Tag: bookblogger

Sunday Summary – 10th October 2021

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Sunday evening can only mean the end of another week… and that it’s time for my Sunday Summary post! It also means I have to get up early for work in the morning, but let’s not dwell on that bit! Instead, let’s look at what I’ve done this week! 

Earlier this week I shared my Monthly Wrap-Up post for September 2021. This type of post has replaced my previous reading list; instead of sharing my planned reads for the month ahead of time, I’m recapping what I have read instead. I currently prefer this format as it puts less pressure on me to get through a certain number of books a month. In that post, I also take the opportunity to share links to the posts I’ve shared on my blog over the period. So, if you want a reminder of what I’ve read this month, and want to make sure you haven’t missed any blog posts, go and check out that post now!

On Friday I shared a First Lines Friday post. For this post, I hadn’t set myself a challenge to feature a certain type of book. Instead, I had a full rain did use whatever I like, and I ultimately chose a book based on a recommendation on my Goodreads discover tab. Whilst the book isn’t on my TBR, I have considered it. I like the sound of the premise and it’s recently been made into a popular film. Can you guess what it is based on the shared introduction?

 

Books Read

As of last week’s Sunday Summary update post, I was a third of the way through Red Rising by Pierce Brown. It’s fair to say from the pace in which I read the book that I really enjoyed this, because I finished this on Thursday! The next book in the series is already on my list to pick up. I really enjoyed the narrative and the combination of science fiction, action and it’s dystopian vibe.

After Red Rising I was at a bit of a loss as to what to read next. After reading such a great book it’s intimidating to find something else that will live up to it. After some deliberation I decided to turn to a firm favourite. I had to read a little reminder as to what happened in the previous book first, but I have decided to pick up Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.

I deliberately didn’t read this too quickly after the first book. The Stormlight Archives series is planned to be ten books and currently only four (or so) are published. I didn’t want to read this too quickly and end up waiting a long time for the subsequent books. However, I think it’s been a couple of years since picking up The Way of Kings. That’s a decent amount of time to wait to be able to enjoy the next book. And it’s an epic. I’ve just over 1000 pages I have plenty to dive into!

 

Books Discovered

Aside from adding Golden Sun (the sequel to Red Rising), there’s nothing to add here. And since I ticked Red Rising off the list when I finished it, does this count as it nets off?

 

Coming Up…

It has been a few weeks since I shared an audiobook review with you, and so my plan is to share my thoughts on Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch this week. I remember listening to this last year whilst I was doing some redecorating round the house. Sometimes this doesn’t feel like it was over a year ago and yet it certainly was! So it’s definitely time for me to share my review with you.

Later in the week I’ll be back with a Shelf Control post. This week’s featured book has a sci-fi theme with an interesting premise. I can’t wait to share with you!

However, that is all from me in today’s post. As always, I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Sunday Summary update, and I look forward to seeing you in my next post!

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First Lines Friday – 08/10/2021

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Today I’m sharing another First Lines Friday post with you! If you are new to my blog, and this is a regular (fortnightly) series in which I take the opportunity to share the opening introductions of a variety of books. These may be books I’ve already read, are looking to read, or am even just a little bit intrigued about.

Sometimes I set myself a challenge with these posts, however this week I decided to leave it open. Sometimes it’s nice to have full creative freedom with my choice, and I hope this week’s featured book does not disappoint!

Shall we get into it?

 

Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest. I was sitting in my hideout watching cartoons when the news bulletin broke in on my video feed, announcing that James Halliday had died during the night.

I’d heard of Halliday, of course. Everyone had. He was the videogame designer responsible for creating the OASIS, a massively multiplayer online game that gradually evolved into the global network virtual reality most of humanity now used on a daily basis. The unprecedented success of the OASIS had made Halliday one of the wealthiest people in the world.

