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Sunday Summary – 3rd May 2026

Posted on May 3, 2026 by fantasyst95

It makes a pleasant change for a Sunday Summary post that to come to you not at the end of the weekend! Yes, it’s the early May bank holiday weekend here, and I’m looking forward to an extra cheeky day off work. It also makes a change that the typical British bank holiday weather has held off so far. In fact, I was able to get out for a bike ride earlier, making the most of the weather being dry, if not the most sunny.

As much as I’m sure you really want to know my whereabouts this weekend, maybe I should stick to the topic at hand and catch you up on the blog posts and other content I’ve shared so far this week. Here on the blog, I shared a review of Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb, followed by my monthly wrap-up for April. Both of those are pretty lengthy posts, so if you’re in for an exciting read, go and check either (or both) of those posts out.

Over on YouTube, I shared the equivalent of last week’s Sunday Summary catch-up in video form on Monday. Whilst I had hoped to get a little further with my posting schedule already, I plan to make up for that lack by getting my monthly wrap-up for April posted on YouTube today.

Books Read

Looking at Women, Looking at War

When I left you in last week’s Sunday Summary post, I had a reading marathon to achieve. I have just started Looking at Women, Looking at War and I still had a chunk to go.

With the deadline of returning this book before 5 pm on Monday, I stayed up late on Sunday night to get as far as I could, then finish the book Monday lunchtime with just enough time to spare to run it down to the library and return it.

Who says being a reader doesn’t mean flying by the seat of your pants sometimes? I certainly do 🫣

Despite this needing to be a quick read out of necessity, the rapid case I had to read the book didn’t detract from the experience. It was both usual and unique to read a book of this nature. I went into it thinking it was more historical, but obviously it’s really kind of a current events book.

What also made this interesting is that the book wasn’t finished by the author before she unfortunately lost her life. Therefore, there are sections of this book that are Victoria‘s rough handwritten notes as opposed to a fleshed-out chapter. Did that help me get through it? Absolutely! It’s a shame she obviously didn’t get to finish the book, but I really enjoyed reading it in the format it was nonetheless!

Crown of Midnight

One of my main reading priorities this week has been picking up Crown of Midnight. Yes, one surprisingly, my read-along book that I was meant to do in April, didn’t really happen as planned. I’ve got a good of that but also I didn’t make an effort to prioritise, but even knowing my reading month wasn’t going to plan.

Nevertheless, I have finally started this book and as of this summary, I am around 20%. To be perfectly honest, it’s been quite easy to make this programme. I’ve enjoyed getting back into this world as we have enough overlap with one of the series, but also plenty of hints as to what to expect coming up in this latest, because I’m hoping to read for a rest with this book along very quickly. If I’m not talking about completion next week, I’m going to be upset with myself. My plans are to read the third book, Heir of Fire this May, so I definitely need to get my skates on!

Why We Get Sick

The book I feel like I’ve made the most progress with this week is called Why We Get Sick by Benjamin Bikman.

I was a little disheartened with my recent lack of reading progress. That’s especially so for both my previous audiobook listen, Onyx and Ivory, but also more generally. With the hopes that a fresh start was exactly what I needed, I turned to a book not even on my TBR. Rather, I leaned into a subject I have wanted to read more about anyway. I hope the complete fresh start would help kickstart my reading journey once again.

The main focus of Why We Get Sick revolves around insulin resistance and how this strikingly common phenomenon impacts chronic health conditions. In some cases, I go so far as to explain the links between insulin resistance and these conditions, if not definite, then the correlation. Why am I reading about this subject, you ask? Because I think I have it. More importantly, whilst I am interested in the biology, (this was distinct criteria I gave ChatGPT when looking for a recommendation), but my motivation for reading this book is to find out what I can do about it.

As of this Sunday Summary, I’m actually about 90% through this audiobook and I reckon with a bit of a push, I could finish this tonight. I’ve taken to listening to sections of this audio before bed anyway. It feels reasonable that I could finish this book tonight! And, that would make me happy. After a bit of a slump in recent weeks with reading progress, a quick win is definitely not going to hurt my stats or my interpretation of progress. Numbers aren’t everything, don’t get me wrong. However, they don’t hurt sometimes when you need a little kick…

Books Discovered

I’ve been good for another week in a row and not added any books to my TBR. What’s going on with me?!

Maybe the need to refresh my TBR jar yesterday, sorting old books and putting in maybe 60 or so of my latest adds, was enough to dissuade me…

Coming Up…

What I’m Reading…

Next week, my early priorities will be finishing Why We Get Sick as I’m so close to the end, and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. With hopes to read Heir of Fire this month, I naturally need to read the predecessor book.

Then, I think I’ll pick up Heir of Fire hot on the heels of Crown of Midnight. I need to read this in May and actually start my readalong in good time! Plus, I also don’t want to give away my May TBR reads before my post goes live 😉

Blog

I only filmed my May TBR and drew my books out of the TBR jar yesterday evening. So, I didn’t get time to post that list here this week. So, I’m naturally going to start next week with this one! It’s planned, and it’s a long list! I’ve also got some chunky books that came out. So, I’d best get back into the groove with reading, else my reading month will flop as hard as April…

On Friday I’ll return with a Shelf Control feature. It’s been a few weeks since I posted one of these. If you’re keen to see what’s coming up on my TBR, that’s the post to check out 😊

Finally, another Sunday Summary will roll around before you know it. Let’s hope I can land some good reading progress in the next week and get my May TBR off to a great start.

YouTube

Over on YouTube, I’ve got both my monthly wrap-up post and May TBR to edit and post – I hope you are looking out for those!

