When I drafted my half-year review post last week, it hadn’t even occurred to me that it would make sense to post my June wrap up first. Still, here I am at last. It should be quite a quick one since June was a relatively quiet month for me. In addition to doing some other things this year, my sister also came to visit this month and so everything was pretty much put on hold for that. Was lovely to see her for the first time in 16 months and I can’t wait to be able to see her again!
Books Read
As I said above, this month’s progress has been reasonably quiet. In terms of reading, I have managed to read Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. As of last month’s wrap-up post, I had actually just started to read this and I finished this book in the last day of the month. It’s not a lot of progress, I will admit. However, as much as I enjoy reading, I don’t live for it and I’ve done plenty of other things with my time instead.
I’ve enjoyed the more relaxed pace of reading so far, but I’m definitely looking to start picking up more books over the next six months.
More audiobook progress has been made, however I am still (just) working through A Clash of Kings by George R. R.Martin. I only have a few hours left to listen to and I expect in next month’s update, I’ll be telling you that I finally got to the end of this one! Don’t get me wrong, I am really, really enjoying it – but it’s a long one! I think for my next one, I’m going to pick up something smaller.
Blog Posts
Thankfully, I’ve been a bit more active blogging that I have reading this month. So, I have plenty of posts to share with you and give you the opportunity to catch up if you have missed any: –
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s rather quick wrap-up post! As always, I really enjoy getting your feedback and I would love to hear about what you have been reading recently!
Hello everyone and welcome to today’s Top Ten Tuesday post! Today’s topic is ten reasons why I love reading and honestly, you could let me ramble all day and I guarantee you I’ll have more than ten reasons. However, I will narrow it down to my favourites to stick to the post rules (but also not to bore you to death!) I feel like this is probably something I have discussed before in one way or another. But, this is a fun post topic and as everyone has their own reasons, it’s a good way to find out a bit about me.
So, enough rambling – let’s get into it!
Escapism
Reading is escapism from our daily, mundane lives. It gives us the opportunity to sweep your day‘s troubles under the carpet and forget about them. Becoming immersed in a completely new world or a new character helps us to separate ourselves, even if just for a little while, from the boringness that life can sometimes be. It is probably one of the main reasons why I read. That’s not to say my life is terrible, because it absolutely isn’t. None of us can deny that life can be monotonous at times – and it is at these times where reading plays a huge role for me.
Relaxing
I personally find reading very relaxing. Sitting down on my sofa with a cup of tea and my nose in a book is my ideal ‘me time’. I love it because I can focus all my attention on one thing. Usually my mind is going ten to the dozen with things I have done, things I need to do, things are probably forgotten to do and much more besides. Picking up a book and focusing on what I’m reading sweeps those thoughts away. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you… but I enjoy the respite!
To learn
I’m always trying to read either new genres, or taking historical fiction as an example, new time periods. I may have left school a few years ago now, but every day is still a school day and there is plenty that I don’t know. I enjoy learning new things and so branching out in topics I’m interested in already is one of my favourite ways to read.
Spark imagination
In a world where any information we want is just a few clicks away, I really enjoy the thought process that goes into Reading. Google any book characters name and you could probably find images of the actor who is played the film version of the character. Just by looking at that image, your perception that that character is formed by their physical appearance.
I personally think there is a magic to taking the words written on a page and constructing your own version of the character based on them. I firmly believe that everyone reads a book differently and will come to very different conclusions based on the information provided. More and more I see a distinct lack of people thinking for themselves, but this is something that is definitely required when reading.
To experience living in another’s shoes
There are billions of people on this planet and yet without the ability to walk in somebody else’s shoes, we only have a very limited perspective on life. Reading books gives people the opportunity to see through someone else’s eyes. In my opinion, reading offers an intimate way of getting to know a character. Not only do we experience their completely different lives, but we also get an insight into the way they think and perceive the world themselves.
I don’t think this is ever something we could really do without the written word, and so I’m grateful that I can experience somebody else’s life, even for a short while, thanks to books.
Challenge ideals/perception
This really goes hand in hand with the point above. Unless we are prompted to think about our ideals and our perception of people/events etc, we are never going to change our minds. Reading definitely gives you the opportunity to do this-by putting yourself in another person choose and seeing it from another point of view!
