Tag: fantasy

Top Ten Tuesday – Books to Read If You Love… Fantasy!

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I wanted to take part in today’s Top Ten Tuesday post as I have extensive knowledge and experience in reading fantasy novels. If you read my blog you’ll know I absolutely love fantasy and I have ever since I was a teenager.

I have significantly diversified since my teenage years (partly because I read that much fantasy I got bored of the same thing over again), but it’s a genre I always go back to. It’s like a comfort blanket to me; it’s always there for me to go back to and I do so regularly.

Naturally, having read a lot of fantasy books, I have distinct favourites from genre. And today, I’m sharing those favourites with you and why they make the cut.

 

Game of Thrones series – George R. R. Martin

There shouldn’t be any surprises that this is on my list… and of course it’s on the top of my list! There are so many reasons that I think this is fantastic and if you read my blog already you’ve heard it a million times before. The narrative is great, the writing is fabulous and the characters are so tangible that it doesn’t feel like you’re reading a book. Honestly, it’s amazing, and I won’t bore you with telling you why I think so all over again

 

Mistborn series – Brandon Sanderson

This was the first series I read by Brandon Sanderson and I stand by the fact that it’s my favourite. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who has yet to try any of Brandon Sanderson‘s writing. It is a series, but it’s a very approachable one. If, like me, you love the idea of a magic system having a basis of science then this is definitely one for you!

 

The Kingkiller Chronicle series – Patrick Rothfuss

It has been so long since I picked any of these books up, and I’m still waiting for the last of the series, but I’ll never forget the impression this made on me as a teenager. For the reasons I love a Game of Thrones, I love this series as well. The characters are so detailed and know one of them perfect and they acknowledge this. The world building is also spectacular. The narrative style is also unique as the book is written as if the main character is telling the tale in recollection after the event. At the time I read this series, this was the first time I’d come across this technique. I think it really works!

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone series – Laini Taylor

The reason the series is on the list is because I loved it, despite it having so many elements that I should have enjoyed. I’m not a big fan of romance, and typically YA is not my style (with a few exceptions) but I love this series so much that I read it in a matter of months. That’s unheard-of for me! Are usually drag them out for so long but I had to binge read this – it was that good!

 

The Raven’s Mark series – Ed McDonald

Blackwing

After I finished the last book of the series, Crowfall, I cried because it was over. How sad is that?! It will become apparent to you that a lot of the books on this list are designated so because the character development is far more than superficial. There’s character development, and then this character development and these books take them one step further. Ryhalt Galharrow is the kind of character you don’t want to like… but you can’t help it! Somehow addressing his faults makes him endearing to us as the reader. He is entirely human in his mistakes. He kills people, and has own selfish reasons for doing the things he does. But we also see the other human side of him – The part of him that is scarred emotionally and how he reacts to events in the book certainly demonstrates that.

Just go and read it, okay? And try not to cry like a baby like I did.

 

Gentlemen Bastards series – Scott Lynch

It’s hard to believe from reading the series that it is Scott Lynch‘s debut. The narrative is absolutely amazing and and I loved the crassness of it. It’s clever and witty and a fun read… Especially if you like characters of a less than honest nature!

Again, please go and read this. However-a word of advice: if you take offence to the swearing in the title, definitely don’t read this book. It doesn’t get any better!

 

The Broken Empire series – Mark Lawrence

I really liked The Broken Empire because again, it has a main character who from the beginning you don’t want to like but end up doing so anyway. This was the first series I read by Mark Lawrence and it’s inspired me to continue to read his works. I really liked the narrative and my teenage self really enjoyed these books. It’s series that I plan to go back and read again and that should tell you everything.

 

The Relic Guild series – Edward Cox

The narrative of The Relic Guild was so out there, and the series went on in a direction I completely didn’t anticipate from the beginning. That’s what I really enjoyed about this series. It was also very cleverly thought out and very easy to read considering the sophisticated magic and plot twists involved.

 

Harry Potter series – J. K. Rowling

The Harry Potter series is one of those eat you could pick up at any age. I first started reading these in my teenage years and you may know that I have picked these up again this year. I read the first five books so far. Even going back to the beginning, I found them really easy to read, but without being babyish. The plot and themes of the box get a lot darker for further on you go, so there is stark contrast to my last experience of the series versus restarting it. However, I really enjoyed going back and experiencing this again. It has been a long time since I picked these books up (I think I last read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows over eight years ago), But I’m loving taking the time to read them. It’s a classic series that is great for everyone!

 

Discworld series – Terry Pratchett

I love the Discworld series because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. But, at the same time, Terry Pratchett is able to include some quite serious themes, including gender equality, death, fame etc in a fun way. I would never have said that I would be a huge fan of satire, however the Discworld is a bit of this and I think it’s great. Put it this way – I have read 18 books from the series so far. That reminds me, I haven’t picked one up for quite some time. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about the next one!

 

Have you read any of the books listed in today’s Top Ten Tuesday post? Let me know in the comments! Or, do you have another favourite but I haven’t listed?

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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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First Lines Friday – 05/11/2021

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Hello and welcome to today’s First Lines Friday post! This is a regular series in which I take the opportunity to share the opening introductions of a multitude of books. These may be books I’ve already read, are looking to read, or am even just a little bit intrigued about. Having taken a few week’s break from these regular features I am back once again!