Summary

Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Summary and I hope you’re as excited for the content I’ve got planned, as well as joining me in reading some of the books I’m picking up in May.

What are you going to be reading in May?

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2026

Posted on May 1, 2026 by fantasyst95

***Today’s monthly-wrap-up contains an affiliate link to Amazon if you wish to purchase the book. If you follow this link, I will earn a small commission from that purchase at no cost to you.

If you wish to obtain a copy of the book based on this review, I would really appreciate you following this link and showing my content some support by making your purchase***

April should have been another productive month. Again, I set myself an ambitious TBR. However, a busy period at work, combined with stagnating on a re-read, meant progress stalled in April. It’s a shame – I’d been on a good run. At least I had a head start so I’m not behind after this month’s progress. Even so, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t pick up more reads this month.

Let’s take a look at the books I picked up, and how I got on…

Books Read

Storm of Mercia

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

Storm of Mercia was a priority read, given I had a review obligation for the book on 2nd April.

Thankfully, I’m the kind of girl who thrives on a deadline. I started the book just a few days before the end of March and still read close up to the deadline. However, my already established love of the series meant this was easy for me to pick up and get invested in.

As I’ve already reviewed this book on my blog, I’m not going to go too heavy into my thoughts on this book here. Instead, I’ll point you to that review if you are a fan of action-based historical fiction with political aspects to the underlying storyline.

The Astral Library

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

My next carryover from March was my audio listen of The Astral Library. In my March wrap-up post, I shared that I didn’t have a lot left to go.

Unsurprisingly, I finished this book in just a few days of the new month. I was invested into the narrative and events of the book were already coming to a head. Naturally, I had every inclination to get to this and see how the book finished. This was an easy book to prioritise and finish! It’s a pity the rest of the month didn’t follow through with this pace…

1984

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

I started my April TBR already 33% into 1984 by George Orwell. I had to set this book aside in order to pick up my reading obligations – Rose Red, then Storm of Mercia.

Firstly, the near month break I took between putting down and returning to this book wasn’t ideal. Combine that with a break from reading in general due to doing overtime at work, and tiredness after that, meant I was slow to get going again. Knowing how the book ended, there wasn’t much excitement or incentive for me to pick it up either.

So, long story short, I was slow to pick this back up again. However, towards the end of the month I found my motivation again and finished 1984. Despite the lack of speed, I still enjoyed this one. I’m also keen to pick up the retelling Julia shortly. I’m ready for a slight change of perspective, and it should offer a refreshing change.

Onyx and Ivory

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

One of the books I pulled out of my TBR jar in my March TBR video is Onyx and Ivory. This YA fantasy romance was the final book I pulled from the jar, yet equally was the only one I got to this month.

And you know what, it didn’t land perfectly. I knew it was a stretch, being YA fantasy. In other circumstances, I might have gotten on with it. However, listening to this audiobook coincided with my slow patch of 1984. That didn’t help, so in the end, I decided to pick up a fresh audiobook. After that, I didn’t have the inclination to return. I gave myself a deadline of the end of April to return to this. I didn’t, so I’ll call it a DNF.

Looking at Women Looking At War: A War and Justice Diary

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

It’s a good job this girl thrives on a deadline. Despite my intentions to start this book in plenty of time before it was due back to my local library on Monday, I only started it last Saturday. Needless to say, I was on the clock to finish the book.

Most of Monday lunchtime was spent finishing the book. I had hoped I could take the book back after 5pm, but unfortunately the library shut then. So, a rocket was firmly up mine to get the book finished… but you know what, I did it!

Looking at Women Looking At War was a really interesting read, so it wasn’t difficult to prioritise this read. It was also unusual to read a book that’s shaping currency events./ It barely counts as history, but it had that vibe. The circumstances of the author’s work, and terrible passing, meant that the book wasn’t finished. It was odd to read a book in which the author’s unedited notes have to stand as the content. But, it brings home what happened and the level of work Amelia was going to in order to document the war crimes and make sure those harmed by the Russians get their justice.

Looking at Women Looking At War is a very different book to those I’ve read lately, and it landed well! Of all the books on this monthly wrap-up, it’s the book I enjoyed the most!

Crown of Midnight

Goodreads

Amazon Purchase Link

I’m carrying forward two books into May – my readalong of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series. Starting this book was later than intended, but I have somewhat of a schedule to maintain. So, whilst I’m a bit late in getting started, as of this monthly wrap-up post, it is my priority read.

As of this monthly wrap-up post, I’m 14% into Crown of Midnight. I’ve enjoyed the start of this book so far, and it has been easy to get back into it. There’s enough ties to events from the previous book that the story is cohesive and I understand where I’m up to. However, already there are hints of new events that are going to unfold in this latest instalment. I’m keen to get stuck in, so watch for some speedy progress with Crown of Midnight in the coming days.

Why We Get Sick

Amazon Purchase Link

Goodreads

Finally, I started Why We Get Sick as a break from Onyx and Ivory. Although not on my TBR, I have a personal motive to listen to this audiobook.

I’m trying to learn about insulin resistance and the effects it has on people. I have signs of insulin resistance myself, and I’ve stagnated in trying to lose weight. In order to find this book, I sought the recommendation of a book that goes into the biology of insulin resistance and how to reverse it. I used ChatGPT to seek out the recommendation. So far, it’s interesting and engaging whilst also giving the detail I wanted.

Looking at everything from brain, heart and reproductive health to illnesses like cancer, the book covers the links to insulin resistance. Later in the book, I get to explore more about how insulin resistance comes about and what I can do about it. I’m hopeful this will also be a quick read and help end the slump I experienced in April.

