Tag: dystopian

Shelf Control #52 – 19/08/2022

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Happy Friday everyone and welcome to today’s Shelf Control post! Shelf Control is a regular feature on my blog. It’s a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies… a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and 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!

If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.

I’m looking forward to reading the book I feature today. It’s co-written by an author I never expected to enjoy, and the other is their son.

This book touches on the genre we expect from the more famous co-author. However, I also enjoy the premise of the book and the focus of the narrative is different from anything I have read by this author publishing by himself. I’ve owned my physical copy for a few years now, and it will be good to pick this up!

Here are the details for today’s book: –

 

Sleeping Beauties – Steven King & Owen King

Genre: Horror / Thriller / Dystopia

Pages: 702

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Scribner

Publication Date: 26 Sep 2017

 

 

Goodreads – Sleeping Beauties

In a future so real and near it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep; they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze.

If they are awakened, and the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed or violated, the women become feral and spectacularly violent; and while they sleep they go to another place.

The men of our world are abandoned, left to their increasingly primal devices. One woman, however, the mysterious Evie, is immune to the blessing or curse of the sleeping disease.

Is Evie a medical anomaly to be studied, or is she a demon who must be slain?

 

My Thoughts…

Reviews for this particular book are a mixed bag.

Some people say it’s very long when it doesn’t need to be. Apparently, there are a load of characters and it can be a little bit hard to keep a grip on. But equally, at the same time, this book references a lot of other works by Stephen King.

I haven’t read lots of Stephen King books, but I’m interested to see if I can pick up on any of these references. Sometimes, it’s fun to find these things. I recently found one in The First Binding, which referenced a character in a book that influenced the author – The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It feels good to be in on the joke… if you know what I mean?

This is not my first Stephen King book, and it will be my first which he has co-authored. I’m interested to see how this particular story plays out, and whether there are any elements of feminism that would be implied by the subject matter.

I can’t say too much about this book because I don’t know much beyond the synopsis. I’ve deliberately wanted to keep it that way. But, I’ll be interested to finally dive into this one and see what it’s all about!

Have you read Sleeping Beauties? If so, would you recommend it, or do you agree with other reviews that this is not his best work? I would love to know your thoughts!

Don’t forget, if you’ve enjoyed today’s Shelf Control post and want to see similar posts, you can subscribe to be notified whenever I post new content by clicking the follow button below. In addition, you can find and get in touch with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

 

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Monthly TBR – August 2022 (Magical Readathon)

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Happy Friday everyone! It’s still early in August, and it’s time to share my monthly TBR!

This month I am doing something fun, and belatedly taking part in a readathon. A few years ago, G over at Book Roast set up her Magical Readathon. Inspired by the structure of the exams in the Harry Potter series, she built a readathon in which you could ‘sit exams’ over two ‘sittings’ by reading books that completed certain prompts associated with them. In the first sitting, you have one prompt per exam. In the second, you can specialise in certain exams and read multiple prompts for that subject – the more you read, the better grade you get. 

That was several years ago, and now she has developed the readathon even further. She has built her own fantasy world based around a similar concept. The aim is to obtain qualifications in two semesters (one month-long readathon in April and one in August) towards a certain fantasy career.

I didn’t hear about this readathon until very recently. I missed out in April this year, so whilst everybody else taking part is doing the August prompts right now, I have decided to go back to April’s prompts so I can catch up and maybe take part in real-time next year. It’s been implied that progress made this year will carry over into next year.

I want to take part as it will be fun and push me a little out of my comfort zone. The prompts in some cases are for books I wouldn’t necessarily choose to put on my monthly TBR right now. At the same time, I have been able to incorporate books that I do want to read at the moment, so it’s the best of both worlds. There is a lot more interactivity involved in these readathons that I won’t be able to do right now, but that’s something I can look forward to.

 

Magical Readathon: Character

I have one book on my monthly TBR that I have to read, and that’s because I’m taking part in a blog tour later this month.

Naturally, I had to fit this into the prompts given, and fortunately, I can make it fit one. That, combined with the limitation of the amount I can read in a month, narrowed down my career options. In the end, it was a toss-up between the Craftsmage and Story Weaver profession. Technically, the Craftsmage career is an easier one to obtain as there is less reading required for it. However, I was less keen on the April prompts for this profession. So, I opted for Story Weaver.

