Tag: Samantha Shannon

Monthly TBR – June 2025

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In today’s post, I share the books I plan to pick up throughout the month of June. This monthly TBR isn’t too heavy on the book count front, but that’s not to say I won’t be reading more if I manage to get through each of these. 

If you read the post I shared on Wednesday, you’ll know that I’m taking part in the 20 books of summer challenge. In that post, I set out 20 books I hope to read before the end of August. Should I get to the end of these five before the end of June, I’ll be picking up one of those to keep up momentum with the challenge.

Let’s take a look at what’s on my official June monthly TBR! 

 

Fixed Reads 

A Day of Fallen Night 

This book is the only carryover that I started in the month of May. That’s hardly surprising, given that this audiobook is a little under 40 hours long in total. 

I started A Day of Fallen Night as part of my May TBR but only started it around a week before the end of the month. In that first week, I listened to a good portion of this audiobook – over 12 hours – so I can’t grumble on progress. If I’m able to keep up the pace, then I should have plenty of time to read the second audiobook I’ve planned for later this month. 

 

All the Light We Cannot See

All The Light We Cannot See

I had originally planned to read All the Light We Cannot See last month. However, as it took me longer to read The Poppy War than I expected, I didn’t get to the mood reads on my May TBR. 

Instead, I incidentally picked up this book for the first time last Sunday, being the first of this month. Already I’m enjoying the book and keen to see where the set-up is taking us. I’m also intrigued by how the lives of the characters are going to intersect. That can only remain to be seen and I’ll be updating you on progress in my usual Sunday Summary posts.

 

Little Fires Everywhere 

Our work book club is meeting later this month, and for that meeting we have agreed to read and discuss Little Fires Everywhere. 

I was aware of the book before it was suggested, but as yet hadn’t made a decision on whether I was going to read it or not. That’s the great thing about a book club! It’s through picking up books that you wouldn’t necessarily read for yourself that you get to push yourself out of your comfort zone. 

I don’t know if Little Fires Everywhere is going to do that for me, but I’m intrigued to find out. And no, I won’t be cheating and watching the Netflix series instead 😂 

 

The Anxious Generation

Another book I didn’t quite get to on May’s TBR was The Anxious Generation. I’m still keen to pick up this book, so I’ve carried it forward onto this monthly TBR. 

I’m still looking forward to picking up this book. The Anxious Generation is the only non-fiction on my official reading list this month. When I get to it, it will be a refreshing change from this fiction-heavy list. There’s absolutely no reason why I wouldn’t get to this book, but on the off chance I don’t, I’ve made it a part of my 20 books of summer challenge so I have to read it to complete that! 

 

Saint’s Blood

It’s been a long time since I picked up Sebastien de Castell’s The Greatcoats series. It’s been three years, to the month, in fact. 

Given I’ve enjoyed the series to date, it makes sense to get myself back into it. I also want to read it because it will help me towards my reading goal of completing series this year. After Saint’s Blood, I only have one book left in this series until I’ve finished it. 

Given it’s been so long, I will definitely have to refresh myself on what’s happened to date. I do have some vague recollection, so I don’t think I’m going to have to spend too long doing that. However, that refresher is much needed. Once I’ve read Saint’s Blood, I won’t leave it too long before finishing the last book. If nothing else, I want to finish it before the end of the year towards my reading goal completion! That also means I won’t need to refresh myself again on what’s happened.

 

Summary 

I’m hoping setting myself a slightly less ambitious list will help me towards completing my June monthly TBR. As I’ve already shared, I know which books I want to read this summer, so I have a selection to choose from should I exceed expectations and get through this list. 

Thanks for checking out today’s monthly TBR post! What upcoming reads are on your list? Is there any particular book or series you’re looking to pick up this summer?  

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Monthly Wrap-Up – May 2025

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In today’s monthly wrap-up post, I recap the books from my May TBR that I picked up over the course of last month.

Whilst I didn’t get to all the books on my reading list, I still had a great time with interesting non-fictions and epic fantasies. They’re very different genres, but I’ve read a variety this month.

Shall we take a look at what I read?


Books Read


The Poppy War

When I shared my May TBR I had just started The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.

I really enjoyed The Poppy War and I’m delighted I’ve now started this series. Given I have completing series as a resolution for this year, it gives me every freedom to binge-read the remaining two books in the series!

As much as I loved it, it did take me longer to read than I anticipated. The plot is quite dense, and the history the narrative is based on is not something I’m familiar with. As a result, I think I ended up taking my time mostly to enjoy the world-building and take time to understand what was going on.

Now that I’ve got this far though, I think I’ve set myself up in good stead for the remainder of the series!


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

Picking up where I left off in my April monthly wrap-up post, I’ve continued listening to Crashed throughout most of May.

I initially wasn’t sure what I made of the book because it had a lot of political discourse throughout the first part. Although this did ease a little, I came to see why this was an important part of the narrative. I got used to this style throughout the course of the book.

Whilst I picked up Crashed in order to learn more about the 2007 to 2008 financial crisis, in truth it is covered far more than that. It argues why the subsequent eurozone recessions and bailouts are inherently linked to the American markets that caused the initial crises in 2007-2008.

I confess this isn’t going to be a book for everybody. It’s only because of my working background that I have an interest in the subject. However, if this sort of thing is your cup of tea, Crashed was an enjoyable listen and I’ll recommend it.


