Last month, reading progress was so dire I didn’t even bother putting out a monthly wrap-up post. Whilst progress in today’s monthly wrap-up for October is marginally better, it leaves much to be desired. Most of my October TBR remains unread or unfinished…
Nevertheless, I have my reasons, and I hope so share those with you soon! It’s been a busy month – and I was away for a business trip as well. This month, things started a little off-kilter. I also have another DNF to share this month. That certainly didn’t help matters. However, with some recent wins and a long-standing read near completion, I’m hoping for a turn of the tide.
At the very end of September, running into October, I prioritise my read, or rather listened, of Debt Reckoning. There’s nothing like a deadline to make me pull myself together and get a book in front of my eyeballs. Well, eardrums I suppose in this case?
As much as I suggest the deadline made me read this book, it was an entertaining read. I wasn’t entirely reading it out of obligation. Debt Reckoning is an interesting political thriller that looks at real world issues today. I learned some things about how governments and stock markets are interlinked in ways I wouldn’t have appreciated before. So, it was fun. I learned something, and there is plenty of action to keep readers engaged.
Have you read it? If you want to find out more, here’s the link to my review.
A second blog tour obligation followed, not allowing me to slack on pace of reading. Again, to say this book was an obligation only would not be fair to the book. I signed up to it because One More Hour of Daylight fits into my favourite sub-genre of historical fiction… world war 2!
I loved this one. The action. The tension. The humanity shown in periods of dire conflict. One More Hour of Daylight is a cleverly written book and one I absolutely recommend to fans of the genre. Go take a look at my review of this one here.
The Wax Child is sadly a less successful note in today’s monthly wrap-up post. My attempt to read this year’s International Booker longlist isn’t going so well. So far, I’m 2 down, and both were DNF’s…
I lost momentum with The Wax Child. Initially, I enjoyed the unique perspective. However, along the way I got bored and lost interest. I tried, I really did. I gave it several weeks, but in the end couldn’t psyche myself up to continue.
A slow-burn read over the last couple of months is the final book of Sarah J. Maas’ Kingdom of Ash. Finally, I’m coming to the end of the book! Alas, I don’t get to QUITE talk about that in today’s monthly wrap-up…
I left off the end of October with just a fraction less than 3 hours of audio left. That puts me around 90% progress. To give you an idea of how much I’m excited to get to the end, I’ve already listened to half of what’s left! No doubt I’ll listen more later before bed, maybe tomorrow to finally finish it.
For a book and series that isn’t necessarily ‘my thing’, I’ve enjoyed this one. I hope I can find more books like it, as it’s been fun to broaden my horizons.
My final read and completion of the month is a book that I picked up with the intention of reading more 2026 releases this year.
And I’m glad I did! Reading something short, as well as different served me well here. It gave me the incentive to read without deadline or obligation. Just for the love of it. It helped being back somewhat to normal routine after my business trip.
The Language of Liars was a great read because it combined three great loves – science fiction, linguistics and dystopia. If you’re intrigued by this combination I was, please give it a look. You won’t regret it!
Summary
A relatively quick monthly wrap-up, but an honest one at least. Have you read much in October? Are you enjoying spooky/cozy season with a book or few?
Let me know the last book you read in the comments!
This week has gone fast! I’ve enjoyed a bit of a blogging holiday this week, so today’s Sunday’s Summary is my first and last post of the week. It’s been for a reason. My last few Sunday Summary updates have been light on reading progress. In an attempt to rectify that and tick off some completions before the end of the month, I chose to suspend posting so I could focus on reading. And, it has been a productive change. I have enjoyed other things as well, but you’ll see the difference in the updates I share in this Sunday Summary.
Books Read
Kingdom of Ash
After weeks of only making an hour or so of progress, I have made a concerted push with Kingdom of Ash today. Whilst I am not quite at the finish line, as of today’s Sunday Summary I have a fraction less than 3 hours left. It’s helped getting back into the habit of listening to audiobooks on the way home from work, as well as having a weekend at home. I’ve been out of routine and that hurt audiobook progress.
This weekend alone, I’ve listened to over 5 hours and I’m getting to the exciting conclusion. It’s inspired me to quickly wrap-up Kingdom of Ash so I can appreciate the ending fully. I feel there are some surprises to come yet, so looking forward to seeing how what looks like the final battle will play out!
The Language of Liars
A relatively short read on my October TBR is The Language of Liars. With the hopes of a quick read and the motivation from the completion, I finally started (and finished) this book this week.
At 160 odd pages, it was the quick win I needed. Not only that, but it was a fantastic read as well. For the short page count, it was impactful and an interesting mash-up of sci-fi and espionage plot with a linguistic and cultural heart.
Honestly, The Language of Liars is a bit of a different read. It’s exactly what I needed!
