Category: sunday summary

Sunday Summary – 4th August 2019

Posted on August 5, 2019August 5, 2019 by fantasyst95

Hi friends and welcome back to my usual Sunday Summary post! I hope you have had a lovely weekend? Mine has been nice and relaxing, for the most part. Aside from catching up with the housework (always a fun job) and going to a charity “Night at the Races” event, it’s been a quiet one. Plenty of time for reading, anyhow.

Earlier in the week, I shared my reading list for August. I shared it earlier than usual as I had a blog tour scheduled on Thursday for Birth of the Mortokai by Desmond Palmer and a First Lines Friday post to round off the working week. Having remembered on Monday/Tuesday, I must confess that I very nearly forgot to draft and schedule my blog tour post! I’ve never had a last-minute panic like that before, nor do I want it again!! That was the only near-disaster of the week though.

I’ve also decided to put a little more pressure on myself to beat a personal best. The all-time record number of books I have read in one year is 60, achieved in 2017. I have been way above and beyond schedule to meet my target of 50 books by the end of the year. To that end, I’ve decided to increase it to 70 books. I’m still just about on schedule to meet that goal, but getting over 60 will be a win in my eyes regardless of hitting 70 or not.

Books Read

I have lots of books to talk about – so I’ll try to keep each one brief.

I started the week with two reads carried over: Kau D’varza by David Noe and The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor. The Chalk Man was the first book I picked up and finished reading because it’s a lot shorter than Kau D’varza and frankly, I was HYPED about it! I think it’s one of my top reads of the year! Kau D’varza shortly followed, and after a few dedicated evenings to the book I could tick another sci-fi off the list!

Moving onwards, I’ve picked up another two books to read simultaneously for the latter end of the week. First and foremost, I have picked up Thran Book 1: The Birth by Brian McLaughlin. This is the first book on August’s TBR (since I didn’t get around to it in July) and at present, I am nearly 20% through the book. It’s quite a long one at 655 pages, but the world-building, characters and descriptions are fantastic!

On the side, I am also reading The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. I have to say I haven’t read anything like it in my life. In a good way, it’s kinda weird. Keeping track of the murder and the guests/staff (and how they interact with others) at the Hardcastle estate is exciting. I’m nearly 40% through this read. I’m glad I allowed myself breathing room on the TBR to pick things up at will – I do enjoy some freedom in book choices.

I was hoping to say that I was finished listening to The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman, but I still have half an hour left to listen to. I think I’ll probably wrap up the evening with that once this Sunday Summary is posted. That way I can start afresh tomorrow. I’m torn between a couple of books and I currently have a poll on Twitter – can you help me decide what to listen to next?

Books Discovered

Where I had a lot to talk about in the section above, I don’t actually have anything of note here this week! About chuffing right too – I wish I could spend all my money on books instead of bills…

Coming Up…

Time to roll my sleeves up and devise next week’s plan (and hopefully remember it in good time…) Fortunately, I have no blog tours this week, so it wouldn’t be a disaster if I was a day late anyway.

I have a few backed up reviews to catch up on and this week, I want to share my thoughts about Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell. I finished reading this back in mid-May if that gives you an idea of how much I have to catch up on. Sword Song is the fourth book in the Last Kingdom / Saxon Stories series. I started reading them in 2017 and I always enjoy picking up the next book.

Since I added quite a few books to the TBR again recently I am going to sort through the next 10 on the list and see if there’s anything there I don’t want anymore. For my sanity’s sake I kinda hope so.

As usual, on Friday it’s the turn on my Shelf Control post. This week I am featuring a series as opposed to just one book! I can’t wait to share the details with you!

Sunday Summary – 28th July 2019

Posted on July 28, 2019July 28, 2019 by fantasyst95

Today’s Sunday Summary post comes to you on a bit of a miserable day to end a gorgeous week. Let’s make the best of it, shall we?

I took full advantage of having a much-needed week off work and got plenty of reading done! As well as catching up on my reading (which I definitely needed!) I published three midweek posts for you. Conscious that it has been a while since I last looked at my TBR, I published another Down the TBR Hole post. I managed to take three books off the list in that post. Of course, I’ve added even more books to the list since then… I need help, okay!

On Thursday I shared my review of Scouse Gothic by Ian McKinney as part of the blog tour organised by Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources. I really enjoyed the change of genre and reading a novel that blends Liverpool’s history into a gothic narrative.

