Author: fantasyst95

Monthly TBR – September 2023

Hello fellow reading friends! I hope you’re as excited for my September Monthly TBR as I am!

I usually set myself a challenge every month and that’s no exception here! However, this month the stretch is more achievable. The books I set out on this list come out to around 2500 pages in total. Over the course of the month, that works out at needing to read an average of 83 pages a day. That’s about what I’ve been doing anyway.

I do have a small stretch in that in addition to the books shared on this list, I also need to finish my carryover book from August, Wizard and Glass by Stephen King. That adds an additional 400 pages to the monthly total, and ups the daily page count to 97 pages. As I say, a bit of a stretch, but not unachievable!

This month, I have a fairly even mix of fixed reads to pick up, as well as some that I have some freedom to change if I need to. Let’s get into this monthly TBR and take a look at what’s coming up reading-wise…

 

Fixed Reads

My first reading priorities of September are to pick up and finish two blog tour reads. I’m hoping to have both books finished by the 10th of September (at the latest, the first review is due on the 10th). I’ve already made a healthy start into the first and I won’t be hanging around to start the second.

The deadlines then slacken a little, as the remaining books on my ‘fixed’ reading list come from my monthly TBR pick, and a new feature, a book chosen by my Instagram followers.

 

Protector of Mercia

Protector of Mercia is my current read (Wizard and Glass is still ongoing, although I will be reading it around PoM if I can).

Protector of Mercia is the fifth book in M.J. Porter’s Eagle of Mercia series. I’ve already read and reviewed the first four books on my blog (review of Eagle of Mercia, book four linked here as that contains links to all prior books). Having really enjoyed the unique perspective these offer, I’ve been looking forward to taking part in that over the latest book… which incidentally was published today.

As I’ve already briefly alluded to above, the review deadline for this book is the 10th of September. With just a few days left before that review was due, I am making all haste through this narrative and enjoying every second of it!

 

The Trail

The next book I will be picking up straight after Protector of Mercia is The Trail by M.A. Hunter.

The review deadline for The Trial comes thick and fast after Protector of Mercia, being just two days later. I’m sure you can see why I’ve put down Wizard and Glass for now in favour of these books. I decided to take part in the blog tour for this book based on the sound of the synopsis. I haven’t read anything by this author before, so it will be a new experience for me. having not read a thriller for a little while, I’m looking forward to a change up in genre as well.

 

Twelve Years A Slave

September’s TBR Jar pick works really well with my goal of reading more non-fiction. I happened to pull Twelve Years a Slave from the jar.

I feel like I featured on my blog not that long ago, but in reality, it’s probably longer than I thought. Already, I’ve downloaded a digital copy of this book from my library already, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in! Although I am familiar with the title, and I know that there has been a film based on this true story of the author, I am very ignorant of what actually happens. It’s for that reason that I am looking to pick this book up.

It offers a perspective I have never read before, and provides the educational aspect that I need. I’m a firm believer that we shouldn’t shy away from even the nastiest parts of our history. How can we learn from such things if we try to hide from them?

 

Priest of Bones

The last book on my fixed reads list of this monthly TBR is Priest of Bones by Peter McLean. In order to choose two books from my reading list, from which to poll my followers, I used a random number generator. This month, my followers had the choice of picking either Priest of Bones, or the runner-up, Killing for Company. I would have been happy with either choice, but I’m excited that this particular book won. I am predominantly a fantasy reader, yet I only have one other fantasy on this TBR (excepting Wizard and Glass once again!)

I suspect I’ll be reading the runner-up selection next month, as I’m keen to get to that one as well. If you want to have a say in my future polls, be sure to follow me on Instagram ahead of the next vote.

 

Mood Reads

 

A Storm of Swords – part 1

One of the things I set out to do earlier this year was to re-read the A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka A Game of Thrones), ahead of publication of the sixth book in the series. There were rumours that this was going to be towards the end of this year, although I’ve heard very little since.

That works out for me, because I am nowhere near as far along with the re-read as I initially planned. Instead, I’ve been picking up some other great reads, and this has fallen by the wayside a little.

In September, I’m going to be reading the first part of A Storm of Swords only. That’s hefty enough at about 600 pages. This is also the longest book on this monthly TBR… by a long shot! More typically, I would read books closer to an average of 500 pages. This month I’m uncharacteristically less at 357!

 

Lost Solace

The one book I didn’t touch at all in August is Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater. I’ve read a number of books related to this main series and reviewed them for blog tours in the past. Lost Solace has been on my backlist to read. Since I didn’t get to this book in August, I am making it the highest priority mood read of the month.

 

The Last Thing To Burn

I’ve been a member of a local bookish group on Facebook for a while, and another member recently suggested starting a book club. There’s nothing set in stone as yet. But, I quite like the sound of the book that’s been chosen. So, I’ll read it in case an event (virtual or not) goes ahead.

 

Summary

As if quite often the case nowadays, I have quite the range of books and genres in this list!