Ultra-Processed People

Another non-fiction I read in May is a book called Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken.

Honestly, Ultra-Processed People was an eye-opener. I had a suspicion it would make me re-think my perception of food, and I wasn’t wrong. One of the greatest traps with ultra-processed food (UPF) is that we don’t look or understand what’s in it. Things that seem harmless are cast in a different light once you know why they’re there.

Not only does Ultra-Processed People discuss what’s in food, but also the impact it’s having on people. UPF is no stranger in UK markets, but how its introduction into new Latin American markets has impacted society should be ringing alarms to everyone.

Again, Ultra-Processed People was a really informative read and I really wish more people could get their hands on a copy.


A Day of Fallen Night

Before the end of the month, I managed to listen to about 11 hours of A Day of Fallen Night. When you consider the audiobook is around 39 hours long, it doesn’t seem like massive progress. However, it works out about 34% or just shy of 300 pages. That’s a shorter book!

This book is one of two books I’m carrying forward from this monthly wrap-up post. So far, I’ve enjoyed the story unravel and learn about the history of the world in which The Priory of the Orange Tree is set. Taking place five centuries before that book, there are plenty of ties to that main book that add familiarity to the book whilst also standing alone.

A Day of Fallen Night is one of the first books I’ll be finishing in June and it will carry forward onto my June TBR.


Sunrise on the Reaping

At the end of the month, I had started and read about a third of Sunrise on the Reaping. It’s fair to say I enjoyed this book; I binge-read the remainder of the book on the first day of the month.

As such, it won’t feature on my June TBR because it’s already finished. However, what I can say is that this book lived up to my expectations of the series. Also, it means I’m now fully caught up on the series until or if another book comes out 🥳

Haymitch is quite a complex character even from the first series. What I love about Sunrise on the Reaping is that it unveils what happened to Haymitch. It explains what happened to make him into the rough character he starts out as in The Hunger Games. From a historical point of view, the world-building opportunity it filled in was perfect. If you love the main series, it’s a great way to enjoy the world again without re-reading.


Summary

May was a good month of reading overall. Although some books took longer for me to finish, a last-minute binge-read saved the day!

Thanks for reading today’s monthly wrap-up post. What have you read recently? Do you have any recommendations for me?

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Sunday Summary – 1st June 2025

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Happy Sunday friends – I hope today marks the conclusion of a good week for you? In today’s Sunday Summary, I have solid reading progress to share with you!

It’s because I wanted to catch up on some reading that I took a break from blogging for the first half of this week. Rather than my first post going live on Wednesday or Thursday as is typical, this week my first and only other post is my First Lines Friday feature.

In that post, I ended up featuring a book I read a few years ago that I recommend to all my fantasy fans. In featuring the book, I discovered the sequel is now out for me to read. Win-win, right?!


Books Read


Ultra-Processed People

As of last week’s Sunday post, I was just under halfway through Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken.

In the first half of the week, I prioritised reading this book and ultimately finished it! I found this book really informative and it has changed the way I think about food. The information in this book should be broadcast more widely to the public; however, for the most part, it’s not.

In recent years, there is more in the way of TV programmes sharing this knowledge, and it needs to be more widely available. I think a lot of people would change the way they eat if they understood what was going into their food and actually how much of it isn’t really food.


Sunrise on the Reaping

The second part of this week, although technically it was mostly today, I’ve been reading Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.

This year, I’ve been looking forward to this newly released instalment in The Hunger Games series. If you are unfamiliar, this book features the Hunger Games in their 50th year, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. More meaningfully for readers though, it is the games in which Haymitch Abernathy features and seals his fate.

Prior to today, I’d read about a third of the book. I have no qualms about confessing that I blitzed the remainder of the book over the course of several hours today. It’s been a long time since I’ve hyper-focused and finished a book this quickly. It’s fair to say it didn’t disappoint in terms of living up to the wider series. It was also intriguing to see Haymitch as a boy before we meet him in the main Hunger Games series, and understand what happens to him to make him the man we see all those years later.


A Day of Fallen Night

Finally, the last book to update you on in this post is my current audiobook, A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon. This is also a prequel, so I can’t be accused of not living up to my goal of trying to read more series.

I’m also reading this one comparatively quickly after finishing the first book in January. I am often battle with the self-inflicted problem of leaving too long a gap between book in a series. As a result, I need to recap myself on events of the prior books before starting the next. The Priory of the Orange Tree was still relatively fresh in my mind; picking up A Day of Fallen Night has been very easy.

It’s been so easy, in fact, that I’ve listened to about 12 and a half hours of A Day of Fallen Night as of this Sunday Summary update. Although set several centuries before the main series, there are overlaps and connections to characters from that first book that I’ve appreciated connecting the dots on.

I’m looking forward to listening more over the next few weeks. Like The Priory of the Orange Tree, A Day of Fallen Night is a long audiobook. Currently, I have just less than 20 hours left at x1.2 speed.


Books Discovered

If you read my First Lines Friday feature post, you’ll know that I added the sequel to The First Binding to my TBR this week. That book is called The Doors of Midnight.


Coming Up…

Somehow, we’re already at the beginning of June. That means I’ve got a busy week ahead in terms of my blogging schedule!

Tomorrow I’m planning to bring you my monthly wrap-up for May 2025. Although it wasn’t the fastest reading month, and I certainly didn’t get to all the books on my list, it was a good one!

