Tag: books

Discussion Post – How Many Books is Too Many?

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How many books is too many?

Naturally this will differ for everybody. How do you know how many is too many for you?

This number can change over time, just to make things more difficult. I have varied from reading 2-3 books one year to 72 another since leaving school. I’ve been consistently nearer the top of that range in recent years, but it could go the other way again later down the line.

So, how do you decide how many is too many, and what to do if you get close to that limit?


Storage Space

Physical space is probably one of my biggest restrictions when it come to paperback or hardback books. I have a little more space now compared to when I lived in my flat. However, it’s still a relative premium.

I have less restriction when it comes to e-books and that reflects in the number I have. It’s my largest collection by far, and always will be greater than my physical collection by nature. The only possible competitor here is audiobooks for the same reason of digital formatting. However, I typically read less in this format (at least right now).

Admittedly, I probably have too many physical books at the moment. My bookshelves, such as they are currently, are overflowing. However, this is something I manage periodically and I’ll donate unwanted copies. Even still, I’ll have to have a long hard think about picking up any more physical books until my next clear down!


Time to read

Depending on why you are collecting your books, there’s a good argument to keeping your collection proportionate to a realistic expectation of being able to read them all. That’s not always the case, though! If you’re collecting them just because they are of high-value, a specific collection or look pretty, then you do you! Have as many as you like.

A lot of readers fall into the trap of acquiring so many books that they will struggle to get to them.


If I’m honest, I think I’m nowhere near this bad. I do have several hundred books across all formats, but those include the ones I’ve read too. I’m not far off a 50/50 split comparing read/unread books. 

If I were to go on a complete book buying ban and focus only on the owned unread copies I have, my reading list is about five years long… but, I’m young and I have plenty of time to read them yet!

At least, I hope so…

 

The Plan

The Plan. Capital P.

After my most recent book haul in Liverpool, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to put a lid on my spending (full stop, but especially when it comes to books). I had a great time doing it, but I do need to focus on reading the books I have rather than getting copies of new ones.

As I’m not reading for blog tours or specifically acquiring new books for many reasons at the moment, this shouldn’t be a difficult task. The only exception here is our new book club at work, but I’ll always try libraries or alternative ways of getting books first.


How many books do you own? Are you on a book buying ban?

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Discussion Post: How to Make More Time to Read

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Today’s discussion post is a topic that’s been on my mind for the last few months – how to make more time to read. It’s shaped a change of my reading habits and has helped juggle my favourite hobby at a time when I’ve experienced a lot of change.

One of the frequent comments I hear when I talk about my reading and blogging as a hobby is “I wish I had time to read.” Well, I hate to break it to you guys… but I’m pretty sure you do. Either that, or it isn’t enough of a priority for you to make more time to read.

I said what I said.

And I can tell you this from a perspective of someone who now has a lot more to juggle. I started dating in February and now suddenly a lot of my free time is spent either with my boyfriend, or catching up on all the necessary things I’m not doing when I’m spending time with Shane.

So, if you want to make time to read but have a busy lifestyle, here are a few tips from someone who’s had to have a long, hard think and implement some changes herself. Here’s my best advice on how to make more time to read! 


Make a Habit: Set Aside Regular Time

It seems obvious, but if you aren’t going to make time to do a task, whether that’s necessary or recreational, then it’s not going to get done. Setting aside time for reading is a life changer. Previously I used to do most of my reading in the evenings at home. However, that time is largely taken up. So, now I find I’m doing more of my reading during my lunch hour at work.

Sure, sometimes I need to pop to the shops or do something else. However, I try to set aside at least 20 minutes of my lunch hour every day to pick up my book. There are plenty of days I don’t intend on going out and so can use pretty much the full hour at my leisure. If I do have to go and run an errand, then there’s always audiobooks to keep me company on the way!


Reading Format: Physical, e-book or audio

In the last few months I’ve discovered that I have less time to sit down and read in the same way I used to. With this in mind, I have started listening to audiobooks more to capitalise on time I’m on my own, but doing other things that prevent me from sitting down with a book or my Kindle.

Whether it’s whilst I’m driving to and from work, or doing housework, audiobooks have given me the chance to keep making progress with my reading list whilst not compromising on the daily schedule.

