Tag: Vikings in the Isle of Man

Monthly Wrap-Up – November 2023

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Happy first of December folks and welcome to my monthly wrap-up post for November! Before that, are your Christmas decorations up yet? I confess I put up my tree and some outside lights today. The rest is to follow tomorrow.

I usually put mine up the first weekend of December. However, as I have been on leave from work this week, I decided to make my life a little bit easier tomorrow and do some of the bigger jobs. Although I say that, the outside lights only took me 10 minutes as I packed them in the same way I strung them up last year – I just had to clip it all back in place!

Anyway, let’s stop talking about the c-word and start talking about the books I read in November. I had a great month of reading! I’ve also varied how I split my reading this month, making the list more manageable. Shall we get into my monthly wrap-up post and take a look at what I picked up?

 

Books Read

 

The Shining

At the start of November, I left off from my last monthly wrap-up having only read 30 pages of The Shining. I’d wanted to read the book around Halloween, but it transpired that I only started the book that night.

So, I read the vast majority of this nearly 500 page book in November. Whilst the timing didn’t quite pan out as expected, it didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the book at all. On the contrary, this book was everything I have come to expect from Stephen King. Although I am not a big reader of horror in general, I will always make an effort to pick up his books.

The Shining is a classic novel, and I’m glad I finally got around to it! It was every bit as good as I expected it to be, and I can’t wait to read more of his classics in future.

 

The Vikings in the Isle of Man

It feels like many moons ago, although in reality it is not, that I featured my Norsevember post. As part of my research for that post, I read a couple of books around Vikings and their presents in the Irish Sea, including and surrounding the Isle of Man. I read the majority of The Vikings in the Isle of Man in November. I had to prioritise reading this at the beginning of the month, so I technically completed this book before The Shining.

The Vikings in the Isle of Man was an informative read and touched upon topics and themes I had also read in Vikings of the Irish Sea. It’s quite a niche topic if we’re being honest. It is only because it relates closely to home that I wanted to pick it up and share a little bit of knowledge. I appreciate it’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

 

Lost Solace

Lost Solace has been on my reading list for quite some time. I’ve attempted to get round to the book for the last two or three months as well, and failed. That is, I’m pleased to say in this monthly wrap-up, until this month. At the beginning of November, I told myself that this month was the month I was going to pick it up. I’m glad I did!

If you enjoy science-fiction, and want a relatively short but action-packed novel, this would be perfect for you. Having read some related books by Karl Drinkwater before (Tales of Lost Solace), some of the characters were already familiar to me. I don’t think that specifically contributed to my enjoying the book anymore, but it was nice to go in with a degree of familiarity.

I won’t be leaving it so long to continue with this series!

 

November TBR Jar – The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz

Historical, whether fiction or non-fiction, is a genre I will enjoy going back to time and again. When I pulled The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz out of my TBR jar at the end of October, I was excited! Although a morbid subject, I have enjoyed multiple books that centre around characters and experiences around the concentration camps in World War II. Heather Morris’ books, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey, are great examples.

Every bit is harrowing,The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz is a true story of a son who could not bear to be separated from his father, and opted to go to Auschwitz with him. They had already spent a good deal of time in captivity before they were transferred to the infamous camp. Shockingly, the treatment there is not the worst they received. Towards the end of the book, I was just begging that the both of them survived. They had already been through so much.

Well researched and written, this is one of the easiest non-fiction books I have picked up in terms of readability this year.

 

Ashes of Guilt

One of the last books I picked up to physically read in November was Ashes of Guilt by Isabella Steele. I had downloaded a copy of this book through Reidy discovery in order to provide a review by the end of the month. If you haven’t yet checked out that post, you can see my thoughts from Wednesday’s review here.

Ashes of Guilt is another relatively short, but equally compulsive, read. The synopsis was a great hook into the narrative, but quickly we worked through that and found ourselves in uncharted territory.

This is the kind of book that would be a great palette cleanser, or if someone wants to dip that to a genre for a reasonably short time before moving onto something else. I read Ashes of Guilt in just a handful of days. At 222 pages, it has to be one of the shortest books I’ve read this year.

 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

For the first time in months, I have a mood read to share with you in this November monthly wrap-up. You’ll see why below.

