Tag: Calamity

Sunday Summary – 6th April 2025

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Today’s belated Sunday Summary post can only mean one thing. It’s the end of yet another week, and I’m with you today to share my latest reading updates.

Today’s post comes a little later than usual, given I had a blog tour obligation to share on Sunday. So as not to steal the thunder of that post, I’m scheduling this live first thing Monday morning local time. That way, I can give the tour the priority it needs. Speaking of which, if you haven’t checked that out yet, here’s a link for you to do so.

Other posts I’ve shared so far this week include my monthly wrap-up for March and my TBR for April. If you want a quick recap of the books I picked up in March, the monthly wrap-up is where to go. Overall, March was a significantly better month than February; I didn’t DNF any of my reads. I didn’t quite get to all the books on my reading list. But, then again, I never do. If anything, I prefer to set too many because it gives me an aim to work towards.

Similarly, if you want to find out which books will feature in the next few Sunday Summary posts, April‘s TBR is where to look. I don’t have any particular reading plan or theme that I’m working towards. Instead, I’ve decided to try and get those books I didn’t get to earlier this year.

 

Books Read


Calamity

I said in last week’s Sunday Summary post that I only had 50 minutes of listening time left of Calamity by Brandon Sanderson. As you can imagine, I listened to this last portion of the audiobook very quickly, so I started the week with an early win.

Calamity was every bit as good as I expected it would be. Whilst I am sad that this is the end of a trilogy, I’m really happy with the resolution. I may not be able to look forward to more books in this series, but I have plenty more Sanderson’s to crack on with…


The Weight’s Over

An impromptu listen I picked up at the beginning of this week is Sandra Roycroft-Davis‘ The Weight’s Over.

I pre-ordered this book a few weeks ago in anticipation of it coming out last month. I picked it up to understand the science behind weight loss and why it’s actually so difficult to do. In fact, Sandra outlines the ways in which our bodies set out to defy our best attempts.

The Weight’s Over was an informative listen, and I’m glad I picked this up. The audiobook is also relatively short. As a result, I both started and finished this book this week. I’d recommend this to anyone who is interested in the science behind how our bodies work – and why our bodies and brains are determined to prevent us from undertaking a successful diet.


Enemies of the Crown

Another book I picked up and read in full this week was Enemies of the Crown by Peter Gibbons. There is a reason that this book was read so quickly, and that is because I had the blog tour post deadline. I had debated putting this book on the end of March’s list, but ultimately decided not to. Perhaps in hindsight, I should have, but what’s done is done.

Regardless of how quickly I had to read this book, I enjoyed it a lot. This is the fifth instalment of Peter Gibbons’ The Saxon Warrior series, so I had a solid interest in picking up this book in good time anyway. Although I’ll generally be taking part in fewer blog tours in the future, this series is one I would make an exception for as I want to keep up with it anyway.

I really enjoyed the action and, in particular, the character development of the protagonist in this latest instalment. I could waffle on about the book here; however, as it had a whole post dedicated to that, maybe you could go and take a look there?

 

Books Discovered

Unlike the rest of this Sunday Summary post, I only have a small update in terms of new books — there aren’t any!

 

Coming Up…

I can take a bit of a breather this week in terms of the blog schedule. I don’t have any commitments, so I can post the content I want, when I want.

My first post of the week will be a discussion post. It’s been a good while since I did one of those. This week, I want to feature some authors whose books I will always buy – and why!

On Friday, I’ll return with my usual Friday feature post, First Lines Friday. It’s been a few weeks since I shared my last instalment to the series, and I’m looking forward to picking out a new book to feature with a captivating introduction.

Finally, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the last post I’ll share with you will be a Sunday Summary update! Be sure to check in and find out which books I’ve read over the course of the week to get a feel for where I’m up to with progress on my April TBR. Until then, I hope you have a fabulous week and I will see you around.

Have a great week!

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Monthly Wrap-Up – March 2025

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The end of March has come and flown by! Where is 2025 going? Regardless of how I feel about being a quarter of the year already, time waits for no man (or woman). And so, it’s time to share my monthly wrap-up for March 2025.