Summary

So, all in all, April wasn’t the reading month I hoped for. However, all is not lost. I’m still two books ahead of schedule to meet my 60 books in 2026 reading goal. My current reads are also well received, so let’s hope they are the remedy I need to get progress in May off to a great start!

Thanks for sticking with me in this monthly wrap-up. I’m not giving myself a break, and May’s upcoming TBR isn’t going to let up any. Onwards and upwards!

What did you read in April?

Book Review: Ship of Destiny – Robin Hobb

Posted on April 30, 2026 by fantasyst95

***Today’s review of Ship of Destiny contains an affiliate link to Amazon if you wish to purchase the book. If you follow this link, I will earn a small commission from that purchase at no cost to you.

If you wish to obtain a copy of the book based on this review, I would really appreciate you following this link and showing my content some support by making your purchase.***

Ship of Destiny is the third instalment of Robin Hobb’s The Liveship Traders trilogy, and the sixth book of her wider Realm of the Elderlings series. The Liveship Traders takes us away from the characters explored in the first Farseer trilogy. Initially, I found the change a little jarring, but this trilogy warmed on me the further I got through it. The conclusion, Ship of Destiny, was my favourite book by far! With events coming to a head, and some redemptive character arcs, Ship of Destiny was the easiest of the trilogy for me to read.

Let’s recap a summary of the book, the synopsis, and then let’s get stuck into my thoughts!

Ship of Destiny – Robin Hobb

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Pages: 903

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Publication Date: 10 Sept 2015

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/4tQVw0A

Goodreads – Ship of Destiny

The triumphant conclusion to the magnificent Liveship Traders series.

The dragon, Tintaglia, released from her wizardwood coffin, flies high over the Rain Wild River. Below her, Reyn and Selden have been left to drown, while Malta and the Satrap attempt to navigate the acid flow of the river in a decomposing boat.

Althea and Brashen are sailing the liveship Paragon into pirate waters in a last-ditch attempt to rescue the Vestrit family liveship, Vivacia, who was stolen by the pirate king, Kennit; but there is mutiny brewing amongst their ragtag crew, and in the mind of the mad ship itself.

And all the while the waters around the Vivacia are seething with giant serpents, following the liveship as she sails to her destiny…

My Thoughts

Plot

It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Ship of Destiny is as action-heavy, whilst also juggling politics, as its predecessors.

I love this combination in these books. Whilst in the earlier instalment of the series, it took me a little bit longer to get into the narrative and immersed in the storyline, that’s not the case with the Ship of Destiny. Rather, because we left off at an exciting point in time with the conclusion of the mad ship, I started this book keen to find out where everything ends.

Although not the longest instalment of the Liveship Traders series, Ship of Destiny is not insignificant. Weighing in at over 900 pages, this isn’t a book to pick up lightly. However, fans of the epic fantasy genre will find themselves in safe hands. Politics, magic, and of course, sentient wooden vessels, take centre stage. If you are reading this series after picking up the initial Farseer trilogy, you may be confused as to how events tie together. I confess, I wasn’t entirely sure how these narratives strong together when I first started the series. Fear not, that all comes to light by the end of this book if you haven’t worked it out already!

Characters

In my reviews for Ship of Magic and The Mad Ship, I was pretty vocal about not getting on with one of the main characters of the storyline. Malta Vestrit begins this series as a young, petulant child. She is spoiled, used to getting what she wants, and seldom is she told no. It shows…

For every bit I didn’t get on with her in the previous books, she redeemed herself by maturing into a young woman. I did not expect to see from her. It made breeding these books feel worthwhile watching her mature and becoming instrumental in the conclusion of this series. It’s not very often I get to say that sort of thing.

Malta is just one significant person in this final instrument of the trilogy. She is instrumental, but not the only individual involved in this busy plot. Ship of Destiny has a wide cast of characters. These are pretty consistent with the earlier books, Ship of Magic and The Mad Ship. If you’re able to follow along with these ones, Ship of Destiny flows just fine. Another aspect I enjoy in my epic fantasy books is exploring political motives and machinations and relationships between the characters. A lot of this takes place in Ship of Destiny. There has always been a run-up to this, and it was nice to see this take full force.

It’s unusual, because the Vestrit family are both pivotal to this book, but also not the main stars I expected them to be. Rather, we have other characters introduced earlier in the series that have taken a more active role in the conclusion of this book where I anticipated them to be more of a backseat.

It’s refreshing to be kept on my toes… that’s also what I love about Robin Hobb!

Setting

As one can only expect with a book set around ships, there is a lot of travel that takes place in Ship of Destiny. Combine that with an action-heavy plot line, and we have a vast area of the world we get to explore.

Both above the waves and under, we get to see places both large and small, vast and small yet still significant. As with all Robin Hobb books, no detail is left unexplored. For those of us with very vivid imaginations, the descriptions of the places and events taking place make for easy imagining. What I have really enjoyed about the Realm of the Elders series in general is that we see the benefit of both description, but also plenty taking place so that neither element of the book takes over from the other and stagnates the writing.

Narrative Style

The Liveship Traders books, much like many of Robin Hobb’s epic fantasy Realm of the Elderlings series, are complex. The worlds in which these books are set span far beyond where events currently take place. There is a lot going on, and many characters to juggle at any given time. Needless to say, these books aren’t the easiest to read because you need to be concentrating on what is going on. However, this does not detract from the books. Rather, if you really enjoy a gritty, epic fantasy, Ship of Destiny and the earlier books in the Liveship Traders series are going to be right up your alley!