Finally, on Friday I shared a Shelf Control post. This week I showcased the third oldest book on my TBR list; it’s a fantasy novel with an intriguing spy/mystery element to it.

Books Read

I have spent the majority of the week desperately trying to finish part one of A Dance with Dragons. I really love these books but man, they are so long! At the top of the week I felt like I was behind in the month’s reading. I suppose I still am, but I feel in a much better position now. I finally managed to finish the book after chipping away at it for several days. I’m nearly through my re-read of the series now!

Next, I was quick to start reading Kau D’Varza by David Noe. After working with David and reviewing Seeker previously, I was keen to delve back into the Chaosnova universe and enjoy reading some science fiction again. I started the book on Friday evening and by the end of yesterday, I made it nearly halfway through the 500-page book!

Getting so far, I decided I wanted to pick another book up as well. I have read a lot of fantasy lately and having had a brief look at the last book on my list, it didn’t feel like a book I could juggle with others all that well. So, I confess, I’ve gone off on a tangent and picked up something else completely not on the list. I don’t feel bad at all; it’s proven the breath of fresh air I’ve needed. The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor is brilliant! I started reading it last night and I’m already around two-thirds of the way through it. I can’t leave it alone, so the goal is to finish it tomorrow at the latest!

Lastly, I managed to make the progress I hoped to with my audiobook, The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman. Despite being off work, there were a few journeys in the car to meet a friend or go shopping that gave me the opportunity to continue listening to the story. With any luck, I’ll be telling you that I’ve finished it next week!

Books Discovered

I felt proud of myself for taking three books off my ridiculously long TBR on Monday, however, that was short-lived.

I’ve only gone and added five more to the list. I can’t even apologise to myself because I don’t feel guilty! Here is a list of the books I’ve added and how I acquired them: –

Imaginary Friend – Netgalley download by taking part in promo for the new book
The One Hundred Nights of Hero – Added having read a fab review – link in Top Posts section below
The Exact Opposite of Okay – Added having read a fab review – but forgot to copy the link. I’m an idiot
Scouse Gothic 2 – Sent to me by the author having toured with the first book of the series
Circe – Purchased because it sounds amazing!

In addition to buying Circe, I also bought a copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. That’s been on the TBR for a while though, so it doesn’t strictly count as “new”.

Coming Up…

So, what’s coming up on my blog next week? Whenever I ask myself this question, the first answer is ‘absolutely no idea’. That’s the truth. It’s at the point of writing this post that I make that plan.

Typically I share my reading list in the first few days of the month in question, however, due to my existing schedule I’m actually going to publish it early – on Tuesday 30th.

On Thursday I’ll be sharing my review of a recent read – Birth of the Mortokai by D G Palmer as part of the upcoming tour for the book. I really enjoyed the storyline centred around a character with a unique trait – albinism. Anyway, I won’t go into detail here… I’ll save it for my review!

On Friday it’s the turn of my First Lines Friday post. I have no idea which book I’ll feature this week, so it’s as much a surprise for you as it is me right now.

Sunday Summary – 21st July 2019

Posted on July 21, 2019July 21, 2019 by fantasyst95

This week’s Sunday Summary post promises to be far more chilled out than last week! I’m back to my manageable three posts per week schedule, and damn it feels good! I’ve also had the luxury of a few days ‘break’, which has been refreshing. In aid of mum’s birthday on Friday, my sister has been over for the weekend. We’ve had a lovely few days to spend together as a family. The timing has been fortunate as my sister has also been able to wish our aunt a happy birthday in person today too! So, for the second time this week I’m sending out birthday wishes here on my blog, this time to my aunt!

So, what have I been up to this week? Aside from picking up the office cold and spending the weekend with my family, things have been pretty run-of-the-mill. I’m back on my usual posting schedule which takes a lot of pressure off. On Tuesday I posted a review of A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. It was tough (for reasons I explain in that post), but let’s be honest… I could talk about A Game of Thrones until your ears fell off. On Friday I published my scheduled First Lines Friday post. This week’s featured book is by an author that I love for a completely different historical fiction series he has written.

Books Read

Birth of the Mortokai was the first book I picked up this week. I had read a third of the book at the time of writing last week’s Sunday Summary post; it didn’t take too long to finish. By that, I mean I finished it on Monday.

