Tag: fantasyst95

First Lines Friday – 08/08/2025

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In today’s First Lines Friday, I feature anew series by an author I’m reading at the moment. I’ve really enjoyed the series I’m listening to right now. He writes such funny chapter introductions that I had no doubt this would make for good First Lines Friday content. Naturally, he didn’t disappoint!

As always, I’ll let the opening lines of today’s feature catch your attention (I hope) and then I’ll share the details of the book! 

 

Everyone has a talent, and these days, mine is running. So superb is my aptitude for panicked flight that it almost makes up for my less admirable traits, which include cowardice, poor fencing skills, and a regrettable tendency to forget those faults while making bold threats against brutish thugs who suffer no such deficiencies of their own. 

‘Run, Rabbit, run!’ my pursuers cheered as they chased me through bustling streets and abandoned alleyways, over one crowded canal bridge, and across the next. ‘Run down your warren, run up the hill! Run from the Vixen before she makes her kill!’

 

 

 

Play of Shadows – Sebastien de Castell

Genre: Fantasy 

Pages: 528

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books

Publication Date: 02 Apr 2024

Goodreads – Play of Shadows

 

Welcome to the Ooperato Belleza… it might save his life, or it just might be the end of him!

Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.

He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles – until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.

With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.

Oh, and there’s still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him…

 

My Thoughts…

Sebastien de Castell has a very witty writing style. So far I’ve enjoyed listening to his The Greatcoats series in audiobook format. In future, I definitely want to try more of his books and maybe pick them up in physical or ebook format instead! 

The Court of Shadows is a fairly new series. So far, only this first book is published and a second book, Lady of Blades, is expected in May next year. 

I think this would be a fun way to read more from Sebastien de Castell without saddling myself with another pending series to catch up on. Sure, it’s still a series. However, I can read them as they are released as opposed to having a lengthy backlist. As a result, I won’t be accumulating a longer reading list than necessary.

Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday post. Have you read Play of Shadows, or any other books by Sebastien de Castell? 

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Monthly TBR – August 2025

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It’s the beginning of August and I’m with you today to share my monthly TBR. It’s the final month of the 20 Books of Summer Challenge. Whilst I fully expected to be a little behind with this challenge as it was a stretch goal, I’m hoping to read as much as I can from that list before the end of the month.

When I shared my monthly wrap-up post just a few days ago, I was very close to completion with both of my current reads. It feels like great progress to share in this post that I have finished both of those books. They won’t feature in this TBR, but mentally it helped set me up for what I can only hope to be success with this monthly TBR. 

So, shall we actually get round to talking about the books on the list?

 

Fixed Reads 

 

The Giver

Starting off with my book club commitments, the first book I need to read is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Following on from The Measure, The Giver is also set in a dystopian world and was very clearly one of the inspiring stories behind this book. When talking about it in our book club discussion last week, Meg recommended picking up The Giver as it’s a great book itself. However, we also decided it would be interesting to see how this book influenced The Measure. 

The good news is The Giver is quite a short read. This book is actually aimed at a middle grade or young adult audience. As a result, its page count only sits at around 240. That should be plenty easy to get through! 

 

The House Witch

Next, I am picking up The House Witch with the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club, over the course of this month. I came to the party late last month. Consequently, I ended up bingeing House of Frank in order to catch up. Instead, I’ll be picking up The House Witch incrementally so I can contribute to the discussion on a weekly basis. 

As a result, you’ll see me chipping away at this slowly over the course of the month. That is, unless I get carried away and binge the whole lot early on. We’ll see how my experience goes of the book 😌

 

If We Were Villains 

The next book I’m including in this early section is If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. I’m including this as a fixed read on this monthly TBR because I have started already. As of this monthly TBR post, I have read around 100 pages so far. Although I can be very hit and miss with Shakespeare, its influence on the narrative isn’t putting me off. In fact, it’s been nice to read a book that dabbles with Shakespeare but isn’t so heavily that I’m put off.

If you are unfamiliar with the premise of the book, If We Were Villains is about a group of theatre students in their final year of education. The school of arts they attend specialises in Shakespeare. Now, I haven’t got to the juicy bit where someone gets murdered. Not yet. However, the parallels of tragedy between Shakespeare’s writing and what inevitably comes to pass are starting to weave their way into the narrative. I’m excited to see what happens and so I imagine this book will be read pretty quickly! 