Get 20% off Your First Demon This Halloween
A little behind schedule, I started Get 20% off Your First Demon This Halloween today. It’s still seasonal, and I always read spooky season books after the event 😂
This book is one I am reading for the purpose of providing a review. It also leans into slightly different genres compared to my usual. Paranormal meets satire as victims seek their own karma/justice. I can’t comment too much on this one yet; I’ve only just started it. My plans are to continue reading this one tonight and over the coming days. It’s another relatively short book. At 255 pages, it should also give me a quick win boost and set November off to a great start.
Books Discovered
Technically, I did purchase a book this week. However, it is a cookbook, so not really the type you’d pick up cover to cover 😅 that doesn’t count then, right?
On the plus side, I’m hopeful I can start cooking Western Chinese takeout meals at home soon. And, I used a voucher, so it didn’t hit my wallet…
Coming Up…
What I’m Reading…
Next week has to be a better reading week. I have deadlines. So, here’s the plan in order of priority:-
100% need to finish the audiobook of Kingdom of Ash 👑
Start my next audiobook, Metabolical
Continue Get 20% off Your First Demon This Halloween
Continue Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Start Dungeon Crawler Carl
Blog
Given a week of better progress, I’m going to phase myself back into blog content next week. My plan is to go slow though. I’m currently busy at work and I’m conscious there may be at least one late night early next week. So, unless I have a good day tomorrow I likely won’t post until Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest.
It’s the penultimate month of the year! Naturally, I’m due to share my monthly wrap-up for October and my November TBR this week. I’ll try to get my monthly wrap-up out tomorrow as it isn’t going to be that long a post. Progress has been slow 😂 Otherwise, Wednesday or Thursday for that.
Depending on the timing of October’s monthly wrap-up, I’ll publish my November TBR as soon as I can after that. I’ve got plenty of books I’ve not got to so far this year. Some of those will likely end up on the list, alongside two final blog tour obligations for 2026.
Last, but by no means least, my next Sunday Summary goes live at the end of the week. Fingers crossed my run of good reading progress continues, or maybe even improves? I can only hope so anyway!
Summary
Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Summary update! What have you been reading this week? Have you got any books you are trying to prioritise before the end of 2026?
Happy Sunday! It’s been a busy week, and not in productive ways to that I can talk about in today’s Sunday Summary post. I’ve been away with work, then spent my weekend doing house errands and the rounds with family and friends.
So, not much reading done. Again 😅 this is becoming a bit of a habit!
I even operated on a reduced schedule blogging this week. As I knew I was away for several nights and away from my usual set up, I postponed publishing any content until I was back home. This week’s post is great for WW2 historical fiction fans looking for book recommendations. If you’re looking for a new read, check out my If You Loved This… Read That! post.
Books Read
The Wax Child
I’ve officially run out of steam with The Wax Child. For the last two weeks I’ve tried to finish the book, with no success. It’s different, unique, but doesn’t hold my attention. It’s a short book, that’s what frustrates me. I’m 70% in too, but I don’t want to pick it up anymore. I’ve tried several times, and with my already limited reading time, I can’t justify hanging on anymore.
It’s time to move on…
Kingdom of Ash
One evening whilst in Dublin I listened to just over an hour of this audiobook. I couldn’t sleep, and unfortunately I was in a front-facing street with at least one nightclub and no double-glazed windows. The AirPods went in to try and help me drift off. It only partially worked…
Progress has been slow with this audiobook, but I did enjoy dipping my toe in this week. However, I’ve been out of routine the rest of this week so unfortunately that’s all I managed. Onwards and upwards for the next seven days!
Radical Candor
It’s barely worth mentioning, but whilst I was away on my course this week I also took my copy of Radical Candor with me. Some of the course content overlaps with the book, so I made a very cursory start.
Radical Candor isn’t even explicitly on my October TBR, so I’ll likely dip in and out of it up until the end of the month and then officially record it in my November list.
Books Discovered
Given my topsy-turvy week, I’ve not added any new books to my reading list. Not that I didn’t have opportunities. However, what I lacked was space in my suitcase 😅😂
Coming Up…
What I’m Reading…
Next week has to be a better reading week. I have deadlines. So, here’s the plan in order of priority:-
Continue and maybe finish the audiobook of Kingdom of Ash 👀
Read Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Read The Language of Liars
I need a change of tone, shall we start Dungeon Crawler Carl?
Blog
I desperately need to get back into a reading habit to progress my October TBR. So, I’m giving myself the week off. No, not from work. Sadly.
Next week, I’m going dark until next week’s Sunday Summary. It’ll give me a chance to pick up some pages, maybe finish a book or two ahead of month-end. I know I may also have a busy few evenings towards the end of the week. So, best not to overcommit.
Summary
So, I won’t see you now until my next Sunday Summary. Can I turn my reading luck around? Will my next International Booker read fare better than the last two? I hope so!
How has your reading week gone? What progress have you made?
The weeks are flying by. Correction, the weekENDS are flying by. It was Friday night five minutes ago – now I’m here drafting a Sunday Summary. I demand the rest of my weekend back!