Picking up The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is absolutely because I went to watch the film on Tuesday. It’s been a long time since I went to the cinema and I had a great time watching this film. After spending over 2 and a half hours in a cinema seat, I can remember why it’s not a regular occurrence… But I had a good time nonetheless.

I’ve been threatening to pick up this book since I started re-watching the hunger games films. After watching and loving the film, I literally couldn’t wait. Often, films deviate from content in the books, and I was curious to see what extent this does. As of this post, I am just over a quarter of the way through The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and there isn’t too much variation, which is good!

 

Audiobooks

 

October TBR Jar – The Flood

Carried over from October’s monthly wrap-up post, I still had half of the audiobook of the flood to listen to this month.

I was a little late starting this considering I had already made progress with the book. I only really made progress in the last week of November. That’s because I’m not very good at listening to audiobooks in and around my normal routine. I started listening to The Flood when I was on leave from work last month. This week I have been on leave again (using the last of my holiday, can you tell?). Because I’ve been out of routine again, I’ve been able to make time to listen to the audio.

Overall, I had a good experience with The Flood. I strongly recommend listening to this book as the audio went along way towards my enjoyment of it. I didn’t anticipate the ending and I enjoyed seeing the mystery on full to reveal the truth right at the end.

 

Insta Poll Pick – The Minders

Given I had quite the number of books on this reading list, I decided to pick up the audiobook copy of The Minders. This book won my Instagram poll that I posted at the end of October. I was lucky in that I didn’t already have a copy of the book, so I had my pick of the format I went with.

This book would be great in any format, although I am again enjoying the audio. The book is told through multiple perspectives and these are told through two narrators.

As of this monthly wrap-up post, I am about halfway through The Minders. I still have just over 5 1/2 hours left of listening time, and I hope that time that I start to get some explanations as to what is going on. If you are unfamiliar with the book, it is kind of a conspiracy thriller. I’m deliberately not meant to know too much about what is going on, and I am hooked to find out how the plot evolves and ultimately resolves itself.

As experiences go, this is the first time I have picked up a John Marrs book and I doubt it will be the last!

 

Books DNF’d

 

The Witches – Salem, 1692: A History

We have a rare feature in today’s monthly wrap-up post – a DNF. It was quite a decisive one at that too. I ultimately made it through 30 pages of The Witches before I threw in the towel.

The writing style at the beginning was fine. The opening chapter is an introduction to events as they happened, including the numbers of people who died as a result of the witch trials, and a summary of the evidence available to the author, when putting together the book. In short, not much. It was the next chapter that threw me off completely.

I cannot help but feel that in the absence of tangible information, the author, then decided to fill in the gaps with pure fantasy and presented as. For example, the scene describes how two women flew on broomsticks to a given meeting location. This may be what they have been accused of, but presenting it as fact really didn’t sit well with me. It felt like filler and already had me questioning the information I’d been told.

The book is a reasonably lengthy one for a non-fiction, and I’ve already made my mind up at the 30 page mark that I wasn’t a fan. Had I struggled on, I wouldn’t of enjoyed the experience and could well have put myself in a readings lump because I didn’t want to pick it up. Frankly, life is too short… and my reading list is too long. So, onwards we go. Now you know why I picked up The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes instead – the timing of this DNF coincided with me watching the film!

 

Summary

In all, I had a great month. I picked up some varied and interesting reads. That was one miss two, but I didn’t let myself dwell on that one for too long!

In addition to reading some great books, I also met my Goodreads reading challenge of completing 50 books this year very early this month, which is cause for a pat on the back. Last year I read 47 books, so to be going into December having read 55 already is a great achievement. Am I unofficially pushing for 60 by the end of the year? Absolutely!

Here’s hoping for some great reads to get me there. If you’re keen to find out which books I will be picking up in December, I will be sharing my reading list early next week. Stay tuned!

Until then, happy reading!

 

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Sunday Summary – 12th November 2023

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It’s the end of another weekend (boo!) so that can only mean one thing – it’s time for my Sunday Summary! I hope you’ve all had a great week?

