Sunday Summary – 28th May 2023

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A happy long weekend to everyone in the UK! I’m back with my weekly Sunday Summary update, so I hope you’re sat comfortably with a cuppa for this one.

As always, I’ll kick off this post by summarising the blog posts I’ve shared over the course of the week. My first blog post was published on Wednesday. In that post, I shared a review of a short story anthology I read recently, Taking Liberties. The review turnaround on this book was quite quick as I had been asked to provide a review by one of the contributing authors. However, as always, I haven’t let that colour my opinion of the book; my thoughts are entirely my own.

On Friday, I shared a First Lines Friday feature. This time last week, I set myself the challenge of choosing a book for this feature that fits a ‘non-fiction medical’ description. I’m really happy with the book I chose to feature, as I have read and loved this author’s other books from this genre previously!

 

Books Read

 

Starsight

As of last week’s Sunday Summary post, I was 100 pages into Starsight by Brandon Sanderson. What I had read so far was already a great introduction. Over the course of the next few days, I chipped away at this book and made it to about 50%.

Then, on Thursday night, I started reading more of the book… and this great book became a fantastic one! I was so invested in the events and the storyline that I ended up reading all the second half of the book in one night. That’s about 230 pages, which has to be a reading record for me. Did I stay up far too late to finish this book? Yes. Do I regret that decision? No.

Starsight differs from Skyward, and there are readers out there that didn’t like this change. It’s a difficult one to talk about without spoiling the story, so I’m not going to mention the details. However, I really enjoyed this change. I think it would have been difficult to progress this series without that change taking place. In any case, it really worked for me, and as a result, the book was a very easy five-star rating.

 

Against All Gods

After finishing Starsight, I started making progress with my final read of the month, Against All Gods by Miles Cameron.

As of this Sunday Summary post, I’m only really just getting into the book so I don’t really have too much to say at the moment. So far, the introduction is fine, but it hasn’t grabbed my attention as much as I thought it would either. Then again, I am only 7% in. I’ll continue with it and see what progress I make in the next few days.

 

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

I’ve continued making progress with listening to As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow this week. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of gardening in some of the warmest temperatures we’ve had locally for some time. As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow helped me concentrate on something other than how hot and uncomfortable I was when trying to wrestle with a hover mower on uneven ground. Don’t say I don’t know how to spend my weekends…

I’ve now nearly finished this audiobook. It is a fantastic listen and I’m hoping to finish this off tomorrow. We are at a really exciting (and equally devastating) point in the narrative and I need to know what happens. I need to know if there’s a happy ending or not.

 

Books Discovered

Having added some books to my reading list over the last few weeks, I’m pleased to report a clean bill this week!

 

Coming Up…

Next week is inevitably going to be a busy one, as it is the week in which I will feature my monthly wrap-up post (Wednesday), as well as my monthly TBR for June (Friday).

Thankfully, I don’t have any other blogging obligations next week. Over the last couple of months, I have had blog tour posts that coincided with the beginning of the month. So, although I have enough going on with two sizable blog posts to draft and share, at least I don’t have anything else on top of that!

As always, I’ll be back this time next Sunday to give you another Sunday Summary and catch you up on what I’ve been reading.

Until then, I hope you have a fantastic week whatever you get up to. Happy reading!

 

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First Lines Friday – 26/05/2023

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The last time I brought you a First Lines Friday post, it was a bank holiday weekend. It just so happens that the same can be said again! If you’re looking for a fantastic author to pick up this weekend, I have a great feature in today’s post.

This week, I set myself the challenge of featuring a medical, non-fiction novel. I had just added one to my TBR when I set this challenge. I teased featuring it here, but that would be boring and lack imagination! Instead, I’m bringing you a book that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from the description of ‘non-fiction medical’. It’s full of humour and wit, yet insightful.

So, let’s check it out!

 

You know what it’s like when you’re cutting up a dead body. No, of course you don’t. It’s a perverse and horrific thing that should only ever be experienced by coroners and gangland criminals. Unless of course you’re one of the 9,000 eighteen-year-olds who sign up to medical school in the UK every year. For them, it’s just what you do each Friday morning.

‘Wear your worst shirt and trousers,’ advised a friendly second year before our first dissection. ‘Underwear too. Put on the same stuff every week, then burn it at the end of the year.’ I imagined this was because they’d be getting sprayed with skull-water or stained by lung fragments, but it was actually around 2 per cent less disgusting than that – it was the stench.

