Tag: non-fiction

Sunday Summary – 29th December 2024

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Welcome to my last Sunday Summary of 2024. I can’t believe how quickly the year has flown!

This week has been a relatively quiet one on the blog. I took a few days off to celebrate Christmas with friends and family for the first half of the week. I don’t know about you, but I had a really great day. It’s the first time we’ve done it a little differently this year, but it worked out really well.

Back to business for the second half of this week, I shared a First Lines Friday post featuring a historical fiction novel I devoured recently and I expect to feature on my upcoming best reads of 2024 list.

 

Books Read


The Priory of the Orange Tree

I’m nothing if not consistent, as I’ve listened to another 5 and a half hours of The Priory of the Orange Tree this week. Admittedly, I’ve done most of that today whilst taking down Christmas decorations and generally pottering around the house. Call me Scrooge if you wish for taking them down so early, but I was planning on doing it no later than New Year’s Day anyway. I love Christmas, but when it’s done, I’m ready for it to be done with as well.

Overall, I’m now 55% of the way through The Priory of the Orange Tree. I feel like I’m getting a better grasp of characters, events, and how things are going to tie together a little bit. When I first started, there was quite a lot to take in and especially in audio format. Broadly, it’s a format that I really need to pay attention to in order to take up such detail. Naturally, in a fully invented fantasy world, there’s a lot to take in! However, I’m confident I’ve got the grasp of things now and I’m really enjoying this audio.

Story aside, I can recommend this audiobook for its production; I am really enjoying the narrator and how she is portraying characters through her voice. She’s making the job of following along with her a lot easier.

You can probably tell that I’m looking forward to continuing with this listen, and I expect to take this through into the beginning of the New Year. If my first impressions are anything to go by, this is going to be a highly rated book to kick off 2025 with!


The Woman Who Would Be King

As of my last Sunday Summary post, I had only just started The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney. To be more precise, I’d only made progress with the first 12% of the book.

I unexpectedly finished this last night. I say unexpectedly because the end of the book is actually 68% of the way through the e-book’s total page count. There are a lot of references and notes that go along with this book, and they take up the last 30%.

I confess, I’m not one to particularly go through these notes and verify the sources and assumptions that have come from them. I have better things to do… like read more books! That said, it is the kind of book that you could take from it what you will. If you want to engage in further reading, you absolutely can. I remember watching some television documentaries years ago that touch on some of the key individuals within this book, and reading this has inspired me to go and watch more.

I enjoyed the content of The Woman Who Would Be King. Whilst there are naturally some assumptions and opinions shared throughout this book based on scant detail available, I think those presented aren’t unreasonable, and counterarguments are provided. The author doesn’t assume authority on the subject but does offer the facts and a reasoned opinion.

It’s the first time I’ve picked up a non-fiction book on ancient Egypt, and I would definitely like to read more of the subject in the future.


Fool’s Errand

Finally, the last book I’ll feature in this Sunday Summary post is my current read, Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb.

After finishing The Woman Who Would Be King last night, I found myself in a bit of a strange position. I’ve not really finished a monthly TBR for quite some time. Having gotten to the end of my prescribed list, I had full freedom to pick up whatever I wanted to do next. My main priority was picking up a fantastic read to get started with the new year.

I had debated picking up Fool’s Errand instead  of The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. In fact, I got somebody else to pick out of the two for me. Robin Hobb is fast becoming one of my favourite fantasy authors. I have every confidence that I’m going to enjoy this first book of her next trilogy in the Realm of the Elderlings series. Picking up this book is also going to fit in well with some of my upcoming reading goals that I’ll be sharing in the next week or so. Plus, it’s exciting to get back to visiting, or rather revisiting, some characters from the first trilogy in the wider series.

I confess that isn’t too much to tell you at this point given I’m only 25 or so pages into this narrative. However, I have enjoyed the introduction and I’m looking forward to catching up with all my favourite characters!


Books Discovered

I received a couple of books for Christmas in addition to vouchers to spend at a later date (amongst other lovely gifts – thanks to everyone for them).

