Happy Sunday folks! I’m a very tired gal here posting today’s Sunday Summary. I’ve had a busy weekend as I’ve just been on holiday to London for a few days. I took my boyfriend to see Palaye Royale, and whilst we were in town we saw The Lion King and went sightseeing.
So, please bear with me for this post.
I planned to share two posts with you this week before we got to today. However, drafting my monthly TBR proved more difficult as we were out and about a lot and back late both evenings.
Whilst travelling this weekend I finally finished The Squiggly Career. As of my last Sunday Summary I was still at the 60% mark. The benefit of spending a couple of hours on planes this week has been that I’ve had the reading time to finish the book.
The Squiggly Career has given me plenty of food for thought even though I haven’t done the exercises in it yet. It’s also given me the space to decide on next steps and progression ideas for myself.
I’ll be working on the exercises periodically for my development and it’s absolutely a book I’ll go back to time and again!
Books Discovered
I’ve been good when it comes to books again this week, although I was tempted at the airport. Thank goodness I didn’t have the bag space.
Coming Up…
Tomorrow I don’t have much planned, other than sleep, rest, and chill after London 😂 It’s been a shock to the system doing between 15,000-17,000 steps a day, that’s for sure! So, hopefully I’ll get my TBR post finished and in the public domain for you.
Otherwise, priority now goes to my exam on Wednesday. I’ll be back after that with a Friday feature I’ve not done for a while – Shelf Control. If you recall, in my Shelf Control posts I take a look at my TBR and share with you the books I plan to pick up in the near future.
That’s all from me in this Sunday Summary. It’s pretty short and sweet, but I don’t have a lot of updates and I’m looking forward to going to bed 😂
Have a great week and I’ll see you in next (longer and more detailed) post!
I’m back with my penultimate monthly wrap-up post to be published this side of the end of the year. It’s crazy how fast this year is flying by!
I’ve accepted that I’m not going to achieve all my reading goals this year, and that’s okay. I’m having fun with the books I have picked up and reading is still a habit I get to enjoy as part of daily life.
Shall we take a look at what books I picked up in October? If you want a reminder, here were the books on my TBR.
Books Read
Defiant
Defiant is still an ongoing listen in this monthly wrap-up post. I featured it in last month’s post and shared that I was a third of the way through the audio.
Admittedly, I have only listened to an hour of the audio over the month of October. It’s pretty poor progress, but I’ve not really been in the mood for it. As well, I’ve been prioritising studying for an exam and so all my reading has suffered a little until that’s done.
Defiant is still very much on my current reads list and I hope to have more to share with you next month!
The Rosie Project
As of my last monthly wrap-up post, I had barely started The Rosie Project. I read that book for our book club meet in October. Naturally, I had to put my skates on to finish it!
Overall my experience of The Rosie Project was okay. It didn’t quite live up to expectations on the humour side of things. Equally though, for a book from a genre I don’t really pick up myself, it was perfectly readable.
In terms of rating, it got a straight down the middle assessment of three stars.
The Outsider
I wanted to lean into spooky season and pick up a couple of thrillers or horrors this month. The first I completed was The Outsider.
Whilst also perfectly readable, I did hope for a different conclusion to this book. Given it’s written by King I really shouldn’t have been surprised it ended the way it did. Even still, I enjoyed the read and taking the chance to pick up this kind of book when the nights are drawing in!
The Squiggly Career
Taking a completely different tack, I picked up a very non-seasonal non-fiction next. Having read You Coach You in the past, I knew I wanted to read The Squiggly Career pretty soon.
It came at a good time actually. Whilst I’m still not finished with the book as at the end of the month, I read it in good time for a conversation I had at work recently. It helped remind me of what my values are at a time when I could have been steered away from them.
I’ll have more to share on this book very soon, as I’m hoping to finish this by the end of this week.
Carrie
The last book I made any degree of progress on in October is Carrie by Stephen King. I wanted to pick up an iconic King novel around Halloween.
As of drafting this post I’m still progressing with the book. I’ve got just over half the book to read, but it’s only 240 odd pages. It won’t take me long!