At first, I couldn’t understand why the media was making such a big deal of the billionaire’s death. After all, the people of planet Earth had other concerns. The ongoing energy crisis. Catastrophic climate change. Widespread famine, poverty, and disease. Half a dozen wars. You know: “dogs and cats living together… Mass hysteria!” Normally, the newsfeeds didn’t interrupt everyone’s interactive sitcoms and soap operas unless something really major had happened. Like the outbreak of some new killer virus, or another major city vanishing in a mushroom cloud. Big stuff like that. As famous as he was, Halliday’s death should have warranted only a brief segment on the evening news, so the unwashed masses could shake their heads in envy when the newscasters announced the obscenely large amount of money that would be doled out to the rich man’s heirs.

But that was the rub. James Halliday had no heirs.

 

Ready Player One – Ernest Cline

Goodreads – Ready Player One

IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.

But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

 

My Thoughts…

Did you recognise today’s feature? Whether you’ve read the book or watched the recent film made based on it, you may recognise it.

I’ve personally heard of Ready Player One, and based on the synopsis and the intro this is definitely something that would appeal to me as a reader. I’m in love with science-fiction right now, and the premise is an interesting one.

Not only does it have good reviews, but a couple of trusted book reviewers I follow have also read and highly-rated this book. If the premise wasn’t enough then their views lend a hand into convincing me to pick this up someday.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s First Lines Friday post! Have you read or watched Ready Player One? What did you think? Let me know if this is something I should add to my TBR!

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Monthly Wrap-Up – September 2021

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Hello everyone and welcome to today’s wrap up post for September 2021.

I feel like I’ve achieved a good balance in both reading and other hobbies. For the most part, I’ve been enjoying the books I’ve picked up and I’ve been doing so at a pace that suits me!

 

Books Read

As of my last monthly wrap-up post, I was halfway through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I’m pleased to say that I went on to finish this before we were halfway through the month, so pretty quickly. Although it’s the longest book of the series I didn’t let that daunt me in anyway. On the contrary, I was looking forward to picking this up each and every time!

After reading this I decided to pick up something different. I’d been recommended The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis to read by my boss at work. I’m obviously familiar with the story, but I’ve never picked up the book itself. I managed to borrow a copy of this electronically from my library and I read it all in one sitting. That wasn’t particularly the plan, but it just worked out that way! Needless to say, I definitely enjoyed it (despite the slightly sexist views of the author dropped in… and not so subtlety).

After that I struggled a little to choose what my next reach should be. I wanted something different again, and so I turned to a genre that I pick up rarely – non-fiction. One of the earliest books on my TBR to read was The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. I picked this up with enthusiasm and I didn’t take long to read this either! Whilst it’s not a genre I pick up often I admonish myself for that fact. I really do need to pick it up more often and the fact that I enjoyed this book so much is testament to that. Even if you think you have nothing to learn about yourself, you should challenge yourself on that because books like that prove to you that’s not the case at all.

Open till this point I was making really good progress. But alas, I fell a little flat at the end.

The next book I picked up was Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo. I was loaned a copy of this book by my friend who has also read it recently. I really wanted to like it. Truly, I did. I like the idea of it, however, in the practical sense the narrative style and the characters were not working for me at all. I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t enjoying reading this, and that’s ultimately why I made the decision to DNF this. There’s no point trying to force myself to read something if I’m not enjoying it. And it’s not like I didn’t give this a chance either. Whatever it was, this just wasn’t working for me.

Don’t worry though, I haven’t lost my mojo! The reading progress that comes next will fall into next month’s monthly update, but all is well; I haven’t been put off.

Blog Posts

Over the last month I’ve shared a variety of blog posts with you. If you have missed any of my content and see something you like the look of, you will find a handy link here!

 

That’s all from me in today’s wrap up post for September.

What good books you have picked up, or is there anything you’re currently reading that you would recommend? Let me know in the comments!

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Sunday Summary: 3rd October 2021

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Hello everyone and welcome to today’s Sunday Summary post!