As you will know, books of this nature very frequently get high ratings from me. They are my favourite kind of book. Whilst I do enjoy a variety of genres, and sometimes a short book is just what you need, epic fantasy is my go-to. These are the kind of books that got me into reading in the first place, and they are a genre I will go back to time and again. Therefore, I am biased. Yes, I admit to that, what I am not, is apologetic about it. The only regret I have about Ship of Destiny and reading Robin Hobb in general is that I didn’t do it sooner!

So, there is a lot going on in ship of destiny. Even still, The way in which the books are written, their style and chapter Ing, is pretty typical for the genre. Chapters aren’t particularly short overall, but that suited me just fine. Like I say, it’s something I go back to time and again. It’s what I’m used to. If you prefer something shorter, I found there were plenty of places you could take a break without having to do it at the chapters end. Some people don’t like that, but I do it all the time…

Summary

Have you read Ship of Destiny? Do you want to pick up a copy after reading this review? You can get yours following this link and support my content at the same time – win-win!

Thanks for reading!

Sunday Summary – 26th April 2026

Posted on April 26, 2026 by fantasyst95

Sunday has come around again – where did that week go? Regardless of my surprise, another week is over and it’s time for another Sunday Summary update.

I feel like I’m breaking out of my reading slump! Now I’m back to somewhat normal. It’s taken a few weeks to get back into my typical routine. It’s not all been work related disruption. I recently got myself a bike and I’ve been out practicing on that. And yes, the word practice is 100% appropriate! I was rubbish at riding when I was 10. Needless to say, rusty is an understatement 😂 However, I’m getting better and making adjustments to my bike as and where I’m figuring out what the causes of discomfort are. I’ll get there 😊

As well, I’ve been building planters for a vegetable garden this weekend. Constructing two trellis planters were the focus of my attention yesterday. Today, I finished filling them with compost, planted in one and sowed seeds indoors to be planted out at a later date for the others. I’ll post a picture once it looks more exciting than a patch of bare soil 😅

Now, onto the blog updates! This week, I posted a list of popular books I DNF’d and shared why I didn’t get on with them. Then, on Friday I shared a First Lines Friday with an upcoming WW2 non-fiction I’m excited to read!

Books Read

1984

As of this Sunday Summary, I can finally report finishing 1984 🎉

It’s taken a lot longer than I imagined. If I’m honest, I think having read this book before actually counted against me this time. Knowing the ending, there’s no incentive to read on and find out more. There’s no newness or appeal to discover something new.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy this re-read! It’s confirmed to me that the only time I didn’t enjoy this book was studying it at school.

Looking at Women, Looking at War

Thankfully, I have a loose deadline for Looking at Women, Looking at War. I think that’s going to do me a favour.

I’m due to return Looking at Women, Looking at War to the library tomorrow. I’ve already extended my loan of this book once, and I don’t want to have to do it again. With this in mind, it’s encouraging me to complete a bit of a binge read!

I started Looking at Women, Looking at War last night and as of drafting this Sunday Summary, I’m 80 pages into this 290 page book. For stats nerds, that’s about 27%. Tonight, I predict a bit of a reading marathon to try and get this finished! 😅

And you know what, I’m not mad about it! The first 80 pages of this book have been effortless to read. The change of book had definitely helped get me back into scouring pages. Plus, I’m invested in the topic as its ongoing history in the Russian/Ukraine war.

If necessary, I have tomorrow lunchtime to finish the book; I don’t usually go to a gym class on Mondays, so I can be flexible and finish it then if needs must. However, my library closes at 5, so I do need to bear that in mind…

Books Discovered

I’ve behaved this week – no new books on my TBR to report! And it’s pay day weekend!

Am I feeling alright? Maybe I need to see a doctor…

Coming Up…

What I’m Reading…

The end of the month is creeping up on us. My TBR is definitely not getting completed this month. However, the books I’m naturally going to prioritise are Looking at Women, Looking at War and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas.

Blog

At the beginning of this week, I’m going to share a book review with you. I have a right old backlist, and I’m keen to whittle that down. More so, I’m featuring a review for book 3 of Robin Hobb’s The Liveship Traders series. Ship of Destiny was my favourite instalment of this trilogy – I can’t wait to tell you about it!

With the end of the month falling this week, my April wrap-up will go live on Friday. Unfortunately it’s going to be lighter on content and reading progress than I’d have liked, but never mind! It’s honest and it’s life – other things are always going to come up!

Next comes my May TBR. Given April was a bit of a flop, I’m planning a completely fresh start. I think what I want to do is update my old TBR jar and give this another go! Given I don’t have much set that I want to read, I’m willing to let chance decide.

Finally, another Sunday Summary will land on the interwebs same time next week. Fingers crossed a change is as good as a rest and I’m back to usual reading and posting schedule next week!

YouTube

This afternoon, I recorded a video update equivalent of my Sunday Summary. I’ll edit and pop this up tomorrow night – when I don’t have a library loan hanging over me…

Later in the week, I’ll also record a monthly wrap-up post. If you’d prefer to watch instead of read this, go follow me on YouTube so you’re notified when this goes live!

I’ll also record a May TBR here – if I go down the route of a TBR jar, this will be the evidence of the books I draw and my initial thoughts!

Summary

This Sunday Summary is optimistic of change on my doorstep. A deadline has always helped me get a job done, so I suspect finishing Looking at Women Looking at War is the kick up the bum I need to get going with reading.

Do you thrive on a deadline like I do? What are you reading right now?

First Lines Friday – 24/04/2026

Posted on April 24, 2026 by fantasyst95

***Today’s First Lines Friday contains an affiliate link to Amazon if you wish to purchase the book. If you follow this link, I will earn a small commission from that purchase at no cost to you.