I’m of two minds about the book so far and how it’s going to go. I’m not a fan of the descriptors used for Carrie, likening her to a cow. However, I’m not going to let it spoil my enjoyment of the storyline. We’ll see how it progresses.
Summary
Overall, I’ve not had a bad month of reading. Naturally the page count is a little down whilst I’m required to do some serious reading for my exam. However, I’m looking forward to that all being done with so I can get back to my blog and reading with enthusiasm soon!
Happy Sunday gang – I’m here for my usual Sunday Summary update and I’m looking forward to updating you on my week’s progress.
In last week’s Sunday Summary I had to admit that my review for Dear Child wasn’t ready to share and so I didn’t post midweek as I usually would. However, this week I have better news; I got the review to a place where I was happy to share it… and it went live on Wednesday.
Books Read
The Squiggly Career
In my last Sunday Summary update I left off at 144 pages (60%) into The Squiggly Career. Whilst I had hoped to finish the book, I ended up reading more of Carrie in the downtime I had.
As I’ve shared here before, I’m studying for an exam. As of writing this post, that exam is only 10 days away. Naturally, I’ve been ramping up the revision efforts and so reading has fallen off a little. If not for that, I’d have picked up more than the handful of pages I managed this week.
So, no major completion news to share as I hoped, but fingers crossed I can share that with you in my next update instead!
Carrie
I’m my monthly TBR I shared that I wanted to read Carrie around Halloween. Well, with that goal in mind I picked up this book this week.
I’m enjoying it so far and I’m currently 108 pages into it. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the negative descriptions of her character. Carrie is hardly painted in the best of lights. However, I suppose that may well have a part to play in what comes later. I’m not that far in yet, so we’ll see. Maybe that’ll be easier for us to make judgements on her character.
Books Discovered
Although I went into at least two shops selling books today, I’ve behaved guys. My straining bookshelves breathe a sigh of relief.
I have added a book to my reading list to get a copy of at a future date though. I’ve read a few Peter Gibbons’s books so far, and another series of his has been half on my radar. I just so happened to see an advert for an upcoming sequel (Odin’s Fury) and it looks like it has a local connection! That caught my eye and expedited the series landing on my ‘to-read’ list.
Coming Up…
It’s not really ideal timing with my exam coming up, but we’re in the beginning of November already! That means I need to share my monthly wrap-up for October ASAP and my TBR for November.
I’ll get both of these posts out to you during the week, and then I’ll return with a Sunday Summary at the usual time.
Thanks for sticking with me in today’s Sunday Summary! Enjoy what’s left of your weekend and I’ll see you around!
If you’re looking for a seasonal spooky read to pick up soon, I have a good recommendation featured in today’s book review. I read Dear Child in November 2022. With the nights drawing in, it’s the perfect time to settle into reads most sinister in nature…
Dear Child is German author Romy Hausmann’s debut, and it is a great book. I really enjoyed reading this one and I’m looking forward to selling it to you in the best way I can!
A windowless shack in the woods. Lena’s life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them.
One day Lena manages to flee – but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called ‘Lena’, who disappeared without a trace over thirteen years ago. The police and Lena’s family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle that doesn’t quite seem to fit.
My Thoughts
Plot
With plenty of storyline to cover in just 340 short pages, there is a lot going on in this book. It’s full of revelations about the mystery behind the storyline. At the same time, there is no info dumping. We’re engaged in the story from the first page, and all throughout.
I enjoyed the pacing of it too – the unveilings come throughout the novel rather than leaving it all to the end. It certainly kept me reading on, and I’m sure it will for you too! If you enjoy books that keep you guessing… well you guessed it – pick it up!
It’s hard to talk about the plot without giving anything away. I deliberately don’t want to do that here and spoil it for you… so I’m not!
Characters
From the beginning I was intrigued by the characters, dynamic and mystery behind their real identity. Are they who we think they are? That’s uncovered in the story and not something I’m going to spoil here though. What I will say is that it was an interesting conundrum as part of the narrative. I’ll leave you to fill in the blanks.
When I read psychological thrillers I often find myself ‘testing’ the narrative point of view to decide if I trust it or not. I had a field day doing this when reading Dear Child, so if that’s something you enjoy then this will appeal to you.