I started this week by sharing a Top Ten Tuesday post. This week‘s topic was a freebie, so I went back through some of the post topics I’ve missed previously to decide what I wanted to share. Ultimately, I chose the topic that jumped out at me almost straight away, being “books that everyone has read but me”. It’s apparent that I read a lot; more than most in fact. However, there is plenty that I haven’t read (in some cases not yet). Those books were featured on Tuesday.

Later in the week, I shared a Shelf Control post. This week’s featured book was Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. It isn’t exactly going to be light reading in any sense of the word, but I’m still interested anyway.

 

Books Read

 

I’ve officially given up on Girl Woman Other by Bernadine Evaristo.

I did pick this up again this week, despite the fact I wasn’t particularly feeling inclined to. I gave this my best shot but decided to DNF after around 80 pages. The writing style didn’t work for me. The idea of the book is a good one, but it just wasn’t working for me. If I’m entirely honest, I also didn’t like how shallow the characters I’ve read so far were explored. I just wasn’t able to invest with them very much. Given that the plot doesn’t have much in the way of action (at least as far as I read), you would think this aspect would be all the more important. Also, does anyone else think all the characters are obsessed with sex or is that just me?

I’ve gotten to the stage now where I’m not going to force myself to read a book if I don’t particularly enjoy it. Frankly, I have better things to do with my time.

So, I swiftly moved on to Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I first picked this book up yesterday afternoon and I’m currently a third of the way through. If you needed proof of what the sapping my reading energy, well, I think you’ve got it.

I’m really loving the book so far! When I was trying to decide what to pick up next I got to thinking about this book based on what I remembered from my Shelf Control post back in April. You know me – I am a dystopian fan and combining this with science-fiction is a fun concept! Maybe the fact that I’m playing Horizon: Zero Dawn at the moment (a game of similar genre) planted the idea in my head. Whatever the reason it’s proving to be a great decision!

 

Books Discovered

Still nothing to add here this week, which can only mean the number of books on my list to read is going in the right direction!

 

Coming Up…

I cannot believe it is October already, but here we are! So, naturally I will be sharing my wrapup for September at the beginning of next week. Reading progress in the month has been reasonably average, but I still have plenty to share.

Then, I will be back to sharing a First Lines Friday post with you. Last time I set myself a challenge to feature a non-fiction book, which was fun. However, this time I’m going to keep my options open this time.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Sunday Summary update is and I look forward to seeing you in the next one!

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Shelf Control #36 – 01/10/2021

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Happy Friday everyone and welcome to my Shelf Control post! Shelf Control is a regular feature here and is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!

For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out Lisa’s introductory post.

I try to share these posts regularly so I can continue to review the books on my TBR, decide if I still want to read them, or whether my reading case has changed and it’s no longer for me. I have taken a few books off this list by doing these posts. It’s a productive exercise and gives me some bookish content to share with you. And who knows, by featuring those books I still want to read, maybe I can introduce you to something that will take your fancy as well!

This week’s featured book is a non-fiction novel that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s about a difficult subject and touches upon some of the worst human behaviour there is. However, I am looking forward to reading about it. Here is today’s book: –

 

Twelve Years a Slave – Solomon Northup

Goodreads – Twelve Years a Slave

Twelve Years a Slave, sub-title: Narrative of Solomon Northup, citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the Red River in Louisiana, is a memoir by Solomon Northup as told to and edited by David Wilson. It is a slave narrative of a black man who was born free in New York state but kidnapped in Washington, D.C., sold into slavery, and kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana. He provided details of slave markets in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, as well as describing at length cotton and sugar cultivation on major plantations in Louisiana.

 

My Thoughts…

Twelve Years a Slave is not going to be an easy book to read, but that isn’t reason enough not to give it a go. It’s a subject matter that some will find upsetting, whether we like it or not it’s part of our history.

I’m not one to shy away from such topics and so I’m looking forward to giving this a go! In my opinion, it isn’t talked about enough. It’s a dirty subject; it’s a truth that we don’t want to acknowledge about ourselves. I’m a firm believer that we learn from our mistakes and so we must learn from them. The truth is, so many of us can enjoy our freedom today because of what has happened previously. So many have had to endure bondage and fight for their freedom… yet we take it for granted.