Sometimes I set myself a challenge with these posts, and to keep things interesting I set myself a challenge in this post to feature the opening lines of a book I read before I started blogging. I’ve thought long and hard about the books I read in my teenage years as I want to feature one that I loved back then.

I hope you enjoy today’s feature!

 

He had many names. Although yet to reach his thirtieth year history had seen fit to garner him with titles aplenty: Sword of the Realm to the mad king who sent him to plague us, the Young Hawk to the men who followed him through the trials of war, Darkblade to his Cumbraelin enemies and, as I was to learn much later, Beral Shak Ur to the enigmatic tribes of the Great Northern Forest – the Shadow of the Raven.

But my people knew him by but one name and it was this that sang in my head continually the morning they brought him to the docks: Hope Killer. Soon you will die and I will see it. Hope Killer.

 

Blood Song – Anthony Ryan

Goodreads – Blood Song

“The Sixth Order wields the sword of justice and smites the enemies of the Faith and the Realm.”

Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order. The Brothers of the Sixth Order are devoted to battle, and Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate, and dangerous life of a Warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order.

Vaelin’s father was Battle Lord to King Janus, ruler of the unified realm. Vaelin’s rage at being deprived of his birthright and dropped at the doorstep of the Sixth Order like a foundling knows no bounds. He cherishes the memory of his mother, and what he will come to learn of her at the Order will confound him. His father, too, has motives that Vaelin will come to understand. But one truth overpowers all the rest: Vaelin Al Sorna is destined for a future he has yet to comprehend. A future that will alter not only the realm, but the world.

 

My Thoughts…

I remember really enjoying this book when I read it as a teenager. I couldn’t tell you exactly how many years ago it was because it has been a long time! It was great though!

My only fault is that I didn’t continue the series at the time. I did try to pick up the second book at a later date, Tower Lord, but as I’d left it quite sometime since starting the series I struggled with recalling the events of the previous book. Ultimately I didn’t finish the second book, but in writing this post I’ve reminded myself that I would like to revisit the series. Consequently, I’ll have to start from the beginning again. But, as the first book left such a great impression I have no doubt that re-reading it will be just as good as the first time.

Have you read Blood Song or any other books by Anthony Ryan? What did you think if you have? Does today’s First Lines Friday post make you want to pick it up for yourself? As always I would love to hear from you!

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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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Audiobook Review: Whispers Under Ground – Ben Aaronovitch

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In today’s audiobook review I’m featuring a book that I listened to well over a year ago! It’s scary that time has flown so quickly. I distinctly remember listening to this during the time when I was doing a lot of redecorating. I spent a week painting and this was one of the audiobooks that got me through.

After listening to Rivers of London and Moon over Soho, I had high hopes for this audiobook. The previous two were brilliant and I’m pleased to say that Whispers Under Ground lived up to expectations!

 

Whispers Under Ground – Ben Aaronovitch

Goodreads – Whispers Under Ground

In Tufnell Park, North London, a pair of railway tracks diver under a school, taking train to and from Kings Cross. Wet, filthy, dangerous. Lovely place. And one Sunday before Christmas a sweet (sort of) kid called Abigail took me and my long suffering colleague Lesley May down there to look for a ghost.

We found one.

And that was that, I thought, because come Monday I get to do some proper policing. Person Unknown has been stabbed to death on the tracks at Baker Street tube. Magic may have been involved. And sure enough, in the blood; vestigia, the tell-tale trail magic leaves.

Person Unknown turns out to be the son of a US senator and before you can say ‘International incident’. FBI agent Kimberley Reynolds and her firmly held religious beliefs are on my case.

And down in the dark, in the tunnels of London’s Underground, the buried rivers, the Victorian sewers, I’m hearing whispers of ancient arts and tortured, vengeful spirits…

 

My Thoughts…

Ben Aaronovitch has a fantastic way of melding magic and the real world together seamlessly. You wouldn’t think the two would go together so well, however, the magic in his Rivers of London series is so ingrained into its society that it’s very normal. Ghosts and magical deities governing the waters through London are all part of the day job for Peter Grant. It would be ludicrous in any other circumstance, yet somehow it just works! And you know me; I love magic in novels! What makes this a real winner for me is how even something so abstract can be written with rules that govern it. Things don’t just disappear because it’s convenient. There’s almost a degree of science behind it, which gives it some tangibility in our very black and white idea of reality.

I am enjoying the underpinning story that is developing throughout the series, but the charm of Whispers Under Ground lies in the smaller story of this book itself. In terms of the bigger picture, I feel like Whispers Under Ground is setting the scene for the later books to pick up from. There is nothing wrong with that and it is still enjoyable to see play out in the background.

The biggest selling point for me though is Peter Grant’s character. Telling an already fantastic story from the perspective of a funny, charismatic narrative voice, who isn’t shy with the dry self-depreciating wit or nerdy references just works! And props to the narrator for pulling off this character so well! I feel like I said this in every audiobook with you I’ve written so far, but it’s absolutely true! I also like that there is the consistency within the series; it would just be wrong otherwise.

As a general rule urban fantasy isn’t a branch that I read much of. However, it’s books like this series that prove why it’s good to push your boundaries. I’m really enjoying it so far and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes us!

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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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Sunday Summary – 10th October 2021

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

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

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

 

Books Read

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

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

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

 

Books Discovered

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

 

Coming Up…

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

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

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

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Sunday Summary: 3rd October 2021

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

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

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

 

Books Read

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

Books Discovered

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

 

Coming Up…

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

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

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

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