The book is split into three very different perspectives. I much prefer multi-perspective books myself so it appealed to me. One of the perspectives is also told by a child, Hannah. It’s not a common perspective we get a naturally, it gave me plenty of scope for testing her viewpoint. Does her naivety impact her perspective?
Setting
Events in a number of chapters take place in the cabin in the woods – an isolated and controlled environment where Lena and her family are held captive. No windows. No contact with the outside world beyond their captor. Their daily routines are controlled by him rigorously. It’s not hard to imagine the abuse that has taken place there.
The trauma both Lena and her children display are the consequences of their predicament. Whilst it’s not too graphic, there is clearly a lot that has taken place behind the scenes already so it’s still for a more mature reader.
The contrast between the real world and that setting are in stark contrast with one another, yet realistic in both cases!
Narrative Style
Dear Child is written in such a way that ‘just one more chapter’ will become a common thought. You won’t want to put it down! Combine that with the plot elements I mentioned earlier and you can see why I read this book in less than a week.
The intensity of the storyline and the way in which the story draws us readers in is incredible. Sometimes this can get literally lost in translation. However, in the case of Dear Child I wouldn’t say that is true at all!
Dear Child is an approachable narrative in terms of style and length. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend it to younger readers based on the content, in terms of style it’s suitable for anyone. It’s easy to read and digestible… and not a long book either.
Summary
Dear Child is a gripping thriller that I really enjoyed! With a twisty plot encapsulated in an approachable page count, it’s an ideal read for everyone to try this spooky season!
Good evening folks and welcome to another Sunday Summary from yours truly! I’ve got a little more to share with you in the way of reading progress this week, so let’s get to it!
Before that though, I usually take the chance to share the blog posts I’ve shared earlier in the week. However, this week, despite planning a book review, there isn’t one. Admittedly, I started drafting the review but wasn’t happy it was in a good enough state to publish. Therefore I made the decision to put a hold on it whilst I improved it.
Books Read
The Outsider
As of last week’s Sunday Summary post I had around 170 pages left before completing The Outsider.
I did so quite quickly actually – partly because Monday evening was spent restoring my phone. It took a good few hours and I couldn’t do much else. I got so close to the end that there was no way I was putting the book down.
As I suspected, the book took a supernatural route to the conclusion where my own preference would have been for a logical one. But, it’s Steven King so what did I expect?
Still, I enjoyed the book overall. It’s not what I expected for the premise either, but it’s good to be kept on your toes.
The Squiggly Career
Next, I picked up a non-seasonal read for a break. The Squiggly Career is quite a short read and a nice, digestible format. As such, as of this Sunday Summary I’m already 144 pages (60%) in.
I’m reading this now with a view to completing the exercises over time to see how my perspective and progression changes. Already I’ve found it useful in getting to understand what I value about work, what my skills are etc.
My aim is to finish this in the next couple of days; I’ll give you an update this time next week and let you know if I achieved that.
The Eye of the World
I fancied picking up a mood read, so this week I started The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. This is the second attempt at this book; I originally started it a few years ago but I was struggling with long books at the time. Now I’m in a much better frame of mind to take on a long epic – and a good job too! This is a long series, but one I’m looking forward to reading.
I’m just a few chapters in so far, but this is one you’ll see more progress on in the near future. So, stay tuned!
Books Discovered
Thankfully, I have no new bookish additions to share this week. I think I’ve had enough lately… don’t you agree?
Coming Up…
I’m revisiting my review of Dear Child this week and hoping to get it finished and published by midweek. At least I have a solid foundation down, so I’m optimistic for better luck this time! Given we’re celebrating Halloween (or Hop Tu Naa) later this week, I want to share this seasonal read whilst it’s relevant!
Then, I’m back with a Sunday Summary next weekend as usual. Find out what I’m reading next week in that post!
Until then, have a fabulous weekend and I’ll see you again very soon!
In today’s Sunday Summary post I’ll update you on the books I’ve read, some I bought, andas well, what I’ve got planned for next week. Make yourself comfortable and we’ll dive in!