In order to spur on my reading pace and catch up with my Goodreads reading challenge (I’m 2 books behind schedule as of this Sunday Summary), I’ve decided to take part in a summer reading challenge. Stay tuned to find out about the 20 Books of Summer challenge, which I’ll share mid-week.

Next, it only seems natural to share my reading list for June. Usually, I have to leave myself an undisclosed placeholder for our work book club pick. However, this time I know what we’re reading ahead of our meeting towards the end of June. Stay tuned to find out what that is, as well as the other books I intend to read.

Last, but by no means least, I’m back next Sunday with another Sunday Summary catch-up post. Even if you can’t check out any of my other posts mid-week, be sure to read this weekly recap so you don’t miss anything!

Until next time, happy reading!

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Monthly TBR – May 2025

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My May TBR is officially here and I have quite the selection of books I plan to pick up this month. There are quite a few non-fictions, but I’m also spending time with one of my favourite genres.

I hope you’re as excited for my May TBR as I am. Well, maybe not quite…

But still, shall I stop stalling and get into it?

Fixed Reads

The Poppy War

Two out of the three fixed reads on my May TBR are books carried over from April. The first of these is The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.

If you read my monthly wrap-up for April, you’ll know I’ve only really just started The Poppy War. That said, I’ve really enjoyed the introduction I’ve read so far. I’m looking forward to getting into Rin’s story in earnest.

I’ve been recommended The Poppy War both online and by my sister‘s fiancé. He’s read and enjoyed the whole series already! We have quite similar reading tastes, and my experience so far suggests I am going to enjoy it as much as he’s advised I will.


Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

My second fixed read is another book I’ve started. I’m further into Crashed than I am The Poppy War, but I still have a good way to go. As of drafting this May TBR post, I have a little over 14 and a half hours audio until completion.

Thankfully, the second part of this book has been easier for me compared to the first. In fairness to the book, that first part sets down a lot of foundation about the political situation in which the financial crisis of 2007-2008 occurred. It is relevant to events that follow, even if it’s not a topic I find most interesting. Now that we’re over that though, I’m looking forward to and picking up this audiobook on a regular basis.


Sunrise on the Reaping

The last book I’m committing to reading this month is a recent release I’ve been excited for. Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel novel to Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series. I’m looking forward to this book because it‘s the story of the games mentor Haymitch is thrown into. 

I enjoyed Haymitch’s character and development arc in the main series. Naturally, I’m looking forward to seeing how the events of Sunrise on the Reaping shaped him into his future drunken, grumpy, and chronically unpleasant self.

If anyone reading is interested in reading along with me, I’m trying with the idea of hosting an online book club. Please let me know in the comments if you’re interested!


Mood Reads

All the Light We Cannot See

All The Light We Cannot See

After reading the three books above, I would like to read two books I proposed in last month’s work book club vote, but weren’t picked.

I feel like I’ve not read much in the way of historical fiction lately. So, I want to change that! I also think this could be a really touching story, and it goes back to a period of history I have read about and enjoyed time and again -World War II.

Not only am I looking forward to reading a book about war through the perspective of children, but one of the main characters is blind. So often I take for granted my ability to see – and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Reading a perspective from somebody without this ability is going to be a complete change… but one I’m looking forward to!


The Anxious Generation

The second book included in our work book club poll was The Anxious Generation. I picked up a copy of this book in December; I’m intrigued by the topic of how modern technology has changed children’s lives.

My upbringing was very different from when my parents were children. Yet again, even just a few years later, I can’t help but think how my experience of school would have been different if social media and smartphones were more readily available.

Has that had an impact on children? Hopefully, I’ll be in a better place to tell you about it once I’ve read The Anxious Generation.


Ultra-Processed People

I suppose you could say I’m undertaking a bit of a health kick this year. In an effort to both try and lose some weight and live a bit healthier, I’m educating myself on eating better. So far, I’ve already come across the concept of ultra-processed foods. I don’t think the impact these can have on the body is readily discussed. I’m looking forward to reading about more of this.

Incidentally, I purchased a copy of this book nearly a year ago. I was intrigued by the topic without really thinking how much attention I’d be paying to the subject now.

Having reduced my own consumption of ultra-processed foods by cooking from scratch in the last couple of months, I can attest to the science through personal experience. The way ultra-processed foods are manufactured means they bypass typical hormone responses of the stomach. As a consequence, people who eat more UPF’s consume more; these foods suppress hormones for satiety and increase hunger hormones.

I’m not going to claim I’m an expert on the subject – but this is why I want to read more. I wasn’t overly aware of the topic until I started looking into it for myself. And, I think it’s stuff more people should be aware of. 


A Day of Fallen Night

Finally, I have one last audiobook on my May TBR. Given I’ve already got several books on the list, I’ve opted for a longer audiobook to keep me occupied. It’s also a sequel, so a great way to continue my ongoing series goal!

I finished listening to The Priory of the Orange Tree in January this year. Whilst events of that first book are fresh in my mind, I want to carry on with Samantha Shannon’s next instalment of the series.

And, like its predecessor, it’s not a small book! A Day of Fallen Night weighs in at just under 39 hours of audio. Depending on the narration style, I may be able to speed that up to x1.2 speed and spend about 31 hours total listening. We’ll have to see though!


Summary

As I mentioned in the introduction to this month’s TBR, I have some great books on this month’s list. I’m excited to pick up each and every one of them — I hope you’re looking forward to hearing about them too!

