Good evening folks and welcome to another Sunday Summary from yours truly! I’ve got a little more to share with you in the way of reading progress this week, so let’s get to it!
Before that though, I usually take the chance to share the blog posts I’ve shared earlier in the week. However, this week, despite planning a book review, there isn’t one. Admittedly, I started drafting the review but wasn’t happy it was in a good enough state to publish. Therefore I made the decision to put a hold on it whilst I improved it.
Books Read
The Outsider
As of last week’s Sunday Summary post I had around 170 pages left before completing The Outsider.
I did so quite quickly actually – partly because Monday evening was spent restoring my phone. It took a good few hours and I couldn’t do much else. I got so close to the end that there was no way I was putting the book down.
As I suspected, the book took a supernatural route to the conclusion where my own preference would have been for a logical one. But, it’s Steven King so what did I expect?
Still, I enjoyed the book overall. It’s not what I expected for the premise either, but it’s good to be kept on your toes.
The Squiggly Career
Next, I picked up a non-seasonal read for a break. The Squiggly Career is quite a short read and a nice, digestible format. As such, as of this Sunday Summary I’m already 144 pages (60%) in.
I’m reading this now with a view to completing the exercises over time to see how my perspective and progression changes. Already I’ve found it useful in getting to understand what I value about work, what my skills are etc.
My aim is to finish this in the next couple of days; I’ll give you an update this time next week and let you know if I achieved that.
The Eye of the World
I fancied picking up a mood read, so this week I started The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. This is the second attempt at this book; I originally started it a few years ago but I was struggling with long books at the time. Now I’m in a much better frame of mind to take on a long epic – and a good job too! This is a long series, but one I’m looking forward to reading.
I’m just a few chapters in so far, but this is one you’ll see more progress on in the near future. So, stay tuned!
Books Discovered
Thankfully, I have no new bookish additions to share this week. I think I’ve had enough lately… don’t you agree?
Coming Up…
I’m revisiting my review of Dear Child this week and hoping to get it finished and published by midweek. At least I have a solid foundation down, so I’m optimistic for better luck this time! Given we’re celebrating Halloween (or Hop Tu Naa) later this week, I want to share this seasonal read whilst it’s relevant!
Then, I’m back with a Sunday Summary next weekend as usual. Find out what I’m reading next week in that post!
Until then, have a fabulous weekend and I’ll see you again very soon!
In today’s Sunday Summary post I’ll update you on the books I’ve read, some I bought, andas well, what I’ve got planned for next week. Make yourself comfortable and we’ll dive in!
As always, before I get into what I’ve read this week, here’s a cheeky recap of what else I’ve shared on the blog. If you didn’t see my Top Ten* Tuesday post, this week’s theme was books assigned at school. Guys, I couldn’t even recall a full list of ten. I only scraped together six, so it’s a nice short read. Go on, give it a quick look if you haven’t already and tell me if you read any of them.
Books Read
The Outsider
I started off this week with 100 pages of progress into The Outsider. Considering I’ve been off work this week, I’ve not read a whole lot.
As of this Sunday Summary post, I can share a couple of hundred pages of progress with the book. I’m not sure what to make of it at the moment. A supernatural element to the storyline isn’t out of the realms of King’s writing, but I’m not sure what I think of it here. Secretly I’m hoping for a logical explanation for the murder and why there is proof of the accused being in two places at once. That would be a more clever ending in my opinion.
I’ll keep reading along and update you on progress in next week’s Sunday Summary post.
Books Discovered
I said last week I’d be mortified if I had more books to share. Good job I feel no such qualms this week, because I had a sneaky look in Waterstones yesterday. Well, what were the odds of me coming out empty handed? Slim to none. Clearly.
The first book is a copy of Carrie, which I intend to pick up later this month. I also own a good few King books now as physical copies. He’s an author I’ll almost auto-buy at this point.
Secondly, I got a copy of All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It’s a book I’ve looked at several times, both online and a couple of times in store. This time I decided to commit and get it! I’m tempted to propose this book to the work book club next time it’s my turn. I’ll have to see how folks feel about the page count though!
