Tag: amreading

Sunday Summary – 16th July 2023

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Good evening friends and welcome to this week’s Sunday Summary post!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, or even just this series, you’ll know what’s coming up first. I like to recap of the blog posts I’ve shared this week! The first post I published this week was my midyear review of my 2023 resolutions. Broadly, I think I’m doing well against those resolutions. I have some actions to take in order to make sure I complete one resolution by the end of the year. If you want to find out what that is, you can check out that post using the link above.

On Friday, I shared a Shelf Control post. In that post, I featured a standalone historical fiction novel by an author I have already come to love through a well-known series of his. I’ve also featured this book before in the First Lines Friday post, where the introduction caught my eye. Personally, I can’t wait to get around to this one. As always, there is a link here if you want to check out what this week’s book was.

I shared an extra post this week as I had signed up to take part in the blog tour for Death at the Caravan Park by Susan Willis. You’ll read a little bit more about this book below as I finished it earlier in the week. However, if you’re interested in reading my full thoughts on the book, you can find a link to yesterday’s review above.

 

Books Read

 

Death at the Caravan Park

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I left off having made reading progress amounting to about a third of the book. As I had to read the book ready to review as part of the blog tour post due yesterday, Death at the Caravan Park was my priority read at the beginning of the week.

This particular book ended up being quite an easy read. It’s approachable for a lot of reasons, and I enjoyed branching out into the cozy crime genre for the first time in a long time! It was great to pick up something a little bit different, and I really liked some of the characterisation in the book. The setting reminded me of a family holiday taken many years ago now, which was nice to think back on around this book.

I finished the book on Wednesday, leaving me plenty of time to collate my thoughts ready for Saturday’s review.

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

In my last Sunday Summary, I also confided that I had started reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine in tandem with Death at the Caravan Park. As of that update, I was 145 pages in (just over a third of the way through as well).

I didn’t really pick up this book again until I had finished Death at the Caravan Park. I didn’t want to put myself at risk of finishing that book quite late, or not at all, before my review was due. Once I had read it however, I dived back into Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine enthusiastically!

This is the type of book that succeeds at dealing with trauma in a way that is laced with a lot of humour, character depth, and readability. I really enjoyed Eleanor’s unique perspective and personal narrative. The pacing of the book really works as well. It is made clear early on that there is more to Eleanor than meets the eye. It gradually come to the fore throughout the book, but it’s teased out in a way that keeps you reading on for that extra tidbit.

Given the subject matter of the book, I think it does a brilliant job of handling very different emotions and trauma. Although (thankfully) I have never had to live in Eleanor’s shoes, I lived through her story through the book. If it gives you any context as to how much I enjoyed this book, I read approximately half of it over the course of a single day – and that was after I’d been at work! I physically couldn’t put it down near the end.

 

Storm of War

The final book I started this week, and as of this Sunday Summary post is my current read, is Storm of War by Peter Gibbons.

You may or may not recall that I reviewed the first book in his Saxon Warrior series as part of a blog tour last year. Somehow, I managed to miss the blog tour for this second book. However, I am signed up to be reviewing the third book early next month. With this in mind, I am catching up with Storm of War now so that I can pick up Brothers of the Sword, fully informed as to what is going on, and review it in the next few weeks.

I confess with the additional blog post I drafted this week, and some time spent on catching up with TV series I’m watching right now, I’ve only really progressed with Storm of War to the tune of 10%. I’ve pretty much done that in one sitting though, so I feel like this book is going to be very readable.

 

Books Discovered

Earlier this week, I discovered that Patrick Rothfuss is going to be releasing an expanded standalone story from his Kingkiller Chronicle universe. I started the series a very long time ago now, and like everybody else, I’m waiting for it to be wrapped up. In the meantime, I definitely want to check out this short side story!

 

Coming Up…

For my first post of next week, I want to share a discussion post. I’ve thought long and hard about the topic of this post, and I’ve come up with one that I’m looking forward to drafting for you. For this particular post, I am going to be sharing what my favourite tropes are within the fantasy genre and why!

On Friday, I will be sharing this week’s Friday feature post, otherwise known as a First Lines Friday post. The last couple of times I have done this type of post, I have set myself a specific challenge. For this post, I am going in with no guidance or preconceptions about the type of book I would like to feature. It’s an open book, shall we say?

As always, I will be back at the end of the week with another Sunday summary post to catch you up on all the latest updates.

That concludes today’s Sunday Summary update post! Do you have any book recommendations for me?

 

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Blog Tour Review: Death at the Caravan Park – Susan Willis

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Happy weekend folks and welcome to today’s blog tour review of Death at the Caravan Park by Susan Willis. It’s been a few months since I last took part in a blog tour. I’ve been taking the time to chip away at my ever-growing reading list. However, I’m excited to be back and sharing my thoughts on a book and genre I haven’t picked up for a while!

As always, before I share and discuss details the book, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank both the author Susan and Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the blog tour. I always enjoy the chance to pick up something a little bit new, and to feature new novels and different authors.

Now, let’s find out more about the book!

 

Death at the Caravan Park – Susan Willis

 

Genre: Cosy Crime

Pages: 229

Audience: Adult

Publication Date: 20 Jun 2023

Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟

 

 

Clive Thompson heads for Whitley Bay caravan park to finish writing his novel. He’s never had a caravan holiday before and is warmly greeted by the manager, Liz Mathews, who lives on the park.