Different formats work best for different people and only you can be the judge of what’s best for you. Try them out and see which helps you make more time to read.


The Books: Read What Interests You

It may sound daft, but one key piece of advice I would give to anyone looking to read more often is to try and pick up books you know you will enjoy. As an avid reader, I have spent my time picking up books that I have wanted to read, but also picking up new or previously undiscovered reads for review purposes, for example.

Whilst I have fulfilled some blog tour obligations that I signed up for at the beginning of the year, I have almost stopped signing up for them as of right now. This is so I can dedicate my time to my backlist.

I’m not saying I won’t sign up for any more, but I will be more selective. For example, I will continue with blog tours for authors I have already discovered and feature repeatedly. At the same time, I’m less likely to take on anything completely new as I prefer to read my backlist (of 200-odd books).

Even then, I may start looking at this list with a new pair of eyes. I’m always prepared to stretch myself, but I will be keeping my efforts to books I genuinely want to pick up in the moment and not trying to force anything. I guess what I’m saying is I’m going to try and be more of a mood reader. That way I’m not setting expectations that result in a reading slump. I won’t have to force myself to make more time to read if I’m actively looking forward to it in the first place. The same goes for you! 

I hope these tips help all you aspiring readers to make more time to read and pick up your next book!

What book have you always wanted to read but not quite got to?

 

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Sunday Summary – 21st April 2024

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I stepped back on the blog schedule this week to give myself some breathing space and get back to reading. In today’s Sunday Summary, you’ll see why that’s worked out for me compared to reading in previous weeks!

As a consequence of making that decision, I shared only one other post this week. That was a discussion post, in which I shared five reasons why we should re-read books. If you haven’t checked out that post already, or have your own ideas as to why re-reads are the best kind of reads, then I’d love you to hop over there and have a chat with me about it!

 

Books Read

 

Empire of the Vampire

Having only read 100 pages of Empire of the Vampire in the last two weeks, I wanted to step up my reading game and make more progress in this book over the course of this week. I have read more this week than I’ve managed in the last fortnight; as of this Sunday Summary, I’m now on page 384.

I am slower with re-reads anyway, but changes in my lifestyle mean I don’t have as much time to read. When I’m picking up a chunky book such as this, it’s naturally going to take a while!

I was hoping to have this read by now and not to have to set it aside for another reading obligation, but such is life. I have one last commitment coming up in a week’s time that I need to prioritise. So, I will have to put this book down for a bit. Maybe the break will do me good so that when I come back to it refreshed I can dive back in.

 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

It’s wild how much progress I’ve made on audiobooks in the last week! For my least favourite form of reading, it’s currently working out really well for me.

In last week’s Sunday Summary post, I was 25% into the audiobook Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith. I had approximately 6 hours of audio to listen to in order to finish the book. I listened to the first couple of those when doing gardening and pottering around the house on Tuesday. The remainder of the book was devoured in one sitting yesterday, whilst doing housework and a craft project!

Needless to say, the speed of how quickly I listened to this audio tells you how engaged I was with it. I love this subject matter and I found it both easy and interesting to listen to. I can also see it as a book that I will revisit again in future. It is the kind that can be used as a reference again and again.

 

The Icepick Surgeon

As if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also started a second audiobook this week. The Icepick Surgeon is an interesting read about how those in the scientific field have blurred the lines of morality in the name of science and ‘doing good’.

So far I have only listened to the first couple of chapters in full and 75% of the third, but I’m already interested in the subject. I can already tell that this is going to be another easy and engaging listen. So, hopefully I’ll have as good an update for you next week as I did with Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

 

Books Discovered

Non-fiction reads are working really well for me right now. That’s partly the reason why I have added another to my reading list this week.

I was introduced to an article and individuals by a colleague at work around a condition she suffers from. It is one that is often swept under the carpet and little known about. Even to date, there are people who are bed-bound, unable to feed themselves or even tolerate any form of contact as a result of the condition.

That condition is myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) for short, or also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. The condition is being talked about a little more now as a consequence of the pandemic and a result of a long-Covid sufferers experiencing similar symptoms. It’s hoped that research into this will ultimately help ME suffers, but they have waited far too long.

The Puzzle Solver is a biography of one family’s experience of the condition, and it is awful to realise many exist this way. I don’t say live for a reason, because many don’t have a proper life at all.