The first of these books is one I have already read at least twice and will no doubt go back to again in the future. I received the Penguin clothbound classic edition of 1984 by George Orwell, which is a book I’d asked for.

However, in addition to this, I received a copy of a book set in the same place but offers a different perspective. I had no idea Julia even existed or that it offered a more feminist take on the classic world originally set out by George Orwell. Rather than telling an alternate version, this works alongside 1984 and offers a different perspective. I suspect I’ll end up reading the two side-by-side so I can appreciate the original again before taking a look at this companion narrative.


Coming Up…

New Year is fast approaching, so that means it’s going to be a busy time coming up on my blog. Not only do I have the impending monthly wrap-up and January TBR to share with you, but I also have a recap of the year to share and new reading goals to set. I’m not going to get all that done next week. It’s a lot to do anyway, but it’s also one of the busiest times I have at work. So, to avoid burnout or overcommitment, some of these posts will drag out into the following week.

So, what is actually on the agenda for next week? My first post of next week will go live on Wednesday, the 1st of January. That will be my monthly wrap-up for December.

On Saturday, I’ll be back on the blog sharing a wrap-up for the year and a review of where I got to with my 2024 resolutions and goals.

Finally, on Sunday, I’ll be back for the usual weekly round-up, also known as my Sunday Summary post, to update you on my current reads.

If you’re still with me, thanks for taking the time to read today’s Sunday Summary catch-up. I hope you have had a great week yourself and that I will see you around very soon! What is the last book you’ve picked up in 2024?

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Sunday Summary – 22nd December 2024

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This is my last Sunday Summary post before the Big Day – you know… the C word! Are you ready? Before I get too excited thinking ahead, let’s jump in with my weekly recap of all things bookish and blog-related!

I started off the week with a late Top Ten Tuesday post. This week’s feature was all about my Winter 2024/2025 TBR. Weighing in at the end at over 1600 words, it really goes to show that when I say I’m excited about books, I can’t shut up about them!

Friday’s Shelf Control feature did me a service in helping me take three books off my upcoming reading list before settling on Middlegame by Seanan McGuire. If you like fantasy like myself but don’t necessarily want to commit to a series, check out this book. Whilst it is technically part of a trilogy, it can be read standalone.


Books Read


The Eye of the World

I have a finish to share with you this week! As I expected, I blitzed through the final 25% of The Eye of the World. I’m glad I picked up this book again despite not finishing it the first time I tried it. That first read and ultimate put on hold was because I was trying to read this book at a time when I didn’t have the mental stamina for a chunky book.

What was different about this time is that I picked The Eye of the World up as a mood read. I specifically picked it because I wanted a chunky book after reading several shorter ones. Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of the conclusion for this first book as I know it’s part of a big series. I’ve therefore gone into it pretty blind but that’s been a good thing. Not only was the ending of this first book engaging in its own right, but it also has me asking questions about where the series is going to go next!

The Great Hunt is on my shelf ready to pick up when I want the answer to this question!


The Priory of the Orange Tree

I’ve made another 5 and a half hours of progress with The Priory of the Orange Tree this week. Including progress from last week too, I’m now a third of the way through the audio.

Whilst I think I’m faring okay so far in following characters and places, the true test will be when I come to review the book. Maybe I’ll start making some notes to be sure! 😂

I’m intrigued by the storyline and where it’s going to go. At where I’m at in the storyline, I’m not sure just how pieces are going to slot together just yet. There’s plenty of time to find out! I’ve been listening to this audio and making good progress with a cross stitch I’ve got on the go over the last week. I’ve still got a few days of leave yet, so I’ll be continuing with that.

 

The Woman Who Would Be King

After finishing The Eye of the World, I’ve picked up what is probably my final non-fiction book of the year.

The Woman Who Would Be King is about a little-known female Pharaoh who has been almost lost to time. Hatshepsut (pronounced Hat-Shup-Soot according to Google – in case your eyes glazed over when reading the name like mine did the first time!) did everything right. She performed her duties but failed to bear a son. Instead, she ruled in a world of men for 20-odd years. How did she do it? It was pretty unprecedented for the time, and we have but fragments to look back on and piece it together.