She is single and cares for her ninety year old mother who has Alzheimer’s Disease. Clive meets the people in neighbouring caravans and has an amazing view from his veranda over the sea to St. Mary’s Lighthouse. However, Audrey goes missing during the night and Liz is beside herself with worry. The police are out looking for her, but disillusioned by their efforts, Clive begins his own investigations.

 

Purchase Links – Amazon UK       Amazon US

 

My Thoughts…

Plot

Clive Thompson is a writer, looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life in order to finish his second novel. Having never taken a trip to a caravan park, he decides that this is the perfect place to retreat, and finds himself in Whitley Bay.

However, there are plenty of goings on that distract him from his project. From a vast array of interesting characters, to a dark history of the place and events that he cannot help but get sucked into… there is plenty to enjoy about this novel.

Death at the Caravan Park was the perfect length for me. There is more than enough page count in order to explore the genre and events that take place. At the same time, the book is a great length to pick up and make progress with very easily. It’s an approachable read for all abilities and reading stamina.

 

Setting

I really enjoyed the northern setting of the book. This was very apparent throughout through a lot of the language and dialect integrated into the story. If you’ve ever watched Vera, you’re on the right lines of what to expect in this book.

I haven’t stayed in a caravan for a very long time. In fact, I was a child when I last went to one! However, I still remember the atmosphere and what it was like to stay there. This book and its setting very much reminded me of that holiday! It’s cozy in its quintessential Britishness. Seasides and fish and chips are typical British holiday staples. I’m very fortunate to have these things on my doorstep, and the immersion of setting vs reality is on point.

 

Characters

As someone who has some experience with a family member having both Alzheimer’s and dementia, I could feel for both Liz and for her mum Audrey. Thankfully, I was never in a position where I had to care for my relative, but I can understand what it would be like to do so. Audrey embodies a very typical case of a sufferer. Good days and bad days keep Liz on her toes – as if she doesn’t have enough to do running the caravan park that Audrey spent her life building from the ground up. 

When Audrey goes missing, you cannot help but sympathise with Liz and her concerns for her mother. Given there are days where Audrey doesn’t even know who she is, there is very little chance that she will return home of her own volition. As a mystery writer, Clive cannot help but embroil himself in the investigation to find her. Along this journey, he discovers lots of characters and faces on the caravan park… some better than others.

 

Summary

If you enjoy cosy crime novels with distinct and intriguing characters, then Death at the Caravan Park is an ideal read. I enjoyed picking up the book as a quick foray into a genre that I haven’t picked up for a little while.

There are some other great reviews that have come out as a result of the blog tour. If you’re interested in reading a bit more about the book, The Book Magnet and Lacy Ace Book Reviews shared similar thoughts.

As of this post, the blog tour is only halfway through its progress. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for more posts about the book over the coming days!

 

Author Bio

Susan is a published author of eight novels and six novellas with short stories published in Women’s Weekly magazines. She is now retired from Food Technology and scribbles away in County Durham.

Writing psychological suspense and cosy-crime novels with strong, lovable North East characters, is her passion. Last year, she brought us, Clive’s Christmas Crusades, set in York. Following the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, Susan wrote six Curious Casefiles which is now published by Northodox Press. She has incorporated up-to-date issues: poor mental health in a kidnap scene, the perils of social media, and an intruder on Skype.

Social Media Links –

You can find Susan’s books here: https://amzn.to/2S5UBc8

www.facebook.com/susan.willis.710

https://twitter.com/SusanWillis69

2023 Mid-Year Review!

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Happy Wednesday folks and thank you for checking out my mid-year review post! Today, I’m checking in on new year resolutions I set at the beginning of 2023, weighing in on progress and seeing what action I have to take to set myself up to complete my goals by the end of the year!

I’ll recap my goals in this post, but if you’re interested in going back to my original 2023 Resolutions post, it’s linked here for you.

Let’s get my mid-year review underway!

 

Goodreads Challenge – Read 50 Books

As of the 30th June, I had read a total of 28 books and was mid way through a 29th. I’m sure you can do the maths and work out that I am more than on-track to meet my reading goal!

My current reading pace is really working for me. I’m about back to my 2020 levels of reading, and that’s without being stuck at home because of the pandemic. I still have time to enjoy other hobbies, as well as the blogging obviously. I think it also helps that I’ve signed up to fewer blog tours this year. I’ve been able to pick up and read books that I have wanted to read for a long time. It feels less like a chore and more like the hobby it is!

 

Read >15 non-fiction books

I’m a little behind on my reading goal of picking up more than 15 non-fiction books in the year, but not terribly. As of the midway point of this year, I had read 5 non-fiction books. That’s only a couple behind schedule, so this is easily something I can recover from.

I do have a few non-fiction books on my TBR, but it is something I have to consciously include on my reading lists. I definitely have a bias towards reading more fiction than non-fiction. This is something I am aware of, and so I have been trying to incorporate at least one non-fiction book on most of my monthly reading lists.

To catch up, I’m looking at needing to include at least two non-fiction books on most of my reading lists between August and the end of the year. That’s not the end of the world. If I’m honest, it’s probably won’t be difficult to achieve! The average page count of a non-fiction book could well equal half of the average fantasy novel I read. Swapping out the odd one of these in favour of non-fiction won’t be a problem!

