Tag: Heather Morris

Sunday Summary – 15th December 2024

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Good evening friends and welcome to my latest Sunday Summary post! As always, I hope you had a pleasant week?

I’ve enjoyed the latter half of this week most, because I have now finished work until after Christmas! It’s been nice to get wrapped up and now I can enjoy the run-up to the festive period. Not only that, I can take time to do the things I like – reading, crafts etc. And get my Christmas shopping finished…

I’ve done pretty well on the reading front too, with one finish to share with you this week amongst other updates.

Before we get to that though, I’ll quickly recap the blog posts I’ve already shared so far this week. The first of those posts was a book review of Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan. If you want to dive into the realms of Asian fantasy, this is a great book in its own right and part of a duology if you like a series.

Next, I shared a First Lines Friday post later on in the week. In that post, I shared a book that I read and enjoyed nearly 10 years ago now. I set myself the challenge of featuring a book I recommend to my fellow readers. This first book of the seven part Mistborn series is one I recommend to anyone wanting to try Brandon Sanderson.


Books Read


The Eye of the World

As of last week’s Sunday Summary post I was around 50% into The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

I’ve read 25% of The Eye of the World this week alone. I’ve enjoyed more reading time now I’m a Celeb has finished, but also a little more than usual on Friday after doing some Christmas shopping now I’m on leave.

I’m now further along in the book than I got to in my first read through. It’s a good thing I’ve gone back to it. Now I’m in the mood for a longer read, I’m finding it much more enjoyable to read!

We’re close to the point in the book where I’m that close to a finish that I’ll really push for it. Hopefully this time next week I’ll be able to share that completion with you!


Three Sisters

Speaking of completions, Three Sisters has been officially moved to my ‘read’ pile.

I’ve also taken advantage of time this week to get into my audiobooks again. From car journeys to shopping, I’ve wanted to get back into the world of Three Sisters and so I’ve made time to do it. I finished Three Sisters whilst wrapping some Christmas presents yesterday, and I’m glad I’ve done it finally. It’s both a heart-breaking and heartwarming story, for it is naturally filled with loss but also togetherness and determination.

Thousands did not have a happy ending after Auschwitz; neither did the sisters really. However, they survived and built a new life for themselves. I loved listening to this audio – it reminded me of how much I love the genre and subject.


The Priory of the Orange Tree

Whilst I was in the audiobook mood, I got stuck into The Priory of the Orange Tree a few hours after finishing Three Sisters. Already, I’ve listened to the first three hours of audio since yesterday afternoon.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is a big book. Three hours may sound substantial, but this audiobook is over 25 hours long. In truth, I’ve barely scratched the surface.

Although I had reservations about retaining detail on who is who and what’s going on, I think I’m faring okay so far. It’s still all new to me, but I’m enjoying the book and I’m following along just fine.

There isn’t a whole lot to share at this time as I’ve only just started. However, I’m having a good time with it. All I can say is I hope that continues!


Books Discovered

With Christmas now coming up I’m trying to be on my best behaviour. I even went into several shops selling books the other day and didn’t get a single one for myself.

Surely that deserves a reward right? 😅


Coming Up…

So, what’s coming up on the blog schedule in the next seven days?

This week I’ll kick off with a Top Ten Tuesday Books on my Winter 2024-2025 list. I enjoy these quarterly posts. They are a great way to look ahead at upcoming reads and plan for and topics or themes I want to read about.

On Friday I’ll be back with a Shelf Control post to discuss an upcoming read on my TBR. In these fortnightly(ish) posts, I like to share why I added a particular book to the list and why I’m excited to read it.

Finally, I’m back with my next Sunday Summary this time next week. Will I have finished The Eye of the World? Stay tuned to find out!

That’s all from me in this Sunday Summary update – what are you reading right now?

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Sunday Summary – 8th December 2024

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It’s been a stormy weekend here folks, but I haven’t been blown away thankfully! In today’s Sunday Summary, I’m still here – and I’ll update you on my reading and blogging adventures for the week.

The first post I shared with you was my monthly wrap-up for November. It was a month of catching up with ongoing reads, and getting to those I had already set on previous TBR’s and not started. If you want to find out what my reading progress was like, here’s a link to take a look.