 

Coming Up…

I’m going to share a Top Ten Tuesday post for the first time in a few weeks. This week’s topic is ‘unread books on my shelves that I hope to pick up soon’. God knows I have a lot (and less time to read these days), but I still want to try!

Next Saturday, I will be reviewing The Maiden of Florence as part of the blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources. This is the obligation for which I need to put down Empire of the Vampire temporarily! This is a historical fiction novel based on a true story. I love the sound of the setting and I think female characters and rights are going to be very prominent in this narrative; I’m looking forward to picking it up!

As always, I’ll be back this time next week with my Sunday Summary wrap-up update. I hope you can stay tuned for that!

Until then, see you around!

 

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Discussion Post – 5 Reasons to Re-Read Books!

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I love to re-read books! Whilst some may question the value of doing so, there are some great reasons you may want to re-visit a previous read! I take a look at some of those in today’s discussion post.

Let’s get to it!

 

Five Reasons to Re-Read Books!

Reminder of Events in a Series to date

The reason I am picking up a re-read right now is that I’m looking to read a sequel shortly. I read Empire of the Vampire a couple of years ago and especially, I had Covid at the time. My memory of what has happened so far is a little hazy, so I’m picking up the book now, as a refresher of what has happened so far ready for when I pick up that sequel!


Enjoy a New Edition

It may have bonus content, or in my case with Empire of the Vampire, I can enjoy coloured artwork as opposed to black and white. Either way, I got a pretty new edition of this book after reading the standard edition and I want to enjoy it.

So I am. Immensely!


Re-experience the love of a favourite

Another reason it’s great to re-visit books is that those you are inclined to pick up again are usually firm favourites. There is nothing more fun than re-visiting a favourite book, series or characters. I found this especially helpful in the past when I’ve been in a reading slump and unsure of what I want to read next. Picking up a guaranteed five star is the way to get yourself back in.


Encourage Others to Read

Especially if you are in a position like me where you like to talk about what you’re reading, re-visiting books is a chance to feature them again.

If you’ve ever thought about the power of advertisement, you’ll find its repeated exposure that gets people to engage. In a sense, it’s the same with books! By featuring a book or series repeatedly on my blog or social media, I may persuade any readers who were on the fence the first time to give it a try.

 

Enjoy Details Missed the First Time

I often find in re-reads that I pick up on details I miss first time round because I now know some context. What may seem insignificant first time round can be cleverly hidden foreshadowing. I love that kind of detail. I’ve read books where it’s taken multiple re-reads and I still find something new each and every time.

Those are the best ones!


Summary

There are plenty of reasons to go back and re-read books you’ve picked up and loved previously. Whilst I’ve covered some of my favourite reasons, there are many more!

Do you re-read books, and if so, why? If the reason isn’t included in this post I want your take on the subject!

 

 

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Sunday Summary – 14th April 2024

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Welcome to another Sunday Summary update. Admittedly I suspect this post is going to be on the light side, as will become apparent. I have made some reading progress, but not very much due to events out of my control.

First, let’s take a look at the blog posts I shared throughout the week. Later than usual, I shared my Monthly TBR for April. It was always going to be late anyway, but it ended up being even later still as a result of the events I mentioned above.

On Friday I shared my latest feature in my First Lines Friday series. In that post, I feature a non-fiction book I added to my reading list recently after watching a TV series based on it. I hope you can take a moment to check both of those posts out!

 

Books Read

 

Empire of the Vampire

In my last Sunday Summary post I shared that I’d only read 25 pages of Empire of the Vampire. Progress is better than that this week, but I am still reading this book as of this post.

It’s awkward to explain without going back for a minute because I’ve not really shared that I started seeing someone yet. But, a couple of months ago I started seeing my boyfriend Shane. Well, somebody close to him passed away on Monday. We ended up taking temporary custody of their dog and making arrangements for her return to family on Tuesday.

From there on all my plans for the week went awry. The charity cake sale I was supposed to bake for this week ended up with donations of the shop-bought variety. But, life happens.

In between everything, I did read about 80 pages of Empire of the Vampire. It’s not much to write about, but it’s something.

 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

Audiobook progress has been better this week thankfully!