 

Read 30 Minutes Daily

When I set my goal of trying to read at least 30 minutes every day, it was with the intention to make reading a regular habit as opposed to something I binge. I have to say, I’ve never been too bad on that front. Reading is certainly a habit and it’s something I do most days.

I haven’t read every single day in the first half of the year, and that is perfectly okay. Yes, I read a lot. But, between working full time, drafting content for my blog and the odd social event, there are days where it just isn’t feasible. There are days when I’m not in the mood. That’s fine too. Broadly speaking, I read several days in a week and that’s more than enough to make sure that reading is a habit. It’s a habit I’ll continue to foster as much as possible.

 

Finish Book Series

I have only finished (or caught up on) a few series so far this year, but that’s not to say I’m not making progress towards completing others.

I’ve read 10 books in the first half of 2023 that involve continuing series I’ve started, or indeed finishing it. If you’ve read my original 2023 Resolutions post, you will know that I have a lot of ongoing series! A lot of them are lengthy as well. We have everything on this ‘ongoing list’ from duologies or trilogies to multipart part series. The longest is 41, but I have several others that sit closer to the 13-16 book range.

This was never going to be a quick goal to achieve. That said, I’m really enjoying making progress with the series I’ve already started and taking the time to prioritise them this year. They are generally very highly-rated books by me. Some of those I’ve been reading towards are series that I haven’t picked up in several years (The Dark Tower by Stephen King, for example). It’s great to have a reason to go back and revisit them!

 

Summary

I feel like overall, I’m making good progress towards my goals for 2023. I’ll be looking to step up with more non-fiction reads, but other than that, I’m pretty on track!

Thanks for checking out my mid-year review post!

Did you set yourself any resolutions or goals for 2023? Are you on track to achieve them?

 

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Sunday Summary – 9th July 2023

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Good evening all and welcome to my Sunday Summary update for this week! Get yourself a cuppa and make yourself comfortable.

Before jumping into the books I’ve been reading throughout the week, let’s recap the blog posts I’ve shared. The first post shared this week was my monthly wrap-up post, covering reading progress in June. Whilst I didn’t read as much as I was hoping to, I enjoyed the books I did finish. If you want to read my full recap, you can find that in my wrap-up post linked above.

On Friday, it was time to talk about the books I plan to pick up and read in July. This month’s reading list is no less ambitious. I have a higher number of books on the reading list, but they are also shorter than the books. Amongst those are a number of books I need to read for upcoming blog tours. In addition, I’ve set myself a stretch goal to start a book I didn’t get to in June. If you’re curious to see what’s on the reading list for the month, here is the link to my post.

 

Books Read

 

The House in the Cerulean Sea

I left off last week’s Sunday Summary post having read a third of The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. I spent around the first half of this week continuing with that book, until it’s happy and heartwarming conclusion.

This is the first book I have read by the author, but I can assure you it won’t be the last! I loved the premise, the relationships and the diverse range of characters in the book. Whilst the ending of this book isn’t one I actively seek out in my reading, it worked in this book and I was routing for it!

Where I put down Children of Dune by Frank Herbert last week because it is a serious, political science-fiction, The House in the Cerulean Sea’s lighthearted charm what’s the perfect counter. It’s what I needed to read to get me out of that slump!

 

Death at the Caravan Park

The next book I picked up is the first book on my July TBR – Death at the Caravan Park by Susan Willis. So far, the book is reading okay. At about a third of the way in, we have the storyline and the titled death set up. Given that we’ve been introduced to a number of characters at this point, it will be interesting to see how the narrative unfolds so we can discover what has occurred.

It’s not something I can judge the book on in my review given that I am reading a draft, but I’m not sure the narrative style is completely polished. It initially took some getting used to, but I’ve gotten used to it enough now.

As I will be sharing my review for the book next week, this will be my priority read for the next few days!

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

On Friday, I took a stroll down to my local library and borrowed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. And, as I’d forgotten to take my Kindle to work in order to continue with Death at the Caravan Park, I made a sneaky start on this book.

The unique character and writing style has me hooked so much that I am reading these two books in tandem. There is definitely a lot going on already, and plenty more has been alluded to, but not yet unpacked! I’m intrigued about the main character, her undisclosed past and her unusual relationship with her mother.

Since that lunchtime, I have continued reading the book over the weekend. At the point of publishing this post, I am on page 145.

I know I have to prioritise Death at the Caravan Park for my review. I suspect that my desire to return to this book will only help me through that one even faster! If that’s the case, then I should have plenty of reading updates in next week’s Sunday Summary!

 

Books Discovered

I finally broken my streak of no new books being added to the reading list.

I blame this as a result of joining Threads earlier this week. If you’re unfamiliar, Threads is a new social media network run by Meta and is an alternative to Twitter. Whilst I’ve been using Twitter for the entirety of my blogging “career” (for want of a better word), I confess I’ve never really liked it. I’ve decided to give Threads a try to see if it’s any more approachable. It’s proving to be so far, but time will tell.

It is through that social network that I have discovered new people and my new addition. It is a relatively new publication – The Housekeepers by Alex Hay. I really like the sound of this book as it touches on power, gender and class. It involves a heist, which I think will make for an exciting read. I enjoyed a similar topic when reading Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.

