Tag: book love

Well, I Didn’t Know That! #7

Posted on by

If you are interested in the science behind habits – the good and the bad, then today’s featured ‘bookazine’, Understanding Habits, will be of interest to you.

Before we jump into today’s post, you can check out the introduction to this series here to learn what it’s all about.

This post is coming to you a week later than intended. It’s a little bit ironic given that I’ve been trying to make this post a weekly habit, but there we go. The truth is, I wouldn’t have been able to feature just a small section of Understanding Habits; it’s all one cohesive piece rather than a typical collation of separate but loosely related articles. It is a 128 page ‘bookazine’ with chapters about the science of habit-making, as well as tips and tricks on how to reinforce good habits and break bad ones. 

 

The Science

Even if you are not driven to understand the science behind habits, I would recommend still reading this section. If nothing else, this section of Understanding Habits helps to explain how habits are made biologically. Not only that, but we also learn why we can struggle with breaking bad habits here. No, it’s not just a lack of willpower. There is science to prove that humans will regularly slip back into old habits!

There are aspects of science thrown in the mix throughout the ‘bookazine’. The biological element is explored near the beginning, with case studies featuring later on. Some of the studies featured in the article, which I found interesting, are as follows: –

  • Studies on twins separated at birth have indicated characteristics such as dress sense, hobbies and interests have a genetic link.
  • Social media uses the habits of friends and family to predict our habits.
  • Streaming platforms tailor recommendations – as we all know. However, some will customise everything up to and including thumbnail and imagery to appeal and encourage the habit of using their streaming service.

 

Good Habits

If you’re looking for help with creating and reinforcing good habits, Understanding Habits has plenty to offer. Without going into too much scientific detail, there is a basis for justifying providing yourself with a reward for performing a good behaviour. Even if that reward doesn’t necessarily seem conducive to the habit you are trying to build in the short term, you can eventually take away that reward and maintain the behaviour without it. Over time, the positive reinforcement will have made the behaviour a habit. When you take away that reward, you will still maintain the behaviour. 

If you are looking to try to build up a new habit, do so after well-established habit or routine. Some examples are drinking a glass of water as soon as you get up in the morning, or driving to the gym instead of going home after work on certain days of the week.

And of course, the building of a habit needs to be a conscious effort. Based on the timelines indicated in the ‘bookazine’, you can expect to spend a couple of months building a habit. So, don’t be frustrated if you don’t get there straight away. Persevere and give yourself a chance.

 

‘Bad’ Habits

There are a number of ‘bad’ habits outlined in Understanding Habits, alongside advice on how you can break them. I don’t like to admit how many of these bad habits I have. Personally, I didn’t find all the advice particularly useful. Using nail polish with a bitter taste to prevent nail-biting has never deterred me. Equally, it doesn’t matter how conscious I am at meal times, I wolf my food. Just telling myself to slow down isn’t going to help me, especially when my stomach is protesting like my throat’s been cut.

Just because some of these haven’t worked for me, that doesn’t mean to say that it isn’t good advice. As with all things, everybody is unique and individual. What works for me won’t work for others, and vice versa.

 

Summary

I’ve touched on a very small fraction of what the ‘bookazine’ Understanding Habits has to offer. If you’re intrigued from the highlights of today’s post, then I was strongly recommend getting yourself a copy and going through it. There is plenty to learn from it. There are techniques I will try to help continue building and maintaining good habits.

Let me know if you have enjoyed today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post. If there is a topic you would like to see me feature in future, please let me know in the comments.

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – J. K. Rowling

Posted on by

I’m back with another book review and I’m picking up where I left off in the Harry Potter series. Today’s review is for the penultimate book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling!

I first read the Harry Potter books as a teenager, into early adulthood. I wanted to see how reading the books again from a more mature perspective affected the overall experience. Obviously, I hoped to enjoy them just as much second time, and I did!

If you want to catch up with my reviews of the earlier books in the series, you can find links to those posts below.

 

Now, let’s get stuck in to my review of the next book!