Next, my final TBR of 2024 went live on Friday. Given I’m nowhere near my 2024 reading goals, this TBR is about finishing the year on a high with some good books instead of furiously trying to hit my targets. Again, if you want to take a look, here’s a link to do so!


Books Read


The Eye of the World

Progress continues with The Eye of the World. As of last week’s Sunday Summary I was a third of the way into the book. Over the course of this week, I’ve read around another 120 pages to bring myself to around 50% progress.

Ironically, the storm this weekend helped with that! I stayed in most of Saturday and took advantage of the time to pick up my book. Then, when we lost power last night, plans of catching up with TV (I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here) changed to reading. I swapped from my physical copy of the book to my kindle instead! Fortunately I also have an e-book copy that I bought a few years ago…

I’m really happy with the progress I’ve made so far this week. It’s a chunky narrative and there’s a lot to keep up with. Especially now characters are separated, I have two timelines and settings to keep track of. It does feel a little like one thing is happening straight after another without a breather between, but I’m intrigued by the characters and people in play.


Three Sisters

As of my last Sunday Summary post I was 25% into Three Sisters by Heather Morris.

I’ve made really good headway with this audio, more than I have done of late anyway. The setting and story has gripped me, making me want to keep listening and make the time for it. As a result, I’ve listened to another 3 and a half hours this week bringing me a bit over halfway through.

Three Sisters is everything I expected and I’m loving the book so far! Whilst it’s not a fun narrative given its subject, I’m really invested nonetheless.


Books Discovered

After a few weeks of new books trickling into the household, this week I’ve been good. Hard to believe I know, but Christmas is on the way you know. I have to behave until then at least!

 

Coming Up…

So, what’s on the agenda next week? I did debate taking part in next week’s Top Ten Tuesday post, as the subject is topical. Books to read during a storm? Well I chose The Eye of the World. It’s dark and atmospheric to go with the weather, but it’s not for that reason I chose it. The easiest choice during a power cut is whatever you have available on a decently charged and backlit kindle!

No. Instead I’ve decided to share a book review with you. I’m overdue one of those. This week’s feature is an Eastern inspired fantasy, which contrasts a lot from the heavily westernised fantasy I read more of generally, but also I’m reading right now. I’m talking about Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan.

On Friday I’ll return with a First Lines Friday post. As for the book I choose to feature, well, you’ll just have to wait to find out. I haven’t decided as yet on either the feature or whether there I’ll get a theme or challenge. We’ll both find out in due course I guess!

Last, but certainly not least, I’m back again next Sunday with my next Sunday Summary update. Will I finish Three Sisters or The Eye of the World, or at least be close to a finish? Let’s hope so!

Thanks for reading!

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Monthly TBR – December 2024

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Today’s post is my last monthly TBR of the year, so I want to make it great! Rather than quantity, my focus is to enjoy some great quality books to round up a fun year.

There is no way I’m going to be able to meet my 2024 reading goals with what I pick up in December. I’m just too far behind. However, although I am behind on them all, I am ‘proportionately’ behind based on the amount of books I’ve read this year. I’ve been reading the right amount of non-fiction and finishing series to meet my goals were I nearer to my overall goal reading 60 books this year.

However, I’m not. I’m also not going to tailor this reading list to try and get those smaller targets either. It’s more important that I enjoy what I’m reading and the books I share in today’s post reflect that. Two of the books I feature on today’s list are also quite chunky.

Let’s take a look!

 

Fixed Reads

The Eye of the World

I’ll start off this list by covering my two ongoing reads as of drafting this post.

The Eye of the World is carried forward from November, but I’ve already made a good amount of progress in the book so far. As of drafting this post, I have another 420 odd pages to read to get to the end of the book. That’s not an insignificant amount as it is, but I’m already a good 350 pages into the story. Events of the book are well underway and I’m pretty immersed in what’s going on.

I’m hopeful to keep up progress with this book and be able to complete by the end of the year!

 

Three Sisters

My second ongoing read, or listen, is Three Sisters by Heather Morris.

I’m really enjoying this third instalment of The Tattooist of Auschwitz series. I love how the characters in prior books tie together. Not only are we seeing characters from the previous books pop into the narratives of the later ones, but I suspect one of the main characters in this book was also in the earlier ones – we just didn’t know it yet.

