Tag: Stormdancer

Sunday Summary – 10th August 2025

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Another Sunday Summary graces your screens on account of the fact that another week is over. Aren’t they flying by? In today’s post I have a great line up of current reads to update you on, as well as a couple of new books purchased. 

Before that though, the first port of call is always to catch up on the content I’ve shared so far this week. That way, if you missed anything, you have a chance to catch up! 

The first post of the week was my August TBR. Naturally the books I’ve been reading derive from this list and it’s been a great start to the month. I’ve made a good start so far this month, so I’m optimistic 🤞🏻 let’s hope that’s not famous last words…

On Friday I published a First Lines Friday post featuring an author I’m listening to currently. If you read my August TBR you’ll have a better chance of guessing the author. However, when it comes to books, he’s written several. Take a look and see if you can guess which it is. 

I’ve reviewed another recent read on Patreon this week. If you are curious about Little Fires Everywhere – maybe to decide whether to read it for yourself, or to compare notes, please consider subscribing to gain early access to reviews for all the books I’m reading! 

 

Books Read

 

Stormdancer

Stormdancer was always going to be a pretty quick finish this week. As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I only had a couple of hours of the audiobook left. 

Naturally, being this close to the conclusion I rapidly picked this up at every opportunity to get to the end. I really enjoyed the book and I’m curious about how the story will continue. The good news is I already have the audiobooks! 

 

If We Were Villains

As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I’d started the first 40 pages of If We Were Villains and was already intrigued. 

It’s fair to say that sentiment has held! I’ve been reading If We Were Villains throughout the week. Admittedly, I held off posting tonight to try and get the book finished this evening before this Sunday Summary went live. I’ve fallen a little short, but I only have 60 pages left! 

The story is really compelling and I’m looking forward to finishing this book. Fingers crossed I can finish it tomorrow! I really need to know how it all ends! 

 

The House Witch 

As part of the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club, I’m reading along with The House Witch. Admittedly I’ve only just started this book. Currently, my plan is to read this little by little throughout the month. The chat is set up with a rough timeline week on week to discuss, so at least I have some benchmarks to aim for. 

At the end of this week, in theory, I should have read up to and including chapter 17. I haven’t, my next priority will be catching up on this book before picking up another read! 

 

Tyrant’s Throne

Finally, the last book I’ve started this week is Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien de Castell. 

This is the fourth and final book in his The Greatcoats series. With finishing series being a priority in this year‘s resolutions, you can see why I’m excited to read and finish this book. I’m glad that I picked this up so soon after finishing Saint’s Blood. It had been some time since I picked up this third book in the series. Not wanting to end up in the same position as last time, I’m keen to finish the series whilst events are straight in my head. 

As of this Sunday Summary I’ve listened to one and a half hours. It made a good introduction. I’m looking forward to listening more over the next week! 

 

Books Discovered

I popped into town yesterday and a window-shop turned into a couple of purchases. 

The God of the Woods, Waterstones current book of the month, caught my attention. As well, Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World also appealed to me. 

Both these books were part of Waterstones ‘but one get one half price’ offer, so it would have been rude not to, right? 

 

Coming Up… 

 Next week I plan to start the week with a Top Ten Tuesday post. The subject of next week’s feature is ‘books guaranteed to put an end to you book slump’. It’s an interesting topic. It happens to all of us, and I’m glad to share my guaranteed books to pull me out of it. Hopefully they can help anyone else in the same situation. 

On Friday, I’ll be back with a Shelf Control post. In this week’s instalment of the feature, I share a dystopian novel that caught my eye and I’m interested to try! 

Finally, next Sunday I’ll update you on my reading progress over the next seven days in my Sunday Summary regular feature. I hope you’re looking forward to this next one already! 

On Patreon, I’m planning to share my review of Samantha Shannon’s A Day of Fallen Night. If you’re interested in my thoughts on this prequel, make sure you’re following me on Patreon. 

Until then, happy reading and I’ll see you around! 

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Sunday Summary – 3rd August 2025

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We’re back with another weekly round-up in this Sunday Summary. I hope you’ve had a great week? As always, I’ll catch you up on the posts I’ve shared, as well as what I’ve been reading.

My first post of the week was my Firsts of 2025 book tag post. It was a fun way to look back at some of my milestones of 2025. If you haven’t yet seen the post, there’s a link above if you want to check it out!