Invest time
It’s apparent that I am the kind of person who likes to invest their time. Whether it is reading or my crafting hobbies (knitting and crochet), I get a lot not just from the end product, but also from the ‘doing’ part. I find characters a lot more relatable if I’ve taken the time to read their story, feel their emotions and experience it with them, rather than watch a film narrating it. It personally isn’t long or in-depth enough for me. Everyone is different, but this is just my perspective.
Improve my writing
There has definitely been an improvement in my writing skills since I’ve started reading more. I don’t think it matters what medium you use, but exposing yourself to language and literature will ultimately influence your own style. I have the advantage that I read a wide variety of books and I think each has played their part in shaping my own narrative voice. It’s something we use everyday(even without having a blog or a hobby that involves writing), so everyone can benefit!
It’s a reasonably accessible hobby
With a lot of places having access to libraries, and even a plethora of free or discounted literature online, most have the potential to access a book. Given that there are so many great things that reading can teach us, the accessibility means that there is no reason that someone couldn’t expose themselves to these benefits. For the most part.
Of course there are exceptions. I am writing this as someone who had access to education and can borrow books from the library, download them from the Internet or even walk into one of many local bookshops nearby. Not everybody will have these things. Even so, where there may not be a range of books available I feel sure that at least something will be available to a lot of people.
You can read anywhere!
Okay, so it’s probably unacceptable to read a chapter during a team meeting at work or such like. But, you don’t have to wait until the following evening to watch the next episode of that series your bingeing. Books are so portable and they can be read pretty much anywhere. At home, at work or travelling. The birth of e-readers has made reading even more flexible. I remember the times when I used to take three or four physical books on holiday in my suitcase for a week or ten days. In my later teenage years I was able to read George R. R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons on holiday without exceeding my luggage allowance; thanks to the birth of the e-reader! My entire downloaded library was in my hand at any given time. I had so much freedom and access to what I wanted to read that I didn’t particularly have to plan in advance what I was taking with me.
Reading doesn’t have to be done in blocks of time; if it suits you you could easily read 10 or 15 minutes at once. Turn on a regular basis and you could easily get through a book. If snatching that time works best in your lunch hour or whilst you’re on the go then you can absolutely do that.
These are just my top ten reasons why I love reading, and I would love to hear yours! Please let me know in the comments!
Good evening everyone and welcome to today’s Sunday Summary post. This is my first in a couple of weeks because my sister was finally able to come and visit us back home for the first time in 16 months due to the pandemic. She went home last Sunday, however as I had been spending the week with her and the rest of my family, I didn’t get anything done in the way of reading at all! I didn’t feel that warranted a Sunday summary update, both for me in terms of writing it and also for you reading it. However, I’m back now and I have plenty to share with you from this week!
This week has been back to normal, and so I’ve shared two posts with you so far. My first post went live on Wednesday and I shared my 2021 Half-Year Review, looking at my current reading progress as well as my goals for the next six months. Then on Friday, I shared my next Shelf Control post. This week’s featured book is one I am looking forward to trying. It’s been on my list for quite some time and it has a unique premise.
Books Read
In my 2021 Half Year Review post, I told you that I was setting myself a goal of getting back into reading a bit more regularly. You’ll probably know that I haven’t set myself any particular reading goals this year. That’s because I wanted to give myself a bit of a break and some breathing space to catch up with some books on my TBR, but without burning out. Last year was a very busy year for me and I felt like the break was needed. However, having enjoyed the last six months I feel it’s now time to start building the frequency I pick up reading back up.
This week has been no exception; there is no time like the present after all. At the beginning of the week, I finished reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I didn’t have very long left at all (around about an hour’s worth of reading time if I remember correctly) and I enjoyed concluding this book. Having watched the series, I knew how it ended. It didn’t impact my enjoyment at all and I will be continuing the series.
I also picked up reading for a second time this week today. This morning I started to read Clarissa by Karl Drinkwater and already I am over halfway through this short story. It’s part of the ‘Lost Tales of Solace’ series and I’m taking part in a blog tour for this book later this month. For the most part, I’m not signing up for too many tours this year. However, having read a couple of other short stories in this series already, and also having been given copies of the main series in exchange for honest reviews (to follow), I was interested in featuring this particular author again. I am a huge fan of this series so far. My kindle reading time says I only have around 40 minutes of reading left to finish this book. I’m hoping to do that within the next day or so.