As this is a kind of narrative I’m really on board with, I’m finding listening to the audiobook quite easy. I’ve been lucky in that in the last few evenings I’ve been able to squeeze in some listening alongside other hobbies. I’ve only got 7 hours of audio left – I don’t think it’ll be long before I share completion!

 

Mood Reads

The Woman Who Would Be King

I debated what to pick up for this next choice. Originally I was in the mindset for a Greek retelling. However, when looking through my reading list to find one I stumbled upon The Woman Who Would Be King and set my heart on that instead.

The Woman Who Would Be King is a biography of a little known female Egyptian pharaoh. What intrigues me about her story is that a lot of her records in history has been destroyed despite being a successful pharaoh by all accounts. Why would a society who benefited and supported her 20+ year rule at the time then want to scratch her from the record? She is little known to me as a result and so I wanted to read about her.

I’ve also enjoyed narratives (both books and TV) about Cleopatra before, so I have every confidence that I’m going to enjoy reading the short biography.

 

The Priory of the Orange Tree

Given that I’ve got some time off coming later this month, I want to take advantage and pick up a chunky audiobook. The Priory of the Orange Tree in print format is around 850 pages. In audio terms, that translates to 26 hours. I have a lot of listening to do…

Honestly, I half expect this to run over into January’s monthly TBR, but that’s okay. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to a fantasy on audio. Especially with one so large, my only slight concern is that there is going to be a lot of detail in here for me to follow. That’s not entirely a bad thing, but in the past I’ve struggled to do this with audio and I’m far better at following what’s going on when reading. I can only see how it goes!

I’m also looking forward to trying Samantha Shannon‘s writing. I’ve had the audio of The Priory of the Orange Tree since 2019, so it’s about time I got to it, right? If it’s good, I’ve already got A Day of Fallen Night to listen to and I’m intrigued by The Bone Season.

 

Summary

Fingers crossed I’m not pushing myself too much for December, because that’s not my goal! I’m mixing up book lengths and formats to make this monthly TBR as approachable as I can with the time I have available in the month.

Thanks for reading this Monthly TBR post! What is your next read? Do you read seasonally for the festive season?

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Monthly TBR – September 2024

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I’m back with my reading list for September in this monthly TBR post!

I’ve been pushing myself these last few months to try and read more, but ultimately not got through the reading list. I now need to consider that I am studying for an exam in November. As a result, I have less time to read than usual, so I’ve tried to shorten the reading list to allow for that and without feeling guilty.

Here are the reads I have been, and will be reading, this month. Let’s get stuck in!


Fixed Reads


Eruption

Eruption is one of the reads I carried over from August. I’m pleased to say that I just finished the book last night. However, it’s only fair to include the 155 pages so I’ve read this month;  the time taken to read that will naturally affect what time I have left for the rest of this TBR.

Undoctored

My second carryover is Undoctored by Adam Kay. It’s another book that I’ve already finished so far this month!

I was listening to the audiobook version and it’s been great to have a humorous non-fiction read for a change. If you’ve already read and loved other books by Adam Kay, such as This is Going to Hurt, Undoctored will offer you the exact same experience with brand-new anecdotes and personal stories. Where the first book focuses on his years as a junior doctor, this latter focuses more towards the end of his doctoring career and his move into becoming a writer and comedian.


The Lost Apothecary

I’m including The Lost Apothecary on my fixed reading list because it is a library loan due back in just over a week.

I picked up this book at the very beginning of the month as I wasn’t feeling the reads I had originally lined up. Instead, I wanted to pick up something a lot lighter, and the synopsis of this book appealed to me.

I’ve only really sat and read this for any length of time once so far at the beginning of the month. I’ve been prioritising finishing Eruption. However, I really enjoyed what I read and I managed to get about 20% through the book in that one sitting. I’m expecting this to be a nice quick read and as it’s now my priority read as of drafting this monthly wrap-up, I hope to get through it soon!


Defiant

The last book I’m including in the fixed section of this monthly TBR is Defiant by Brandon Sanderson. I am determined to finish this series and to make that possible this month, I’ve picked up the audio copy of this book. I’ve read the previous instalments of the series are the physically. However, I currently have no qualms about switching to audio as it’s a form format that means I can access reading at a time where I can’t sit down conventionally. That’s happening more often than it ever used to so it makes sense to adapt.

I’ve not long started the audio of this book, but already I’m getting back into the setting and familiarising myself with where we left off in Cytonic.