Have you read Twelve Years a Slave? Would you recommend it (the book, obviously)? As always I would love to know!

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Top Ten Tuesday – Books/Series Everyone Has Read But Me

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Hello and welcome to today’s Top Ten Tuesday post!

This week’s choice of topic is a freebie and I’ve been looking back at previous weekly topics that I haven’t yet covered. The first one that caught my eye is the topic of today’s post. I may read a lot, but there’s also so much more that I haven’t read, or haven’t read yet!

So, here is my top 10 list of books/series I think that everyone has read but me!

 

Twilight series – Stephanie Meyer

Whilst there are a few exceptions to the rule, I’m not really a ‘vampire’ person. I never really understood the hype as a teenager, and if I’m perfectly honest I still don’t now. This is a series that a lot of people have obviously read, but I don’t feel inclined to try at all.

 

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices series) – Cassandra Clare

A couple of years ago there was huge hype for Cassandra Clare. Personally, her books never appealed to me. I suppose I’ve always felt that they were aimed at a slightly younger audience. Either way, I’m not particularly inclined to pick these up and give them a try based on what I’ve read. I just don’t think it’s my cup of tea.

 

Pride & Prejudice – Jane Austen

Jane Austen is probably a bit too romance-y for me. At least, that’s how I perceive the book based on what I know of it. I love historical fiction and I am trying to read more in the way of classics, but this one is a bit of a tough one. It’s the kind of book where you feel like you probably shouldn’t judge it until you tried it, but I do have a lot of trepidation. I just don’t think I’d like it!

 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

I never read this book as a child and following through to adulthood this hasn’t changed as yet. I did recently read and enjoy The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, so maybe I don’t have to be young to appreciate this one either. Never say never, but I don’t currently have any plans to read this.

 

Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown

This is such a well known book, but as yet I haven’t read it. Based on the synopsis I think this is something I would really enjoy.

Perhaps I will change this in future. But not now. My TBR is long enough!

 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson

I think my grandad bought this series for my mum years and years ago, but she wasn’t fussed on them. I’ve trusted her judgement on that and stayed away.

 

Bridget Jones Diary – Helen Fielding

I’m not really a chick flick kind of person, but I have watched part of a Bridget Jones movie before. It was actually okay! There is the odd chick-lit book that I will pick up, but they are few and far between. As I didn’t hate the film I’d be inclined to give the first book a go – at least to test the water.

But again not now!

 

The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

This particular book is actually on my TBR. I’m a huge fan of historical based novels, fiction and non-fiction. I don’t tend to read biographies very often, but the ones I have picked up in the past I’ve enjoyed. Obviously, the subject matter of Anne Frank‘s is more harrowing than most. But, that doesn’t put me off in the slightest and I can’t wait to pick this particular book up!

 

A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking

I am by no means a science geek, but I’m curious to see what this book is like. I think it will be really interesting and appeal to the part of me that enjoys learning new things. I only hope is that it isn’t too science-speak, because that might make it a little bit difficult for me to read. However, since it’s such a popular book and it’s been read by many I’m sure it will be fine!

 

The Wheel of Time – Robert Jordan

the eye of the world

I really want to read of love this series. However, to date, I picked up the first book and read about 60% before I had put it down. It was quite heavy going and I don’t know if the timing was just wrong, or it wasn’t working for me. My friend Rachael absolutely loves and advocates the series and so I want to feel the same way. I will definitely give this a go again because it has the potential to be a brilliant series.

 

So, those are my top ten books/series that everyone has read but me! Have you read any of these books? Are they on your list to read as well? Let me know in the comments!

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Sunday Summary – 26th September 2021

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Good evening and welcome to today’s Sunday Summary post! The wind is howling and the rain pouring down outside. The weather is becoming more autumnal… and what better way is there to spend our time on nights like these than reading or talking about books!