As always, before I get into what I’ve read this week, here’s a cheeky recap of what else I’ve shared on the blog. If you didn’t see my Top Ten* Tuesday post, this week’s theme was books assigned at school. Guys, I couldn’t even recall a full list of ten. I only scraped together six, so it’s a nice short read. Go on, give it a quick look if you haven’t already and tell me if you read any of them.
Books Read
The Outsider
I started off this week with 100 pages of progress into The Outsider. Considering I’ve been off work this week, I’ve not read a whole lot.
As of this Sunday Summary post, I can share a couple of hundred pages of progress with the book. I’m not sure what to make of it at the moment. A supernatural element to the storyline isn’t out of the realms of King’s writing, but I’m not sure what I think of it here. Secretly I’m hoping for a logical explanation for the murder and why there is proof of the accused being in two places at once. That would be a more clever ending in my opinion.
I’ll keep reading along and update you on progress in next week’s Sunday Summary post.
Books Discovered
I said last week I’d be mortified if I had more books to share. Good job I feel no such qualms this week, because I had a sneaky look in Waterstones yesterday. Well, what were the odds of me coming out empty handed? Slim to none. Clearly.
The first book is a copy of Carrie, which I intend to pick up later this month. I also own a good few King books now as physical copies. He’s an author I’ll almost auto-buy at this point.
Secondly, I got a copy of All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It’s a book I’ve looked at several times, both online and a couple of times in store. This time I decided to commit and get it! I’m tempted to propose this book to the work book club next time it’s my turn. I’ll have to see how folks feel about the page count though!
Lastly, I picked up something I first started looking for in July (in Liverpool) as something new to try. Death Note is a manga novel, so completely out of my comfort zone, but with an interesting premise. I’ve heard great reviews and particularly school friends of mine love it. So, why not give it a go?
Coming Up…
My midweek post coming up is a review that’s seasonal. If you are looking for a book that fits into the horror and thriller genres, Dear Child might just be for you. I’ll share my thoughts in a few days time on why I think you should pick it up!
Finally, I’ll return with a Sunday Summary this time next week. I’ll still be studying for my upcoming exam, but I made the big push I wanted this week. So, I’m hoping to finish The Outsider and start my next read.
Until the next one, I hope you enjoyed today’s Sunday Summary and I’ll see you around!
When I decided to share today’s Top Ten Tuesday last Sunday, I thought the topic would be a little easier. Today’s topic is Books I Was Assigned in School. I thought I’d easily think of ten.
Admittedly, in the last two days I’ve only been able to recall six. It probably doesn’t help that I went down the English language route rather than literature. Even so, I have some good classic books to talk about in this post.
Let’s take a look!
Books I Was Assigned at School
Stone Cold
Looking at these in chronological order, I remember reading this when I was about 11-12 years old. It’s a story about a homeless teen who makes a friend who then goes missing.
It’s been a long time since I read this book but I remember enjoying it at the time. At the same time, it’s probably not one I’d go out of my way to read again though…
Frankenstein
Reading and having to analyse books for school goes a long way to contributing to my initial experience. As you’ll see in a lot of these, I didn’t enjoy them first time round. The first of these experiences was reading Frankenstein around age 13.
I was not a fan of Frankenstein in school. In fact, I dreaded picking this up. Picking it apart really killed whatever good there was.
As with a lot of books I read in school, I’ve since read it again as an adult. The experiencewas completely different. Whilst I didn’t 5 star love it, the book got a solid 4 star rating in 2018.
1984
1984 probably has the greatest turnaround of all the books on this list. I hated 1984 in school. I was around 14 at the time and I didn’t enjoy any aspect of it.
However, I read this again as an adult (but pre-blog) so I’m not sure exactly when. The contrast between my school reading experience and that of my own time is a complete 180°. I really enjoyed this book second time around. Honestly, I’d read it again too!
Of Mice and Men
I didn’t enjoy Of Mice and Men when I picked it up for my GCSE studies. I found it quite hard to get into. The book did pick up a little once I’d got so far into it, but I didn’t love it.