I’m looking forward to listening to this audio and finishing this series. It’ll be bittersweet I think.


Mood Reads


Three Sisters

Another audio I’m hoping to pick up this month is Three Sisters by Heather Morris. This is the third book in The Tattooist of Auschwitz series and will mark another series completion for me once read.

I’ve had this audiobook for some time. Given my reading time constraints, having another audio will make the reading list a little easier. It’s also the format I have read the other books in, so it will be consistent.

It’s been a little while since I picked up any books in the series. However, as I don’t think this directly relates or follows on from either of the earlier books, that doesn’t really matter.


The Kingdom

I mentioned in my Sunday Summary last week that I was planning on changing up some of the books I had planned for this TBR. Some of the books stayed on the list, and The Kingdom is the first of these.

The setting of this book is a little whimsical. Combine fantasy theme park with AI and a murder, and you’ll get an idea of what this book is about. I also think the book is told through a variety of formats. I’m excited to pick up something that I wouldn’t typically.


Jingo

Another series I would like to progress with is Terry Pratchett’s Discworld universe. The next book on my list is Jingo, which is part of the city watch series. I’m quite looking forward to this book as it deals with the topic of war, and will feature a character I enjoy and find quite relatable – Sam Vimes.

If I recall correctly, the last city watch book I read was Feet of Clay. I wasn’t as much of a fan of this one, but I’m confident this will be a much more interesting read.

If nothing else, Terry’s books usually contain quite a bit of humour and they are relatively light-hearted. Given I’ve got a busy month ahead at work, as well as studying, it will be good to help carry me through. It’s for this reason that Jingo survived the TBR switch up alongside The Kingdom.


Summary

I’m glad I revised my monthly TBR down a little from what I had originally planned. On the off-chance I get through all of the books on this list then I’ll be able to pick up what I want and when.  However, there’s enough here that should keep me challenged for the month.

I’m also happy that I’ve taken off some of the larger and heavier books out of this monthly TBR. I was originally thinking of continuing with Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King. I also entertained picking up Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb. Neither are quick reads. Whilst they’re both still on my list, I’ll read them at a time that better suits and give myself plenty of time for them.

What are you reading right now?

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Audiobook Review: Cilka’s Journey – Heather Morris

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Today’s audiobook review is for my second historical fiction novel by Heather Morris. I loved listening to The Tattooist of Auschwitz despite its subject matter, so I knew I had to listen to Cilka’s Journey as well!

As if the events of Auschwitz aren’t harrowing enough, Cilka’s Journey centres around a young woman who is imprisoned in a labour camp after being liberated from the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau site. She is imprisoned for helping the Nazis – her crime: prostituting herself to them… like she had a choice!

 

Cilka’s Journey – Heather Morris

Goodreads – Cilka’s Journey

In this follow-up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the author tells the story, based on a true one, of a woman who survives Auschwitz, only to find herself locked away again.

Cilka Klein is 18 years old when Auschwitz-Birkenau is liberated by Soviet soldiers. But Cilka is one of the many women who is sentenced to a labor camp on charges of having helped the Nazis–with no consideration of the circumstances Cilka and women like her found themselves in as they struggled to survive. Once at the Vorkuta gulag in Sibera, where she is to serve her 15-year sentence, Cilka uses her wits, charm, and beauty to survive.

 

My Thoughts…

The first thing I loved about this story is that it taught me something new. I didn’t actually know about the labour camps and the trials men and women such as Cilka went through. So much is known about the conditions and the treatment of prisoners in Auschwitz-Birkenau and I think it’s overshadowed other events following the Second World War. I have read a few books around the subject now, but nothing like this.

As with The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the tale is based on a real person’s account of what happened to them. Reading about it in a fictional sense is upsetting enough, but knowing that many people lived through such a terrible experience is even more harrowing. There is a lot of detail to the narrative, which I really enjoy; it validates the authenticity of the events and conditions people were forced to live in. It also makes it very easy for us as listeners/readers to put ourselves in Cilka’s shoes, feel her pain, sorrow, and a few moments of joy.

The bleak descriptions of the bitterly cold Siberian labour camp are haunting. Living in such cruel conditions made the lives of these women very difficult, especially for those left weak from their time in the concentration camp. It’s frighteningly easy to feel the isolation these women have from the rest of the world. Not all is bleak, however, as many strong friendships are forged between them in their common suffering. They have few personal possessions of their own, but readily give up what they can to help others. They find solace in each other and help one another through their darkest days.