Alas, time waits for none of us, and I’ve had to make the most of all the time I had this week to get on top of some blog tour obligations. My review for the first of those tours, Debt Reckoning, went live on Tuesday. I finished this audio on Monday, so it’s fair to say this went down to the wire. However, my enjoyment of the book was never in doubt! If you like the sound of an action-packed political thriller that is educational and somewhat relevant to today’s US Government goings-on, go check it out.
Next, One More Hour of Daylight took full spotlight. My review of this historical WW2 action novel went live on Thursday. I know – two reviews in a week? Who am I? 😂 As a big fan of historical fiction novels, especially those set in WW2, I knew this would be a hit! One More Hour of Daylight balanced action and context/background perfectly, making for an engaging and immersive read. If this is more up your alley, my review of One More Hour of Daylight is here.
Finally, I shared my monthly TBR for October. Given the abysmal reading month that was September, I decided not to wallow in it by sharing a monthly wrap-up (of precious little) and instead chose to move forward. Thanks to my blog tour dates, it would also have been a bit late. As it stands, I shared my TBR on the 9th – nearly a third of the way through October! For this TBR, I’ve got some shorter reads, as well as some refreshed titles to pick up. Rather than try to keep slogging on with the same non-starters I’ve had the last few months, I’ve got some new and different reads on October’s agenda.
Books Read
Debt Reckoning
Monday got off to a good start, with the completion of the final 35% or so of Debt Reckoning so that I could review the book on Tuesday. As starts go, I couldn’t have asked for better. Thankfully, having the deadline worked in my favour. Was it a little too close? Yes. I had hoped for better progress in last week’s Sunday Summary. However, it doesn’t always work out so clean cut. Working extra last weekend certainly didn’t help matters, otherwise I’d have likely wrapped up Debt Reckoning last weekend.
Nevertheless, we got there. Given I’ve reviewed the book in detail this week, I’ll point you there if you want to find out more about the book or my thoughts on it. It’s worth a read, I promise!
One More Hour of Daylight
Moving swiftly on, my next priority was to read One More Hour of Daylight by C.M. Gray. Now, I was a little late starting this. However, I didn’t get my ebook copy straight away due to a technical issue. It’s only when I followed up did we get it sorted mid last week.
When I spoke to you in my last Sunday Summary, I shared that I was starting this last Sunday after my post went live. So, I blitzed the whole 450-odd pages of this book in just a few days. I haven’t read at that speed for a while!
Again, like Debt Reckoning, I’m not going to spoil too much here in terms of my thoughts on the book. What I will say is that I rated it 5*. Go on, what are you waiting for? Go read my review to see why!
Kingdom of Ash
After prioritising Debt Reckoning earlier this week, I’ve returned to Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. I’ve listened to this audiobook a couple of times commuting home this week, as well as a solid hour this afternoon.
Progress with this book is still a little slow. That said, I’m getting back into some of my routines to pick up audio more frequently. Sometimes, progress is in the small moments rather than the big wins.
So, fingers crossed this continues into next week. I’m now around 40% of the way through this audiobook. I’m confident that the further along I get, the more I’ll listen in larger stints as I’ll be keen to see how the series resolves for good!
The Wax Child
I had hoped to blitz The Wax Child this weekend to give myself another completion by the end of the week. That didn’t strictly plan out. What I have achieved is to make a solid start with The Wax Child. It’s reading pretty quickly so far. And, it’s an unusual perspective but I’m liking it so far. When I shared my October TBR I shared that I’d put off starting The Wax Child. After a poor start with The Witch towards my 2026 International Booker Prize longlist reading challenge, I was anxious I’d have a similar experience. However, so far that fear is proving to be unfounded.
So, my plans for tonight after this Sunday Summary goes live is to have a shower, make a cuppa, and make a solid push through to try to finish The Wax Child.
Books Discovered
Thankfully, my TBR has gone in the right direction this week. I’ve finished a couple of books and made a solid start with The Wax Child. And, I’ve not bought or added any new books this week either.
I’ll take that as a win!
Coming Up…
What I’m Reading…
Next week has to be a better reading week. I have deadlines. So, here’s the plan in order of priority:-
Continue the audiobook of Kingdom of Ash
Finish The Wax Child by Olga Ravn – can I manage it tonight?
Read The Language of Liars
Start The Director
Blog
New week, clean slate. What to post next week. Given the recent spate of reviews, I intend to make next week’s content a little lighter. Easier for me to write and gives me a chance to get on with some reading too! So, what to post. Along similar lines of my October TBR, I’m going to lean into the shorter reads for a content idea. If you are looking for a quick fix read, stay tuned as I’ll share my top five reads under 300 pages.
Later in the week, I want to ask readers for recommendations. I’m going to finish my Throne of Glass readalong soon, so I want ideas for my next readalong. I’m keen to continue pushing my boundaries, so if you can recommend another fantasy romance series that isn’t too heavy on the romance, let me know!
Finally, I’m back with another Sunday Summary at the end of the week. Can I keep up the reading progress shared in today’s Sunday Summary update? Let’s hope so!
Summary
That’s all from me in my latest Sunday Summary instalment. It’s been a good week, and I’m optimistic to keep up the progress with some fun reads over the next week.