In addition to reading, I’ve also made a lot of progress listening to A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin this week. If memory serves as to where I was up to, I think I’ve listened to around 4 to 5 hours this week alone! I haven’t made that much progress for quite a while. I’ve taken to listening to it whilst working on a jumper I’m knitting at the moment; the pattern is quite straightforward right now so I can focus on both at the same time. As of the time of writing this Sunday Summary update, I only have around seven hours of the audiobook left. With the end in sight, I’m hoping to keep up progress and that I can get to the end shortly.
Books Discovered
I received a recommendation in the last couple of days from one of my friends at work. Her sister is quite an avid reader from what I have gathered, and she recommended to my friend a book called the Lido by Libby Page. I quite liked the sound of the book and I have looked into it on Goodreads. I’m interested in giving it a go. I think it’s a bit more lighthearted and contemporary than I would necessarily go for, but given that my friend’s sister doesn’t recommend books very often, and my friend takes note when she does… so do I, because I trust her opinion entirely!
Coming Up…
I really like this week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme, Which is Reasons I Love Reading. I’m fairly sure I can come up with more than ten, so I think I have plenty to share with you in this post!
When I planned to do a half-year review last week, I didn’t really cross my mind that I hadn’t done a monthly wrap up for June yet. I’m also going to make good on that error this week!
I will also be sharing a First Lines Friday post at the end of this working week and then last, but not least, I’ll round off the week with another Sunday summary update post.
That is plenty to look forward to over the next coming week! That’s all from me for today however, so have a great week and I look forward to seeing you in the next one!
Hi everyone and welcome to today’s Shelf Control post! Shelf Control is a regular feature here on Reviewsfeed and is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!
For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out Lisa’s introductory post.
I like to take this opportunity to have a look at the books on my TBR, in order, to share with you why I’m interested in them. It’s also to filter out any I no longer want to read too. A lot of the older books on my list were added a good number of years ago, so I have filtered a few out since starting the series.
This week‘s featured book has been on my TBR since July 2017 and having read the synopsis again, I really can’t wait to see if I love this book as much as I think I’m going to. It has a really unique premise and it’s unlike anything I have seen before.
Read on to find out about the book!
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
My Thoughts….
I really like the concept of this story. It’s unusual and unique and I’m hoping I really get on with a slightly different style of narrative. Having read some reviews, this seems to be a love it or hate it book. I for one am optimistic that I will enjoy this one and I hope to be picking it up before too long.
From the synopsis and the reviews, I’m not really sure what kind of genre this fits into. It doesn’t seem to fit too well into horror, despite what the synopsis makes you believe. But I don’t know where else it would sit. I suppose in a way that can be seen as a good thing. It’s a way of diversifying and reading something new – which I’m always keen to do.
Have you read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children? What did you make of it if so?
Hello everyone and welcome to today’s 2021 half-year review of my reading progress! I appreciate I’ve been a little quiet over the last week and a half. I have been taking time to spend with my family, in particular my sister who has recently visited the island for the first time in 16 months. Previously she has been unable to due to Covid restrictions.
Somehow, we are at the halfway point in the year. Where the heck has that gone? Regardless of how quickly it seems to have flown, I feel like now is a good time to take a look at my reading progress over the year and review what I would like to do over the next six months.
Half Year Progress
This year is a little peculiar in that I have decided not to set myself a reading goal this year. If you want to find out all the reasons for that, you can find that in my 2021 Reading Resolutions / Goals post. Ultimately, the decision was taken to give me a little bit of breathing room and take a step back, without burning out or dropping everything completely. Naturally, I haven’t read as much as I have in previous years. However, I have been taking the time to engage in more hobbies and learn new things… and I’ve enjoyed doing that!
The other decision I made at the beginning of the year was to read almost exclusively off my TBR. At the beginning of the year, this list was around 200 books long, just over. That is a lot of planned reading and without taking the time to dedicate to this list, I was never going to stand a chance of getting through it! Even now the progress I have made doesn’t seem huge, but it is going in the right direction and I’ll take that as a win! Whilst I haven’t cleared too much off the list, I have been adding to it as well as reading books off it… So I can’t complain too much!