Have you read any of the books listed in today’s monthly TBR? Are any of them on your reading list?

 

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Sunday Summary – 3rd September 2023

We’re back with another Sunday Summary post, so make yourself comfy! I’ve had a pretty good week all in all. I’ve kept up with my average reading speed for the month despite being back at work (and with one stint of overtime too). It’s fair to say I’m back into the normal swing of things!

As always, let’s take a look at what I’ve shared already in my blog this week before my reading updates. My first post of the week was a review of a book that pushed me out of my comfort zone, but didn’t bowl me over. I’m not a romance reader, but I read The Duke and I as a result of enjoying the Netflix series, Bridgerton.

My next and most recent post (before this one) was my Monthly Wrap-Up of all the books I picked up in August. As always, I set myself an ambitious TBR that I didn’t quite finish, but I got close enough to be happy with the end result. If you want a reminder of the books I read in August and a feel for my overall impressions ahead of review, check out that post!

 

Books Read

 

Wizard and Glass

My week has been dedicated to reading Wizard and Glass by Stephen King. As of my last Sunday Summary update post, I had made a healthy start to this book having read the first 160 pages. Since that post, I’ve got onto read a further 500, which I’m pleased with! You must be thinking, “Gosh, Rebecca, you’ve got to be at about the end by now?” Unfortunately not! Wizard and Glass comes in at just under 900 pages, so I have a little way to go yet. My current page count puts me at 70% progress through the book.

Events that have been building up are just starting to come to a head now. I’m really excited to see where the plot goes from here and how the conflict unravels. My goal for the evening is to get through as much of this book as possible, as I will have to put it down briefly in order to fulfil other reading obligations. More on those below and in my upcoming Monthly TBR post. Depending on how quickly I read these two other books, I may get to dip into Wizard and Glass throughout the week. If the plot gets good, I’m going to find it very hard to resist the temptation regardless!

 

Books Discovered

No news is good news this week! The TBR hasn’t changed at all in the last seven days.

 

Coming Up…

My first blog post of next week will be my monthly TBR for September. I have a number of exciting books coming up in that reading list. I have a couple of thrillers, some fantasy, a non-fiction, historical fiction… sci-fi too. It’s a diverse one! It’s also been fun to include my Instagram followers on one of these picks this week. I hope you can check out that post on Tuesday!

On Friday, I’ll be sharing the next instalment in my Shelf Control feature. This week’s featured book is unusual in that it’s one of a few translated books on my TBR; this particular historical fiction/thriller was originally written and published in German! If you’re intrigued, please do check out my post on Friday!

Sunday is going to be a busy day on the blog as I’ll technically be sharing two posts. The first book I need to read on my September TBR is for a blog tour post due on Sunday. If you’ve read any of my reviews for M.J. Porter’s Eagle of Mercia series, then you can look forward to my review of the fifth book in the series (released next week) in just a week’s time!

I’ll also share my usual Sunday Summary post on that date. As priority needs to go to the blog tour, I will share my Sunday Summary update at 11:59pm.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Sunday Summary! I’m off to devour as much of Wizard and Glass as I can!

In the comments, drop me the title of the last book you couldn’t put down at the end!

 

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Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2023

Pinch, punch, first of the month! Hello everyone and welcome to my monthly wrap-up post! It’s the beginning of a new month, so I’m excited to recap what I’ve been reading with you.

At the beginning of next week I’ll be sharing my September reading list with you. I hope you can join me for that on Monday. In the meantime, let’s take a look at my reading progress compared to last month’s TBR! I had high hopes of completing this TBR even though I put more on it in anticipation of reading more in my time off work. I did read more, but I had a good number of books on the list… and a few chunky ones as that.

Let’s recap my reading progress throughout August!

 

Books Read

 

The City of a Thousand Faces

August’s TBR was a mix of genres, mediums and book lengths. I started the month with my ‘fixed read’ that fell in middle ground in terms of length.

The City of a Thousand Faces is not your typical fantasy in terms of setting. We explore a city in a fantasy setting that reminded me very much of real life cities like Istanbul. Think arid landscapes, powerful sultans etc.

At 560 pages, this fantasy made for good exploration of a new world. The book can only be titled The City of a Thousand Faces as each character seems to have at least two – metaphorically of course! The characters and the plot are political in nature, and there was an awful lot of backstabbing!

The City of a Thousand Faces made for an okay read. It wasn’t my favourite book of the month, but I was interested to see how events concluded. It’s the most neutral review in this monthly wrap-up; the experience got better from here on out. 

 

Spike

The first a non-fiction book I picked up throughout August was Spike. If you think it is a little early to pick up and read books about the pandemic, then maybe hold off this one for a little while. If you do decide to pick it up, then I hope, like me, you find this an interesting and insightful read.