Aside from the 9-5, I’ve spent mine reading and preparing/sharing blog posts. Oh, last night I watched the last Hunger Games film – I really want to re-read those books now! Anyway, let’s get into my recap of the week’s posts so far.

My first blog post of the week was my Norsevember feature – Vikings of Mann: Ancient History or Modern Enigma. I really enjoyed writing this post, although it felt like I poured a lot more effort into than my usual content! As a post with some special meaning for me, it was great to be able to share it, and to take part in a reading event I have seen on the blogosphere in recent years.

I waived my usual Friday feature, Well, I Didn’t Know that! as the Vikings of Mann post is very similar in nature. Given I knew I’d already committed to the first post, I didn’t want to overwhelm myself by completing this feature on top. Instead, I moved onto the next in the rota, being a Shelf Control. In these posts, I take a look at upcoming books on my reading list and share why I’m excited to read them. For this week’s feature, I shared the first omnibus in an expansive fantasy series by an author I’m yet to try. I’m not allowed to start it until I’ve wrapped up some more of my ongoing series though. If you’re curious, check out that post to see what it is!

 

Books Read

 

The Vikings in the Isle of Man

As of last week’s Sunday Summary, I was 10% into The Vikings in the Isle of Man. Given that I wanted to finish this book as part of Norsevember, but also to include any relevant content in my blog post that went live on Wednesday, this was my priority of the week. I had also borrowed this book from the library, and it was due back on Wednesday. There was no pressure at all to get this finished up…

The Vikings in the Isle of Man isn’t an overly long book, and it provided some useful content for the blog post and taught me some things I didn’t know. It also expanded on some of the topics I originally explored in The Viking’s of the Irish Sea (read last week), so it was an ideal book to pick up.

In the nick of time, I finished The Vikings in the Isle of Man on Tuesday evening. I’m glad I chose to pick up a local history book and learn something new about my home.

 

The Shining

The second read I had ongoing as of last week’s Sunday Summary post is The Shining. As of that post, I was around 50% through the book.

After concluding The Vikings in the Isle of Man, I reverted back to prioritising The Shining. It’s not unexpected at all, but I really enjoyed this King novel! It’s been awhile since I picked up one of his horrors, and picking this up as reminded me just why I like his writing. I love how his horror plays upon natural and relatable things as opposed to delving too far into the realms of the fantastical. It makes his books feel all the more real and at the same time, more harrowing.

I certainly won’t be leaving it so long before I pick up another, regardless of the season! I am glad I picked this up around Halloween though – it felt apt.

 

Lost Solace

The last book I have picked up physically this week is Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater.

As of this Sunday Summary post, I’ve only read the first chapter of the book so far. However, already the book draws on characters I have met through Karl’s Tales of Lost Solace series, which is set in the same universe. The writing style is also very familiar and easy to pick up, so I’m already settled in and ready to see where Lost Solace takes us! Given I’m not that far into the book, there really isn’t a whole lot I can say at this point. I’ll give you more of an update next week.

 

The Flood

In addition to the physical reads I’ve picked up above, I also listened to about 40 mins of The Flood by Rachel Bennett when waiting for Tesco’s Christmas slots to open. Yes, I legitimately put this on at 5:30am on Tuesday morning to stop myself falling back asleep and missing out on my Christmas food shop! It worked though… 

I had hoped to listen to a little bit more of the audiobook this week, but it wasn’t meant to be. I will be making more of an effort to listen to the last few hours this week.

 

Books Discovered

No news is good news once again this week – the reading list is still heading in the right direction.

 

Coming Up…

On Tuesday, I’m looking forward to sharing my top ten list of mainstream popular authors I haven’t read yet. There are some very popular authors I haven’t read books by, and you may be surprised. Or not, it depends how well you know me I guess!

On Friday I’ll be back with a First Lines Friday post! The last few times I have done this feature. I have set myself a challenge. I’m in the mood for keeping things open this time, so you’ll have to tune in on Friday to see which book I feature and why.

This time next week I’ll be returning with my Sunday Summary and all my bookish updates for the week. I hope you can return to check that post out too!

That’s all for this Sunday Summary though!

What are you reading?

 

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Vikings of Mann – Ancient History or Modern Enigma?