My second post of the week went live on Friday. As it was the first of the month, I came in hot with my monthly wrap-up for July. It was a decent month of reading, although I didn’t get through my whole TBR.

Elsewhere, on Patreon, I reviewed All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. In that post, I shared that there were aspects of the book I enjoyed, but there were others I struggled with too.


Books Read


House of Frank

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I shared I was 65% through House of Frank. I also shared I was optimistic to finish the book and share completion in today’s post.

The good news is I can share that I finished the book! It was a good read and I enjoyed this cosy fantasy. It was different to the books I’ve read lately and I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the book in the cottagecore fantasy book club I moderate!

Stormdancer

Stormdancer was the second book I hoped to have finished this week. This didn’t quite come to pass, but I now only have two hours of the audiobook left. I’ll be very surprised if I don’t finish it in the next week!

I’m really enjoying this audiobook and the unusual genre combination. What more, events are leading up to a conclusion now and I have no idea how this book will wrap up! I thought I did, but the narrative has just pulled the rug from under Yukiko’s feet and I want to see what happens next ASAP!


If We Were Villains

I’ve started If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio today, but only just. So, I don’t have a whole lot of progress to note. However, it’s good for you to know what’s coming up on my reading list so you know what book I’ll be updating you on in the next week! As of this Sunday Summary, I’ve read the first 40 pages and I’m intrigued. Let’s hope that continues.

I’m looking forward to getting into this fully. It’s been on my TBR shelf for quite some time…


Books Discovered

During book club on Wednesday, I was recommended two books by my colleague Meg. The first is the book we’re now reading for August – The Giver by Lois Lowry. The second book is called The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

The third book I’ve added is called The Wealth Ladder. As regular readers will know, I am picking up more non-fiction than ever. As well, I think this will be a useful and informative read.


Coming Up…

With early August hot on our heels (where has THAT gone?!), my first post of the week will be my August TBR. It’s my last chance to progress with my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. I hope you can take a look with me to see what’s coming up on my reading list soon.

On Friday, I’m back with another First Lines Friday instalment. The last time I shared this post, I set myself a challenge. This time, I’m keeping things open and interesting.

Finally, next Sunday I’m back with another Sunday Summary update post. As always, I’ll keep you informed on the books I’m reading, reviewing, and what I’ve posted online.

Until then, happy reading and I’ll see you next time!

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Monthly Wrap-Up – July 2025

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In today’s monthly wrap-up, I have a number of books to update you on progress for. Over the course of July, I finished three books in full. I also have two carryovers into the beginning of August (but not long left for either) and one DNF to report.

Let’s dive into today’s monthly wrap-up so you can see which is which!


Books Read


Saint’s Blood

An audiobook carryover from June was my listen of Saint’s Blood by Sebastien de Castell. Admittedly, as of my monthly TBR post, I only had an hour and 15 minutes of the audiobook left.

I finished it off pretty quickly! It was fun to get back into this series as it’s been a little while. Now I’ve finished this book, I’ve only got one book left in the series before I can mark this as complete.


The Anxious Generation

The next and final carryover from June was my physical read of The Anxious Generation.

I had more of this book to read into July. In June, I read the first 60 pages of the book, but that was all. By the time we were four days into July, I’ve progressed to 50% and I finished the book a few days later.

The Anxious Generation was a really informative read. I’d go so far as to say that I think this book should be more widely read. Understanding the changes in childhood experiences (both ways – this book compares and contrasts play-based childhoods and phone-based childhoods throughout) has opened my mind to why we’re seeing generational challenges today.

I rated The Anxious Generation four stars. It was an easy read even though it cites data and statistics. It’s written in layman’s terms so is approachable for all.


Alan Turing: An Enigma

Unfortunately, I have a DNF to share this month. I started listening to Alan Turing: The Enigma this month and I put it down within a couple of weeks.

I couldn’t get on with the book. The early narrative covers Alan’s early life and it was just dry. I was bored. Ultimately, I decided it wasn’t worth pushing on with an audiobook I wasn’t enjoying. I didn’t want to listen to it, nor risk getting into a reading slump over it. So, onwards and upwards….


Stormdancer

… and straight into Stormdancer I went!

Stormdancer has been a much better experience and I’m glad I made the switch. It’s an unconventional genre mash-up – Japanese fantasy and steampunk!

Not that I really had any doubts. Jay Kristoff is a regular feature on my blog now and I haven’t read a book of his I didn’t like. It’s also got me excited as I’ve got another standalone of his, more similar to this series than anything else I’ve read, upcoming on my TBR.

