Tag: jay kristoff

Sunday Summary – 12th May 2024

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Hello fellow readers and welcome to this week’s instalment of my Sunday Summary weekly update.

Broadly, things have been back to normal scheduling this week. I’ve shared two posts with you so far, and here’s a recap of what they were in case you missed them!

The first of those was my Monthly TBR for May. I’ve done my usual and set myself an ambitious list. However, although some of the books are longer in length, their format means they are going to be very quick to read. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. Based on previous experience, that’s what I expect. If you haven’t seen that list yet, here’s a link so you can go and check it out.

My next post was a return of my Friday feature, Shelf Control. In this week’s post I feature a mammoth anthology made up of big name writers that I want to pick up and try. Admittedly, I’ll probably have to read it in bits as it’s over 1000 pages long! Have you heard of this one? Does it sound like something you want to read? Go and check out that post to find out.

 

Books Read


Empire of the Vampire

I left off in last week’s Sunday Summary post with just 80 pages left of Empire of the Vampire. With the motivation to not still be reading the book when I published my May TBR, I sped through these last few pages quite quickly!

I enjoyed Empire of the Vampire the second time round as much as I thought I would!

I also got to appreciate my special edition copy by picking it up again, so it was a win-win situation. This got me up to speed with events of the first book again, so I am able to pick up the sequel. You’ll see more on that below!

I love the narrative style employed in these books as we flip between a present day Gabriel looking back and recounting his story. I love the snippets of hindsight, but also start contrast of attitude and experience the character has versus his younger self. It’s a narrative style I will come back to again and again!


The Icepick Surgeon

Another intended quick finish to talk about in this Sunday Summary is my listen of The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean. As of my last update post, I had just about an hour left of this audiobook to get to completion.

The Icepick Surgeon is a great read or listen for anyone who likes to explore ethics and morality around science practice throughout the ages. This book covers a wide array of periods, circumstances and individuals. From rumours of malpractice conducted by figures such as Cleopatra to modern day scientists facing backlash for their own malpractice, there’s a lot to explore here.

I learned plenty of things about the profession that I didn’t know before. Personally, I also enjoy looking at the morality side of things, so this book was perfect for me. I will also strongly recommend the audiobook as it was an engaging listen and very easy to follow.


Empire of the Damned

After publishing my May TBR, I had a bit of internal debate as to whether to read Empire of the Damned straight away. However, I ultimately reasoned that I’d read the first book in the series to catch up on events, and what better time to start reading then immediately afterwards?

Therefore, I’ve spent this week starting Empire of the Damned and as of this post, I am 185 pages in. I actually like that I’ve picked this up straight away. I’m familiar with characters and their motivations, but the story is also taken a bit of an unusual turn. Therefore it doesn’t feel to see me to what I read in the first book. I’m intrigued as to how events are going to pay out and the inevitable conflict that will take place. Hopefully I can make good progress with this book in the next week and have a bit more to tell you in that update.


F*ck No

After finishing The Icepick Surgeon, I moved on to listen to a book called F*ck No. If you are unfamiliar, it is a self-help guide to help overachievers, pushovers or anyone who struggles to say no, to adapt their mindset and ability to stand up for themselves.

As I’m sure you will expect from the title, this book is witty and entertaining as well as informative. I really like Sarah Knight’s style and I love that she narrates the audiobook herself. Stories are helpful in showing how the tips she shares can be put into practice

F*ck No is only a short audiobook and I just finished listening to it this morning whilst out gardening.

 

Books Discovered

It’s another quiet week in terms of acquisitions or books added to my reading list this week – there are none to share with you in this Sunday Summary!


Coming Up…

This week I plan to share a review of the second book in a series that I have come to love. Robin Hobb is fast becoming one of my favourite authors of all time. In this post, I will review the second book of the Farseer trilogy, Royal Assassin!

As always, I’ll be back with a Sunday Summary at the end of the week to catch you up on the books I’ve read, and I’ve picked up over the last week and to recap the content I’ve shared.

I hope you can check out any or all of these and until then, I’ll see you around!

Happy reading!

 

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Monthly TBR – May 2024

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Hello fellow readers and welcome to my Monthly TBR! In today’s post, I’ll be sharing the books I hope to pick up over the month of May. I’m looking forward to all these books too! Now that I don’t have any reading obligations ongoing, I have free rein on every single book I pick up this month, and in what order.

