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Book Review: The Adventures of Amina-al-Sirafi – Shannon Chakraborty

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Hello reading friends! Today I’m excited to bring you a long-overdue review for The Adventures of Amina-al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. I read this book in April/May 2023, so a little while ago!

This book fell in the middle-of-the-road for me. There were some aspects I loved, but others that introduced resistance to my reading experience. Read on to find out more!

 

The Adventures of Amina-al-Sirafi – Shannon Chakraborty

Genre: Non-fiction

Pages: 492

Audience: Adult

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Publication Date: 02 Mar 2023

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – The Adventures of Amina-al-Sirafi

 

A pirate of infamy and one of the most storied and scandalous captains to sail the seven seas.

Amina al-Sirafi has survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.

But when she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse, she jumps at the chance for one final adventure with her old crew that will make her a legend and offers a fortune that will secure her and her family’s future forever.

Yet the deeper Amina dives, the higher the stakes. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savour just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.


My Thoughts


Plot

The plot of The Adventures of Amina-al-Sirafi manages to be whimsical with a high page count. For some, this fun and lightheartedness may suit. It’s an aspect of the story I was less keen on, if I’m honest.

It was a perfectly acceptable read, but not a book I rushed back to in order to finish it quickly. Perhaps the whimsy wasn’t quite what I was expecting, and therefore I didn’t enjoy this quote so much.

Otherwise, as plot goes, I enjoyed the sea-faring, derring-do action of the narrative.


Setting

The Adventures of Amina-al-Sirafi is an eastern fantasy. It’s always refreshing to read fantasy with these inspirations, especially as someone who has read a lot of, and grown up with, westernised fantasy novels on tap.

I loved the focus on non-western religious cultures. It was a new take for me and not what I expected from this fantasy novel. Its ties to well-known religions in real life helped give the book some grounding — much needed if you ask me. It also gave me an opportunity to get insight into Muslim religion and culture in a place I didn’t expect. Every day is a school day… and I felt this was a great touch for this book.

 

Characters

I love that the narrative is led by a strong woman. Piracy was typically a man’s game. Flying in the face of patriarchy, this spin on events is quite unexpected (especially considering some of the cultures featured in the book), but welcome.

Even in fairly modern fantasies, female narrative voices are only just starting to take centre stage. The Adventures of Amina-al-Sirafi does this – and does it well!


Narrative Style

Considering the whimsical nature of this narrative, the book took me longer to read than anticipated. It’s about a 500-page book, so not exactly small. Even so, I found the fanciful plot line at odds with some of the other elements in this book. Although this book is marketed at adults, I would argue some of the plot devices smack more of a young adult target audience.

 

Summary

The Adventures of Amina-al-Sirafi is a fun, adventurous and light-hearted read.

Whilst I wasn’t captivated enough by the book to motivate me to continue on with the series, I had fun at the time.

If you are looking for fantasy with positive multicultural and female rep, this book will still be up your alley.

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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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Monthly Wrap-Up – June 2025

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In today’s monthly wrap-up for June 2025, I recap great reading progress over the last month. With my 20 Books of Summer Challenge well underway, I’ve made a respectable start to getting through the books featuring in that challenge. 

Want a reminder of what books those are? Let’s dive into this monthly wrap-up post and I can catch you up on what I’ve picked up so far 😌

 

Books Read 

Sunrise on the Reaping

At the very beginning of this month, I devoured the final 2/3 of Sunrise on the Reaping. This book isn’t on my 20 Books of Summer Challenge – it was just a carryover from my May TBR. 

This was such a highly anticipated read for me, and it’s fair to say the book didn’t disappoint! I love The Hunger Games books so much and this one was fantastic for giving backstory to Haymitch’s character.

Just when you think the hunger games couldn’t be any more dark or dystopian, Suzanne Collins surprises us once again. No character is safe in this world. That’s something I love! Weirdly, I love to be fearful for the characters I’m reading about and routing for. I don’t want to think they’re safe, especially in the world where that’s not realistic. 