The book offers insight into the handling of the pandemic. We start looking at events from a global scale before narrowing its focus to the UK’s handling of the pandemic from the point at which it landed on our shores. There were insights in this book that are both shocking and in equal measure unsurprising. That may sound contradictory… but hear me out. What is shocking is how lackadaisical some of the approaches were when the pandemic was in its early phases. In ways, it is unsurprising based on who those individuals are!

I quite enjoyed this read, even when you take into consideration the topic and the consequences of this event has had our lives as we know it. The pandemic has impacted us for a number of years already and will continue to do so. This book only touches on a relatively short period of time and there may well be more to add to this at a later date. Should such a book come out, I would definitely read this one as well.

 

Ship of Destiny

The longest book on my August TBR that we’ll talk about in this monthly wrap-up was Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb. I’ve been looking forward to this conclusion to The Liveship Trader trilogy – and for very good reason! These books are very quirky in their fantasy set up, and at last we see the events over the prior 1800 odd pages lead characters into their destinies.

With prior Hobb books, I have on occasion felt the length and depth of the storylines. That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed them. However, I am very conscious of the fact I’m reading them, and that I’m having to read quite a lot in order to get through the page count. That wasn’t the case with Ship of Destiny at all. I was so invested in the narrative that the pages flew by, despite the dense storyline and events to take in. I’d go so far to say that I think Ship of Destiny is my favourite Hobb book so far!

 

A Brief History of Time

My second non-fiction read of the month was A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. This book pushed me out of my comfort zone because it is quite technical (and I am not). I enjoyed the concept of science and space despite not being so versed in complex, physical and mathematical equations and concepts. This book has those in abundance, although Stephen Hawking does do his best to explain these in simplified and practical examples.

Even though I’m not technically minded, I was able to read A Brief History of Time on a relatively superficial level and still find it interesting. I’m sure there is plenty more that other readers could get out of the book. However, I will save that for them. Although it is a science book, you don’t have to be too scientifically minded to understand the theories, principles, and discussion points that Stephen Hawking brings up throughout.

 

Leadership and Culture

Non-fiction isn’t a genre I read a whole lot of, although you know by now that I am trying to read more it. My third and last non-fiction on my August TBR and for inclusion in this monthly wrap-up is Leadership and Culture. I read this book whilst I was off work and managed to read it quite quickly. As someone who is invested in improving office culture and would be interested in a management position in future, I wanted to read this book ahead of that time to effectively set myself up.

This book has a lot of practical examples of do’s and don’t’s when it comes to management versus leadership. These are all examples I have seen in the workplace and felt their effects as well. I’m sure everyone has! For anyone who currently is in a management position and wishes to make improvements, the book is full of practical tips in order to identify or work on sticking points. Although I’m not necessarily in a position to adopt any of these now, I am in a position to encourage the healthy habits that some of these tips try to adopt. I can help encourage others to speak out by speaking out for myself, for example.

 

Wizard and Glass

The last book to feature in today’s monthly wrap-up is my final read of August, Wizard and Glass by Stephen King. I was determined not to leave it another four years before I returned to The Dark Tower series. It’s not even been four months… I’m sure you’re proud of me! On a serious note, I really enjoyed going back to the series and exploring the narrative and history of the world in a little bit of a different way. Whereas previous books hint at prior events and leave a lot to the imagination, this book seems to have more of a focus on building up that backstory.

It’s no wonder I didn’t get to the end of this before the end of the month, all things considered. This book is nearly 900 pages in itself as well! 

 

Summary

Unfortunately, I didn’t quite get to Lost Solace. It was ambitious to try and tack this onto the end of what is already an extensive reading list. It’s not going away though. As I didn’t get to it in August, expect this to feature on September’s TBR coming out on Monday next week.

Over the course of August I read in excess of 2,500 pages. That’s an average of 80 pages a day, so not insignificant at all. I needed to read 107 pages a day in order to get through my reading list. That was quite an ambitious target! If I had no other plans for my time off work, this may have been a possibility. The fact is, I did use that time off for other things as well. I still made fantastic reading progress and I’m pleased with what I’ve achieved!

That concludes this monthly wrap-up post. What books have you been reading recently? Do you have any recommendations for me?

 

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Book Review: The Duke and I – Julia Quinn

In today’s book review post, I share my thoughts on a book that pushed me out of my comfort zone. The Duke and I isn’t the kind of book I pick up every week. I like my historical fiction, but I’m not usually inclined to pick up a romance.

I read The Duke and I as I enjoyed the Netflix series based on these books. By all accounts, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Romance isn’t a genre that I indulge in very often in any medium. In fact, if I like a book or TV show/film with a heavy emphasis on romance, it is an exception rather than the room. Given that the TV series proved to be an exception, I deliberately chose to take a leap of faith and pick up the first book that inspired the whole thing!

I’m going to be upfront here. Did I love the book? No. Saying that, I didn’t expect to love every single thing about it. For the most part, it lives up to expectations – albeit that those were lower for this book than they are for the majority of other reads, I pick up.