 

HR Disrupted

I often talk books at work, and a conversation with our HR lady has resulted in my borrowing HR Disrupted from her. She started explaining to me what an HR Disruptor is and what it means in terms of breaking the traditional moulds and practices of HR. I was intrigued, and you know me 😉 I’ll read books on pretty much any subject! 

This is a fixed read this monthly TBR as naturally I want to return the book to its rightful owner ASAP ☺️

 

Mood Reads 

 

The Pagan Lord

Regretfully, I didn’t get to The Pagan Lord, which was on my monthly TBR for July. This is a carry forward, and I’m still looking forward to continuing with this series.

This TBR is a little on the long side, and I will admit that it is ambitious. However, with some shorter books on the list, The Pagan Lord among one of those, I’m hopeful I can catch up with my Goodreads reading challenge. I’m looking forward to reading this 300-page book to get myself back into the Last Kingdom, also known as the Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell. 

 

The Dragon Republic

Another carryover from my July TBR is The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang. I’m looking forward to this second instalment in The Poppy War series. 

I’m planning to pick this one up later in the month. Whilst momentum is strong, I want to try and blitz my shorter reads. The Dragon Republic is about 650 pages – it’s not short by any means. If my experience of the first book is anything to go by, it’ll be a slower and more detailed read. 

 

Tyrant’s Throne 

A final book of a series I’m looking forward to listening to this month is Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien de Castell. 

It’s also my main audiobook of the month! Naturally, I hope I can finish this in good time and squeeze in another 20 Books of Summer entry before the end of August. The audiobook is 16 and a half hours at x1.2 speed, so not unachievable… 

Having just listened to Saint’s Blood, I’m eager to finish the series whilst events are fresh in my mind. 

Summary 

With a total of seven books, 2200 pages, and 16 and a half hours of audio on this month’s TBR, I’m optimistic for a productive month of reading. 

I’ve already made a great start finishing two carryovers from July that aren’t featured in today’s monthly TBR; I’ve wrapped them up already! Let’s hope we can keep the momentum going! 

What are you reading this summer? 

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Sunday Summary – 3rd August 2025

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We’re back with another weekly round-up in this Sunday Summary. I hope you’ve had a great week? As always, I’ll catch you up on the posts I’ve shared, as well as what I’ve been reading.

My first post of the week was my Firsts of 2025 book tag post. It was a fun way to look back at some of my milestones of 2025. If you haven’t yet seen the post, there’s a link above if you want to check it out!

My second post of the week went live on Friday. As it was the first of the month, I came in hot with my monthly wrap-up for July. It was a decent month of reading, although I didn’t get through my whole TBR.

Elsewhere, on Patreon, I reviewed All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. In that post, I shared that there were aspects of the book I enjoyed, but there were others I struggled with too.


Books Read


House of Frank

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I shared I was 65% through House of Frank. I also shared I was optimistic to finish the book and share completion in today’s post.

The good news is I can share that I finished the book! It was a good read and I enjoyed this cosy fantasy. It was different to the books I’ve read lately and I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the book in the cottagecore fantasy book club I moderate!

Stormdancer

Stormdancer was the second book I hoped to have finished this week. This didn’t quite come to pass, but I now only have two hours of the audiobook left. I’ll be very surprised if I don’t finish it in the next week!

I’m really enjoying this audiobook and the unusual genre combination. What more, events are leading up to a conclusion now and I have no idea how this book will wrap up! I thought I did, but the narrative has just pulled the rug from under Yukiko’s feet and I want to see what happens next ASAP!


If We Were Villains

I’ve started If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio today, but only just. So, I don’t have a whole lot of progress to note. However, it’s good for you to know what’s coming up on my reading list so you know what book I’ll be updating you on in the next week! As of this Sunday Summary, I’ve read the first 40 pages and I’m intrigued. Let’s hope that continues.

I’m looking forward to getting into this fully. It’s been on my TBR shelf for quite some time…


Books Discovered

During book club on Wednesday, I was recommended two books by my colleague Meg. The first is the book we’re now reading for August – The Giver by Lois Lowry. The second book is called The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

The third book I’ve added is called The Wealth Ladder. As regular readers will know, I am picking up more non-fiction than ever. As well, I think this will be a useful and informative read.


Coming Up…

With early August hot on our heels (where has THAT gone?!), my first post of the week will be my August TBR. It’s my last chance to progress with my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. I hope you can take a look with me to see what’s coming up on my reading list soon.