My monthly TBR for October is intentionally tamer. Whilst I’m still looking to hit some of my reading goals, I’m deliberately not setting a long list this month. If the last few months have showed anything, it’s that my reading pace is a little slower of late. I’m spending time with other hobbies and commitments. It shows in the number of monthly TBR’s I’ve gotten nowhere near finishing.
So, what do I plan to read with this reduced list? I’ve still got some Booker longlist novels to share. Blog tour obligations. 2026 new releases I feature. That, and I’m still concluding my Throne of Glass readalong. However, rather than including a long list of books around these commitments, I’m not pressurising myself. If I finish the list, maybe I’ll naturally mood read to fill the gap? If nothing else, the promise of the luxury of choice will make a change.
Last month, I didn’t get to the end of Kingdom of Ash. In part, I needed to prioritise another audiobook listen that I’ll talk about shortly. However, I also had plenty of missed opportunities to listen to audiobooks, but didn’t make the most of them.
I don’t know if it’s just that I have a lot on at the moment, or that I’m hesitant to get to the end. Probably a combination of all three, if I’m honest. However, in better news, I’ve made more progress with this audiobook already this week and I think I’m back in the game. I suppose I shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch, but equally, I’m not one to lean too far into pessimism either.
Let’s see what progress looks like over this weekend and go from there!
It feels weird talking about a book in a monthly TBR when you completed it several days ago, but that’s where we’re at! If you are a regular reader, you’ll know that I reviewed this book earlier this week. This was the audiobook I needed to prioritise given the looming deadline. With work busy over the last week or so, plus another blog tour deadline, I started early. It’s a good job too.
I started this audiobook back at the end of September and still finished it just a couple of days before the blog tour was due. Naturally, I’ve already talked about this book on my blog. So, if you’re interested in a political thriller that’s both action-packed and engaging as well as informative and topical, go take a look at my review.
My next blog tour read came in thick and fast. As of this monthly TBR, this is my second completed read of the month. Given reading progress has been slow of late, it makes a significant change to have some wins already ticked off my monthly TBR already.
Like Debt Reckoning, I’ve already reviewed this book. It’s also full of action and juggles storytelling with present day action. Unlike Debt Reckoning, this is a historical fiction novel set in WW2. It’s just a bit different! However, both were great reads, and this one has the added bonus of leaning into my reading preferences. This comes from my favourite genre. Go check out my thoughts on One More Hour of Daylight here.
My September TBR included some International Booker longlist prize books that I wanted to start in the month. Something I’ve never done before is set out to read the longlist. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever read a prizewinning book before this year. Back in January, I read Orbital by Samantha Harvey to kick off the year. I also have The Promise on my TBR, which won a prize back in 2021. However, by and large, it’s not something I’ve ever attempted.
I have to say, I haven’t gotten off to the set of starts. In terms of progress, I only tried and DNF’d The Witch last month. To be honest, my experience put me off starting The Wax Child. I didn’t want the book to feel too similar and get lumped into the same bucket. However, new month, fresh start. I’ve also read some good books in between, so here’s to a fresh start!
Another International Booker Prize 2026 longlist I want to get to is The Director. After a poor start with my prize longlist in September, I wanted to go for a slightly safer option on the list. Leaning into my recent love of One More Hour of Daylight, I want to tap into The Director as it’s set around what time World War II. Between the director and the wax child, I’m optimistic for a fresh start with the long list, and that once started, my overall experience with the rest of the prize list is better than the precedent The Witch has set.
The director has a unique take on the individuals impacted by World War II, but also the people in power at that time. Rather than focusing on other areas I’ve widely read about in the genre, including those living in concentration camps, we instead are faced with a particularly unpleasant character high up in Hitler’s regime, Joseph Goebbels. I’m looking forward to the fresh take.
The language of liars is a pretty short novel, so I’m surprised I haven’t got to it already. When I talked about this book in my Fall TBR, not only did I talk about my intention to read this book soon. I also mentioned that this book has made it onto at least a couple of TBR’s and not in front of my eyeballs. That I’m keen to change. For such a short book, I’m hoping I can fly through this and tick this 2026 release off my list.
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of the book, the language of liars is about science-fiction espionage novel that I am excited to read because it seems to have emphasis on language and integrating into a society where you don’t belong. If this is also your cup of tea, can I also point you to One More Hour of Daylight, which has a similar aspect to the narrative. It’s because I have read and loved that book recently that I’m all the more excited to finally pick up The Language of Liars. At 161 pages, there really is no excuse for this book to find itself unread after a third month of intention.
In a recent First Lines Friday post, I set out to feature something both fun and different. Whilst I had heard of the book at the time I featured it, I quickly added Dungeon Crawler Carl to my TBR. What can I say, the idea of a televised, post-apocalyptic situation is ridiculous in the first place. Combine that with two main protagonists who play off each other, and one of those being Carl’s sassy ex-girlfriend’s talking Persian cat… well, colour me intrigued.