This week I shared a couple of book-related posts with you. My first post of the week was published on Thursday. In that post, I talked about a couple of the different ways in which you might go about giving a book a rating after you’ve read it. It’s an entirely subjective thing, but some people have different ways of going about it. Whether you read a book emotively or consider several different factors and rate the book on each of these by averaging the score, everyone has their ideas about what suits them. In that discussion post, I talk about the benefits of both as well as sharing how I rate a book.

On Friday I shared a First Lines Friday post. In last week’s Sunday Summary post I set myself the challenge of featuring a non-fiction novel. I had already featured the first couple of ideas I came up with previously, but in the end, I was able to complete the challenge and feature a historical novel on my TBR!

 

Books Read

Over the last week, reading progress has been a little slow.

I was getting on really well with finishing The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. So much so, I actually finished this last Sunday after I shared my Sunday Summary update with you. But from there things went a bit awry.

I decided to pick up a book that I have been loaned by my friend, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo. One of the points I talked about in my discussion post on Thursday is how I value different factors of a book more than others and that’s why I don’t review a book rigidly on several factors and average them. More specifically, if I can’t get on with the books narrative style, I can then struggle to read it. It’s even reason enough for me to DNF a book. And that’s exactly what’s happening to me with this one.

My friend did warn me about this. It’s something she struggled with a little when she read it, but I was willing to give it a go anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t given up on it yet. However, I’m only on chapter 3. It’s not very many pages in, so not very good I know. I’ll keep trying and fingers crossed I have more of an update next week!

 

Books Discovered

I have absolutely nothing to add here this week, which I’ll take as good news!

 

Coming Up…

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday post theme is a freebie, and so I’ve been looking back at some of the previous posts I’ve missed to see if anything caught my eye. One such post topic is “popular books/series everyone has read but me”. There is so much I haven’t read and I think it would be a really interesting topic to share with you.

Later in the week, I will be sharing yet another Shelf Control post. This is the second of my regular Friday features, in which I take a look at my TBR and tell you why the featured book of the week is on my list. As part of the series I’ve been taking the opportunity to review my list and if something no longer appeals, I’ve taken it off. It’s a good way to review what’s on my list and to make sure it’s still relevant to me. I also hope that the books I feature might appeal to you.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Sunday Summary update is and I look forward to seeing you in the next post!

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First Lines Friday – 24/09/2021

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Welcome to today’s First Lines Friday post!

I’ve gotten back into the habit of sharing one of these posts every couple of weeks, but what makes today’s post a slight exception is that I have set myself a challenge. In today’s post, my challenge is to feature the opening paragraph of a non-fiction novel. I don’t feature non-fiction very often, however that is something I am looking to change very soon. With that in mind I decided to start here and feature a non-fiction novel as part of this series.

 

Sometimes, even when you are a case-hardened professional, you see history differently. I had one such moment when I first visited the Great Hall of the National Archives in Washington. I was faintly shocked by the way in which the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were displayed, like Arks of the Covenant, on a dimly lit altar and between American flags and impossibly upright American marines.

But what really struck me was the presence of a copy of Magna Carta. It was, as it were, in a side chapel. Nevertheless, here it was, this archetypically English document, in the American archival holy of holies.

It was placed there out of the conviction that it was the ancestor, however remote, of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. And its presence set me thinking. Was this assumption correct? Does it help explain current concerns – like Britain’s, or England’s, reluctance to be absorbed in the European Union? Does it mean that there is an Anglo-Saxon way and European way, as the French undoubtedly think? Does the difference derive from the contrast between Roman law and English Common Law? Is it, finally, England versus Rome?

 

Crown and Country – A History of England Through the Monarchy – David Starkey

Goodreads – Crown and Country

An exploration of the British monarchy from the retreat of the Romans up until the modern day. This compendium volume of two earlier books is fully revised and updated.