If you wish to obtain a copy of the book based on this review, I would really appreciate you following this link and showing my content some support by making your purchase.***

I’m back with a First Lines Friday, and it’s good to be back! When I shared my plans for this post last week, I didn’t set any theme or specific book. I wanted to keep this as open as possible, and I have a fabulous book for you in this First Lines Friday!

Do you recognise the subject at all?

12 January 1944

ON A CRISP January morning in 1944, seven Gestapo officers, two of them detectives, pulled up outside a cottage in a small Alpine town in southern Bavaria. It was the middle of the week, a Wednesday, and it was wartime. A few years earlier, this would have been peak skiing season, the snows around Partenkirchen pristine and perfect. But this trip was strictly business.

Led by the detectives, both of whom were women, the Gestapo did not wait for the door to be opened. Instead, they forced their way in and found their target right away.

The Traitor’s Circle – Jonathan Freedland

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 480

Audience: Adult

Publisher: John Murray

Publication Date: 11 Sept 2025

Goodreads – The Traitor’s Circle

Amazon Purchase Link

When the whole world is lying, someone must tell the truth.

Berlin, 1943. A group of high-society anti-Nazi dissenters meet for a tea party one late summer afternoon. They do not know that, sitting around the table, is someone poised to betray them all to the Gestapo – revealing their secret to the Nazis’ most ruthless detective.

They form a circle of unlikely rebels, drawn from the German elite: two countesses, a diplomat, an intelligence officer, an ambassador’s widow and a pioneering headmistress. Meeting in the shadows, rescuing Jews or plotting for a future Germany freed from the Führer’s rule, what unites them is a shared loathing of the Nazis, a refusal to bow to Hitler and the courage to perform perilous acts of resistance. Or so they believe.

How did a group of brave, principled rebels, who had successfully defied Adolf Hitler for more than a decade, come to fall into such a lethal trap? And who betrayed them?

Undone from within and pursued to near-destruction by one of the Reich’s cruellest men, they showed a heroism that raises a question with new urgency for our time: what kind of person does it take to risk everything and stand up to tyranny?

My Thoughts…

I’m obsessed with WW2 books. From historical fiction to non-fiction, I love it all. It’s pretty much an auto-buy subject.

I ended up with a copy of this book for an unusual reason. I’d bought it as a gift for my sister’s fiancé Chris. He’s a big reader and we overlap on a lot of books we enjoy. It was a god choice for him; the only problem was that he already owned it!

I made good and gave him money to buy something else instead and kept The Traitor’s Circle myself. No point getting a refund – after I bought it for Chris I’d added it to my TBR anyway 😅

Have you read The Traitor’s Circle? You can support me as a creator and follow this purchase link to get yourself a copy to readalong with me 😊

Thanks for checking out today’s First Lines Friday! What are you reading, and will you pick up this First Lines Friday feature for yourself?

Popular Books I DNF’d

Posted on April 22, 2026 by fantasyst95

I’m not one for DNF’ing many books, but I’ve been blogging long enough to have accumulated a list. There are a number of popular books I DNF’d too. A book may be loved by the majority, but that doesn’t mean that it is for you. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read plenty of popular books and agreed with public consensus. However, a popular book isn’t always necessarily a great book for you. In today’s post, I share a list of popular books I DNF’d, and why I didn’t agree with the masses.

I’ve broken this popular books I DNF’s list into genres – that way you can read, or skip, based on your genre preferences 😊 Or, read on for the tea… 🫖

Fantasy

Good Omens

I had high hopes for Good Omens. Of all the books in this popular books I DNF’s list, it’s the book I wanted to get on with the most.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Good Omens is co-written by one of my favourite authors – Terry Pratchett. I’ve read many of his books to date. However, my relationship with fellow co-author Neil Gaiman has been rockier. Of his books, I’ve read Stardust, Norse Mythology and American Gods. Norse Mythology was my favourite of these books, but I gave American Gods and Stardust a fairly average rating.

Of the two writers, I’d hoped Terry Pratchett’s influence would come off stronger. However, in practice I found the opposite true. Terry’s humour was there, but Good Omens lacked the spark and wit I love in his Discworld books.

Unfortunately, Good Omens did not tick the boxes for me. I went into the book with hopes and some expectation of TP brilliance shin gin through. In practice, the book had little hope of living up to my high expectations. It didn’t, so after putting the book down to prioritise some other time-sensitive reads, I couldn’t bring myself to try and pick Good Omens up again.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance

The first book of this series, Children of Blood and Bone, was really good. I really enjoyed the magic, character development and storyline of this first instalment by Tomi Adeyemi.

It was a long time before I revisited the series and started Children of Virtue and Vengeance. I think I matured in terms of reading preferences in this time, because when I came back, it wasn’t the same experience. I struggled to invest in the characters and storyline. It didn’t take long for me to work out that this book wasn’t for me. It’s a shame, as I gave the first book a five star rating. Maybe if I’d read it closer to the first book, or when I was younger and closer to the YA age group, I’d have been okay.

However, Children of Virtue and Vengeance lacked the magic and inspiration I took from Children of Blood and Bone. So, this is a popular book I DNF’d.

Malice

John Gwynne is a popular author in the fantasy genre.

I started Malice for the first time years ago – pre-blog days. I recall having this under my desk in my first ever job, so we are talking 2013-2016. It maybe spoke volumes that I didn’t get very far into the book then. However, I wasn’t really giving it full attention at the time so I didn’t want to judge the book based on that.