I have a newly released sequel, a last in series, a new fantasy series, a science-fiction collab and two non-fiction audiobooks to share with you.

Curious as to what I’m picking up this month? Let’s get into this monthly TBR so you can find out!

 

Mood Reads

 

Empire of the Damned

After some deliberation, I’ve decided to start immediately after finishing Empire of the Vampire by picking up the sequel.

I’ve been looking forward to this read for a long time. It is rare that I pre-order books ahead of publication. However, Empire of the Damned was an exception! Now I’m caught up and refreshed on events of the previous book, I’m going to dive straight into this sequel.

As of this post, I’m already 50 pages into the book and intrigued as to where events are going to take us. It’s not the kind of story I expected to play out based on biases of the characters established in book 1. However, there is promise for conflict and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in!

 

Master of Sorrows

I’ve been trying to get to Master of Sorrows for a few months now, and I’ve decided May is THE month. I have no other reading obligations, so it’s going to be the next book I pick up after Empire of the Damned. I’m perhaps a little ambitious picking up two longer physical reads this month, but I am nothing if not up for a challenge.

I originally drew this book out of my TBR Jar at the end of January, with the intention of picking up the book in February. Three months late is better than never, right?

 

The Long Earth

The Long Earth has been on my reading list since February 2018. It’s been on my radar to pick up anyway, but I just so happened to get a loan copy from our former CEO at work as he has just read the book himself. He’s also a fan of Terry Pratchett.

My experience so far of books co-authored by Terry Pratchett are not the best. However, that’s usually because of the other authors influence rather than Terry’s. I’m not going to let that put me off a new combination though. My dad is a fan of Stephen Baxter, so I want to try it from that perspective as well.

 

Obsidio

Although a slightly thicker book, my experience of the Illuminae Files by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman so far is that they are very quick reads. Having read the first two books of the trilogy, I want to pick up Obsidio in May in order to mark the series as completed.

I also believe this book picks up both storylines from the earlier books and brings the characters from each storyline together. I have no idea how that’s going to work and whether there’s going to be any personality clashes, but I’m excited to see what happens!

 

Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes

The first of my audiobook listens planned for this month is Terry Pratchett’s biography. If it wasn’t already clear I was a fan of his writing in picking up The Long Earth, the fact that I’ve read just under half of his 41 book Discworld series should leave no room for doubt.

I’ve watched a documentary about his life before and I’ve been fascinated by his life story. Now I want to hear that in his ‘own’ words as much as possible. This book isn’t an autobiography as Terry never got to complete it himself. Instead, his assistant Rob Wilkins picked up the mantle to finish it into the biography it is today.

 

F*ck No

The second and shorter audiobook I intend to pick up in May is called F*ck No by Sarah Knight. It’s a book that was recommended to me fairly recently and I’m interested in the content of the book. If I get on with it, then the author Sarah has an extensive collection of other self-help books that I would look to pick up as well.

I’ve already sampled and bought the audio as that’s a big make or break thing for me when picking up a book like that. If I can’t get on with the narrative style, then it’s a hard pass. However, I like what I’ve heard so far so I’m looking forward to listening to it in earnest!

 

Summary

As always, I don’t give myself much slack with my reading lists. However, I’m hopeful that I will get through the majority of this monthly TBR. Although some of the books are a little chunkier, some will be easier to read because of their format; mixed media and using audio when I can’t physically pick up a book are helpful to keep pace.

What are you planning to read?  Have you read any of the books on this monthly TBR? Do you have anything ongoing at the moment that you would recommend?

 

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Sunday Summary – 5th May 2024

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Good evening and welcome to another Sunday Summary update post!

I’ve been a little hands off on the blog this week due to personal circumstances. I attended a funeral yesterday and I knew blogging towards the end of the week wasn’t feasible. I’ve also not read a lot since Friday (although I am listening to my current audiobook as I type).

The only post I’ve shared so far this week is my Monthly Wrap-Up for April. Although I’ve read fewer books, I was picking up some with a chunkier page count. Find out what I’ve been reading over the last month in that post.

