First Lines Friday – 16/05/2025

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In today’s First Lines Friday post, I feature a book I’ve just added to my TBR that will push me a little out of my comfort zone. Part romance and part fantasy, this book looks to have elements of fantasy I love but will push me out of my comfort zone on the romance. This book is widely popular. With over 680k ratings and a 4.17 star score on Goodreads, it seems the right kind of book to push my boundaries with!

Romantasy fans, let’s see if you recognise the intro. Otherwise, the details are below ☺️


Thick, hot liquid runs down my arm.

Blood.

Funny, I don’t remember the guard nicking me with his sword before my fist connected with his face. Despite being a Flash, he apparently couldn’t manage to move faster than my right hook to his jaw.

The smell of soot stings my nose, forcing me to clamp a grimy hand over it to stop a sneeze from slipping out.

That would be a very pathetic way to get caught.

 


Powerless – Lauren Roberts

Genre: Romantasy

Pages: 522

Audience: YA

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 06 July 2023


Goodreads – Powerless

 

Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in this sizzling fantasy romance not to be missed.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya. . . The exceptional. The Elites. The Elites have possessed powers for decades, gifted to them by the Plague, while those born Ordinary are just that, banished from the kingdom and shunned from society.

No one knows this better than Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary posing as an Elite. When she unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya’s princes, Kai Azer, she’s thrown into the Purging Trials, a brutal competition to showcase her ‘Elite’ powers.

If the Trials and the opponents don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for will if he discovers what Paedyn really is . . . completely Ordinary.

Be swept away by the first in the smash hit, dagger-to-the-throat romantasy trilogy that’s taken the world by storm.

 

My Thoughts…

It’s not very often I go for a book that ‘makes’ it on BookTok (that’s the book community on TikTok). It’s not even something I really look at and certainly not for. I often read what I want regardless of popularity. However, in the spirit of reading out of my comfort zone, I’m going to try Powerless.

Based on the synopsis, there are elements of fantasy that I can find comfort in, but also a romance element that I don’t read very often. It’ll be interesting to see if that affects my enjoyment of the book or not. Thankfully, it’s not a spicy romance. I know a lot of people my age love this, okay, but it’s not what I want out of a book. Think or judge me how you will for this. I’m unapologetic about it.

You never know, with the right books and introduction to the genre, I might change my mind? Only time will tell! It could really go either way. I’ve enjoyed books like Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows, but equally struggled with historical romances like The Duke and I. At the very least, let’s hope Powerless is an exception.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s First Lines Friday feature. Have you read Powerless and/or the rest of the series? What did you think?

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Book Review: Death of Kings – Bernard Cornwell

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My review of Death of Kings comes two years after I read the book. To say I needed to refresh myself on the events is an understatement! That’s why this post is out a day later than usual. Rather than rushing and putting out something I wasn’t happy with, I wanted to take my time and make sure I got it right. This book deserves that justice!

One of the reasons I’m glad to review Death of Kings is that it’ll remind and inspire me to continue reading the series. It’s been two years, but I’m yet to pick up the next book, The Pagan Lord, even when I said after I finished it I wanted to continue on soon. I’m somewhat familiar with the story as a whole as I watched the TV series and final film too. Even so, the books are always better and it was a while ago now since I watched them. As to what specifically happens in the next book, I’m not sure…


Death of Kings – Bernard Cornwell

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 335

Audience: Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: 29 Sept 2011

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Goodreads – Death of Kings


As the ninth century wanes, England appears about to be plunged into chaos once more. For the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, Uhtred, whose life seems to shadow the making of England, this presents him with difficult choices.

King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him, but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.

Uhtred‘s loyalty – and his vows – were to Alfred, not to his son, and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long-lost lands and castle to the north. But the challenge to him, as the king’s warrior, is that he knows that he will either be the means of making Alfred’s dream of a united and Christian England come to pass or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.

This novel is a dramatic story of the power of tribal commitment and the terrible difficulties of divided loyalties.

This is the making of England, magnificently brought to life by the master of historical fiction.

 

My Thoughts

Plot

King Alfred hopes to leave behind a united England in death. However, with him ailing further, the peace and unity he strives for seems a long shot.