For that career, I have to obtain qualifications in Inscription, Art of Illusion, Psionics and Divination, and Lore. I am hoping to read more than four books this month, so I’ve chosen some additional reads for my own reasons. If those additional books fulfill a prompt, I’ve noted it here and will count it. It might not count for anything right now, but as this readathon is ongoing, it may become relevant later.

Let’s jump into the books I’ve chosen for my monthly TBR and which prompts they fulfill for my career choice.

 

Fixed Reads

The First Binding

Inscription: An Intimidating Read

I’m only setting one fixed read this month, and that is because I am taking part in a blog tour later this month. As a result, this is the book I had fit into the list of prompts I had.

The First Binding is an epic fantasy novel over 800 pages long. That may be intimidating enough, but the added kicker is that I have to read and finish this book and share my review on the 15th August. Having done the maths, it means I have to read an absolute minimum of 70 pages a day in order to get there. Naturally, I aim to read it quicker if I can. If that’s not intimidating, I don’t know what is!

 

Mood Reads

The Silence of the Girls

Lore: Mythology Inspired Read

This particular book is about Greek Mythology, in particular, around female characters affected by the Trojan War. I recently read and enjoyed Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes. I’ve wanted to pick up more books about the subject (I’ve even added one about the Trojan War, written by Natalie Haynes, to my TBR recently).

However, I already own a copy of The Silence of the Girls. As it’s a subject I’m interested in, and a topic I need for the readathon, this should be perfect. The icing on the cake is that it’s a nice short read. After reading The First Binding, I think I will relish it.

 

Assassin’s Quest

Art of Illusion: Book with a trope I Like

I am a big reader of fantasy. As such, there are a lot of tropes to choose from. Some are more used than most, and some of them I like better than others. One of the tropes I enjoy, even if it is a bit overused, is characters going off on a quest and developing personally as a result. Fitting in with that trope nicely, I’ve chosen Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb.

I have just finished reading Royal Assassin and I’m itching to pick up this third book of the first trilogy. It fit perfectly into the required prompt… so it would have been rude not to! 

 

Golden Son

Psionics & Divination: Book Set in the Future

For the psionics and divination prompt, I need to read a book set in the future. This is the prompt I’ve had the most debate over, and changed my book selection a number of times already.

Naturally, I have the flexibility to change my mind again if I feel the need. However, I have provisionally chosen to read Golden Son by Pierce Brown. I read Red Rising last year and I really loved this first book. Set in the near (but undefined) future, the series is about the colonisation of all the planets in space – in particular, Mars. This is a science fiction novel with a dystopian theme. I really enjoyed this first book and I’ve heard good things about the second in the series. So, I’m taking the opportunity to tick off this prompt and further read towards completing a series. God knows I have plenty ongoing already without starting anymore. 

 

Invisible Women

No prompt

The last physical book I am provisionally setting on my monthly TBR is Invisible Women. I had intended to read this book last month, but I ended up swapping it out for Pandora’s Jar on a whim.

Reading this particular book doesn’t satisfy any of the prompts for the readathon, however, I have set myself a personal goal of reading at least one non-fiction book a month. It’s for this reason that I am still adding Invisible Women to this TBR.

 

Audiobooks

The Viscount Who Loved Me

Alchemy: Book featuring Romance

There are some chunky books on my TBR, so I’m only ‘setting’ five physical reads this month.

I would like to try and squeeze in one more book, and I would like to do so in audiobook format. I think this is the first time I’ve ever put an audiobook on a TBR deliberately. Audiobooks make up the smallest proportion of my reading. However, I have definitely been in the mood to listen to more audiobooks of late. Whilst I am in the mood, I’d like to try and make this more of a regular habit, rather than the stop-start relationship I typically have.

The reason for adding the audiobook, and this genre audiobook, is because I think I want something lighter to listen to. I should be able to listen to this on my commute, or whilst I am doing jobs around the house and so it should be easy to squeeze in.