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Hello readers and welcome to today’s Norsevember post! I’m excited to be taking part in this event this year, and talking about a subject and place I love.

In case you are unfamiliar, Norsevember is a yearly reading event organised and hosted by Alex at Spells and Spaceships. If you want to check out other Norse themed posts already shared and keep up with upcoming content during the rest of the month, then you can check out his blog or X account with these links.

As a fan of history, I have often mumbled about how local school syllabus rarely covers local history. In my case, I’d have happily settled for British history, as a syllabus dedicated to the Isle of Man would be a little niche. It’s not something I know a lot of beyond local knowledge, so preparing for today’s insightful post was the perfect opportunity to brush up!

 

What we Know of Vikings of Man

The vast majority of evidence we have for Viking presence in the Isle of Man stems from archaeological finds. These largely warlike bands weren’t exactly great at chronicling their movements. Even when Viking presence is alluded to on the Isle of Man in literature, it is only done hundreds of years after first landing on our shores. This sparse and posthumous literature hardly makes for reliable evidence to historians.

Instead, they have turned to physical evidence: burial mounds containing graves or hoards, the foundations of settlements left behind, and most distinctly here on the Isle of Man – memorial stones. Based on the number of stones you can find all over the island, I had formed the impression that they are a common relic of the Viking era. Not so. The Isle of Man has a significantly higher concentration of them, which I’ll talk about a little later.

 

Archaeological Evidence:-

Graves and Burial Mounds

Two things can be found in abundance when talking about marauding land-takers – booty and death. Some early and other more ‘elite’ Viking graves have uncovered a number of items that the dead were buried with. Such graves tell us more than you would expect. Not only do they indicate the types of items that men and women would use in the period (as it is believed that such items were buried with them to be carried through the afterlife), but they also give us an idea of when they started to settle on the Island.

Comparing such troves to those found in Ireland, what was the Danelaw and Scotland, it’s believed that Vikings settled on the island later than their counterparts along the Irish Sea. It has been speculated that this is because the island was more difficult to get to. As anyone who attempts to travel to or from the island between the months of October and March can testify, sea voyages are frequently rocky… or in stormy weather, non-existent. It’s a small thing, but it’s one of many clues we can glean from the traces left behind.

From basic and unadorned lintel graves to elaborate burials involving small boats and presumed slave sacrifice, there is a wealth of knowledge that can be explored in the remains. The locations of these sites, and apparent shifts in burial styles, are indicative of less tangible but no less probable changes. For example, it’s believed based on changes to burial rites that within a few generations from leaving Scandinavia, settled Vikings adopted a new religion – Christianity.

 

Settlements and Structures

Being a small island, there is less in the way of structural evidence compared to Dublin, Ireland and other locations across the Irish Sea. However, notable sites include Braaid and St Patrick’s Isle… a fortified islet I used to walk around regularly.

As would be expected for this seafaring peoples, a lot of these locations are based around coasts of the island. That is not to say settlements were exclusive to these regions, but there appears to be a preference for living near the water.

 

Memorial/Commemorative Stones

As I mentioned in the introduction, I had formed the impression that memorial stones were a common Viking relic. Whilst some are clearly identifiable as one of four distinct styles in the period, there are many later works that are less clear.

We’ve already established that that existing settlors and Vikings mingled within a matter of generations. This is also broadly supported through these memorial stones via inscriptions and runes. There are several examples of Gaelic and Viking names together on these memorial or commemorative stones. Some are partners, others reference children, but it’s clear that these individuals are related… highly suggestive of intermarriage. 

The inscriptions and the language also indicate assimilation over time. Stones identified from the period are initially inscribed with distinct Norse runes. However, throughout the tenth and eleventh century, inscriptions lose their iconic Scandinavian form… presumably to blend with local language.

 

Other Evidence:-

Place Names

Place names tell us a lot about the prominence of Viking settlers. Whilst it’s believed that the Viking invaders and local inhabitants commingled and intermarried reasonably quickly, it is commonly held that locals were very likely to have been enslaved when raids occurred. Vikings were therefore the dominant peoples and would have the influence and power of decision making.

