Geek: The King is Dead / Goodreads: The Winter King, by Bernard Cornwell

The fun thing about The King is Dead for me is the immersion into the world, as war that rages in Britain after Arthur dies and every player is scheming and fighting to be the next ruler. So for that kind of chaotic, wartime atmosphere, I highly recommend Bernard Cornwell’s Arthurian series, which starts with The Winter King. Fittingly, the book starts with the death of a king – Uther, who then is succeeded by Arthur. If you love the magic of Arthurian stories, I think you’ll enjoy both the game and the book series!

If you liked Here I Stand…

…try Wolf Hall

Boardgame Geek: Here I Stand / Goodreads: Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel

Here I Stand is an epic game where the England player will start as Henry VIII. The war element of the game is really interesting, but my favorite thing about it is the struggles between faiths, as Protestantism is on the rise in Germany and will soon come to England, conveniently allowing Henry to divorce his first wife to marry Anne Boleyn. There are several books that deal with this interesting time in history, but in my opinion none does it as masterfully as Wolf Hall, book 1 of the Thomas Cornwell series. Hilary Mantel is such a superb writer and brings to life that time in history, with all its drama and scheming.