 

The Duke & I – Julia Quinn

Genre: Romance

Pages:

Audience: Adult

Publisher:

Publication Date:

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – The Duke and I

The Duke and I is a romance set in the Regency era.

In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable… but not too amiable.

Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.

Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.

The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule…

 

My Thoughts

 

Plot

Daphne is out and looking for a husband. Whilst considered a friend to all elite gentlemen, she isn’t considered by any suitors as wife material. Simon Bassett is a very eligible duke, but cannot stand the attention his position garners from mothers and eligible daughters. They strike up a mutually beneficial pact – for all appearances, they court one another. Simon gets left alone and Daphne’s reputation and eligibility soars by association. What could possibly be a flaw in this plan?

As romance novels go, the plot is solid enough. The book is all about the relationship of these two individuals. Personally, it was a little shallow for my taste. As I’ve already established in this review, The Duke and I isn’t really my kind of book and so my enjoyment was going to be limited by that. I did enjoy how other characters create conflict outside of these pair in the novel. In particular, I like Lady Whistledown. She goes completely against the grain of society itself (being a vocal woman is a no-no), but manages to keep her identity secret.

 

Characters

Of all the characters in the book, I feel I am supposed to most like and relate to Daphne. However, I did neither. I don’t really like her character. Some of that is in part based on her upbringing and the environment she lives in. She is a very sheltered young woman who can be very ignorant most of the time, yet manipulative when she wants to be.

Simon has some small grace. I enjoyed his backstory and the conflict that manifests in the plot in terms of his attitude towards society and starting a family of his own. It’s the most depth this plot gets, which is fine. For an epic fantasy girl, though, it feels quite superficial compared to my general reading tastes. That’s not a criticism because what was done in the book with the space allowed worked, but I just prefer more.

Again, like Daphne, I’m not a fan of his character otherwise. If I had a pound for every time Simon was romanticised as a rake in this book… I’d certainly have enough money to buy the rest of the series if I was so interested, despite the rising costs of today! I’m sure this appeals to a lot of women, but I really don’t understand the attraction or romanticising of this regency era ‘bad boy’. Give me nice and dependable any day of the week!

 

Narrative Style

The opening chapter commentary from Lady Whistledown makes for a fun break from rest of the narrative. Not only do they offer a more objective perspective to the very personal story going on otherwise, but it also gives a wider view of society.

As the narrative goes, it’s easy to read and follow what’s happening. Chapters are a good length and are approachable for all readers.

I appreciate that it is in keeping with the time period and setting, but the inequality and misogyny throughout the book really got my goat. I’m sure you’ve already gotten that impression by now, but just in case there was any room for doubt, you now know my feelings! I can appreciate a thing for its accuracy, but I don’t have to enjoy reading it! That definitely affected my enjoyment of the book.

 

Summary

The Duke and I had elements that I enjoyed, and others I loved less. Overall, it was an average read. If I had to describe it in one word, it was fine.

After reading this one I decided to explore listening to the audiobook of the sequel, The Viscount Who Loved Me, to see if that made for a better experience for me (as an in-between considering I liked the Netflix series). Spoiler alert – it didn’t and I ultimately decided to DNF that book and the series!

Have you read The Duke and I or any other books by Julia Quinn?

 

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Sunday Summary – 27th August 2023

Welcome to my Sunday Summary update post this August bank holiday weekend. I hope you’re having a good weekend whatever you’re doing. My time off work is coming to an end, but I’ve made good use of the time!

Aside from reading, I’ve been keeping to my usual blogging schedule. My first post of this week went live on Tuesday; I shared several books I unhauled earlier in the week. It’s not a common post I share, but it felt apt as I’d just gone through my shelves to make some room anyway!

Next, I shared my regular Friday feature post – Well, I Didn’t Know That! For this week’s feature, I shared some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned taking an online course on social media marketing. If you want to improve visibility and engagement on your posts, why not give some of these a try?

 

Books Read

 

A Brief History of Time

I left off in last week’s Sunday Summary having read 25% of A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. If you haven’t read this book, it’s quite a technical science book about space, time, and the theories as to the history of the planet and universe as we know it.

I’m not a science geek, so I ended up reading and understanding the concepts in the book on a superficial level. It was easy enough to follow, especially as Stephen Hawking helped explain some of the principles of the theories in approachable, everyday terms. I was initially sceptical of the later chapters being a bit difficult. But, the way the book has been written means that what we’ve read and understood previously helps us understand these later concepts!

I enjoyed this non-fiction book, not only for the subject matter but also for the change of pace. It was a stretch out of my comfort zone, but I wouldn’t rule out reading similar books in future!

 

Leadership & Culture

I jumped out of one non-fiction book into another, and quite a different subject matter entirely! Leadership & Culture concerns management in the workplace, and how different management styles can affect the work dynamic, trust and ultimate success of companies. The book mainly targets current managers, however, can easily be read by aspiring managers too. I’d argue if you want to get into a position like that, you want to learn this before you start on the wrong foot!