What are you reading in the month of May?

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Monthly Wrap-Up – January 2025

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The first month of 2025 has flown by! It’s been a fun start to the year. And, as I hoped, I’ve picked up some great books to get me started. Today’s monthly wrap-up post is dominated by books I rated five-stars. What more could I ask for?

I set myself an ambitious monthly TBR, but I’m not going to knock myself down for not being able to match my enthusiasm with results. I still picked up the vast majority of the reading list. What didn’t make it in January is going to come back very shortly.

So, shall we take a look at the books I did manage to pick up in January?


Books Read


The Priory of the Orange Tree

I started the year with an audiobook listen of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I did this deliberately as I wanted to start the year right. I’ve heard great things about this fantasy, and I wanted to make sure that one of my first reads of 2025 was going to be a four or five-star rating.

At the beginning of January, I had already listened to just over half of this audiobook (55% if you want to get specific). That still left me with around 11 or 12 hours of audio to progress with. Whilst technically this is only half the book, that is more than a whole book’s worth when you think about the average book length I typically read!

Needless to say, my tactic worked. I rated The Priory of the Orange Tree five stars. I loved this fantasy inside out. It was a fun read with compelling characters and an interesting plotline anyway. However, its emphasis on strong female lead characters really made this even better for me.

 

Fool’s Errand

The second and final book I carried over from my December monthly wrap-up was Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb. Admittedly, I was much less into this book when I started the year. Aside from the first 56 pages, I pretty much read the whole book in January.

Fool’s Errand broke my heart in every way I feared it would. I really enjoyed being back in the world of Fitzchivalry Farseer and seeing how events have moved on from the first trilogy in the Realm of the Elderlings series. The foreshadowing at the beginning of this book hammered home my fears about what may happen in this latest instalment.

Can a book be both great and terrible at the same time? It was the events of this book that were tragic. The storyline and writing itself it’s usual fantastic standard. Robin Hobb is not known for pulling her punches when it comes to her main characters. Do we really get invested in them if we know they’re going to turn out right in the end?

Fool’s Errand achieved another five star rating and really cemented a good reading start for me this year.


Shuggie Bain

Back in November, our book club at work decided that we would reconvene in January after reading Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart.

Admittedly, this isn’t the type of book I would’ve picked up of my own volition. That’s the benefit of a book club! It gives you the chance to pick up and read new things and really get out of your comfort zone. Remember, that’s one of my reading goals for this year.

Whilst I confess I didn’t love every aspect of Shuggie Bain, that’s not to say I didn’t get anything out of it. The book is very bleak in its outlook, but gives great perspective on quite pivotal problems in our society like alcoholism, addiction and the impact these things have on families.

From our discussion, we came to the conclusion that whilst these things feel like a very distant problem for other people, they’re not so far under the surface. Quite often those afflicted are very good at masking their problems. Also, it’s dangerous that substances such as alcohol are so widely available to trap those trying to free themselves of their addiction.


Firefight

The final book I picked up and read to completion before the end of the month was Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. I appreciate fantasy has featured quite heavily on this month’s TBR, but I’m not apologetic for it. It’s my favourite genre for a reason! Brandon Sanderson is also always a great read. I’ve loved every single one of his books, even when you’re taken into consideration how varied they are.

Firefight is the second book of his The Reckoners trilogy. Part of the reason I wanted to pick this up early in the year is so I have just one book left in the series. You may also recall a featured this series in my Series to Finish in 2025 post.

I didn’t anticipate the ending of this book, but I went into it pretty open-minded. I really enjoyed how events played out in the book and it’s gotten me all the more excited to pick up the final instalment of the series very soon!


A Darkness at Sethanon

The last book I picked up before the end of the month, though admittedly I only got a couple of chapters in, was A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E Feist.

This book is also a final instalment in a series and that is the main reason for picking this book up. I want to make an effort continuously to keep finishing up series I’ve started and get the list back under control.

There’s not much to say as of this monthly wrap-up post, other than to say that I’ve gotten myself caught up on events of the prior books in the series and I’m looking forward to diving into this one in earnest!


Summary

This monthly wrap-up post has illustrated to me that my aims of picking up high-quality reads in my favourite genre for January have set me up in good stead for the rest of the year. With no less than 3 five-star reads already under my belt, I’m looking forward to continuing the positive streak.

Did you pick up any five-star reads in January? Do you have any reading goals you are prioritising for 2025?

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Sunday Summary – 19th January 2025

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Happy Sunday, fellow readers, and welcome back to another Sunday Summary post from yours truly. Before we get into it, have you had a good week?

I’ve been back to the usual blog schedule this week. Whilst I had fun sharing posts last week, it’s not a pace I can sustain. I will be doing it a little bit more often though. So, what have I shared this week? Firstly, I put together my review of Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb and published this on Wednesday. Fans will be glad to see plenty of content about her here!

Next, I featured one of my recent purchases in Friday’s First Lines Friday feature. I set this as a challenge for myself in last week’s Sunday summary post; I’m pleased to say I delivered.


Books Read


The Priory of the Orange Tree

I finally concluded this nearly 26-hour audiobook this week. It’s taken a good few weeks, but at the same time, this is probably the fastest I’ve listened to an audiobook for a little while.

When I first started this audiobook, I had reservations about how much detail I would take in. Fantasy is typically a very dense genre in terms of world building, etc. In the past, audiobooks have not been the best format for me to listen to these in. However, The Priory of the Orange Tree debunked that belief.