 

 

 

Undoctored – Adam Kay

 

Genre: Non-fiction

Pages: 274

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Publication Date: 15 Sept 2022

 

Goodreads – Undoctored

Adam Kay’s secret diary from his time as a junior doctor This is Going to Hurt was the publishing phenomenon of the century. It has been read by millions, translated into 37 languages, and adapted into a major BBC television series. But that was only part of the story.

Now, Adam Kay returns and will once again have you in stitches in his painfully funny and startlingly powerful follow-up, Undoctored: The Story of a Medic Who Ran Out of Patients. In his most honest and incisive book yet, he reflects on what’s happened since hanging up his scrubs and examines a life inextricably bound up with medicine. Battered and bruised from his time on the NHS frontline, Kay looks back, moves forwards and opens up some old wounds.

Hilarious and heartbreaking, horrifying and humbling, Undoctored is the astonishing portrait of a life by one of Britain’s best-loved storytellers.

 

My Thoughts…

I have already read a couple of books by the author, Adam Kay.

The first of those I picked up is his better known novel, This Is Going to Hurt. That is the story of how Adam became a junior doctor. I then read the slightly shorter, but equally witty, T’was the Nightshift Before Christmas. They are full of laughter and heartwarming stories. But they also bring tears. These books are as much of an emotional rollercoaster as the job can be in itself. They are candid in their insight into daily trials of being a medical professional.

Although I have yet to read Undoctored, I expect this book to be much the same as its predecessors. If that is the case, then it is a promising five star prediction! Although the genre of the book is non-fiction and set in a medical setting, these books are far from dry. The author has a fantastic way of getting his message across in a way that employs humour to do so.

As always, I’m looking forward to giving this book a try!

Have you read Undoctored, or any of the other books by Adam Kay I mentioned in this post? Did you enjoy today’s First Lines Friday post? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Book Review – Taking Liberties

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In today’s post, I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on Taking Liberties. Taking Liberties is an anthology containing several short stories, and has been contributed to by a number of authors. I hadn’t read any works by the contributors as of reading this anthology; it proved a great way to explore many different writing styles!

Before I go into my review, I would like to disclose that I was contacted by Stephanie Bretherton, one of the contributors, to request a review. To do so, I was provided a copy of the book. However, as always, the thoughts I share in this review are entirely my own.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Taking Liberties… let’s dive into the details!

 

Taking Liberties

Genre: Short story anthology

Pages: 136

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Breakthrough Book Collective

Publication Date: 17 Apr 2023

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – Taking Liberties

A daring rescue. A time-trapped forest. Paranormal problems for a down-to-earth detective.
War waged over wi-fi. An app to die for and a fateful shirt. Musing on the rails. Hermits, caves and epic tales. Roboboats aimlessly afloat. Passengers and paintings. The keys to sunlight, and young love in sunlit Santiago. Freedom has many faces. In Taking Liberties it is met in a dozen different guises and in worlds where nothing is what it seems.

Threaded through with the theme of freedom, the stories explore what it means to yearn for escape and to search for the true self, whether in the DNA or in the human soul. Mirth and myth, mystery and magic, noir and memoir shape this first offering from the Breakthrough Book Collective, a group of established and emerging authors embarking on its own journey of creative liberty.

Contributors: Stephanie Bretherton, Jamie Chipperfield, Sue Clark, Jason Cobley, Stevyn Colgan, Samuel Dodson, A.B. Kyazze, Virginia Moffatt, Ivy Ngeow, Eamon Somers, Paul Waters and PJ Whiteley.

 

My Thoughts

 

Plot

Whilst each short story in the anthology may have a broad theme of freedom, they have very little in common beyond that! These stories are entirely different takes on a subject, and are interesting in their diversity. That makes them more enjoyable to read; the next one is always fresh, and you never quite knew what to expect!

I’d recommend Taking Liberties, or any other type of anthology, for people who are in a changeable mood or don’t know what to read next. Based on the variety in this book, there will be something that will appeal to you, and you’ll know where to look for more!

Even though the stories are short and the theme is broadly light reading, there are some stories that push those boundaries. We get to enjoy many perspectives and walks of life. As a result, it encouraged me to consider the different ways in which humankind may interpret freedom.

 

Narrative Style

The main thing I enjoyed about this anthology is that I got the opportunity to try out different authors and writing styles. Not all book qualities are created equal. Whilst I can tolerate a character I don’t like, or a plot point I don’t agree with, writing style is make or break.