The authors of the book both have extensive leadership experience. They draw upon techniques and real examples of how leadership vs. management impacts employees and companies, as well as suggesting exercises to identify where improvements can be made by the reader in their own environment.

Leadership & Culture was a very quick read to pick up. It had a nice tone and easy-to-follow narrative style that I enjoyed. Should I find myself in a management position in future, it is a book I will revisit to implement the strategies detailed within.

 

Wizard and Glass

The final book I started this week is Wizard and Glass by Stephen King. This is the fourth book in The Dark Tower series -one I have really enjoyed to date!

Getting into Wizard and Glass has been a breeze. Since I’ve not left it so long since I read the last instalment earlier this year (compared to the four-year gap starting The Waste Lands in May), I’ve been able to pick up where I left off without a recap. The events of the book pick up exactly where he Waste Lands finishes. That book had a really interesting cliffhanger of a conclusion, so it was great to get straight back into that and resolve what was happening early doors.

As of this Sunday Summary update post, I am 159 pages into Wizard and Glass. Overall, I’m still a little behind schedule to finish my reading by the end of the month. However, I’m not too far behind and what I’ve read of Wizard and Glass has gone really quickly. I found this with the prior book in the series as well. If I remember correctly, I read that in just a handful of days! I’m hoping for a similar experience here!

 

Books Discovered

Having read a great recommendation/review earlier this week, I have added a book called Among Thieves to my TBR. I even did myself a favour and made a note of the link to that post, so you can go and check it out for yourself!

After reading the review and the synopsis of the book, I have every faith that I’m going to enjoy it. I have read similar books and themes previously and got on with them really well! here’s hoping I have the same experience with this book!

 

Coming Up…

My first blog post next week is going to be another book review. As I’m sure you won’t find it difficult to believe, I have quite a list of books to catch up with and share my thoughts on. Next week’s featured book is one I read even though it is a genre I don’t read a lot of. I decided to pick it up purely because I enjoyed the Netflix series, (against all odds I hasten to add!) If you haven’t guessed already, it’s The Duke & I by Julia Quinn.

On Friday, we will be officially in the month of September! With the coming of the new month, I’ll inevitably be kicking off with a wrap-up of the books I read throughout the month of August!

As always, I will be sharing another Sunday Summary update with you next weekend and going over the latest books I’ve picked up, any I’ve added to the reading list, and a schedule of what you can expect content-wise the following week.

That’s a wrap for this Sunday Summary post! Let me know in the comments what book you are currently reading!

 

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Well, I Didn’t Know That! #14 – Social Media Marketing Strategies

In today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post, I’m sharing how I plan to up my social media marketing game. You can employ the tips I share in today’s post too, regardless of your niche! Over the course of this week, I’ve spent five hours working through a course and follow-on action points. In today’s post, I’ll summarise the key action points I learned to improve my social media marketing techniques. 

 

Background

I’ve only kept a light touch on social media before. If I’m honest, I don’t really like social media that much. Social media can be a wonderful power of good. However, in the wrong hands it can do a lot of harm. I’m glad I missed out on having a smartphone with social media access in my school years, put it that way!

I obviously want to do good! I can’t do much about folks misusing social media to spread harmful messages, but I can cultivate a positive space with my accounts. That’s what my target is.

I found a really useful video course over on Hubspot. Not only is the course broken down over several videos so you can watch what’s applicable, but there are a number of free resources to help you get started. I used their workbook to analyse my data and identify areas where I can improve my content. They also have a content calendar you can use to get organised!

If you want to check out the course for yourself, here is a link. Otherwise, let’s take a look at the tips and tricks I learned and will be implementing on my social media platforms in the near future!

 

Tips and Tricks

 

Start Social Listening and Monitoring

It may be something you’re already doing, but checking out what hashtags and popular audio on reels are and using them in a relevant way helps get you seen. Social listening is more than that – it refers to listening for what perception is on your brand too. But, most relevant to me (given my small profile size) is getting my name out there in the first place!

With what I’ve learned in mind, I’m going to try to post some more topical content. I’ve not been one to follow trends all that much before. I’m not going to change that too radically, so don’t panic! However, I may start to pick up more new or highly anticipated releases and talk about them so I have sought for content!

 

Complete a Content Audit to Work Out What Works on Each Channel

One of the bigger tasks I had to do after taking the course was to take a look at the content I’ve already shared and determine what performed best. The idea is to focus and develop what’s popular and try to build upon it. This can be different for each channel. For simplification, I’m only using Instagram as an example for this post. However, in real terms, I’ve performed the same analysis on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. 

For Instagram, there are a couple of very clear themes. Reels outperform photos in terms of reach and engagement. I also reach more accounts that don’t already follow me, which is great for growth. This is obviously as the algorithm is pushing more video content nowadays, but also ties in with one of the main messages in the course. People want to follow and engage with other people, not faceless brands. As a result, video is one of the most popular forms of content consumption right now. 