Now, find out what I’ve been reading over the course of this week!

 

Books Read

 

Empire of the Vampire

Having gotten my reading obligations out of the way last week, I picked up Empire of the Vampire once again. I’ve done pretty well with progress too!

I started off the week at 384 pages into this book. For stats nerds, that’s a little over 50%. I’ve read exactly 250 pages this week, so I’m now on page 634. It’s been great to dedicate some time to this re-read once again. With the action ramping up, it’s been really easy to pick this up in my lunch hours and dive into the narrative. Less easy is convincing myself to go back to work afterwards… 

With just 80-odd pages until I’ve completed this book, I’m going to try my best to finish this (again) tonight! Wish me luck…

 

The Icepick Surgeon

Progress in my audiobook listen of The Icepick Surgeon is steady. In last week’s Sunday Summary post I shared that I’d listened to 5 hours of the audio. I’ve managed to do pretty much the same again this week.

I am loving listening to this book so far. It tackles very different topics of unethical behaviour and malpractice in science. I would strongly recommend this to anybody with any interest in the subject. It’s really easy to listen to and I find the content really engaging.

That means I only have just over an hour to go. I’m going to make an effort to finish this book very soon too! I confess as of drafting this post I’ve not even thought about books I’m going to read in May yet. It will be nice to tackle that list without having these two on it as carryovers.

 

Books Discovered

I’ve kept my head down this week so I have nothing new on the reading list to report to you  in this Sunday Summary update.

 

Coming Up…

The first post that will be making its way to you in the next few days is my reading list for May. As I’ve said above, I haven’t really put much thought into the books that are going on it yet. However, I have some freedom in that I have no obligations to factor in. I have plenty of books I have been looking to get to soon, so I suspect a few of those will end up there. Stay tuned to see which books I end up picking up!

There is every intention to go back to a usual blogging schedule this week. With this in mind, I’ll be back with another Friday feature – this time a Shelf Control post. If you are unfamiliar with this series, I take a look at books on my reading list and share why I’m excited to get to them. Hopefully, you can check that out later this week.

As always, I will be back at the same time next week with another Sunday Summary update post for you. I hope to be in a position where I’ve completed my ongoing reads as of this post and having started some of my May reads too.

Until then, I hope you have a fantastic week and I will see you in the next post! Happy reading!

 

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Monthly Wrap-Up – April 2024

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Good evening readers and welcome to my monthly wrap-up post for April! Somehow we’re a third of the way through the year already. Where has that gone?

April has been a good month. I’m still reading less than I did at the beginning of the year and I still have books I didn’t get to. However, I’ve read a number of great books over the month.

Shall we take a look?

 

Books Read

 

Empire of the Vampire

Empire of the Vampire is a book I ended up picking up on and off throughout the month. I started off at the beginning of April on page 171. At the end of the month, I finished off around 530 pages in. 

Empire of the Vampire has been a slow burn read. I’ve read the book before, but it’s been good to revisit the story ahead of picking up the sequel. In truth, I’m slower with re-reads as I don’t have the motivation to find out what’s happening. Even if I don’t remember all the details, I have a rough idea of what’s happened.

I’ve enjoyed reading this book again. I’m not generally one for vampire stories, but Jay Kristoff has a way of making stretching the boundaries of my reading. Whilst I am taking this into May, I hope to finish reading this book soon! As of this monthly wrap-up, I have just 100 pages to go.

 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

The first audiobook I picked up in April was Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith. I knew I wanted to go back to non-fiction audio as in the past I have been far quicker at listening to it. In truth, I find the genre easier to listen to than read, and vice versa.

From techniques on how to handle stress and anxiety to grief, the book touches on a broad range of emotions and how we can help ourselves to identify and try to self-regulate. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? excels as both a theoretical and practical guide. Even if you wouldn’t describe yourself as somebody who struggles with their mental health, there are still tips in here that anyone can benefit from. We all experience emotions or various intensities.

 

The Maiden of Florence

The Maiden of Florence is a historical fiction novel I picked up in April as part of a blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources. I was intrigued by the book for its ties to a powerful Italian family in the period, the Medici’s.

It’s every bit as much a work of feminist fiction as it is historical. Protagonist Guilia spends her life in the power of men. This is her story, but also in part the stories of many women in the period who had little autonomy in their lives.