I’ve listened to Stormdancer for the rest of the month of July and as of this monthly wrap-up post, I only have two hours of listening time left.


The Measure

I picked up The Measure on Kindle Unlimited as it was the book I chose for book club. The Measure was already on my TBR and I was sure the premise would make for some great talking points.

It didn’t disappoint! This book was everything I hoped it was and I enjoyed getting to talk through my thoughts on this book. As dystopian books go, the narrative was set in a world very like our own so it was totally relatable. I also enjoyed how the story zoomed in on individual characters and impacts but also looked at how the knowledge of your lifetime impacted society as a whole.


House of Frank

A last-minute addition to my reading list this month was House of Frank. I’ve started to moderate a book club online via Discord and that is the club’s chosen book.

As of this monthly wrap-up I do still technically have a third of the book left to read. In my defence I was late starting it as I joined partway through the month. It’s not stopped me participating in chats about the book so far as it’s broken down into sections for easy participation.

I will, however, try to read this last section of the book over the next couple of days. Then, we can wrap up the discussion before moving on to our next book!


Summary

That’s all from me in this monthly wrap-up update! Have a good weekend and happy reading!

Have you read any of the books I’ve featured in today’s post? What did you read in July?

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Sunday Summary – 27th July 2025

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Today’s Sunday Summary comes at the end of a long weekend! I had Friday off work this week to attend one of my best friends’ weddings. It’s been a good week – let’s take a look at what I’ve been up to otherwise…

On the blog, this is the third post of the week. The first post was my 2025 mid-year review, which went live on Wednesday. In that post, I take a look at how I’ve done against my reading goals for 2025 so far. If you haven’t caught that post already, it’s a good read.

Friday’s Shelf Control was scheduled in advance in light of my wedding plans ☺️ This week’s post featured another upcoming book by John Marrs on my TBR.

 

Books Read


House of Frank

I’ve made a good dent with House of Frank this week, although not as much as I wanted. I was hoping to share this as a completion, but I’ve been busy with other things. Aside from prepping for the wedding, I made a gift for a friend whose birthday was this weekend, and it needed finishing touches. I’m also doing Sirdar’s crochetalong, and week 1 started this week.

Still, I’ve made solid progress, and I’m now just shy of 65% through the book. Reading time on my Kindle says I’ve got a couple of hours left. I’ll probably try to binge that tonight so I can tick this off my list.

Stormdancer

I was also hoping to share Stormdancer as a completion too, but not quite. As of this Sunday Summary, I’ve only made a three-hour dent into this audiobook, and I still have just under six hours left.

I really need to get a wriggle on with this listen as I have a deadline of Tuesday to finish it! I may end up having to try and borrow it from a library if I don’t finish the audiobook in time.

The genre mash-up is an interesting one, but I like how the story is progressing. I can only imagine what will happen at the end – the shogun won’t be happy with Yukiko if it’s heading where I suspect!


Books Discovered

When it comes to new books, no news is good news! It perfectly counteracts the fact that I haven’t taken any off the list either…


Coming Up…

So, aside from some reading catch-up, what’s on the cards next week?

My first post of the week will be a 2025 firsts post. Given I’ve had six months to tick some of these items off my list, I’ll let you know what some of my bookish firsts are.

On Friday, we’ll officially be into the month of August. With that in mind, I’ll publish my monthly wrap-up for July.

On Sunday, I’m sure you know what’s coming. I’ll be back with another Sunday Summary update post and fingers crossed I’ll have more finishes next week to share with you.

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Sunday Summary – 20th July 2025

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Happy Sunday reading friends and welcome to my Sunday Summary catch-up! I hope you’ve had a good one however you’ve spent it? This weekend has been quieter and I’ve enjoyed the slower pace.

But… that’s not what you’re here to read, is it? You’re here to find out what I’ve been reading. We’ll get there, right after I recap what I’ve shared online this week. 

First, I’m pleased to share that I finally got my review of Stolen Focus by Johann Hari into a place where I was happy to publish it. I thought I was happy with the word count I had, but I managed to add a good bit more before that post went live. If you haven’t yet taken a look, there’s a link to that post above. 