Many place names today, despite reintroduction of Gaelic language in later years by the Scots, doff their cap to Scandinavian convention. Key sites like Jurby, Colby and Sulby all have a common denominator… one that is strongly linked to Danish language. These are also key sites where archaeological evidence of Viking presence has been found.

 

Local Government

The Isle of Man is governed by its own local government. Although a crown dependency, we have the ability to make an enact our own laws. This is celebrated on the 5th of July every year, locally known as Tynwald day. But where does Tynwald come from?

The annual event is an open air ceremony, which is believed to have strong ties to similar proceedings in the Viking age. Things, Scandinavian assemblies, settled local disputes and generally presiding over how the community was run. Many of these traditions stand today… and the hill on which the event is held is believed to be a key site, if not the one site, such events were held on based on its central location.

The name Tynwald is highly indicative of Viking influence. Similar presiding and locations have been identified with very similar names across both English Shores and Scandinavian. Names like Thingwall (the Wirral, UK), Thingmount (Dublin), have phonetic similarities. When you take into consideration that these are all known meeting places, and in fact, the word “Thing” means a Scandinavian meeting or assembly, then you can see commonality clear as day.

 

Summary

Although there is sufficient evidence of Viking influence on the Isle of Man, there is far more intangible influence we are unable to quantify.

There are only a limited number of sites that are available for excavation and the island is a very small location. Even then, not all sites have been excavated, or will have been done so in the early 20th century at a time where standards were far lower than they are now. Recordkeeping is therefore not as diligent and the finds of these digs are either missing, or inaccurately recorded.

The evidence is also largely centred around archaeological finds. The Isle of Man and key political figures don’t come into literature until the 13th or 14th century… which cannot be relied on for giving us unbiased information.

Even so, it is undeniable that Scandinavian settlers coming to the island have made their mark. What evidence there is on island is often cooperated with other Irish sea locations known to be inhabited by Vikings in the same period. Not all of their influences have clung on into this modern era. But, when you consider these events over a thousand years ago and how their influence still shapes today’s Manx landscapes, and societal structure… it’s clear that they have made a permanent impact on the island. 

 

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Sunday Summary – 5th November 2023

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Happy Sunday folks and welcome to today’s Sunday Summary! Before we get into my reads for the week, let’s take a look at the posts I’ve shared so far.

Firstly, I shared my book review for Cinderella’s Crimes on Tuesday. That was the deadline for this review, and I was excited to finally get my thoughts together for you to read. Cinderella’s Crimes is a re-publication of a book initially published in the name of Pretty Deadly. As a dark fairytale reimagining, I feel this new title is more apt.

Secondly, I published my review of October’s reading in my monthly wrap-up post. October was a good month overall. I had quite a few review obligations, but I managed to make my way through those and pick up all my mood reads before the end of the month. I carried over my last two ongoing books to finish in November.

The final post on the agenda for this week (aside from this Sunday Summary) was my November Monthly TBR. It’s quite the list when you look at it at face value. However, it’s made to look more onerous than it is by the number of titles. When you compare page count to other months, it’s not far off!

 

Books Read

 

Killing For Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen

As of my last Sunday Summary update, I had just 15% of this ebook to finish. I was hoping to get it all read by the end of Sunday night, but I ended up finishing it on Monday.

If you want a more comprehensive summary of the book, check out last week’s post. I’m not going to go too much into detail here given that this update constitutes about 45 minutes of reading time this week. In short, it is an interesting and intimate biography of one of the most notorious serial killers of modern times. It’s brutally honest in its capture of events and the state of mind of Dennis.

 

Vikings of the Irish Sea

I didn’t mention Vikings of the Irish Sea as a current read last week, as I was keeping it up my sleeve for an upcoming post. As of drafting my Sunday Summary last week, I was approaching halfway through the book.

I finished the book this week as it is forming the foundation for a post I will be sharing for Norsevember. Additionally, I’m reading a second book that focuses on Vikings in the Isle of Man (see below). However, for a more rounded research approach, I wanted to pick up Vikings of the Irish Sea to compare findings on the island versus the likes of Dublin, England and Wales as a comparison.

Vikings of the Irish Sea isn’t a particularly long book, but it provided good insight for my post and taught me quite a few things about Vikings that I didn’t know from local knowledge.