Lastly, I picked up something I first started looking for in July (in Liverpool) as something new to try. Death Note is a manga novel, so completely out of my comfort zone, but with an interesting premise. I’ve heard great reviews and particularly school friends of mine love it. So, why not give it a go?
Coming Up…
My midweek post coming up is a review that’s seasonal. If you are looking for a book that fits into the horror and thriller genres, Dear Child might just be for you. I’ll share my thoughts in a few days time on why I think you should pick it up!
Finally, I’ll return with a Sunday Summary this time next week. I’ll still be studying for my upcoming exam, but I made the big push I wanted this week. So, I’m hoping to finish The Outsider and start my next read.
Until the next one, I hope you enjoyed today’s Sunday Summary and I’ll see you around!
When I decided to share today’s Top Ten Tuesday last Sunday, I thought the topic would be a little easier. Today’s topic is Books I Was Assigned in School. I thought I’d easily think of ten.
Admittedly, in the last two days I’ve only been able to recall six. It probably doesn’t help that I went down the English language route rather than literature. Even so, I have some good classic books to talk about in this post.
Let’s take a look!
Books I Was Assigned at School
Stone Cold
Looking at these in chronological order, I remember reading this when I was about 11-12 years old. It’s a story about a homeless teen who makes a friend who then goes missing.
It’s been a long time since I read this book but I remember enjoying it at the time. At the same time, it’s probably not one I’d go out of my way to read again though…
Frankenstein
Reading and having to analyse books for school goes a long way to contributing to my initial experience. As you’ll see in a lot of these, I didn’t enjoy them first time round. The first of these experiences was reading Frankenstein around age 13.
I was not a fan of Frankenstein in school. In fact, I dreaded picking this up. Picking it apart really killed whatever good there was.
As with a lot of books I read in school, I’ve since read it again as an adult. The experiencewas completely different. Whilst I didn’t 5 star love it, the book got a solid 4 star rating in 2018.
1984
1984 probably has the greatest turnaround of all the books on this list. I hated 1984 in school. I was around 14 at the time and I didn’t enjoy any aspect of it.
However, I read this again as an adult (but pre-blog) so I’m not sure exactly when. The contrast between my school reading experience and that of my own time is a complete 180°. I really enjoyed this book second time around. Honestly, I’d read it again too!
Of Mice and Men
I didn’t enjoy Of Mice and Men when I picked it up for my GCSE studies. I found it quite hard to get into. The book did pick up a little once I’d got so far into it, but I didn’t love it.
In 2017 after re-reading the book as an adult, I gave it 5 stars! It’s fair to say that a degree of maturity with my reading took place in between. That, and I could actually enjoy the book rather than pick apart and overanalyse the narrative to within an inch of its life…
Anthony and Cleopatra
I struggle with Shakespeare. I always have and always will. For that reason I’ve never really taken to any of his works.
I had to study Anthony and Cleopatra for my GCSE’s at school, which wasn’t fun anyway. What didn’t help more is we didn’t have a permanent teacher whilst we were learning it either. I think I scraped by on the assignments and exam for this part of the curriculum, but I didn’t love it.
I have Shakespeare works on my Kindle but I can’t quite psyche myself up to try them again. I’m not convinced, but I guess if I don’t try I’ll never know.
Power and Conflict Poetry
The only other book I remember picking up was a poetry anthology called Power and Conflict. Even then, I don’t think we read all of it but rather cherry-picked poems from it to, you guessed it, analyse.
Broadly I’m not a big fan of poetry, so this isn’t one I’ve gone back to. Neither do I plan on either.
Summary
I’m gutted I could only recall six books for today’s Books I Was Assigned in School post. But, I suppose a shorter post is better than a non-existent one right?
What did you read at school, and what was your experience? Have you re-read any books like I have?
Good evening friends! After a busy week at work, I officially put my out of office on and I’m ready for a week off work! It’s been a while since I last went on leave, and certainly for anything longer than a day. But now, I’m raring to go to share my latest Sunday Summary updates!
In between wrapping up everything for my break, I drafted and shared with you my review of Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb. That went out on Friday, a little later than planned. It was quite a long review though!
