Tag: sunday summary

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 4th November 2018

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Good evening ladies and gents! It’s time for another Sunday Summary post, in which I reflect on a very busy week!

This will be my fourth post of the week; normally I don’t schedule in so many posts, but a couple of reviews and a new reading list for the month were all due at the same time. It has been fun, although I can practically see steam coming off my hands from typing so much!

On Monday I posted my review of The Hidden Face by S. C. Flynn. The author kindly offered me a copy of the book in exchange for review; it’s been the first direct request I have had for a little while, so it made a refreshing change to read.

Then, on Wednesday I shared my (very short) TBR for the month. It’s not that I am not planning on reading this month… don’t be silly. That would be like telling me not to breathe! This month, I decided to give myself a little more freedom in the books I read as opposed to a full, set list.

Friday was my stop on the Blog Tour for Another Kind of Magic, the third and final book of the Caitlin series by Elizabeth Davies. As an avid reader of historical fiction and a great lover of magic, this series was a treat for me. If you haven’t read any of these books, please go and read my reviews… or better yet, give them a try! If you do, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

 

Books Read

Following on from last week’s Sunday Summary post, I began the week by finishing reading The Swan Keeper by Milana Marsenich. I reviewed Copper Sky, another of Milana’s books back in March this year. After doing so, Milana kindly asked if I would accept a copy of The Swan Keeper to read and review at a later date. Naturally, I accepted. I really enjoyed both the plot and the characters.

Also featuring today (and in my Sunday Summary post last week) is Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski. I confess though I have read less of this book than last week. I have made some progress here, so I include it, but not a lot. The majority of my time has been spent on another book this week.

A Game of Thrones – how I love this series! I have already read this book twice over, but it really doesn’t matter. It’s the kind of treasure you could never get bored of. A Game of Thrones is one of two books I have set myself the task of reading this month; considering its size and the fact that I only started reading this on Thursday, I’m impressed that I’m already 25% through. I can, and have, literally sat with this book for hours. I look forward to many more!

There is something else. The desperate urge to include a GoT pun in this post is overwhelming. I apologise in advance.

I decided to take a little break from the book last night by taking up a hobby I haven’t really touched in a year or so. Given that my current woolly hat is a little old, used and is showing its age, I decided to test my crochet skills by making one! I haven’t made anything in a while, but I found a reasonably simple pattern online and I started to make it. Why? Well the answer is simple.

Wait for it…

Source: Giphy

 

I SAID I’M SORRY – Okay!!

But I’m not really…

 

Books Discovered

So, this is one of those rare weeks when I literally have nothing to say in this section! As I think I mentioned in a previous Sunday Summary post, I am on a book ban.

Why do I do this to myself?

 

Coming Up…

Although I had a fabulous week with lots of posts, I’m scaling back to my usual schedule next week. It gives me enough breathing space to produce some decent content.

So, what posts can you expect? Well, I am going to post two reviews this week, because I have a few to catch up on!

At the end of September, I attended an event as part of the local Manx Litfest – a storytelling of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I adored the show so much that I picked up the book as soon as I got home. I’m not even kidding. I had read the book just shy of ten years ago at school, but I wanted to read it again and form a second opinion. To that end, I am going to be sharing my thoughts with you about my re-reading of this book.

 

 

 

 

My second review of the week is going to be for a book I devoured in a matter of days. Muse of Nightmares – what a fabulous read this was! I could read both Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares all over again.

Don’t encourage me, seriously.

Naturally, I’ll conclude the week in the usual manner.

 

 

 

Instead, let’s talk about what I SHOULD be reading! I want to make more progress in reading both A Game of Thrones and Season of Storms this week. Preferably, I would like to finish SoS by Andrzej Sapkowski by the end of the week to keep momentum. A Game of Thrones is going to take longer – it’s a huge book. I’ll keep chipping away though!

 

What are you reading this week?

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 21st October 2018

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It’s Sunday night and the end of another week. Whereas in previous weeks I have been delighting in the fact that I have time off work to enjoy, rest assured karma is biting me right now. Yes, I’m back to work tomorrow.

I can hear you all laughing at me now – and good for you! I would too… were I not in my shoes.

No really, I do enjoy my job. It may come as a surprise, but working with numbers actually strikes up a good balance against my love of reading and writing my blog.