Maybe I need to give myself some more credit. Perhaps I’m more used to listening to audiobooks now and picking up the content this way. I’m not entirely sure why this worked, but I’m pleased to say it did.

The bulk of the audio left for this week was the epic conclusion. It was every bit as good as I expected it to be, and I rated this book 5 stars without hesitation. Needless to say, Samantha Shannon is going to be a future feature on my TBR with her other books!


Firefight

I’ve made pretty good audiobook progress this week. After finishing The Priory of the Orange Tree, I started Firefight by Brandon Sanderson this weekend.

Picking up Firefight on audio is a change from the first book. I’m pretty sure I read that one on Kindle. However, it worked well to pick this up in audio and continue listening to fantasy.

I always enjoy picking up books by Brandon Sanderson, regardless of the setting or the magic he has created for the book. Firefight is the second of three books in his The Reckoners trilogy. If you like books about superheroes and epic villains with magic, this is the best way I could describe the series to you. In Firefight, we’ve been introduced to a number of new characters, good and evil alike, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they clash over the remaining pages!

So far, I’ve listened to a two and a half hours of this 12-hour-long audio. Admittedly, I’m listening to this at x1.2 speed, so this works out at 7 hours and 45minutes left of actual listening time left.


Shuggie Bain

I left off from last week’s Sunday Summary update having just started the first 50 pages of Shuggie Bain. Over the course of the week, I have read a further 160-odd pages, bringing me to just over 50% progress on the book as of this Sunday Summary.

It’s not the easiest of reads in that the characters go through an awful lot. From poverty and alcoholism to death and adultery, the characters in this book don’t have a lot going for them. At the present time in the book, Shuggie is just a child watching this play out. But he’s not ignorant of what’s going on either. He’s all too aware of his mother‘s faults and it’s heartbreaking to see him try to make her happy or help her cope. As an ten-year-old child, he shouldn’t be responsible or feel responsible for his mother in the way that he does.


Books Discovered

Given the mini-haul I racked up last week, I have firmly put a lid on the purse strings, but also kept my head down. As a result, I’ve not added anything new to the reading list this week. I have enough as it is!


Coming Up…

The first post I plan to share with you next week is a Top Ten Tuesday. The feature of that post will talk about recent additions to my book collection. Even just looking back to last week’s Sunday Summary, you’ll see I have plenty to talk about!

Later in the week, I plan to share another Friday feature with you. This week it’s the turn of my Shelf Control post. So, I hope you can join me to look ahead at a police procedural thriller I’m looking forward to reading.

Lastly, you know the drill. Next Sunday will be the return of my Sunday Summary update post. I’m aiming to have a completion of Shuggie Bain in that post, and maybe even Firefight if I can step up my audio listening. Can I do it? You’ll have to check out that post to find out!

Until then, have a fabulous week whatever your plans are, and I will see you around soon!

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Sunday Summary – 12th January 2025

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Good evening friends and welcome to another Sunday Summary update. I have plenty to catch you up on. I have a book completion to talk about and a new start this week. Shall we get stuck in?

So far this week, I’ve already shared three blog posts with you. That’s because I have quite a lot of content to push out at the beginning of the year. I didn’t want to get behind with sharing what my intentions are in 2025. So, my first post of this week was my 2025 resolutions. Some of the resolutions look similar to last year, but there are some new ones too.

Next, I shared my monthly TBR for January. Many of the chosen books in that TBR relate somewhat to my resolutions post; that’s why I wanted to get that post out first. I’ve ambitiously set myself a goal to read seven books in January. Whilst I’m not convinced I will read them all, I’m going to work my damned hardest to get through as many of them as I can!

On Friday, I shared my Shelf Control post. This week’s feature is a book I added to my reading list after enjoying a trilogy written by the same author. I’m also intrigued by this synopsis as it sounds different to most of the books I pick up. But, it does remind me of one other series. One I loved, in fact!


Books Read


The Priory of the Orange Tree


Reading progress with The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon ticks on at a solid pace. I’ve listened to a few more hours of the audio this week and I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion of the book.

With just over three hours of the audio left to listen to, I’m starting to see how characters should slot into place for what I expect to be an epic conclusion. I’m looking forward to seeing how these final scenes play out. I’m undecided as yet as to whether events are going to conclude quite well, or if things are going to go a bit pear-shaped.

The depth of detail in the characters, places, and religion that defines the overall setting of the book amazes me. A lot of thought has clearly gone into this, and I was concerned that I wouldn’t pick up on or appreciate this much detail in audio format. However, that hasn’t proved to be the case at all. Maybe my reservations about listening to fantasy on audio for fear of missing out on this are unfounded.


Fool’s Errand

I am both excited and really saddened to tell you that I finished Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb last night. I shared in last week’s Sunday Summary that I was hoping to finish with this book this week. It’s been an excellent read, and I would say probably my favourite book in the Realm of the Elderlings series so far.

It’s not without its heartache though. Robin Hobb is excellent at tugging at the heartstrings. I feared something would happen in this book, and I was right. I’m not going to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it, but I confess I shed a few tears last night over it. It didn’t even matter that I expected it would happen. The way it was written was both beautiful and emotional.