Books Read
The Rosie Project
Even though book club postponed the meet for The Rosie Project until this Tuesday, I would have *just* finished reading it in time.
As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I was only 31% in as of publishing my post. I read another third of the book before bed that Sunday night, and I finished it Monday.
It was a fun narrative for me and totally held up by Dom’s humorous lack of social skills. If it weren’t for book club I wouldn’t have picked it up myself. Still, it was an okay read and great to get out of my comfort zone for a little bit.
The Outsider
Taking a completely different tack, I picked up The Outsider after finishing The Rosie Project. It’s the first of two King books I’d like to read this month. As of this Sunday Summary, I’m about 100 pages into the book and intrigued as to where the story could go next.
At the point of the book I’m in, we’ve covered most of what the synopsis alludes to. So really, it could go anywhere from here. Knowing King, there’ll be something up his sleeve. I don’t know what to make of protagonist Terry Maitland yet. Did he commit the crime? I’m not sure. I definitely don’t like how the police are pinning it on him and trying to cut corners, but I’m not sure he’s entirely innocent either.
I can only read on and find out more!
Books Discovered
After last week’s book haul I’d be mortified if I had yet more to share. Thankfully, there are no new additions this week ☺️
Coming Up…
I’m sticking to my two post schedule even though I’m off. I have some plans for my week off, but around those I’ll be studying. I want to get a good block of that done this week.
With this in mind, my first post of the week will be a Top Ten Tuesday post. The topic this week is books I was assigned to read at school. I’ve got six listed already so I need to get my thinking cap on for the rest!
Lastly, I’ll be back with my next Sunday Summary update the same time next week. I’ll let you know how much reading I get done and catch up with you on all other bookish updates!
Until next time, have a great week and happy reading!
I get to talk about one of my favourite conclusions to a mini-series, Assassin’s Quest, in today’s post.
Robin Hobb is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. If you haven’t checked out my reviews of the earlier books of the Farseer trilogy so far, here are links to my reviews of Assassin’s Apprentice and Royal Assassin here.
Now you are up to speed, let’s take a look at my thoughts on the third instalment of this trilogy, which makes up the introduction to this epic sixteen book series!
The gripping finale to Robin Hobb’s classic Farseer trilogy.
Keystone. Gate. Crossroads. Catalyst.
Fitz is about to discover the truth about the Fool’s prophecy. Having been resurrected from his fatal tortures in Regal’s dungeons, Fitz has once more foiled Regal’s attempts to be rid of him.
Now, back in his own body, and after months of rehabilitation, Fitz begins the painful and slow process of learning the ways of a man again. Under the watchful eye of Burrich, old King Shrewd’s Stablemaster, Fitz must learn to cast off the wild but carefree ways of the wolf and enter once more the human world: a world beset ever more viciously by the relentless Red Ship Raiders who are now left free to plunder any coastal town they please. But more immediately, a world in which he finds he is utterly alone.
Regal has stripped the kingdom of its riches and retired to the inland city of Tradeford. Of Verity, on his quest to find the legendary Elderings, there has been no word; Molly, Kettricken and the Fool have all vanished.
Unless Fitz can find Verity and help him in his quest, the Six Duchies will perish and there will be no safe place to live.
My Thoughts
Plot
I had no idea how this book was going to start. A lot happened at the end of Royal Assassin and Assassin’s Quest had a lot to live up to. You’ll be pleased to know it exceeded expectations! That’s the beauty of Robin Hobb. Just when you think she can’t do herself, she pulls a trump card out of her sleeve and we readers are left reeling.
Fitz did not have a great time of things in book two, and a lot of book three is shaped by those events. He has a lot to recover, physically and socially. He is not the man he was and neither is the Court he served in. With Shrewd and Verity no longer on the political scene, Regal is making his mark and rather royally making a mess of the kingdom. Fitz has to try and negotiate his way around a new way of life.
I loved the storyline of Assassin’s Quest. It has the fundamental place and setting of the books established to date, but we get to see more too. As the name of the book suggests, Fitz ends up undertaking a quest. We get to see whole new areas yet undiscovered by us readers. I loved every part of it. That’s the content I live for in fantasy. It was engaging and magical and exciting. The world revealed yet more about a past we are still discovering alongside the main characters of this storyline.