On Friday, I’m back with another First Lines Friday instalment. The last time I shared this post, I set myself a challenge. This time, I’m keeping things open and interesting.

Finally, next Sunday I’m back with another Sunday Summary update post. As always, I’ll keep you informed on the books I’m reading, reviewing, and what I’ve posted online.

Until then, happy reading and I’ll see you next time!

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Monthly Wrap-Up – July 2025

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In today’s monthly wrap-up, I have a number of books to update you on progress for. Over the course of July, I finished three books in full. I also have two carryovers into the beginning of August (but not long left for either) and one DNF to report.

Let’s dive into today’s monthly wrap-up so you can see which is which!


Books Read


Saint’s Blood

An audiobook carryover from June was my listen of Saint’s Blood by Sebastien de Castell. Admittedly, as of my monthly TBR post, I only had an hour and 15 minutes of the audiobook left.

I finished it off pretty quickly! It was fun to get back into this series as it’s been a little while. Now I’ve finished this book, I’ve only got one book left in the series before I can mark this as complete.


The Anxious Generation

The next and final carryover from June was my physical read of The Anxious Generation.

I had more of this book to read into July. In June, I read the first 60 pages of the book, but that was all. By the time we were four days into July, I’ve progressed to 50% and I finished the book a few days later.

The Anxious Generation was a really informative read. I’d go so far as to say that I think this book should be more widely read. Understanding the changes in childhood experiences (both ways – this book compares and contrasts play-based childhoods and phone-based childhoods throughout) has opened my mind to why we’re seeing generational challenges today.

I rated The Anxious Generation four stars. It was an easy read even though it cites data and statistics. It’s written in layman’s terms so is approachable for all.


Alan Turing: An Enigma

Unfortunately, I have a DNF to share this month. I started listening to Alan Turing: The Enigma this month and I put it down within a couple of weeks.

I couldn’t get on with the book. The early narrative covers Alan’s early life and it was just dry. I was bored. Ultimately, I decided it wasn’t worth pushing on with an audiobook I wasn’t enjoying. I didn’t want to listen to it, nor risk getting into a reading slump over it. So, onwards and upwards….


Stormdancer

… and straight into Stormdancer I went!

Stormdancer has been a much better experience and I’m glad I made the switch. It’s an unconventional genre mash-up – Japanese fantasy and steampunk!

Not that I really had any doubts. Jay Kristoff is a regular feature on my blog now and I haven’t read a book of his I didn’t like. It’s also got me excited as I’ve got another standalone of his, more similar to this series than anything else I’ve read, upcoming on my TBR.

I’ve listened to Stormdancer for the rest of the month of July and as of this monthly wrap-up post, I only have two hours of listening time left.


The Measure

I picked up The Measure on Kindle Unlimited as it was the book I chose for book club. The Measure was already on my TBR and I was sure the premise would make for some great talking points.

It didn’t disappoint! This book was everything I hoped it was and I enjoyed getting to talk through my thoughts on this book. As dystopian books go, the narrative was set in a world very like our own so it was totally relatable. I also enjoyed how the story zoomed in on individual characters and impacts but also looked at how the knowledge of your lifetime impacted society as a whole.


House of Frank

A last-minute addition to my reading list this month was House of Frank. I’ve started to moderate a book club online via Discord and that is the club’s chosen book.

As of this monthly wrap-up I do still technically have a third of the book left to read. In my defence I was late starting it as I joined partway through the month. It’s not stopped me participating in chats about the book so far as it’s broken down into sections for easy participation.

I will, however, try to read this last section of the book over the next couple of days. Then, we can wrap up the discussion before moving on to our next book!


Summary

That’s all from me in this monthly wrap-up update! Have a good weekend and happy reading!

Have you read any of the books I’ve featured in today’s post? What did you read in July?

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Firsts of 2025 Book Tag

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I saw this tag on The Literary Huntress and this book tag was originally created by Tanya @ girlxoxo. I thought it would be a fun and lighthearted post to share. 

 

My Firsts of 2025

First book read this year

The first book I read to completion in 2025 was Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. Firefight is the second instalment of his The Reckoner series. I have since gone to finish the series, and it’s been great to tick this off the list. I’ve really enjoyed every Brandon Sanderson book, and the reckon was a perfect place to kick off 2025 with.