It was fantastic to get back and up-to-date with the series. I definitely anticipate a full re-read later this year!

 

All the Light We Cannot See

All The Light We Cannot See

The book that took me the longest to read this month was All the Light We Cannot See. I was really looking forward to reading All the Light We Cannot See and I did enjoy picking up this book. If I’m entirely honest, I didn’t love it as much as I expected I would. 

Given the premise of the books is sold on two very different characters coming together, I thought this would happen earlier in the storyline. Not only that, but the way the book is structured into super-short chapters didn’t suit me. I like to get into a character perspective and take time in a scene to figure out what’s going on. The stories of Marie-Laure and Werner kept chopping around so much that you didn’t really get this chance. I understand why this works in the context of the story, but it did detract from my personal reading experience of the book a little.

What I did enjoy reading was a perspective from a character who is blind. So often when we read books, we are introduced to a setting by the way it looks more than any other sensory input. To instead be introduced to a setting by touch and sound was a change of perspective I enjoyed.

 

Little Fires Everywhere

One of the fastest books I read this month, maybe except for Sunrise on the Reaping, was Little Fires Everywhere.

Admittedly, I did have a deadline for this book, but that was today’s work book club meet. Even beyond the deadline, I found myself devouring this book, partly because it was on my Kindle and very convenient to pick up and put down, but also because the storyline hooked me.

Book begins with a present day fire, and then spirals to the events leading up to it happening. There is a good deal of mystery around several of the characters. Finding out what was going on motivated me to finish this book more than anything. Little Fires Everywhere was also a very easy read. The book was very easy to pick up and put down at will. I picked it up for good long stints at a time, and progress was fast! 

 

A Day of Fallen Night

The biggest book on this reading list was a carryover from my May TBR. As of last month’s monthly wrap-up, I had listened to around 11 hours of A Day of Fallen Night.

I listened to the remaining 28 or so hours over the course of this month. I finished this book last week whilst on annual leave. One of my favourite hobbies aside from books is crafting. Knitting, crochet, cross-stitch – that kind of thing. A hobby I can do with my hands works well with listening to audiobooks. Last week, I made the most of it with both A Day of Fallen Night and the next books on this list, 

As I shared in my Sunday Summary instalment just before the end of the month, I really enjoyed getting back into this series not too long after starting it. Picking the second book up within reasonable time to the first meant I could appreciate overlapping details; if I’d left it too long I was far less likely to pick up on and appreciate this detail. 

 

Saint’s Blood

In the last week of June alone, I listened to 80% of Saint’s Blood. That’s a lot of audiobook progress and I wouldn’t have been able to do it so easily if I wasn’t off work. 

Getting back into Saint’s Blood hasn’t been too bad. I thought it would be more difficult, given I haven’t picked up the series in three years. Even so, the book has recapped the broad points of the narrative so I’ve been able to follow along well. 

As of this monthly wrap-up post, Saint’s Blood is still a current read and I anticipate finishing the book in the next few days. The narrative is starting to come together, but I feel there is more to explore as well. Will there be another revelation? At the point of the book I’m at, I’m getting the enjoyment of the main characters being in a lot of danger. Going back to what I said about Sunrise on the Reaping, I like to be scared into thinking the main characters aren’t safe. 

 

The Anxious Generation 

The final carryover I have in this monthly wrap-up post that I’ll pick up in July is The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. As at the end of June, I’d read the first 60 pages of the book and I’m enjoying it so far. 

The Anxious Generation is an informative read for all. However, as someone who is and has family of age with the population featured in the subject of the book, it has a personal connection. 

The research of the book so far is well backed up by facts and figures. At the moment, that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Later in the book we get to actions we can take. I’m intrigued on the author’s take on this and I’ll update you in the near future. 