As ever, Uhtred finds himself stuck in the middle. Whilst he has a degree of loyalty to King Alfred, he also longs to undertake his own goal – to return to his homeland of Bebbanburg. He has no fealty or ties to Alfred‘s intended successor, Edward. Whilst Alfred hopes Uthred will support his claim, he doesn’t feel inclined to do so.

The result of all this internal conflict is that the Danes feel like they can take advantage of a weakened England. As in other books, there are numerous battles and skirmishes throughout!


Setting

As a key man taking part as a warrior, messenger, negotiator, and savour, Uhtred gets around a bit. The narrative roams all across the country of England as we know it today. Whilst there is a lot going on, this is well managed in the narrative so it’s easy to follow where events are taking place.

The constant action and changes of location keep the narrative interesting. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of books with a plot line involving politics, there is plenty of action in this book to counterbalance this. The frequent relocations of our main character keep us on our toes.


Characters

In Death of Kings, we get to see a mischievous side to Uhtred. In this instalment of the series, we actively see him undertaking the role of both the Saxon and a Dane and stirring up conflict. I quite enjoyed seeing the side of the story and this aspect of his character. It’s both entertaining to read, but also gives opportunity for a lot of internal conflict within Uhtred and testing where his loyalties lie.

He may have been born Saxon, but he was raised as a Dane, and in today’s society, we would say he identifies as a Dane. As to which side of the fence he should actually sit on is something that thus far in the series has swung backwards and forwards. I expect more of this conflict in future books, and I can’t wait to read on.


Narrative Style

If you like your historical fiction full of action, Death of Kings won’t disappoint. With numerous conflicts, both physical and political, throughout the book, there’s plenty to keep us occupied.

For me, the pacing of Death of Kings and the wider series as a whole suits me; there are moments of intense action, and the pages just fly by. Equally, there is enough time to reflect on what has happened and what the consequences are. The action doesn’t compromise the world-building, and overall, Death of Kings strikes an ideal balance between the two.


Summary

I’m a huge fan of Bernard Cornwell‘s Saxon stories series, and the latest instalment, Death of Kings, has lived up to the high expectations set by earlier books. This review hopefully encourages you to pick up the book but has likely also achieved its goal of reminding me of the series and giving me a nudge to pick up the book soon.

Have you read Death of Kings? What are your thoughts on this book or series?

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Sunday Summary – 11/05/2025

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Good evening, reading friends! I hope you’ve had a fantastic week? I’m looking forward to updating you on my week in today’s Sunday Summary post.

Before we get into my recap of the books I’ve read so far this week, let’s take a look at the blog posts I’ve shared so far. The first of those blog posts was a board game book tag. I’d seen this post online and I thought it was a fun idea to share something different. It also worked really well because I got to share a broad spectrum of books all together on one post. If you haven’t seen that post yet, as always, I’ll link to that here.

On Fridays, I typically share one of two feature posts. This week it was the turn of my Shelf Control post. This isn’t just a great way of looking at and getting excited for books coming up on my TBR. In looking at my reading list to decide what was coming up in this feature, I identified and removed four books from my reading list that I’m no longer interested in reading. If you want to take a look at which book did make the cut, there is a link to that here too.


Books Read

The Poppy War

I’ve only really made progress with one physical book this week, and that is The Poppy War.

In the last few days, I have read over 100 pages of this book. That doesn’t include the progress I plan to make after this post goes live either. I really enjoyed getting into the story of The Poppy War and based on what I read so far, I’m looking forward to exploring more of the shamanism Rin had discovered.

Honestly, I have no idea where the plot of this book is going to take us and I’m excited by this fact. I’m grateful it’s not predictable and I love Rin’s character. She’s a bit of a loose cannon and that means anything can happen.


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

I’ve not listened to much audio this week. However, I’ve been home on my own today and pottering around. I often listen to audiobooks or music when I’m doing jobs like this. It’s been nice to get back to my audio as I’ve not listened to it for a week. I don’t know why – I’ve had the opportunity.

Nevertheless, today’s one and a half-hour progress is better than none!


Books Discovered

I haven’t added any new books to my reading list this week. Pair that with taking four off the reading list when preparing my Shelf Control post, I’m net down on the TBR as of this Sunday Summary.