I did pretty well with my TBR for March. I didn’t get to all the books, as I often don’t nowadays. Still, I got to most of them and enjoyed the books I read. That’s a big improvement from February! Shall we take a look at what those were?


Books Read

Woden’s Spear

The first book on my TBR for March was a blog tour commitment. For the first time in a long time, I agreed to take part in some blog tours and help out where they lacked support and needed filling. Woden’s Spear was the first of two books I committed to – the second is coming up later this week. It was also a new author to me. I said yes to it because I liked the setting and genre it falls into.

After weeks of not much luck with the books I’d chosen to read, Woden’s Spear made a refreshing… return. I enjoyed going back to something familiar that I know I like. It kickstarted my reading again in the best of ways. I’d even go so far as to say that having the deadline changed the dynamic and got my focus back on books!

If you want to take a look at my full review of Woden’s Spear, here’s a link to that post.


A Promised Land

A Promised Land was an audiobook carryover from February. It was the one book on my February TBR that surprised me in a good way. I didn’t finish it that month due to the length – over 29 hours total!

As of the beginning of the month, I carried over the final 12 hours of A Promised Land and finished the book 11 days later. A Promised Land was an eye-opener for me in that previously, I’ve avoided politics. It’s not a subject of particular interest to me, but it was good to get out of my comfort zone. Arguably, Barack Obama is one of the few political figures I don’t mind – they’re very few and far between! That made a huge difference to the listening experience. That, and Barack narrating the book himself, made it a lot more personal!


The Housemaid

Next, I listened to The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. We picked up this book for our book club, which met on the last day of the month.

It’s the first time I’ve opted to read our workbook club pick in audio format, but it worked! Admittedly, I found myself frustrated with Millie when I first started the book. She didn’t half put up with some bad behaviour; there’s a good reason why, but as someone who wouldn’t, it got to me. However, the book got A LOT more interesting as the narrative moved on, and the second perspective changed the book entirely.

Thriller fans – no spoilers here… but I can’t recommend the book highly enough!


Calamity

One last audiobook I squeezed in before the end of the month is Calamity by Brandon Sanderson. I literally finished this on Monday, squeaking it in just in time.

I picked up Calamity as it’s the final book in Sanderson’s The Reckoners series. After a long break, I picked up the second book earlier this year. I was determined to finish it soon and not leave it years again before finishing the series. The great news is that I have a completion under my belt to go towards my resolutions for the year. The bad news is that the series is done, and there aren’t any more books with these characters…


Normal Women

Finally, the last book I have to share with you in today’s monthly wrap-up is one I’ll carry forward into April.

Normal Women by Philippa Gregory came onto my radar after I listened to a podcast based on the research for this book. I really annoyed that podcast – and I’m enjoying the book too.

It’s a bit of a slow read though, so it’s one I’ll likely end up chipping away at. Throughout March, I read the first few chapters and as of this monthly wrap-up, I’m a couple of hundred pages into Normal Women.

In truth, I think this book would be easier for me to listen to than read. I tend to prefer listening to non-fiction. Even still, it’s been quite informative so far. My perception of history being unfavourable to women isn’t always true – women lost a lot of rights by the time Henry VIII secured the throne.

Here’s to continuing with this book in the next few weeks!


Summary

Thankfully I have better news to share in this monthly wrap-up and reading progress has been better.

If you’re still with me, thanks for reading today’s monthly wrap-up. Have you picked up any good books recently? Do you have any recommendations for me?

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Sunday Summary – 30th March 2025

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Happy Sunday friends – happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful and amazing women out there… But especially to my mum! Yes, I’m biased, but this is my corner of the Internet so I’m allowed to be…Today’s Sunday Summary post comes after a bit of a break. I decided to take most of this week off from blogging so I could enjoy the end of some annual leave I had taken from work. However, it was also so I had time for some of my other hobbies. Overall, reading progress has been a bit slower, with today being a bit of an exception to the rule.

Shall we take a look?

 

Books Read

Calamity

The only book I’ve progressed with this week is my audiobook listen of Calamity by Brandon Sanderson.