 

Summary 

This monthly wrap-up post includes all the books I set out to pick up in my June TBR. Whilst I had hoped it finish all the books on this list and maybe start another, I came very close to completing June’s reading list. Admittedly, All the Light We Cannot See took a little longer to read than I expected and A Day of Fallen Night is a very long audiobook. Equally though, I’ve listened to Saint’s Blood very quickly too. 

On balance, I think I can achieve reading 5-6 books a month at the moment. So, I’ll set my July TBR accordingly. If you want to see what I’m picking up this month, I’m publishing my July TBR in the next couple of days! I hope you can take a look and maybe find inspiration for your next read. 

Until then, have a good week and happy reading! 

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Sunday Summary – 24th November 2024

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I’m back with another Sunday Summary post to update you on my latest reads, as well as what I’ve shared on my blog this week!

I’m enjoying being back to my previous schedule of three posts per week. It’s a good amount that I feel like I’m actively working on the blog, but also not so much that I feel overwhelmed. Really, it is good to be able to put some time and energy back into my posts. Before I felt I was just keeping things ticking along.

So, what have I shared this week? The first post that went live on my blog this week was my Ten Ten Tuesday post. In that post, I shared 10 books that are the ‘oldest’ on my TBR in terms of publication year. I had more than I expected, honestly. If you want to find out which books I’ve got coming up on the reading list that were published earlier, check out that post.

Next, I shared my first First Lines Friday post in about three months. I really enjoy these posts. That’s because I get to feature a variety of books – and more often than not, get excited about reading them. This week’s feature was a book I acquired a physical copy of recently. It’s already on my TBR, and I’m hoping to get to it before too long.


Books Read


The Eye of the World

Whereas last week I binge-read after getting my free time back, this week I’ve done the opposite. Not only have I been enjoying some of my other hobbies that I had set aside, such as knitting, but I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here started.

I’m not big on reality TV, but this is the only program I will make an exception for. Because I’ve been watching this, out for a work social and seen a show this weekend, I’ve not been reading much.

Truthfully, I’ve read chapter 14 this week. But, as of drafting this post, I’m planning to pick this up for a bit tonight after publishing this Sunday Summary. I will be looking to return more reading next week too, so stay tuned!


Defiant

Progress with Defiant was a little scuppered this week as well. Whilst I had listened to a little bit of audio in the week, my plan was to finish this audiobook yesterday whilst my boyfriend was at work. Unfortunately though, this didn’t pan out.

Because of storm Bert this weekend, Shane actually got yesterday off work. It meant we got to spend the day together, but it also meant I didn’t get to listen to my audiobook as planned. Instead, I’ll be listening to this over the next few days to get my finish. I’ve got a fraction over 2 hours of the audio left.


Books Discovered


I was a little bit naughty today. We popped into Tesco for a few groceries and the store we went into also has a small book selection. Of course I had to look! I purchased a copy of The Templar Secret by Scott Mariani as I like the sound of the synopsis. I have an interest in the Templars from playing Assassin’s Creed as a teenager; I’ve got a number of books on my TBR featuring them.

 

As well, I also purchased a copy of Think Twice by Harlan Coben. I liked the sound of the synopsis anyway, but I am especially interested to read the book after watching Fool Me Once. They were also 2 for £9.50… so it would have been rude not too, right? 


Coming Up…

I recently read Zee Zee’s anything but books tag. Given I’ve spent the last week or so doing ‘other than books’ things, it might be a fun one to talk about!

On Friday I’ll be back with my next instalment of my Shelf Control series. My next feature is by a big name suspense and thriller writer, an attorney by trade. Maybe you have an inkling of who this could be – either way, check out my post on Friday to find out who!

Last, but by no means least, I’ll be back at the same time next week to tell you what reading progress I’ve made in the last seven days. I’m hoping for at least one finish to share with you in next week’s Sunday Summary – let’s see what I can achieve between now and then!

Until next time, see you around!