In the last six months, I have read 10 books. To recap, these are the books I have read so far this year: –
This is a lot less than previous years, and part of me is comparing myself to that standard and saying that this isn’t very much. But, another part of me is saying “hang on, this is more than most people read in a year!” Given that my goal for this year was to step back and enjoy some more downtime, I suppose it is better to measure my success by that. I have enjoyed having more time, as well as having the freedom to choose what books I want to read and when. I pick up and read when I want to and not because I feel obliged to.
It’s important to remember that being a successful reader isn’t about the number of books you read. Despite not having read as many this year, I have no lack of content for my blog and it’s given me a little bit of a chance to catch up with the backlog of book reviews. So yes, I’m running at a slight deficit but at the moment that suits me just fine.
Next Half Year Plans
To get that happy medium of reading enough books for content I will probably have to read a little bit more than I am currently, but not too much. I don’t have to read 72 books (my personal-best) to be a successful reader and blogger. I have a blog. I post on it regularly and most importantly of all, I enjoy doing it. Taking the step back has reminded me why I started to do it in the first place – for the love of books and reading. Stats don’t matter. Whether you agree with that or not is entirely up to you. But I stand by that decision and I’m glad that I made that choice at the beginning of the year.
That said, I do want to start reading a little bit more again. I’m never going to push myself to beat my personal best for the stats or bragging rights. That’s a lot of books to read and whilst I enjoyed it at the time, I have definitely come to appreciate the other things I get involved in and having a variety of hobbies at once. To achieve that again I would have to give them up, and I’m not prepared to do that. However, I would like to make reading a bit more of a habit again (because at the moment it really is as and when I fancy). I would like to be a bit more up to speed ready for the beginning of next year and so this is the perfect time to ease myself back in.
At the moment I’m probably picking up a book once a week on average, and maybe listening to an audiobook on a separate occasion – also maybe once a week. Rather than try to boost my reading based on the number of books read, I am instead going to set myself a goal to pick up reading more than one night a week. It doesn’t have to be for very long necessarily, but I want the regularity back, and I think this is the right way to do it. If I happen to read more books by doing that then that’s great, but equally if I end up reading the same number of books (perhaps because I’ve chosen some chunky ones to get through) that’s also fine by me.
So, here is my 2021 Half Year Review and my plans for the next six months. What have you been reading this year?
Good evening everyone and welcome to today’s Sunday Summary post. I hope you’ve had a very good week, as I have! I also have a week off work to look forward to, so I am a very happy bunny right now. Not only that, but my sister is on island visiting for the first time in 16 months – nothing can pop my happy bubble right now!
My first blog post of the week was a Top Ten Tuesday post; the subject of that post is all about my Summer 2021 TBR. As I am taking a bit more of a relaxed pace with reading this year, that top ten list was the books that I will be picking my Summer TBR from, rather than my reading the whole list, if that makes sense.
Then, yesterday I took part in a blog tour for The Five Things by Beth Merwood. For the tour I shared an extract from the book. If you haven’t checked that out already I would really appreciate if you could go and do so!
Books Read
I picked up and read some of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo earlier this week, but I confess I haven’t picked it up since. When I drafted last week’s Sunday Summary post I mentally set myself a goal to finish this one this week. That hasn’t come to pass, however I am now 80% through the book and the remaining 20% will only take me around an hour to finish (according to my kindle reading time). Depending on when I pack up to go to bed tonight, I might take this with me and try to finish it. If not I certainly intend to finish it early next week!
Books Discovered
When it comes to my TBR, no news is good news! I haven’t added anything new this week!
Coming Up…
With my sister being over for the next week, I’m actually going to take a short break from blogging, with the exception of next week’s Sunday Summary post. Thankfully I’m all caught up with blog tours for the moment, so That all worked out nicely. I will be back though for next week’s Sunday Summary and then as usual the following week!
Hello everyone and welcome to today’s blog tour post for The Five Things by Beth Merwood. I’m excited to be taking part in the tour and for today’s post, I have an extract to share with you. As always, a huge thank you to Beth and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the tour and inviting me to take part.