I still have 205 on the list, mind…


Coming Up…

For my first post next week, I’ll be sharing my review of Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell. If you are unfamiliar, this is the sixth book in his Saxon stories series, also known as The Last Kingdom. I read this book in March 2023, so I’ve got some head-scratching to do to put my thoughts down. What I’m also hoping this review will do, though, is inspire me to pick up the next book in the series, The Pagan Lord. It’s been a couple of years and I’ve not touched this series…

Next up in my regular Friday feature list is a First Lines Friday post. Given I set myself a challenge for this post the last time I did it a couple of weeks ago, I’m going to keep this one nice and open. Hopefully, I can find another book with a captivating intro to share with you!

Finally, my next Sunday Summary post will round off the week next week. Hopefully, I’ll have more bookish news to share with you, including a finish of The Poppy War as well as some other progress.

What have you been reading?

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Shelf Control #89 – 09/05/2025

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Happy Friday everyone! It’s the turn of my regular Shelf Control feature today, and I have an interesting thriller novel next on my list that makes today’s feature.

Before we get into it, here’s a recap of what my Shelf Control feature is all about.

Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up.

If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.


Friends Like These – Sarah Alderson

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 320

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Mulholland Books

Publication Date: 13 Dec 2018


Goodreads – Friends Like These


One wrong click can ruin your life…

Lizzie hasn’t thought about her colleague Becca in years – not since the accident.

Then Becca’s ex-boyfriend turns up on Tinder, and Lizzie’s curiosity is sparked.

It looks like Becca hasn’t changed. She’s still all over social media: #perfectlife, #perfectjob, #blessed. Lizzie can’t resist a dig. But she sends her mean comment to Becca by mistake…

She’s about to find out you can’t always believe what you see online.

And that with friends like Becca, you don’t need enemies…

 

My Thoughts

I quite enjoy books in which the story we’re given isn’t quite what it seems. By the synopsis, that’s the premise of this book. However, we aren’t told much, and so my curiosity is piqued as to just how far this goes.

With the emphasis on social media and image perception, it’s a fairly modern take on a thriller. I’m looking forward to seeing how much this has a bearing on the story. If nothing else, it’s a very relatable occurrence to many people these days!

I also like that this book isn’t too long. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy several hundred-page epics. However, I think thrillers are better suited to a more modest page count. That’s just me, though. This also works out well as it will be a fun read to throw in for a change-up if I do want a change from some larger books. As our work book club can testify, they also make good selections for discussion because it’s a popular genre and can be read quite quickly! We’ve read two lately – The Housemaid and The Perfect Wife.

Have you read Friends Like These, or anything similar you would like to recommend?

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Board Game Book Tag

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Today I’m really excited to share a unique book tag. I found the post on Bewitching Books Ravenous Reads, but it was created originally over on Witty and Sarcastic Book Club.

It’s a unique tag, and I can’t wait to try and come up with books I’ve read or on my TBR to meet the prompts!

Let’s dive into this Board Game Book Tag!

Board Game Book Tag 


🕵️‍♀️Clue: A Book Featuring a Mystery

A fun book I read recently with a compelling mystery is The Perfect Wife. I read this book ready for book club at work, which is now being held on Monday.

The mystery behind this book is what happened to the ‘real’ woman on which the protagonist has been modelled. She’s an AI simulation of Abi’s personality. It’s an interesting idea and I loved the story as we got further into it.

If you want an early preview of my thoughts on this book, I shared that on Patreon. My review will follow on my blog, but I have quite a few to catch up with first! I’ll be publishing my thoughts on books I’m reading nearer the time over there. If you want to keep more up-to-date reviews, that will be available to subscribing members.


💸Monopoly: A Book Focused on Treasure or Money

If you want a swashbuckling fantasy, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi may just be for you.

Retired pirate Amina is tracked down with one final job to make her rich and powerful; rescue a kidnapped daughter. On paper, it shouldn’t have been a difficult task, but quickly Amina learns there is far more to this job than she was told.

Whilst it didn’t knock it out of the park for me, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi was a fun and different read.


🚂Ticket to Ride: A Book Featuring Travel

The vast majority of the story of The Wastelands involved travel. On their way to The Dark Tower, Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake cross differing terrain and even find themselves on a riddling, suicidal locomotive by the end of the book.