 

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – J. K. Rowling

 

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 607

Audience: Young Adult

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: 16 Jul 2005

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys’ house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce one-to-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can’t quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys’ of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks’ time? Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine…

 

My Thoughts

 

Plot

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is the book in the series from where I would suggest the series transitions from children’s to young adult. Technically, I think the books are classified as young adult, however, the previous books in the series are definitely readable by children to young teens. The themes in it are generally more mature, and as the storyline takes a more sinister turn, there are characters and events that take place that I wouldn’t recommend to a younger teenager. I read this book at around the mid to late teenage. I wouldn’t have read it any sooner.

In a way, I think the formatting and the length of the previous book in the series helps with the timing of picking this up. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a very large book. Whilst not as dark as this one, the length and the political machinations within require a bit more thought and concentration in the reading of it. As a result, I think naturally readers will progress with the series at a more mature age.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are by far my favourite books in the series. I enjoy how some of the very early plot threads (which are largely unknown at the time) start to come together and make sense at last. Others are resolved or at least explained in full. The magic involved has a degree of complication that the earlier books lack, and I really enjoyed exploring that aspect. It almost feels as if we have graduated with the characters in mastering the basics to be able to take on the more complex.

 

Narrative Style

As with all of the Harry Potter books in the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince remains easy to read. There are lots of webs and elements of the storyline in which there is complexity, but the writing style is kept simple. This works as it doesn’t detract from the storyline as the main focus.

The pacing of the book is perfect to the events that are taking place. Whereas in previous books, we have had the structure of Harry spending summer with the Dursley’s current followed by the school year. That is switched up a little bit in this book. Instead, we are thrown into the action quite quickly. This previous structure was familiar, but a little bit formulaic and repetitive if I had to make one criticism. I was glad to see things pan out a little differently in this book.

 

Characters

The character pool in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is thinned a little in comparison to the previous book. However, there are a lot more players on the board compared to the opening books in the series. By now, a lot of them are old friends. Readers of fantasy won’t struggle with this at all. I wouldn’t even say I struggled with this as a late teenager. If there was any book I had difficulty with following what was going on, it was the previous book. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince reins it back in to a manageable level.

At this stage of the series, we have a wide range of characters that we love, and those we hate in equal measure. In a book and series like this, you need the broad spectrum of characters; J. K. Rowling does not disappoint in providing these. The events in this book line us up for the final showdown. The lines are drawn. Good and evil will come together to do battle, and by the end of the book, we know who is on which side.

 

Summary

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is an exciting read. It was satisfying to see some of the opening plotlines start to come towards a resolution. I also enjoyed the dark side of the narrative and exploring the dark side of magic that we get to in this book, as well as the last.

Have you read any books from the Harry Potter series? Have you re-read it? Let me know in the comments.

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

Monthly TBR – March 2023

Posted on by

Happy Friday everybody and welcome to my Monthly TBR post for March 2023!

February was an ambitious month for me. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t get through the multitude of books I set out to. However, I read a really diverse range of books, and I’m really happy with the reading progress I made.

This month I am going to be a little less ambitious. Last month I proved that I can read a decent amount, but a target of just over 107 pages a day isn’t quite achievable for me. This month I’ll need to read an average of 70 pages a day. A much more manageable target. 

This month I am setting myself a mixture of ‘fixed’ and ‘mood reads’ as normal. I’m also setting myself a ‘stretch’ goal. This is and isn’t different from my usual reading list. Let me explain.

When I set myself a monthly reading list, I generally have an expectation that I might only start the last book on the list before the end of the month. This hasn’t changed for me, however, I’m being more transparent about that. Rather than having everybody think that I’m looking to complete this list by the end of the month, in reality, I’m hoping to get to and be on the last book. I’m especially declaring that intention this month as the last book on my list is over 900 pages long! There is no way I’m going to finish it this month. 

 

Fixed Reads

 

A Game of Thrones

The first book am I reading this month is a re-read of A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. You may ask why I am reading this book yet again. If you haven’t heard already, the next book in the series, The Winds of Winter, is due out later this year.