 

Coming Up…

As we are now over halfway through the year, I want to take the opportunity to review my progress towards my reading goals for the year in a mid-year review post. I tend to do this post every year as it helps me understand where I’m at in relation to my goals, what I need to do to continue to make progress with them, and/or add or change them accordingly. With this in mind, I’m planning to make this my first post which will go live on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Later in the week, I’ll resume my Friday feature schedule with a Shelf Control post. This week’s featured book is a standalone novel by an author I have read several books by. The books I’ve been reading so far are all part of the same series. I purchased a paperback copy of this book years ago after reading the first few of the series and really enjoying it. I’m sure I’ve also featured this book in the First Lines Friday post, and I enjoyed the introduction immensely! I hope I’ll be getting to it before too long…

On Saturday, I will be sharing my review of Death at the Caravan Park as part of the upcoming blog tour. Naturally, I’ll be prioritising finishing this book in the week so I’m ready to share my thoughts with you this weekend. I hope you can join me for that post!

Then, to conclude the week, I’ll be back with another Sunday Summary update. You know me and what to expect by now! If I have as much reading progress to share with you next week, I will be very happy (and confidence that I’ve got an over the small slump I had at the end of last month).

 

That’s all from me in today’s Sunday Summary update post.

What are you reading currently? Have you purchased or borrowed any books from your local library lately?

 

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Monthly TBR – July 2023

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Happy Friday and welcome to my monthly TBR post for July!

We’re now over half way through the year and I’ve already made some great reading progress towards my goal of 50 books (15 of which non-fiction, as well as completing series). I’m going to share a mid-year review post soon, but for now, let’s share how I plan to kick off the beginning of the second half of the year!

 

Fixed Reads

I’m starting off this month’s fixed reading list with a few books I need to read for blog tour obligations. Whilst I’m not strictly touring for all of the books, I do need to catch up with one as it’s a second instalment of the series in order to be able to read the third book – which is for a blog tour!

In addition, I am also reading the book club pick over at Ezeekat’s book club this month.

 

Death at the Caravan Park – Susan Willis

The first book I am touring for this month is Death at the Caravan Park by Susan Willis. That blog tour post will be coming to you in just over a week. Naturally, I’ve already made a start with this book and as of drafting this post, I am a third of the way through it.

So far, Death at the Caravan Park is proving a relatively easy read. We have a good set up of characters and we now understand the baseline for the story. I’m interested to see how it progresses.

If you are interested and want to check out my thoughts on this book, I’ll be publishing my review on the 15th of July.

 

Storm of War – Peter Gibbons

This next book I’m picking up isn’t strictly for a blog tour. Rather, I need to read it in order to get up-to-date with the series before starting the third book. I will be providing a review as part of the upcoming blog tour for that book early next month.

I must have inadvertently missed reading this second book in the series when it went on tour itself. Fortunately, I’ve been able to download a copy via Kindle Unlimited, so I can read it before picking up the third book in the series.

I read and enjoyed the first book, Warrior and Protector, towards the end of last year; if you want to find out about that book, here is a link to my review.

 

Brothers of the Sword – Peter Gibbons

As I mentioned above, I will be taking part in the blog tour for Brothers of the Sword, but not until early next month.

That gives me a bit of leeway to read this instalment. And, it’s so happens, I also need the time to read the second book first!

There’s not really much more to say in this monthly TBR post, other than letting you know that my review date for Brothers of the Sword is 4th August.

 

To Shape A Dragon’s Breath – Moniquill Blackgoose

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is the book club selection over at Ezeekat’s book club on Fable. I didn’t read last month’s pick, so I definitely want to try and make the effort to read this one.

I am intrigued by the synopsis of this book. And, who doesn’t love a fantasy that contains dragons?! I also like the idea of having minority representation in this book. I am under no illusion that the English have, shall we say, put their stamp on the world in the past. The events of this book heavily imply conflict between culture of indigenous people and the “Anglish”. I’m interested to see how this fantasy take on modern events plays out.

 

Mood Reads

 

I already have a number of fixed read on this monthly TBR, but I’m still hoping to pick up some mood reads this month as well.

 

A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking

Something I am looking forward to, and equally expect to challenge me this month, is reading A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. It is a book that I have wanted to get to for quite some time. As a non-fiction, it also goes towards my goal of reading more non-fiction throughout 2023.

Having read around about this book, I suspect it could get quite mathematical and/or scientific. If it is, I’ll hold my hands up and admit that’s not an element I’m going to get too invested in. I get no desire out of understanding the maths behind this sort of stuff. But, that’s not to say I’m not interested in the science or the history of our world as we know it.

At just over 250 pages, I’m not sure how this book is going to play out. It could be quite a quick read if I don’t get too invested or bogged down in the science. Equally, as it’s out of my comfort zone, it could take me longer to read. Only time will tell.

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman

Last month, I picked another book out of my TBR jar. For those of you uninitiated, I have a jar I have on my bookshelf that’s full of titles I have not yet read. In order to add some randomisation to my reading, I try and pull one out to read every month. Last month, I’ve pulled out Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

After borrowing a copy from the library just this afternoon, I started this book at lunch. I’m only a couple of chapters in so far, but it’s made a decent impression already. I’m not really sure where the narrative is going to go, but I’m along for the ride to find out.