 

First book reviewed

Another great first of 2025 was reviewing Ship of Magic. Robin Hobb is fast becoming an author I really enjoy books by. As of this post, I have read seven of her realm of the elder books. For context, Ship of Magic is the fourth of those. Ship of Magic was a five-star read, so it’s also a great book to have featured first in 2025. That post went live within the first couple of weeks of January and to be fair, I’ve reviewed a good few books since then! 

 

First book by a debut author

I picked up Fearing the Black Body during Black History Month. I had added the book to my reading list originally as I wanted to read about the subject of fat phobia. As a larger than life woman (and proud) myself, I was interested in the subject matter. 

This audiobook went down so well that I listened to the whole thing over the course of a weekend. To date it also qualifies amongst my firsts of 2025 in that it’s the only book I’ve read in two days.

 

First book by a new-to-me author

I’ve read a few historical fiction books and series in my time. A new one I discovered and started this year is Woden’s Spear by Donovan Cook. 

This was the first historical fiction book of the year but it wasn’t the last. The sequel is currently expected to release in November 2025 and I plan to keep up with it. Donovan cook is among my firsts of 2025 for my starting his The First Kingdom series. However, he’s written others that I’m inclined to try based on the book I read and reviewed for the release blog tour. 

 

First book that slayed me

I confess so far this year, I haven’t read a book that I’ve had big feelings about. The closest is probably The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. 

 

First book that I wished I could get back the time I spent reading it

All The Light We Cannot See

It’s perhaps a little harsh to go this far, but the books that earns this firsts of 2025 accolade is the book I reviewed on Patreon yesterday – All the Light We Cannot See. I say this is harsh because there were aspects of the book I enjoyed. At the same time though, it was a little disappointing. It wasn’t the narrative I expected and I’d hoped for more interaction between the two main protagonists. 

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Sunday Summary – 27th July 2025

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Today’s Sunday Summary comes at the end of a long weekend! I had Friday off work this week to attend one of my best friends’ weddings. It’s been a good week – let’s take a look at what I’ve been up to otherwise…

On the blog, this is the third post of the week. The first post was my 2025 mid-year review, which went live on Wednesday. In that post, I take a look at how I’ve done against my reading goals for 2025 so far. If you haven’t caught that post already, it’s a good read.

Friday’s Shelf Control was scheduled in advance in light of my wedding plans ☺️ This week’s post featured another upcoming book by John Marrs on my TBR.

 

Books Read


House of Frank

I’ve made a good dent with House of Frank this week, although not as much as I wanted. I was hoping to share this as a completion, but I’ve been busy with other things. Aside from prepping for the wedding, I made a gift for a friend whose birthday was this weekend, and it needed finishing touches. I’m also doing Sirdar’s crochetalong, and week 1 started this week.

Still, I’ve made solid progress, and I’m now just shy of 65% through the book. Reading time on my Kindle says I’ve got a couple of hours left. I’ll probably try to binge that tonight so I can tick this off my list.

Stormdancer

I was also hoping to share Stormdancer as a completion too, but not quite. As of this Sunday Summary, I’ve only made a three-hour dent into this audiobook, and I still have just under six hours left.

I really need to get a wriggle on with this listen as I have a deadline of Tuesday to finish it! I may end up having to try and borrow it from a library if I don’t finish the audiobook in time.

The genre mash-up is an interesting one, but I like how the story is progressing. I can only imagine what will happen at the end – the shogun won’t be happy with Yukiko if it’s heading where I suspect!


Books Discovered

When it comes to new books, no news is good news! It perfectly counteracts the fact that I haven’t taken any off the list either…


Coming Up…

So, aside from some reading catch-up, what’s on the cards next week?

My first post of the week will be a 2025 firsts post. Given I’ve had six months to tick some of these items off my list, I’ll let you know what some of my bookish firsts are.

On Friday, we’ll officially be into the month of August. With that in mind, I’ll publish my monthly wrap-up for July.

On Sunday, I’m sure you know what’s coming. I’ll be back with another Sunday Summary update post and fingers crossed I’ll have more finishes next week to share with you.

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Shelf Control #93 – 25/07/2025

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Welcome to today’s Shelf Control post! If you’re reading this as this goes live, I’m out celebrating with one of my best friends as she gets married. There’s no rest for the wicked though. I’ve just prepped ahead of time so I can relax and enjoy a momentous day. 