From there I started reading A Dance with Dragons pt 1: Dreams and Dust. This is what I have been reading for the rest of the week. Since I have had a few other bits on, I’m around 180 pages through with it at the moment. I’ll be picking this up again before bed tonight and I’m hoping to finish this next week. Under normal circumstances, this would be a little ambitious. I have the week off work though, so I’m sure this is achievable!

For the first time in weeks, I have started listening to another audiobook. I was torn between a couple I have waiting to be listened to, however, I decided to venture into unknown waters. I’ve began listening to Philip Pullman’s The Ruby in the Smoke. This isn’t too long a tale; I’m already around 40% through and it’ll take another four hours to finish. Despite being off work I reckon I can get at least another two hours down by next week.

Books Discovered

I have been reasonably good this week. Strictly speaking, I haven’t added any new books to the TBR or bought any. I have entered a competition to win an ARC copy of Stephen Chbosky’s new novel Imaginary Friend today. I’ll let you know if I manage to get my hands on a copy!

Coming Up…

In light of the fact that I am off work next week, I’ve decided I’ll be ambitious and try to write four blog posts next week. It’s busy, but not a mad schedule.

I’m going to kick off the week by taking another look at the lengthy TBR. It’s been a while since my last Down the TBR Hole post. I’m past overdue checking out the next ten books on the list and deciding whether they should stay or go… so that’s what I’ll do!

I’m really looking forward to taking part in the blog tour of Scouse Gothic by Ian KcKinney on Thursday. The novel is completely different to anything I have read before. I can’t wait to share my full thoughts on the book in Thursday’s post.

Friday’s regular feature flits back to Shelf Control. I started this series by going right back to the beginning of my TBR. Shelf Control differs from Down the TBR Hole as instead of a large scale, general look at the books on the list, I’ll be picking on one and going into more detail about why it’s on the list.

Sunday Summary – 14th July 2019

Posted on July 14, 2019July 14, 2019 by fantasyst95

The last time I managed to write five blog posts in one week, I swore it would be a long time before I took on such a busy schedule again. That was only five weeks ago – but here we are! To recap for anyone that hasn’t seen those posts yet, here is a summary of my week:-

As it’s the second week of July, I thought it would be a great opportunity to reflect on the last six months with a Mid Year Book Freak Out tag on Monday. It was loads of fun to write. As well as looking back to the beginning of the year, there are also a couple of questions geared around my reading goals for the latter half of 2019.

On Tuesday I published my review for a YA fantasy novel I loved recently. Empress of All Seasons was kindly sent to me for review by Gollancz. Even though I wouldn’t identify as a YA reader, this book was enjoyable for a number of reasons. One such I touch upon in my review is that I really enjoyed the Japanese culture throughout the book – a huge change from the medieval European setting many fantasy worlds are built upon.

I didn’t even announce Thursday’s post. I took part in a cover reveal for Jo Baxter’s Viola Pumpernickel and the Emerald Lady. It’s a middle-grade children’s book that I think I would have really enjoyed when I was growing up, so I was glad to take part and lend my support by sharing the new cover.

Lastly, I published my second Shelf Control post on Friday. I this week’s edition, I look back at my decisions for adding Steven Erikson’s fantasy novel Gardens of the Moon to my reading list.

Books Read

This week has felt rewarding. Not only have I managed to churn out an unnatural number of posts, I’ve also finished a couple of really good books!

I have been reading The War Within for a few weeks now. At around 570 pages, this is no mean feat. The War Within is so much more than its predecessor Seventh Decimate. Events are on a far grander scale, and the novel follows on a number of years after those in the first book. The narrative had a lot of ground to cover to bridge the gap between the two books. As a result, it wasn’t as easy to read for that. I still really enjoyed the book, but the intensity of the first half made it very time consuming to pick up and digest before continuing.

I don’t like taking so long to read books like that. It’s silly – I shouldn’t put such pressure on myself. I am way ahead of my reading goal, but I like to get through books in days, not weeks. I get a little frustrated if reading a book takes more time than I think it should. I’m daft, I know, but it’s the honest truth.

My reading picked up significantly afterwards though, as I picked up and read Scouse Gothic by Ian McKinney in less than two days. Yes, you read that right! It’s only quite a short book by comparison (around 200 pages). Picking up a contemporary novel laced with humour helped relieve my frustration.