It’s quite different, especially when you compare it to the backstory tale of Wizard and Glass. In this sequel to The Wastelands, very little movement happens in the present day. Wizard and Glass so far is the exception in the series. Broadly, the encompassing story is full of travel towards what we can presume to be an epic battle!


🐏The Settlers of Catan: A Book with a Lot Going On

The Eye of the World is the introduction to the epic 15-book Wheel of Time series. This first book sets down a lot of ground as to the history of the world, and then throws us into modern-day action.

The first time I tried this book, I ended up putting it down. It was a lot to take in. At the time, I was struggling with longer reads. When I came back to it at a time when epics were what I was looking for, I really got on with The Eye of the World. 

There is a lot going on in this book, but it’s worth the investment!


⚔Risk: A Book in Which an Attempt at Domination is Key to the Story

The Illuminae Files is a great sci-fi trilogy geared for a young adult audience. At the start of The Illuminae Files, Kady and Ezra find their home planet of Kerenza invaded by BeiTech for its resources.

It’s a multimedia book that goes on to compile interviews and other mixed media formats as a case against the corporation in a bid for justice.

That’s my short summary – if you’re interested in a more comprehensive review, you can find that here.


🍏Apples to Apples: A Book that Makes You Laugh

Witches Abroad is one of my favourite Discworld novels to date. I love the characters Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax, and Magrat. They are all funny but bounce off each other in hilarious ways. Granny Weatherwax is my favourite because she’s a “do as I say, not as I do” character. She’s a law unto herself.

Terry Pratchett is very funny naturally. Yet, as well as his humour, he’s good at conveying his thoughts on a particular topic too. He balances this so well, and it’s why I look forward to reading his books.


🔠Scrabble: A Book with Beautiful Writing

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a book I didn’t expect to love as much as I did. I’m more than happy to hold my hands up here and say that I went into this book with a bit of a preconception about the story. What I didn’t expect was how much the writing would get me invested in the characters.

Whilst I may not be the equivalent of a magical social worker, I could really relate to Linus. His character is quite rigid at the start of the book, but his growth throughout is heartwarming. The way in which the book is written really helps us bridge the gap to put ourselves in Linus’ shoes.


✨Indie Board Game: An Indie Book that Everyone Should Read

It feels a bit cheaty listing The Atlas Six as the last book in my board game book tag. Whilst the book was originally self-published, it has more recently been traditionally published because of its popularity.

If there is anything that the section has proven to me, it’s that I have a bit of a gap in my reading. It seems I don’t pick up very many indie books, so that’s maybe something I can work on.


Summary

If you think today’s board game book tag post has been a fun one to read, I’d love to hear from you. If you have a blog yourself and you’d like to take part, I would love to see your answers! Otherwise, take part in the comments ☺️

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Sunday Summary – 4th May 2025

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I confess I’ve written a good deal of today’s Sunday Summary in advance. Today, I’ve taken part in a charity walk, which is an 8.8-mile route down the south of the island. In case I’m pooped afterwards, I’ve prepared this post so I don’t have too much to do!

So, what have I been up to this week? On Wednesday, I published my monthly wrap-up post for April. If you’ve yet to see that post and you want to catch up on all the books I read last month, here’s a link to that post.

On Friday, I shared my monthly TBR for May. I’ve got some great books coming up. This TBR is non-fiction and fantasy-heavy… and I’m excited!


Books Read

Normal Women

This week I decided to put down Normal Women and have a little break from the book. It’s not a DNF and I will be coming back to it soon.

 

The Poppy War

As of today’s Sunday Summary, I’ve read a little more of The Poppy War in the last week. Admittedly, I haven’t made the most progress with this book. However, I have enjoyed seeing Rin settle herself into Sinegard. The book is already setting up a narrative where Rin is the outsider. Given there are obvious class and perhaps racial divides in the characters, I’m looking forward to exploring this in a non-British or European setting.

I’m not very familiar with non-Western cultural elements. A lot of the fantasy I have read growing up has been Western as opposed to Eastern, and so I’m not as fast as I could be on where these divides may lie in other cultures. That’s what I’m looking forward to exploring in The Poppy War.


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Shaped the World

I’ve been doing a fair bit of walking during my lunch hours this week. As a result, I’ve listened to about three and a half hours of Crashed.

I’m definitely enjoying this second part of the book more than the first. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a political element to the narrative. However, the emphasis is on the crisis, and that’s what I’m more interested in reading about.