I’ve not had as much time as I would usually to sit down and read in the usual way. However, audio has stepped into this gap a little as I’ve been able to listen to it in and around commuting, lunch hours etc.

As of this Sunday Summary post I have listened to a further six chapters, bringing me to a total 25% progress.

 

Books Discovered

With everything that has gone on this week, I haven’t really had the chance to discover any new reads this week. Given I’ve not done much in the way of reading progress either, this is not a bad thing!

 

Coming Up…

I want to try and catch up on some reading this week. So, I’m taking the blog schedule down to just one post mid-week and my Sunday Summary at the end of the week.

The plan is to share a discussion post about re-reading books, and why we can get so much more out of our favourite books by doing so! That’s obviously not at all inspired by my current re-read of Empire of the Vampire… obviously 😉

Today’s Sunday Summary is a relatively quick one, but I hope you enjoyed reading nonetheless. Until my next post, have a great week and me, your bookshelves ever be overflowing!

 

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Sunday Summary – 7th April 2024

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Good evening readers and welcome to another Sunday Summary update full of bookish news and going on from here! Make yourselves comfortable so we can dive in to this week’s update post.

As always, let’s recap the blog posts I have shared in the last week. My first post of the week was a blog tour post featuring Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater. I originally published my review of this book back in February. But when I saw the tour invite, I promised to revamp it and share it as part of the tour. It worked out nicely as the author gets more publicity, and I already had a good deal of content prepared to share.

I shared a second blog to post just a couple of days later – this one for Enemies of Mercia by M.J. Porter. This was a brand-new read and review obligation, so that was my priority for this week. I really enjoyed this sixth instalment to the Eagle of Mercia Chronicles. If you have been following my reviews of the series on my blog, you’ll be especially interested to check out this latest review!

I shared a further post on Saturday given that those tour obligations meant I couldn’t feature my regular monthly wrap-up at the beginning of this month. Instead, that went live on Saturday, and I had plenty to recap in terms of reading throughout March. If you want a summary of the books I picked up, that is the post to take a look at!

 

Books Read

 

Enemies of Mercia

The first priority I had this week was to finish my read of Enemies of Mercia by M.J. Porter. As you will see above, I had a spot on the blog tour organised for its publication, and I had the pleasure of kicking the tour off. Needless to say, it was important that I finish this read in time to share my full thoughts on the whole book.

I enjoyed Enemies of Mercia every bit as much as I expected I would. Having read five books in the series to date, I had high expectations for the characters and storyline. I wasn’t disappointed!

If you love historical fiction set during the time Vikings came to Britain, then check out this book. Whilst the main events of this storyline don’t feature Vikings too heavily, they have already had their influence on the setting and characters so far. They are more prevalent in earlier books of the series, so I recommend checking them out.

Naturally, if you want to find out more about this book, or get access to links to reviews of the early book in the series, check out that review post I shared on Thursday.

 

Empire of the Vampire

As a result of prioritising Enemies of Mercia, Empire of the Vampire took a backseat this week. I did pick the book up one evening before bed, but admittedly only read 25 pages!

So, as of this Sunday Summary post, that puts me at page 196. Now that all my immediate obligations are out of the way, Empire of the Vampire will be my main reading focus once again.

 

The Atlas Six

After sharing in last week’s Sunday Summary post that I was so close to the conclusion of this book, I made it my priority to finish this audio this week.

In fact, I finished this audiobook on Monday. As it happens, the audiobook version I was listening to has quite a bit of bonus content at the end, so I was even closer to the finish line than I thought in that post!

I really enjoyed the story overall, although I wouldn’t say it lives up to the hype it’s gotten in my opinion. I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure I will continue to read the rest of the series. I’ve enjoyed it as a standalone and I think it has some interesting ideas.

 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before

After finishing The Atlas Six, I looked for my next audiobook to pick up. On a whim, I chose to listen to Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before.

Of late, I find non-fiction a lot easier to listen to than fiction. I find it easier to follow, and it has become my preferred method of reading this type of book. To try and pick up the pace with audiobooks a bit more, and to listen to something different, I deliberately chose a non-fiction this time.

As of this Sunday Summary post, I have listened to the first four chapters of the book, which is about an hour and 20 minutes of the audio. If you’re interested, that works out at about 15% progress.