Anthologies are perfect for trying out different voices or themes without investment in a lengthy narrative. That way, if you don’t get on with something, you don’t feel like you have to stuggle through it.

In Taking Liberties, we get to experiment with a lot of different authors and narrative styles. Personally, I enjoyed every single one. Each narrative was unique and engaging, especially considering the page count of each story! Making an impression with a smaller word count is a challenge, but not one that appeared to present in this collective. 

 

Summary

Taking Liberties is a short, enjoyable read I picked up and read over a 24 hour period. I had fun with the diversity of stories, characters, and situations in the book.

Taking Liberties is a great read to pick up between larger volumes as a palatte cleanser, or for anyone who wants to try something new or different.

 

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Sunday Summary – 21st May 2023

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Happy Sunday everyone and welcome to my weekly Sunday Summary update. I hope you’ve had a good week, as always! Before we dive into the books I’ve been reading this week, let’s recap the blog posts I’ve been sharing.

I started this week by sharing a Top 5 Recommendations post. Inspired by another blog post I had seen recently, I decided to share my top self-help reads that I’d recommend anyone pick up. The list includes everything from improving focus to empowering women in the workplace. As always, I provide a link to that post if you want to go and check that out!

Usually, I share a regular feature on a Friday. However, due to a bit of a lack of forward planning on my part, I didn’t get this ready in time to go out on Friday. I was at a friend’s house on Friday night, and didn’t get home til gone midnight anyway. So, I shared my planned Shelf Control post yesterday instead!

 

Books Read

 

Death Magnanimous

Picking up where I left off in last week’s Sunday Summary, I started off the week continuing my read of Death Magnanimous by Michael Martin. As of last week’s update, I was 22% into the book. Already, I was hooked my the story and the circumstances the protagonist found himself in. The split timeline, allowing us readers to explore Charlie’s life before his accident, really added to the narrative and understanding his loss. There is also an element of mystery that comes into the story, which I enjoyed.

I finished this book by midweek, and I really enjoyed this Netgalley ARC (advanced reader copy). As the book is to be published in July, I’m going to try and get my review published on my blog soon.

 

Taking Liberties

Next, I picked up a short story anthology – Taking Liberties. The anthology includes short stories written by multiple authors, all with a loose theme of freedom. Whilst they have this in common, the stories themselves are wide and varied. The last time I read a collection of short stories, I didn’t love the experience. However, I had a completely different experience with Taking Liberties.

In all, I read the anthology in it’s entirety (which granted, is only roughly 130 pages) in about 24 hours!

 

Starsight

The last physical book I have picked up this week is Starsight by Brandon Sanderson. I read Skyward about six months ago now and I’m excited to be reading the sequel. So far, I am exactly 100 pages into the book and I like where the narrative is leading us. I’d heard that this book differed from the first, but no real detail as to how. Now I have an idea how… but I’m not spoiling it here!

I’m intrigued to see how the plot is going to develop. I’ve read the first 20% of the book easily, and I imagine the rest will only follow suit.

 

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

This week, I’vve been listening to more of As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow. I was just under half-way through the audiobook in my last Sunday Summary. I’ve listened to another 25% this week.

I’m loving the chaacters, the setting, and the premise of the book. I’m especially invested with the characters. Everything has gone quite well for them up until now (as well as possible in a war-torn country anyway), and I’m almost expecting some kind of disaster to happen!

I have a couple of hours or so left in the audiobook. Once I start listening to it, I imagine I’ll listen through to the end.

 

Books Discovered

As if I don’t have enough books on the reading list, I discovered and added a couple more this week.

The first book is Spike by Jeremy Farrer with Anjana Ahuja. I discovered the book through inkinsights instagram, who gave the book 5 stars. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on our lives in the last few years, and I thinkwe can talk about it now. I’m intereted to read the insights this book has into the pandemic, written by an infectious disease expert.

The second book I added to my list also comes from another recommendation by a book blogger on instagram, readingmaria. That book is A History of Burning by Janika Oza. I like the sound and scope of the premise. This is a tale about how the decisions one person, as a result of a desperate act for survival, can reverberate for generations.

 

Coming Up…

I’ll be sharing a book review this week, and it’s for one of the books I picked up earlier this week.

Last month I was approached by Stephanie Bretheron, one of the author’s who contributed to Taking Liberties, for a review. I promised to read and review the book  this month, so I’ll be sharing my full thoughts on the anthology in a few days.