You know that I want to be in a position to be able to pick that up as soon as it comes out. So, I am starting a re-read of the series! Whilst I don’t strictly have to start it right now, I really enjoyed reading The Rise of the Dragon last month. I’ve got the itch and if I’m entirely honest, I’ve been looking for a reason to re-read this series anyway. Now I’ve got it!

 

Soul Identity

The next book I am picking up this month is the book I pulled out of my TBR Jar – Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder.

I’m looking forward to picking up this book as something a little bit different. The premise caught my eye and I’m willing to give it a shot based on that. I also discussed this book with my dad and he seemed to think it would be something I would enjoy as well! I can’t wait to give it a try and let you know.

 

Mood Reads

 

The Book Eaters

I didn’t quite get around to reading The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean last month. As I shared in my monthly wrap-up for February earlier this week, I was a bit disappointed I didn’t get to it.

However, I really do want to read it sometime soon. With that in mind, it is the first book on my mood read list of the month. At just under 300 pages, this is a nice short book and is a complete change from the other books and genres I have on this monthly TBR.

 

Feet of Clay

I cannot remember the last time I picked up a Terry Pratchett Discworld novel. I’m going to go back and have a look, but I would say it’s probably been about a year since I read Maskerade.

(editing Rebecca here – in fact, I’ve not picked up a Discworld novel since 2019! Whoops!)

With this year’s aim being to work on ongoing series I have started, this definitely fits the bill. By no means am I going to finish the Discworld books this year. Even after reading Feet of Clay, which is the 19th book in the series, I won’t quite be half way through.

I really enjoyed the Discworld novels for their light and satirical nature. It has been far too long since I picked one up, and I hope that going back to the series now will kickstart me to pick it up more regularly in future.

 

Death of Kings

Another series I haven’t picked up for a while is Bernard Cornwell’s the Saxon Stories series. In March, I will be picking up the sixth book in this series – Death of Kings. I am already familiar with the story in this book from watching the TV series. However, I’m still excited to read it. Whilst both the book and the show are very good in their own right, they don’t spoil each other for me. They are both enjoyable for their own reasons.

I love Uhtred’s character and the perspective we get in these books. He is arrogant and not somebody I would ever choose to befriend. However, he makes for an interesting protagonist and I can’t wait to see how the events of history are portrayed in Uhtred’s perspective.

 

Stretch Goal

 

The Mad Ship

If I managed to make it through the five books already listed in this monthly TBR post, then I’m hoping to start The Mad Ship. I’m not even going to try and finish it. This book is the longest in the Liveship Trader series at just over 900 pages. Going for completion of this book as well would change my reading count from around 70 pages a day to 100. That’s obviously quite a big jump, and not all that realistic based on my performance last month. 

I love Robin Hobb and the Realm of the Elderlings books. However, I would be lying to you if I told you that they weren’t books you had to invest your time in. There is a lot of detail; they are not the quickest of reads. Even if I’m trying my hardest, I can’t binge read these books very well. Instead, I am going to take the slow and steady approach and aim to start this book before the end of the month and include/complete it as part of my next monthly TBR. We’ll see though. It’s still a beast, however I choose to tackle it. Wish me luck!

 

So, those are the books I am going to be reading as part of my Monthly TBR for March.

Have you read any of the books on this list? Is there anything on here that caught your eye as something you would like to try?

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

Monthly Wrap-Up – February 2023

Posted on by

Good evening and welcome to my wrap-up post for February 2023! I set myself a lofty goal for February, which equated to attempting to read around 107 pages a day.

This was ambitious and I’m not surprised that I haven’t achieved it. However, I am really happy with the reading progress I’ve made. I’ve picked up the majority of the books I set out to, and I have read books from a diverse range of authors in line with it being Black History Month!

Let’s take a look at the books I picked up throughout the month!

 

Books Read

 

The Chimp Paradox

When I drafted my monthly wrap-up post for January, I was 72% into The Chimp Paradox by Professor Steve Peters. If you want to know my feelings on the book, then it’s probably best to go and check out that post. In short, I decided to whip through to the end of this book relatively quickly. This last little push on progress didn’t take too long and I swiftly moved on to my February TBR!

 

The House of Fortune

Next, I picked up the last book I had hoped to read in January. I picked up a copy of The House of Fortune from my local library.