The monarchy is one of Britain’s longest surviving institutions – as well as one of its most tumultuous and revered. In this masterful book, David Starkey looks at the monarchy as a whole, charting its history from Roman times, to the Wars of the Roses, the chaos of the Civil War, the fall of Charles I and Cromwell’s emergence as Lord Protector – all the way up until the Victorian era when Britain’s monarchs came face-to-face with modernity.

This collection of biographies of Britain’s kings and queens provides an in-depth examination of what the British monarchy has meant, what it means now and what it will continue to mean.

 

My Thoughts…

I will be the first person to hold my hands up and say that my knowledge of the British monarchy is terrible. I could name a few, but could I tell you which order they came in or what order they reigned in? Not really. Aside from the infamous Henry the eighth, I couldn’t even give you an estimate timeline.

British history was rather lacking at school. Yes, we learned vaguely about certain topics, but my later years in the subject, which were studied more seriously, was focused on the world wars, the Cold War and the economic boom and bust of the 1920s and 30s. When I added this book to my TBR it was to rectify this lack of knowledge on my part.

Not only does this fulfil the desire to learn more in general about British history and monarchy, but I also like that this book features biographies from reigning Monarchs. If there was a better book to gain insight of how Britain used to be, then I haven’t met it yet. I’m really excited to pick this one up and give myself the opportunity to learn more about more local history!

I hope you have enjoyed today’s First Lines Friday post! Did you learn about British monarchy at school? How does your knowledge compare?

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Discussion Post – Book Star Ratings

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So, you’ve read a book! Congratulations! But, where do you even begin when deciding what star rating to give it?

These are questions a lot of people probably ask themselves when they are looking to leave it a rating on the likes of Amazon, Goodreads etc. The honest answer is, there isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. Ratings (and reviews) by nature are subjective and our individual experiences of a book are completely different. So don’t worry! You can’t do it wrong.

Different people have different ways of tackling this problem. In today’s post, I’m going to be discussing some of the different ways in which you might approach rating a book. Maybe you don’t like the way you rate a book now, you’re curious as to what other methods there are or are just not sure how it’s best to go about it. Hopefully today’s post can inspire you!

 

Emotively

Everyone interprets media differently. Hundreds of people can consume the same thing and end up with polar opposite opinions. That’s the good thing about being human. We all have a unique perspective based on a number of factors – our upbringing, religious or political views or even just personal preference.

One of the ways in which a book can be rated is purely based on how it made you feel. That’s not to say an book that made you cry should be rated as one star though! That’s not what you’re aiming for here. But I mean by emotively is how strongly a book makes you feel. Do you absolutely love it? Or, were you a little bit uninspired? Can you explain exactly why? For this method you don’t particularly have to be able to justify why it made you feel that way (although if you are writing a full review it does help to explain to other readers).

 

Methodically

I’ve seen readers rate books before based on a combination of factors. They may look at things such as the plot, character development and a number of other fixed topics. They’ll rate the book on each of these topics and then give the book the overall average of those scores.

This is a very fair way to rate a book and if you aren’t 100% sure how is best, this can be a way to help you along. There are set criteria and the structure may help you think about certain aspects of a book more specifically. Reviewing emotively may suits some, however anyone looking for a little bit of guidance as to what may be more important may feel more confident with bit of structure.

It’s also a more fair method of rating a book if you want to attribute each ‘topic’ of consideration in your rating in equal measure. As to whether that is suitable is entirely up to you – it’s your opinion that counts after all!

 

Combination of the two

Personally, I’m a combination of both of these methods. Whilst I don’t specifically have a set list of factors I consider when rating a book, I will take into account several things when deciding my rating for the book. I will think about the plot; whether it’s appropriate for the genre and how well it is written to give a couple of examples. I think about the characters and how well the storyline/narrative allowed them to develop etc. But I’m not rigid on this. I don’t have a set list of things I’ll consider and I don’t rate the book individually against each topic and average it. I do still allow my overall subjective feelings towards the book to govern the rating.