Magic. Absolute magic.
Characters
Fitz is a loveable character, but I frequently find myself asking what will happen to him. Robin Hobb doesn’t pull her punches or treat characters with any kind of favouritism. As the events in the previous book show, nobody in her universe is safe.
Fitz is an interesting character to view the world from, especially with his increasingly less subtle links to the animal kingdom. More so than previous books, his bonding with Nighteyes influences his behaviour. It’s a unique aspect to his character and I love that it’s so prominent in the narrative and in the way he’s treated.
Even though I feel precious and protective over Fitz, I do love many other characters in these books. Verity and Kettricken are firm favourites. Regal is the kind of character we love to hate. Molly and Burrich are great character-shaping supports. The list goes on!
Setting
The setting of Assassin’s Quest takes us across multiple places. That’s what I love about epic fantasy. There is a familiarity as there are places we’ve discovered and explored previously. At the same time, we also get new discoveries on top. I found it a really enjoyable balance of the two and this fit perfectly into the storyline of the book.
Robin Hobb’s descriptions are amazing – it’s one of my favourite aspects of her writing. It’s so detailed and immersive that I felt I was actually there. Equally though, it doesn’t hold up the action going on or hold the narrative back.
Narrative Style
Robin Hobb’s books are full of detail. For me, they are a slower read compared to a lot of books but they are enriching. I enjoy taking the time to immerse myself in her world. It’s worth taking time over! I’m six books into sixteen-part series as of writing this post, and I already know it’s a series I’m going to go back to again.
Assassin’s Quest, as a while package, is engaging. There’s plenty of action to keep us interested. We get a great picture of the world it’s set in. Physically, historically etc. The characters are easy to get behind and root for, or not in some cases. The way in which this is packaged up is make or break for me. If I don’t get on with a book’s writing style, regardless of everything else, it can be the difference between reading it or not.
For Assassin’s Quest, it’s the icing on the cake!
Summary
Assassin’s Quest is a great conclusion to the first mini-series of the wider Realm of the Elderlings series. I can’t wait to revisit some of these characters now I’ve read the second trilogy, The Liveship Traders.
Happy Sunday folks and welcome to another Sunday Summary update!
With the beginning of the final quarter of the year, I’ve had a busy week at work. It’s not quite over for me yet, but hopefully I’ll be over the hill in a couple of days time. If nothing else, I certainly will be by the end of the week as I’m then on leave for a week!
Despite being busy at work, there’s been no rest on the blog. This week, I shared my Monthly Wrap-Up post for September on Wednesday. In that post, I recapped reading progress throughout the month. If you haven’t checked that out already, here’s a link so you can!
My Monthly TBR went live on Friday. I have a mixture of seasonal and non-seasonal reads coming up in the next few months, and I’m leaning into spooky season with some thriller and horror novels on the TBR. Want to see what I’ll be reading this month?
Books Read
The Kingdom
I left off after last week’s Sunday Summary post with 45% progress into The Kingdom. This week, I made great progress and finished the book by Monday night.
The Kingdom is a very quick read and I enjoyed the twist at the end. The elements of mixed media also helped the pace along and vary the narrative style for a few chapters.
As a genre, it’s a fun take on a theme park style location. The writing is perhaps aimed at a slightly younger age than myself, but it was a good jaunt into another world for a little while.
The Rosie Project
As well as progressing with The Kingdom, I made it to 31% of The Rosie Project. We’re supposed to be meeting for book club on Tuesday, so I may not finish it in time. We are holding it a week early in fairness as I’m on leave next week. I might see what the consensus is on postponing to the following week when I’m on leave if we need the time. From chats with a couple other members, we might need an extra week with the book anyway…
For a book that’s really not my go-to genre, I’m having a good laugh with it. Don, the protagonist, makes the whole thing for me. Without his character I don’t think I’d be able to stick with it.