I’m only about 12% through the book as of this Sunday Summary. There’s not too much to write about right now beyond its solid introduction. I’m looking forward to reading on to find out more!

 

Books Discovered

My net position in terms of my TBR is down 3 this week from my last Sunday Summary update. However, I have added one book to my TBR this week after chatting to my mum.

She has recently read and enjoyed three books by Claire Douglas, and I’ve added one of those to my reading list to give her a try. The book I chose was The Woman Who Lied.


Coming Up…

With Christmas imminently around the corner, I’m taking the next few days off to enjoy the festive period with friends and family. That’s what it’s about, after all! Just don’t tell that to the part of me that stressed and obsessed over what gifts to buy this year…

However, I’m back on Friday with my usual First Lines Friday post. It’s what you’re expecting and honestly, I want to keep it simple. I’m back at work for pre-year end madness so I don’t want anything too mentally taxing.

Finally, I’ll be back for my last Sunday Summary post of the year this time next week. It’ll all be over and I’ll be preparing for a busy period both at work and here on the blog!

Until next time, enjoy the rest of your week and I look forward to catching up with you in my next Sunday Summary.

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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 Wrap-Up – November 2024

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Today’s monthly wrap-up for November 2024 is the last I’ll share this side of the new year. New Year. 2025 is round the corner and I am not ready 😂

Before I start looking my too far ahead though, we need to look back. Specifically, we need to look back at what I read over the course of November. For the most part, it was a month of catching up on ongoing and upcoming reads after my exam. Nothing too groundbreaking, but after slower reading progress in the last three months or so, it was needed!


Books Read


The Squiggly Career

When I shared my prior monthly wrap-up post at the end of October, my aim was to finish The Squiggly Career by the end of that week.

However, I ended up putting aside for last minute study. Ultimately I think that was the right decision. So, I finished the book around third of the way into November instead.

It was handy actually as the book was a good size to take away with me to London for the weekend. Again, I didn’t do a lot of reading there – mainly on the plane there and back. Still, I’m glad I took it with me. Whilst I had some quality time to sit down and think, it gave me some ideas about things I want to incorporate into my squiggly career.


Carrie

Throughout November I read the second half of Carrie, and once I picked it up I devoured it pretty quickly!

I started Carrie as I wanted to pick up an iconic horror over Halloween (or Hop Tu Naa as it’s known here). As a short book, it also suited my circumstances of being very close to my exam deadline and not being able to take on anything too chunky.

I confess that I didn’t love the first half of Carrie, however the narrative from the point of prom night really picked it up for me. Honestly, I’m not a fan of the way Carrie was described or treated throughout. However, the drama really ramps up in the latter section of the book to make it worth it. I also enjoy the allusion to multiple ‘sources’ compiling the story of Carrie White. It’s a very minimal mixed media set up, but it worked.


Defiant

Defiant was a great conclusion to the Skyward series, even if it did take me a couple of months to listen to it!

Audiobooks are great, but they are also my least ‘read’ format. I don’t listen to books very quickly, and there are some genres I struggle to successfully listen to full stop. Whilst I had no trouble with this side of things with Defiant, time became my biggest constraint.

I started listening to this in early September. However, I’m slow at progressing through audio and the further I got on, the closer I ended up being to my exam deadline. Reading almost fell away during this period as well. Not totally, obviously, but I was doing a lot less of it.

However, after a good couple of months, I’m pleased to share that I have now finished Defiant. Not only that, but I was very satisfied with the ending. Not unexpected for Brandon Sanderson (at least in my book), but it was a great series that wrapped up well. If you enjoy sci-fi or YA fiction, please please please give this a go!


The Eye of the World

I was in the mood for an epic fantasy after finishing Carrie. I do enjoy a short book now and then, but equally I also enjoy an epic! The Eye of the World wasn’t on my TBR, so it’s a surprise feature in this monthly wrap-up post. 

This is the second time I’ve attempted to read The Eye of the World and so far, progress is good. I’m enjoying taking my time over a chunky, in-depth read. It doesn’t feel forced and I’m equally not pressuring myself for a quick completion either. I think that has been my trouble in the past.