I’m glad to be back with reading this series. I’ve also enjoyed being back in the world of Fitz and seeing where his story takes him next.  Arguably, I found this book the easiest to pick up and read out of the seven I’ve read so far. With the other books, the amount of detail and worldbuilding has meant that my progress has been quite slow. The writing is dense and there is a lot to take in, so consequently I’ve only been able to read in short bursts. I’ve not felt that way with Fool’s Errand at all. In fact, I sat and read 100 pages yesterday without really batting an eyelid.

I don’t think it’ll be too long before I pick up the next instalment in the series!


Shuggie Bain

Finally, the last book I have picked up and made progress with so far this week is Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. I’m reading this book as part of our book club at work, which is meeting on the 29th of January.

So far I’m a little over 50 pages into the book so I’m only really just getting introduced to the setting and characters. Although I’m quite early into the book, it’s already an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve laughed at crass comments from matriarchal Glaswegian women, yet equally read through characters enduring domestic abuse and suffering from poor mental health.

My feeling is that this narrative is going to take us into some of the darker sides of society and in particular, watch how that colours the lives of specific characters. I’m going to continue reading this more in the next week or so. Then I’ll be able to tell you more in next week’s Sunday Summary update.


Books Discovered

My wallet has been molested this week, but not for all the books I’ve added to my list since my last Sunday Summary update. I read an article on upcoming releases this year that gave me some book recommendations. These I’ve added, but not purchased yet.

The first of these books is a fiction narrative which explores how life can change depending on very small variables. In this particular case, the variable is the name they were given at birth.

Secondly, I discovered Adam Kay is releasing another book this year. Having enjoyed his non-fiction recount of his life as a junior doctor, I want to read more of his writing. So, I have added A Particularly Nasty Case to my TBR.

Lastly, with my goal of reading out of my comfort zone this year, I’m picking up something I have never read before. In this BBC article, I discovered that a Ukrainian writer took on the role of a war crime researcher after the start of the war with Russia. She has since tragically lost her life in the war, but her works have come together and are being published in Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary.

I was doing pretty well, until I went into Waterstones “for a look” this afternoon. That’s where I fell off the wagon. Two of the books I bought are already on my TBR (The Anxious Generation and This Book May Save Your Life). In addition, I also bought and added Ultra-Processed People, A Man Called Ove, and The Earth Transformed.


Coming Up…

As much as I enjoyed putting out the extra content last week, I can’t do it every week. I might do it a bit more often. However, next week I’ll be putting out my usual three posts.

Firstly, I plan to share a book review with you. Next on the list is ironically another Hobb book. Ship of Magic is the first book of the Liveship Trader trilogy, and book four of the wider Realm of the Elderling series. I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on it in the next few days.

On Friday, I’m back with another First Lines Friday post. I’m setting myself a challenge this week. Although I haven’t read any of the intros to the books I bought today, I have to share one of them in that post!

Lastly, next Sunday I’ll share another Sunday Summary post. As always, I’ll update you on my current reads, as well as upcoming posts and other bookish updates. I hope to see you there!

Otherwise, that’s enough from me. Thanks for catching up with me in this Sunday Summary.

What is the title of the last book you bought?

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Monthly TBR – January 2025

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Today’s first monthly TBR of 2025 comes to you with the whiff of a fresh start still in the air. My reading goals are still new and shiny…

Okay, enough of the pretentious rubbish!

Welcome to my first monthly TBR of the year. I’m excited to share my planned reads for January. I’m hoping to kick-start the year with some solid 5* reads and some ticks in the ol’ reading goal boxes. Start as we mean to go on, right?

The first two books on this list are carryovers from 2024. I picked these up in the hopes they’d see me right into 2025 and get me hyped for more great books. From there, I plan to pick up book club’s choice for January and some highly anticipated reads.

Shall we take a look?


Fixed Reads


The Priory of the Orange Tree


My first carryover from December is my audiobook listen of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon.

It’s been a good while since I listened to fantasy in audiobook format. Despite my reservations about retaining detail given the format of the book, I’m doing pretty well. I suspect it helped that I picked up this audio at a time when I could really dedicate some time to getting introduced to the world and the narrative. Usually, I’m piecemeal with picking up audiobooks. However, I had some time off around Christmas last year and I made the most of it!

As of this monthly TBR post, I have just 7 hours of audio left. This book is nearly 26 hours long, so I’m really getting to the conclusion anyway. I think that’ll help motivate my towards this very close finish!


Fool’s Errand



My second carryover is Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb. This book was my only physical read at the end of the year. It was also a mood read I picked up in the final days of December. Knowing I wanted a pretty much guaranteed 5 star read to start 2025 with, Fool’s Errand made logical sense.

Fool’s Errand is living up to its predecessors in the wider series. I’m really enjoying being back in the world of Fitz. He’s one of my favourite characters so far. Although things have moved on a little since the first trilogy, I’m also loving the familiar surroundings.

As of this monthly TBR post, I’m 400 pages into the book. With less than 200 pages left to completion, I’m again hoping this spurs me into action and another finish.


Shuggie Bain


Next, my plan is to pick up our book club pick, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. We meet on the 29th January, but I don’t want this to be a last minute read. 

To my mind, Shuggie Bain falls into my goal of reading out of my comfort zone. I don’t think it’s a book I’d have discovered and read of my own volition. However, that’s exactly why being part of a book club is valuable. It exposes me to new books and ideas.