So, what have I been doing with my time off? Well, reading of course! That… and talking about books. On Wednesday I reviewed Breachers by Anthony Thomas for the Blog Tour organised by Fiery Seas Publishing. As I stated in my review, it’s one of the easiest five-star reviews I have given this year! If you haven’t taken a look at that review yet, I’d appreciate it.

On Friday, I published a long overdue review of The Relic Guild by Edward Cox. I read this book back in August, but since I have had so many blog tours on the go, I just haven’t had the time to commit my thoughts to… webpage. You get the idea. This is another positive review and a book I would really recommend for anyone who loves Fantasy (particularly magic).

I’ve also been doing a lot of work behind the scenes on my blog. When I say a lot, I mean A LOT. When I migrated my blog to a self-hosted site earlier this year, I came across problems – 260(ish) broken links to media files that didn’t import properly. Yep, it was that big a problem.

Well, those are all fixed now! It took hours of manual changes, but it’s done! I also noticed a lot of the formatting on those pre-migration posts isn’t great so I am fixing a lot of those too. That’s a work-in-progress at the moment, but less urgent. I’m pleased anyway! It’s kept me busy and I had no way of making time to fix the links otherwise.

 

Books Read

Ahead of Wednesday’s blog tour review I was due to post for Breachers, I finished reading this book on Monday. I don’t like to have things so last minute for tours. If there is one thing this worked out well for though, was keeping everything fresh in my head for the review. I think maybe I should be better at making notes as I read, or drafting reviews sooner, because on this occasion this review was incredibly easy to write!

This week also saw me return to reading The Hidden Face by S. C. Flynn. I put this book down about a third of the way through last week to ensure I could review Breachers on time. Once I re-commenced reading this book, I finished it within a few days. It is a fast paced book, whilst still managing to fit in plenty of history behind the events taking place in modern day.

The next two reads this week weren’t on my list for this month. I confess I picked them up rather on impulse. First, I started reading The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. I received an ARC of this book from Orion Books a few months ago now, in anticipation of publication in February next year. You have to get a copy. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours, no word of a lie. I am so glad I picked it up.

My next unplanned read is Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett. Yes, folks, I’m back to reading Pratchett again. I just love the Discworld series so much that I need to pick up one of these books occasionally. In borrowing an ebook copy of this title, I also got to test out my new Kindle tablet, so it’s a win-win situation really! I’m 90% though this book as we speak, but I’ll finish that tonight no sweat.

 

Books Discovered

After last week’s performance of binge buying books, I have been far more restrained.

I saw an offer for Stephen King’s Bag of Bones, advertising the e-book as only 99p for a limited time. So, I bought it. I justified it by arguing that by using by gift card balance, I wasn’t TECHNICALLY spending my actual money.

Not strictly true I know, but I needed something… okay?!

 

Coming Up…

down the tbr holeThis week I have a little breathing space on the blog tour front – yay! Haha! For a bit of a change, I have decided to take a look at my ever-growing TBR again and potentially weed out some books I no longer want to read. It feels like it’s been a while since my last post, so this is definitely overdue!

I will be posting another book review this week; however, this will be a throwback review of an old book or series. I have so many books that I’ve read before starting my blog – it doesn’t make sense to omit featuring them!

 

 

In addition to the posts I am planning on publishing this week, I’ve decided I am also going to trial setting some reading goals here. I want to see if that works for me anyway. Compared to last year, I have read quite a bit less. I know it isn’t a competition, but I feel I need a little kick up the backside encouragement some weeks. Maybe accountability might work for me!

So, tonight I am going to finish Interesting Times. I’ve already committed myself to that. In terms of reading progress, I am aiming to pick up and finish Another Kind of Magic by Elizabeth Davies. I am reviewing this book in the upcoming Blog Tour, so I want to give myself plenty of time to read this in advance (and make notes!) As the cover isn’t being revealed until the 25th October, I can’t share this with you now. You’ll just have to wait and see!

In addition to Another Kind of Magic, I am also looking to make a start on The Swan Keeper by Milana Marsenich. This is the last book on the list for this month; if I can manage to make a start on this by the end of the week then I’ll be in a good position to read this before the end of the month! It’ll be the first time I’ll have made it through all the books on my list in a month for a little while, not to mention the couple of extras I picked up too!

I look forward to updating you next week! Happy reading!