This also ties in with my second finding – Instagram photos with my mugshot in performed better on average than those that didn’t! It’s not very often that I include myself in these photos. So far, I have preferred to step back from the camera rather than put myself in it. However, it’s apparent that needs to change. Going forwards, I’ll have to bite the bullet and get in front of the camera. You’ll get to see a lot more of me, you lucky devils!

 

Change Up What Content Types You Share

Something I’ve never considered before, but really should have considering I engage with content regularly, it that there are different purposes of post.

Typically, my posts have an informative stance. However, there are different formats of content – entertainment and engagement posts. Whilst I don’t think I can bring myself to start filming funny lip sync videos to popular audio without dying of embarrassment just yet, there’s nothing stopping me from creating my own entertainment posts from scratch. It’s something I need to think about and have a play with. As the vast majority of entertainment content is viewed in video format nowadays, this is another reason I need to put my big girl pants on and get on camera! I’m sure it’ll get easier the more I do it!

Likewise, engagement posts should be pretty easy for me to incorporate into my posting schedule. Polls, Q&A’s and asking followers questions are all ways I can engage with an audience as opposed to posting what I think is interesting into a void. I’ve had to think (and look into) who my primary audience is, and I need to incorporate this into future post planning.

 

Partner Up With Other People and Brands

I’ve produced a lot of solo content for a while. I used to get involved with sharing guest posts on my blog years ago (and some of that is still my most viewed content to this day). Association with other individuals and brands can influence audience perception of you. So, I need to incorporate this back into my blog… and my social media.

One way I’ve thought of this is to duet with someone, or I believe you can go live with someone? I confess neither are things I know how to do, so I suppose the first step is to find out. So, my lovely readers, if anyone could give me some direction in the comments as to how I do this, that would be much appreciated!

 

Summary

I still have a lot to learn, and this is a process I’ll have to do repeatedly to make sure I’m on the right tracks and staying relevant. I won’t get it right 100% of the time, but it’s a continual, active process I need to embrace if I want to connect with more people.

Have you learned any social media marketing tips and tricks from today’s post? What are your most effective social media marketing strategies?

 

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2023 Bookish Unhaul

It’s not very often I go through my bookshelves and make space for future books. However, that has been one of the jobs I set myself to do last week. Now I’ve gone through my shelves and picked out what I’m going to be giving away, I wanted to feature those for the last time in this 2023 Unhaul post to tell you why!

The books on my 2023 unhaul list range from physical copies I thought I’d love, but didn’t end up enjoying and so DNF’d, to those that I did enjoy, but I’m unlikely to read again and therefore need to keep. I’ll break down the list into different sections for reasons why I’m unhauling.

Let’s get to it!

 

DNF’s

There are a few books that I bought or acquired fully expecting to love them. However, sometimes I’m wrong and as a result, I’ve ended up with a few books and series that I’ve ultimately decided to DNF.

I’m not continuing with the Dune series as they are very heavily political and in its classical science-fiction setting… it’s a bit much. It’s not that I have a problem with political elements in other books – in fact, there are several in which I really enjoy this. It’s the combination of the genre (and being a very complex and serious sci-fi) that isn’t working for me any more.

 

Average Reads – Won’t Read Again

A small handful of these books didn’t end up achieving as high a rating as I would have hoped for. Again, they all had a lot of promise, but the execution didn’t quite do it for me. It shouldn’t surprise you then that I have no plans to re-read them, and so they can make their way to a new home. 

 

Read and Enjoyed, But Won’t Read Again

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The section probably has the most books in it. Generally, I have a great experience with reading, and for the most part, a good idea of what will work for me. Yet, there are a few examples where my mind has changed over time or I’ve not loved a book as much as I thought I would. However, broadly, that’s not the case.

The section is for the books that I have really enjoyed when I read them. Some of them have even gotten five-star ratings from me. Even so, I enjoyed them at the time, but I’m not likely to read them again. In terms of physical books, I try to limit my shelves to have more books that I love and I’m likely to re-read. These books definitely got the love, but aren’t going to be picked up again. With that in mind, I’d like to make sure they go to a new home and can benefit a charity in their re-sale.

 

Additional Copies

There are a small number of books for which I have since received nicer editions. Family are treating me real nice with these books, as I’ve now received copies of all the penguin paperbacks in clothbound editions instead.

My sister also treated me to the beautiful colour-illustrated edition of Empire of the Vampire. The pictured edition is the one I took away and read last year. That’s beautiful enough… but I don’t need two copies – especially considering how chunky it is! I’m obviously keeping the nicer one.

 

ARCs

A couple of exceptions to the charity shop haul are these advanced reader copies I am getting rid of – The Silent Patient and The God Game. There are restrictions around these that prevent me from being able to take them to the charity shop and have them sold on. In theory, I could give them to somebody if anybody expressed an interest, but they can’t be sold. With that in mind, I’ve actually already disposed of these.