On Friday, and it WILL be Friday, is the turn of my First Lines Friday post. I’ve decided on a challenge for this post. Using a prompt list for some inspiration, I landed on a prompt to feature a non-fiction book about a medical subject. Naturally, that means I could feature my my addition, Spike. But then, I have also read some great books also in this genre which I could feature. You’ll have to check out my post on Friday to see what I choose in the end.

Lastly, I’ll be here for another Sunday Summary update next Sunday!

Now, Starsight is calling me. Have a wonderful day, evening and week, and I’ll catch you in the next post!

 

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Shelf Control #65 – 20/05/2023

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Happy Friday Saturday and welcome to today’s Shelf Control feature post. As you know, I usually post these on a Friday. However, I made a mistake in planning as I was out with friends on Friday night. I had most of the post drafted, but I didn’t get home till after midnight. Needless to say, I wrote off trying to finish and share the post!

In today’s belated Shelf Control, I feature a YA fantasy novel I intended to read in September last year, but didn’t get around to it. Before we get into the details, let’s recap what my Shelf Control feature is all about.

Shelf Control is a regular feature – 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.

 

Everless – Sara Holland

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 362

Audience: Young Adult

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: 02 Jan 2018

 

 

Goodreads – Everless

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

 

My Thoughts

I don’t read much young adult fantasy, but I really like the premise of the book. There are elements of danger, mystery and intrigue to unravel! The book has it’s own magic system, whixh I’m looking forward to exploring.

Being the length it is, I think this will also make a great book as a palette cleanser. It’s long enough to establish a world and some details to get immersed in, but short enough to avoid being dense.

It’s also good to branch out and read books for a slightly different audience once in a while. Whilst I don’t read a lot of YA, I have enjoyed a number of books that fall into this category before.

That’s all for today’s Shelf Control post. Have you read Everless?  Would you recommend it?

 

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Top 5 Recommendations – Self-Help Books

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In today’s post, I’m excited to share some great recommendations for self-help books I have read, enjoyed, or learned from!

Even if it’s not a genre you read regularly, there are plenty of books out there that can help in certain situations or changes in life. In my aim to pick up more non-fiction books in recent years, I’ve read several books that I have found useful. Now, I’d love to share them with you!

 

Lean In

Whilst I would say that Lean In was written to target female readership, I would recommend it to anybody with an interest in workplace culture. Sheryl advocates for women to step up, but as is often the case, we have to feel comfortable with doing so. We are still in a position where women hold minority positions in senior roles. Therefore, a culture of openness and transparency must prevail.

To understand the female experience, I would encourage anybody to read this book. Not only does it include insight from a woman who has been a senior member of high-profile companies, but the author is very candid about the fact that some female benefits didn’t even cross her mind until she found herself in a position of needing them. If a woman can’t think of these things, such as closer parking spaces for pregnant women, then men are unlikely to.

this is exactly why we need new voices and perspectives in senior positions!

 

Stolen Focus

Stolen Focus is a recent read, but one I would recommend to all. Given the world and environment we live in, we must recognise that lack of focus isn’t just an individual problem.

We live in a world where everybody is vying for our attention throughout our day. We are on-call 24/7. Gone are the days when we digested around 3 newspapers worth of information a day. Now, it is more like hundreds. It’s no wonder we struggle to focus because we are overloaded.

Many Self-help books in the genre point the finger, but Stolen Focus, in addition to providing recommendations of steps we can take on an individual level, acknowledges these external factors.

 

The Motivation Code

I read The Motivation Code as I was interested in my motivation code. If you are unfamiliar, you can complete a narrative-based survey at https://motivationcode.com/ and learn which motivators are most powerful for you.

Taking this and reading up on my motivations affirmed some of the things that are important to me. There were a couple of surprises too, which in hindsight, makes sense.

But this book has more value than that. I decided to read up on the rest of the possible motivators, and that has given me a lot of perspective on what motivators my colleagues have. It’s helped me work out ways to appeal to their motivations to get the job done. For that reason, I would especially recommend this book to people managers.

 

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The title of this book is a bit misleading. Rather than not giving a damn about anything, the book is more about prioritising what does matter to you.

This book is good at making you consider your values rather than plodding along in life. It’s also very easy to read and approachable for all readers. It’s funny and a bit crass in language, but I enjoyed it!

This book does have a lot of polarised reviews. I will disclose that here. Maybe you’ll just have to try it for yourself.

 

The Chimp Paradox

I didn’t love The Chimp Paradox on the whole, but it is a book that has value.