This is an audiobook review, so it’s only fair to comment on how well the audiobook is narrated. The narrator Louise Brealey’s narration style is fantastic. Cilka’s Journey is an emotional account of horrific events and her ability to encapsulate the emotion makes it even easier for the reader (listener) to immerse themselves with the story.

As I hope you can tell from the review, this was a five-star read (listen) for me. I absolutely loved it and I’m sure it’s a book I will go back and read again!

Have you read Cilka’s Journey or The Tattooist of Auschwitz? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

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Sunday Summary – 05/01/2020

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Good evening readers! It’s the end of another week and time for another Sunday Summary post.

With Christmas over, I’m now back and enjoying the fresh start that comes with New Year! My first post of the week, year and decade too focussed on my goals and reading aspirations for 2020! I have really enjoyed reading other bloggers reading goals for the New Year as well.

On Friday I shared my review of 2019; the books I read and whether I met the goals I set myself. I didn’t complete both of them, but I managed the main one! Again, I’ve read quite a few of these posts by other bloggers too. They must be a popular topic as I have had more likes on that post than a lot of posts I have written previously! So, thank you guys!

 

Books Read

Last week things had been pretty quiet on the reading front, as I was spending a lot of time with family over the festive period. This week, however, has been a COMPLETELY different story! Sorry guys, this is a long section!

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I shared my current read at the time, Million Eyes. I was only a few percent through the book and mentioned that I needed to get my skates on with it. It’s safe to say I got my skates on – I finished the book within two days and just before the end of 2019!

The next book on my list is one I was hoping to finish in December, but ended up overlapping into January… just! After reading Million Eyes I started Fires of the Dead by Jed Herne. As a novella, it isn’t too long a book, although still plenty that there is ample storyline to it. This is a nice short fantasy story with a variety of characters, an interesting magic system and an unexpected ending. I really enjoyed reading it!

I quickly moved on to my first official read of January, although I haven’t published my list yet… soon friends! The Violinist’s Apprentice is the next unread book on my list of upcoming blog tours. And yeah, I’ve read this one in its entirety this week too. It combines a couple of genres I have enjoyed together before: science-fiction (time travel) and historical fiction. The Violinist’s Apprentice has a well-developed protagonist, beautifully descriptive narrative and a fast-paced plot, so I really enjoyed this one too!

Finally, I’ll briefly mention my current read, which I started this morning. Those that follow my blog may be aware that I have been reading and reviewing Nancy Jardine’s Celtic Fervour series of books. I’ve just started the last book of the series and I’m currently 16% through this book.

Now… onto the audiobooks! On Friday I finished listening to Cilka’s Journey and oh my gosh, I’ll have a lot of fantastic things to say when it’s time to review it! I loved it. It’s a terrible story and as with The Tattooist of Auschwitz, is based on a real woman’s tragic story. It focuses on a Jewish woman who is imprisoned in Auschwitz/Birkenau. Being a young 16-year-old girl in such a place, you can only imagine what happened to her there. She is then imprisoned after the war for, “sleeping with the enemy”… like she had a choice! Terrible story, but well written!

This is the last one… I promise! After finishing Cilka’s Journey, I started listening to Darkdawn! I haven’t listened to much though.

 

Books Discovered

I have read a couple of posts this week that have prompted a couple of additions to my To Be Read pile.

The first book is The Keepers by John Marrs; I think the premise of the story is really interesting and relevant in an increasingly technological world. As a new release this year, there isn’t a published cover for it yet.

The second book is non-fiction and may just help with my blogging. Perhaps not too. There are mixed reviews as to whether it’s helpful or not, but I guess it depends on how experienced a blogger you are. I don’t profess to know everything and/or do what’s best in terms of marketing it. I just write what I want and when I want to and if people like it, then that’s great! Maybe I’ll learn something new?

 

Coming Up…

I have quite a few blog posts to schedule in next week before the main onslaught of blog tours begin.

It’s already several days into January and I haven’t as yet shared my TBR for January! I know I’m late, but I wanted to get my end of year review/ New Year posts out of the way first! If you are keen to find what I am reading this month, I’m sharing the list on Tuesday.