I didn’t pick up this book until around midway through this week once I was back to work. Before today I had only listened to a little less than two hours of this audiobook. Today, however, I’ve listened to over five hours solid!

In fact, as of this Sunday Summary post I only have 50 minutes left of this audiobook until completion. Given where we’re at in the storyline too, this will absolutely be finished in the next day or so! I’m at the final confrontation, or so I gather, so I’m excited to see how the book ends!


Books Discovered

On Thursday this week, I received a recommendation for a book called The Marriage Portrait. It has a bit of a feminine emphasis, or to use the recommender’s words, was more of a woman’s story. Having looked at the book, I’m familiar with some of the characters from history and I’m intrigued to take a look at it for myself.


Coming Up…

It feels like only five minutes ago we were starting 2025. However, next week it’s the beginning of April already. I’m going into a busy period at work, which is why I wanted a bit of a break from the blog beforehand. That’s not going to stop me from my usual schedule now I’m back.

Firstly, I’ll be sharing my monthly wrap-up for March 2025 on either Tuesday or Wednesday next week. In this post, I look back at the books I’ve read throughout the month just gone and catch you up with my reading progress versus my monthly TBR.

Next on the agenda will be my monthly TBR for April, which will go live on Friday. If you’re keen to see which books I intend to pick up in the next month, this post is to look out for.

On Sunday, there’s a slight change of schedule in that Sunday’s post will be a blog tour for Enemies of the Crown by Peter Gibbons. Taking part in this blog tour was a natural choice, as I’ve already read the prior books in the series to date and I would want to keep up with it anyway.

Then, in the early hours of Monday morning, I’ll schedule my Sunday Summary post to go live.

That’s all for me in today’s Sunday Summary – I hope you’ve had a good one and thanks for reading!

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Sunday Summary – 23rd March 2025

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Happy Sunday readers – welcome to this week’s instalment of my regular Sunday Summary feature! Have you picked up any good books lately? I sure have, but before I get ahead of myself, let’s take a minute to go through what else I’ve shared on my blog this week!

My first post of the week was a book review of the illustrated novel, Rise of the Dragon by George R. R. Martin. If you’re interested in the backdrop to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones), this is the approachable edition. Should you like more hardcore lore, go for Fire and Blood instead. If you’re watching House of the Dragon, this is a fantastic book to explain events.

Next, in this week’s Shelf Control post, I feature a graphic novel retelling – The One Hundred Nights of Hero. It’s unlike a lot of books on my TBR, and it’s for that reason I want to give it a go!


Books Read


The Housemaid

Earlier this week, I finished the final couple of hours of audio of The Housemaid. It took a turn I wasn’t really expecting – and the ending was worth the wait!

I really enjoyed this thriller, and if this is a genre that appeals to you, please read this one. My favourite aspect was the characters and dynamics of the story so much. I wasn’t originally planning on picking up the subsequent series… but I am now!


Normal Women

Picking up where I left off last Sunday, I’ve read another 100 pages of Normal Women this week.

I like how the book recaps how the rights and living conditions of women change across time. The chapters are broken down into recognised periods of history and cover a broad range of topics affecting women. From  legal rights to how they had relationships with each other, Normal Women covers a wide spectrum.

This isn’t the type of book I can binge, so I’ve ended up reading this in multiple short bursts. However, I’m engaged to keep coming back, so I’ll be chipping away at this one in the next few weeks.


Calamity

Finally, I started my next audiobook. I recently listened to Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. Whilst events are fresh in my mind, I wanted to listen to Calamity and finish the trilogy.

So far I’m a little under 3 hours, or just shy of 25%, into the audio. I’m listening to the audiobook at x1.2 speed, so I’ve got just under 8 hours left to listen to.

I don’t think I’ll listen to a lot early next week as I’m off work. However, once I’m back into normal routine later in the week there will be opportunities to keep going and see if Calamity can live up to the rest of the series to date.


Books Discovered

The only book I’ve added this week is The Housemaid’s Secret, the sequel to The Housemaid. I’ve decided to stick with the audiobook format for the series and thankfully I had a credit I could use towards it.