I revisited Malice in 2022 and unfortunately, didn’t get beyond the first 50 pages. Even then, I felt I had to push through this far. The book lacked a pull or intrigue to get me invested with the book. Some of the tropes the book leans into are also a bit repetitive, but lacked any unique spark to invite me to read on and find out more.

Sci-Fi/Dystopia

Lord of the Flies

As a general rule, I love dystopian fiction. However, Lord of the Flies didn’t hit the mark in the same way similar books in the genre do.

Mjuch like my experience of Good Omens, I had to set aside Lord of the Flies to prioritise blog tours. Then, when it was time to come back to Lord of the Flies, I wasn’t inspired to get back into this world. What also doesn’t help was that I borrowed this digitally from my library and I was reading this on an app on my phone. It’s not how I prefer to read, but sometimes it’s just how it has to be done.

With Lord of the Flies, it didn’t work for me. Combine that with a lack-lustre plot, it was a pretty easy decision to add this to my list of popular books I DNF’d.

Children of Dune

The first the books of the Dune series by Frank Herbert went sown well. However, I lost steam and ultimately Children of Dune became another popular book I DNF’d.

When I was reading this book, it was in short stints. Over the course of a week I crawled through 150 pages before deciding this book wasn’t working for me. Dune was already a little bit of a stretch in that its more political than I would normally read. However, the first two books made it work. Children of Dune didn’t do it for me. Back in my June 2023 wrap-up I put this book on hold. However, I’ve not gone back to it and I don’t have any strong feelings to revisit this book and series. So, it’s officially on the DNF pile.

Shame, because the start of the series was full of promise!

Non-Fiction

The Courage to be Disliked

The most recent entry to this popular books I DNF’d list is The Courage to be Disliked. I read this book back in January. My plan was to read the book towards our work book club theme which was based on self-help/development.

The format of The Courage to be Disliked is unusual. I think it’s like marmite – you love it or hate it. I didn’t vibe with it. It was a novelty for all of five minutes, but quickly became repetitive. The narrative voice we readers are supposed to find most relatable was irritating. Combative, irritating. I didn’t get on with this character/perspective at all. I also don’t agree with some of the teachings in this book, so that was hard to get past. It didn’t take long for me to decide The Courage to be Disliked wasn’t for me.

Summary

I don’t DNF many books… probably not as many as I should. I frequently carry on with books I’m not vibing with, either in the moment or at all.

I’ve collected these titles, alongside just 18 more, over nearly nine years. I read an average of 45-50 book a year. So, it’s a very small proportion I actually DNF. Even then, it’s rarer still to have popular books I DNF’d. For the most part, I agree with the general opinion. Clearly though, not always!

What’s a popular book you have DNF’d?

Sunday Summary – 19th April 2026

Posted on April 19, 2026 by fantasyst95

Good evening, friends! We’re back with another Sunday Summary update. In last week’s Sunday Summary, I didn’t have too much to report. I was doing overtime at work and generally had a lot on my plate outside of the blog.

This week, that’s thankfully not the case. However, I think I’ve gone from one extreme to the other. There’s still not a lot of reading progress, though thankfully some, because I’ve enjoyed downtime in other ways. I’ve played a lot of Minecraft on my Switch this week… Then, today, I had to take advantage of great weather (not frequent here!) to have a good tidy up of the gardens.

I did post my review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine earlier this week – it’s my one claim to productivity this week…

Books Read

1984

As of this Sunday Summary, I’m still reading 1984. I’ve read a little bit of the book this week, but only a handful of pages so far. However, I will be making a good push towards finishing this book this evening. I’ve had a busy day today, so I’m not doing much tonight otherwise 😂

Onyx and Ivory

I’ve made more progress with Onyx and Ivory.

This week, I’ve listened to three and a half hours of the book. I’ve picked it up on more than one occasion, which makes it an improvement on 1984 so far…

I’m enjoying the book and the conflict points that are starting to unfold in the book. It’s definitely YA, but the relationship conflict between Kate and Corwin isn’t taking away from the world-building and wider fantasy world, but rather adding to it.

Books Discovered

This week, I’ve been asked to pick up a book called The Poison Daughter by a colleague, Suzanne. She says she has thoughts on the book and wants someone to chat with it about!

And you know what, that’s fair enough – I’m cool to give it a try as I love having someone to yak about it with afterwards 😅

Coming Up…

Blog

Next week, I’m looking forward to sharing a list of popular titles I’ve DNF’d (‘Did Not Finish’) in my time reading and blogging, and why I didn’t get on with them.

Next on the list, I’m going back to my usual Friday schedule with a First Lines Friday post. It’s been a little while since I’ve shared one of these, so I’m looking forward to returning with this next week.

Last, but by no means least, I’m back next week for another Sunday Summary catch-up. I hoped last week for more progress next week… guess that’s carried forward 🤣

YouTube

I still have a couple of shorts I can post on YT; I didn’t do them this week for some reason! I tried to plan and record a long video today, but didn’t get there in time. I’ll do it this week to maybe post towards the end of next week.

Summary

So, again this Sunday Summary leaves me hoping for better progress next week. Now I’ve had a good rest from last week, it’s time to get back into the typical routine.

Now, I’m off to bury my head in 1984. What are you reading?

Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Posted on April 15, 2026 by fantasyst95

***Today’s review contains an affiliate link to Amazon if you wish to purchase the book. By following this link, I will earn a small commission from that purchase at no cost to you.

If you wish to obtain a copy of the book based on this review, I would really appreciate you following this link and showing my content some support by making your purchase.***

If modern, contemporary fiction is your thing, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine offers an increasing novel with an interesting perspective and a surprising twist. Especially for fans of arguably (though hotly debated whether Eleanor is a neurodivergent perspective), this book has a lot to offer and not too hefty a page count to deliver it in.