That’s the end of my 2023 Unhaul post and those are the books that will be making their way to a brand new home soon!

Have you read any of the books on this list? Are any on your TBR?

 

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Sunday Summary – 20th August 2023

Don’t Sunday evenings roll around so quickly? You know the day, and you know the time, so you know that we are back with another Sunday Summary update!

I’ve enjoyed this week off work! It’s been great to spend some time catching up on jobs around the house, as well as taking time for reading and other hobbies. I’ll get into what I’ve been reading very shortly. First, let’s recap what’s been going on with the blog this week.

My first post of the week was a review of the first book of a series I started last year. I read this book as it was recommended to me. Although it isn’t something I read a lot of, I enjoyed it very much. If you want to check out my thoughts on Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, you can find a link to that post here.

On Friday, I shared the next instalment in my regular First Lines Friday feature. In last week’s Sunday Summary post, I challenged myself to pick this week’s feature from my physical TBR. If you want to check out which book I ultimately featured, there is a link to that post above as well.

 

Books Read

 

Ship of Destiny

I left off in last week’s Sunday Summary update having read just over a third of Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb. As I shared in that post, I was a little bit behind as of that point. However, I was optimistic I’d catch that back up in my week off.

I mostly did; I made steady progress with the book throughout this week, although I did end up speeding up at the end of the book. I expected this would happen! I’m the kind of person who can’t leave the ending. If I’m watching a series, I can’t leave the last episode for another sitting. It’s become a bit of a joke in my family. The same can be said for Ship of Destiny.

At the point of just 100 pages left in the book, all the events of the trilogy come together to the final conclusion. There was absolutely no way I wasn’t binge reading it! I’d already read almost all my daily allocation by the time I got to that point. I carried on regardless! It was a fantastic ending to a long and well built-up trilogy – I’m not surprised that it became an easy, five star rating!

I finished Ship of Destiny just one day behind schedule, and even then, I was only about 70 pages behind target.

 

A Brief History of Time

The next book I picked up this week is a complete change of pace. In an effort to read more non-fiction this year, I have finally picked up this interesting yet very science-based book. Just a little bit of a change from a large fantastical work of fiction…

As of this update, I am a quarter of the way through A Brief History of Time. If I’m honest, I’ve dropped the ball in the last day or so. I didn’t read any of the book yesterday and so far, I haven’t read any today either. I will be looking to pick this up again before I go to bed for the night to recover some of that gap though.

My experience of this book so far is that generally speaking, I am able to follow it. There are some very scientific elements to the book already. I’m trying to understand it only on a basic level and then move on as opposed to digging into the science. I don’t have a science brain, and I’m not going to try! There are some basic principles which I’m able to follow (such as the Doppler effect etc). But, when you start to get into quantum mechanics, you might as well be talking a different language!

I’m undecided as to where this book is going to go in terms of complexity in the later chapters. I have a feeling that we might end up being a little bit more technical later, but I’ll deal with that then.

 

Books Discovered

Given that I’ve spent the week mostly at home and enjoying the books I have, I haven’t discovered anything new this week!

 

Coming Up…

I’ll be starting off the week with an uncommon but opportunistic post on my blog. However, as one of my jobs whilst I’m off work is to go through my bookshelves and clear out any books I no longer want, I’ve decided to share which books I’m unhauling with you and why!

On Friday, I’ll be back with another Well, I Didn’t Know That! feature post. One of the things I want to look at from a personal perspective is social media marketing. I want to do that for myself as I am trying to get more involved with Instagram and posting on social media more generally. It’s not something that’s natural to me, and it’s something I have to make a very deliberate effort to do. As I want to try and make the most of those efforts, I’m going to try and bolster my skills. With this in mind, I may group this into this regular feature post and teach you some of the techniques I learn over the course of the week!

The final post I will share at the end of next week is the one and only Sunday Summary! I’ll be back with even more reading progress to share with you, as well as details of any books, I’ve discovered over the course of the week, and of course, what are you can expect on the blog the week after!

That draws to a close for this week’s Sunday Summary update!   

What was your last five star read?

 

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First Lines Friday – 18/08/2023

Good evening friends and welcome to today’s First Lines Friday feature! It’s turning out to be a rather miserable evening, but if we’re being honest, is there better weather for a bookworm? I’ll be cozying in with a blanket, a cuppa and my current read as soon as this post goes live. That’s what you’re here for, so let’s get right to it!

Today’s feature was chosen as a result of a challenge I set myself in last week’s Sunday Summary post – to feature a book from my physical TBR. For today’s First Lines Friday feature, I’m sharing a book by an author I have read once before and thoroughly enjoyed! It was popular a few years ago and features a plot with a Groundhog Day theme. It also has slightly different titles in the UK and US.

Can you guess what today’s book is based on those clues, or who it’s by?

 

Arent Hayes howled in pain as a rock slammed into his massive back.