 

Cytonic – Brandon Sanderson

When going to the library, I also wanted to have a browse for a second book to borrow. I deliberately didn’t set myself a particular book to take out as my second loan. I wanted to see what caught my eye when I got there.

Whilst looking for a book to pick up, I found that my library had a copy of Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson. This is the last instalment of a YA sci-fi series I want to finish, so I thought this would be perfect to take out and read. Not only do I get to pick up a fantastic book again, but once I’ve read it, I get to tick that series off my list as complete. That’s another goal I’ve set myself for this year!

 

Stretch Goal

 

Ship of Destiny – Robin Hobb

On the off-chance that I manage to get through all of the reading list I’ve set myself for July, I would like to start Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb. You may recall that Ship of Destiny was on my June TBR. However, I didn’t get around to reading it, given my experience and some difficulty with one of my books last month.

At 903 pages, there is absolutely no way on this earth that I’m going to finish it in July. However, if I could even make a start on it, I’ll consider that a win!

 

So, those the books on my monthly TBR that I’m going to be picking up very, very soon! Have you read any of the books on this monthly TBR post?

 

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Sunday Summary – 2nd July 2023

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Good evening folks and welcome to this week’s update post – aka my Sunday Summary!

I kicked off this week’s blogging schedule with a review of Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. If you are unfamiliar with the book, it is a non-fiction self help about women in the workplace, and why we need more women to have senior roles. The book is full of good personal advice for women to take on board for themselves. However, it also doesn’t shy away from the fact that there are external factors that can hinder a woman’s career… and goes someway to addressing how we can get around that.

Later in the week, I published the next instalment of my Well, I Didn’t Know That! series. In at post, I took the opportunity to explore some of the content available under the Kindle Unlimited subscription.

 

Books Read

 

Children of Dune

I’ve not had a very good week in terms of reading, if I’m completely honest. As I mentioned below, I have struggled with one of the reads I have been picking up (and putting down). But, it’s also fair to say that I have been doing more extracurricular things than usual this week. On Tuesday night, for example, I baked no less than three cakes for a coffee morning we were having a work the following day. I was also out for tea on Thursday with friends.

I didn’t get off to the best of starts with this book last week, as I struggled to get into it. There was one good evening in which I found my way and made some progress into this book last week – as of my last Sunday Summary, I was about 100 pages in.

As of this week’s post, I have only managed to read a further 50 pages, despite picking up this book several times throughout the week. I’ve just not been in the mood for it. There’s nothing wrong with the book. It’s quite a dense and hard science fiction plot, with a lot of politics thrown in for good measure. I have enjoyed the previous two books of the series, but I think it’s one you have to be in the mood for to get on with it.

I can’t really say I’ve been that this week.

 

The House in the Cerulean Sea

After picking up and putting down Children of Dune several times, and coming to the realisation that it wasn’t working for me, I then resumed my read of The House in the Cerulean Sea.

I only really decided to make the switch towards the end of the week, so I’ve only picked this up a couple of times. Even so, I have read about a third of the book in those two sittings. It’s not the most progress in the world, but it’s more than I’ve made with Children of Dune all week. I’ll take it!

Given that I’ve been struggling with Children of Dune, I have made the decision to put this down for now and come back to it later. Therefore, The House in the Cerulean Sea is my main current read and it’s the book I will be taking to bed with me tonight.

 

Books Discovered

It has to be a record, but once again, no news is good news!

 

Coming Up…

Next week, I will be putting my usual blogging schedule on pause as I will be taking the time to publish my monthly wrap-up for the month of June, and also to set out my planned TBR for July!

At the end of the week, I’ll be back with another Sunday Summary post to give you the details of my reading progress in the week. I sincerely hope I have more to report that I have in this post!

What have you been reading?

 

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Well, I Didn’t Know That! #12

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I’m excited to explore today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! feature. I recently subscribed to Kindle Unlimited for the very first time. Naturally, I wanted to take the time to explore the content available on the site… and I thought it would be a perfect feature to share in this post.

If you are not a subscriber, then you may be unaware of what Kindle Unlimited gives you access to. Today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post is about correcting that!

https://www.amazon.com/Browse-Kindle-Unlimited-Books/

Access to Books

Kindle Unlimited is a bit like a digital library. Whilst you can borrow more books at a time than a traditional library would lend you, there is still a limit as to how many books you can borrow at a time. But, there is also the obvious fact that you are borrowing the books. This means these books won’t be in your library indefinitely. On the upside, if you read a lot of books in a month, paying the monthly subscription could save you money compared to buying the books outright!

Another perk of Kindle Unlimited is that readers can access some exclusive books to the service. Some authors have signed up with Amazon to publish exclusively with them. As a result, you won’t find their books anywhere else.

There are some big titles included in Kindle Unlimited. From the Harry Potter series, to J. R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, there are some popular books available. If you are a fan of Colleen Hoover, you are also in luck.

As a sidenote, I’ve always had a bit of a gripe with Amazon’s bias towards advertising and recommending me romance books. It can only be because I’m female. The site literally has access to my reading and purchase history. There are very few books that fall anywhere near the romance category. And yet, they keep recommending them. Before I paid to remove the advertisements on the lock screen, I always got ads for romance books with half-naked men on the cover. Books I have never bought before, nor frankly will I! 