My current read is another fantasy novel. I have quite a few on the list this month, so I am interspersing other genres in between them. I started reading Birth of the Mortokai yesterday. Even though I haven’t made any progress on it today (I spend every Sunday afternoon with my family), I’m still a third of the way through the book. I’m hoping to get to around half-way by the end of the night and wrap this up in the next couple of days. I feel like I have some time to make up, as I have a few longer books to read later in the month.

Books Discovered

I have been REALLY good this week! Not only did I swerve every bookshop, but I also haven’t even added anything to the TBR! I’m quite surprised with myself actually!

Coming Up…

Next week is definitely not going to be as manic! I deserve a break – haha!

There’s no rest for the wicked though! I have a few book reviews stacking up, so I’d like to tackle one of those. This week, I would like to share my thoughts on A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. Prepare for a long and gushy review… I think you all know my love for George R. R. Martin’s books by now.

My regular Friday feature flips back to First Lines Friday later next week, so I’ll be sharing the first few lines of a book on my TBR. Let’s see if you can guess what it is!

Sunday Summary – 7th July 2019

Posted on July 7, 2019July 7, 2019 by fantasyst95

I am grateful I write my Sunday Summary posts in the evening, because what a day it has been!! After taking mum and dad out for lunch, we spent the afternoon enjoying the sunshine. I am no longer quite so corpse-blue for the experience… perhaps I’ve warmed up to resemble Casper the ghost?

In last week’s Sunday Summary post I hinted at some personal news. On Tuesday I traded in my first, forever special in my heart, 2006 Ford Fiesta for a new car! I was sad to see it go, but it has lasted longer than I expected. Even now, there isn’t anything wrong with it, but after four years together I was due an upgrade from my learner car.

Onto more bookish news, let’s take a look at what else I have been up to!

The beginning of the week was ultimately quite busy, as I had to squeeze in the reading of a respectable portion of Storms over Babylon in anticipation for my blog tour post on Tuesday. It was never in any doubt that I could do it, but I don’t like leaving things so last minute like that!

I promptly followed up my blog tour post with my reading list for July. Where last month I had quite a few short stories to read, this month I am back to my typical longer reads. I’ll definitely be making more of an effort to read more short stories in future, but my blogging commitments and general preferences mean that it’s not happening this month.

On Friday I posted my new regular feature post, First Lines Friday. This week I am featuring a contemporary mystery currently sat on my bookshelf, begging to be read. Let’s face it, my whole bookshelf is begging to be read. Well, almost.

Books Read

As alluded to above, my top priority of the week was concluding Storms over Babylon by Jennifer Macaire. This fourth instalment to the series is, fortunately, shorter than its predecessors. In the circumstances, that worked out in my favour.

My reason for starting Storms over Babylon so late was because I wasn’t making the progress I wanted on The War Within by Stephen Donaldson. I’ve managed to make much better headway this week. It is an enjoyable read, but the first 40% was a little slow going. That’s not a criticism – I’ve enjoyed reading it all. There is a lot of set up bridging the twenty-year gap from events in book one, Seventh Decimate. It took a little time to digest. Now events are unfolding in the present I’m finding the book a lot easier and quicker to read. I’m at around 70% now and I am hoping to finish it in the next day or two.

Books Discovered

I was talking to my colleague Brita the other day and she mentioned a book she was planning to buy her sister for her birthday. It’s a new release about the disappearance of a woman in 1929. She returned five days later, with no recollection of the event at all. The more Brita told me about this, the more I became intrigued. Unsurprisingly, this is now on my TBR. I’m not a regular reader of memoir, non-fiction style books, so I’m looking forward to reading something out of my comfort zone.

I also posted a beautiful acquisition on Instagram and Facebook yesterday! Thanks to Gollancz, I have a gorgeous copy of Howling Dark to read and review! It’s funny because I noticed afterwards that almost a year prior to the day I posted a picture of myself with a copy of Empire of Silence, the first book in the series. There’s only a day in it – how bizarre!

Coming Up…

I’m going to be ambitious and christen next week as a busy one, with four blog posts planned!

I’ll be kicking off the week with my version of the Mid Year Book Freak Out tag. It looks like a fun post to write and a great way of looking back at how the first half of my year has gone!

Midweek, I’m going to catch up with one of the many reviews I have a small backlog on. Instead of tackling the oldest item on the list though, I’m going to skip forward a few books to review another ARC I received from Gollancz earlier this year. Empress of All Seasons is a YA Fantasy novel quite unlike anything I have read before. I rarely read YA but I’m really glad I requested a copy from the publisher. You can find out why in more detail later in the week.