 

The Vikings in the Isle of Man

Here is that second book I mentioned above! In addition to Vikings of the Irish Sea, I’ve read the first 20 pages of The Vikings in the Isle of Man.

I appreciate that doesn’t sound like much, but when you consider, the book is only 140 odd pages in total in its entirety, it’s enough of a dent to have made a solid start. As I will be sharing my November post in just a few days, I am going to look to make considerably more progress in this book in the next day or two.

 

The Shining

The main book I have been reading over the course of the week is The Shining by Stephen King. After years of owning my copy and not picking it up during spooky season, I decided 2023 was the year. And, it’s been a little while since I picked up a horror novel.

I confess, for such an iconic story, I didn’t know much about The Shining before going into this book. I think that has worked well for me though. I’ve not had any preconceptions or been spoiled for the story, and I am enjoying watching it unravel.

Unsurprisingly, I am really enjoying the book. As of this Sunday Summary, I am 250 pages in, which is approximately 50%. I will be reading this in tandem with The Vikings in the Isle of Man, and I hope to finish the book very soon.

 

Books Discovered

Since adding Unmasked last week, there have been no new additions to the reading list!

 

Coming Up…

My first post of next week will be my contribution to Norsevember… a reading event hosted by Alex at Blogs and Spells for several years now. It’s the first time I’ve taken part in contributing a themed post. I contacted Alex as I wanted to write a post about Viking influence and history in the Isle of Man. This will be going live on Wednesday, and I’m really excited to be writing a different style of post.

This week would normally be the turn of my Well, I Didn’t Know That! feature post. However, as these are a little bit more involved and I don’t want preparation for this to clash with my Norsevember feature, I’m going to skip this one and instead share a Shelf Control. In my Shelf Control posts, I feature an upcoming read on my TBR and why I’m looking forward to picking it up. They’re a lot easier to prepare and post and given my commitment for earlier in the week, I think this is the better option! I’ll do a Well, I Didn’t Know That! feature next time.

Last, but not least, I will be back with another Sunday Summary post to round off the week. Fingers crossed I’ll have plenty of reading updates to share.

What have you read recently?

 

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Monthly TBR – November 2023

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Good evening readers – I hope you are having a lovely weekend? I’m looking forward to sharing all my upcoming reads for the month, and today is the day I share my monthly TBR!

The list looks larger than usual, as it is inflated by a couple of carryover reads from October, together with the fact that the average book length for this month is slightly lower.

I have around 2400 pages to read over the course of the month, which is about average. This doesn’t include my audiobooks for this month, of which I have about 16.5 hours listening time. That averages to just over half an hour a day, which is more than achievable!

Shall we get into my monthly TBR and discuss specifics of the books I’m reading in November?

 

Fixed Reads

 

October Carryover – The Shining

I picked up The Shining, the last book on my October TBR, on Halloween. I was hoping to be a little bit further into the book by that point, but still reading it for the spooky season. As it happens, I only read about 40 pages… But it is a start and I’ll take it.

As of this monthly TBR I am a more modest 180 pages, or roughly 40%, through the book. There was never really any doubt, but I am enjoying this story and the setting so far. Although I’ve been making my way through The Dark Tower series, it’s been a little while since I picked up a pure horror by Stephen King.

I’m looking forward to making further progress in the book and seeing how events unfold. There has been a lot of set up for what may happen later in the book; I’m keen to see if they play out as I hope they do!

 

October TBR Jar Carryover – The Flood

Throughout the latter half of October I started listening to The Flood by Rachel Bennett. Rachel is, I believe, resident on the island, and so I picked up this book to support a local author.

As I mentioned in my monthly wrap-up post for October, I am getting on well with this audiobook. I’m curious as to the history of some of the characters and how future events will unravel. There is definitely far more going on from the ‘historic’ timeline than we readers are aware of yet. I’m interested to see what bearing this has on the modern day aspect of the narrative.

 

Norsevember – Vikings in the Isle of Man

Norsevember is a reading event hosted by Blogs and Spells. Over the course of November, he and other creators feature all things Norse, from books to mythology. I have the pleasure of taking part this year and sharing a feature post on how the Norse touched the little island I live on.