Anyway, I digress…

 

Magazines

Access to magazines recently moved over to Kindle Unlimited when Amazon chose to wind down subscriptions from their Newsstand.

As a baseline for comparison, I was previously a subscriber of a magazine/newspaper service called Readly. That service had very good coverage of magazines. From big titles to some very niche publications (I found a magazine on the site dedicated to Minecraft, which I featured earlier on in this series). Comparing Kindle Unlimited to that offering, I would say it is reasonable. All the big titles that I would actively look for on Readly are also available on Kindle Unlimited. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that some of the niche titles are not available. However, I would say for the average reader, you are going to find the content you’re looking for.

Categories of content include lifestyle, celebrity, hobbies, sport, nature and science, and even a little bit of news and political. Magazines that I was looking for that are available range from The Knitter to The Writing Magazine, BBC History, National Geographic and BBC Science Focus.

In broad terms, if you like to read popular titles, then you’re covered!

 

Newspapers

If you are looking for access to newspaper subscriptions, then I would suggest looking elsewhere. As I mentioned above, I recently made the switch to Kindle Unlimited from a subscription service called Readly. That particular subscription is dedicated to both magazines and newspapers. It has quite a good selection of the daily newspapers.

I have only been able to find an entry for The Evening Standard newspaper in Kindle Unlimited. Whilst the Newsstand FAQ indicated that limited titles would be available under KU, I didn’t really expect it to be that limited! I didn’t trawl through all the listings, as there were over 200 of them. However, I probably went through about 100. 

As it happens, I’m not a newspaper reader anyway. It’s not something I’ve ever done with any regularity, and frankly, the news is just depressing! I even try to avoid watching the news nowadays. 

 

 

So, there is my overview of what is available through a Kindle Unlimited subscription in today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post.

Are you a subscriber? What benefits do you enjoy from the service? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Sunday Summary – 25th June 2023

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Happy Sunday friends – you know what time it is… I’m back with another Sunday Summary update!

I started off this week by sharing a Top Ten Tuesday post. The topic of that post was my top ten reads making up my Summer TBR. The list has a wide range of books and genres on it. They are the books I really want to prioritise reading over the next few months, and I can’t wait to get to each and every one.

Later in the week, it was time to share my next Friday feature with you. This week’s post was a First Lines Friday. I decided to set myself a challenge to feature the introduction to one of the books that made it onto Tuesday’s Summer TBR. You’ll be able to guess the book from the introduction, as it gives it away entirely!

 

Books Read

 

The Lost Metal

I left off last week’s Sunday Summary update with around 100 pages left to complete The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. I kind of knew that I was going to push through and finish that book last Sunday. By the time I taken the book to bed to read some, I would then be so close to the end that I just wanted to power through and finish it. That’s exactly what I did! I can tell you now that I simultaneously loved the book, but it also made me very mad. If you know, you know.

I’m glad that I have read and finally finished the book. Although I will admit to being a little bit sad that second era Mistborn is now done. I really loved the characters in this series and how the world was developed to build upon the first era. I can only hope that a third era follows in future, and that we can expect even bigger and better things.

 

The Midnight Library

Moving on from The Lost Metal, I then decided to pick up a quick read, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

Having heard a lot of great things about Matt Haig and several of the books he has written and published, I went into this book with high hopes. I’m always wary of hyped books or authors, because it’s so easy to be disappointed. That is not the case with Matt Haig and The Midnight Library. When I bought my copy of this book, the seller in Waterstones told me that it was a book that changed his outlook on life completely. And I can see why. For such a small book, it has a big message to get readers to think about.

The book explores mental health and the impact events can have on our outlook. At a point where Nora is fed up of her current life, she decides to end it. However, in between life and death, she finds herself in an infinite library. A prominent character from her past reappears and gives Nora other chances at life – each encapsulated in a book. At every point where a decision was made, a new life branches off into infinite possibilities. And Nora tries plenty of them!

Ultimately, Nora comes to learn a lot about who she is and what she values. I really enjoyed the book and its message.

 

Children of Dune

Next, I started Children of Dune by Frank Herbert, and as of this Sunday Summary post, this is my main current read.

The Dune series by Frank Herbert is dense science-fiction, and it’s quite political as well. Initially I struggled to get back into this book. However, I think that’s because I tried to start it quite late one evening when I was tired. So, I didn’t quite get off to the best of starts with it. I ended up picking up another book very briefly that night in order to explore that one instead. More on that below.

I went back to Children of Dune the following day and found reading much easier. I’m definitely back into the narrative now that I really given myself the opportunity to do so. As of this Sunday Summary post, I am just over 100 pages into the book.

 

The House in the Cerulean Sea

I briefly dipped my toes into The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. This book is one that has been on my reading list for a little while, and I pulled it out of my TBR jar to read in June.

For now, I’ve only made the briefest of introductions to the book. As I mentioned above, I started it as a trial when considering whether or not to put Children of Dune aside. As it happens, I am continuing with that book as my main read. However, first impressions of The House in the Cerulean Sea are very good.

I like the set up so far. It also proved easy enough to read whilst I was tired! I may end up reading this in tandem with Children of Dune, depending on my reading moods and/or abilities.

 

Books Discovered

With a few reads ticked off my TBR this week, in combination with no new books added, I can say that the reading list is going in the right direction!