On Friday, I’ll be resuming my regular feature posts – Shelf Control. In this post, I am looking back in more detail at the books on my TBR and telling you what my thoughts are on the book. Whether it’s how much I love the cover or the premise etc, anything goes! The book I am featuring on Friday is a fantasy novel that has been on my list for a long time – since December 2014.

Sunday Summary – 30th June 2019

Posted on June 30, 2019 by fantasyst95

It’s Sunday Summary time again – so happy Sunday everyone!! I hope you have all had a lovely weekend! I definitely have for personal reasons. I’ve spent more quality time with my mum and we’ve had plenty of laughs. My dad is just back home from America after a two-week trip with work – something I think both my parents are grateful for!

I’ve also had a special and out of the ordinary weekend. So as not to jinx it, I’ll tell you more on that later… I’m such a tease, I know!

Now to all-things-bookish – what have I been up to this week? Last weekend I got myself a little confused. I knew I was taking part in a blog tour post for Three by K. J. McGillick on the 27^th June, but I had that as Wednesday in my head. I realised when I was drafting the post, so no harm done. It means that Thursday was my first post of the week, which is late for me. Sorry guys! If I’d realised I would have posted earlier in the week too!

On Friday I began the second regular Friday feature on my blog – a meme called Shelf Control. With these posts, I am going back through my TBR to tell you all why I want to read the books on my list in more detail. Down the TBR Hole posts are great for sorting, but they can get lengthy quickly.

Books Read

I lost a little momentum this week. I’ve been keeping up a killer pace these last few weeks and I think it has caught up with me finally! I’ve also had a few bits and pieces on, which has taken out a little of my time.

I have managed to read some of The War Within by Stephen Donaldson, but not as much as I’d have liked! I’ve been carrying it around with me to work (a feat in itself!) but either I’ve had odd jobs to do (posting my first proofreading assessment) or just been easily distracted.

Last night I finally picked up Storms of Babylon. I have a blog tour coming up for this imminently so I really need to shake a leg and finish reading it! I’m not concerned that I won’t get it done in time… but it’s my top priority tonight and tomorrow. No time for slacking!

Books Discovered

It was payday earlier this week, so naturally, I found myself in my local Waterstones. I’ve recently read and enjoyed The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King. I swore that I wouldn’t leave it so long to read the next book of the series. I have no excuses now, as a copy of The Wastelands is sitting patiently on my bookshelf.

Coming Up…

It’s July next week. Wow! Hasn’t that come around so quickly? I’m looking forward to reading my favourite other bloggers TBR’s for the month – I’ve been a bit lax on the blog reading as well this week! I’ll get back on it – I promise!

Before I post my TBR though, I am taking part in the blog tour for Storms of Babylon by Jennifer Macaire on Tuesday. See why I need to pull my finger out and get reading? Yeah… I’m going to be busy for the next couple of days! I’ve only got a couple of hours left in the book, so I’ll manage no problem!

My TBR comes next. I expect to publish my reading list either on Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how organised I am. I haven’t really christened the list in its entirety yet either, so I need to put my thinking cap on.

What are you reading? Have you had a productive week?

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Sunday Summary – 23rd June 2019

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by fantasyst95

Good evening everybody! I hope you have all had a good week and an even better weekend! I’ve really enjoyed mine because I have spent a fair bit of it (more than usual) with my mum. Dad has had to go to America for work; whilst he’s enjoying the sights today, we’ve just been doing the usual. At least we’re together though!

I’ve also had quite a good week blog-wise. I’ve been trying to catch up on some reviews I have still to write, particularly for audiobooks. I’ll be the first person to admit that I listen to them, move onto the next and forget to add them to my review list. To that end, I reviewed my listen of Lock In by John Scalzi earlier this week.

I’ve also started one of two new regular posts I’ll be featuring. I’ll be sharing these posts fortnightly on alternate weeks, so long as I don’t have any blog tours or other commitments. This week’s post was a First Lines Friday post, featuring Blackwing by Ed McDonald. My choice was inspired by a current read at the time, Crowfall, the final instalment of the trilogy.