If you’re interested in picking up the book, here’s my full review so you can check it out for yourself!

 

The Icepick Surgeon

The Icepick Surgeon is also an ongoing read as of publishing this post. I only have a few hours left of the audio, however.

I’ve found this an interesting read. It’s another non-fiction novel, so appeals to me as an audiobook. I also love how it touches on different topics and time periods throughout history. A lot of the chapters interlink well, which is a nice touch.

For anyone who wants to take away any further reading, there is plenty on offer too. Sam is clearly well researched in the subject as he offers his website content, podcasts and other media as extra reading for anyone interested in a particular subject!

As of drafting this monthly wrap-up I’m 70% into the audio, with about 3 hours left of listening time to completion. Broadly I’ve been doing well for making time for audiobooks, so I imagine this won’t take long to wrap-up.

 

Summary

I’ve been taking my time over a chunky read this month, meaning the book count is a little less than usual. However, I’ve had a great time picking up the books I have, and that is ultimately what matters!

What have you been reading in the last month? Is there anything you would recommend to me?

 

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Sunday Summary – 21st April 2024

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I stepped back on the blog schedule this week to give myself some breathing space and get back to reading. In today’s Sunday Summary, you’ll see why that’s worked out for me compared to reading in previous weeks!

As a consequence of making that decision, I shared only one other post this week. That was a discussion post, in which I shared five reasons why we should re-read books. If you haven’t checked out that post already, or have your own ideas as to why re-reads are the best kind of reads, then I’d love you to hop over there and have a chat with me about it!

 

Books Read

 

Empire of the Vampire

Having only read 100 pages of Empire of the Vampire in the last two weeks, I wanted to step up my reading game and make more progress in this book over the course of this week. I have read more this week than I’ve managed in the last fortnight; as of this Sunday Summary, I’m now on page 384.

I am slower with re-reads anyway, but changes in my lifestyle mean I don’t have as much time to read. When I’m picking up a chunky book such as this, it’s naturally going to take a while!

I was hoping to have this read by now and not to have to set it aside for another reading obligation, but such is life. I have one last commitment coming up in a week’s time that I need to prioritise. So, I will have to put this book down for a bit. Maybe the break will do me good so that when I come back to it refreshed I can dive back in.

 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

It’s wild how much progress I’ve made on audiobooks in the last week! For my least favourite form of reading, it’s currently working out really well for me.

In last week’s Sunday Summary post, I was 25% into the audiobook Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith. I had approximately 6 hours of audio to listen to in order to finish the book. I listened to the first couple of those when doing gardening and pottering around the house on Tuesday. The remainder of the book was devoured in one sitting yesterday, whilst doing housework and a craft project!

Needless to say, the speed of how quickly I listened to this audio tells you how engaged I was with it. I love this subject matter and I found it both easy and interesting to listen to. I can also see it as a book that I will revisit again in future. It is the kind that can be used as a reference again and again.

 

The Icepick Surgeon

As if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also started a second audiobook this week. The Icepick Surgeon is an interesting read about how those in the scientific field have blurred the lines of morality in the name of science and ‘doing good’.

So far I have only listened to the first couple of chapters in full and 75% of the third, but I’m already interested in the subject. I can already tell that this is going to be another easy and engaging listen. So, hopefully I’ll have as good an update for you next week as I did with Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

 

Books Discovered

Non-fiction reads are working really well for me right now. That’s partly the reason why I have added another to my reading list this week.

I was introduced to an article and individuals by a colleague at work around a condition she suffers from. It is one that is often swept under the carpet and little known about. Even to date, there are people who are bed-bound, unable to feed themselves or even tolerate any form of contact as a result of the condition.

That condition is myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) for short, or also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. The condition is being talked about a little more now as a consequence of the pandemic and a result of a long-Covid sufferers experiencing similar symptoms. It’s hoped that research into this will ultimately help ME suffers, but they have waited far too long.

The Puzzle Solver is a biography of one family’s experience of the condition, and it is awful to realise many exist this way. I don’t say live for a reason, because many don’t have a proper life at all.