Given reading progress has been a little bit slow of late, I am deliberately picking up this book to change the pace and style of books I’m reading. I’m looking for something a little less serious (in contrast to my booker prize longlist books) and hopefully, my experience of this book matches the wider reception received and I have a new series to devour!
Not long ago, I sought help choosing a Halloween novel this year. And, I’m pleased to say I’m not disappointed! The author of Get 20% Off Your First Demon This Halloween got in touch and offered me a copy of the book in exchange for a review. This particular book overlaps the comedy and horror genres. Unusual yes. However, given my recent reading experience, I’m optimistic the comedy and seemingly lighthearted note of the book will pay some dividends.
It’s also nice to feature some independently published authors. As you can probably tell by the volume of blog tours I sign up for, even if the timing isn’t convenient, that I like to try and support indie authors as well as read well-known authors. So, watch the space as I may be able to offer you a very different read to pick up this spooky season.
For my last read of October, I debated which audiobook to pick up. So far, only Kingdom of Ash is designated an audiobook listen on this monthly TBR. Some books, such as The Language of Liars, are not available in audio format. One of my two recent blog tour reads was in audiobook format, but I’ve finished it already.
That doesn’t leave very many options for other books I could pick up in audio. So, I instead turned to some audiobooks I already own and have not yet scheduled time to read. One title caught my attention as it serves as a good refresher for a book I read last year. That book is Metabolical. If you have a read or are interested in another book called ultra processed people, then I should think metabolical will also be up your alley. At least, based on my enjoyment of ultra processed people, that’s why I’m picking up Metabolical. Not only will I find this an engaging listen from a learning perspective, but it’s also nice to have a non-fiction book make it onto this monthly TBR.
Summary
My October monthly TBR still has a decent page count to it, but I’m excited to pick up some shorter books this month. I’ve also gotten off to a pretty good start, finishing both Debt reckoning and One More Hour of Daylight so far this week. Can I mark another book as complete before the end of the week? Should I pick up The Language of Liars or The Wax Child for a quick win?
What are you reading this spooky season? Let me know in the comments!
I can’t believe it’s Sunday night again. To be fair, this weekend has been a short one for me. We’re in busy season for me at work, and unfortunately I put in overtime Friday night and most of Saturday. Regretfully, this has had an impact on my reading and blogging plans. More on that later. First, let’s get into the content I managed to share this week!
Because of the overtime, my plans to publish my October TBR have been put back to next week. However, I did publish my Fall TBR post this week, although later than planned. Originally, I’d intended to post this as part of the Top Ten Tuesday series I dip in and out of here at Reviewsfeed. However, when I planned last week’s content in my Sunday Summary, it had slipped my mind I was baking Tuesday evening for a Macmillan Coffee Morning we were hosting at work. So, that Fall TBR came out in its own name and right on Thursday instead. It’s a shorter, and hopefully more intentional list too. Fingers crossed I can tick all five books off the list in the next couple of months…
Books Read
Debt Reckoning
With an upcoming blog tour obligation, you would think that I’d have listened to a little bit more than one chapter of this audiobook this week. And, that was my intention.
However, I’m still around little over 60% into this audiobook. Turn out, audiobooks on Spotify don’t play very well through the app on my car. I haven’t figured out how to get it to platy more than one chapter at a time without my manually having to try and change the track. It also gets stuck, and I’m not sure if it’s an app problem or an unreliable mobile network problem. So, really it just doesn’t work well for me. The pity is, I’ve also been busy this weekend with work yesterday and family commitments today. I typically make most of my audio reading progress at the weekend. Saturday was my failsafe for finishing this audiobook ahead of writing my review tomorrow night to go live Tuesday.
Looks like I’m listening before bed tonight and bingeing the rest tomorrow in my lunch hour, and well, any spare minute I have/need!
Kingdom of Ash
After my attempt to listen to Debt Reckoning on the way home from work going awry, I switched to Kingdom of Ash. However, that 16minuted of progress is all I have to my name this week. Again, it’s in part down to the same reasons as progress with Debt Reckoning. Not only that, but naturally with a review obligation for Debt Reckoning looming, it takes priority over Kingdom of Ash.
Never mind! Naturally, I have the flexibility to carry Kingdom of Ash forward onto my next TBR. Let’s just hope for a better week of reading progress next week. It can’t get much worse if we’re honest.
Books Discovered
It’s been another quiet week here – no new books to report, although sadly, I’ve not really ticked any off the list either.
Oh well, onwards and upwards. Life happens and sometimes the books need to be put down. Temporarily…
Coming Up…
What I’m Reading…
Next week has to be a better reading week. I have deadlines. So, here’s the plan in order of priority:-
Finish the audiobook Debt Reckoning tomorrow – review due Tuesday
Read One More Hour of Daylight – I only got my copy last week due to a delivery issue but starting tonight. Review due Thursday
Continue the audiobook of Kingdom of Ash
Read The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
Read The Language of Liars – can I boost my reading with a short book next weekend ahead of my next Sunday Summary
Blog
With a busy schedule already next week, really, my only option to get my October TBR out to you in good time is to go live tomorrow. So, no rest for the wicked it seems! Whilst I will have some carryovers from September, I’m thinking a little bit of a fresh start is needed. Thankfully, after this week I have no new blog tour obligations until mid-November. So, I have some flexibility in my chosen reads. Maybe I can pull a couple off my Fall TBR?