Announcement

In addition to the above, my blog has officially broadened its horizons! For a long time, I’ve been putting off setting up a Facebook page for my blog and promoting myself. I guess I was worried about what people I knew would think. I needn’t have worried though really. I’m proud of the time and effort I put into my hobby. Why should I worry about what someone I went to school with thinks? The people that matter to me already knew of it, even if they hadn’t seen it.

So, I’m now on Facebook! It’s going to take a little while to build up my page and presence, but it’s a move I’m glad I made. If anyone wants to follow me there, there’s a link to my page in the sidebar, or alternatively, you can find me here!

And now, back to the usual Sunday Summary schedule: –

Books Read

Following on from my last Sunday Summary post, I left off with two current reads, Three by K. J. McGillick and Crowfall by Ed McDonald. At the top of the week, I was just over halfway through Three, however, I confess I allowed myself to be sidetracked with that book. I only just finished reading this early this afternoon.

I’ve spent most of the week reading Crowfall. It’s not even on this month’s TBR, but what can I say? I was just looking forward to reading it so much! I received my copy from Gollancz a couple of weeks ago and it’s been taunting me to pick it up. It’s the final book in the Raven’s Mark trilogy and I had to find out what happened next! I finished Crowfall on Friday evening. Whilst I’m sad it’s over, I’m also happy with the way everything ended.

Last night I began The War Within by Stephen Donaldson. I’ve only read the prologue so far, about thirty pages) but I’m intrigued to see how this second instalment to the series pans out. My understanding is that the writing style is different from the first book, which I think I’ll enjoy. It’s also a lot longer, so I’ll need to get my reading skates on if I want to finish my TBR this month.

I’m sure I’ll manage!

Books Discovered

I have a couple of additions to the TBR this week – shock. No sooner do I whittle it down a few books, I add more! The curse of the bookworm I guess!

This week, I’ve added Vox by Christina Dalcher and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Vox has the touch of dystopian fiction that I love. As awful as the idea is of the oppression of women, I’m not going to lie, I like reading it. I love to rally behind characters that fight their oppressors, be that for issues relating to gender, racial… whatever! Rivers of London is a blend of fantasy and mystery, with a touch of paranormal. An interesting combination and I can’t wait to see what I make of it.

Coming Up…

I’ve been looking forward to reading Three and taking part the blog tour which, you guessed it, is coming up next week! My tour post is to go live on Wednesday, so I really hope you can take a minute out of your busy schedules to read my thoughts on my latest read by K. J. McGillick.

On Friday this week, I’ll be starting my second regular feature post, called Shelf Control. It’s a post originally hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies and I love the idea of dedicating a post to books you are yet to read. Lord knows I have plenty of them to talk about!

I haven’t yet chosen my feature book, but I have a few days to decide! I only have 194 on my TBR to choose from…

Sunday Summary – 16th June 2019

Posted on June 16, 2019June 16, 2019 by fantasyst95

This week’s Sunday Summary post is going to be a lot more chilled than last weeks! I hope you’ve all had a good week! I have spent the day with my parents, as I always do, but it has been extra special since it is Father’s Day today!

So, what have I been up to this week? Thankfully I have had fewer blog posts and tours to juggle this week, so I’ve been able to relax a little! My first blog post of the week was published on Wednesday, so I had a couple of day’s respite. I took part in the one-day blog blitz for The Lynmouth Stories by L. V. Hay. If you haven’t read my review of these three short stories yet, please check out the link. Suffice to say, I’ve added her debut novel to the TBR as a result of reading these.

On Friday, I published my next Down the TBR Hole post. I’m not posting these all that regularly (around once a month), so I have reverted to reviewing ten books at a time. I need to get through the list somehow!

I’ve also spent a bit of time on proofreading exercises. I’m hoping to have a stab at my first assessment of the course shortly, so I’ve been getting the practice in! I feel a lot more confident now I’ve done some more work on it.

Books Read

I’m quite pleased with my reading progress again this week! Last Sunday I was reading Biohacked and Begging by Stephen Oram and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Neither of these books lasted all that long.

From there, I picked up Three: Deception Love Murder by K. J. McGillick. I’ve read a few books of hers now and I’m really enjoying them. The combination of the criminal activity and the art world is one that comes up across her books, and it’s clear she knows a LOT about the subject.