 

Coming Up…

I’m going to share a Top Ten Tuesday post for the first time in a few weeks. This week’s topic is ‘unread books on my shelves that I hope to pick up soon’. God knows I have a lot (and less time to read these days), but I still want to try!

Next Saturday, I will be reviewing The Maiden of Florence as part of the blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources. This is the obligation for which I need to put down Empire of the Vampire temporarily! This is a historical fiction novel based on a true story. I love the sound of the setting and I think female characters and rights are going to be very prominent in this narrative; I’m looking forward to picking it up!

As always, I’ll be back this time next week with my Sunday Summary wrap-up update. I hope you can stay tuned for that!

Until then, see you around!

 

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Discussion Post – 5 Reasons to Re-Read Books!

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I love to re-read books! Whilst some may question the value of doing so, there are some great reasons you may want to re-visit a previous read! I take a look at some of those in today’s discussion post.

Let’s get to it!

 

Five Reasons to Re-Read Books!

Reminder of Events in a Series to date

The reason I am picking up a re-read right now is that I’m looking to read a sequel shortly. I read Empire of the Vampire a couple of years ago and especially, I had Covid at the time. My memory of what has happened so far is a little hazy, so I’m picking up the book now, as a refresher of what has happened so far ready for when I pick up that sequel!


Enjoy a New Edition

It may have bonus content, or in my case with Empire of the Vampire, I can enjoy coloured artwork as opposed to black and white. Either way, I got a pretty new edition of this book after reading the standard edition and I want to enjoy it.

So I am. Immensely!


Re-experience the love of a favourite

Another reason it’s great to re-visit books is that those you are inclined to pick up again are usually firm favourites. There is nothing more fun than re-visiting a favourite book, series or characters. I found this especially helpful in the past when I’ve been in a reading slump and unsure of what I want to read next. Picking up a guaranteed five star is the way to get yourself back in.


Encourage Others to Read

Especially if you are in a position like me where you like to talk about what you’re reading, re-visiting books is a chance to feature them again.

If you’ve ever thought about the power of advertisement, you’ll find its repeated exposure that gets people to engage. In a sense, it’s the same with books! By featuring a book or series repeatedly on my blog or social media, I may persuade any readers who were on the fence the first time to give it a try.

 

Enjoy Details Missed the First Time

I often find in re-reads that I pick up on details I miss first time round because I now know some context. What may seem insignificant first time round can be cleverly hidden foreshadowing. I love that kind of detail. I’ve read books where it’s taken multiple re-reads and I still find something new each and every time.

Those are the best ones!


Summary

There are plenty of reasons to go back and re-read books you’ve picked up and loved previously. Whilst I’ve covered some of my favourite reasons, there are many more!

Do you re-read books, and if so, why? If the reason isn’t included in this post I want your take on the subject!

 

 

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Sunday Summary – 14th April 2024

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Welcome to another Sunday Summary update. Admittedly I suspect this post is going to be on the light side, as will become apparent. I have made some reading progress, but not very much due to events out of my control.

First, let’s take a look at the blog posts I shared throughout the week. Later than usual, I shared my Monthly TBR for April. It was always going to be late anyway, but it ended up being even later still as a result of the events I mentioned above.

On Friday I shared my latest feature in my First Lines Friday series. In that post, I feature a non-fiction book I added to my reading list recently after watching a TV series based on it. I hope you can take a moment to check both of those posts out!

 

Books Read

 

Empire of the Vampire

In my last Sunday Summary post I shared that I’d only read 25 pages of Empire of the Vampire. Progress is better than that this week, but I am still reading this book as of this post.

It’s awkward to explain without going back for a minute because I’ve not really shared that I started seeing someone yet. But, a couple of months ago I started seeing my boyfriend Shane. Well, somebody close to him passed away on Monday. We ended up taking temporary custody of their dog and making arrangements for her return to family on Tuesday.

From there on all my plans for the week went awry. The charity cake sale I was supposed to bake for this week ended up with donations of the shop-bought variety. But, life happens.

In between everything, I did read about 80 pages of Empire of the Vampire. It’s not much to write about, but it’s something.

 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

Audiobook progress has been better this week thankfully!

I’ve not had as much time as I would usually to sit down and read in the usual way. However, audio has stepped into this gap a little as I’ve been able to listen to it in and around commuting, lunch hours etc.