In 2017 after re-reading the book as an adult, I gave it 5 stars! It’s fair to say that a degree of maturity with my reading took place in between. That, and I could actually enjoy the book rather than pick apart and overanalyse the narrative to within an inch of its life…
Anthony and Cleopatra
I struggle with Shakespeare. I always have and always will. For that reason I’ve never really taken to any of his works.
I had to study Anthony and Cleopatra for my GCSE’s at school, which wasn’t fun anyway. What didn’t help more is we didn’t have a permanent teacher whilst we were learning it either. I think I scraped by on the assignments and exam for this part of the curriculum, but I didn’t love it.
I have Shakespeare works on my Kindle but I can’t quite psyche myself up to try them again. I’m not convinced, but I guess if I don’t try I’ll never know.
Power and Conflict Poetry
The only other book I remember picking up was a poetry anthology called Power and Conflict. Even then, I don’t think we read all of it but rather cherry-picked poems from it to, you guessed it, analyse.
Broadly I’m not a big fan of poetry, so this isn’t one I’ve gone back to. Neither do I plan on either.
Summary
I’m gutted I could only recall six books for today’s Books I Was Assigned in School post. But, I suppose a shorter post is better than a non-existent one right?
What did you read at school, and what was your experience? Have you re-read any books like I have?
Good evening friends! After a busy week at work, I officially put my out of office on and I’m ready for a week off work! It’s been a while since I last went on leave, and certainly for anything longer than a day. But now, I’m raring to go to share my latest Sunday Summary updates!
In between wrapping up everything for my break, I drafted and shared with you my review of Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb. That went out on Friday, a little later than planned. It was quite a long review though!
Books Read
The Rosie Project
Even though book club postponed the meet for The Rosie Project until this Tuesday, I would have *just* finished reading it in time.
As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I was only 31% in as of publishing my post. I read another third of the book before bed that Sunday night, and I finished it Monday.
It was a fun narrative for me and totally held up by Dom’s humorous lack of social skills. If it weren’t for book club I wouldn’t have picked it up myself. Still, it was an okay read and great to get out of my comfort zone for a little bit.
The Outsider
Taking a completely different tack, I picked up The Outsider after finishing The Rosie Project. It’s the first of two King books I’d like to read this month. As of this Sunday Summary, I’m about 100 pages into the book and intrigued as to where the story could go next.
At the point of the book I’m in, we’ve covered most of what the synopsis alludes to. So really, it could go anywhere from here. Knowing King, there’ll be something up his sleeve. I don’t know what to make of protagonist Terry Maitland yet. Did he commit the crime? I’m not sure. I definitely don’t like how the police are pinning it on him and trying to cut corners, but I’m not sure he’s entirely innocent either.
I can only read on and find out more!
Books Discovered
After last week’s book haul I’d be mortified if I had yet more to share. Thankfully, there are no new additions this week ☺️
Coming Up…
I’m sticking to my two post schedule even though I’m off. I have some plans for my week off, but around those I’ll be studying. I want to get a good block of that done this week.
With this in mind, my first post of the week will be a Top Ten Tuesday post. The topic this week is books I was assigned to read at school. I’ve got six listed already so I need to get my thinking cap on for the rest!
Lastly, I’ll be back with my next Sunday Summary update the same time next week. I’ll let you know how much reading I get done and catch up with you on all other bookish updates!
Until next time, have a great week and happy reading!
Happy Sunday folks and welcome to another Sunday Summary update!
With the beginning of the final quarter of the year, I’ve had a busy week at work. It’s not quite over for me yet, but hopefully I’ll be over the hill in a couple of days time. If nothing else, I certainly will be by the end of the week as I’m then on leave for a week!
Despite being busy at work, there’s been no rest on the blog. This week, I shared my Monthly Wrap-Up post for September on Wednesday. In that post, I recapped reading progress throughout the month. If you haven’t checked that out already, here’s a link so you can!
My Monthly TBR went live on Friday. I have a mixture of seasonal and non-seasonal reads coming up in the next few months, and I’m leaning into spooky season with some thriller and horror novels on the TBR. Want to see what I’ll be reading this month?
Books Read
The Kingdom
I left off after last week’s Sunday Summary post with 45% progress into The Kingdom. This week, I made great progress and finished the book by Monday night.