In addition to the above, I have picked up a second non-scripted book. I made such good progress with the short stories at the beginning of the month that I have time to do so! A couple of weeks ago I received a copy of Crowfall, courtesy of Gollancz, to read and review. It didn’t even make it to the bookshelf because I knew I couldn’t resist. It’s been sat on my table taunting me since I received it. Last night, I caved in and started it! I have no regrets!

Lastly, I finished my audiobook this week! I listen to them in the car on the way home from work. Now that the TT racing has come to an end, things have calmed down and the fanatics have gone home, I’ve not needed to be switched onto the radio.

Books Discovered

As I mentioned above, I have added one book to my ‘discovered’ list this week. After reading The Lynmouth Stories, I would like to read L. V. Hay’s debut novel, The Other Twin.

Coming Up…

It’s been a little while since I reviewed an audiobook, so next week I am going to be reviewing Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Since I finished this about two months ago, it’s about time I finally committed my thoughts down to… well, not paper, but you know.

I want to trial a new post later this week. I have been tempted to try a First Lines Friday post as a way of (hopefully) introducing people to new books. To that end, I’m going to give it a go! Depending on how well it’s received, I might start making it a regular feature.

Sunday Summary – 9th June 2019

Posted on June 9, 2019June 9, 2019 by fantasyst95

If this week’s Sunday Summary post is going to be anything like my week, it’s going to be a busy one!! Mad in fact, but it’s been fun! This weekly summary post makes my fifth this week. Fifth!!!!!

Thankfully I had the foresight to prepare Wednesday’s Time of Lies extract post last Saturday ahead of time… otherwise I may have been in trouble. I have never published so many posts in one week in the history of this blog; it’s not a schedule I have any hope of maintaining. I hope you have enjoyed it this week because I’m not planning on such a busy schedule again. For now, anyway.

This was the first full week of a brand new month. Naturally, June’s TBR was finalised and published on Monday! As it happens, I think I’ll be adding a couple of books to it. I’ve made a lot more reading progress than I anticipated and I have already started reading one book on the side.

I’ve already mentioned Wednesday’s Time of Lies tour; on Friday I published my review of one of last month’s reads, The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King. The Drawing of the Three has a totally different vibe to The Gunslinger. Where book one establishes Roland, his history and quest, book two is driven by characters drawn out of modern-day New York into Roland’s world to battle their own demons before facing an even greater challenge.

If anyone has checked out my blog today, you’ll see I’m currently touring Game of Crones by Jay Raven. The book is a collection of dark fantasy short stories surrounding the themes of witchcraft and dark magic. If you haven’t already taken a peak of my thoughts on the book, you can check out the link above!

Books Read

Not only have I been writing a lot this week, but I’ve also managed to read a few books too! Okay, half of them are short stories… but still!

I began the week continuing with A Feast for Crows, my carryover from last month. I expected to have a lot more catching up to do than I actually did with this one. Still, I was reading this for a few days before I had to set it aside (temporarily).

All too aware of my upcoming blog tour dates, I picked up Game of Crones by Jay Raven and The Lynmouth Stories by L. V. Hay. Game of Crones was reasonably short, so I read practically the whole book in one sitting. The Lynmouth Stories turned out to be a LOT shorter than anticipated. I managed to read this cover to cover in about half an hour.

After finishing these two short story collections I was back to A Feast for Crows. I’ve been reading this for about two weeks (although it feels longer since I am used to reading books quite quickly). Consequently, I’m pleased to report that I finally finished this yesterday. I am so glad I elected to re-read the books!

After wrapping this up I swiftly moved on to my two current reads, Biohacked and Begging by Stephen Oram and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Biohacked and Begging is another collection of short stories, all with themes of individuals with some form of enhancement or another. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time isn’t strictly on my TBR, but since I have made such good progress with my TBR, I asked myself “why the heck not?” I’ve been meaning to read it for some time now…

Books Discovered

If I’ve not bored you to death with all my wittering so far then read on. As if I didn’t have enough to talk about this week, I also have a few honorary mentions here too!

I’ve added three books to the TBR this week – The Whisper Man by Alex North, Back to Reality by Mark Stay and The Thinking Game by Lara Kane.

The Whisper Man is a thriller with a really exciting premise and very good reviews on Goodreads. I can’t wait to pick this up! I saw Back to Reality on Reedsy, and after reading The End of Magic by Mark Stay I’m definitely going to give this a try. Likewise, Reedsy is also responsible for me adding The Thinking Game to the list. If someone can help me manage my time better and improve the way I handle myself, then they deserve a medal. This will be really helpful for managing my time at work AND her e on the blog. Reading it will also go towards my goal of reading five non-fiction books this year…

Coming Up…

What’s coming up this week? That’s easy… less. A lot less. Haha!