As of this Sunday Summary post I have listened to a further six chapters, bringing me to a total 25% progress.

 

Books Discovered

With everything that has gone on this week, I haven’t really had the chance to discover any new reads this week. Given I’ve not done much in the way of reading progress either, this is not a bad thing!

 

Coming Up…

I want to try and catch up on some reading this week. So, I’m taking the blog schedule down to just one post mid-week and my Sunday Summary at the end of the week.

The plan is to share a discussion post about re-reading books, and why we can get so much more out of our favourite books by doing so! That’s obviously not at all inspired by my current re-read of Empire of the Vampire… obviously 😉

Today’s Sunday Summary is a relatively quick one, but I hope you enjoyed reading nonetheless. Until my next post, have a great week and me, your bookshelves ever be overflowing!

 

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Monthly TBR – April 2024

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Hi readers and welcome to a slightly later than planned Monthly TBR post!

To get through a slightly longer reading list in April, I’m making an effort to listen to more audio than usual. I’ve found in the past that non-fiction works best in this format, so that’s what I’ll be listening to. This also works great for my goal of reading more than 15 nonfiction books by the end of the year.

In addition to this, I’m picking up two fantasy reads and a sci-fi physically, and lastly, one e-ARC that I need to review by the 27th April. It’s a full list, so let’s get stuck in!

 

Monthly TBR


Empire of the Vampire

My first read of the month is my re-read of Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. I’m looking forward to picking up the relatively new release of the sequel. However, before I dive into that I wanted a refresher of events so far.

As you’ll see from my last Sunday Summary post, I’m enjoying this read so far! I started reading it last month but had to put it aside for blog tour obligations. However, I’m back into it in full swing and loving the story as much as I did the first time.

 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

My first listen of the month is Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? Admittedly I started this audio on a whim after finishing The Atlas Six, but I have no regrets!

It’s just the kind of non-fiction that I can consume easily. I’m already 10 chapters or 2 hours 20mins in, and that’s been pretty easy to work through.

I’m looking forward to listening to more of this audio in the comings days, as well as looking at the exercises that come with it.

 

The Maiden of Florence

Next to feature on this monthly TBR is my one reading obligation this month, The Maiden of Florence. As I’ve already shared, I am reviewing this book on the 27th of the month.

I signed up for the blog tour as I was interested in the story’s ties to the Medici family. I love historical fiction anyway, but it reminds me of my favourite series in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. I could play the Ezio storylines over and over and not get bored!

It’s a period of history I haven’t read in a while, and all about casting light on a female character cast aside by history… which has me intrigued!

 

The Icepick Surgeon

The second non-fiction audio I hope to listen to this month is The Icepick Surgeon. I discovered this book when an Instagrammer I follow shared she was reading it in March. Initially I’d hoped to read it then as well. However, time as always runs away and I didn’t get to it at the same time.

But, a month late is better than never! As someone who enjoyed exploring this side of science in psychology, I’m looking forward to reading further around the subject!

 

Master of Sorrows

Master of Sorrows… how many monthly TBR’s has this been on now? Three perhaps? I’ve just not gotten to it so far, but I’m determined to at the very least start it in April.

Last month I deliberately didn’t draw another book out my TBR jar give myself chance to read this one. Given I’ve ended up carrying it over again, the same applies this month.

 

Stretch Goal

The Long Earth

On the off-chance I manage to read all the books above, I’m going to pick up The Long Earth next.

It has been on my TBR since February 2018, but I’ve managed to borrow a copy from someone at work who was discussing it with me recently. He has not long finished it, so I want to state my intentions to pick it up as soon as I can so we can compare notes!


Summary

I’ve plenty of reading to do and as of this post, I have two at currently reading status and no completions! Best get a wriggle on!

Have you read any of the books I feature in this post?

Until next time, happy reading!

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Sunday Summary – 7th April 2024

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Good evening readers and welcome to another Sunday Summary update full of bookish news and going on from here! Make yourselves comfortable so we can dive in to this week’s update post.

As always, let’s recap the blog posts I have shared in the last week. My first post of the week was a blog tour post featuring Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater. I originally published my review of this book back in February. But when I saw the tour invite, I promised to revamp it and share it as part of the tour. It worked out nicely as the author gets more publicity, and I already had a good deal of content prepared to share.