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 14th October 2018

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Usually, I would be lamenting the fact that it is Sunday night. Not this week.

Call me a bitch if you like (go ahead, I’ve been called worse), but since I’m not at work tomorrow, I don’t care that it’s Sunday!

 

Okay, I know I’m a bitch. I’ll deal with it.

So, what have I been up to this week?

Aside from reading, shopping and just generally dossing around, I’ve been doing some work behind the scenes on my blog. There has been a slight appearance change to bring everything into line; I am pleased with the result! Also, I have been working on some broken links caused by the migration of my blog from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. I still have a way to go on these. I’m hoping to invest more time into this next week, so next weekend it should be resolved!

As a result of this, I only managed one blog post this week. On Wednesday I shared my thoughts on a local event I attended a couple of weeks ago. As part of the Manx Litfest, I saw a re-telling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, performed by Ben Haggarty and Sianed Jones. It was a fabulous performance.

 

Books Read

I’ve made good headway on a few books this week!

I started the week practically devouring the rest of Muse of Nightmares – not surprising really! I finished this on Monday night. It didn’t last long at all!

Next, I moved on to reading The Hidden Face by S. C. Flynn. I am reading this book at the request of the author in exchange for a review. It’s interesting so far! There is a fair bit of history to events, giving depth to the world the novel is set in. The characters are also unusual, and some shrouded in mystery. I’m about a third of the way through the book at the moment and I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes!

As I am taking part in the Blog Tour for Breachers by Anthony Thomas next week, I’ve also picked this up this week. I took part in the cover reveal back in February and since then I was hoping to get my hands on a copy! When I was invited onto the current blog tour, I was elated! I have nearly finished this book – I’m at 77%. It’s not an overly long one compared to others I have been known to read, but I am sure as hell enjoying it! You can look forward to my full review really soon!

Last, but certainly not least, I’ve made further progress on Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff. As I have had some time to work on a painting project I’m doing, I’ve been listening to Godsgrave at the same time. It’s a combination that works for me – I can’t really explain it. I listened to several hours of the audiobook though, so I can’t complain!

 

Books Discovered

I bought far too many books this week.

Okay, ignore the statement above, because there is no such thing. I bought six though, haha! A bad week for my wallet. Oh well!

On Monday, I was having a crappy day. It was just one of those… we all get them, right? I went into the bookstore “for a look”, which didn’t really go to plan. I came out with a copy of Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. Both of these books were already on my TBR, so I justified it that way…

On Friday, I ventured into the bookstore again, gift voucher in hand. I knew I was going to end up buying a few books on this trip – in fact; I had been looking forward to the chance all week. The weather was absolutely awful, but I still ventured out anyway – #dedication. When I left, it was armed with a copy of;

  • The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
  • Th1rt3en by Steve Cavanagh
  • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  • The Shining by Stephen King

A successful haul, in my opinion! I might have to lay off for a while now though… or not. Best not to make promises I can’t keep!

 

Coming Up…

 

So, as I mentioned above, I am taking part in the Blog Tour for Breachers by Anthony Thomas. My review is going live on Wednesday 17th, so I hope you can take a few moments to read my thoughts on this thoroughly enjoyable book!

 

 

 

 

I am planning on writing a second review this week, as I am aware it is a little overdue. Back in August, I read The Relic Guild by Edward Cox, however, I am yet to share my thoughts about it with you.

 

 

 

 

I’ll also be doing some more work behind the scenes to bring my blog up to speed and hopefully improve the site!

I’ll look forward to seeing you around!

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 7th October 2018

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I’m writing my Sunday Summary. That means another weekend is over. Seriously… they go WAY TOO FAST!!

Not to rub it in… Okay, I am totally rubbing it in, but I have some long overdue time off coming up! So, next week is a really short one for me work-wise. Hopefully my next Sunday Summary will be chock-a-block with progress. I’m going to stay optimistic on that point, okay? We’ll see!

So, back to this week – what has happened? Well, I shared this month’s reading list with you all! I have some exciting books on the list, so if you haven’t taken a look yet, please do! On Friday I took part in a much-anticipated blog tour for A Stain on the Soul by Elizabeth Davies. This is the second book of the Caitlin series. In a few weeks time, I’ll be reviewing the next book – Another Kind of Magic. I received my copy on Monday and I cannot wait to read it at last! A Stain on the Soul leaves us on quite a cliffhanger; I cannot imagine how things are going to pick up.