For now…

 

Coming Up…

Next week, I want to share another book review with you. Having taken a look at my list of books pending review, I have decided to review Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Whilst this is definitely a book about women and for women in the workplace, I would recommend it to anybody. You can find out exactly why in my review next week!

Later on in the week, I will be sharing another instalment of my series, Well, I Didn’t Know That! Up until recently, I had been using an app called Readly in order to access magazines from different providers for a monthly subscription fee. It was only when I discovered that I could access a similar range using Kindle Unlimited, for a fractionally smaller price, that I decided to make the switch.

In addition to magazines, I can also access books through Kindle Unlimited. Overall, I think it will be a better deal accessing both via this platform. However, I am going to explore some of the content available through Kindle Unlimited with you to make my decision. That way, if you don’t already subscribe, you can find out what kind of magazines are out there… And I’ve got a good reason to explore the range for myself!

Next Sunday, I will be back with another Sunday Summary update post. I’m hoping to have plenty of reading progress to share with you, and I’ll be sharing how I’ll be gearing up for a busy blogging week.

That’s all for today’s Sunday Summary update. What have you read recently?

 

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Sunday Summary – 18th June 2023

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Good evening all and welcome to this week’s Sunday Summary. It’s a special day here, as it is Father’s Day! Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful dads out there. I’ve enjoyed spending the day with mine. I know I’m completely biased in saying that mine is the best, but he is! 

I’ve kept myself busy on the reading and blogging front of this week. I started off the week in sharing my review of a Netgalley ARC I downloaded a couple of months ago – Death Magnanimous by Michael Martin. The book is due to come out around the 1st of July. With that in mind, I wanted to set out my thoughts ahead of publication. Although this is a book that handles some difficult themes, I think it does so very well. I really enjoyed the subject matter (and I hope you do too).

On Friday, I shared a Shelf Control post and featured a book that will be coming up on my TBR shortly. This particular book also made it to my 30 Before 30 list which I shared recently. If you’re interested to find out which of those books I plan to pick up in the very near future, here is a link to this post so you can find out!

 

Books Read

 

A Clash of Kings

As of last week’s Sunday Summary update, I had just 66 pages remaining of A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. After sharing last week’s post, my plan was to finish the book that night… And finish it I did!

These books are brilliant, and they are books I could go back to again and again and enjoy just as much each time. It goes without saying that I really enjoyed diving back into the series. This second instalment is quite hefty, but it doesn’t really feel like it when you read it. The chapter lengths and changes in perspective suit me really well. I had already read a lot of this book last week, and I was happy to finally finish it off ready for a clean slate on Monday.

 

The Lost Metal

The next book I picked up, and have been reading for the rest of the week, is The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. I chose this book to read next as it is slightly shorter than A Clash of Kings, and I didn’t want to jump into another chunky read straight after this one. The Lost Metal is still around 500 pages, so it couldn’t be called short. However, compared to A Clash of Kings, The Lost Metal is proving to be an easier read.

It’s been a little while since I last picked up the series, but it hasn’t been difficult to jump right back into the action. I also really love the second era Mistborn characters. Wax and Wayne, and the westernised setting of the books, works really well for me. I know that it’s not well suited to others, but I really enjoy it. The characters themselves also have a great dynamic and I’m enjoying their perspectives once again. I’ll almost be a little bit sad once I finish this book, as this is the end of second era Mistborn.

As of this Sunday Summary update, I have read just over 400 out of 500 pages. I’m hoping to go to bed not too late tonight, because I know I want to make more progress. But once I’ve made some progress, I’ll be keenly aware of how very close I am to the end. I have a bad habit of not being able to leave books once I get that close to the finish. I don’t doubt I’ll be pushing myself over the finish line tonight!

 

Books Discovered

I’m continuing my good streak of not adding any new books to my reading list. I’ve said it more than once but I will say it again. This is not a bad thing! If you take one look at my reading list on Goodreads, you will know I need absolutely zero help with expanding my TBR!

 

Coming Up…

The first post I intend to share with you next week is a Top Ten Tuesday post! It’s been a little while since I shared one of these features, but I’ve been holding out for a topic I’m interested in. Earlier this year, I shared my top ten books on my spring reading list. This time, I will be drafting a similar post, but for my summer reads. Whilst the weather is still looking good into next week, ironically, we’ve probably had our peak summer already! That doesn’t really matter though, as I’m not the type of person to pick traditionally seasonal reads. Not only that, but if the weather turns back cold/rainy/unpleasant, then that’s all the more justification to sit in with a good book, right?

On Friday, I’ll be returning with the next regular Friday feature due to come up on my blog. That post is a First Lines Friday. I’m in the mood to set myself a challenge for this post. I’m not going to set an overly difficult one here. On the theme of summer reads, I am going to feature one of the books that makes it to my top 10 summer reading list which I’m sharing earlier in the week.

As always, I’ll be back at the same time next week with another Sunday Summary to share all my reading updates with you, and let you know what I plan to share in the coming week.

That’s all for now! Have a wonderful evening and week and I will catch you in the next post! Happy reading!

 

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Book Review: Death Magnanimous – Michael Martin

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In today’s post, I’m sharing my thoughts on a book due to be published at the beginning of next month. It is the first book I’ve downloaded from Netgalley, that isn’t for a blog tour, for a very long time!