Books Discovered
I made the mistake of going for a mooch in The Works today. I bought 5 books! I’ve shared quite a few Sunday Summary posts with no new books, so I obviously felt the need to make up for that…
It’s fair to say that non-fiction books are more on my radar than they ever have been. I’m looking forward to reading each of these. Bonus that they only cost me £20 for the lot!
Coming Up…
I’m back to my two post schedule and revision time after work this week. With this in mind, my plan is to share a book review of Assassin’s Quest midweek.
You can guess what’s coming next, my good old Sunday Summary this time next week. Find out what I’ve made progress with there, and whether The Rosie Project meet goes ahead or is postponed!
Am I likely to finish this October monthly TBR? If the past few months are anything to go by, the answer is no. However, I’m still setting myself the line up regardless!
You may recognise some of the books on this list from my recent Top Ten Tuesday Autumn TBR. Those posts are great ways to look ahead at planned upcoming reads. And, by sharing them publicly I’m held accountable as well.
Let’s take a look at the books I’m picking up this month:-
Fixed Reads
The Rosie Project
I’m currently reading The Rosie Project for our work book club. Currently, that meet is scheduled for next week so I need to get a wriggle on. So far, I’m only 15% or so into the book.
I’m enjoying the perspective of the protagonist so far, but admittedly, this book isn’t what I’d normally pick up for myself. However, the point of book club is to challenge my reading and try something new. I’m going to stick with this book as long as I can, even if that means I don’t finish it ahead of our meet. I’m not too worried about being spoiled for it.
Defiant
Defiant is on my fixed reading list for October because it is currently read that I carried over from September.
I didn’t listen to too much of Defiant last month even though I’m really enjoying the story. I tend to wax and wane with the format. But, I think this is impacted most by the fact that I’m studying for an exam. That said, I’m still going to continue with this book as and where I can. Equally, I won’t put too much pressure on myself if that takes a little longer.
Carrie
I’m including Carrie on my fixed reading list for October because I always try to read a classic around Halloween. I am relatively unaware of the story of Carrie considering how popular it is. I haven’t read the book before and neither have I seen any films on it.
Stephen King is one of my go-tos in the horror genre. It’s not a genre I really love, but there is enough in his writing that has a psychological element rather than just a cheap jump scare. That’s what gets me interested as opposed to basic fear-mongering tactics.
Mood Reads
The Outsider
Another Stephen King book I want to pick up this month, but won’t kick myself if I don’t get to, is The Outsider. I love the premise and I think this will also make a great spooky reading in October.
There is something about crime committed against children that riles people up against the accused. I am sure there is going to be a big element of that in this book, and how much I’m influenced by that remains to be seen.
I’m looking forward to giving it a try!
The Squiggly Career
The last book on this monthly TBR is a non-fiction. In my Autumn TBR post, I shared some non-seasonal reads that I want to pick up in the next few months. One of those is The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis.
I enjoyed reading (listening) to You Coach You earlier this year. After listening to that book, I went on to purchase a physical copy of it so I can refer back to it again. At the same time, I bought The Squiggly Career. I have always believed there is always something new to learn and skills and ways in which I can develop into a better version of myself.
Summary
I have some great, interesting and seasonal spooky reads coming up in October’s monthly TBR. Have you read any of the books on this list? Are any of them on your list?
In today’s monthly wrap-up post, I feature the books I read throughout the month of September. No surprises here that I didn’t get to everything on my September Monthly TBR. Given that I’ve got into the swing of studying for an upcoming exam, naturally reading progress is a little slower.
However, I have broadly enjoyed the books I picked up this month. That said, I didn’t completeanything that knocked me out of the park in terms of enjoyment. Still, it was a steady month.
Shall we take a look at what they were?
Books Read
Eruption
Following on from last month’s Monthly Wrap-Up post, I had 35% of Eruption left to finish. Priority was given to finishing Eruption as I was lending my copy of it, once I’d finished with it, to another member of the club. Hats off to Helen for reading it as quick as she did; she was faster than I was!
I picked up this read for our second ever work book club. Overall the general feeling from the group was mixed. There were elements of the book we liked, others less so much.
Overall the book received a verdict of different, but average. I definitely agree with the group’s sentiment.