There is another reason why I have chosen this format for this book. I read the Duke and I back in May, and whilst I had mixed feelings about the book, I said I wasn’t going to continue with the series. However, I’m going to give it a second chance in audiobook format.

I have enjoyed the Bridgerton Netflix series to date, but most importantly, I want to see if I can persevere long enough to follow Penelope‘s and Eloise‘s story arcs. They are honestly the only two characters I really care about. However, it’s going to be a while before we get there in the Netflix series, so if I can at least get so far as their books and I’ll be happy.

Don’t get me wrong, if I don’t enjoy this overly either then I’ll abandon the attempt and I’ll just have to wait for the Netflix series to get to their parts.

Having checked the prompt sheet, I can pass the alchemy exam by reading a book featuring a romance. So, if I read this book then that’s an bonus qualification I can earn.

 

So, that’s my monthly TBR for August! This is my first time ever taking part in a readathon, and I am really excited! Have you ever taken part in one? Alternatively, what are you reading this month? Let me know in the comments or on social media.

Wish me luck!

 

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First Lines Friday – 29/04/2022

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Hello everyone and welcome to today’s First Lines Friday post! First Lines Friday is a regular series on my blog. It’s a fun way to share books I love, those I am interested in and/or are on my TBR… or even just to experiment with something new!

For today’s post I have set myself another challenge. My last couple of posts have been challenge-free, and so to keep the content fresh I wanted to bring this back. I am, however, bringing back a challenge I have done before, purely because I have so much content I can cover on it that it makes sense to use it. And what is that challenge you ask? To feature a book I read before I started my blog over 5 years ago now.

Shall we check out today’s intro? Can you guess which book it’s from?

 

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.

My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course she did. This is the day of the reaping.

I prop myself up on one elbow. There’s enough light in the bedroom to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother’s body, their cheeks pressed together. In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down. Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.

 


The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

Goodreads – The Hunger Games

Could you survive on your own in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.


My Thoughts…

The Hunger Games is a fantastic trilogy for anyone who likes fantasy, dystopian fiction, or most importantly, a bit of both! As a huge fantasy reader, this really appealed to me as it was slightly different from the plethora of other fantasy books I was reading at the time.

The Hunger Games and the characters within offer a little bit of everything. Fantastic character development really starts with this book and blossoms throughout the trilogy. It’s the kind of book that shows you what humankind is capable of at its worst, but also can bring out the best in people as well.

I’m glad I read this trilogy. It’s a book series I really appreciate. I also really like the films made based on these books! I think it’s one of the few exceptions to the rule where the film has done the books justice.

If, like me, you have found yourself in a bit of a fantasy rut and are desperate to try and find something a little bit different in the overcrowded genre, then give this one a go! I read this at a time where I had gotten a little bit bored of fantasy because I read that much of it. The Hunger Games offers something a little bit different, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

I hope you have enjoyed today’s First Lines Friday feature! Have you read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, or any of the other books in the series? I’d love to know what you thought!

 

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First Lines Friday – 15/04/2022

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Hello everyone and welcome to today’s First Lines Friday post! First Lines Friday is a regular series on my blog. It’s a fun way to share books I love, those I am interested in and/or are on my TBR… or even just to experiment with something new!

For today’s post I decided once again to keep my options open and choose a book at random. I do enjoy setting myself a challenge from time to time, but unless I have inspiration, these aren’t always the easiest. When I was drafting my Sunday Summary post last week, I had absolutely no idea as to what I might want to do; that’s why I left it open.

I have since decided to feature a book that is sat on my bookshelf and waiting to be read. I enjoy going to visit these books because it gives me a reason to get excited about picking them up in future. I have been known to prioritise a book based on featuring it, so who knows, I might be reading this one soon!

Shall we check out today’s intro?

 

Just under the surface of the waves where the ocean met the land, a hand without a body reached for someone to grab it. The hand was wrapped in plastic, so time and water hadn’t eaten it, and its fingers, unmoving, were poised and ready to be held. Nell Crane picked it up out of the foam. She placed it quietly into her satchel.

Right where the black river split into the big wild blue, Nell and Ruby Underwood were collecting bits of treasure from the foam. They were farther out than they were supposed to be, out on the city’s jagged edge, the pair of them charged with rebellion.