Next week I’ll be spending several hours on Monday and Tuesday evening baking for a charity cake sale at work. That would be the perfect opportunity to make further progress as I won’t be able to conventionally sit down and read during that time.

 

Books Discovered

I picked up some book recommendations around the topic of Neurodiversity this week. It’s a topic that’s been discussed at work, and several staff (including myself) put forward recommendations of content on the subject.

Someone seconded my recommendation of Unmasked by Ellie Middleton, which was great! They also shared a couple of other books which I added to my reading list – Untypical and Dirty Laundry.

 

Coming Up…

My first blog post of next week will be my reading list for April. As I am sharing this list quite late, you’re already seeing some of the books I’ll feature show up in my reading. However, circumstantially I had blog tours come up at the beginning of the month which inevitably delayed my regular monthly posts. I am looking forward to sharing that list though and giving you some more detail on what books I plan to pick up shortly!

Later in the week I bring back my First Lines Friday regular feature post. It’s been a few weeks since I shared one of these, and I’m looking forward to bringing it back. They are a fun type of post to share. Depending on my choice of book, I get to feature a great book I love, or get excited for one coming up on my reading list! Stick around to find out which I share in Friday’s post.

I’ll wrap up next week with another Sunday Summary post just like this one. If I have as much reading progress to share with you, then I’ll be on the right track!

Until then, have a great week and happy reading!

 

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Sunday Summary – 31st March 2024

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Good evening all and welcome to this week’s Sunday Summary update post! It’s been a mad busy week with work, so there’s been a lot to juggle.

Nevertheless, I’ve kept the blog ticking over! My first post of the week was a review of one of my favourite reads of 2022 – Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. I’m not sure if I’ve done the book justice, but I’ve for sure done my best to sell it to you. If you haven’t checked out that post and you want to check out the first book of an epic series, please do!

On Friday I shared the next instalment of Shelf Control, and I finally moved away from my deluge of non-fiction. This week, I featured a historical fiction novel that I’m looking forward to. It’s set from the perspective of German youths in WW2. Having read books in a similar setting before, I’m keen to see how unique the take is on the subject. If you want to know more, here’s a link to that post so you can check it out!

 

Books Read

 

Empire of the Vampire

As of last week’s Sunday Summary post I was 12%, or about 86 pages, into Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff.

I haven’t made lot of progress in this book this week due to work, plans and other commitments. I have read about another 90 pages though, which I’m not going to turn my nose up at. What I have read I have really enjoyed. Although I’ve read the book before, that’s not hampering my enjoyment second time around at all!

I have also had to set this aside temporarily in order to read another book for a blog tour coming up soon. More on that below.

So, as of this post, I will be picking up from page 171, after I finish reading Enemies of Mercia.

 

Enemies of Mercia

Speaking of which, Enemies of Mercia is a book I’m reviewing for blog tour next week. With that in mind, I picked up this book for the first time yesterday so that I have time to read it ahead of my review date.

Enemies of Mercia is the fifth instalment in M.J. Porter’s Eagle of Mercia Chronicles. I’ve read and enjoyed the earlier books in the series and featured them for blog tours. When I saw Enemies of Mercia on tour, I signed up straight away! I love the protagonist in this series as he is quite unique. As a young boy, he saw his place in the world as healing as opposed to becoming a warrior. However, circumstance dictated that he did indeed learn to become an accomplished warrior, though he doesn’t relish the role.

I’m not too far into Enemies of Mercia, but if it’s already clear that Icel is suffering from events that have taken place in the previous book. He is not the strong warrior he was then, and I’m keen to see if this ends up being a developmental opportunity for his character.

As of this Sunday Summary post, I am 14% into the book and will be making an effort to prioritise this in the next couple of days!

 

The Atlas Six

Around this week’s busy schedule, I have taken some time away from screens and enjoyed two hobbies in tandem – cross stitch and listening to audiobooks.

Listening to The Atlas Six is a slow burn at this point just because I don’t pick up audiobooks very much. That said, I am really enjoying this audio and I feel like events are really starting to pick up. I’m now 81% into this audiobook, and I’m really looking forward to finishing it! Admittedly, I wanted to listen to more of this audio this morning, but I had other things to do and so I’ve had to wait. It’s not very often I have to make that call, but clearly the drive to listen is there.