I really hope you enjoy today’s exclusive extract. This chapter appears as any normal typical childhood would, and in the context of the book we know that something is going to happen very shortly to these characters. The scene seems very innocent and so I can’t help but wonder what happens next! Of course we’ll have to read the book to find out, but for now, here is today’s extract!
Exclusive excerpt from The Five Things by Beth Merwood
The Five Things is set in 1969 in rural England. The following excerpt is from an early scene and finds the key characters in their favourite place, playing a game during the carefree days of the school summer holiday. Soon a terrible event will interrupt their world.
Tommy had us lying on our backs in the grass at the far side of the upper field. It was really just a game of hide and seek that he’d slightly embellished.
“Count to a hundred,” he said, and we heard him running off.
We had to lie on our backs so that he knew we would keep our eyes shut. The sun was blazing down, and I put my arm over my face because it was so bright it seemed it could burn right through my eyelids.
Anna, Naomi, Sam, and I were all there.
Sam was moaning. “I’m so hot.”
“Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six…” Anna counted.
“I feel weird,” I said.
Naomi never said very much. She was joining in the game, though, so that was something.
“Fifty-one, fifty, forty-eight,” Anna said.
“Fif-ifty-fi-i-ive, fiiiiiifteeee-siiiiix, fty-svn,” said Sam. He was saying the numbers slowly, or quickly, or in a funny voice to make it more interesting.
Anna started to giggle. It’s hard to stop giggling when you’re lying on your back, and soon we were all giggling, and no one was counting. Sam stood up.
“Give it a bit longer, then we’ll go and search,” he said.”
We waited. He lay down again. I was trying to look at him through gaps in my fingers without being blinded.
“One hundred!” Naomi said. We weren’t sure if she was guessing or if she’d continued counting the whole time.
We got up and headed to the wood to hunt for Tommy. Anna said we had to split up. I was sent on the normal path, while Sam was to go to the left of the path and Anna to the right of the path. Naomi was to walk round the outside of the wood looking in. I had the easiest route, but I was finding it hard to adjust my eyes after coming out of the sunlight, and I felt dizzy. It seemed so dark, but it was lovely and cool. A piece
of ivy, hanging down, brushed my bare shoulder and made me jump. Then, as I climbed over the fallen tree, I thought I spotted something moving. I sat on the trunk for a while, watching and listening. All I could hear was the sound of the others in the undergrowth, the swishing sounds as they thrashed their way through. I went on. Eventually, I thought I’d been in the wood long enough and came out the other side without finding Tommy. I headed back to where we’d been sitting. As I walked round, I saw Tommy and Naomi lounging on the grass in full view. Tommy put his finger to his lips to silence me. I strode over.
“You’re supposed to be hiding,” I whispered loudly.
He whispered back, “I waited until I saw you all come into the wood, and then I came back here.”
“Tommy, that’s cheating!” I told him. Naomi probably knew he would do something like that.
He shrugged.
“Well, the others won’t be too pleased, they’re searching high and low for you.”
“Shhhhh…” he said.
The others were anything but pleased when they finally returned. In fact, they told Naomi and me we were as much to blame because we hadn’t called off the hunt. Sam had torn his T-shirt, and both Sam and Anna had been scratched by brambles and stung by nettles.
“You’re in for it this time, squirt,” Sam said.
“Little brothers can be very annoying,” Naomi confirmed.”
For nine-year-old Wendy, the summer of 1969 will never be forgotten.
Local kids have always told stories about the eerie wood on the outskirts of the village, and Wendy knows for sure that some of them are true. Now the school holidays have started and she’s going to the wood again with Anna and Sam, but they soon become convinced that someone is trying to frighten them off.
When a terrible event rocks the coastal community, the young friends can’t help thinking there must be a connection between the incident, the tales they’ve heard, and the strange happenings they’ve begun to witness. As glimpses of a darker world threaten their carefree existence, they feel compelled to search out the underlying truth.
Hello everyone and welcome to today’s Top Ten Tuesday post! Today’s subject is all about my Summer TBR. For those of you who read my blog regularly, you will know that I have taken a bit of a step back with reading this year. I don’t particularly anticipate getting through ten reads throughout summer, but I will certainly do the best I can!