The Lost Apothecary
After finishing Eruption, I elected for some lighter reading. The Lost Apothecary wasn’t planned, but given that I am trying to allow myself the space for mood reading now and then, I made this choice as I wasn’t in the mood for anything on my reading list.
The Lost Apothecary was also a fairly decent read, but nothing outstanding either. It was a relatively fast paced and interesting historical fiction with the two timelines coming together nicely towards the end of the book. If you enjoy your historical fiction with a slant towards feminism and advocating for women, you’ll get on with this book! I really enjoyed this aspect of it.
Defiant
Audiobook progress over the course of September was a little slow. Although I’m listening to a great audiobook at the moment, I only progress through a third of defiant throughout September.
This is partly victim to the fact that I’m studying and using what was my listening time whilst driving to think about what I’m learning or just have a quiet moment to myself.
I’m loving the storyline so far so the amount of progress I’ve made is no reflection on the book at all! Rather, I’m looking forward to progressing with this one over the next month or so. Hopefully, I’ll have more progress to share…
The Kingdom
I just squeezed the last few pages of The Kingdom in at the end of September making 100% completion on the very last evening of the month.
I enjoyed the twists in the plot line for The Kingdom and it was a very fast paced read. If you enjoy a little bit mixed media in your books, there are court transcripts and small variations in the way in which the story is told making it more engaging than just standard pros.
I also found Ana‘s character very compelling and I sympathise with her. There was definitely far more going on than she was initially party too. It had me asking questions throughout and the ending was interesting.
of all the books featured in this monthly wrap-up, it’s the one I recommend the most to you. I loved it!
The Rosie Project
Finally, I made the briefest of starts to my next work book club read, The Rosie Project. We’re only talking 4% here, so I’m only just getting into the narrative and getting a feel for the style.
I was promised The Rosie Project is funny and so far that has already established itself. With the protagonist as he is, there is definitely going to be a lot of humour throughout. I also enjoy reading perspectives from neurodivergent individuals, and Don very clearly is.
We are reviewing this book together in just under a week’s time, so if you want to find out more about my thoughts of this book, check out my blog over the next week to find out more. I’ll be prioritising this book over the next few days so I’ll have something to say in my upcoming Sunday Summary.
Summary
I’m not made the most reading progress this month, but it’s been a good one nonetheless. Remember that I am having to prioritise studying for an exam. That is a short term commitment for long-term gain and that’s going to have a knock on effect on my reading for the next couple of months. Once that’s done, I’ll be back in full swing!
What did you read in September? Do you have any recommendations you would like to share?
Good evening from a slightly damp and very windy island in the middle of the Irish sea! As always, a warm welcome to you in this Sunday Summary update. In today’s post, I take the opportunity to update you on the books I’ve been reading this week. I’m pleased to say I have more progress to report than last week, so make yourself a cuppa and get comfy!
Before I get into the books I read this week, I like to recap the blog posts I’ve shared at the beginning of every Sunday Summary post. That way if you missed anything, it’s a chance to catch up! You may remember that I am studying for an exam that I’m sitting in November. As a result, I’ve temporarily reduced my blogging schedule from three posts a week to two to accommodate my revision time. As such, I’ve only shared one post so far this week, and that was my Autumn 2024 TBR.
Next week I’ll be busier; stay tuned to find out why below. For now though, onto the books I’ve read this week!
Books Read
The Lost Apothecary
Whereas in last week’s Sunday Summary post I lamented having not finished The Lost Apothecary, I am able to confirm in this Sunday Summary that I HAVE now finished it.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but it didn’t rate as highly as I’d hoped. It was perfectly readable – if you enjoy historical fiction with a mystery split across dual timelines then this is a solid recommendation I would make. For me though, it didn’t *dazzle*. I rated this book at a perfectly acceptable three stars, so it’s solid. It just didn’t blow me away.
The Kingdom
It’s funny, I’ve only been saying the last couple of weeks that I don’t enjoy reading on my phone. However, the practicalities of picking up The Kingdom this week have meant that I’ve only picked up my Kindle once – today. Instead, I’ve progressed with this book more via the Kindle app on my phone.