Let’s take a look!

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 390

Audience: Young Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: 18 Jan 2018

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/4tHgdv6

Goodreads – Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than…. fine?

My Thoughts

Plot

It would only be fair to start my review and say that this book isn’t going to be for everybody. For those especially sensitive to narratives borne from or concerning trauma, this may not be for you. However, if you are open-minded like me and want to read from a vast variety of perspectives, then let’s dive in.

Now, about said trauma, there are no spoilers here. That would entirely void the enjoyment out of the book and I’m not going to be the person that does that for you.

What I can say is that what takes place in this book shocked me, but in a good way. I wasn’t anticipating this book to take the route it did. But, I’m glad it did. I didn’t anticipate the twist at all and I loved being surprised. I love the growth we see in Eleanor throughout the book as well. For a woman who has taken to safety in sticking to her same-old routine, it was great to see the catalyst events that rock her world.

Characters

I interpreted this book as Eleanor being autistic. Whilst I have since read that this topic is hotly debated, and certainly not the intention of the author Gail Honeyman, I came out of this book thinking Eleanor was autistic.

Regardless of whether her character is intended to come across that way because of biology, or because of events that have taken place in her life, there are personality traits and personal difficulties here that neurodivergent people may find very relatable. It’s rare to see a perspective like this. Whether it was intended or not, this could be an interesting book to pick up for anyone wanting to learn about this kind of perspective and the boons and difficulties of such traits can give a person in their life.

Aside from the autism argument, Eleanor is an interesting character. She is very rigid in her ways and really struggles when she is asked or expected to deviate from her normal routine. This somewhat falls apart in the book when events spiral out of control and she’s forced to confront reality instead of hiding in her manufactured bubble.

Setting

If you want to pick up a book where the setting is very reminiscent of modern day, and doesn’t require too much imagination, this is for you.

The life and situation of Eleanor Oliphant is not too far away from our own. In fact, we may know our own Eleanor Oliphant and we’re completely unaware. It certainly wasn’t too far of a stretch for me to read. Whilst thankfully I’m not aware of anyone in my life going through this circumstance, the mundaneness of office life, challenging work colleagues and the general stresses of life is not difficult for me to imagine – it’s my everyday reality.

I would say this is the only sense in which this book is easy to read. Well, that’s not true. In terms of writing style and engagement, it’s up there as well. Character development and plot though – that is a little bit different, but the best of ways. It’s not simple, or straightforward. Rather, it’s complex but engaging. Hard, but full of mystery and questions and determination to find the answers….

Narrative Style

As I mentioned above, in terms of writing style, this book is very easy to read. Combine this with the engaging plot, interesting character dynamics and a mystery to unravel, and this book had me hooked.

So much so, I distinctly remember cramming as much of this booking before a hospital appointment. No panic, just a routine smear test. Why do I remember that? Maybe it’s even weirder that I’m sharing that… but go get checked ladies, it’s nowhere near as bad as you think.

ANYWAY… this book had me hooked that I wasn’t worrying or even thinking about the appointment coming, other than it’s being a disturbance to my being able to read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I was dedicated to the cause, as always really 🤣

The chapters are nice and short in this book, meaning I was able to pretty easily put this down in a good place when I did have to go for my appointment. It helps with the overall pacing and snappy changes and revelations that occur later in the book. It works well in the wider narrative style.

Summary

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine was an easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read for me. I didn’t want to put it down!

Overall, I read the book in just a few days, with the second half of the book being devoured in a single day alone! In my July 2023 wrap up post, I raved about the intriguing plotline and engaging narrative, and that I loved the books focus on mental health.

Have you read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine? Do you want to pick up a copy after reading this review?

Sunday Summary – 12th April 2026

Posted on April 12, 2026 by fantasyst95

This Sunday Summary comes after a busy week, but admittedly, I’ve been busy doing pretty much everything but reading and blogging. Working in the sector I do, quarter end is incredibly busy for me. Combine that with being generally short staffed in March, and then short deadlines this week, it’s been mental. Unfortunately, I’ve had to put in a good few hours of overtime in the last couple of weeks. Whilst I will get that back, it’s meant that I’ve spent a lot of time this week doing non-blog related work.

On top of that, I wasn’t well at the beginning of the week either. When it rains, it pours and all that…

Whilst I did manage to get my draft of my book review for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine started, it needs more work. I also didn’t even get the chance to think about later posts this week. So, needless to say, my plans for the week just gone will be rolled forward. I’ll try to get those posts out this week instead. Now my close deadlines are passed, next week should be a return to normal.

Hope I haven’t just jinxed myself…

Books Read

1984

It shouldn’t be a surprise that this Sunday Summary instalment is light on reading updates. Thankfully, I picked up 1984 today for the first time in several days.

However, progress is pretty meagre so my hopes to finish this book this week have been moved on next week now as well…

Onyx and Ivory

Listing progress with Onyx and Ivory is also pretty slim. As of this Sunday Summary, I listened to a total of 45 minutes of this audiobook on Monday this week… 😅

Don’t get me wrong, if you don’t listen to audiobooks very much, that’s probably great progress for some. However, I know I can do a lot better. So, I plan to get back to normal and start trying to listen a little bit more regularly.

The brain fog this week with not switching off properly from work got to me. I usually listen whilst commuting, but I was that desperate for brain space I was driving in silence, or listening to music I was familiar with, just to try and switch off.

Books Discovered

You know I’ve been busy when I haven’t even had the time to discover a new book or two! Quite often have an addition here – it probably says a lot if I haven’t even had the chance to see anything I fancy picking up to read!