Today’s Shelf Control feature is a thriller by an author I’ve read once so far, but I have a couple more of his books on my TBR. 

As always, I’ll recap what Shelf Control is about and then we’ll get into the details of the book!

Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s 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.

 

Her Last Move – John Marrs

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 351

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 08 Nov 2018

Goodreads – Her Last Move

 

He hides in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment. Each kill is calculated, planned and executed like clockwork.

Struggling to balance her personal and professional life, young DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career — and she knows that it will make or break her. But how can she identify one face in a sea of thousands? With the help of Police Super Recogniser Joe Russell, she strives to catch a glimpse of the elusive murderer, but he’s watching her every move.

Time is not on their side. The body count is rising, and the attacks are striking closer and closer to home. Can Becca and Joe uncover the connection between the murders before the killer strikes the last name from his list?

From the bestselling author of When You Disappeared and The Good Samaritan comes his most thrilling novel yet.

 

My Thoughts

I’ve only read one book by John Marrs so far (The Minders), but I’ve added a few to my reading list. His books and synopses sound compelling. After reading The Minders, I’m inclined to believe these books will live up to expectation.

Her Last Move strikes me as a compelling mystery with a thriller element. I’m enjoying getting into books of this nature this year and I’m excited to pick this one up. There’s plenty of tension already hinted that in the plot, and I can’t wait to see how this pans out in reality.

John Marrs is an author I’m looking to reading more of in future. He’s written a good number of books now and I also have the likes of When You Disappeared and The Good Samaritan on my TBR. As to how well received these later two books are will determine whether I end up reading more of his collection! 

Thanks for reading today’s Shelf Control post! Have you read Her Last Move or any books by John Marrs? 

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Sunday Summary – 20th July 2025

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Happy Sunday reading friends and welcome to my Sunday Summary catch-up! I hope you’ve had a good one however you’ve spent it? This weekend has been quieter and I’ve enjoyed the slower pace.

But… that’s not what you’re here to read, is it? You’re here to find out what I’ve been reading. We’ll get there, right after I recap what I’ve shared online this week. 

First, I’m pleased to share that I finally got my review of Stolen Focus by Johann Hari into a place where I was happy to publish it. I thought I was happy with the word count I had, but I managed to add a good bit more before that post went live. If you haven’t yet taken a look, there’s a link to that post above. 

Next, I published my First lines Friday on schedule and fulfilled the challenge of featuring a book on my 20 Books of Summer challenge. I hope to pick up this book soon. Want to see what it is? It’s a historical fiction novel, but I’m not telling you any more… 

As well as the blog, I’ve started posting up-to-date book reviews on Patreon. Partly, that’s so I don’t end up in a position where two years down the line I’m struggling to write one (ahem, Stolen Focus I’m looking at you). However, it also gives anyone the opportunity to support me for early access to these reviews. They’ll make there way here in time, but new reviews are going on Patreon first. This week, I reviewed Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. However, I’ve also got reviews of Crashed, The Poppy War and Elektra so far if you want to read any of those. 

And now, onto the fun part of my Sunday Summary posts – the reading updates!

 

Books Read

 

The Measure 

Over the course of this week, and yesterday especially, I dedicated time to The Measure. I’ve really enjoyed this book – so much so I finished it yesterday. That means this week I read a little over 260 pages to complete this book. 

If you enjoy contemporary fiction with a bit of a dystopian element, The Measure could well be for you. I loved how this book exploded how the knowledge of one’s lifetime changed both the world and people’s individual stories. the measure of one’s life isn’t just in a span of years, and that is also a big theme of the book. Honestly, I’m glad we’ve picked this up for book club because there are plenty of talking points I can’t wait to get into with the group. 

I didn’t quite cry at this one, but there were a few close moments. It’s a very thought-provoking and emotional read. 

 

House of Frank

I’ve continued House of Frank which I’m reading as part of the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club over at Chantelle Solace. I confess though that The Measure took priority earlier in the week. Now I’ve finished it, House of Frank is now my main read. 

It’s very different the book I just read, although it still deals with the topic of death and grief. It’s interesting that I’ve ended up reading these so close together. I’m not going morbid I promise! 

So far this week, I’ve read a few more chapters. So, as of this Sunday Summary I’m 16% through the book. 