The cover caught my eye, and then the synopsis grabbed my attention! I’m glad I decided to browse the site and then download a copy of this book, because I really enjoyed it.

I will disclose here and now that the book deals with some difficult themes. The protagonist suffers from significant burns after a plane crash that he later wished ended his life. He tackles chronic pain, and so his intentions are to finish what the accident started.

 

Death Magnanimous – Michael Martin

Genre: Literary fiction

Audience: Adult

Publisher:

Publication Date: 01 Jul 2023

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

 

 

Synopsis

Burned beyond recognition in an accidental fire, a prominent attorney seeking assisted suicide must decide if the life he can’t wait to end isn’t the life he’s been waiting to begin. 

A criminal defense attorney known for his entertaining and effective courtroom maneuvers, Charlie Chessman was piloting his four-seat airplane on a short hop so routine he could have done it blindfolded. But something went wrong, something so fast, so unexpected, he can only remember the smells from the fire and his screams in the wreckage, pleading with his lifesavers to let him die.

After months of reconstruction and recuperation, Charlie’s mind hasn’t changed. Left with limited mobility and agility, his only option is assisted suicide, an idea his sister Renee and wife Keri roundly oppose. But with Charlie’s persistence impossible to ignore, they hire Dr. Richard Fostris, a physician who specializes in ending, rather than saving, life.

The journey begins, to the one state where assisted suicide is legal for people without terminal illnesses. The state of Texas, and a law named for the country’s foremost quality-of-life advocate, burn survivor Dax Cowart, will legally allow Charlie to make the final call. But the trip isn’t easy, and for none of the reasons Charlie expects. He didn’t expect his care at the Jacobsen Burn Center to overwhelm him with admiration and respect. He didn’t expect his wife — whose candor, confidence, and humor had sustained him — to leave. He didn’t expect to fall in love again.

He wasn’t counting on the support he and his sister would provide each others’ unsteady lives. He never dreamed a caregiver might want him dead. He didn’t think he could rediscover his passions, for the law, for his peers, for defendants in need of quality counsel. The man who had convinced himself living was too hard never dreamed dying would be even harder.

 

My Thoughts

 

Plot

Death Magnanimous is a very personal story. It is one of the few books I have read recently that is very character driven as opposed to plot driven. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t some really good plot points in the book!

Protagonist Charlie was previously a lawyer before his accident. Some of this comes into play in the narrative. I also enjoyed how this is relevant in a slightly more subtle way. At one point in the book, there is a bit of a mystery that affects Charlie directly, and I enjoyed how it unravels. I feel its inclusion gives those who enjoy a plot driven story something to invest into and try to work out for themselves.

There are also some subtle clues about some of the characters hidden in the narrative. I can’t say I picked up on all of them, but I did note the odd peculiarity here and there… and eventually the pieces finally slotted together!

Another niche angle I enjoyed, courtesy of the protagonists links to the legal world, relate to the laws in the US surrounding treatment in his scenario. The book makes no secret of the fact that Charlie wished to be allowed to die. However, there are various laws in the US that determine if and when patients have sufficient capacity to refuse treatment. Those laws meant that Charlie was treated, against his will. The book explores the reasons that he wasn’t deemed to have capacity to refuse (burn victims suffer a lot of pain, and this is believed to cloud judgement). It also shares what variations there are to that rule in different jurisdictions. Naturally, it’s not something I’ve ever really considered before.

 

Characters

Death Magnanimous is a very personal story of the experiences and suffering Charlie endures after his accident. It is a story of a man trying to learn how to live his life after it has been turned upside down. He is no longer able to live independently. Any small health set back to you and I could mean death for him. Simple tasks, such as bathing, are excruciatingly painful experiences.

Charlie wants to end that suffering, and goes out of his way to explore his options that won’t implicate his family or anyone else in his decision. Through the other characters (in similar circumstances) we meet in the book, we share their struggles and see the outcome of their decisions.

Whilst the majority of the story is told from Charlie’s perspective, we have the odd chapter from other perspectives, which add depth and world-building to the peripheries of Charlie’s life. My personal preference is to read books from multiple perspectives, so I enjoyed these being interwoven into the story. They also help us see Charlie in a different light. It’s fair to say that each of the characters within the book are biased in some way (as we all are), piecing all of these together helps us get an overall more objective understanding of Charlie.

 

Narrative Style

Although the book has some darker themes, there is plenty of humour and wit throughout. I found this made an excellent balance to the overall tone of the book. Generally speaking, the narrative is really easy to read. The chapters flow nicely and are a good length each.

Chapters in the book are split between two timelines. The first of these is immediately around and after the plane crash that changes Charlie’s life forever. The second perspective is also from Charlie, however, he has undergone most of his treatment after the crash and is out of hospital.

The structure of splitting these two timelines and then interspersing them with each other works really well. It would make sense of the earlier timelines chapters are a bit sporadic. Charlie wouldn’t have been lucid for quite some time after his accident. He has experienced major trauma, and so having a solid block of narrative from him at this time wouldn’t really make sense. Equally, looking at it from the other side, going back and reminiscing on those chapters helps us to understand Charlie’s perspective.

 

Summary

Death Magnanimous is not a book for the fainthearted.However, I think it is an important one to pick up if you are interested in the moral aspect of euthanasia and treatment… or if you enjoy a very personal character driven story.

 

 

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