The book is still a little more technical, so some of the detail goes over my head. However, that’s not impacting my understanding or enjoyment of the book.


Books Discovered

I’ve added The Obesity Code to my TBR this week. I read about this book online, and it promises to change readers’ ideas of how weight loss is achieved.

Even if you aren’t invested in the subject, I’m sure you’re aware of how much conflicting information there is out there. I’m trying to wade through it and bust the myths. This book is very highly rated, so I’m hoping it’s one of the more reliable books 🤞🏻


Coming Up…

I plan to keep content on the light side of things early next week. I’ve seen a book tag online that’s based around board games over at Bewitching Books Ravenous Reads. I think this could be good fun to write, so I’ll be sharing this in the next few days.

On Friday, it will be time for my Shelf Control regular feature. In this series, I take a look at upcoming books on my reading list. It’s a great way to get myself looking forward to a particular book. I hope you can stay tuned to find out what’s coming up on my reading list soon.

Last, but by no means least, I’ll return with a Sunday Summary at the same time next week. I’m looking forward to having more reading updates to share with you and how I’m getting on with progress in my May TBR.

Until next time, happy reading!

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Monthly TBR – May 2025

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My May TBR is officially here and I have quite the selection of books I plan to pick up this month. There are quite a few non-fictions, but I’m also spending time with one of my favourite genres.

I hope you’re as excited for my May TBR as I am. Well, maybe not quite…

But still, shall I stop stalling and get into it?

Fixed Reads

The Poppy War

Two out of the three fixed reads on my May TBR are books carried over from April. The first of these is The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.

If you read my monthly wrap-up for April, you’ll know I’ve only really just started The Poppy War. That said, I’ve really enjoyed the introduction I’ve read so far. I’m looking forward to getting into Rin’s story in earnest.

I’ve been recommended The Poppy War both online and by my sister‘s fiancé. He’s read and enjoyed the whole series already! We have quite similar reading tastes, and my experience so far suggests I am going to enjoy it as much as he’s advised I will.


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

My second fixed read is another book I’ve started. I’m further into Crashed than I am The Poppy War, but I still have a good way to go. As of drafting this May TBR post, I have a little over 14 and a half hours audio until completion.

Thankfully, the second part of this book has been easier for me compared to the first. In fairness to the book, that first part sets down a lot of foundation about the political situation in which the financial crisis of 2007-2008 occurred. It is relevant to events that follow, even if it’s not a topic I find most interesting. Now that we’re over that though, I’m looking forward to and picking up this audiobook on a regular basis.


Sunrise on the Reaping

The last book I’m committing to reading this month is a recent release I’ve been excited for. Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel novel to Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series. I’m looking forward to this book because it‘s the story of the games mentor Haymitch is thrown into. 

I enjoyed Haymitch’s character and development arc in the main series. Naturally, I’m looking forward to seeing how the events of Sunrise on the Reaping shaped him into his future drunken, grumpy, and chronically unpleasant self.

If anyone reading is interested in reading along with me, I’m trying with the idea of hosting an online book club. Please let me know in the comments if you’re interested!


Mood Reads

All the Light We Cannot See

All The Light We Cannot See

After reading the three books above, I would like to read two books I proposed in last month’s work book club vote, but weren’t picked.

I feel like I’ve not read much in the way of historical fiction lately. So, I want to change that! I also think this could be a really touching story, and it goes back to a period of history I have read about and enjoyed time and again -World War II.

Not only am I looking forward to reading a book about war through the perspective of children, but one of the main characters is blind. So often I take for granted my ability to see – and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Reading a perspective from somebody without this ability is going to be a complete change… but one I’m looking forward to!


The Anxious Generation

The second book included in our work book club poll was The Anxious Generation. I picked up a copy of this book in December; I’m intrigued by the topic of how modern technology has changed children’s lives.

My upbringing was very different from when my parents were children. Yet again, even just a few years later, I can’t help but think how my experience of school would have been different if social media and smartphones were more readily available.

Has that had an impact on children? Hopefully, I’ll be in a better place to tell you about it once I’ve read The Anxious Generation.