Next, my review of Debt Reckoning will be hot off the press Tuesday morning. Naturally, the book will be very fresh in my mind reviewing it, so I can only hope to do the book justice. I can assure you that I’m really enjoying the book so far and it has been an entertaining yet also educational listen. Will the ending do the book justice? I can’t wait to tell you… spoiler-free, of course…
On Thursday, I’m back with another review. This is for One More Hour of Daylight. Now, as of this Sunday Summary I have yet to actually start this one. Again, I’d planned to make a start this weekend, but quarter end deadlines needed some extra work to be met compared to usual. Nevertheless, I’m going to have a hot shower and then finish relaxing with this book tonight. The good news is that it fits into a genre and time setting I love reading – World War 2! My hope is to dive into this one and get immersed pretty quickly!
Finally, I’ll give myself a few days off before coming back with another Sunday Summary update. I’ll need the time to get back to reading and catching up for the poor performance I made this week. I want a better start to October and with my upcoming October TBR. Let’s put in the work to get myself there.
Summary
I know this Sunday Summary is very light on updates. Sorry about that. Things just got in the way this week, and any downtime I have had I’ve been crocheting or doing something mindless to unwind. It’s a busy time for me at work and personally right now. Things will get better, and I’m optimistic my deadlines next week will kick me up the butt and reinstate some of my old reading habits.
Have you read much over the last week? If so, what are you reading at the moment?
Happy Sunday friends! Thankfully, this Sunday Summary has more reading progress to report than in the last couple of weeks. It wouldn’t have been difficult to have clocked in less reading, put it that way…
Before we get into the books I have picked up and have contributed to this Sunday Summary update, let’s take a look at the blog posts I’ve shared. In order to give myself more reading time, I have only shared one post this week. That was my blog tour review for Invisible by Heleyne Hammersley. If you have yet to take a look at that review, he is a handy link for you to go and check it out.
Books Read
Invisible
Naturally, with a blog tour review due earlier this week, finishing Invisible was my reading priority at the start of the week. Thankfully, reading progress remained much the same as I reported in last week’s Sunday Summary update. I got on really well with the book!
In fact, it turned out to be just the type of read I needed. An engaging crime storyline with an easy to read narrative style, this book has done wonders to help with the reading slump I’ve experienced elsewhere in the month.
Obviously, I don’t want to detract from encouraging you to go and read that review for yourself. So, no spoilers. Go check it out. Not only that, but you also have an opportunity to win a copy of the book for yourself. Check out that review here, and don’t forget to log yourself an entry for the giveaway. More details about that are also in that post.
The Witch
Over the last couple of Sunday Summary update posts, I’ve shared difficulties with reading The Witch. If you have read my monthly TBR post, you will know that I’ve set out to start reading towards the Booker Prize longlist books this year.
I confess, although The Witch only a short narrative, I’m not really getting on with it. Not much seems to be happening, and the 60-odd percent progress I’ve made has been a bit of a slog. Because the book is so short, I’ve previously been determined to get to the end, whatever it takes.
However, after reading a little bit more this week, I have changed my tune. There is absolutely no point struggling through this book when I don’t have to. I have tried, but I have a very little motivation to pick up this read and it’s now having a negative effect on the rest of my month. So, I’m going to cut my losses and DNF this one.
Debt Reckoning
Unlike The Witch, I have made significant progress with a blog tour read coming up for review at the beginning of next month. Yesterday, I started the audiobook copy I have of Debt Reckoning. And, I’m really getting on with it! It has been an easy listen whilst generally pottering around the house, but also whilst enjoying craft projects.
If you are unfamiliar, this book is a political thriller novel which has been an interesting read in context of my job. In an approachable way, it looks at the consequences of American debt and the impact of geopolitical tensions and other such scenarios that could result in the American economy getting into trouble. It’s somewhat informative, but it’s done in a way that the fiction element to the book isn’t overshadowed and it gives the book credibility.
As of this Sunday Summary, I’ve already listened to over half of this audio – I’m at 62%. My review for Debt Reckoning is coming on the 6th of October. I’ve got plenty of time to finish it, and I can’t wait to tell you more.
Kingdom of Ash
I haven’t made a whole lot of progress with Kingdom of Ash this week. However, a big part of that has been down to the fact that I prioritised listening to Debt Reckoning yesterday.
One aspect of good news I can share compared to last week Sunday Summary is that I have got myself back into listening to audiobooks in the week again. I mentioned I’ve been a little slack on that front. Whilst not exactly groundbreaking, I have listened to an hour and a half of audio in the week this week. It’s a start, and long may it continue!