Next, I published my First lines Friday on schedule and fulfilled the challenge of featuring a book on my 20 Books of Summer challenge. I hope to pick up this book soon. Want to see what it is? It’s a historical fiction novel, but I’m not telling you any more… 

As well as the blog, I’ve started posting up-to-date book reviews on Patreon. Partly, that’s so I don’t end up in a position where two years down the line I’m struggling to write one (ahem, Stolen Focus I’m looking at you). However, it also gives anyone the opportunity to support me for early access to these reviews. They’ll make there way here in time, but new reviews are going on Patreon first. This week, I reviewed Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. However, I’ve also got reviews of Crashed, The Poppy War and Elektra so far if you want to read any of those. 

And now, onto the fun part of my Sunday Summary posts – the reading updates!

 

Books Read

 

The Measure 

Over the course of this week, and yesterday especially, I dedicated time to The Measure. I’ve really enjoyed this book – so much so I finished it yesterday. That means this week I read a little over 260 pages to complete this book. 

If you enjoy contemporary fiction with a bit of a dystopian element, The Measure could well be for you. I loved how this book exploded how the knowledge of one’s lifetime changed both the world and people’s individual stories. the measure of one’s life isn’t just in a span of years, and that is also a big theme of the book. Honestly, I’m glad we’ve picked this up for book club because there are plenty of talking points I can’t wait to get into with the group. 

I didn’t quite cry at this one, but there were a few close moments. It’s a very thought-provoking and emotional read. 

 

House of Frank

I’ve continued House of Frank which I’m reading as part of the Cottagecore Fantasy Book Club over at Chantelle Solace. I confess though that The Measure took priority earlier in the week. Now I’ve finished it, House of Frank is now my main read. 

It’s very different the book I just read, although it still deals with the topic of death and grief. It’s interesting that I’ve ended up reading these so close together. I’m not going morbid I promise! 

So far this week, I’ve read a few more chapters. So, as of this Sunday Summary I’m 16% through the book. 

House of Frank is a cozy fantasy, so very different vibes and hopefully a quick read. I’m hoping it will make for a nice change before moving on to my next read, which is a dark academia that also features death 😅 I promise I’m okay! 

 

Stormdancer

After sharing in last week’s Sunday Summary that I was putting down Alan Turing: The Enigma, I picked up Stormdancer. 

Stormdancer is a bit unusual as it combines asian fantasy and steampunk. Not something I’ve ever read before, but I’m liking it quite a bit! I didn’t really have any doubts over enjoying the book as it’s written by an author I’ve read a small variety from already – Jay Kristoff. 

This week I’ve listened to a couple of hours of the audio. With around 10 hours left an a deadline on Audible to get it finished, I’m hoping to share completion of this in next week’s Sunday Summary. 

 

Books Discovered

I picked up a couple of audiobooks this week after seeing them advertised in their weekly edit email. The first of those is Your Boss Era. As a lifelong learner, there’s always something I can be doing better. Whilst I may not be a manager, I have become a go-to contact between teams and. I am getting towards a more senior person in terms of experience. I think the contents of the book can help me step-up and demonstrate the skills necessary for a promotion in future. 

Next, I picked up another book that tickled my lexicon fancy. I loved English and words – so much so I wanted to be a speech therapist. The job wasn’t really viable here and there were aspects to it I wouldn’t have enjoyed, so I didn’t pursue it. However, I still have a love of language and words. That probably doesn’t surprise you when you consider I consume and write so many in a week of my own free will! That book is called Algospeak, and particularly focuses on how social media has shaped modern language. 

 

Coming Up… 

The final section of today’s Sunday Summary is about what’s coming up content-wise next week. 

On the blog, my first post well be a mid-year check-in my my progress towards my reading goals in 2025. It almost feels like that compulsory HR mid-year review, but don’t worry – I’ll make it more fun!

Next, on Friday I’ll release another Shelf Control instalment. This one will be prepared ahead of time as on Friday night, I’ll be out attending one of my best friend’s weddings. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down. It’ll be scheduled in advance 😉

Finally, the last post on the blog will be next week’s Sunday Summary instalment. I’m hoping to have at least two bookish completions with you this week! It’s rapidly coming up the end of the month and I still have a few books on the TBR to get to. Fingers crossed for some reading productivity! 

Off the blog, I have two reviews to catch up with on Patreon – Ultra-Processed People and All the Light We Cannot See. If you are interested in either of those two books, I hope you can subscribe over on Patreon so you don’t miss out! 

Until next time, may your tea be hot and your book better than real life ☺️

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