House of Frank is a cozy fantasy, so very different vibes and hopefully a quick read. I’m hoping it will make for a nice change before moving on to my next read, which is a dark academia that also features death 😅 I promise I’m okay! 

 

Stormdancer

After sharing in last week’s Sunday Summary that I was putting down Alan Turing: The Enigma, I picked up Stormdancer. 

Stormdancer is a bit unusual as it combines asian fantasy and steampunk. Not something I’ve ever read before, but I’m liking it quite a bit! I didn’t really have any doubts over enjoying the book as it’s written by an author I’ve read a small variety from already – Jay Kristoff. 

This week I’ve listened to a couple of hours of the audio. With around 10 hours left an a deadline on Audible to get it finished, I’m hoping to share completion of this in next week’s Sunday Summary. 

 

Books Discovered

I picked up a couple of audiobooks this week after seeing them advertised in their weekly edit email. The first of those is Your Boss Era. As a lifelong learner, there’s always something I can be doing better. Whilst I may not be a manager, I have become a go-to contact between teams and. I am getting towards a more senior person in terms of experience. I think the contents of the book can help me step-up and demonstrate the skills necessary for a promotion in future. 

Next, I picked up another book that tickled my lexicon fancy. I loved English and words – so much so I wanted to be a speech therapist. The job wasn’t really viable here and there were aspects to it I wouldn’t have enjoyed, so I didn’t pursue it. However, I still have a love of language and words. That probably doesn’t surprise you when you consider I consume and write so many in a week of my own free will! That book is called Algospeak, and particularly focuses on how social media has shaped modern language. 

 

Coming Up… 

The final section of today’s Sunday Summary is about what’s coming up content-wise next week. 

On the blog, my first post well be a mid-year check-in my my progress towards my reading goals in 2025. It almost feels like that compulsory HR mid-year review, but don’t worry – I’ll make it more fun!

Next, on Friday I’ll release another Shelf Control instalment. This one will be prepared ahead of time as on Friday night, I’ll be out attending one of my best friend’s weddings. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down. It’ll be scheduled in advance 😉

Finally, the last post on the blog will be next week’s Sunday Summary instalment. I’m hoping to have at least two bookish completions with you this week! It’s rapidly coming up the end of the month and I still have a few books on the TBR to get to. Fingers crossed for some reading productivity! 

Off the blog, I have two reviews to catch up with on Patreon – Ultra-Processed People and All the Light We Cannot See. If you are interested in either of those two books, I hope you can subscribe over on Patreon so you don’t miss out! 

Until next time, may your tea be hot and your book better than real life ☺️

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First Lines Friday – 18/07/2025

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In today’s First Lines Friday, I set myself a challenge to feature an upcoming 20 Books of Summer read. After taking a look at a few books coming up, I’m excited for this particular book. 

It’s a historical fiction novel from an author I’ve read on numerous occasions before. I can’t wait to pick up their next book – do you want to see what it is? Well first, let’s take a look at the intro and then I’ll share the details. 

 

A dark sky. 

The gods make the sky; it reflects their moods and they were dark that day. It was high summer and a bitter rain was spitting from the east. It felt like winter. 

I was mounted on Lightning, my best horse. He was a stallion, black as night, but with a slash of grey pelt running down his hindquarters. He was named for a great hound I had once sacrificed to Thor. I hated killing that dog, but the gods are hard on us; they demand sacrifice and then ignore us. This Lightning was a huge beast, powerful and sullen, a warhorse, and I was in my war-glory on that dark day. I was dressed in mail and clad in steel and leather. Serpent-Breath, best of swords, hung at my left side, though for the enemy I faced that day I needed no sword, no shield, no axe.

 

 

The Pagan Lord – Bernard Cornwell

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Pages: 303

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: 26 Sept 2013

Goodreads – The Pagan Lord

 

At the onset of the tenth century, England is in turmoil. Alfred the Great is dead and Edward his son reigns as king. Wessex survives but peace cannot hold: the Danes in the north, led by Viking Cnut Longsword, stand ready to invade and will never rest until the emerald crown is theirs.

Uhtred, once Alfred’s great warrior but now out of favor with the new king, must lead a band of outcasts north to recapture his old family home, that great Northumbrian fortress, Bebbanburg.

Loyalties will be divided and men will fall, as every Saxon kingdom is drawn into the bloodiest battle yet with the Danes; a war which will decide the fate of every king, and the entire English nation.