Having read mixed reviews on the book, I didn’t want to commit to buying a copy if I didn’t enjoy it all that much. As it happens, this was a fairly decent read. I didn’t enjoy all of the characters individually, but the overall story comes together really well. I managed to read and return my copy to the library in just over a week. Not bad going really!

 

Illuminae

For my next read, I decided to change pace and genre completely.

Illuminae is written in a mixed media format. The story is told through messaging exchanges between characters, as well as interviews, logs, and other mixed written accounts. If you are a fan of books written in this style, such as The Appeal by Janice Hallett, then this will definitely suit you. I enjoyed the sci-fi setting in combination with this writing style. The different ways in which events are recounted really fit in with the storyline and the events that take place.

Although Illuminae is one of the longer books on my February TBR, it didn’t take that long to read. It being written in the style it was made it really easy to digest, and, in some cases, the word count per page is a lot less than you’d expect if you were reading traditional prose.

 

Becoming

In my next read, I change genre and pace yet again. Going back to a more traditional written format, I picked up a memoir by Michelle Obama – her first book called Becoming.

Becoming was the perfect book to read in fitting with this month’s theme of black history month, and also ticking a box towards my goal of reading more non-fiction. It also turned out to be a brilliant read. Although I’m not overly invested or interested in politics, I felt that Becoming struck the right balance of incorporating the struggles Michelle and Barack experienced in the early chapters of their life, up until their days in the White House. This book is not really political and doesn’t push too much of an agenda.

I expected to enjoy it, but I thought it was going to be more political. I’m glad that it wasn’t as it suited me perfectly.

 

The Rise of the Dragon

I went back to a favourite world in picking up The Rise of the Dragon by George R.R. Martin. I was very lucky to receive a copy of this book as an early birthday present, and it was only fitting I read it this month. The Rise of the Dragon covers the early history of the Targaryens, but in a way that is approachable to all readers. I have read Fire and Blood, the first detailed book of the Targaryen history. This is written more like a chronicle, with a lot of information, analysis and opinion.

That’s absolutely fine if you enjoy that style and are a big fan of the series. However, if you want an overview of the history and the events that run up to the main series (or the history featured in the TV spin off – House of the Dragon), then The Rise of the Dragon is better suited. It is also full of beautiful and detailed illustrations. I really enjoyed going through these as I was reading the stories and enjoying the varied artistry styles.

 

Africa Risen

My last read of the month is my current read, Africa Risen. This is a short story anthology, featuring speculative fiction written by black authors. This book is my book club read with Ezeekat’s book club. Whilst I haven’t completed the book in time for the end of the month, I can still offer some feedback on what I’ve read so far.

I am enjoying this collection of short stories. There are similar themes throughout these tales which are from a completely different perspective I never thought of before. There are some more obvious themes, including identity, racism, slavery, and mistreatment. But there are plenty others. For example, water features repeatedly in the stories in a completely different way to western novels. Whereas in the latter, it is a very basic, mundane and uninteresting element, that is not the case in the stories. Water is revered as life-giving, revitalising, and something special.

To a society that has an abundance of it, there is definitely a completely different attitude to it. And that’s something I’ve never thought of before, even though it is obvious in hindsight.

As of this monthly wrap-up post, I am 68% through Africa Risen. I’m hoping to finish this book very soon; my intention is to finish it within the next day or two, so then I can move onto my March TBR!

 

DNF’s

None to report this month!

 

Unread

I had hoped to pick up another couple of books throughout the month.

The first of these two as a relatively short book at just under 300 pages – The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. I’ve been looking to pick up this book for a couple of months, and I was hoping it was going to be a good and short palate cleanser to help keep momentum going. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite get to this one. However, I would like to try and pick it up soon.

The second book on my list is a fairly recent acquisition – In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Aketstrom. I would have been extremely happy if I’d made it to the end of the month having started the book. It’s obviously not quite panned out the way I had hoped, but never mind! I have still read plenty throughout the month and pushed myself to do so, whilst still balancing my time. That was what I set out to do.