An additional post I have promised to share is my Favourite Reads of 2019. I have seen quite a few of these style posts by other bloggers, for best and worst books. I haven’t read any “bad” books in 2019, so I am just going to share a “best books” post on Thursday.

The first of my blog tour posts will be shared on Friday. I have been promoting a number of Rachel Churcher’s Battle Ground series books. Friday’s post is for the latest in the series, Victory Day.

As always, I’ll be rounding off the week with my Sunday Summary post!

 

Top Blog Posts Read This Week

https://donjimmyreviews.wordpress.com/2019/11/29/ultimate-book-tag/

https://mistysbookspace.wordpress.com/2019/12/30/most-disappointing-reads-of-2019/

https://thehermitlibrarian.wordpress.com/2020/01/01/the-hermit-librarian-2020-goals/

https://bibliophagistreviews.wordpress.com/2020/01/05/monthly-wrap-up-december-2019/

https://stacked-reviews.com/2019-in-books-reflection-time/

https://booksnest.co.uk/post/4-years-of-being-a-creator-on-instagram-what-ive-learnt-my-struggles-and-successes/

https://gemsbooknook.wordpress.com/2020/01/03/the-golden-rules-of-blogging-by-robin-houghton/

https://thebelgianreviewer.wordpress.com/2020/01/01/10-most-anticipated-reads-of-2020/

That was a long one, but I can finally say that’s all from me in this week’s Sunday Summary post! What have you been reading? What resolutions have you set yourself for 2020? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

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Sunday Summary 29/12/2019

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It’s been a week since I last published a post, which was last week’s Sunday Summary post! I’ve actually really enjoyed the break over the festive period. I have spent a lot of time with family this week – so much so they must think I have moved in by now!

Have you enjoyed Christmas? Did anyone get any nice gifts? I was very, VERY fortunate to have been gifted a new Kindle as I was looking to upgrade (THANK YOU AGAIN!!!). Also, I received Amazon vouchers to go towards books and a Waterstones voucher too.

I received plenty of non-bookish presents too! From kitchen appliances (I have been eyeing up my parents’ stuff for months) to personal gifts, I have done very well! Thank you to everyone! Of course, presents aside, the best part of Christmas was being able to spend it together!

 

 

Books Read

I’m glad I chose to take a break from blogging over Christmas because honestly, I wouldn’t really have had time for it anyway. As it stands, I only did a cursory bit of reading in the evenings it wasn’t too late by the time I got home.

My main area of progress was in finishing Sixty Minutes by Tony Salter, which I read here and there over the course of the week. I only finished this yesterday evening, having gotten within five minutes of the end at the hairdressers earlier in the day. Typical!

On Christmas Eve I started reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I had forgotten how different Charles Dickens’ narrative style is compared to a lot of modern works. Some time ago now I tried a sample of A Tale of Two Cities and didn’t get on with it. I think knowing the story will help me along with it. I’m looking to finish this particular story in this book before the end of the month. I did read one of the other shorter works also included in this book as a curiosity, but that’s not the goal.

This morning I started reading Million Eyes by C. R. Berry. I’m only a few percent into the book but it’s going to be my main focus for the next few days. I have a blog tour post for the book coming up next month, so I should get my skates on!

It’s been so long since I listened to Cilka’s Journey (five days) that I very nearly forgot to add it to this week’s summary! I’ve only listened to about an hour of this; I only commuted back from work a couple of days this week. Not much progress, but it still counts!

 

Books Discovered

I may have been away from my computer screen blog-wise, but I’ve still been browsing social media and picking up emails. As a result, I have seen and added two books to my To Be Read list this week.

The other day I picked up an email with a deal for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. I’ve bought this book as I don’t read much in the way of self-help, yet I think this is one such book I’ll get on with. Well. Very well, in fact.

The second book of this week was actually added today. I saw a promo post for The Choice by Claire Wade and fell in love with the synopsis of the book immediately. I haven’t purchased this one yet but I’ll get it nearer the time I choose to read it.

 

Coming Up…

It’s 2020 in a matter of days, which means I have plenty of ideas for blog post material! I have quite a few blog tours planned for later on in January, so for the first couple of weeks, I’ll be taking the opportunity to fit them in.