I listen to audiobooks on x1.2 speed, so I have 2 hours and 43 minutes listening time left of this audio. That’s not long, and given I’ve already listened to more than that this week alone, I should be able to tell you this time next week that I am done with this book! Finally…

 

Books Discovered

Since adding Breathtaking to the TBR last week, there’s been no activity or further additions to my reading list.

It’s long enough as it is, so I’m not complaining!

 

Coming Up…

I have two blog tour obligations this week, although thankfully I already have content pretty much sorted for one.

You may recall that I reviewed Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater a little while ago after reading the book last year. That book is now on tour, and I have agreed to spruce up and re-publish my review as part of the tour. Fans of science-fiction should definitely take a moment of their day to check out that post on Tuesday.

On Thursday, I am touring with Boldwood Books by sharing my review of Enemies of Mercia. If you have enjoyed any of my reviews for the prior books in the series, or enjoy historical fiction set in the Viking era, I hope you can take a look at my review.

Although it’ll be a little late compared to my usual scheduling, I plan to share my monthly wrap-up for March on Saturday next week. I need to prioritise my blog tours first. I’m also reluctant to commit to any more tight blogging deadlines next week as it’s one of my busiest weeks at work too. So, the wrap-up will be a little later than usual, as will April’s reading list.

That won’t be my final post of the week though. I’ll be back this time next week with another Sunday Summary post as usual. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to mark at least two of my current reads as complete in that update!

Until then, happy reading and I’ll see you in the next post!

 

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Sunday Summary – 24th March 2024

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Today’s Sunday Summary post comes to you from a very chilled out Rebecca. I have enjoyed this week off work and I really haven’t done that much at all. Unless you count making jobs of clearing out my wardrobe, taking said clothes to a donation bank and generally tidying up the house a bit. I honestly don’t know how I’ve managed to take the strain…

Jokes aside, it has been a great week for just switching off and taking time for hobbies. I’ve been working on my cross stitch project, reading, and in the latter half of the week, playing Horizon Forbidden West.

So, what have I been doing on the blog? Well, I started off the week sharing a book tag post that I saw initially on Misty‘s Book Space. Given upcoming content later in the week, I wanted to do something lighthearted. I had a great time sharing this post, and if you haven’t checked it out already, there is a link above.

Friday’s book review was for recent read Raven Lord by J.C. Duncan. This sequel to The Last Viking series is every bit is good as expected. If you want to check out my full thoughts on the book, there is a link to that review above. As I finished the book this week, there is a brief commentary below to give you a taster.

 

Books Read

 

Raven Lord

With my review for Raven Lord rapidly upcoming, my first priority this week was to finish the book. I left off last week’s Sunday Summary post having read 54%, so I still had nearly half to read. Oh what a shame that I had plenty of time to do so, eh?

I finished Raven Lord on Wednesday, and the book was every bit as good as I thought it was going to be! I enjoy how this series blends together action-heavy battle scenes with underlying political intrigue that drives this action. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter whether you are a reader who likes action lead narratives, or if you are someone who prefers the subtler side of things. There’s a bit of both in here!

I also really enjoyed the format in which the story is told. The present day narrative involves one of Harald’s key followers, Eric, retelling his story. It’s a format I love as it’s very light and conversational, making it approachable to read. It also offers a unique insight of feelings and impression rather than just pure fact.

I’m intrigued as to where this story will go. I believe this is a five part series, so there’s still plenty of scope for action and development! You can be sure I’ll be keeping up with it.

 

Empire of the Vampire

This week I have also started a re-read of one of my favourite books in 2022, Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. I’m re-reading this book as the sequel has not long been released and I want to refresher of what’s happened so far. Granted, I could have looked up on the web so then I could dive straight into the sequel, but where is the fun in that? I’m also very lucky to have received a special edition copy of the book as a gift since my initial read. It would be rude not to appreciate that… right?

As of this Sunday Summary, I’m not too far into the book, but I’ve made a healthy start. I’m 12% into this approximately 720 page narrative. I’ve loved whatever I’ve read as much as I did the first time, so I’m hopeful for a fun reading experience with this book once again!