I don’t really know why. The only reason I can think of is that I have been reading this book in very short bursts and when opportunity knocks. For example, whilst I’ve been waiting for my boyfriend to finish work, I’ll be sat reading this in the car.
I’ve just picked The Kingdom up properly on my Kindle this evening. I much prefer my Kindle as it’s a lot nicer to look at, especially when reading in longer bursts.
Having said that phone reading is not my preference, I managed to read 30% of The Kingdom that way and I’ve blitzed another 15% on my Kindle this evening alone. It’s a quick read!
The storyline has me hooked and I can’t wait to see what’s going on. I don’t know whether I can trust our protagonist and her perspective at the moment, but there is definitely more going on under the surface that I can’t wait to dredge up…
Defiant
Reading progress with e-books has certainly been better than audio once again. In this Sunday Summary post, I can only share 35 minutes of listening time to Defiant by Brandon Sanderson.
More often than not these days, I listen to audiobooks whilst I’m driving. I’ve been doing a lot more studying this week than I would typically average. As a result, I’ve been taking those quiet moments (whilst not quite being on autopilot, but you know what I mean) to think over what I’ve been reading and learning instead.
Is managing operational risk in financial institutions anywhere near as interesting as Defiant? Not especially. However, it is necessary for me to go over this content in anyway and shape that I can.
Books Discovered
I’m trying to read more non-fiction books this year, and I discovered another non-fiction earlier today that I think may make interesting reading for me.
The Courage to be Disliked caught my attention because it teaches readers how to advocate for their own wishes and overall directional life path, especially when that doesn’t align with societal expectations. Whilst there are many aspects in which I’m perfectly okay with doing my own thing, I feel there are certainly takeaways from this book that I would benefit from were I to read it. Everyday is a school day after all.
Coming Up…
Although I am for the most part sticking to a two post per week schedule, this week is an exception. I don’t like to wait too long before sharing my monthly wrap-up and monthly TBR posts. With the way the beginning of the month of October falls, I’m going to have to incorporate both of those posts into my week, as well as a Sunday Summary. It’s also quarter end, which is one of my busiest periods at work.
It’s going to be a busy week…
My intended timeline for sharing the posts is for my monthly wrap-up post for September to go live on Wednesday and my monthly TBR on Friday. We’ll see if that pans out…
Then, of course, I’ll be back at the same time next Sunday with the usual Sunday Summary update.
Still with me? Thanks for reading! What have you read recently… and do you have any recommendations for me?
In today’s Top Ten Tuesday post I’m sharing my Autumn 2024 TBR. If you are unfamiliar with this series, Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature post across various different topics. Whilst I don’t take part every week, I have made a habit of taking part in the seasonal TBR posts. They’re a great way to plan what books I want coming up on my TBR.
That’s especially so for me this month, as I’m far more likely to seasonally read in autumn. I don’t really know what’s associated with Spring, but I’m not a Summer romance reader or a cozy Christmas girl. Autumn though? Roll out the mystery, thriller and horror genres!
That said, I’m not entirely a seasonal reader. This TBR is made up of six seasonal books which I’m looking forward to picking up over the next few months. However, that’s not the entirety of my focus and so there are four non-seasonal books that I am looking to pick up in the next three months.
Let’s take a look!
Seasonal
The Outsider
You can’t go wrong with a good Stephen King novel around October. In fact, I have two on this Top Ten Tuesday list. The first of those is The Outsider.
I don’t know how he does it, but the atmosphere in King’s books fits perfectly with the dark, chilly nights drawing in. An aspect I’m looking forward to in this book is that the story is made more unsettling by the crime being perpetrated against a child. Not that I would ever wish that on anybody, obviously. However, there is a sense of protectiveness for children that villainises anyone accused of crime against them. It’s going to create even more tension in the book and I can’t wait to see how the story pans out.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
It’s about time I got to one of the oldest books on my reading list, and the upcoming season will be the perfect time.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has been on my reading list since July 2017. It’s been a long time since I added it and admittedly a while since I heard anything about the book.