Kicking off on Wednesday 1st January, I’ll be posting about my 2020 Reading Goals/Challenges for the year ahead. On Friday I’ll be taking a brief break from my regular First Lines Friday/Shelf Control posts so I can review how I fared in my reading challenges for 2019 and discuss my final book stats.

And last, but not least, I’ll be wrapping up the week with my Sunday Summary post next Sunday!

 

Top Blog Post Reads of the Week

Stephen Writer – Top 10 Books I Read in 2019

Maxxes Booktopia – Most Anticipated Reads of 2020

A Whisper of Ink – 2019 worst books

Laury Reads – Top 5 Fave Book Bloggers

That’s a wrap for today’s Sunday Summary post! Have you had a good Christmas? Did you get any lovely gifts?

 

 

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Sunday Summary – 22nd December 2019

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Good evening everyone and welcome to today’s Sunday Summary – I hope you have all had a really good week? Mine has been really busy in the run-up to Christmas and I imagine a lot of folks are in the same boat! I can’t believe it’s next week… Before we jump into the excitement of next week, let’s take a look and re-cap the week just gone!

Considering the number of things I have had on outside of blogging, I’ve managed to fit in quite a few blog posts. My blogging week began with a Top Ten Tuesday post. It’s the first I have drafted for about two months now and I really enjoyed a more casual post. I also took the opportunity to look back at my blogging journey by discussing the Top Ten Bookish Changes in my Life since my blog began in 2017.

After looking at my backlog of reviews, I found an outstanding audiobook review for Scythe by Neal Shusterman, which has been outstanding since April. Yes, friends, April – you read that right! I have just finished listening to the sequel, Thunderhead, so it was the opportune time to revisit my thoughts on the first book of the series.

Friday’s Shelf Control post explored an unusual classic feminist fiction novel on my To Be Read list. It’s not generally the sort of material I am in the habit of picking up, however as it explores the history of the Feminist movement I would like to read it!

 

Books Read

I feel like I have taken a bit of a break from reading this week. With appointments, Christmas lunches, family coming home for Christmas and other festive plans, as well as the blogging, I’ve been a busy bee! That’s not to say I haven’t had time, because I have. I think with cramming in a lot of reading last week, I just wanted to do some other things. I don’t even feel guilty about it either. I’ve enjoyed adopting a more relaxed pace with it.

In terms of physical reading, I have only read about 20% of Tony Salter’s Sixty Minutes this week. Mostly today, in fact. I do plan to read more of this before going to bed tonight, now I am back in a reading mood. It’s not a very long book and very easy to read, so I’ll have it finished nice and quickly I imagine.

I have made more progress on Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris, though. More than usual. I had some extra commute time on Monday with an impromptu appointment, and my car share buddy was off work on Friday. It may not seem like much, but it equates to an extra hour and a half of the audiobook listened to. That means I am over halfway through the audiobook now and it feels like I have only just started it. I am really enjoying it. I loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey is living up to the standard of that book!

 

Books Discovered

So, I have a confession to make.

I got very lucky this week. For Christmas, my company donated 6 x £25 vouchers to a prize draw in which all employees were put into. I won one of those vouchers on Thursday. It never happens to me, but yes, I won! Well, it’s not that I never win anything… I won our Christmas Jumper competition on Wednesday as well! It’s just rare!

I had that voucher spent in about three hours, no word of a lie. That lunchtime I went to my local Waterstones and had a field day! A lot of books I liked the sound off were on offer too, so in all I put about £4 towards this lot!

There are a couple of books by authors I love in here. Stephen King’s Outsider is a reasonably new addition to the TBR, but the premise of the novel sounds great. Some of you may recall that Brandon Sanderson’s novel Starsight has not long been published with Gollancz. I really liked the sound of it, so I picked up its predecessor Skyward to start the series for myself.

There are a couple of new authors here too, because I do like to try new things. I picked up The Silence of the Girls as I enjoyed reading a similar book, Circe, earlier this year. To this day I don’t understand the hype of Circe, but it was still a reasonably good read.

I have never heard of The Ember Blade or its author, Chris Wooding. The synopsis sounds interesting though, and you can’t go far wrong with fantasy novels in my book! I didn’t look at the time, but this book has good reviews on Goodreads. A couple of authors I love, Ed McDonald and Edward Cox have rated it 5* as well, so I have every confidence I’ll enjoy it! It will be nice to try something new.