To my knowledge, this book addresses a number of social issues. I’m looking forward to seeing what those are and being able to discuss those with our group. When I first put feelers out for members, I thought I might have to be a bit more involved in leading discussions. That’s proven not to be the case at all, which is a bonus. It also means we can dig into topics like this quite easily.


Mood Reads


A Darkness at Sethanon


Whilst finishing series is hot on my resolutions radar, my first intended mood read on this monthly TBR is the final instalment to The Riftwar Saga. I started with Magician back in 2017. It’s been a series I’ve picked up sporadically, so I’m going to have to remind myself on events of the prior books before I jump into this last one.

It’ll be good to give myself a check mark on the completion of series goal nice and early. This one can’t be taken off me later, as the series is published in full.


Firefight

Another series progression pick, although not yet a completion, is Brandon Sanderson’s The Reckoners series.

I first read Steelheart in 2020, but unlike The Riftwar Saga I have a decent recollection of what’s happened so far. No refreshers needed here!

Firefight is the second part of a trilogy. Reading Firefight will then enable me to pick up the last instalment in the near future, and that will be another completion.

I always look forward to picking up more Brandon Sanderson books. It made sense to add one to my first monthly TBR of the year to hype myself up. He’s such a diverse fantasy author; how he’s managed to write so many books in the genre (and overlapping others), all with their own magic systems and rules, amazes me. It’s what I look forward to when reading his books.

What else can he come up with?


Rose Under Fire

In my Top Ten Tuesday – Winter TBR post, I shared that I wanted to read Rose Under Fire. Again, this is another book that’s part of a series. However, I don’t believe these books tie together in the same way that a traditional series does. Each has their own main characters, but there are overlaps.

I loved Code Name Verity, another book in this series. It was the perfect introduction to Elizabeth Wein’s writing. Verity was a character I could get behind even before we got to see all aspects of her. Now, I’m intrigued to read other historical stories! Whilst I’m not so fussed on the sound of The Pearl Thief (book 3), I may be inclined to read book 4 (The Enigma) if I enjoy Rose Under Fire as much!

We’ll have to see… 


The Bone Collector

The last book to feature in this monthly TBR is technically part of a series. However, it’s not one I’ve already started and I intend to read the book as a standalone.

The Bone Collector has been on my TBR for a long time! Of the 211 books on my TBR right now, there are only 12 books that have been on it longer. Even then, some of those only stand as they haven’t been published yet…

I enjoyed watching a TV series featuring the events of this first book a few years ago. It’ll be exciting to see if the book is even better. I hope so!


Summary

This monthly TBR is AMBITIOUS. But, it’s a new year and I’m excited to get reading. Plus, it’s cold and miserable in January. What else have I got to be doing?

Thanks for reading today’s monthly TBR. Are you planning to pick up any particular reads in January?

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Sunday Summary – 5th January 2025

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Happy snowy Sunday, my fellow Manxie and UK friends! As always, welcome to my weekly Sunday Summary update 😊 I hope you’ve stayed safe today? We’ve not had as much snow as the UK, and only I saw some today as I live higher up. It is only quite thin and slushy though. I reckon it will be gone by morning. At least, I hope…

It’s my first Sunday Summary of 2025, and I have good updates to share with you! Firstly, let’s take a look at the posts I’ve shared, then get to my reading updates and what’s coming up on the blog next week.

On Wednesday, 1st January, I shared my monthly wrap-up for December 2024. It was a more productive month of reading than I anticipated. I even picked up a mood read at the end of the month! It’s been a while since I had the time to do that!

Yesterday, I followed up with a wrap-up post for 2024 as a whole. I share my reading stats for the year, as well as update you on how I did with my 2024 resolutions. Ultimately, I didn’t meet any of the goals I set myself this time last year. There are reasons though, and I share those in that post.

Books Read

The Priory of the Orange Tree

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve listened to 11 hours of this audio, evenly split about 5 and a half hours each.

Progress has been slower this week. I’m back at work and currently working through a very busy period. Not only that, but I’ve been spending more time working on social media and blog content in my free time. I’ve still made time to listen to The Priory of the Orange Tree in the car, or whilst cross-stitching. However, not as much.

This week, progress stands at 3 hours and 50 minutes. Considering audiobook progress before December was at a crawl, this is still decent!

We’ve covered some interesting plot developments in the audio I’ve listened to this week, so it’s been fun to listen to. I feel like anything can happen in the 7 and a half hours I have left, and I’m curious as to how events across the map are going to come together for the end!

Fool’s Errand

The second current read I’ve made progress with this week is Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb. Over the course of the week, I’ve read an additional 265 pages. That puts me at pretty much 50% into the book.

I love being back in the world of Hobb. I confess it’s taken me some time to read other books of hers in this series. There’s been a lot of detail and world-building to take in. However, for the first time in this series, I’m back in a familiar setting. We’re 15 years on, so there are some changes to discuss in the narrative. However, I’ve found this book easier to read… and for longer stretches.

I have a suspicion that something later in this narrative is going to break my heart – I can only hope I’m wrong! I guess I’ll find out and tell you more in next week’s Sunday Summary.


Books Discovered

In this section of today’s Sunday Summary post, it’s a case of no news is good news!


Coming Up…

I have lots to talk about with you next week, especially looking ahead at what reading goals I’m striving for in 2025.

I’m following a rare four-post schedule next week to catch you up! As it stands, I’ll be sharing my January TBR nearly a third into the month. I’m keen to get these posts live, so set your watches to check out my next post tomorrow.