There is also a little something that didn’t happen – sorry guys! I promised a post about the recent re-telling of Frankenstein on Friday. I’m going to make that up to you next week. If I am entirely honest, I had planned that for Friday, forgetting that was my blog tour date. Next week, I promise!

Now, onto a more positive note: what books have I been reading this week?

 

Books Read

It is hardly surprising that after re-kindling my love for the tale of Frankenstein, I picked up the book. Is it on my reading list? Nope. Oh well, the heart wants what the heart wants. I cannot and will not deny myself. I finished the second half of the book this week, with a little less fire and enthusiasm I’ll admit, but I am glad I read it. It isn’t the easiest book to read, but not having to analyse it to death like I did when I was fourteen is a huge help!

School really knows how to be a killjoy when it comes to reading.

This weekend, I moved on to Muse of Nightmares! I picked this book up on Tuesday after work. I practically ran… but only PRACTICALLY. I don’t run. I was fast walking at a push, really.

 

But anyway, I got it, and I started reading this on Friday and have pretty much been flying through it since! Even though I have been out a lot of the day today, I am still 75% through it. I’ll be highly surprised if I haven’t finished it by this time tomorrow night. I know what I am like, after all…

 

Books Discovered

Technically I acquired my copy of Muse of Nightmares this week, after a long wait, so I’ll include it here. As I’ve already talked about that above, I won’t linger on it here!

I also purchased a copy of The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories. Not only is this appropriate for the time of year, but it also features stories from authors I like. George R. R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen King are just three of the contributors. I’ll look forward to reading these!

 

Coming Up…

So, what posts can you expect to come up next week?

Well, as promised, I’ll be writing a post about the recent event I attended, a re-telling of the story of Frankenstein. It was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I am also determined to finish the Mystery Blogger post I started several weeks ago! Now, I’ll have the time to mull it over, so I am going to finish it… even if it kills me. Overdramatic much!

I am also using my free time to do some work in the background. Most of it probably won’t even be noticed, but I have some tidying up to do. I experienced some gremlins when I migrated by blog a few months ago, so I’ll be batting them over the head with a stick, figuratively speaking of course. I am also hoping to make a slight change to the appearance of my blog, but fixing the problems are priority… and there’s a few of them.

Fingers crossed I’ll have it all fixed soon!

What books are you reading?

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 30th September 2018

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There is no eloquent way I can accurately express how well this week has gone for me!

I don’t know what it is lately, but I have felt a little bogged down. Perhaps it is work in general… or maybe because I have a number of blogging obligations. Either way, things have felt sluggish. I’ll admit I have been a little light on the blog-post-publishing front, but I think I needed those few days. I have no regrets.

This week I have only published one post – a Blog Tour review for Ragis by Donna Migliaccio. I have fallen so hard in love with this series this year; if you haven’t read it yet, I implore you to… you won’t regret it!

I promised a Mystery Blogger post as well. It’s already late (in my eyes anyway) and I haven’t been in the mood to write it. I’m not going to force the issue otherwise it won’t make for an enjoyable post. It’s a work in progress – maybe I’ll publish it one day!

I was having a good week anyway, in reading terms. I’ve also had a bookish event to look forward to, as this week has been the Manx LitFest. Unfortunately, due to other absences at work, I haven’t been able to attend many events. I did, however, attend a re-telling of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” at the Gaiety Theatre on Friday. I loved it; it was the first time I have attended an event like it. I hope I get the chance to again!

After going to see that performance, I feel revitalised. That might sound incredibly bizarre, I know, but it was good to break the norm. There aren’t many bookish events here and I seldom get the opportunity to meet like-minded people. I booked my ticket to attend in May, so I have been looking forward to it for a while! I think I am going to write a separate post about it very soon.

 

Books Read

 

It has been a good reading week, despite one book ending up on the DNF pile. I don’t like doing this, but if I cannot get on with a book, forcing myself to read it is worse.

After last week’s update, I finished A Stain on the Soul by Elizabeth Davies. I recently read and reviewed Three Bloody Pieces; ASoTS follows on from events in book one and I’ll also be reviewing this very soon! I had hoped to move on to the last book in the series next, however, since that book is not touring until November, I haven’t received my copy yet.