As I said, I’ve ended up prioritising another audiobook this week. That’s purely down to the fact that audio has a deadline. If not for that, I would have continued with Kingdom of Ash, and I would have wanted to continue with it. I’m enjoying the storyline and where things are going. Honestly, I have no idea what is going to happen next in the story. Even still, I’m keen to continue with this one. I am fairly sure it’s going to take me longer than my end of the month target given I have over 15 hours of audio left. Then again, I may just surprise myself? Let’s not get too giddy. I’ll update you next week.
Books Discovered
I’ve behaved myself this week, staying away from bookshops and generally gleaning opinions of the Internet that make me add books to my reading list. Truthfully, I’ve been replaying Dragon Quest 😂 I haven’t added anything, and I have ticked the book off my list this week.
Progress is progress 🤷♀️
Coming Up…
What I’m Reading…
With just a few days left before the end of the month, I’m running out of time to complete my September TBR. Nevertheless, I’m going to do my best to prioritise the reads I’ve started. Here’s my reading plan for the next seven days:-
Read The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
Read The Language of Liars – this is also pretty short so definitely doable
Start either Julia or Yesteryear
Continue the audiobook of Debt Reckoning – hopeful to finish by my next Sunday Summary
Continue the audiobook of Kingdom of Ash
Blog
My first post of the week is planned to be a Top Ten Tuesday post. This week would have been the turn of the Fall TBR post, had I taken part. However, I had to plan for my blog tour review so chose not to do it. This week, it’s a ‘fall freebie’. So, with this in mind, I’m planning a variation of that TBR post. What’s coming up on my TBR’s in the coming autumnal season? You’ll have to slick around and find out!
Later in the week, we’ll officially be into October. So, my monthly wrap-up for September will be going live! As things stand, it’s not going to be a particularly long post… let’s hope I can turn that around in the next couple of days!
Finally, I’m back next Sunday with my usual Sunday Summary update. Fingers crossed for a week much like this one, and I can tick some quick-win reads off the list to redeem my reading month!
Summary
Thanks for checking out this Sunday Summary. Thankfully, I had much more to report on this week, which is good news. I still have some work to do to somewhat redeem my September TBR. However, now I’ve DNF’d The Witch, I can only hope things are looking up.
I confess that today’s Sunday Summary is going to be a little lighter on reading than I’d have hoped. Again. The Witch is proving to be a difficult book to psyche myself up to read. Before we get onto that though, let’s take a look at what I have achieved this week.
I’ve had another week at attempting to post a book review and coming up short. The good news is, I’m much further along with A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes than I got with last week’s attempt for The Flood. It’s also been a busy week at work. We took part in a volunteer day on Wednesday that resulted in me straining my back. Not very clever of me, but I decided shovelling wood chip into wheelbarrows for an hour and a half was a great idea. What could possibly go wrong? I have to say, that meant I wasn’t feeling up to blogging for a couple days around that. Whilst I am broadly much better after that, cutting the grass today reinvigorated the acheiness a bit…
But, I did get back on track on Friday. My planned Shelf Control post featured a non-fiction book that would suit anthropology fans. Take a look if you haven’t already!
Books Read
The Witch
My aim was to push through with The Witch this week so I could move on. However, it’s proving a bit difficult for me to psyche myself up to read. In truth, I’ve managed a few pages… but that is regretfully it!
I will get to it. If nothing else, I won’t let a 144 page book defeat me. Especially when I’ve only got 90 pages left. Completion by the time I’m drafting next week’s Sunday Summary, I promise!
Kingdom of Ash
Last week, I didn’t touch audiobooks at all. However, yesterday I made some progress with Kingdom of Ash whilst working on some craft projects. In the grand scheme of things, I haven’t made much of a dent. However, it’s something!
Admittedly, I haven’t been listening to audiobooks in the week like I used to – a habit to get back to I think. It’ll certainly make progress go a lot faster.
Invisible
With an upcoming blog tour next week, thankfully I’m having a better time with Invisible by Heleyne Hammersley. Whilst I’m not close to the finish with this book as I set out in last week’s Sunday Summary, I am doing better with this book than I am The Witch. Not that that’s difficult…
So far, I’m really getting on with the storyline. Early on there are references to the protagonists earlier experiences in the series. I’m, unusually, reading this 6th book of a series as a standalone. I just wouldn’t have had the time to read the prior books. However, so far it’s reading well as a standalone and I’m curious as to how much this will impact the current storyline.
Thankfully, I have a deadline to help incentivise reading, not that I need it much at the moment. I’m reviewing this book as part of the upcoming blog tour on the 23rd September. With just a few days to go, I’ve got a close deadline encouraging me to read the book. Let’s just hope I don’t leave it last minute like I’ve done previously. I’m determined not to at the very least.
Books Discovered
No news is good news here this week. I’ve added nothing new, which is good given I’ve not really made any reading progress to tick books off a TBR…
Coming Up…
What I’m Reading…
Here’s my reading plan for tonight and the next seven days… it’s pretty much the same as last week… :-
Finish Invisible by Heleyne Hammersley (priority!)