Besides, this was where all the best stuff washed up. Right before the hungry sea gobbled the old pieces of the city into oblivion, the estuary caught them and spread them all out on the beach. Treasure among the pebbles.

Nell wouldn’t take her boots off and stood at the kissing lip of the water, keenly eyeing the drift. A lightbulb, a coil of wire: she snatched them and tucked them away. Only useful things. Maybe they’d be the very things that would spark off a great idea – she needed one, and fast. Summer would be over soon. Days like today were a distraction from the forms Nell had not yet filled out, the letters that she hadn’t answered, the end of apprenticeship project she had not yet begun. Here by the waterside she could forget, at least for a little while.

 

 

Spare and Found Parts – Sarah Maria Griffin

Goodreads – Spare and Found Parts

Nell Crane has always been an outsider. In a city devastated by an epidemic, where survivors are all missing parts—an arm, a leg, an eye—her father is the famed scientist who created the biomechanical limbs everyone now uses. But Nell is the only one whose mechanical piece is on the inside: her heart. Since the childhood operation, she has ticked. Like a clock, like a bomb. As her community rebuilds, everyone is expected to contribute to the society’s good . . . but how can Nell live up to her father’s revolutionary idea when she has none of her own?

Then she finds a mannequin hand while salvaging on the beach—the first boy’s hand she’s ever held—and inspiration strikes. Can Nell build her own companion in a world that fears advanced technology? The deeper she sinks into this plan, the more she learns about her city—and her father, who is hiding secret experiments of his own.

 

My Thoughts…

I found this book in my local Waterstones, and it was this very same introduction that led me to buying the book! I really liked the sound of it, and it’s quite unlike anything I have ever read before. I was looking to treat myself and picked this up on a whim, and I think it’s fair to say from what we know of the book already, that I did!

In terms of timing, a book featuring an epidemic may not be for everyone. However, I think this has a really interesting premise and it has the dystopian feel that I love. I think this is aimed at a young adult genre, as opposed to being more of an adult fantasy, but I’m still excited to read it and see what it has to offer even if I’m not strictly the target audience! I’m also really excited as the book is categorised as steampunk on Goodreads. I recently read and loved another book with a similar theme, and so I think I’ll really get on with this. 

I can’t lie, I am also a really big fan of the red sprayed edges on my paperback copy. It might seem like a small thing, but I love it!

Have you read Spare and Found Parts? If so, please let me know what you thought! Equally, if you like the sound of this book and want to add it to your reading list, I’d love to hear as well!

 

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Sunday Summary – 21st November 2021

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Good evening and welcome to my Sunday Summary update this week! As always, I hope you’ve had a good week? I’ve had a great one! Not only have I been off work and spending time with family, but I’ve also been doing a job I’ve been dreading in the garden – cutting down my second hedge to a reasonable height. I thought taking the first one down a couple of weeks ago was bad, but this second one was a whole different ballpark. But, never mind; it has gone now, which I’m a bit relieved about!

Aside from the mundane jobs around the house, and the significantly more exciting spending time with family, I have shared a couple of blog posts with you. My first post of the week was a Top Ten Tuesday post. This week’s subject was Top Ten Books to Read If You Like ‘X’; I chose fantasy as my subject. As I’ve read a lot of the genre I felt it was the most comfortable topic I could talk about. Not only that, but as there are a lot of fantasy books out there, I hope that featuring my favourites helps you find your next one!

On Friday I took part in a blog tour for The Warden by Jon Richter. This is a psychological thriller novel that I agreed to review as part of the tour. If you haven’t checked out my review you can find a handy link here – no spoilers in saying that I enjoyed the book! It is an interesting take on the pandemic and a potential future concept involving technology, and what could happen if we became highly dependent on it and it goes wrong. It was fantastic and I hope you can take a look at the book for yourself!

 

Books Read

As of the beginning of this week I had 25% of The Warden left to read before I could put my thoughts together for my review on Friday. I blitzed through this last hour’s worth of reading after publishing my Sunday Summary post last week. I don’t know how I can do that when I don’t plan to do it, but when I do plan to do it (as I did the week prior) I fail miserably. Never mind – it meant that I have plenty of time to get my thoughts together and draft my review.