I picked up Desolation by Jesper Schmidt instead, although I confess, not for very long. This is the book I, unfortunately, had to resign to the DNF pile. Much of the narrative is spent trying to set up this fantasy world, yet it is difficult to invest into. I couldn’t warm to the writing style. I hate not finishing a book, but I decided quite early on that it wasn’t for me. It isn’t fair to force myself through a book I am not enjoying and even less so on the author when it comes to committing my thoughts to paper.

So, moving swiftly on – with my reading list for September done (as much as possible), I returned to reading The Eye of the World. This book is huge and the plot complicated, so I think I’ll be reading this in dribs and drabs until I get to the end. I have managed to read another 10% of the book, which to my mind is pretty good going. Having taken a break, it wasn’t all that difficult to get back into. I suppose it’s a good job really, given its size!

After going to watch the re-telling of Frankenstein on Friday night, I came home, made myself a cuppa and picked up the book straightaway! If that doesn’t tell you how much I loved it, then I don’t really know what will! I last read the book at the age of 14 and hated it! I have often said this for all the books I studied at school, but changed my mind when reading them again for pleasure. Frankenstein is also proving to be the same. I fell asleep reading this at around 1am on Saturday morning – that’s how unwilling I was to put it down! I am now halfway through the book… it won’t take long to finish either!

 

Books Discovered

Whilst I haven’t *bought* any books this week (which is a miracle, since payday has arrived), I have used some audible credits that I’ve had for a while.

I’ve added my first Phillip Pullman book to the list! I have heard a few things about this author, so when I saw a book by him set in Victorian England, I listened to the sample! This is going to be a really interesting listen and I cannot wait to try this new author!

I have also downloaded Lock In by John Scalzi. I am making a conscious effort to read/listen to more science fiction books, so this is a perfect fit. This will be the first book I have tried from this author too, so I’ll have to see what I make of this. Maybe I’ll be reading more of their books in future!

 

Coming Up…

It’s October tomorrow. The leaves are starting to turn, cold winds are rising and there is a nip in the air. Okay, so I’m being a little dramatic. But, the point is, it’s a new month! You know what that means… a new reading list! It is another busy month of review requests and blog tours, as well as a getting my hands on a much-anticipated release, MUSE OF NIGHTMARES!

Since I enjoyed the re-telling of Frankenstein so much, on Friday I’ll be taking the opportunity to tell you a little about it, as well as those that took part and made the event possible! I hope you can join me for that!

In the meantime, ladies and gents, keep reading!

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 23rd September 2018

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Happy Monday all!

I can hear your thoughts ticking over now… “Monday? But this is a Sunday Summary post?”

Yes, you are right. I’m posting this late as I took part in a Blog Tour for The Barefoot Road by Vivienne Vermes yesterday. Anyone familiar with the requirements will know that you don’t post other material on a given day… to give the tour full exposure. So, I am honouring that and posting my weekly update post late – at 00:01 on Monday, to be exact!

I also took part in another Blog Tour earlier this week. Three Bloody Pieces by Elizabeth Davies is the first book of the Caitlin series, and I had the pleasure of reviewing the book for the tour.

All in all, it has been a good week for me. I hope you have had a fabulous week and are looking forward to another one!

 

Books Read

 

I have another Blog Tour coming up imminently for Ragis by Donna Migliaccio. I’ve been reading the series this year; it’s fast becoming one of my favourites. In last week’s update, I had made some progress in reading this book. This week, I finished the book, and quite quickly too! I always find these books really easy to get into, even after a break, which helps a lot! Stay tuned to my blog for my review – it’s coming up really soon!

After finishing Ragis, I began reading A Stain on the Soul by Elizabeth Davies. This is another Blog Tour coming up. You’ll note I haven’t added a cover for this book yet. That’s because the cover reveal is today… and it’s not for me to spoil it! I’m around halfway through this second book of the Caitlin series. If I’m entirely honest, I am finding this easier to read than the first book. The flow is better and a lot of the context is already laid out, so naturally, there is more action than its predecessor.

 

Books Discovered

I have well and truly wracked my brain… and I’m not lying to you when I say that I have nothing to report. Really, I promise… this time anyway! I solemnly swear that I have not added or purchased any books this week!