However, I remember reading a lot of good things about it at the time I added it to my TBR. That’s why I added it after all! I’m going into this book pretty blind as to what it’s about, but I’m looking forward to giving it a try…
Carrie
I always make an effort to pick up a King classic around Halloween, (called Hop tu Naa locally) and Carrie is this year‘s choice.
I’ve heard good reviews of the book in general terms, but I know for a fact my mum and dad also enjoyed the film adaptation. I have no experience of either given I don’t really watch horror. For a classic, I’m pretty ignorant of the synopsis other than it involves a young girl with telekinetic powers.
Let’s hope in a couple of months time I’m able to tell you more about the book than here in this Top Ten Tuesday!
The Burning Girls
I’ve read a few books by CJ Tudor now and I have plenty more on my reading list. I love a good thriller, and autumn is the perfect time to read them.
The next on my list of CJ Tudor’s books is The Burning Girls. If I love the book as much as I expect, I’ll be watching the recently made TV series as well. I’m also a fan of cozying in and watching a little bit of telly when it’s miserable and cold outside. I may be a book woman, but I can be persuaded by a good drama now and then.
The Bone Collector
Another book that I feel has been on my reading list for a long time and would be perfect to pick up soon is The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver. I remember my sister picking up a copy of this book whilst she was at university. She graduated pre-pandemic…
I have watched the drama released in 2020 relating to this book and I really enjoyed the character development of Lincoln Rhyme. As ever, I’m always hopeful the book will build upon a TV adaptation so that the experience is more immersive and enjoyable overall (I hate being disappointed).
Let’s keep my fingers crossed that’s the case here.
Incendium
A book I didn’t get to last year, but really want to read around bonfire night this year, is Incendium. I’m a little bit gutted I didn’t get to it last year as it would’ve been perfect reading in November. However, I realistically would only have been able to start the book at the very end of the month and that didn’t feel quite right to me.
Instead, I’m using this post as a reminder that I want to pick up this book in good time so that I will be reading this in November. It’s also nice to include a book like this on my reading list as often autumnal seasonal reads are more associated with Halloween. It’s fun to have another festival of sorts to read around.
Non-Seasonal
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
Whilst I’m looking forward to picking up more books from the mystery/thriller/horror genres, my desire to pick up other books doesn’t go away. That’s why there are non-seasonal reads on this Top Ten Tuesday. A book I recently featured in a Shelf Control post is Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi.
It’s been a good few years since I picked up the first book of the series, Children of Blood and Bone. I want to continue with the series as I remember that book being a nice fun read. It’ll also help towards my reading goal of continuing ongoing series versus starting new ones.
Alan Turing: The Enigma
Another reading goal I set myself in my 2024 Resolutions post was to continue with non-fiction reads. Along these lines, I want to pick up a non-fiction based on a pivotable individual in our history, Alan Turing.
If you are unfamiliar, Alan Turing is the man who built the computer that cracked the enigma code in World War II. It’s because of him that we were able to intercept German communications and ultimately win the war. Thereafter he was influential in computer science and has had a significant role in building the foundations of our modern computers.
He also has quite a tragic personal life story, which I feel will be touched on in this book at some point.
The Squiggly Career
I’m the type of person to believe that every day is a school day. Reading and exploring personal development isn’t something to do in January, but all year round.
Earlier this year I read You Coach You, a book also written by the same authors. I really enjoyed that book and found it a useful guideline for both reading then but also future reference. I went on to buy a copy of You Coach You at the same time I acquired The Squiggly Career. I expect this will be a book I refer back to in years to come as well…
Notes on a Nervous Planet
My last non-fiction book featured in this Top Ten Tuesday is Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig. I’ve only read one book by Matt, The Midnight Library. However, I have read that book twice now and loved it on both occasions.
Based on my experience of that, I think Matt will have some quite poignant things to say in this non-fiction. I’m looking forward to reading it and finding out for sure.
Summary
So, those are the books I intend to pick up within the next few months.
Thanks for reading today’s Top Ten Tuesday! Are you a seasonal reader? Are you picking up any books from this TBR?
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My name is Rebecca; welcome to my humble little blog.
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