I was reading this book from a perspective of a former psychology student. Some of the science in this book, in my opinion, is a bit simplistic. But, that may work for those who aren’t interested in science at all. The principles are all sound.

I also like how the book encourages separation from negative traits and behaviours by personifying them in the Chimp. It helps acknowledge they exist but removes any guilt or negativity associated.

This book comes in two parts. First comes the science and the explanation of the war that can’t occur between the rational human brain and the emotional, impulsive Chimp. After that, the book branches out to elaborate on the ‘solar system’ of the brain. Here, we look at things such as the role of relationships and how the earlier science can be applied to different scenarios we may encounter in life.

 

If you’re looking for a self-help book recommendation, then I hope one of these five appeals to you.

Have you read any other self-help books that you’d like to recommend to others?

 

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Sunday Summary – 14th May 2023

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Good evening everyone and welcome to my weekly Sunday Summary update post. In today’s post, I’ll recap the blog posts I’ve shared in the week, the books I’ve been reading and those I’ve added to the reading list. There are two to share with you this week.

First, let’s cover what I’ve already shared over the course of this week. My first blog post of the week was a review of The Feedback Loop by Harmon Cooper. This sci-fi novel was a relatively short, average three star read. There were still plenty of elements I enjoyed. I talk about those in my review which I’ve linked above in case you want to go back to it.

Next, I shared my next post in my Well, I Didn’t Know That! Friday feature series. In that post, I featured a magazine dedicated to a big-name game that I love – Minecraft. Specifically, I shared some new upcoming features coming to the game shortly. If you’re interested to check those out, I’ve also linked this for you.

 

Books Read

 

The Waste Lands

As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I was just 53 pages into The Waste Lands. Thanks to the long weekend here in the UK, and that I took the rest of the week off work, I sped through this book. Considering I had to read summaries of what had transpired in the series so far just last weekend, I picked this up again really quickly.

What also worked out well is that the plot naturally recaps what’s happened so far. I already read up online what happened so far, plus the summary at the beginning of the book. This is a really good feature by the way, and one I would like to see you in every series. The plot looping back helped cement and slot everything back into place.

I can assure you that I won’t be leaving it another four years to continue with the series! I ended up reading this book quite quickly, finishing it on Thursday. It was great to go back to this fantasy world, and I can see myself picking it up again very soon.

 

Death Magnanimous

The next book I started is Death Magnanimous by Michael Martin. This is a Netgalley advance reader copy that I have downloaded for the purposes of providing a review. As such, I don’t actually know how many pages are in this book as it’s not really listed anywhere yet.

When I first talked about this book in my monthly TBR, I said I thought it was quite short because the reading time on my kindle was only 2 1/2 hours. Since starting the book, that has updated to around 5 1/2 hours. That’s still not a long read, but it’s obviously longer than I previously stated so I wanted to update you here.

As of today’s Sunday Summary, I am just under a quarter of the way through this book. It’s proving to be a decent read so far. The narrative spotlights a protagonist who had a terrible accident at the beginning of the book, and as a result of that, suffers from significant life-changing injuries. I will also disclose that the character is considering ending his own life, and the book appears to explore his journey towards that. That is as far as I have gotten with the narrative and I’m enjoying it so far. Hopefully I’ll be able to tell you a bit more about it in next week’s post, once I have made more progress.

 

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

As of last week, I had listened to a third of As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. I confess that I haven’t made lots of progress this week, but we are coming up to around halfway through the audiobook now. I’m still really enjoying the storyline and the audio format as well. The narrator is doing a fantastic job of bringing characters and setting to life.

 

Books Discovered

I discovered Truth in Blue, the first book I added to my reading list this week, via Twitter. The author had posted the disappointment of an interaction they’d had with a potential reader, who implied they wouldn’t pick up their book as it has only a handful of reviews. That’s a shame, but ultimately, that person is missing out. I went on to look at that particular book for myself, and I really like the sound of the synopsis. I’m not going to let that stop me from picking it up… and hopefully a future review can help bolster this book and author for other readers to be brave enough to try!

The next book I added to my reading list is a late addition, having just been added a couple of hours ago. This also stems from Twitter, thinking about it. The author of Go Luck Yourselves followed me, and you know that title intrigues me. I’m a prolific potty mouth, so anything that parodies that has my attention straight away!

I like the sound of this book because I may be able to apply some of the content to myself. The purpose of the book is to talk about the influence and presence of luck in brand-building. I may not have any products, but I do have my blog. In a way, that is a product in itself. If there are ways in which I can help bring luck onto my side and potentially increase my exposure/influence to others, then the book is worth my time.