I must be ill…

 

Coming Up…

RagisRecall I mentioned an imminent Blog Tour for Ragis? Well, that is coming up this week, and I cannot wait! Tuesday is the big day, so I would love if you could check out that post. If the series is new to you, the reviews on the first three books can be found here:

Kinglet – Gemeta Stone #1

Fiskur – Gemeta Stone #2

StoneKing – Gemeta Stone #3

 

A few weeks ago I was nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award. I tried to write my own post in response to this almost straight away… but I actually found it to be quite tricky! I’m going to pick up where I left off and try to finish that post for you!

 

 

 

 

 

What are you reading this week?

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 16th September 2018

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Welcome to another Sunday Summary, my wild weekenders! Well, I can only hope you are – someone has to make up for me not being one at all! I hope you have had a good one, whatever you have been doing.

This week, I had hoped to share a post after my recent nomination for the Mystery Blogger award. I found, however, that the post proved difficult to write. To date, I’ve written about half of the post, so fingers crossed, I’ll share that soon. I did get around to sharing a Throwback Thursday post this week though, which is a relief! This week, I decided it was time to talk about a much-loved series that I had the pleasure of growing up with. Like many teens, I dreamt of getting my letter to Hogwarts. Alas, I just have to content myself with the magic in the pages of books!

 

Books Read

This week I finished reading The Barefoot Road by Vivienne Vermes. When I wrote my Sunday Summary post last week, I was halfway through the book. I’m glad that I managed to read this in plenty of time for the now imminent blog tour. I have a lot of deadlines coming up, so this is one to tick off the list! I enjoyed the book and it’s take on some difficult subjects – but more on that in my actual review!

I’ve definitely been a lot better on the reading front this week. Not only have I matched last week’s progress, I have also read half of Ragis by Donna Migliaccio. This is another tour I am taking part in – and sure looking forward to it too! I started this series at the beginning of the year and I am totally in love with it! So far, Ragis is living up to expectation and is proving easy to read (devour)!

Godsgrave is back on the agenda this week too! Gosh, aren’t I doing quite well?! Whilst working on my arty project, I listened to more of this audiobook. Listening in the morning just isn’t working out for me anymore, so I have stopped trying to be honest. Maybe I should try listening on my drive to work instead – I’m usually more awake then. Well, I sure HOPE so…

 

Books Discovered

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you’ll know Sunday treats (aka books) were purchased today! In my defence though… I was unsupervised. I usually spend Sunday’s with family, however, not today! I went shopping by myself, and before I know it, I was in Waterstones.

#sorrynotsorry

I decided to treat myself to another classic… and I chose Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. I’m trying to build up my collection slowly, so this is the latest edition! I also purchased the next book in The Gunslinger series, The Drawing of the Three. I bought and read the first book of the series in paperback; it would be sacrilegious not to continue the series that way, especially now I have the shelf space!

 

Coming Up…

I always look forward to this part of the post every week. It makes me look at the diary and temporarily cures my paranoia that I am going to/have missed a deadline! As I said above, I have a lot of deadlines coming up – and two of those are this week!

Starting on Wednesday, I have a Blog Tour review for Three Bloody Pieces by Elizabeth Davies. This is the first book of three; I am reading the next two books shortly for review at a later date! In the meantime, I would love if you could check out my thoughts on this first book when I post this week.

Next, I have another Blog Tour on Sunday! This is for The Barefoot Road, the first book I read this week. This is a standalone book that echoes historical fiction in its treatment of ethnic segregation and themes of witchcraft and religion. If you want to read more on that, check out my blog next Sunday.

 

 

Sunday SummarySo, as I have the Blog Tour scheduled, my Sunday Summary post is going to be slightly late. I’m going to schedule it for first thing Monday morning, so you don’t have to miss out on my weekly update and general musings. I hope to see you around for that!

 

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 9th September 2018

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Good evening – I hope you are all having a lovely weekend, as always!

It’s time to share my Sunday Summary again! Where do the weeks go? Isn’t it scary how time flies…? I can’t exactly say it’s been fun. I’ve had an exceptionally busy week at work, with colleagues on holiday or off getting their little ones into primary school. So sweet!

Anyway, less about them and more about me. I can be such a diva sometimes!

Earlier this week, I shared my top ten authors in a Top Ten Tuesday post. I actually enjoyed writing this post as it gave me the scope to talk about more books. Frankly, there are so many books out there that deserve recognition. Writing this from an author perspective felt less restricting. I did find it difficult to narrow down to ten though. I enjoy reading books from MANY authors. If you weren’t included, then I am sorry. I love you all really!