 

My Thoughts…

It’s been some time since I read this series. Too long really! When I reviewed Death of Kings earlier this year, I swore I wouldn’t leave it too much longer before returning. That’s why The Pagan Lord is on my 20 Books of Summer Challenge list. 

I particularly enjoyed watching this particular section of the story on Netflix. Watching Uhtred go back home will be a fun part of the story to read and I hope I’ll enjoy it just as much! 

At just over 300 pages, this should be a quick read to get me back into this series. This’ll be me half way through and hopefully back on track to make series progress towards completing this series in the near future. 

Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday instalment! Have you read or watched any of Bernard Cornwell’s the Saxon stories?

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Book Review: Stolen Focus – Johann Hari

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If you enjoy the odd self-help book here and there, today’s post may just feature your next read. In April 2023 I read the eye-opening Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, and I was shocked. With staggering statistics like attention spans lasting only seconds, it’s no wonder we struggle to get anything done! That’s a little ironic given how long it’s taken me to publish my review. 

In my defence, it wasn’t a lack of attention but rather a streak of perfectionism that held it back until now. 

I confess, Stolen Focus has made me more aware of how often I get distracted, or try to multitask (tip – it’s not helpful in the long run!). If you’re intrigued, then I hope you’ll let my review distract you from whatever it is you are MEANT to be doing for just a few minutes… 

 

Stolen Focus – Johann Hari  

Genre: Non-fiction 

Pages: 357

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Crown

Publication Date: 06Jan 2022

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – Stolen Focus

Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. From the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections comes a groundbreaking examination of why this is happening–and how to get our attention back. 

In the United States, teenagers can focus on one task for only sixty-five seconds at a time, and office workers average only three minutes. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding that constantly switching from device to device and tab to tab was a diminishing and depressing way to live. He tried all sorts of self-help solutions–even abandoning his phone for three months–but nothing seemed to work. So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention–and he discovered that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong.

We think our inability to focus is a personal failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces that have left us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. Hari found that there are twelve deep causes of this crisis, from the decline of mind-wandering to rising pollution, all of which have robbed some of our attention. In Stolen Focus, he introduces readers to Silicon Valley dissidents who learned to hack human attention, and veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD. He explores a favela in Rio de Janeiro where everyone lost their attention in a particularly surreal way, and an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore workers’ productivity.

Crucially, Hari learned how we can reclaim our focus–as individuals, and as a society–if we are determined to fight for it. Stolen Focus will transform the debate about attention and finally show us how to get it back.

 

My Thoughts

Content

I love that Stolen Focus doesn’t seek to blame, but to convince readers that a loss of focus is a societal issue. Whilst there are things we can all individually do to help, ultimately, the world we live in and the pace of living is the most limiting factor. 

Technology is one of the biggest leeches of our attention. You’ve probably seen families out for gatherings at restaurants and every member at the table is on a personal device. I have on many occasions, and it will only get worse. Johann shares a personal story in which a young relative is addicted to these devices. It’s an alarming trend, but not surprising since the apps and services are designed to hook our attention and hold it. This was also discussed in another book I recently finished, The Anxious Generation. I definitely recommend this as further reading. 

Hustle culture and stress is in part responsible too. Sleep deprivation is no joke. With more and more people forfeiting shuteye in favour of time on personal devices, or paid work, it’s no wonder focus is shattered. Work smarter not harder friends! It’ll pay the same dividends and you’ll feel a whole lot better for it! 

 

Narrative Style

I don’t often break reviews down into sections for non-fiction reviews. It’s not always appropriate. However, I did want to make a special mention to the structure of Stolen Focus. 

The book is broken down into several smaller chapters, each one an explanation of why we struggle to focus in our modern day life. As a result, the book is really approachable to read. If you don’t have a lot of time to read, you could even cherry-pick your chapters of interest to take from the book what you want. 

 

Summary 

Stolen Focus is the kind of book I’d recommend everybody read in their lifetimes. It would especially help those who pressurise themselves to do better, go bigger or otherwise set themselves high bars. As someone who does this to a certain extent, it should help you appreciate and accept life’s  limitations. It’s not about you, and Stolen Focus does not seek to blame. 

The book also offers some practical advice, so we’re not powerless. Stolen Focus strikes the perfect balance of providing information and tips on what to do with that information. Really, it’s a book from which you can take as much as you want. 

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