Long books naturally take longer to read. The page count alone justifies this, but at the same time the stories are often more complex. They aren’t books I can binge-read quickly and get the most out of. I’d then feel like I wasn’t upholding a standard and get frustrated with myself. It’s silly really.

I picked up The Eye of the World to enjoy it and get started in a brand new series. I’m here for the fun of it, not to count my reading speed or kick myself if it takes a little longer. It’s about the journey, not the destination.


Three Sisters

On the very last day of the month, I made a good couple hours of progress in Three Sisters by Heather Morris.

It’s great to be back with The Tattooist of Auschwitz series. I’ve loved the stories, and especially the audiobooks, so far. Although I’ve just started this book, I’m optimistic it won’t be long on my reading list before I can tick it off as complete. What’s great about that is that it’s also a series completion for me once done.

I’ll be back to talk more about Three Sisters in my upcoming TBR and Sunday Summaries.


Summary

November was a productive month and I’m glad to have time for more reading in my life again.

Thanks for checking out this latest monthly wrap-up instalment! What have you been reading lately? Do you have any recommendations for books to pick up before the end of the year?

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Monthly TBR – November 2024

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This monthly TBR is late as earlier this month I was squeezed on free time to blog. When I originally planned to share this in my first Sunday Summary of the month, I didn’t take into account that I was away that weekend. Then, I hoped to share this post with you earlier this week before I sat my exam yesterday. In the end, I prioritised revision for that. It was worth it as I passed! So, finally I’m here today, nearly halfway through November, to tell you what I plan to read this month. Apologies this is much later than billed.

I’m not piling loads of books on the reading list this month anyway. I have a chunky book to get through, and I want to wrap-up those I’ve already started and have on-the-go. Plus, I want to ease myself back in now that my free time is my own again!

 

Fixed Reads


The Squiggly Career


As of drafting this monthly TBR post, I have in fact already finished The Squiggly Career. The Squiggly Career is a non-fiction book I knew I wanted to pick up this year. Having read You Coach You a few months ago, I wanted to continue with picking up content from Helen and Sarah and also doing so in a way that gives me resources to help with my own development at work.

If you are looking for this kind of content, then I cannot recommendThe Squiggly Career enough. It is a fantastic resource giving you the opportunity to challenge yourself and make space for asking questions about what you want to get out of your time at work (aside from the pay check).


Defiant

I’ve had the audiobook for Defiant on the go for a little while now. Last month I didn’t pick it up very much (to a degree just out of preference for physical books), but also because of my exam.

I have already made an effort to start listening to this again. Just today, I have made progress from around a third of audiobook in to halfway complete. Hopefully I’ll have a lot more progress to share with you in the next week or so. I’m not planning on rushing this listen, but I’ll make the most of time I have off and at home on my own to make progress.


Carrie

I started reading Carrie around Halloween because I wanted to pick up an iconic horror for the spooky season. I’m still reading this book as of drafting this post. However, I’m a good halfway through and optimistic that I’ll make some quick progress before the end of this week.

I’m not sure what to make of the book overall at the moment. It’s perfectly enjoyable, but I’m not sure it’s what I expected. At least, not yet. We’ll see if that changes as I progress further through the story to the conclusion.


The Eye of the World

The chunkiest book on this monthly TBR is one I just started before the beginning of the month. I’m in the mood for an epic fantasy and so I took the decision to start The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

You may remember I have picked up this book before. I tried to read it at a time when big chunky books wasn’t suiting me, and so I ended up DNF’ing it at around 60%. However, I always knew I wanted to come back to it. I enjoyed the story I had read up to that point and I’m looking forward to getting back into it properly this time. Fortunately, I own this book both in physical format and also on Kindle giving me flexibility in reading this however best suits me at the time.

 

Summary

For the first time in a little while, I’m not setting myself any particular mood reads this month. If I’m honest, I’m not sure I’d even get to them anyway. My real priority is to catch up on the books I’ve already started so I have a clean slate ready for next month. If I do, I’ll update you as and when. 