On Thursday I published another Throwback Thursday mini-review. This week, I featured two books by Rachel Hartman – Seraphina and Shadow Scale. These two books take a completely different approach to a world in which dragons and humans live together. I really enjoyed reading them, with their interesting characters and gorgeous descriptions of music. If you want to read more, you can do so in that post.

On Saturday I was nominated for the Mystery Blogger award by Emma @ Emma’s Chapter. I’m very grateful and excited to have been nominated for the award!

 

Books Read

Last Sunday I mentioned that I was going to finish reading Three Bloody Pieces that night. I didn’t have long left with the book, after all. I confess though, I did not. My blog post was finished and published later than I expected, so I finished the book on Monday instead.

Next, I started reading The Barefoot Road by Vivienne Vermes. I am about halfway through the book at the moment, but I want to read more tonight to get further along. (I know I said this last week, but oh well!) I had hoped to have this book finished by today, as I want to have plenty of time to write my review prior to the Blog Tour on the 19th. I haven’t, but I’ll be making a conscious effort to get this book finished early next week!

 

Books Discovered

I told you last week that I had nothing to report here. I regret to inform you, friends – I lied.

I didn’t mean to lie to you; I just kinda forgot I bought a book. That happens to us all, right? So, I apologise. Last week, I bought a copy of The Chalk Man. Having read some excellent reviews, I wanted to pick up a physical copy of the book, and I did!

The second book on the list this week, A Discovery of Witches, was recommended by Paige @ Just One More Paige.  Thank you very much for suggesting this to me!

 

Coming Up…

 

So, what posts are coming up on my blog this week?

Striking whilst the iron is hot, I’m going to write my own Mystery Blogger post in reply to Emma’s nomination (above). I truly am grateful that she has thought to include me in that list. A little bit of recognition can go a long way! I’m going to have to get blog-hopping to find some other posts fit for nomination! I’ll admit I’ve been a bit lax on that lately anyway. Better late than never!

 

 

 

My nomination for the Mystery Blogger award recognises the mini-review series I started a few weeks ago now. The aim of that series is to look back at books I have read previously and feature them on my blog. I feel it only appropriate to write another one of those posts again. This week though, I’ve decided the subject already. I felt it to be a little cliché starting the review series with these books, so I held back. Now though, I think I’m ready to talk about the books I would argue J. K. Rowling is most famous for. It’s a series that I can hand on heart say I grew up with; as I am sure many of you did too.

 

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 12th August 2018

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It’s the end of another week friends! Have you all had a good one? It’s been a pretty good one here, I have to say. Despite it being a normal working week, I’ve had the pleasure of reading some pretty fantastic books. That’s what counts, right?

I really enjoyed writing my review for Children of Blood & Bone this week. I think the book is fantastic and I am so glad it has received such a positive reception. Interestingly, I also saw Tomi Adeyemi on BBC News… in which she said that a film was being made of the book! I’ve read the book first, so that’s license to go and watch the film when it’s out. That is if they show it here…

On Friday I also published the latest Down the TBR Hole post, with little success in clearing out the list. I only binned off one book, but at least I know I still want to read the other nine I reviewed. What can I say; I just have good taste in books!

 

Books Read

This week feels like a really productive one!

I have been reading The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, and I will say, it is quite a dense read. Since last week I have progressed from around 20% to 47%. I’m nearly half way! It is hard going at times though. It’s not that the book isn’t enjoyable… it is just that there is a lot going on and a lot of information to process. I’ve found that I read it better when I take breaks and read something else in between chapters.

For a few days, that “something else” has been Individutopia by Joss Sheldon. I would argue that this book is more political type fiction than I would normally read, but I have enjoyed it though! I finished this last night as I listened to the rain belting against the window and the wind howling (perfect reading weather, imho). I’m going to be sharing my thoughts with you really soon, so stay tuned. Reading this book in between has also been useful as I am pretty up to date with reviews – spending too long on Eye of the World would make me struggle for content. It’s a win-win situation.

In the same vein as Individutopia, I have started reading The Relic Guild in between chapters of The Eye of the World. I am only a few chapters in so far, having only started the book last night. I’m enjoying it because it is the first physical book I have picked up in a wee while. Kindles are great for practicality, but they don’t quite replace the real thing though.