 

Coming Up…

I don’t think I need to tell you, but it’s Christmas next week! I have a lot of time planned with family, so I have taken the decision to take a brief blogging break for the festive season.

I’ll still be reading and publishing my weekly Sunday Summary next Sunday. I’m going to take the time to chill with the family, recharge my batteries and have a think about some of my plans ahead of the New Year.

That’s all from me in today’s post. I hope you have enjoyed this week’s Sunday Summary post!
What have you been reading this week?

 

 

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Sunday Summary – 15th December 2019

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Good evening everyone and welcome back to this week’s Sunday Summary instalment! Have you had a good week? Between going back to work, getting ready for Christmas and reading/blogging, I definitely haven’t been bored!

My first post of the week was a book review of Moroda for L. L. McNeil. I received a copy of Moroda in exchange for review. After being really conscious that I had promised to read the book in October/November, but finished it earlier this month, I managed to get a quick turnaround on reviewing it. If you are a fan of classic fantasy novels and haven’t taken a look at my review yet, I really recommend it! The book, (and the review) that is.

The next day, Wednesday, I shared yet another book review. This time, my post was for the blog tour of After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks by Nancy Jardine. This is the third instalment of the Celtic Fervour series, which is predominantly historical fiction with the odd element of romance. Thankfully the later books of the series have less romantic emphasis than the first book. If you know me or read my blog regularly you’ll know that just isn’t my cup of tea! I love the history behind the novels as I am a newbie to the history of the Roman invasion of Britain. It’s never too late to learn something new!

Friday’s featured novel in this week’s First Lines Friday post has a little of a festive theme to it. I almost featured the book a couple of weeks ago; however, I decided to save it for December as it does have Christmas ties. This is also a fabulous historical fiction novel. I’d go so far as to say that it’s my favourite Netgalley download ever!

 

Books Read

I have some fantastic news to share with you all – this week… last night in fact, I completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2019! I’ve read 70 books. Somehow, I’ve managed to beat my all-time record and with two-and-a-half weeks to spare! I’m amazed, but I’m also not done yet! If I finish this month’s TBR then my new record to beat will be 74 books. Do you think I can do it?

I also really like that the book that completed the challenge was the conclusion to Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, Dreams of Gods and Monsters. I don’t normally devour books like this, but it was worth it! Her writing is so funny, engaging, entertaining. I just love it! I’ve been reading this all week, pretty much, between everything else going on. Sometimes I put myself down a little if I have spent all week on a book (bear in mind my average is 1 book every 5 days). I shouldn’t though. I think I had read about 100 pages when I wrote last week’s Sunday Summary, so that means I’ve still read 500 pages this week alone!

This week I started a new audiobook – Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris. I listened to The Tattooist of Auschwitz last year. It was fantastically written, yet hauntingly devastating to hear what horrors people had to live through. The reminder at the end that it was a work of fiction but based on a real experience had me in tears. Cilka’s Journey is the same, but focuses on the treatment of women in Auschwitz/Birkenau and also in Soviet Russia after being convicted of assisting the Nazi’s later on. I have listened to nearly three hours of the audiobook already… which is a little more than average.

 

Books Discovered

I have been too busy to be looking for books, however, I have managed to acquire a couple this week. Lauren, the author of Moroda really liked my review published this week and has asked if I will read and review the next two books in the series, Palom and Amarah. I enjoyed the book, the fantasy world and the characters. Naturally, I said yes!

 

Coming Up…

It has been a little while since I drafted a Top Ten Tuesday post, so that’s my first post for next week coming up! For this post, I actually want to pick a topic that The Artsy Reader girl posted a few weeks ago – Top Ten Changes in my Bookish Life!

I have a few book reviews to catch up on and since I am finished with blog tours for the year, it makes sense to get some of those outstanding reviews done! On Thursday I am reviewing Scythe by Neal Shusterman, as I finished listening to the audiobook in April this year. Yep, it’s a late review guys. Sorry! Having just listened to its sequel though, I’m in the right headspace to review this.

On Friday I’ll be taking another look at the TBR pile and telling you about the next book on the list; what it is, what interests me about it and why, overall, I want to read it. I hope you can check-in for this post!

So, that’s all from me in this week’s Sunday Summary update! What have you been reading? Have you set a reading challenge or have you completed it? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

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