 

Coming Up…

I’ve been inspired by a recent blog post for you to feature some book recommendations in a specific niche – in particular, self-help. As part of my aim is to read more non-fiction this year, I have picked up a few books of this type. I’ve also read some good ones previously. So, my first post of the week is going to be sharing my five recommendations for self-help books to pick up!

On Friday, it’s the turn of my Shelf Control regular feature post. This week, I’m featuring a young adult fantasy novel I hoped to read last year, but didn’t get around to. I really like the sound of the premise, and I hope you will too!

And of course, I’ll be back at the same time next week for another Sunday Summary update!

 

But now, that is all for today’s Sunday Summary post. I’ll see you in the next post, and until then, happy reading!

 

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Well, I Didn’t Know That! #10

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For today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post, I was looking for a different type of magazine to feature. If you’re a fan of gaming, in particular Minecraft, then I hope you enjoy today’s post!

If you want to check out more about this series, here is a link to the introduction post for my Well, I Didn’t Know That! posts.

I never expected to come across a magazine dedicated to Minecraft. But, then, again, it is such a big name now that why wouldn’t I? The particular section of the magazine that caught my eye concerns upcoming changes and new features in the new update to be released shortly. In previous years, I have followed the updates and new features quite closely. This year I haven’t so much. I found all those in one place, so let’s talk about them in today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post. 

 

Recent Changes to the Game

Before I dive into the latest updates and new features, let’s go over what has been added to the game in recent years. If you played this game in your youth, or you’ve been away for awhile, there are some significant changes. The most significant of those being the overhaul of terrain generation introduced in the Caves and Cliffs update in 2021. Worlds got deeper and taller. Previous generation had worlds generating in a 256 block range, but new worlds post update can be created naturally in a 320 block range, with further capacity to build an additional 64 blocks above even the tallest mountains!

Cave generation was overhauled too, with the sizes of caves upscaled thanks to the generation changes. Several cave specific biomes were also introduced, making diving beneath the surface that more interesting!

A peek at new cave generation from the surface in Minecraft - Bedrock edition

After that, we had the Wild update. In this update, existing biomes were updated, as well as new biomes added. Swamps finally got their own tree type in the game – Mangrove. The Deep Dark and Ancient Cities were introduced in the depths of caves. New mobs and blocks were added, and the ‘builders’ who like to flex their creativity had a whole new block palette to work with.

The latest update, Trails and Tales, is both the explorers and builders dream! Here’s why!

 

Trails and Tales

The long-anticipated archaeology features are finally landing in game. There are new structures to explore, ancient species, relics and flora to uncover, and new tools to explore with. Not only that, but existing structures have also been updated; ocean ruins can also yield new items for the brave explorers!

Builders can also enjoy new blocks and details in this latest update. A new biome is being introduced along with a new wood type – Cherry Blossom. Bamboo is also gaining more uses in this update, as it also gets its own variant of block types (similar to other wood types currently in game).

Some changes to existing items are also exciting – the smithing table (introduced in the Village and Pillage update) is finally going to be functional to players, allowing addition of new armour trims, not just a villager workstation. Even simple changes like being able to hang signs, and interact with both sides, are included. It’s the simple things, folks!

For the technical builders and redstone fanatics (Minecraft’s equivalent of electricity, to those of us undisciplined in its use), a new variant of skulk sensor is being introduced. I’m not a techie, so I can’t explain in detail this change. In essence, I think they can be programmed to react to certain sounds. If you want to look into this one yourself, I’ll have to point you to the Minecraft wiki for more information.

 

Summary

There are so many new features and changes that I couldn’t possibly feature them all here! As of today’s post, Minecraft have just started dropping pre-release candidates to those wanting to test and explore new features. Typically, that means the update is just a few weeks away.

That’s all for today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post. 

Do you, or have you played Minecraft? Are you excited for the new update? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Book Review – The Feedback Loop: Harmon Cooper

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Today’s post is another (long overdue) book review for The Feedback Loop by Harmon Cooper. I was intrigued by the premise of The Feedback Loop, and it was a nice short read to pick up!

If you want to find out more, here are the details!