I have since gone back to reading Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. I put this on hold briefly in order to do my reading for the recent blog tours I’ve taken part in (Million Eyes II and The Warden). It only equates to having read 5% of the book this week, but it’s progress. It works out at just over 50 pages, in case you’re interested. 5% doesn’t sound like much; 50 pages sounds better!

I’ve also started listening to a new audiobook this week. Whilst I was knitting the other evening I decided to start listening to Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell. I’m currently on chapter 2 and the introduction has been great. There is plenty of action to keep me interested but also enough history to get an idea of who our main characters are and their role in society as a whole. I can’t wait to keep listening to this and find out more! All in all, a fabulous start.

 

Books Discovered

No new additions again this week. You might find this report a little bit boring, but I personally am very happy about it. It means I can *pretend* my habit is in control.

 

Coming Up…

I’m all done for blog tours for now. I haven’t signed up to very many of them this year, and while I’ve enjoyed taking part in them, I’m also looking forward to being able to post in my own time.

I’ve been having a think about what I want to share with you and the plan is to share a discussion post with you early next week. The topic I have in mind is to talk about how I juggle writing content for my blog, as well as reading and also all the other bits I like to do. For anyone who doesn’t blog, it may give insight as to how much time it takes. And, for anyone who does, I may be able to offer some time management techniques that you may take away and try to implement yourself!

Later in the week I will be back with my regular Friday feature posts. This week I will be sharing a First Lines Friday post. I really enjoy sharing these and giving myself the opportunity to share a variety of books here on my blog. And for this week’s post I’m going to keep it open (as I set myself a challenge last time I shared this post). I hope you can join me and that you like the sound of the book I ultimately feature.

Then, last but not least, I’ll be back the same time next week with another Sunday Summary update for you.

In the meantime, I hope you have enjoyed today’s post. Have you read any of the books I’m reading? Do any of them appeal to you? Let me know in the comments!

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Sunday Summary – 14th November 2021

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Good evening and welcome to this week’s Sunday Summary update! As always, I hope you’ve had a good week whatever you have been doing?

As for what I’ve been doing, I shared a blog tour review of Million Eyes II: The Unraveller on Wednesday this week. Having taken part in the blog tour for the first book of the series back in January 2020, I was keen to get involved and share my thoughts on this second instalment. If you haven’t yet read my review, you can find a link above. That post also links to my review of the first book of the series, so if you want to catch up from the beginning that’s the place to go. In fact, I’ll pop a handy link to that here as well.

On Friday I shared a Shelf Control post. It’s a regular series here at Reviewsfeed that gives me the opportunity to review the books on my to be read list, whittle out anything I no longer want to read and feature those that I do! This week I featured a book that’s been on my list for a few years. My sister reminded me after I shared this post, she managed to get a copy of it as part of an O2 deal. She had asked if she could read it before she handed it to me, and I never saw it. She had a laugh with me about it after my post went live, and confided that she didn’t finish it herself. However, when she comes to visit at Christmas I’ll get my hands on it!

 

Books Read

 

In last week’s Sunday Summary update I had 15% of Million Eyes II: The Unraveller left to read. I was right on those stats even though I couldn’t cross check against my Kindle. That worked out to be about an hour‘s worth of reading time, however, my plan to read it on Sunday night didn’t work out. I ended up knitting instead…

However, I did go on to read this on Monday evening and at the same time I started my blog post draft while my thoughts were fresh. The ending was very good; it ended up being quite a complex narrative with so many interlinking parts, however it was executed very well. It was a pleasure to read and I’m glad I took part in the blog tour for it!

After this, I started to read The Warden by Jon Richter. I have a read and reviewed a book by Jon Richter previously, Auxiliary: London 2039. I enjoyed this book immensely and I signed up for the blog tour of The Warden ages ago. Well, the time has finally come for me to read this book as my blog tour post for this book is due to go live next Friday.