Thanks for checking out this very late monthly TBR post. What have you been reading recently? What is on your reading list?

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Sunday Summary – 10th November 2024

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Happy Sunday folks! I’m a very tired gal here posting today’s Sunday Summary. I’ve had a busy weekend as I’ve just been on holiday to London for a few days. I took my boyfriend to see Palaye Royale, and whilst we were in town we saw The Lion King and went sightseeing.

So, please bear with me for this post.

I planned to share two posts with you this week before we got to today. However, drafting my monthly TBR proved more difficult as we were out and about a lot and back late both evenings.

So, my only post this week went out before I left, and that was my monthly wrap-up for October.


Books Read


The Squiggly Career

Whilst travelling this weekend I finally finished The Squiggly Career. As of my last Sunday Summary I was still at the 60% mark. The benefit of spending a couple of hours on planes this week has been that I’ve had the reading time to finish the book.

The Squiggly Career has given me plenty of food for thought even though I haven’t done the exercises in it yet. It’s also given me the space to decide on next steps and progression ideas for myself.

I’ll be working on the exercises periodically for my development and it’s absolutely a book I’ll go back to time and again!

 

Books Discovered

I’ve been good when it comes to books again this week, although I was tempted at the airport. Thank goodness I didn’t have the bag space.


Coming Up…

Tomorrow I don’t have much planned, other than sleep, rest, and chill after London 😂 It’s been a shock to the system doing between 15,000-17,000 steps a day, that’s for sure! So, hopefully I’ll get my TBR post finished and in the public domain for you.

Otherwise, priority now goes to my exam on Wednesday. I’ll be back after that with a Friday feature I’ve not done for a while – Shelf Control. If you recall, in my Shelf Control posts I take a look at my TBR and share with you the books I plan to pick up in the near future.

That’s all from me in this Sunday Summary. It’s pretty short and sweet, but I don’t have a lot of updates and I’m looking forward to going to bed 😂

Have a great week and I’ll see you in next (longer and more detailed) post!

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Monthly Wrap-Up – October 2024

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I’m back with my penultimate monthly wrap-up post to be published this side of the end of the year. It’s crazy how fast this year is flying by!

I’ve accepted that I’m not going to achieve all my reading goals this year, and that’s okay. I’m having fun with the books I have picked up and reading is still a habit I get to enjoy as part of daily life.

Shall we take a look at what books I picked up in October? If you want a reminder, here were the books on my TBR. 


Books Read


Defiant

Defiant is still an ongoing listen in this monthly wrap-up post. I featured it in last month’s post and shared that I was a third of the way through the audio.

Admittedly, I have only listened to an hour of the audio over the month of October. It’s pretty poor progress, but I’ve not really been in the mood for it. As well, I’ve been prioritising studying for an exam and so all my reading has suffered a little until that’s done.

Defiant is still very much on my current reads list and I hope to have more to share with you next month!


The Rosie Project

As of my last monthly wrap-up post, I had barely started The Rosie Project. I read that book for our book club meet in October. Naturally, I had to put my skates on to finish it!

Overall my experience of The Rosie Project was okay. It didn’t quite live up to expectations on the humour side of things. Equally though, for a book from a genre I don’t really pick up myself, it was perfectly readable.

In terms of rating, it got a straight down the middle assessment of three stars.


The Outsider

I wanted to lean into spooky season and pick up a couple of thrillers or horrors this month. The first I completed was The Outsider.

Whilst also perfectly readable, I did hope for a different conclusion to this book. Given it’s written by King I really shouldn’t have been surprised it ended the way it did. Even still, I enjoyed the read and taking the chance to pick up this kind of book when the nights are drawing in!


The Squiggly Career

Taking a completely different tack, I picked up a very non-seasonal non-fiction next. Having read You Coach You in the past, I knew I wanted to read The Squiggly Career pretty soon.

It came at a good time actually. Whilst I’m still not finished with the book as at the end of the month, I read it in good time for a conversation I had at work recently. It helped remind me of what my values are at a time when I could have been steered away from them.