 

That’s *all* for today’s monthly wrap-up post for February.

Have you read any of the books featured in this post? What have you been reading?

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

First Lines Friday – 24/02/2023

Posted on by

Good evening and welcome to this week’s feature post – First Lines Friday!

For today’s post, I set myself the challenge of featuring a book I read last year. When I planned this post on my blog, I hadn’t a clue which book to feature. That is why I decided to set myself the challenge. It gives me some parameters to work within, but also a little bit of opportunity to look back and explore the books I read to see what would appeal to you, my readers.

Today’s featured book is the third book of a series I went back to last year at around this time. I picked it up again as a comfort read, and if you are a fan of grimdark or fantasy, then I think this is something that will interest you. To give you an idea of how much I enjoy this series, I have not only re-read it, but I have also gifted out the trilogy to two of my friends. If that isn’t recommendation enough, then I don’t know what is!

If you like the sound of today’s First Lines feature, here is a link to another post in the series in which I’ve featured the second book of the trilogy.

Let’s look at today’s First Lines Friday excerpt: –

 

I threw myself down in the sand. I hadn’t been seen, and I wasn’t certain how many they were, but I was going to have to kill a lot of them.

“What’s the plan?“ Nenn asked. She sat cross-legged on a rock, picking at the threads of blacksap in her teeth.

“Disappear or keep silent,“ I said quietly. “If they see you, this is going to go backwards pretty fast.“

“You taught me not to fight outnumbered,” Nenn said. She found the strand of gristle and tossed it away into the sand, where it disappeared into nothing.

“I taught you to fight smart,” I growled. “For all the good it did either of us.“ Nenn considered that, then snorted derisively.

 

 

 

Crowfall – Ed McDonald

Genre: Epic Fantasy / grimdark

Pages: 454

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Gollancz.

Publication Date: 13 Jun 2019

 

 

Goodreads – Crowfall

A sorceress cataclysm has hit the Range, the final defensive line between the Republic and the immortal Deep Kings.

Tormenting red rains sweep the land, new monstrosities feed on fear in the darkness, and the power of the Nameless, the gods who protect the Republic, lies broken. The Blackwing captains who serve them are being picked off one by one, and even immortals have learned what it means to die. Meanwhile the Deep Kings have only grown stronger, and are poised to deliver a blow that will finally end the war.

Ryhalt Galharrow stands apart from it all.

He has been deeper into the wasteland known as the Misery than ever before. It has grown within him – changed him – but all power comes with a price, and now the ghosts of his past, formerly confined to the Misery, walk with him everywhere.

They will even follow him, and the few surviving Blackwing captains, on one final mission into the darkness.

 

My Thoughts…

The Raven’s Mark trilogy is one that I will recommend to readers again and again. Overall, the world building and characterisation is perfectly balanced to appeal to fantasy readers who enjoy books set in completely different worlds. But at the same time, there isn’t so much information as to overwhelm.

My favourite thing about the books is that the main character Ryhalt is seriously flawed. He does things selfishly for his own reasons, he battles with alcohol addiction in order to cope with the traumatic event in his past. And in amongst all that drama, he is at the beck and call of a God at a time of growing conflict. He is far from a natural altruist, and yet he finds himself in the position of trying to defend the world as he knows it. 

Whether you are an avid reader of fantasy, or just looking to experiment with the genre, I would recommend this series either way. It is one that I have already re-read, and I will no doubt to go back to it again. It is relatively easy reading for me, and being as captivating as it is, it’s a story I will enjoy it regardless of the number of times I read it. 

Have you read Crowfall or any of the other books in the series? Let me know in the comments!

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

Well, I Didn’t Know That! #6

Posted on by

In today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post, I take a deeper dive into a website I use several times a week. I do so even without fully using or understanding the functionality available to readers. I’ve decided to discover what more it has to offer!

As you will probably know from my blog by now, I use Goodreads to track my reading. Goodreads is a massive database with a large community of like-minded readers. Yet, this is the kind of functionality that I don’t use all that often. So, if like me, you use Goodreads as a database and not much more, let’s dive into some of the functionality you can make the most of to improve your experience.