 

The Feedback Loop – Harmon Cooper

Genre: Science fiction

Pages: 182

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Boycott Books

Publication Date: Aug 2015

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – The Feedback Loop

Stuck in a virtual dreamworld called The Loop, a man named Quantum Hughes struggles to free himself from a glitch that forces him to live the same day on repeat. His life changes when a mysterious letter arrives one morning from a woman named Frances Euphoria, the first human player he has made contact with in a very long time. Once Frances appears, members of a murder guild known as the Reapers begin surfacing in The Loop, hoping to capture Quantum or worse — kill him. To further complicate matters, The Loop itself is doing everything it can to stop Quantum from finding the hidden logout point by turning everything in the virtual dreamworld against him.

With time running out, will Quantum break free from his digital coma before he’s captured or killed by the Reapers? Who is Frances Euphoria, and what does she actually know about how long Quantum has been trapped?

The Feedback Loop Series takes place thirty years before the Life is a Beautiful Thing Series. It shares the same world, but is a standalone series that focus on dream-based virtual reality worlds and the people who are trapped in them. The next book in the series will be called Steampunk is Dead, and will be released in the fall.

 

My Thoughts

 

Plot

The Feedback Loop is a fun, short, science-fiction read. It makes for a good palate-cleanser between reads as it’s less than 200 pages.

The premise and concept behind the narrative is a familiar one. Imagine Groundhog Day, only you are stuck in an ultra-violent virtual world which is determined to prevent you from logging out. That is exactly what you should expect from The Feedback Loop. 

I didn’t anticipate the developments or conclusion at all. Once the narrative really started to unfold at end, I couldn’t put the book down. It was that gripping! I read this book in just two sittings. It is comparatively lighthearted to a lot of books, and I was aware of this having read a dense book just before this one. I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much!

 

Characters

I enjoyed the protagonist, Quantum Hughes, in this book. In the circumstances he has to live through every day, we get to see a very rough and ready character. He is literally dodging death from the moment he wakes up every single day… and more often than not, it catches up with him.

His character has definitely shaped and adapted to his surroundings. Set in a gritty, grimy, rundown cyberpunk-y cityscape, Quantum has come to learn who he can trust, and who he cannot. Violence is second nature to him now. This virtual environment is littered with all the nasty things you would expect in any modern day city. Alcoholism, addiction and depravation are prevalent throughout.

 

Narrative Style

The Feedback Loop is an easy, action-packed and quick read. The structure of the narrative, as it is, makes the book more enjoyable. It is a narrative style that has been done before, but at the same time, varies enough that you want to see what the character is doing next to avoid falling into the same traps on his quest to escape.

Aside from the themes discussed above, The Feedback Loop could be picked up by most people. Although is has a lot of violence in, I wouldn’t say it is any worse than young readers are exposed to in games. Plus, the book has an approachable writing style that I enjoyed – clearly, given I read the book so fast! 

 

Summary

All in all, I enjoyed this book as a one off, but I won’t be continuing with the rest of the series. It was a perfectly adequate read, but equally nothing exceptional. In my opinion, the plot-line is neither unique, nor does it stand out in an ever-growing market. If anyone were to ask me for a recommendation for a similar themed book, but better executed, I would recommend Ctrl+S by Andy Briggs. This book doesn’t have the Groundhog Day element, but it has a far better exploration of virtual reality. It has a slightly longer page count, but it’s worth the investment. 

It was worth a read to try out, but ultimately, it wasn’t captivating or promising enough to lure me back for book two or beyond.

Have you read The Feedback Loop? Is it on your reading list?

 

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Sunday Summary – 7th May 2023

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Hello and it’s another happy long weekend! Even if the coronation and royalty aren’t your thing… I think we can all agree that it’s great to have another cheeky day off work. We’re back once again for my weekly Sunday Summary post, in which I take you through the books I’ve been reading and talking about!

This week’s blog schedule was a bit hectic, although a mishap last week actually helped me out in the end! With this week being the beginning of May, I naturally had to share my Monthly Wrap Up post for the month of April. I read four and a half books in the month. It may not sound like much, but the first book I read in the month was 906 pages long!

This week, I also had a blog tour obligation. I had the pleasure of kicking off the tour for Eagle of Mercia by MJ Porter. That post went live on Wednesday, 3rd May. If you’re interested in historical fiction or books about British history and the Viking’s coming to Britain, this is a book in the series. You may be interested in.

On Thursday, I shared my Monthly TBR post covering the books I plan to read in May. It looks like a very ambitious list. However, when you think about it this way, the first book was a carryover from April, which I’ve now finished. Some of the books are relatively short, and another, I am taking on in audio.