I’ll have more to share on this book very soon, as I’m hoping to finish this by the end of this week.


Carrie

The last book I made any degree of progress on in October is Carrie by Stephen King. I wanted to pick up an iconic King novel around Halloween.

As of drafting this post I’m still progressing with the book. I’ve got just over half the book to read, but it’s only 240 odd pages. It won’t take me long!

I’m of two minds about the book so far and how it’s going to go. I’m not a fan of the descriptors used for Carrie, likening her to a cow. However, I’m not going to let it spoil my enjoyment of the storyline. We’ll see how it progresses.

 

Summary

Overall, I’ve not had a bad month of reading. Naturally the page count is a little down whilst I’m required to do some serious reading for my exam. However, I’m looking forward to that all being done with so I can get back to my blog and reading with enthusiasm soon!

What did you read last month?

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Sunday Summary – 3rd November 2024

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Happy Sunday gang – I’m here for my usual Sunday Summary update and I’m looking forward to updating you on my week’s progress.

In last week’s Sunday Summary I had to admit that my review for Dear Child wasn’t ready to share and so I didn’t post midweek as I usually would. However, this week I have better news; I got the review to a place where I was happy to share it… and it went live on Wednesday.


Books Read


The Squiggly Career

In my last Sunday Summary update I left off at 144 pages (60%) into The Squiggly Career. Whilst I had hoped to finish the book, I ended up reading more of Carrie in the downtime I had.

As I’ve shared here before, I’m studying for an exam. As of writing this post, that exam is only 10 days away. Naturally, I’ve been ramping up the revision efforts and so reading has fallen off a little. If not for that, I’d have picked up more than the handful of pages I managed this week.

So, no major completion news to share as I hoped, but fingers crossed I can share that with you in my next update instead!


Carrie

I’m my monthly TBR I shared that I wanted to read Carrie around Halloween. Well, with that goal in mind I picked up this book this week.

I’m enjoying it so far and I’m currently 108 pages into it. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the negative descriptions of her character. Carrie is hardly painted in the best of lights. However, I suppose that may well have a part to play in what comes later. I’m not that far in yet, so we’ll see. Maybe that’ll be easier for us to make judgements on her character.


Books Discovered

Although I went into at least two shops selling books today, I’ve behaved guys. My straining bookshelves breathe a sigh of relief.

I have added a book to my reading list to get a copy of at a future date though. I’ve read a few Peter Gibbons’s books so far, and another series of his has been half on my radar. I just so happened to see an advert for an upcoming sequel (Odin’s Fury) and it looks like it has a local connection! That caught my eye and expedited the series landing on my ‘to-read’ list.


Coming Up…

It’s not really ideal timing with my exam coming up, but we’re in the beginning of November already! That means I need to share my monthly wrap-up for October ASAP and my TBR for November.

I’ll get both of these posts out to you during the week, and then I’ll return with a Sunday Summary at the usual time.

Thanks for sticking with me in today’s Sunday Summary! Enjoy what’s left of your weekend and I’ll see you around!

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Sunday Summary – 27th October 2024

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Good evening folks and welcome to another Sunday Summary from yours truly! I’ve got a little more to share with you in the way of reading progress this week, so let’s get to it!

Before that though, I usually take the chance to share the blog posts I’ve shared earlier in the week. However, this week, despite planning a book review, there isn’t one. Admittedly, I started drafting the review but wasn’t happy it was in a good enough state to publish. Therefore I made the decision to put a hold on it whilst I improved it.


Books Read


The Outsider

As of last week’s Sunday Summary post I had around 170 pages left before completing The Outsider.

I did so quite quickly actually – partly because Monday evening was spent restoring my phone. It took a good few hours and I couldn’t do much else. I got so close to the end that there was no way I was putting the book down.

As I suspected, the book took a supernatural route to the conclusion where my own preference would have been for a logical one. But, it’s Steven King so what did I expect?

Still, I enjoyed the book overall. It’s not what I expected for the premise either, but it’s good to be kept on your toes.