News, articles & recommendations

Overview

One of the functionalities I forget about the most is access to bookish news and articles about a variety of topics.

Some recent examples of these articles include recommendations for reading around certain topics (such as Valentine’s Day and Black History Month). There are also articles around topics like best books of the year, anticipated new releases; well, anything you can imagine. If you want to keep an eye on bookish news, then don’t be so quick to overlook Goodreads as a source of scoop. I won’t be any more!

 

Finding These Features – Website

However, you have to know where to look in order to find them. If you are using the web then it is a lot easier.

You can access recent news and articles via links embedded into the homepage. Equally, you can navigate to the browse menu and locate the ‘News and interviews’ page from there.

 

Finding These Features – Mobile App

If you want to locate the same page via the mobile app, click on the Discover tab. At the top of the page, there is a link to the latest post shared. If you click that link, a web browser will open. From there, follow the link to the news and interviews page at the top.

There are also a limited number of small boxes at the top of your homepage (picture above) with links to news articles. However, these are visually unappealing and don’t necessarily indicate where they’re taking you on the website. I would recommend paying attention to them now you know what they are!

 

Community – Groups, Lists & More!

 

Groups – Overview

There are so many community aspects to Goodreads that I just don’t use day today. From making friends and joining like-minded readers in a group, to sharing lists of books with a common theme (and this is very open, you can decide what you like). There are lots of things you can do to share with other readers. You can also interact with other readers and the content they create as well.

Groups are a great way to interact with other readers in a safe environment. Groups are often very well-moderated and vary in topics or themes. If you’re looking for readers of a certain genre, there is absolutely a group for that. If you want to join a catch-up bookclub, there’s a group (or two) for that too!

 

Lists – Overview

The community curated lists are a great way of finding books based on the topic that may not necessarily make it into a mainstream curation article. Particularly if you are a fan of indie, authors, or less mainstream novels, these lists can be a great way of finding new or different reads based on this kind of criteria. For example, I took a look at a few lists that have been created based on favourite and or strong, independent, or smart women. Partly, I wanted to see if this was a thing (and I can assure you it is). But, I also wanted to compare the books in those lists with my future books in the Top Ten Tuesday post I shared yesterday. There are some commonalities, which is great to see. But, more importantly, there are plenty more books that I haven’t yet read.

If you’re looking for recommendations, this can be a great way of finding something new! Having gone out of my way to explore what other functionality Goodreads has to offer, I will be making more of an effort to engage with this content in future.

 

Finding These Features

Finding these features on both the Web and mobile are considerably easier than the previous section. If you are looking for groups, this can be found on the website by Clicking on the community menu, item, and selecting groups. In the app, click on the more tab in the bottom, right screen, and then select groups.

To find lists on the web, click on the browse menu item, and then select lists. If you want to find the same content in the mobile app, they can be located in the bottom of the Discover tab.

 

I hope you have learned something in today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post. Did you know about these functions on Goodreads? Do you actively use them?

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

Top Ten Tuesday – Favourite Heroines

Posted on by

In today’s Top Ten Tuesday post, I feature my favourite heroines from fiction. The selection of books the characters come from are quite diverse. As always, there is a slight leaning towards fantasy as that’s what I read the most. However, that doesn’t make up the list in its entirety.

Having taken a look at the characters I have compiled for this list, they all have similar things in common. They are women who will stand up for themselves. They are women who stand in the face of adversity or strife and weather the storm. Other common traits are that they are smart and fiercely loyal to those they love, doing anything they can to protect them.

A quality that many of these characters embody is not allowing other people’s opinions to shape who they are. They do what they think is best, regardless of whether they do so in a way that society expects. They embrace who they are, and all their quirks, and do so with their head held high.

In my opinion, the list of these characters and the traits give really good insight into what I value in women, and also what I would like to embody myself. Naturally, I don’t want to become an assassin in order to protect my family. Understandably, aspects of personalities are exaggerated in the plot narratives of these books! But, these are the principles and standards I admire.

I could go on to add a brief description of each character below, but as I’ve said above, they are remarkably similar. For fear of repeating myself, I’ve decided to keep it to the explanation above as to why I like each of these characters, and just list them below.