On Friday, I shared a First Lines Friday post… The one I accidentally drafted last week when I got my regular features muddled up. Thankfully, I realised before I posted it, and so I scheduled it for this week instead. As I mentioned above, that ended up working out in my favour. Including this post, I’ve posted a total of five blogs this week! Having one prepared a little earlier, did me no harm whatsoever!

 

Books Read

 

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

My first priority of the week was to continue with The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. As of my last Sunday Summary, I was halfway through the book. 

I enjoyed the premise and the setting of this book. It is one that doesn’t get explored all that much in fantasy. Having read a couple of fantasy novels with Eastern settings, and really enjoying them, I’m definitely going to be seeking out more in future.

I do have some mixed feelings about this one. I had a vague inkling, but the storyline ended up being quite whimsical. At least, that’s how it came across to me. It was okay, but that did detract a little bit of enjoyment for me.

I wanted to read the book as a standalone before I started another series, written by the author. Having read this one, I’m not sure about the series I had in mind. I’ll probably give the first book a try. However, if it’s much like this one, I’ll probably end up there.

 

Wolf of Wessex

The next book I picked up was Wolf of Wessex by Matthew Harffy. This was the book I was supposed to pick up last month as well, but didn’t quite get around to it.

Wolf of Wessex is much like my recent read, Eagle of Mercia, in setting. I suppose the only difference is that it is set on the other side of the border! I quite liked that the book didn’t dive too heavily into historical element of the Norse coming to Britain. You could easily go into this book not really knowing much, but equally, also having an idea doesn’t really make a difference. As someone who’s read a fair bit of the genre by now, I didn’t feel overly advantaged by this pre-knowledge.

Wolf of Wessex is a fast-paced action novel. I read this book in just a handful of sittings. It ended up being a three-star rating from me because the plot and character development is quite superficial. That’s not to say it wasn’t enjoyable, but these are elements. I really enjoy in a book. They were a little bit lacking here.

 

The Waste Lands

The last physical read I started this week is Stephen King’s The Waste Lands. I made full disclosure in my May TBR post that I was going to have to go back and read up on what has happened so far in the series as a refresher. Rather spookily, I finished the prior book in the series, The Drawing of the Three, on this day in 2019! I haven’t picked up this series on for years, so it’s no wonder I couldn’t remember what was going on.

As soon as I read those summaries, I was fully back up to speed. I’ve only just started this book today, so I’m only 53 pages in as I’m writing this post. It’s a healthy start though, and it’s great to be back. It’s also been a little minute since I’ve picked up any Stephen King novel. I do like his writing style, so I’m enjoying that too.

 

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

The last book I have progress on which to report is As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh. As I mentioned in my TBR, this is the chosen book of the month for Ezeekat’s book club. It’s very different from anything I have read for a very long time. It’s also not a book I would have necessarily thought to pick up of my own volition. In that way, I’m glad it’s come up as part of the book club.

Just this week, I have started and made my way through a third of this book on audio. Through the narrative we explore Syria and its people, ravaged by those who would fight to suppress their revolution. I’ll confess that before starting this book, I didn’t really know what the conflict in Syria was about. It is something that has been happening for many years now, and in truth, we hear little of it.

If you are content with the knowledge that the war and conflict is happening, but over there, then this book is not for you. The narrative pulls no punches in highlighting the devastation inflicted on the general population. Pregnant women and children are targeted by snipers. Men who would stand up and protest anre arrested, and death would be preferable to the treatment they receive. It’s probably not a book for everyone, but I don’t shy away from difficult subjects. I for one am enjoying it so far, and I will be making further progress with this soon.

 

Books Discovered

Much as was the case in my last Sunday Summary post, no news is good news! Given that I’ve managed to take a couple of books off the list, we are now back under 200 on my reading list.

Is it bad that I’m excited about that?!

 

Coming Up…

I’ll be slowing down the pace next week when it comes to blogging by returning to my usual three post schedule.

The first of those posts is a book review for The Feedback Loop by Harmon Cooper. I read this short science-fiction/cyberpunk novel last year and enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you.

Later in the week, I will be sharing the next addition in my Well, I Didn’t Know That! series. As yet, the topic remains unchristened. I have the week off work, so I’ll take some time to read some different material and find something fun to share with you all!

And as always, I’ll be here at the same time next week for another Sunday Summary.

But now, that is all for today’s Sunday Summary. I’m going to watch an episode of The Last Kingdom on Netflix, and pick up The Waste Lands before going to bed.

 

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