The Squiggly Career

Next, I picked up a non-seasonal read for a break. The Squiggly Career is quite a short read and a nice, digestible format. As such, as of this Sunday Summary I’m already 144 pages (60%) in.

I’m reading this now with a view to completing the exercises over time to see how my perspective and progression changes. Already I’ve found it useful in getting to understand what I value about work, what my skills are etc.

My aim is to finish this in the next couple of days; I’ll give you an update this time next week and let you know if I achieved that.


The Eye of the World

I fancied picking up a mood read, so this week I started The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. This is the second attempt at this book; I originally started it a few years ago but I was struggling with long books at the time. Now I’m in a much better frame of mind to take on a long epic – and a good job too! This is a long series, but one I’m looking forward to reading.

I’m just a few chapters in so far, but this is one you’ll see more progress on in the near future. So, stay tuned!


Books Discovered

Thankfully, I have no new bookish additions to share this week. I think I’ve had enough lately… don’t you agree?


Coming Up…

I’m revisiting my review of Dear Child this week and hoping to get it finished and published by midweek. At least I have a solid foundation down, so I’m optimistic for better luck this time! Given we’re celebrating Halloween (or Hop Tu Naa) later this week, I want to share this seasonal read whilst it’s relevant!

Then, I’m back with a Sunday Summary next weekend as usual. Find out what I’m reading next week in that post!

Until then, have a fabulous weekend and I’ll see you again very soon!

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Monthly TBR – October 2024

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Am I likely to finish this October monthly TBR? If the past few months are anything to go by, the answer is no. However, I’m still setting myself the line up regardless!

You may recognise some of the books on this list from my recent Top Ten Tuesday Autumn TBR. Those posts are great ways to look ahead at planned upcoming reads. And, by sharing them publicly I’m held accountable as well.

Let’s take a look at the books I’m picking up this month:-


Fixed Reads


The Rosie Project

I’m currently reading The Rosie Project for our work book club. Currently, that meet is scheduled for next week so I need to get a wriggle on. So far, I’m only 15% or so into the book.

I’m enjoying the perspective of the protagonist so far, but admittedly, this book isn’t what I’d normally pick up for myself. However, the point of book club is to challenge my reading and try something new. I’m going to stick with this book as long as I can, even if that means I don’t finish it ahead of our meet. I’m not too worried about being spoiled for it.


Defiant

Defiant is on my fixed reading list for October because it is currently read that I carried over from September.

I didn’t listen to too much of Defiant last month even though I’m really enjoying the story. I tend to wax and wane with the format. But, I think this is impacted most by the fact that I’m studying for an exam. That said, I’m still going to continue with this book as and where I can. Equally, I won’t put too much pressure on myself if that takes a little longer.


Carrie

I’m including Carrie on my fixed reading list for October because I always try to read a classic around Halloween. I am relatively unaware of the story of Carrie considering how popular it is. I haven’t read the book before and neither have I seen any films on it.

Stephen King is one of my go-tos in the horror genre. It’s not a genre I really love, but there is enough in his writing that has a psychological element rather than just a cheap jump scare. That’s what gets me interested as opposed to basic fear-mongering tactics.


Mood Reads


The Outsider

Another Stephen King book I want to pick up this month, but won’t kick myself if I don’t get to, is The Outsider. I love the premise and I think this will also make a great spooky reading in October.

There is something about crime committed against children that riles people up against the accused. I am sure there is going to be a big element of that in this book, and how much I’m influenced by that remains to be seen.

I’m looking forward to giving it a try!


The Squiggly Career

The last book on this monthly TBR is a non-fiction. In my Autumn TBR post, I shared some non-seasonal reads that I want to pick up in the next few months. One of those is The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis.

I enjoyed reading (listening) to You Coach You earlier this year. After listening to that book, I went on to purchase a physical copy of it so I can refer back to it again. At the same time, I bought The Squiggly Career. I have always believed there is always something new to learn and skills and ways in which I can develop into a better version of myself.


Summary

I have some great, interesting and seasonal spooky reads coming up in October’s monthly TBR. Have you read any of the books on this list? Are any of them on your list?

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