One reason I don’t rate my books methodically it’s because I don’t value individual factors equally. A book may have fantastic character development and a really exciting plot, if I can’t get on with the writing style then that’s a deal-breaker for me. Since that is more important to me, rating a book based on that and attributing it equally against other factors doesn’t sit well with me. My experience of the book in that instance is brought down considerably more because it’s more important to me.

The most important thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. How you decide to rate a book is entirely your decision. If you’re not sure which method is best, have a go at all of them! If any one of them is easier than the other than perhaps this is the way forward for you. You may have already decided how you do it – and that’s fine too!

The point of providing a rating is to express your personal opinion. Nobody can tell you that’s wrong. So long as you are being honest, that’s all there is to it!

How do you rate a book? Do you use any of these methods, or do you rate a book in another way? If you do I’ll be really interested to hear how you do it!

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Sunday Summary – 19th September 2021

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Hello everyone and welcome to today’s Sunday Summary update! As always, I hope you’ve had a fantastic week wherever and whatever you have been up to! My week has been pretty run-of-the-mill. It’s been the usual work and home, except for going out with some friends for tea last night and going to visit my family today.

In terms of blogging, I’ve stuck to my typical schedule this week. In last week’s Sunday Summary post, I told you that I was going to share a book review as it had been some time since my last one. I did indeed go on to share my review of Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson as planned. You may be aware that I am a huge, huge fan of Brandon Sanderson and Steelheart did not disappoint in the slightest! I’ve loved every one of his books to date.

Later in the week, I shared a Shelf Control post. This is a regular feature here on Reviewsfeed, in which I review my TBR and feature the next book on my list, explaining to you just why I can’t wait to read it! This week’s featured book isn’t a typical choice for me. I don’t read much in the way of young adult, however, I like the sound of the premise of this one. With that in mind, this was a definite keeper on my list.

If you haven’t checked out either of those posts, you can find a link to each above.

 

Books Read

This week’s reading list has fewer books on it than last week, however, I’ve made solid progress with The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. For the second half of this year, I’ve set myself a goal to try and pick up a book more regularly again. I’m not trying to read any set number of books or anything like that, however, I am trying to make reading a regular thing. That is the case and I am picking up books because I want to and not to because I feel obliged to.

When I started reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck last week, it was because I wanted to read something non-fiction. I wanted something very different to my usual and this has suited me very well. As a result, I wanted to pick it up and carry on making progress. I also agree with a lot of the things said in the book.  The logic makes sense and it’s made me think about the way I sometimes think about myself.

Having taken the time to think about what’s been written, there are things that I’m changing my perspective on. If you asked me a couple of weeks ago I’d have told you things I didn’t think I gave a damn about, but now I’m starting to question whether that’s true, and more importantly, whether I should be giving a damn about it!

The main message from the book is to encourage you to question yourself. Your thoughts, your opinions and your values. It’s the tricky bit but if you can ask yourself the difficult questions and give yourself an honest answer, then you’re only going in the right direction!

 

Books Discovered

This week’s section is significantly shorter than last week’s. Given that I’ve added several new books to the list lately, I’m deliberately not trying to find anything. I have more than enough on my plate already!

 

Coming Up…

For next week, I’m planning on sharing a discussion post with you. In this post, I want to share with you how you can rate the books you read, as well as how I do it. Everybody has different ways of doing it. Some might score a book on several aspects and then average it, and others might do it completely emotionally. There is no right or wrong way and if you are a fellow book blogger, I want to make your ratings consistent then this may be a topic of interest to you.

Later in the week, I will be back with another First Lines Friday post. I’ve decided this week I’m going to set myself a challenge to feature a non-fiction book. It’s a genre that doesn’t get a whole lot of love on my blog (for the moment) and so I want to take some steps to change that! If you have any ideas or recommendations, I would love to hear them. Alternatively, if there are any other challenges you’d like to see me do as part of this series I would love to hear those ideas as well!

I hope you enjoyed today’s Sunday Summary update is and I look forward to seeing you in the next post!

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