Coming Up…

Blog

On the blog, I’ll finish that review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and get that out next week. I got the review at least halfway drafted, so hopefully not too much effort to make this happen next week!

Later in the week, I’m also rolling forward my planned nine-year anniversary post. It’s later this month, so I have some leeway here.

Finally, I can only hope for a more productive reading week and have lots of updates for next week’s Sunday Summary.

YouTube

Thankfully, have a couple of shorts already recorded I can post. I’ll also potentially record some on the fly. However, this week content will be a little bit more chaotic. I don’t have a long form video, but I’m sure the channel will live for a week without…

Summary

Fingers crossed for a more productive Sunday Summary next week! At least this week’s Sunday Summary instalment being short means I can enjoy a relaxing shower and get back to 1984 tonight before bed.

Then, it’s a brand new week! Here’s to a more relaxed one – what books have you lined up to read next week?

Sunday Summary – 5th April 2026

Posted on April 5, 2026 by fantasyst95

This Sunday Summary is a busy one, and I don’t quite know how I’ve managed it all.

It’s been a mental week at work owing to the fact that it’s one of our busiest periods. I’ve put in overtime and still managed to put out content and read. Sure, maybe not quite as much as usual, but I’ve not nosedived into the abyss like I should have. Could have…

Before we get to books read, let’s recap what I’ve put out content-wise this week. First of all, I shared my wrap-up for March on both YouTube and my blog. On Thursday, I reviewed Storm of Mercia by MJ Porter for the publication blog tour. I loved this historical fiction as much as I expected given I’ve enjoyed the prior eight books in the series!

Friday saw my Books I Turn to in a Book Slump post that was meant to go live last week. Finally, my April TBR went live on YouTube yesterday and on my blog earlier today. Phew! Still with me?

Books Read

Storm of Mercia

My first reading priority of the week was to finish Storm of Mercia ahead of my blog tour review post due Thursday.

I enjoyed this instalment. It was full of the usual action and intrigue we have come to know and love from the Eagle of Mercia chronicles. However, we have some differences in this storyline to previous books. Whilst Icel doesn’t quite find his sea legs, he does find himself on open waters for the first time.

No spoilers here, and if you want to find out more, you can read my spoiler-free review here.

The Astral Library

In last week’s Sunday Summary check-in, I was 40% through The Astral Library. This week, I finished the audiobook as I planned. Knowing how much time I had left, I strongly suspected I would!

The overarching premise of the book is somewhat reminiscent of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. However, it is entirely its own story and I loved reading this book of books.

The Astral Library is a sanctuary for those who seek solace in their favourite book. When it comes under attack, Alix steps in to take hold of the narrative and stand up to those who’ve forgotten what, and who, libraries are for.

I really enjoyed this recent release! It was a fun narrative, with an emphasis on saving libraries and those who would try to take away the key resources they offer. More thoughts on this to follow on my YouTube channel in the near future. Watch this space!

Onyx and Ivory

Last night, I started my audiobook listen of Onyx and Ivory. This romantasy novel came onto my TBR out of the TBR Jar I used to pick four new reads for this month.

It wasn’t the audiobook I originally wanted to start with. I had hoped one of the non-fiction picks from that list was available so I could start with that. However, one hasn’t been made for this book so I had to go with Onyx and Ivory itself.

So far, the couple of chapters I’ve started have engaged me with the storyline. I’m looking forward to listening more over the next week. I’m prioritising this so I can have a break between this and another romantasy I’m reading this month – Crown of Midnight.

1984

Finally, I got back to my read of 1984. I’ve had to shelve this for a couple of weeks in order to read Rose Red and Storm of Mercia. I had review obligations for both of these books, so they had to come first.

Now those are done and I’m free of deadlines, I’m back to reading my own choice and pace. Progress with 1984 only started again earlier today, but I’ve already read 70 pages this afternoon. Hopefully I’ll get a few more in before the end of today!

Books Discovered

The other half and I watched a series on Netlfix called The Days this week. It’s about events that took place in the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant disaster in March 2011.

That series is based on a report from the manager of the plant, Masao Yoshida, as well as a book called Meltdown: Inside the Fukushima Nuclear Crisis. It was a really interesting series (fictional, but based on the true events). No surprises it’s on my TBR. I enjoyed reading about Chernobyl (Adam Higginbotham) after all…

Coming Up…

Blog

On the blog, I’ve got a review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine planned. It’s been a while since I read and featured this book. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic read and it’s one I’m excited to talk about again!

Later in the week, I have a unique blog post to share with you. I’m coming up to the nine year anniversary of my blog’s creation. To celebrate that, I am going to look back at what I’ve enjoyed in becoming a book blogger and share where I hope the next nine years will take me.

Finally, you know the drill. Next week I’ll be back with another Sunday summary, catching you up on my current reads as well as recapping my content for the week in case you missed any.

YouTube

This weekend, I’ve recorded a review video for Afger the Forest to go live on YouTube this week.

As well, I have a short about an upcoming read (Looking at Women, Looking at War) and about books I turn to in a book slump.

Finally, I’ll share a recap of what I’ve been reading over the next seven days!

Books

In a new section here on the blog, I’ll also tease the books I plan to pick up after I’ve completed my current reads…

Summary

Given I spent several hours of evening time working this week, as well as working on Good Friday, I’ve not let that stop me in my bookish progress.

Coming down with the lurgy has not helped brighten my weekend. However, I’m determined to enjoy the rest and relaxation time I clearly need with a few good books in hand!

That’s everything from me in today’s Sunday Summary – what are you reading?