I’m taking a few days to read and recuperate. My first post of the week is for a blog tour on Wednesday. That’s my tour date for reviewing The Lynmouth Stories, so I hope you can call in and check out my thoughts on these great short stories!

Depending on how my week pans out, my next post will be on Friday (Saturday at the latest). I haven’t made any moves to clear out the TBR in a few weeks, so I’ll be reviewing the next five books on my list and deciding whether they need to stay or go!

Sunday Summary – 2nd June 2019

Posted on June 2, 2019June 2, 2019 by fantasyst95

Today has been a lovely conclusion to the week. Locally, we have been having some pretty miserable weather, but not today! It’s been wreaking havoc because it’s been affecting some local events we have on lately.

Any fans of motorsport may have heard of the TT? For those that haven’t, it’s an annual motorsport event hosted here on the Island. Riders on a variety of bikes test their mettle on the famous mountain course. For 48 weeks of the year, the course is just public roads. With bad weather and poor visibility, there has been a lot of uncertainty about practices and qualifying. Trying to get home before the roads shut has also been… fun. I’ll stick with fun.

Anyway, enough about that! What else have I been up to aside from dodging motorbikes left, right and centre? I finally got my Top Ten Tuesday post, originally scheduled for last week, live! I’ve been on a bit of a Game of Thrones bender lately. If you want to find out who my favourite characters are (based on the books and TV series) you could take a look at that post. Pretty please? On Friday I divulged my love for another fantasy series I have read recently in my review of The Watcher of Dead Time by Edward Cox. It was also lovely to get a thank you and a share from the author for my review.

Books Read

I have been on a mission with reading A Feast for Crows. Last week I set myself the challenge of getting to 60% through the book by the end of the month. I did it! If you look at the Goodreads count it only comes up to about 54%. That includes all the appendices though, and who reads them cover to cover? Not me anyway. Excluding those, my total percentage read came to 65% by Friday. I’m now at around 71%, and I haven’t contributed to that today at all.

I had wanted to finish my audiobook of The Painted Man this week, but with the TT being on, it’s more important that I listen to the radio for road closures, accidents etc. The roads are only supposed to be a track when they’re shut, but visitors and locals have a habit of going mad this fortnight!

Books Discovered

Whilst I was writing my review for The Watcher of Dead Time, I decided to look into further works of Edward Cox, past and future. I found The Song of the Sycamore, which is due to be published in a couple of months. I really love the sound of it! I’ve also decided that based on The Relic Guild trilogy, Edward Cox is on my auto-buy list of authors. I cannot wait for this to come out!

Middlegame is a book I discovered via an email from Tor. I love the element of Fantasy elements in it, but I think the strongest appeal is that Roger and Dodger kinda remind me of myself and my sister. I’m more like Roger with my wordy and literate nature, whilst my sister is very Mathsy. She’s a Maths graduate and trainee actuary if that tells you anything.

On Friday I received a lovely message from David Noe, co-author of Seeker. I reviewed Seeker, a book he co-authored in December 2017 (those early days! As a result, he invited me to read and review a new book of his being published imminently. It’s a book set in the same universe, called Kau D’Varza. I really enjoyed Seeker and I cannot wait to explore the new novel.

Lastly, I received an email for an invite to read Thran Book 1: The Birth by Brian McLaughlin. Again a fantasy novel, I really like the sense of adventure alluded to and the depth of characters! It was also recommended to fans of Lord of the Rings and A Game of Thrones… so, yeah. I think I’ll enjoy it!

Coming Up…

I’m going to be kicking off the week with this month’s new reading list! OMG, it’s June already. Hasn’t that come around so fast?

Midweek, I’m taking part in a bit of a topical blog tour! I’m sure for the next few days we’ll be hearing all about President Trump’s visit to the UK. Along those lines, I’m sharing an extract of Douglas Board’s Time of Lies, a political satire novel based on the idea that the UK elects its own version of Trump!

I’m hoping to keep working through some reviews I have outstanding, so this week I’ll be reviewing a recent read, Stephen King’s The Drawing of the Three. I hope you can take a few minutes out of your day to check that out!

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