Another whistled by his ear; a third, striking his knee, causing him to stumble, bringing jeers from the pitiless mob, who were already searching the ground for more missiles to throw. Hundreds of them were being held back by the city watch, their spittle-flecked lips shouting insults, their eyes black with malice.

‘Take shelter for pity’s sake,’ implored Sammy Pipps over the din, his manacles flashing in the sunlight as he staggered across the dusty ground. ‘It’s me they want.’

 

 

 

The Devil and the Dark Water – Stuart Turton

Genre: Mystery / Historical fiction

Pages: 548

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Raven Books

Publication Date: 06 Oct 2020

 

 

Goodreads – The Devil and the Dark Water

 

A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.

It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.

But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered.

And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.

Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?

With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.

 

My Thoughts…

If you hadn’t guessed the answer to my clues, the book I was alluding to was Stuart Turton’s debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (or The Seven 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in the US). 

I read that book four years ago according to Goodreads, and I thought it was great. Firstly, where had that time gone?! It doesn’t feel like it was four years ago…

With that experience in mind, I didn’t hesitate to get a copy of The Devil and the Dark Water. To be honest, I bought that book without really knowing much about it, other than it was written by the same author. That’s all that mattered. As it happens, I really like the sound of the premise and setting in this book and would have bought it for that reason as well. Having just concluded a series with heavy emphasis around ships and sailing, I’m definitely in the mood for it! Knowing my TBR though, it’ll probably be another four years before I get round to it!

Jokes aside, I’m not going to leave it that long… I PROMISE!

If the book is as cleverly written as the debut, then I have every expectation of enjoying this book. It’s also a great length to be able to enjoy a complex mystery, but without getting bogged down in so many details that I’ll become overwhelmed.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s First Lines Friday post!

Have you read The Devil and the Dark Water, or The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle? What did you make of either of these books?

 

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Book Review: The Thursday Murder Club – Richard Osman

A little over a year ago I read my first ever book by Richard Osman – The Thursday Murder Club. In today’s review, I’m going to tell you all about it!

I read the book as it was both recommended and loaned to me by Chris. I’m not one for reading much into such a lighthearted genre, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a hit. It definitely was! With the fourth book in the series less than a month away from release, now is a perfect time to share my experience for any readers considering it!

 

The Thursday Murder Club – Richard Osman

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 382

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 03 Sept 2020

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – The Thursday Murder Club

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?

 

My Thoughts

 

Plot

If it wasn’t already apparent that a book about four septuagenarians living in a retirement complex and solving murders wasn’t going to be a bit on the silly side, let me clear that up for you now. It is! However, I think that’s totally fine. Die hard serious mystery fans, maybe this one isn’t for you. That’s not to say there isn’t a well written mystery in this narrative though!

The scope of the story ended up being far larger than I anticipated. I enjoyed the unpredictability of events as they unfolded and how far flung the ripples of events in Coopers Chase were felt!

 

Characters

If there’s one thing I enjoyed most from this book, it’s the characterisation. The protagonists of this story are very different from each other and endearing in their antics. Elizabeth is perhaps the most unlikely of the group. However, her nosiness and mischief making are hilarious to read… and her ability to rope other people in is one of the main plot drivers.

Joyce is the quiet one in the group, but not to be underestimated either! She could perhaps be considered the most normal of the four, but she’s easily sucked in by Elizabeth and then gets carried away.

Ron and Ibrahim are also polar opposites of each other. Ron isn’t afraid to mosey in, or brag about his son. Ibrahim, on the other hand, is a very quiet and unassuming, but intelligent man.

Together they make up the unlikely band that set out to resolve the murder on their doorstep. The way these characters relate and bounce off each other is full of comedy moments.

 

Narrative Style

Broadly, The Thursday Murder Club is full of light-hearted narrative and humorous character interactions. Underpinning that is the ongoing murder mystery, but honestly, that feels a bit secondary. The ease of the way in which this book is written, coupled with the characters of the book, make this the easy read it is.

I enjoyed it as a simple read to pick up in between larger and denser books. It’s one that you can pick up on a whim and not have to concentrate too hard on if you don’t want to. Equally, if you are the type of person to try and unpick the clues to the mystery, there is definitely scope for that too! You take out what you put in I suppose.

Having said that, whilst the majority of the book is nice and lighthearted, there were a couple of chapters that really threw me. The narrative switches from its light and easy-going style to a couple of quite dark chapters that made me cry when I read them. That said, the stark contrast between the two really emphasised the message and the events that are happening in those couple of chapters. I found that really powerful.

 

Summary

The Thursday Murder Club doesn’t take itself too seriously, and prospective readers shouldn’t either. It’s a fun murder mystery book with a ragtag group of pensioners sticking their noses in where they shouldn’t, but in the most ridiculous and hilarious of ways.

If you’re looking for a good laugh, great character dynamics and a nice easy read, then pick up The Thursday Murder Club!

Have you read The Thursday Murder Club? What did you think?

 

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