So, here is the list of the characters and the books or series they come from!

 

Arya Stark & Brienne of Tarth – A Game of Thrones

 

Hermione Granger & Luna Lovegood – Harry Potter

 

Kettricken – The Farseer trilogy

 

Karou – Daughter of Smoke & Bone

 

Mia Corvere – The Nevernight Chronicles

Nevernight

 

Verity – Code Name Verity

 

Cilka – Cilka’s Journey

Offred – The Handmaid’s Tale

 

Those are my favourite heroines for today’s Top Ten Tuesday post. What do you admire in your bookish heroines? What personality traits do you root for?

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

Well, I Didn’t Know That! #5

Posted on by

In today’s Well I Didn’t Know That! post, I feature an article in BBC History magazine which is topical to my reading theme for this month. Over the course of February, I am picking up multiple books inspired by the fact that it is black history month.

I would like to stress that whilst the topic I’m going to discuss is a controversial one, my views are going to remain impartial in this post. I’m sure a lot of people have a lot of opinions, and I won’t encourage people to get political about it. That’s not what my blog is about. Instead, I am using this post to highlight historic racial injustice when it comes to abortion access and the rhetoric used.

 

BBC History – The Long Fight Over Abortion Rights in the US

I told you the topic was a controversial one. So much so, debated even publishing the post at all. As a compromise, I’m deliberately going to turn the comments off on this post and social media. This post isn’t an invitation to express your opinion. Whilst I would normally encourage any interaction on my blog, we are avoiding any confrontation by switching off this one.

Instead, this post is to emphasise something I learned as a result of this article. Throughout history, abortion and the rights of women versus the rights of children has been a sore subject. But did you know that access to abortions, even during a time when they weren’t strictly legal, has been very dependent on race? If you want to take a look at the article itself, it can be found in the February 2023 edition of the magazine, starting on page 14.

You would like to think that regardless of your heritage or your skin colour, that women are perceived as just that. Especially when it comes to medical aid and care, it shouldn’t make a difference. That’s not to say it comes to pass that way. As I have learnt recently in reading Becoming by Michelle Obama, Black Americans in Chicago would not reach out for help medically, largely due to lack of trust. Her own father suffered with multiple sclerosis and would not seek out help until much too late. He suffered on, never missing a day of work. 

 

Racial inequality over access to abortion

As the BBC History article points out, even when it comes to female care, access to abortion (and even coercion into both abortion and sterilisation) was made more readily available to black people, but denied of anyone classified as white. Some argued that such was “essential to stop the multiplication of the unfit for racial betterment”.

Frankly, I think this is disgusting. It comes from a distinct lack of representation of black people (largely a result of other inequalities, preventing access to education/opportunities etc), and a misguided belief of white supremacy in those who did pull the strings. I had no idea that such prejudice even existed in the abortion argument. It is hard for somebody so open minded to consider that other people are not, or have historically not been, so.

 

Summary

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, there are radical and controversial views that colour the argument. My firm belief is that treatment of individuals, access to healthcare and human rights should not depend on your heritage. It shouldn’t matter what colour your skin is, or where your parents came from. We should all have equal access.

With the recent re-emergence of this argument, it is important to highlight disparities that have come before. Mainly, to make sure they don’t happen again.

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

First Lines Friday – 10/02/2023

Posted on by

Good evening and welcome to today’s First Lines Friday post.

For today’s post, I deliberately didn’t christen the way in which I was going to choose the book I featured. I didn’t want my plan to backfire, such as it happened in my last First Lines Friday post. As it happens, I decided to keep it open this time.

I have decided to feature a book that I’m looking forward to re-visiting. This is actually a book I DNF’d in 2018. However, that wasn’t because of the book necessarily. I tried to read this book at a time when I was struggling with large epic fantasy tomes. I ended up persevering through a good portion of this one before I put it down. It was only supposed to be a temporary real before going back to it and picking up where I left off, but I left it too long. I did enjoy what I read. A friend of mine also loves this series, so I want to give it another go!

Can you guess today’s book from the introduction?