I shared a second blog to post just a couple of days later – this one for Enemies of Mercia by M.J. Porter. This was a brand-new read and review obligation, so that was my priority for this week. I really enjoyed this sixth instalment to the Eagle of Mercia Chronicles. If you have been following my reviews of the series on my blog, you’ll be especially interested to check out this latest review!

I shared a further post on Saturday given that those tour obligations meant I couldn’t feature my regular monthly wrap-up at the beginning of this month. Instead, that went live on Saturday, and I had plenty to recap in terms of reading throughout March. If you want a summary of the books I picked up, that is the post to take a look at!

 

Books Read

 

Enemies of Mercia

The first priority I had this week was to finish my read of Enemies of Mercia by M.J. Porter. As you will see above, I had a spot on the blog tour organised for its publication, and I had the pleasure of kicking the tour off. Needless to say, it was important that I finish this read in time to share my full thoughts on the whole book.

I enjoyed Enemies of Mercia every bit as much as I expected I would. Having read five books in the series to date, I had high expectations for the characters and storyline. I wasn’t disappointed!

If you love historical fiction set during the time Vikings came to Britain, then check out this book. Whilst the main events of this storyline don’t feature Vikings too heavily, they have already had their influence on the setting and characters so far. They are more prevalent in earlier books of the series, so I recommend checking them out.

Naturally, if you want to find out more about this book, or get access to links to reviews of the early book in the series, check out that review post I shared on Thursday.

 

Empire of the Vampire

As a result of prioritising Enemies of Mercia, Empire of the Vampire took a backseat this week. I did pick the book up one evening before bed, but admittedly only read 25 pages!

So, as of this Sunday Summary post, that puts me at page 196. Now that all my immediate obligations are out of the way, Empire of the Vampire will be my main reading focus once again.

 

The Atlas Six

After sharing in last week’s Sunday Summary post that I was so close to the conclusion of this book, I made it my priority to finish this audio this week.

In fact, I finished this audiobook on Monday. As it happens, the audiobook version I was listening to has quite a bit of bonus content at the end, so I was even closer to the finish line than I thought in that post!

I really enjoyed the story overall, although I wouldn’t say it lives up to the hype it’s gotten in my opinion. I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure I will continue to read the rest of the series. I’ve enjoyed it as a standalone and I think it has some interesting ideas.

 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before

After finishing The Atlas Six, I looked for my next audiobook to pick up. On a whim, I chose to listen to Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before.

Of late, I find non-fiction a lot easier to listen to than fiction. I find it easier to follow, and it has become my preferred method of reading this type of book. To try and pick up the pace with audiobooks a bit more, and to listen to something different, I deliberately chose a non-fiction this time.

As of this Sunday Summary post, I have listened to the first four chapters of the book, which is about an hour and 20 minutes of the audio. If you’re interested, that works out at about 15% progress.

Next week I’ll be spending several hours on Monday and Tuesday evening baking for a charity cake sale at work. That would be the perfect opportunity to make further progress as I won’t be able to conventionally sit down and read during that time.

 

Books Discovered

I picked up some book recommendations around the topic of Neurodiversity this week. It’s a topic that’s been discussed at work, and several staff (including myself) put forward recommendations of content on the subject.

Someone seconded my recommendation of Unmasked by Ellie Middleton, which was great! They also shared a couple of other books which I added to my reading list – Untypical and Dirty Laundry.

 

Coming Up…

My first blog post of next week will be my reading list for April. As I am sharing this list quite late, you’re already seeing some of the books I’ll feature show up in my reading. However, circumstantially I had blog tours come up at the beginning of the month which inevitably delayed my regular monthly posts. I am looking forward to sharing that list though and giving you some more detail on what books I plan to pick up shortly!

Later in the week I bring back my First Lines Friday regular feature post. It’s been a few weeks since I shared one of these, and I’m looking forward to bringing it back. They are a fun type of post to share. Depending on my choice of book, I get to feature a great book I love, or get excited for one coming up on my reading list! Stick around to find out which I share in Friday’s post.

I’ll wrap up next week with another Sunday Summary post just like this one. If I have as much reading progress to share with you, then I’ll be on the right track!