The Kingdom is a very quick read and I enjoyed the twist at the end. The elements of mixed media also helped the pace along and vary the narrative style for a few chapters.
As a genre, it’s a fun take on a theme park style location. The writing is perhaps aimed at a slightly younger age than myself, but it was a good jaunt into another world for a little while.
The Rosie Project
As well as progressing with The Kingdom, I made it to 31% of The Rosie Project. We’re supposed to be meeting for book club on Tuesday, so I may not finish it in time. We are holding it a week early in fairness as I’m on leave next week. I might see what the consensus is on postponing to the following week when I’m on leave if we need the time. From chats with a couple other members, we might need an extra week with the book anyway…
For a book that’s really not my go-to genre, I’m having a good laugh with it. Don, the protagonist, makes the whole thing for me. Without his character I don’t think I’d be able to stick with it.
Books Discovered
I made the mistake of going for a mooch in The Works today. I bought 5 books! I’ve shared quite a few Sunday Summary posts with no new books, so I obviously felt the need to make up for that…
It’s fair to say that non-fiction books are more on my radar than they ever have been. I’m looking forward to reading each of these. Bonus that they only cost me £20 for the lot!
Coming Up…
I’m back to my two post schedule and revision time after work this week. With this in mind, my plan is to share a book review of Assassin’s Quest midweek.
You can guess what’s coming next, my good old Sunday Summary this time next week. Find out what I’ve made progress with there, and whether The Rosie Project meet goes ahead or is postponed!
Am I likely to finish this October monthly TBR? If the past few months are anything to go by, the answer is no. However, I’m still setting myself the line up regardless!
You may recognise some of the books on this list from my recent Top Ten Tuesday Autumn TBR. Those posts are great ways to look ahead at planned upcoming reads. And, by sharing them publicly I’m held accountable as well.
Let’s take a look at the books I’m picking up this month:-
Fixed Reads
The Rosie Project
I’m currently reading The Rosie Project for our work book club. Currently, that meet is scheduled for next week so I need to get a wriggle on. So far, I’m only 15% or so into the book.
I’m enjoying the perspective of the protagonist so far, but admittedly, this book isn’t what I’d normally pick up for myself. However, the point of book club is to challenge my reading and try something new. I’m going to stick with this book as long as I can, even if that means I don’t finish it ahead of our meet. I’m not too worried about being spoiled for it.
Defiant
Defiant is on my fixed reading list for October because it is currently read that I carried over from September.
I didn’t listen to too much of Defiant last month even though I’m really enjoying the story. I tend to wax and wane with the format. But, I think this is impacted most by the fact that I’m studying for an exam. That said, I’m still going to continue with this book as and where I can. Equally, I won’t put too much pressure on myself if that takes a little longer.
Carrie
I’m including Carrie on my fixed reading list for October because I always try to read a classic around Halloween. I am relatively unaware of the story of Carrie considering how popular it is. I haven’t read the book before and neither have I seen any films on it.
Stephen King is one of my go-tos in the horror genre. It’s not a genre I really love, but there is enough in his writing that has a psychological element rather than just a cheap jump scare. That’s what gets me interested as opposed to basic fear-mongering tactics.
Mood Reads
The Outsider
Another Stephen King book I want to pick up this month, but won’t kick myself if I don’t get to, is The Outsider. I love the premise and I think this will also make a great spooky reading in October.
There is something about crime committed against children that riles people up against the accused. I am sure there is going to be a big element of that in this book, and how much I’m influenced by that remains to be seen.
I’m looking forward to giving it a try!
The Squiggly Career
The last book on this monthly TBR is a non-fiction. In my Autumn TBR post, I shared some non-seasonal reads that I want to pick up in the next few months. One of those is The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis.
I enjoyed reading (listening) to You Coach You earlier this year. After listening to that book, I went on to purchase a physical copy of it so I can refer back to it again. At the same time, I bought The Squiggly Career. I have always believed there is always something new to learn and skills and ways in which I can develop into a better version of myself.
Summary
I have some great, interesting and seasonal spooky reads coming up in October’s monthly TBR. Have you read any of the books on this list? Are any of them on your list?
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Top 1% in Epic