I have to say, the book is every bit as good as I expected. It’s an action-packed psychological thriller. The majority of the narrative takes place in 2024, with flashbacks to beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus in this fictional narrative has mutated exceptionally and humans have to take more and more drastic action in order to avoid contamination. Like sealing themselves into buildings supported predominantly by an AI. But what if something goes wrong? Without going into any detail that’s the crux of the narrative and I’m really enjoying it. Naturally, anyone uncomfortable with the theme of the pandemic being the linchpin of the narrative might not choose to read this one. However, I very rarely shy away from a topic and I think it works really well!

As of this Sunday Summary update post, I am 3/4 of the way through the book. The remaining time left to read is about an hour and so I have plenty of time to get this finished before my blog tour post on Friday. I hope you like the sound of the book based on little snippets I told you and that you can check it out in full on Friday.

 

Books Discovered

Once again, I’m pleased to confirm that my TBR has not gotten any longer. Thankfully!

 

Coming Up…

I’ve decided to take part in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post. The topic of the post is “Books to Read If You Love ‘X’”. For this topic, I’ve decided to stick with the genre I have read most extensively, which is fantasy. If you love fantasy books as much as me then take the time to check out my list on Tuesday. In that post I will be featuring my favourite books of the genre and why I love them!

As I mentioned above, I will be sharing my thoughts in a blog tour review for The Warden by Jon Richter on Friday. That means my usual Friday feature will be taking a very short break just for this week. I can already tell that this post is going to be a good one. If you like the sound of the book based on my description above I really hope you can check out my full thoughts on Friday. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

As always, I will be rounding off the week with my next Sunday Summary update this time next week.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s post and until next time, happy reading!

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Sunday Summary – 7th November 2021

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Good evening everyone and welcome to this week’s Sunday Summary update! Have you had a good week? I sure hope so!

Earlier this week I shared my monthly wrap-up for October. Part of me can’t believe that it’s November already, the other part of me is starting to panic that it’ll nearly be December, then Christmas, and then 2022 before I can blink! I digress. In my wrap-up post, I shared the books I picked up over the course of October and also the blog posts I shared during the month. If you haven’t had a chance to check that post out already you can find a link above.

On Friday I shared a First Lines Friday post. In last week’s Sunday Summary update I set myself the challenge of featuring a book I read before I started blogging. I had a few ideas in mind, but the book I featured in the end is the first of a series that I really enjoyed, but didn’t continue in a timely manner. So, I ended up DNF’ing the second book. However, featuring this book has reminded me of this fact and so I plan to revisit it again from the beginning!

 

Books Read

This week I have continued to make progress with Million Eyes II: The Unraveller by C. R. Berry. I have a review blog post coming up on Wednesday next week and so I’ve been making solid progress with this book. I’m really enjoying it too! There is a lot of action on going and as I’m drawing towards the conclusion, I can’t wait to see how it all ends.

Off the top of my head (because my kindle is charging and I can’t check) I think I’m now 85% through, and finishing the book is about an hours worth of reading time left. I plan to finish this tonight once this post goes live. That way, I have plenty of time to get my thoughts together ready for my blog tour review!

I also made great progress with The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch. I only went and finished this last night! I’ve taken to listening to music or audiobooks as and when I’m working on a knitting project. I started listening to The Hanging Tree on a whim whilst working on a cardigan sleeve last night. I got really into it and before I knew it, I had listened to the last two hours of the audiobook! I’m really enjoying the series so far and The Hanging Tree lived up to expectation.

 

Books Discovered

Seeing as how I added a book to my list last week, I’ve been really good and I’ve been avoiding all bookshops known to man. Sometimes, I just have to avoid temptation…

 

Coming Up…

As I mentioned above, I have a blog tour post that is due to be posted on Wednesday for Million Eyes II: The Unraveller by C. R. Berry. I really hope you can join me for that post, and if you’re interested in reading up on the first book of the series in the meantime, you can find a link to my review here.

On Friday I will be back with another regular feature and this week I will be sharing a shelf control post with you. In this mini series, I take the opportunity to have a look at the books on my TBR, review if they still appeal to me to read and share with you the details!

I really hope you can join me for these posts, as well as my usual Sunday Summary wrap-up up at the end of next week. Until next time, have a good one.