Coming Up…

Next week, I’m leaning into enjoying my time off before another busy stretch at work. I’ve decided that next week’s posting schedule is going to be quite light.

I’ll be back this time next week for another Sunday Summary post, but that’s all. I’m going to enjoy the last few days of my annual leave without obligation to post here and pick up my reads and hobbies as much as I can. That way, I’m fully recharged to pick up again and catch you up on my latest reads in next week’s Sunday Summary.

Until next week, I hope you have a good one!

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Monthly TBR – March 2025

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March‘s monthly TBR had better go better than February’s. I don’t think I’ve ever DNF’d half of a reading list before. It wasn’t even anything really to do with the theme of Black History Month.

That’s why I’m not apprehensive about going into another month of topical reads. March is Women’s History Month, and I’ve been planning to pick up a few books on this topic for a while!

Shall we take a look?


Fixed Reads


Woden’s Spear

For the first time in a long time, I’ve got a blog tour coming up!

I’ve not taken part in a tour for around a year now. Initially, I didn’t want to take on the commitment whilst things were up in the air in my personal life. However, now that things have settled down, I have the ability to do the odd one or two of the tours again.

When Rachael asked for my help to fill in some spaces on a historical action adventure novel, I was persuaded. I love the genre and time period this book is set in. You’ll be hearing more on this book very soon, as I’m set to review it early next week.


A Promised Land

Given the length of this audiobook, it shouldn’t surprise you that Barack Obama’s A Promised Land is carried over into March.

Throughout February, I listened to 17 and a half hours of this 29-hour-long audio. I made a good dent. This month, I hope to finish it pretty soon!

A Promised Land was the one book on my February TBR that I thought at risk of DNFing. That it was actually one of my favourites of the month is both a surprise, but also a testament to how diverse my reading can be.


Children of Virtue and Vengeance

My second carryover from February is Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. I’ve picked up this series for the first time in a long time.

I confess, as of this monthly TBR, I’m undecided how I feel about the book. I’m yet to feel the same spark of enthusiasm about it as I had for the first. Still, I’ll stick with it a bit longer yet. It may come to me as I get more immersed in the story.


Normal Women

One of my Women’s History Month picks for this monthly TBR is Normal Women by Philippa Gregory.

I originally discovered this book when I featured Philippa’s podcast of the same name on my blog as part of a limited series. The subject generally is a topic of interest, but the podcast episode I listened to went into some of the research Philippa undertook when writing the book. The podcast piqued my attention, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the book and the other broad span of topics covered.


Narratives: The Stories that Hold Women Back at Work

At 254 pages, Narratives is the shortest book on this monthly TBR. Also fitting into my Women’s History Month topical reading, I’m looking forward to seeing if I can relate to any experiences within. Naturally, I hope not. Equally though, if I’m informed on ways women can be held back at work, the better I can approach the situation.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a career woman. I love clocking out at the end of the day and getting into my PJ’s for a relaxing evening. I still have some ambition to push myself and maybe take on a leadership role in time.


Eve

The potential last Women’s History Month book on this TBR is Eve.

Leaning into some more non-fiction, Eve looks at the ways in which the female body has evolved and shaped humanity as we know it. It’s a little out of my comfort zone, but equally I’m hopeful the book includes a lot of humour and insight that keeps me engaged.


Work Book Club Pick

Lastly, I’ll be picking up one final ‘fixed read’ for our work book club. However, as of this post, that hasn’t been decided. Members had until the end of today to vote from three contenders; I’ll be looking at the results and announcing the winner to members tomorrow.

So, I can’t tell you which it is in this monthly TBR. You’ll have to stay tuned on the blog to see what it is!


Mood Reads


Calamity

I only have one mood read on March’s monthly TBR. Outside of my carryovers for the month, it’s the only book not fitting the theme of Women’s History Month that isn’t another reading commitment.

I recently got back into the series when I listened to Firefight in January. Now that I’m so close to finishing the trilogy, I want to power on and get it finished!


Summary

I have a lot of books to cover this month, but I’m optimistic I can avoid the same reading funk that spoiled February’s monthly TBR.

Here’s to a more successful reading month!

What are you planning on reading?

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