 

The Atlas Six

Whilst I’ve been working on my cross stitch this week, I have taken the opportunity to listen to more of The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake.

I doubled last week’s efforts as I’ve listened to 2hrs over the week so far. Had I not been spending time gaming that would’ve been higher. However, I don’t really get the opportunity to play Horizon Forbidden West unless I am on leave purely because it’s not a game you can pick up for half an hour.

Excuses aside, I’ve had a good time with The Atlas Six. I still have absolutely no idea how this book is going to conclude, but I’m excited to see how things play out. There is potential for a lot of character conflict and drama. If that doesn’t happen, I might end up a bit disappointed, but I think it will. All the set up and tension is there ready to exploit, but we’ll see!

 

Books Discovered

Another thing I have been making more time for in the last week or so is catching up with TV series. This week I finished watching Breathtaking which was on ITV recently. If you are unfamiliar, this drama was set based on insights from a book of the same name, written by Rachel Clarke.

It’s a very good series, so if you haven’t watched it, I would recommend doing so. Or, if you’re on the bookish side like me, why not pick up the book?

 

Coming Up…

I’ve shared a few reviews for blog tours lately, and I’m looking forward to sharing another off my backlist. I have a lot of reviews to write, so I want to keep up momentum sharing these. For this week’s feature, I intend to review one of my favourite authors. My journey with this author started with this book and at the recommendation of my friend Rachael. That book is Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb.

I’ll be back with a Friday feature after a few weeks break due to other obligations. This week it’s the turn of my Shelf Control feature. Stay tuned for that!

Lastly, I’ll share my next Sunday Summary wrap up in a week’s time. With some great reads, I’m hopeful for a lot to share with you! If nothing else, I have a busy blog schedule coming up to share with you in next week’s Sunday Summary update.

What are you reading right now? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Sunday Summary – 17th March 2024

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Good evening all and welcome back to another weekly update, a.k.a. Sunday Summary from me. Before I get into how my week has gone, I hope you’ve had a great one yourself! This week has been steady in terms of the blogging schedule and reading progress. Shall we take a look?

On Wednesday I shared a discussion post featuring recommendations for alternative books for fans of Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom series. I’ve read around the genre quite a bit and know of plenty of similar books to get stuck into if that’s your thing! If you’re interested in those, check out that post!

On Saturday I shared a review of At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer. I read this book last week ahead of the tour and there is plenty to like! At the Stroke of Midnight, at heart, is a cosy mystery that uses a Groundhog Day theme to play out its mystery. Fans of Stuart Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle will enjoy this book as they are comparable but with their own uniqueness. At the Stroke of Midnight also includes a well developed female lead and a touch of romance for those of you that look for that in your fiction. I hope you can take a look at my review if you haven’t already!

 

Books Read

Raven Lord

As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I had only just started Raven Lord. I couldn’t say too much as I was only a chapter or two in. This week I’ve been prioritising the book and I have made enough progress to share more about it.

Raven Lord is as full of action as I expected it to be. Warrior Prince paved my expectations of this book, and this sequel does not disappoint! There are detailed battle scenes, as well as political intrigue driving the actions of the armies for us readers to get stuck into. Whilst the events of Raven Lord and the series are about the adventures and advancement of Harald Sigurdsson, we still see plenty of the story focusing on his companions and the band as a whole rather than just the individual. It’s a well rounded narrative so far and I’m still yet to see some of the conflict set out come to a head.

As of this post, I’m 54% into the book. I’m reviewing it next week for the blog tour, so I’m looking to finish it in the next day or two.

 

The Atlas Six

I’ve made a little more progress with The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake this week.

Whilst not groundbreaking, I have picked up the audio twice and listened to about an hour across those two sessions. I’m honestly just happy that I’m picking it up at all. I got out of the habit of audiobooks, but I’ve not kicked myself to listen this week so I’ll take that as progress on building the habit back.

I’m on annual leave from work next week and I imagine I’ll be working on a cross stitch project for some of that time. I can listen at the same time; it’s a great pair.

 

Books Discovered

No news is good news again. I’ve behaved and added nothing new to my reading list 😊

 

Coming Up…

My blog schedule is a little wacky once again as I have another review coming up toward the end of the week. If I post them in my own time, I generally do those earlier. However, it’s a blog tour post and a commitment is a commitment, so I’ll have to deal with it!