Finish The Witch by Marie Ndiaye
Read The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
Continue the audiobook of Kingdom of Ash – target to get to 50% by the end of next week
Blog
Next week, I don’t have time to be lax on my book reviews! I’m reviewing Invisible on publication day of the book. No ifs, buts or negotiations. Still, I’m up to task.
I’m deliberately going to take a break on Friday to catch up with my reading a little bit. Let’s hope I can make more of a dent in my reading list as I’ve got a few books to get through before the end of the month. I haven’t completed any so far!
Finally, let’s hope taking the pressure off content gives me some time to do more reading so I’ll have a super-productive Sunday Summary next week. Well, I can only hope, yes?
Summary
Thanks for reading this week’s pretty short Sunday Summary update. Have you had better reading success than me lately? If so, share what you’ve picked up.
Happy Friday friends! Today’s Shelf Control is an exciting feature for non-fiction fans, especially if you enjoy anthropology and human history. If there is one thing I am pleased about when it comes to reading, it’s how varied the books I read are. I added today’s Shelf Control feature in January 2022. It’s been a while, so let’s hope I can finally read this soon!
Here’s a reminder of what my Shelf Control regular feature is all about, then I’ll share more on today’s Shelf Control feature.
Shelf Control is 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.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – Yuval Noah Harari
What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes usSapiens?
One of the world’s preeminent historians and thinkers, Yuval Noah Harari challenges everything we know about being human.
Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it: us.
In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we’re going.
My Thoughts
I can’t say I’ve read much on the history of humankind, or spent any great deal of time on anthropology. However, it is a topic I’m looking forward to trying in picking up today’s Shelf Control feature.
At 460 odd pages, it’s an approachable way to dabble in the subject. Based on the book title, it seems like a light-touch overview of our entire history. That’s great for a newcomer to the subject as I am. Then, if there’s a particular topic of interest I can dig into it later! Winner.
This book has been broadly well received, but it does have its critics. Given my newness to the subject, I’m not sure I’ve got anything to say about that at the moment. I’ll just see how it reads and go from there.
Have you read Sapiens, or any other books like it that you’d like to recommend? Is this your type of read?
That’s a wrap for another weekend, folks! Sad! Where on earth do the weekends go? Enough lamenting though, let’s get into today’s Sunday Summary update!
I intended to share a review of The Flood by Rachel Bennett this week. However, admittedly, I struggled a little to put my thoughts into words. My thoughts on this book was that it was okay, but nothing special. As a result, I couldn’t think of much to say. So, my review didn’t go live, it could barely be called that with what I had noted down anyway!
In more positive news, I posted what I consider to be a First Lines Friday that fit my ‘fun’ challenge. I set myself that challenge in last week’s Sunday Summary, with absolutely no idea how to achieve it. Thankfully I rose to the challenge on this occasion. If you’re intrigued, go take a look at that post to find out more.
Books Read
The Witch
I had plans to get through a number of books this week. Alas, it’s not panned out.
I started the week with The Witch, and I have made progress by reading in several stints. However, much like the reviews on Goodreads, I’m not loving it. As of this Sunday Summary, I’m currently around 40% into the book. If I’m honest, I’m not gripped by the storyline. I would say The Witch is a character-driven book rather than plot driven. So, already, The Witch isn’t playing to my strengths. I would say the biggest thing for me as barriers go is that the writing style feels a little clunky to me. This book is translated, I appreciate that. However, the style doesn’t come across as natural to me, and that reflects in that I’m a bit stuck on this book.
I’m still going to read it. My plan is to power through tonight so I can move onwards and upwards!
Books Discovered
This week, I’ve added the first book of the series I featured in my First Lines Friday this week to my TBR.
Yes, I’m talking about Dungeon Crawler Carl. This is the book I chose for my ‘fun’ topic. Truthfully, I had nothing on my TBR already that fit the brief. Fortunately for me though, I’ve seen quite a few people reading this book and subsequent books in the series. Given I recently enjoyed Dungeons and Dimwits, I think Dungeon Crawler Carl will work for me.
Coming Up…
What I’m Reading…
Here’s my reading plan for tonight and the next seven days… it’s pretty much the same as last week… :-
Finish The Witch by Marie Ndiaye
Read The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
Start (and definitely finish) Invisible by Heleyne Hammersley
Continue the audiobook of Kingdom of Ash
Blog
I’m going to start with a book review again this week, but I’m confident that I’m not going to be able to share anything meaningful on The Flood. So, next on the list is a Hunger Games favourite – The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Susanne Collins. I have much more to say on these books, so I should be able to follow through on this one.
On Friday, I’ll be back to look at my upcoming TBR in the form of a Shelf Control post. This week’s upcoming feature is a non-fiction about human history on the planet. I hope that intrigues you as much as it does me.
Finally, you know the drill. This time next week I’m back with another Sunday Summary post. Let’s hope a more productive week is in store, because progress this week has been pretty poor.
Summary
That’s everything from me in this Sunday Summary update. It’s not much, but better than nothing I guess? If nothing else, I have a blog tour coming up shortly so I’ll be reading for that.
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