Last, but by no means least – I FUFILLED MY PROMISE TO FINISH NEVERNIGHT!!

It’s been a long time coming, but I got there in the end. I tend to listen to audiobooks when getting ready for work in the morning. Lately, I’ve not been sleeping so well – so in the morning I’m too tired to even try to follow it. I’ve done it though! Moving onwards and upwards, I’m listening to Godsgrave next!

 

 

Books Discovered

This feels pretty much like the story of my life. Remember I took one book off the TBR in Friday’s installment of Down the TBR Hole?

Yeah, well I’ve already replaced it.

As I also think I established in that post, I have a particular love for Tudor history – especially Henry VIII. I am really interested in the history of the monarch himself, and his wives, so adding this book to the list was a no-brainer. I saw that the book was on offer for £1.99 – it would have been rude not to?

I’ll tell myself that.

 

 

Coming Up…

IndividutopiaSo, as I previously mentioned, I am going to be sharing my thoughts of Individutopia with you next week! I found the book really easy to read, even though the setting and mindset of our main character was a little extraordinary. If you want to find out more, please check out my review on Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

 

I am also going to be starting another mini-series, friends! I’ve been thinking for a little while about how many books I have read before starting my blog. It’s quite a few! Therefore, to incorporate these books on my blog, I am going to be writing mini-reviews of them! I cannot promise that they are hugely specific (as I read them a long time ago) – but it may just be enough to either introduce a new series to you all, or find other like-minded friends!

I’ll be writing my first post on Thursday!

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 5th August 2018

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 Howdy all! I hope you have had a marvellous weekend! It’s been a humid one here, but blessedly dry – so I cannot complain!

This week has been a good one for a number of reasons. On Tuesday I published my reading list for August. I have FINALLY gotten around to reading a book that has been on my list for ages! More on that later.

On Friday I posted my thoughts on whether we are doing enough to encourage children to read. It is based on research studies of the reading habits of “the average adult”. Not to come across as passing judgement when writing the post, but I was quite surprised at the findings. I apologise if I did come across that way; I cannot help that I am biased. The post seemed to be well received though, with some interesting comments and shares on social media.

I was inspired to write the post originally as I disliked reading books on the school curriculum growing up.

The final post ended up being written from a different angle completely, but ultimately, the point is the same.

I was also excited to be contacted by an author yesterday in relation to an ARC I’ve been hoping to get a copy of. The book’s release is coming up shortly and I have been keeping an eye out for any news. It looks like I am not going to be disappointed! No further details as yet… but I’ll spill the beans as soon as I can!

 

Books Read

I finished A Children of Blood & Bone and DAMN – that ending!! Some books you can just see pan out before you read it, but I was kept guessing right to the end with this one! I loved the book, its theme and the fantasy realm of Orïsha. The next book in the series, Children of Virtue and Vengeance is expected to be published next year – I can’t wait to read it already!

Next, I started the first book on August’s TBR… and it has a book I have been trying to read for months! The Eye of the World is the first book of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It has been on my list of books to read on the recommendation of a friend of mine. I believe she has read all of the series (or at least most of it), so I want to see if it’s my cup of tea. I’m about 20% through so far, and there is a lot of take in, but I like it! It’s a long book, so I am going to have to keep a good pace to keep momentum.

I’ve also listened to a little bit more of Nevernight by Jay Kristoff – when am I going to finish this audiobook? I’ve been listening to it in dribs and drabs, but lately I’ve not really trusted that I am awake enough in the morning to take in the story.

I have an hour left. That is all. I am going to make the promise here and now – I will finish it next week.

 

Books Discovered

Individutopia

I’ve only added one book to the list this week – and it is on my list of books to read this month! I was intrigued by the synopsis of Individutopia. I love dystopian novels, so this naturally caught my eye. As this is an ARC, I am going to be reading it really soon. I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you all.

 

Coming Up…

Children of Blood & BoneIf you were worried that you were going to have to wait weeks on end for a review of Children of Blood and Bone, let me assuage your fears. I am really up to date with my reviews at the moment, so it makes sense to pen my thoughts whilst the book is fresh in my mind.

 

 

 

 

down the tbr holeI am also going to be looking at my unruly TBR pile again, because I need to get that shit under control…

Haha… that’s never going to happen, but I can pretend, right?