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Sunday Summary – 31st October 2021

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Hello everyone and welcome to another weekly update in today’s Sunday Summary post! I’ve had a great week, albeit a busy one, as I’ve been off work and doing jobs around the house. There is no rest for the wicked, even when the weather doesn’t work in our favour. So, I haven’t done too much in the way of reading. However, more on that later.

At the beginning of this week, I finally shared my thoughts on Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch. It’s only my third attempt at sharing this post… On a serious note, I’m glad I finally got this done and in a position where I was happy to share it with you. It’s a fantastic book (audiobook as that’s the format I read listened to) and if I’m going to write a review I want to do it right.

On Friday I shared a discussion post in which I talked about my thoughts on being a structured reader or a mood reader. Having done both I have ample enough experience to give you the pros and cons for both. Also, I share with you my favourite method in that post. If you haven’t checked it out already please feel free to do so using the link provided.

 

Books Read

Despite not being at work I’ve managed to keep myself busy. My main job of the week was to cut down two rather large hedges in my back garden. The weather wasn’t particularly on my side however, so I’ve only managed to complete one and start the other. Even on the days when the weather wasn’t so good I had errands to run or other smaller jobs to do around the house.

This isn’t to say that I didn’t manage to do any reading because that’s not the case. One evening this week I picked up a book that I’m reviewing for a blog tour soon. It meant taking a brief break from Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, however I will have plenty time to pick up later.

I’ve managed to read about a quarter of Million Eyes II by C. R. Berry. As with the first book of the series, this is proving an easy read and the premise is as intriguing if not more. The nice, super short chapters are great and easy to follow. Since one more chapter doesn’t take very long, it’s very easy to find yourself saying that again and again and again ! I’m confident and I’ll make a lot more progress with this next week in time for the blog tour post on the 10th November. 

With being at home, I had thought that I was going to make more audiobook progress. However, that turned out not to be the case. I did still listen to some of The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch, but I haven’t finished yet like I expected to. Music is a better motivator for me, depending on what kind of jobs I’m doing and that turned out to be the case this week. There’s even less to listen to now so perhaps this time next week I’ll be telling you that I’m done and dusted.

 

Books Discovered

When I shared last week’s Sunday Summary post I hinted that I might have an addition to the list this week. I wasn’t wrong, although I haven’t gone too mad either! Whilst running some errands I had the opportunity to go and have a mooch in a certain chain bookstore here on island. When I was there I picked up a completely new book to me; it wasn’t even on my TBR yet. If you know me you know I love history and I don’t really know very much about the Salem witches. This book aims to change that!

I also picked up a second book, although it’s not really a book to read per se. I have a goal that I want to learn how to knit socks and so I bought myself a copy of 52 weeks of socks… Just in case you’re interested!

 

Coming Up…

It’s back to the daily grind for me next week, although you’re not going to see any changes as a result of that. It just means I have to start getting up early in the morning again… Lucky me eh?!

It’s officially the beginning of November next week. I’ll just let that sink in for a minute. Can someone please tell me where this year is going? So, with this little factoid in mind it stands to reason that within the next few days will be the best time to share my monthly wrap up for October!

Later in the week I will return with my usual regular Friday features. This week it’s the turn of a First Lines Friday post. To keep it interesting I’m going to set myself a challenge for Friday‘s post – to feature the opening lines of a book I read before I started my blog.

As always I hope you’ve had a great week and maybe even discovered some great reads for yourself. If you have let me know what you’re reading in the comments and in the meantime, have a great one and I’ll see you in the next post!

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Sunday Summary – 24th October 2021

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It’s time for another Sunday Summary update once again! These posts seem to roll around very quickly. No sooner have I written one than I’m preparing the next! It’s no surprise it’s nearly the end of October already!

I started this week with a top ten Tuesday post. I liked the idea of this week’s theme, which was sharing my top ten online resources for book lovers. Not only was it fun to write, but I hope it proved useful and gave you some insight into the tools I use for my hobby!

I have an apology to make. I decided last week to switch up my blog posting schedule, and I didn’t fulfil my end of the bargain. I was supposed to share my already late review of Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch yesterday. But, I’m a bit of a dozy cow. Changing up my routine is dangerous; I’ll be the first person to hold my hands up and say that I’m forgetful! I remembered that I was supposed to be sharing this post yesterday at 10:10 pm. Needless to say, I postponed this once again, and I’m sorry about that! It will be coming to you next week – I promise!