 

The palace still shook occasionally, as the Earth rumbled in memory, groaned as if it would deny what has happened. Bars of sunlight cast through rents in the walls made of motes of dust glitter where they yet hung in the air.

Scorch-marks marred the walls, the floors, the ceilings. Broad black smears crossed the blistered paints and gilt of once-bright murals, spot overlaying crumbling friezes of men and animals which seems to have attempted to walk before the madness grew quiet.

The dead lay everywhere, men and women and children, struck down in attempted flight by the lightnings that had flashed down every corridor, or seized by the fires that had stalked them, or sunken into stone of the palace, the stones that flowed and sought, almost alive, before stillness came again.

 

 

 

The Eye of the World – Robert Jordan

the eye of the worldGenre: Epic Fantasy

Pages: 800

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Tor Books

Publication Date: 15 Jan 1990

 

 

Goodreads – The Eye of the World

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Moiraine Damodred arrives in Emond’s Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One, a malicious entity sowing the seeds of chaos and destruction. When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the village seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

 

My Thoughts…

I got through 63% of the first book of the wheel of time series in my initial read of 2018 before I set it aside. As I say in the introduction, I intended to go back to this book at a time that suited me better. However, I didn’t quite pan out as well and so as of today, I am still yet to go back to this book.

Naturally, I will have to go back to the beginning of this point. There has been too much time for me to be able to pick this up where I left off. I’m looking forward to going back to it though. At the moment, I am enjoying my longer fantasy reads.

My only reservation is that the writing style for these books is very descriptive with lots of long sentences. I have heard it compared to Tolkein, and I for one would agree with that. Perhaps you can see that for yourself in today’s first lines introduction? That may be my only challenge with picking up this book. I still want to give it a go though!

That is all from me in today’s First Lines Friday post. Have you read The Eye of the World, or any of the other books in The Wheel of Time series? Let me know in the comments!

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable

Well, I Didn’t Know That! #4

Posted on by

In today’s Well, I Didn’t Know That! post, I feature a podcast from the Financial Times (FT). It focuses on a genre of books I wouldn’t naturally have picked up all that readily – business books.

I read a vast array of genres. However, the concept of a business book fills the mind with connotations of stuffiness and, well, that they’re going to be dull. In just 16 minutes of my day, I discovered a number of titles proving this is can be a misconception.

If you are new to the Well, I Didn’t Know That! series, you can check out my introductory post here.

The podcast featured today discusses the shortlisted and prize-winning books of FT’s 2022 Business Book is the Year award. To be considered for this award, FT specifically look for “compelling and enjoyable” books. So, if there are any business books to pick up, then these are going to be the best of the best!

If you want to check out the podcast for yourself, I will provide a link to Apple podcasts here.

So, which books featured in this podcast caught my attention?

 

Winner – Chip War

The winner of the 2022 Business Book of the Year award went to Chip War. This particular book details the reliance we have on a small number of companies to produce one of the most significant technologies in the world – microchips.

One of the facts I learned in this podcast is that this technology, which is a used widely in electronics to date, stemmed from development for military missiles. Perhaps we have the Cold War to thank or something?

This book appeals to me because we have seen the consequences in the last year of the shortage of the technology. But, the most interesting thing about this book is that it is described as a non-fiction thriller by readers and has been very highly rated!

 

Shortlist – Dead in the Water

One of the shortlisted books for this award also caught my attention. Dead in the Water is a true crime novel which arose as a result of investigative journalism into the hijacking and subsequent destruction of an oil tanker. I have never heard of this incident, but given that there is clearly more than meets the eye here, I want to read and find out what happened!

Dead in the Water is also quite a short read. Even if it isn’t normally your cup of tea, I feel like this is the kind of book, you could try regardless. If the book is any good, I would also be inclined to recommend it to a friend of mine who works in the shipping industry!

 

FT’s podcast has introduced me to some titles that I wouldn’t necessarily have looked at before. It’s also challenged my thinking that books of this type are dull and boring. I’ll definitely pay more attention to books shortlisted for this award in future!

Have you read any business books? Do you have any to recommend to me?

 

signature

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Fable