Ultra-Processed People

I suppose you could say I’m undertaking a bit of a health kick this year. In an effort to both try and lose some weight and live a bit healthier, I’m educating myself on eating better. So far, I’ve already come across the concept of ultra-processed foods. I don’t think the impact these can have on the body is readily discussed. I’m looking forward to reading about more of this.

Incidentally, I purchased a copy of this book nearly a year ago. I was intrigued by the topic without really thinking how much attention I’d be paying to the subject now.

Having reduced my own consumption of ultra-processed foods by cooking from scratch in the last couple of months, I can attest to the science through personal experience. The way ultra-processed foods are manufactured means they bypass typical hormone responses of the stomach. As a consequence, people who eat more UPF’s consume more; these foods suppress hormones for satiety and increase hunger hormones.

I’m not going to claim I’m an expert on the subject – but this is why I want to read more. I wasn’t overly aware of the topic until I started looking into it for myself. And, I think it’s stuff more people should be aware of. 


A Day of Fallen Night

Finally, I have one last audiobook on my May TBR. Given I’ve already got several books on the list, I’ve opted for a longer audiobook to keep me occupied. It’s also a sequel, so a great way to continue my ongoing series goal!

I finished listening to The Priory of the Orange Tree in January this year. Whilst events of that first book are fresh in my mind, I want to carry on with Samantha Shannon’s next instalment of the series.

And, like its predecessor, it’s not a small book! A Day of Fallen Night weighs in at just under 39 hours of audio. Depending on the narration style, I may be able to speed that up to x1.2 speed and spend about 31 hours total listening. We’ll have to see though!


Summary

As I mentioned in the introduction to this month’s TBR, I have some great books on this month’s list. I’m excited to pick up each and every one of them — I hope you’re looking forward to hearing about them too!

What are you reading in the month of May?

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Monthly Wrap-Up – April 2025

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April feels like it’s come and gone in the blink of an eye! I can’t believe I’m already sharing with you my monthly wrap-up post for April. It’s been a great month of books, and I can’t wait to share my reading updates with you!


Books Read

Normal Women

I start off this monthly wrap-up post with the slowest mover of all the books I’ve read. As of sharing my April monthly TBR post, I was 30% into Normal Women by Philippa Gregory.

Over the course of the month, I have picked up this book several times and chipped away at the page count. As of this monthly wrap-up, it’s still a current read. I’m finding that I’m reading this in tandem with other books because it’s a little bit intense to try and read in long sittings. Well, that’s my experience of it anyway! I’ve enjoyed dipping in and out of it at leisure, and I fully intend for this to continue through to my May TBR.


The Weight’s Over: Take Back Control

An impromptu listen I picked up right at the end of March and continued through into early April was Sandra Roycroft-Davis’ new book, The Weight’s Over.

I’ve seen her Slimpod program advertised on Facebook. I was interested in her take on the science behind why our bodies set us up to fail when dieting. She also talks about why at predictable time increments we are most susceptible to ‘fall off the wagon’.

If you’re interested in the science behind weight loss, I definitely recommend this book. Not only does it pass on that scientific knowledge but also provides useful tips to help with common problems. Generally speaking, Sandra takes a gentle approach and promotes a very positive message around self-kindness. It makes a change from the condescending tone that is often experienced in the wider community…


Enemies of the Crown

My first physical read of April was one I needed to get my skates on and read. With a blog tour obligation early in the month, I read Enemies of the Crown in a matter of days to be able to provide this review.

Not that it was difficult! Enemies of the Crown is the fifth instalment in Peter Gibbon’s The Saxon Warrior series. When I picked up this book, I already had a good knowledge of what had happened in the series to date. I was able to pick this up and continue on with the series very easily.

I’m not going to spoil my thoughts on this book here, because I dedicated a post to it back at the beginning of April. If you want to check out this book, go take a look at my blog tour review here.


The Perfect Wife

The Perfect Wife was our book club pick for April. Incidentally, the meeting isn’t until Tuesday next week and we can discuss this at lunchtime. It’s also the first time I’ve read the book in good time…

I really enjoyed listening to The Perfect Wife. When I first picked up the book, I wasn’t sure what my thoughts were going to be around a main character built from AI and replacing a human being. However, it was both a really integral part of the narrative, but also really enjoyable to read. If I had any skepticism when I first started the book, that was very quickly dispelled; I really enjoyed this one!