Therefore, this list is going to be the books that I will choose my TBR from, rather than a definitive list of ALL the books I’m going to read in summer.
Does that make sense? I certainly hope so… But without further ado let’s get into the books on my list!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling
I’ve been re-reading the Harry Potter series this year and this is the next instalment on my list. I recently finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I really enjoyed that one, and I love that the books are starting to get a bit chunkier! I love a big book and I’m excited that some of the grittier aspects of Harry Potter are going to start creeping in soon. I can’t wait to pick this up!
Clarissa – Karl Drinkwater
This book is definitely going to be read very shortly as I am reviewing it for an upcoming blog tour next month. These are only short stories in a universe I’m already familiar with, having read other shorts in the series. I’m looking forward to seeing how this one compares and I have no doubt that I will enjoy it!
Ruabon – Karl Drinkwater
As with Clarissa, I am also reviewing the second short story around a week later than the first one. So, again, I will be reading this very very soon!
Dune – Frank Herbert
I intended to pick up Dune earlier this year, however, for one reason or another, it didn’t come to pass. I am determined to pick this up properly though, and so I imagine this will be among the next few books I decide to read.
Red Sister – Mark Lawrence
It has been several years since I read a book by Mark Lawrence, however, I really enjoyed his Broken Empire series when I was a teenager! So, as I’m sure you can imagine, I’m really looking forward to trying something new of his and seeing if it lives up to my recollection of The Broken Empire trilogy.
The Talisman – Stephen King & Peter Straub
I haven’t picked up a Stephen King book for a little while, and this is the oldest one on my TBR. It’s my mission to get through some of the oldest books on my list this year and so this one is definitely in scope. I’m reading The Dark Tower series at the moment and I love how Stephen King dabbles in a little bit of fantasy. This is completely different, to the best of my knowledge, but I’m willing to give anything a go…
The Feedback Loop – Harmon Cooper
The Feedback Loop is another reasonably old item on my TBR. Given that I’m really enjoying more in the way of science fiction at the moment, this is definitely one to consider picking up soon. I think it’s quite a short one compared to my typical average, so it shouldn’t take too long to read once I do pick it up.
The Keeper of Lost Things – Ruth Hogan
The Keeper of Lost Things is a lot more contemporary than I typically pick up, however, I love the premise. As a sentimental person, I can see the appeal of the book and the narrative! With this one I was wanting to push my boundaries and try to read something new… so I hope I can get round to this before too long!
Hild- Nicola Griffith
It feels like an absolute age since I read a historical fiction novel. I’d say it’s my go-to genre that I haven’t picked up the longest. I’ve definitely been reading more in the way of science fiction and fantasy instead. With that in mind, I’m looking forward to getting back into historical fiction as it is one of my favourite genres. Having taken the break, I think reading Hild will be refreshing.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck – Mark Manson
A summer TBR isn’t complete without a dash of humour, and this is what I expect and more from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. I read a similar book recently, which blended psychology and humour. This also dabbles in a bit of self-help, which isn’t something I read much of, but I think this appeals to me for a lot of reasons!
Not giving a **** sounds like a plan to me!
So, there you have my Summer TBR (or at least the books I will be choosing my Summer TBR from). Have you read any of these books? Do you have any recommendations? Please let me know in the comments!
Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s Sunday Summary regular update post. I hope you have had a wonderful week whatever you have been doing! In addition to blogging, I have spent mine reading, knitting and even enjoying some of the new features in the recent Minecraft update.
My first blog post of the week was a book review of Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. I find that I am getting more and more into science-fiction novels, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint! I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book as well. If you haven’t checked out that review already, please find a handy link above.
Yesterday I took part in a blog tour for Preacher Boy by Gwyn GB. Mine was one of the last stops on the tour and my feature post was a promo of the book, together with links from some of my favourite reviews from other bloggers taking part in the tour. I would really appreciate if you go and check out that post as well!
Books Read
This week I have been making more progress with Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. As of last week’s Sunday Summary update post, I was 25% through the book. Whilst I thought that was okay progress, it certainly wasn’t groundbreaking. This week is pretty similar, given that I’ve only really picked this up one night this week. However, I am now at 60%, so I’ll take that as a win because I’ve read more than last week! I’m really enjoying this book and whilst it’s a lot faster paced than the TV series, I still think it’s really good.