I have already read one book that will contribute to my feature post next week, but I am going to be reading Vikings in the Isle of Man to supplement my knowledge ahead of this post. It’s also another great way to be able to support the event.

It’s only a short non-fiction at 140 pages, but I’m looking forward to picking it up!

 

Ashes of Guilt

I found Ashes of Guilt on Discovery as available to read and to provide a review for. I really like the sound of the premise for this book, so I’ve decided to give it a go! It’s a small-town mystery/thriller novel in which the main character has a shady childhood past; only, it may be that not all is as it seemed back then…

Ashes of Guilt is my only review obligation for November, which makes a nice change from the three I had to do last month! I shouldn’t complain, I sign myself up for these things. So, if there’s anyone to blame, I should just go look in the mirror…

 

November TBR Jar – The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz

Every month, I randomly pick a book out of my TBR Jar. November is no exception. Yesterday, I shared my pick on Instagram. If you’ve seen that already, then you know I drew out The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz.

I’m actually glad this book made it to November’s monthly TBR. I really love books around World War II and in particular Auschwitz. You can call me morbid if you want. I just find it a really interesting subject. What makes the pick even better is that it is a non-fiction novel. With the end of the year fast approaching, I am trying my best to meet my target of picking up more than 15 non-fiction books by the end of the year.

As of this post, I have read 12. Incidentally, I have three non-fiction books on this reading list (last one below), meaning that I have every chance of hitting that goal! Considering I was behind in my mid-year review post, that’s quite a turnaround. 

The fact that this book came out makes it even easier for me. I should, in theory, only have to read one in December to exceed my >15 goal. 

 

November Instagram Poll Pick – The Minders

In addition to the TBR Jar, I’ve taken to posting a poll on Instagram and getting my followers to vote between two books, the winner being the one I read next.

For the poll just gone, the books my followers had to choose from were My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, or The Minders by John Marrs. The Minders won by quite the majority, and I’m glad it did! I have a few books by John Marrs on the reading list at this point, so I’m excited to be getting around to one of his at least! It’s also more fitting for the season. The Minders is a mystery/thriller novel with hints at government conspiracy in the synopsis. I hope you are as intrigued as I am, because I’m looking forward to telling you about it.

I have obtained a copy of The Minders via audiobook. I quite enjoyed the sample and honestly, I already had quite a lot of books on this reading list in either physical or e-book format. I needed another audio!

 

Mood Reads

The Witches – Salem, 1692: A History

The first of my mood reads in today’s monthly TBR is also the third non-fiction I mentioned above. I have had my copy of The Witches for about a year now. I have gone to pick it up before, but I was a little bit intimidated by the page count and the text size – it’s tiny!

This normally doesn’t bother me, but I looked at it before experimentally when I was looking for a change in read, and ideally something quite quick. That wouldn’t have been the case, so I didn’t pick up.

I am interested in the subject matter though, so I’m looking forward to getting around to it at last!

 

Lost Solace

A relatively quick read, and a change up in genre, is Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater. I have had a copy of this book for the longest time to read. It’s also supposed to have been on the last three or four months TBR’s, but I just couldn’t fit it in.

Karl’s Lost Solace series in itself will be new to me, but I have read several short stories set in the same universe. I have really enjoyed those stories, so I’m looking forward to giving this mean series for dry.

It’s also been a little while since I read a science fiction novel. What do you believe, the last time I picked up the genre was when I read Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson back at the end of July! I certainly never intended to leave it that long. Then again, picking up Lost Solace has moved to or three times.

 

Incendium

The last book I would like to pick up in November is Incendium. It feels like the perfect month to pick this book up, as the plot sounds like it is very reminiscent of the gunpowder plot… which was foiled in November 1605.

I would’ve liked to pick up the book a little earlier in the month to coincide with bonfire night. However, it’s more important that I focus on my obligations, and so I will have to settle for reading it in the same month!

 

Summary

That’s a lot of books that I’m hoping to pick up in November, but honestly, I think it’s doable. Given that I am prone to reading 600-900 page books, and all of these on my list fall under that, there is absolutely no reason this is unachievable!

Thanks for reading today’s Monthly TBR post!

Have you read any of the books on my November reading list? Do you like the sound of them?

 

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