Tag: Michael Crichton

Sunday Summary – 8th September 2024

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Happy weekend folks and welcome back to the latest instalment in my regular Sunday Summary update posts.

I briefly returned to my three post schedule this week as I had both my monthly wrap-up for August and my monthly TBR for September to share with you.

As I wanted to get both you in good time, that meant I had to deliver this week. Thankfully, I’m feeling better after my illness last week and I’ve been able to fit both of those in alongside doing some study for work as well.

 

Books Read


Eruption

I had 155 pages of Eruption to finish, and I completed that in fairly good time this week. I wanted to get back to reading Eruption as soon as I was better; I’m sharing this book with Helen ahead of our book club meet later this month. If I’m honest, I had hoped to get it to her sooner, but sometimes that’s the way things go!

Ultimately, I rated this book 3 stars. It was a perfectly acceptable read and I enjoyed a lot of the information about volcanoes that is embedded within the narrative.


Undoctored

It turns out that I didn’t have a lot left of Undoctored left to listen to because I finished this very early on this week. There is a lot of bonus content at the end of the audiobook which admittedly I haven’t listened to. I quite often don’t in these scenarios.

I really enjoyed this book, and if you enjoyed his earlier works then you will definitely enjoy this follow-up too. Where previous books deal with his life as a junior doctor, Undoctored focuses far more on the end of his career as a doctor and moving on to his current career as a writer and comedian.

I rated Undoctored 4* and I’ll certainly be looking out for anything else he publishes in future!


The Lost Apothecary

As of my last Sunday Summary update I had just started The Lost Apothecary by reading the first chapter.

Admittedly, my focus has been on reading Eruption this week. However, I have read a further few chapters so I am now about 25% through this book. As I’ve got exactly a week left on my library loan now, The Lost Apothecary is my current read and will be my priority over the next few days.

What I’ve read already was done in quite a quick timeframe, so there shouldn’t take me too long to read overall!


Defiant

The last book I’ve started this week is Defiant by Brandon Sanderson. As I mentioned in my monthly TBR post yesterday, I’ve picked this up in audio format.

Even though I’ve read the prior books in the series physically, switching to audio has been seamless. I’ve enjoyed getting reacquainted with the world to see where we are going to go next. I’m not entirely sure where or how this narrative will go from here so I’m excited to listen more and watch this final instalment of the series play out.

I’ll be listening to more of this audio over the next week and I’ll be able to give you a better update next week’s Sunday Summary. I’m only an hour in as of this post. 


Books Discovered

Between keeping up with the blog this week, reading and studying for my upcoming exam in November I’ve not really been looking anywhere I would get a book recommendation. So, the reading list has had a week off of new additions!


Coming Up…

This week’s blog post schedule was an exception given the timing of August month-end. Next week I’m going back to one midweek post and another Sunday Summary so I’ve got more time to get back to studying for my exam.

Mid next week, I’m back with a book review for Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. For my thriller fans, this one is a five star recommendation for you. I hope you can check out this post!

Finally, I’ll be back with another Sunday Summary update this time next week. Find out which books I’ve read over the course of the week and any other personal updates.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of your weekend and I’ll see you around!

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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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Sunday Summary – 25th August 2024

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Good evening folks – it’s Sunday once again (and it’s been a miserable one at that!) so I’m here with another Sunday Summary catch-up!

This week is the first in which I’ve cut down my blog schedule, so I’ve only shared one post with you so far. That post was my book review of The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. If you like the sound of a Greek mythology with a feminist twist, I strongly suggest you check that out!


Books Read


Wolves of the Calla

As of last week’s Sunday Summary post I had only just started Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King. In reality, I’m not much further in this post. I started the book but ended up putting it on hold when I received a copy of Eruption. I explain why below.

As of this post, I am only 26 pages in, but looking forward to getting stuck in once Eruption is finished with!


Eruption

I’d debated ticking along with Wolves of the Calla by reading this in tandem with other books. However, I have more or less put that on hold in order to read Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson.

The book club at work are picking this one up ahead of our next meeting. The reason I’m reading this one so early this time is because I am sharing the book with Helen. She wasn’t able to get a copy from the library and she’s trying to watch pennies at the moment. I’ve offered to share my copy, so I’m reading it first to give her as much time as possible with it before the meeting.

As of this Sunday Summary post, I am 277 pages into the book. It’s an interesting read, even if I think the premise is a little bit far-fetched. It’s also very readable as the chapters are short and sweet. If anything, perhaps a bit too short for my liking. It’s something I’m able to work with quite well though.

I’ll have this finished in the next few days. I can give you my final thoughts in next week Sunday Summary.

Undoctored

From the half an hour listening time I updated you in last week’s Sunday Summary, I have gone onto listen to another hour or so of Undoctored by Adam Kay this week.

The majority of that audiobook time this week has been when driving to and from work. It’s a good reliable quality time moment for me that I can crack out an audiobook and have a good listen.

Undoctored so far is every bit as funny as I expected it to be. I loved listening to This is Going to Hurt and T’was the Night Shift Before Christmas. I have high expectations of Undoctored based on these experiences, but also confidence that it will meet those lofty standards.


Books Discovered

Between reading for fun and studying for work this week, nothing new has come onto my radar in the last week to update you on!


Coming Up…

I’m writing a fun book tag mid-week as a bit of something different on the blog. I found the post over on Zezee with Books and I thought it would be fun to share.

I’ll be back with my next Sunday Summary instalment at the same time next week. In that post, I’ll update you on my recent reads, anything added to the reading list and summarise what’s coming up on the blog in due course.

I hope you can check out each of those posts and I look forward to seeing you around.

Happy reading!

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