I’m sharing something fun to start the week – a book tag about my reading firsts of 2024. I saw this over on Misty’s Book Space and I want to have a go. I’ll share that in the next day or so.

Friday is the day I share my review of Raven Lord. Naturally, the immediate priority is to finish reading it. I already have positive things to share about the book and can only imagine the conclusion will add to that!

My final post of the week will be my usual Sunday Summary to wrap up reading progress and goings on throughout the week. Let’s hope for a week of reading and relaxation during my holiday 🤞🏻

Until next time, happy reading!

 

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Sunday Summary – 10th March 2024

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Good evening reading gang! It’s that time of the week again; in today’s Sunday Summary I’ll catch you up on what I’ve been reading and talking about this week. Although it’s still Sunday, this post is going live a smidge later than usual as I have spent the day with my lovely Mum (and family). Happy Mother’s Day to all you fabulous women out there, but especially my mum. Biased? Absolutely. And unapologetically so!

My first blog post of the week was my reading list for March 2024. In the first couple months of 2024, I’ve set myself ambitious reading lists to spur myself on. I’m changing tack slightly this month by instead sharing the bare minimum I need to get through in March. Anything I read above and beyond that is as yet unchristened, although I do have some ideas as to what I want to pick up next.

On Friday, I featured a sequel I’m excited to read in my First Lines Friday post. It is also a rare book for me and that I pre-ordered this ahead of release, which is something I don’t do very often at all. Maybe you’ll recognise the book if you’re a regular reader. Otherwise, you’ll have to go and check out that post and see it for yourself.

 

Books Read

 

At the Stroke of Midnight

I left off in last week’s Sunday Summary update having made 15% worth of progress in At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer.

I continued to read and finished this book over the course of this week. I shared in my previous Sunday Summary that it reminded me of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, and the theme remained throughout. The book has some differences to that, but anyone who has enjoyed that book should enjoy this one too!

I’m not going to go too much into detail as to my thoughts on this book as I will be reviewing it next week in full. Just know that I enjoyed it (rated 4*), and that I’m looking forward to reviewing it on my blog next week.

 

Raven Lord

I only started Raven Lord last night, so as of this Sunday Summary, I don’t have too much to report. I appreciate that this book has a preface refresher of what has taken place in the first book, Warrior Prince. That came in very useful in bringing me back up to speed to pick up events in the current book.

I really like the structure of how the story is told. The daring and exploits of the protagonist, Harald Sigurdsson, are told via storyteller. It is a trope I have enjoyed time again, and it does not disappoint in these books either.

I’ll share more about my experience of this book as and when I make more progress. Given that I’m reviewing this later in the month, it’s my reading priority for the next few days. Therefore, I expect to share more about it in next week Sunday Summary.

 

The Atlas Six

In my reading list post shared on Tuesday, I expressed a desire to keep going with this audiobook. I have let listening to audiobooks slip by the wayside a little. With this in mind, I’ve made a conscious effort to start listening to The Atlas Six again.

This week, I have listened to 2 and three-quarter hours of this audio, bringing me to a total of 45% progress. The narrative is starting to feel a little more developed now, but I still have no idea where events are going to take us. I actually quite like this ambiguity as I will be surprised whatever happens! I’m also enjoying the politics going on between the protagonists and how the conflict is creating tension between them.

I still have a good way to go, so I will continue to make the effort to pick up this audio more frequently than I have been of late. Again, keep me accountable to that please!

 

Books Discovered

It’s been a quiet week in terms of the reading list. As I’ve been picking up blog tour reads and also adding nothing new, there is no change to the reading list count.

In this Sunday Summary anyway, I’ll never make any promises for future weeks!

 

Coming Up…

My first post of the week will be a discussion post. Although, as of this Sunday Summary, I haven’t christened the subject. My schedule is a bit off kilter given that I’ll be sharing a book review later in the week.

On Saturday I’m due to share my thoughts as part of the blog tour for At the Stroke of Midnight. I really enjoyed picking up this book and I’m looking forward to sharing my full review with you very soon. I hope you can check out that post!

You know what’s coming next! My final post of the week is a Sunday Summary post to catch you up on all my bookish goings on.

Until my next post, happy reading!

 

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