Until then, have a great week and happy reading!

 

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Monthly Wrap-Up – March 2024

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A steadier pace was the aim for March, and taking the pressure off reading at such a pace was definitely needed and appreciated! Whilst I didn’t get to all the books I had hoped to on March’s TBR, as of this monthly wrap-up post I am still on track to read 60 books by the end of the year.

Shall we get into this monthly wrap-up post and look at the books I read in March?

 

Books Read

 

Hogfather

Hogfather was a carryover from February’s TBR. I had read about 50% of the book already, and my first aim of the month was to complete this read.

In the end, I rated Hogfather three stars. I enjoyed the play on belief and the festive vibe of the book. However, it wasn’t my favourite book in the Death mini-series.

The Discworld books are so readable. Just a few days into the month, I read the final 50% to finish the book. I’m glad I continued with the series. It’s the longest series I am progressing with and I hope to continue on further with it this year!

 

At the Stroke of Midnight

The first of my blog tour obligations this month was to read and review At the Stroke of Midnight by Jenni Keer.

I loved the sound of the book as it’s very reminiscent of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. It has a Groundhog Day theme just the same, set in a Manor House style setting.

Naturally it does has its differences, and the mystery that unravels within are compelling. I also enjoyed the development of the protagonist throughout! If you want to check out that review, here is a link to that here.

 

Raven Lord

Next I started my next blog your read, and the first of two historical fiction novels featuring Vikings!

Raven Lord is the sequel to Warrior Prince, which I reviewed last year. I really enjoyed that first book, and also the sequel, because it features Vikings as we know it, but in a unique setting. Rather than exploring British history, instead Harald and his band of warriors venture through Eastern Europe to secure fame and riches before trying to reclaim the throne of Norway.

The narrative style of this book is one that I love to come back to time and again. Not only that, but the book is full of action and political intrigue in equal measure. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the sequel and I can’t wait to see where the characters end up next.

As with the previous book, here is a link to my full review if you want to read on about this.

 

Enemies of Mercia

The second historical fiction book I picked up throughout the month of March is Enemies of Mercia by M.J. Porter.

This book is the sixth instalment in the authors Eagle of Mercia Chronicles series. Whilst this series does go back to British history, a subset of the genre I have read a lot of, the protagonist makes these books. In that review post shared on Thursday, I expressed that protagonist Icel is one of my favourite characters of the genre! He has undergone so much character development in the series to date, and there are no signs of him stopping.

This book also balances action and intrigue very well, so that fans of either can respect each part without one or the other overwhelming the narrative.

 

The Atlas Six

I’m pleased to share in this monthly wrap-up post that I finished The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake this week!

It has been a long time coming. Of all the ways in which I read books, I am the slowest with audio. It’s not my preferred reading method, but it does have its benefits. Over the last month or so, I have spent most of the time listening to The Atlas Six whilst working on craft projects.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but I am undecided as yet as to whether I’m going to continue with the series. The Atlas Six is a very hyped read. Most of the time, I don’t feel that these books live up to that. As good as it was, I think the same of The Atlas Six.

I have doubts as to whether I’m invested enough in the characters and the story to go out of my way to read more. Ultimately, I have a ridiculous reading list with lots of fantasy on there already. Do I need books I’m not sure about on that list? No.

 

Empire of the Vampire

The last book I’ll talk about in today’s monthly wrap-up post, as it is my current read, is Empire of the Vampire byJay Kristoff. I started this book a little after mid-month. However, I had to temporarily set this aside in order to read Enemies of Mercia ahead of my review date.

As of this post, I am 171 pages into this 720 page narrative. It’s a healthy start, and one I’m looking forward to building on in the next few days! This is a re-read, so not the first time I’ve picked up. However, I am enjoying reading a special edition this time round. It’ll also set me in good stead to pick up the sequel soon!

 

Summary

I’ve managed to break even this month and read the number of books required to meet my reading goal. Currently, I can’t ask for more!

Not only that, but I’ve enjoyed the books I picked up in March, the variety between them and I have an exciting monthly TBR coming up to get hyped about!

 

Thanks for checking out this monthly wrap-up post! What have you been reading recently? Have you read any of the books in today’s list? Do you have any recommendations for me?

 

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