I have also enjoyed listening to a couple more chapters of A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin this week. Sometimes when I’m knitting I like to listen to music or have something easy to watch on TV. However, this week, I’ve enjoyed picking up this audiobook instead. The part of the pattern I’m working on now is very easy and so I can focus my concentration on the audiobook a lot more. And if you know George R. R. Martin, you know that’s required… if I had to describe the series, the words ‘easy listening’ would not be uttered!
Books Discovered
This week I have an addition to my TBR – a book I added today, in fact. Having talked about and reviewed This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay, my mum has picked up the book. We were talking about this today when I went round to visit and my dad told me about a similar book he has on his kindle. Much like This is Going to Hurt, the chapters in Blood, Sweat and Tea are short and sweet. Instead of a hospital ward, they feature the ‘adventures’ of paramedics in the ambulance service.
Coming Up…
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday post is all about books on our Summer 2021 TBR. Whilst my reading list is significantly shorter than last year, and certainly not concrete, I’ll be using this post to take a look at the books I will likely be choosing my Summer 2021 TBR from.
On Saturday I am taking part in another blog tour… and my last one currently scheduled. The blog tour is for The Five Things by Beth Merwood and as part of the tour, I will be sharing an extract of the book with you. I really hope you can stop by and take a look at that one.
That’s all from me in today’s Sunday Summary update post. What are you reading?
Hello everyone and welcome to today’s promo post for Preacher Boy by Gwyn GB. As always, it is a pleasure to be taking part in today’s tour schedule. I’d like to take the opportunity to say thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources and to the author for giving me the chance to take part!
I really like the sound of Preacher Boy. Were it not for my commitment to reading pretty much all books from my TBR this year, this would definitely be on my list to review! From the synopsis, the narrative sounds intense and I really like the psychological element. I read something that sounded similarly dark last year and it became one of my top reads of the year. If you haven’t heard about the book, and want to find out more, you can do so below.
Preacher Boy: first in the Dr Harrison Lane series – Gwyn GB
Dr Harrison Lane is everything you wouldn’t expect from a man with a psychology doctorate. For victims, he’s everything they need.
They look, but they don’t see…
As Head of the Metropolitan Police’s Ritualistic Behavioural Crimes Unit, Dr Harrison Lane knows his Voodoo from his Aum Shinrikyo and a Satanist from a Shaman.
Harrison had an unusual childhood, raised by a bohemian mother and one of the native American Shadow Wolves – the elite tracking squad that works with US Drug enforcers. After his mother’s murder, he dedicated his life to tracking down those who hide behind spiritualism and religion to do evil.
Following the discovery of a missing boy’s body in what looks like a Satanic killing, Harrison is called in to help detectives. When a second boy is snatched, it becomes a race against time to save him and sees Harrison come face-to-face with some dark secrets from his own childhood.
Preacher Boy is the first book in a gripping new crime mystery series from Amazon Top 20 bestselling author, Gwyn GB. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk, J.R. Ellis, J M Dalgliesh, Rachel Abbott, Joy Ellis and David Blake.
If you really like the sound of the synopsis and want to find out more, I would encourage you to check out some of the reviews that have been shared as part of this blog tour. Some of my favourites are: –
Gwyn is an Amazon Top 20 bestselling author. She’s a former UK national TV newscaster and presenter, and journalist for national newspapers and magazines. Gwyn became a journalist because all she wanted to do was write and has finally realised her dream of being a full-time fiction author.
Born in the UK, Gwyn now lives in the Channel Islands with her family, including a rescue dog and 17-year-old goldfish.
Gwyn launched her debut novel, Islands as Gwyn Garfield-Bennett in 2016, the romantic suspense book rose quickly into the Amazon top 20. Her first crime mystery series, featuring DI Falle, launched with Lonely Hearts in 2017.
You can find out more about Gwyn at www.gwyngb.com
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Beth Merwood is from the south of England. The Five Things is her debut novel.
Gwyn is an Amazon Top 20 bestselling author. She’s a former UK national TV newscaster and presenter, and journalist for national newspapers and magazines. Gwyn became a journalist because all she wanted to do was write and has finally realised her dream of being a full-time fiction author. 