That first post of the week will be my reading goals for 2025. Before I share my January TBR with you, it makes sense to explain what I’m working towards and how those selections work toward my goals.

Then, on Wednesday, I’m sharing that TBR. At the moment, I’ve ambitiously got 7 books on the list. I think I may have to defer one to February. But, I’ll see how quickly I can make progress with my current reads and make a decision on Wednesday.

On Friday, I’m back with a Shelf Control post. I’m keen to keep looking ahead and reviewing the upcoming books on my TBR. I hope you can join me for this post as well.

Lastly, it’ll be the turn of my next Sunday Summary update. Fingers crossed I have a lot of reading progress and insights into my posts (just shared and coming up soon).

For now though, I’m ready to put my feet up and enjoy some more reading before bed!

What are you currently reading?

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Monthly Wrap-Up – December 2024

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December’s monthly wrap-up is here, and I have great books to share with you! For the first time in a while, I had time left over at the end of the month to choose a mood read! It was a novelty, actually…

Shall we take a look at what I read in December?


Books Read


The Eye of the World

As of my December Monthly TBR post, I had 420 pages of progress, or 55%, left of The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. It is not a small book— in fact, it is the longest I read in 2024.

It took me until 20th December to read The Eye of the World, but I had a great time. Fortunately, I had time off work and some time to kill when out Christmas shopping. Then there was a morning spent in town waiting for work to be done on my car. You can be sure I brought my book or Kindle with me to pass the time. Otherwise, I’d probably have only just finished this by the end of the month.

I enjoyed The Eye of the World, and I’m curious as to where the rest of the series will take us. This first book has set down a good foundation. But, there is a lot that has yet to be explored. It’ll be good to see some of that fleshed out in its sequel, The Great Hunt.

I expect I’ll pick this up before long— especially as I have a copy already!


Three Sisters

Leaving off from my last monthly wrap-up post, I had just started and listened to the first 2 hrs of Three Sisters before the end of the month.

Truly, I devoured this audiobook. Especially when you consider how long it took me to listen to Defiant, I finished Three Sisters in record time.

Again, I took advantage of being on leave and listening whilst performing the usual Christmas preparations like wrapping presents. I recall doing that last year, and honestly, it makes the task more enjoyable. It’s a bit of a strange combination; listening to a fictional story about the institutionalised suffering of Jews and prisoners of war (among others) during the festive period isn’t exactly typical. However, it’s one of my favourite genres and topics.

I loved Three Sisters, and rated it 5 stars accordingly. It was also a success on completion as it’s a trilogy I’ve now completed 🥳

Next, I have a book written by Heather Morris called Sisters Under the Rising Sun, which I’m sure I’ll pick up soon too.


The Woman Who Would Be King

The Woman Who Would Be King was my first foray into non-fiction Egyptology and is my only non-fiction in this monthly wrap-up. I was originally drawn to the book as I wanted to learn more about this little-known female King and how she was erased from history.

Having never read anything like this before, I had no idea what to expect. However, in all, I considered it a well-rounded book.

Naturally, with the nature of Hatshepsut’s erasure from history (which I found out in this book isn’t necessarily personal), there are a lot of unknowns and conjecture. But, all in all, I think the author did well to explore a few different options or interpretations of what is known.

Given my experience of this book, I plan to read and watch more documentaries on the subject. Reading The Woman Who Would Be King really emphasised how different civilisations were then, and I’d like to learn more.


The Priory of the Orange Tree

Before the end of the month, I made a solid 55% progress with The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. As with Three Sisters, I made the most of time off and opportunities where I couldn’t sit down and read conventionally to listen to this book. Think driving in the car, etc. I’ve also been working on a cross-stitch project I’ve had ongoing for a while; these two hobbies go well together!

It’s been a good while since I listened to a fantasy audiobook. I don’t do it too often as I find I take in details better by reading rather than listening. However, as I’ve not been doing anything too taxing and I’ve made the progress I did in a smaller window, I’ve got a better grasp of the world and events than anticipated.

The Priory of the Orange Tree continues to be a current read, and I’m looking forward to this being one of my first finishes of 2025. I have high hopes for it being a highly ranked read!


Fool’s Errand

The last book to feature in this monthly wrap-up for December is my last current read. I picked up Fool’s Errand in the final days of December. I didn’t set a large TBR for December, and as a result, I saw the end of it for the first time in a while.

Honestly, I’ve enjoyed having the time to pick up a mood read. I nearly picked up Fool’s Errand in late November (I picked up The Eye of the World instead). It’s good to be back in the world of Hobb and another very different style of epic fantasy.

Robin Hobb is a favourite, and I picked the next book up in her Realm of the Elderlings series for two reasons. One, it will help me make progress in that ongoing series. Two, and more importantly, I expect to love this book, and I’ll start my 2025 reading list on a high.

As of this monthly wrap-up post, I’m 56 pages in. It’s a solid start, and I have plenty of reading ahead of me!


Summary

The fantasy genre dominated this monthly TBR, and it’s been a fun month of reading for it. I do love how diversely I read as a whole. However, it’s my favourite genre and will always be my baby.

As well, it was a novelty to finish my Monthly TBR and give myself a chance to pick up a mood read at the end of the month. As well, I’ve lined myself up with some great reads to take forward into January and 2025 as a whole.

What did you read in December? What was your best read of the year?

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