My hope for next month is to choose a genre other than thriller. We’ve had it twice in a row, and I’ve enjoyed them. But, I’m ready for something different too.

 

Elektra

The last physical book I picked up and read in its entirety in April was Elektra by Jennifer Saint.

It’s been a little while since I’ve read Greek mythology. I love going back to the genre though, and I’ll be sure to pick up more in the not-too-distant future.

Elektra was a great reading experience because it focuses on the lives and experiences of three women. The wider backdrop may be the war in Troy, but this is not about the men. It made for a refreshing change, and reminded me of a similar book – The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.


The Poppy War

Briefly before month-end, I started The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. This book has been on my list for a little while, but it was the receipt of a special edition for my birthday that reminded me how much I wanted to pick it up.

Although it’s early days when it comes to this book, as of this monthly wrap-up post I’ve really enjoyed the introduction and I’m looking forward to reading on next month!


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

Finally, with all my audiobooks listened to and my TBR read or in progress, I picked up Crashed as a last minute audiobook. I like to have physical books/e-books and audio on the go at the same time. It gives me the most capacity to read because I can do them at different times.

I’ve been doing a lot more walking of late in practice for a non-competitive event I’m taking part in this weekend. Naturally, what better time than to occupy my brain by listening to audiobooks?

Now, I confess the first part of Crashed was a little more in detail when it comes to politics and geopolitics than I initially expected. However, since starting the second part of the book where we actually get to the main financial crisis of 2007-2008… we’re in the territory I was looking for.

Fingers crossed the book continues in this way, because I’m getting on with it more now the foundations have been laid.


Summary

April has been a productive month of reading. I’m surprised I’ve even managed to read books I hadn’t originally planned, even if they only are in part. I’m looking forward to taking my ongoing reads through May and making more progress with them in the next few days.

Thanks for reading this monthly wrap-up post! What books did you read in April? Do you have any recommendations for me?

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Sunday Summary – 27th April 2025

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It’s been another relaxed Sunday here— and rightly earned! Welcome to today’s Sunday Summary catch-up post. As always, I’ll take you through my updates of the week so far. And, I’ll catch you up on the books I’ve been reading, books added to the TBR, as well as what’s coming up on the blog.

The first port of call is to recap the blog posts I have shared with you to date. The first post I put out this week was a Top Ten Tuesday. In that post, I discussed ten books that surprised me. Most were in a good way, but there were a couple of exceptions to this rule too.

Next, on Friday, I featured a non-fiction book in my First Lines Friday regular feature. I completed the challenge I set myself in last week’s Sunday Summary by featuring a non-fiction; if you’re interested to see which book I chose, you can go and take a look at that post here.


Books Read


Normal Women

Progress with Normal Women remains pretty slow but steady. I confess that I’ve only made progress with this book today, and that progress amounts to another 30 pages (so far tonight!)

I have a hardback edition of the book, which isn’t particularly practical to carry around. As a result, I have been taking my copy of Elektra and then The Poppy War to work. Ultimately, their paperback format has made those the books more accessible to carry around and make progress with.

That said, I am enjoying Normal Women and I confess I’m also enjoying taking it slowly. It’s not particularly light on subject matter, so I would argue this pacing suits the book better anyway.


Elektra

Over the course of this week, I finished my read of Elektra by Jennifer Saint. I really enjoyed going back to Greek mythology. It’s reminded me how much I enjoy the genre. If you are a little partial to feminist fiction now and then, Elektra is a great choice. The book centres around the experiences of three women in particular, Cassandra, Clytemnestra (say that three times quickly…), and Elektra.

I read and finished Elektra pretty quickly. As is generally my experience with retellings, they’re a great way to pick up something quite quickly. They serve as a great refresher in between larger or heavier books.

Elektra turned out to be just the change of scene I needed. I will definitely be picking up more books by Jennifer Saint soon, because Elektra was so easy to read and really enjoyable.


The Poppy War

Finally, the last physical book I have made a start with this week is The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. This is the last book on my April TBR, so I’m really happy to have made it this far through my reading list.

I know I won’t have finished this book by the end of the month, but that’s okay with me! I’m looking forward to the experience of picking up something new and a book that’s come highly recommended to me by others. So far, I have really enjoyed the introduction to Rin’s story and really from now on, it’s about seeing where things go from there.