 

Books Read

Last week I started reading Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson and had made progress by reading a few chapters. There was a lot to take in and getting started was a little bit slow. I have persevered this week and I feel like I’m coming out the other side now. I’m eight chapters through and I have picked up what I need to know in order to carry on. It’s getting a lot easier to read, which is great news! Eight chapters is about 10% of the way through the book, in case you’re interested. Yeah, it’s a long one…

I’ve also listened to roughly a couple of hours of The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch. In terms of progress that’s about half again from last week, putting me at about 75% of the way through! I’m really enjoying this and since I have next week off work I expect to finish this in the next few days.

 

Books Discovered

Once again no updates to add here this week! However, as I have an errand to run next week that involves going into a certain bookstore, I make no promises for a similar update in next week’s post!

 

Coming Up…

I will publish my review of Whispers Under Ground next week. I WILL publish my review of Whispers Under Ground next week. As I said above, I’m off work for a break next week and so I have absolutely no excuse.

None.

I am still going to take a brief break from my regular Friday features next week. It’s nice to have a little bit of variety on the blog, and so I’m going to share a discussion post with you instead.

If you read my blog you may recall that I have changed my stance on how I read this year. Previously, I’d share a reading list at the beginning of the month. This year I’ve adapted to be more of a mood reader. I didn’t want to set myself goals that I couldn’t achieve and as I burned out a bit after last year, I needed the break and a more relaxed pace. In my discussion post I’m going to be talking about the pros and cons of each approach and sharing which is my favourite.

Until next time, happy reading!

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Sunday Summary – 17th October 2021

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Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s update in today’s Sunday Summary post. As always, I hope you’ve had a great week! Mine has ended up being quite busy as I’ve been out a couple of nights this week socialising. I had a really good time, but consequently, this impacted my blogging schedule a little.

I was supposed to share a review of Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch this week, however, this post didn’t go live. I’ve got it prepared to a certain extent, but it was this time that the socialising events I went to ate into. I hope to be able to share this with you next week instead and I am very sorry that this didn’t go ahead as planned!

Later in the week, I was able to publish the planned Shelf Control post. In this week’s post, I featured a book that I remember talking about with my dad after I added it to my TBR. Turns out he has read this book so I’m interested to see how my thoughts compare to his!

 

Books Read

My reading has also been impacted a little by the social events I ended up going to. However, I will admit that I have lacked a little motivation as well this week. I’m starting to think that perhaps I’ve taken on a lot by jumping into a Brandon Sanderson novel. At over 1000 pages Words of Radiance isn’t a small read. As it’s been a while since I read the first book, it’s been a bit of a learning curve picking the series back up. I have, however, read a few chapters and I am starting to pick it back up.

I’ve also been listening to an audiobook this week for the first time in quite a while.

I wasn’t particularly enamoured by A Suitable Lie by Michael J. Malone so I decided to stop listening to this one. It’s okay, but I really don’t like one of the characters and as a result I’ve lost motivation with it. Perhaps inspired by my intended review, I decided to pick up The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch. It’s a series I know and love by now and consequently I’ve listened to around half of this audiobook (about 5 hours worth) this week alone. Audiobooks are a great knitting companion too, in case anyone is interested!

 

Books Discovered

I have absolutely no news on this front this week, which is always good news when your list to read is as long as mine!


Coming Up…

I like the idea of next week’s Top Ten Tuesday post. It’s a little bit different as the feature topic is sharing my top ten online resources for book lovers. I think it’s a great one because it can be useful for absolutely anyone to read. As someone who reads more than most, I probably have more experience with using some of these things, or even just knowing that they exist, and it may help you out!

I’m in the mood to change my post order a little. I’ve been following the same structure for a few weeks now and I’m thinking it’s getting a little bit stale. So, with that in mind, I’m giving my usual Friday features a brief break and instead I’m going to share a post on Saturday. Seeing as how I wasn’t able to get my review of Whispers Under Ground ready in time this week, I’ll be sharing this with you then. I hope it’s worth the wait.

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

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