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Shaped the World

Given that I’ve completed all of my audiobook listens on this month’s TBR, I decided to start something a little different. A while ago I added Crashed to my reading list as a bit of a stretch listen based on my role at work.

Whilst I had so hoped for something a little higher level, Crashed is going into quite a lot of detail about the financial crises experienced – especially around the early 2000s and the consequences they’ve had for everybody. The book is even going so far as to look at the political and geopolitical landscape to explain why these crises aren’t necessarily so independent as originally believed.

As I said, this is a little over my head. Whilst I do recognise some of the concepts discussed in the book from study I undertook last year, I had hoped for something a little bit lighter. Nevertheless, I’m going to persevere with the book in the hopes that I get used to the style and I’m able to take away what I wanted from the book.


Books Discovered

Given I was naughty last week, I’ve been far more considerate of the bank account this week and not made any purchases. In fact, I’ve not even added anything to my reading list without purchasing either.

Go me 🥳

 

Coming Up…

We’re coming up to the end of another month, so next week you have my monthly wrap-up post coming to you on Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. Overall, I’ve had a really good reading month and I’ve managed to pick up every single book on my list. Check out that post to find out where I get up to in each of my current reads by the end of the month!

Next, it’s only natural that I let you know what’s coming up on my May reading list, right? So, with this in mind, my next post will be my May TBR which will go live on Friday.

As always, you know you can look forward to my next instalment of my Sunday Summary at the end of the week. In that post, I’ll catch you up on all my reading updates.

Until then though guys, thanks for reading today’s Sunday Summary. Happy reading and have a good week!

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First Lines Friday – 25/04/2025

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For this First Lines Friday post, I set myself a challenge. If you read my Sunday Summary post last weekend, you’ll know I challenged myself to feature a non-fiction book in today’s feature.

And that I have done! I bought myself a few non-fiction books last weekend, and one of those is the subject of today’s First Lines Friday.

Here’s the intro, and then I’ll give you the details of the book!


When Josie sat down in my office for the first time, she told me she was feeling better. She had called my office for an appointment a few weeks earlier, so I thought perhaps the problem had passed or improved. That happens a lot.

Rather, Josie told me, she had gone to see a general practitioner, who prescribed an antidepressant and two types of antianxiety medication. That happens a lot, too.

Before the medication, Josie was tossing and turning at night, she said. She was worrying all the time and crying too much. The worst of it was when she had what she called “an anxiety attack.”

 


The Twentysomething Treatment – Meg Jay

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 325

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Fourth Estate

Publication Date: 09 April 2024


Goodreads – The Twentysomething Treatment

 

Our twenties can be challenging. Today, so many twentysomethings are struggling, especially with anxiety and depression, and yet we’re not sure what to think or do about it. In The Twentysomething Treatment,psychologist Dr. Meg Jay explores why and unveils a ground-breaking approach that prioritizes skills over pills.

As a seasoned clinical psychologist specialising in the unique challenges of this pivotal decade, Dr. Jay dismantles the myth that twentysomethings are fragile beings and explains why medication is sometimes, but not always, the best medicine.

Within the transformative pages of this book, Dr. Jay provides practical solutions for a range of problems as she expertly guides readers through finding purpose and embracing uncertainty without unravelling. She offers actionable advice on navigating the intricacies of work, love, sex, friendship, confidence, health, and happiness.

The Twentysomething Treatment is not just a book; it’s a lifeline for a generation grappling with a mental health crisis. It is a roadmap that guides us towards stronger mental health throughout our twenties and beyond.

 

My Thoughts…

For similar reasons as I want to pick up The Anxious Generation, The Twentysomething Treatment caught my eye at a local bookstore.

There’s no denying that the lives of twentysomethings today differ significantly from prior generations. Even I am grateful I grew up when I did, and social media, although a thing, wasn’t quite so heavily featured in my life as it could have been just a few years later.

This, of course, has a knock-on effect, and I’m interested to read how this has affected a generation en masse as opposed to my views as a recently not-twentysomething.

I like that it also has practical advice. I’m not so conceited as to believe or pretend that I won’t benefit from it. I’m hoping I do. Whilst I’m a lot more confident than I was a decade ago, there’s always something to learn.

What do you think of The Twentysomething Treatment?

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