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Sunday Summary – 17th November 2024

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Welcome to my latest Sunday Summary update gang! Can I say, it’s good to be back!

I appreciate I’ve been here and posting updates and content to the blog, but it’s not been a focus for a little while. Rather, I’ve kept it going but not put my whole self into it for the last few months. Posts have been quite short and updates on reading progress minimal. Now studying is over and I’m able to dedicate more time to reading and content again, I hope you’ll notice an improvement.

On the reading front I’ve read and listened to nearly 500 pages in the second half of this week alone! It’s fair to say I’m back in the game for sure… 

So, what else have I been up to? After sitting my exam midweek I was able to dedicate more time to the blog and so I have two posts to share with you. Firstly, I published a very late monthly TBR on Thursday. With the timing of my exam and a trip away for a gig last weekend, unfortunately this post got pushed back a lot later than I’d have liked. Still, better late than never right?

Then, I posted again on Friday and shared my first Shelf Control post for a few months. My Friday features got axed whilst I was studying to help make time, so I’m glad to be back to doing those. As a result, I trimmed my TBR by two books I’ve changed my mind on since adding them and I featured a historical fiction by an author I’ve only read once so far, but loved!


Books Read

Carrie

I initially picked up Carrie just before Halloween as I wanted an iconic horror to read around spooky season.

In my last Sunday Summary Carrie didn’t feature as I hadn’t gotten any further than the 108 pages I reported the week prior. However, I picked up from there midweek this week and I finished the book by Friday!

Carrie was the first book on my hit list for a couple of reasons; firstly, I wanted to finish this book sooner as Halloween season is over. Secondly, it’s a short book and I only had around 130 pages left. Quick wins are great motivators, and I wanted that to help me get back into the swing of reading regularly again.

A couple of weeks ago I shared that I was unsure about the book. I have to say, once we got past the set up and to prom night it got a lot more interesting. Overall, I rated the book 4 stars and I’m glad I picked it up.


The Eye of the World

This is my second attempt at reading The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan and I’m feeling optimistic.

Last time I tried to read this, I was struggling with the size and scope of the book. I love a chunky read, but sometimes I need shorter or lighter reads. That was my problem last time and because I wasn’t in the mood for the epicness of this story, I DNF’d around 60% in.

This week, I picked up from the start of chapter 2 and as of this Sunday Summary, I’ve read a further 140 pages to get a total of 21% progress.

The reading experience is going much better this time as I am in the mood for a longer read. I’ve had a lot of shorter ones running up to this and I picked it up as a mood read last month. I’m looking forward to seeing how I get on over the next week or so and really getting into the story. All is going great so far. What helps is that this book/series comes highly recommended by my friend Rachael, so I’m very confident I’ll love it!


Defiant

For the last month, or maybe even two, progress in Defiant has been slow. I’ve not been in the mood for an audiobook and so I’ve not listened much. That changed this week. I’ve had a few days home alone on leave from work and so I’ve used that time to make a good chunk of progress.

Since the last time this audiobook featured on a Sunday Summary, I’ve listened to nearly half the audiobook. That’s just in the last few days I’ve done that! It’s getting to the point now where I can’t wait to see what happens, but I’m also sad it’s coming to an end. Defiant is the last book in the series!

Now I’m close, I won’t be long finishing this audiobook. I have less than three hours left – I can fit that into my reading schedule next week. Easy.


Books Discovered

No news is good news again! My TBR has no new additions and since completing Carrie (and removing two books on Friday), it’s going in the right direction.

I did buy one book this week during a trip to town, but it’s one that is already on my TBR so it doesn’t REALLY count. I set myself that rule when I went in. I’ve been recommended Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett twice now by people I trust. Plus, I used credit on my Waterstones loyalty card so it was free too!


Coming Up…

I’ll kick off next week with sharing a Top Ten Tuesday post. This week’s topic is to share the books on our reading lists with the oldest publication date. Personally, I’m interested to see how many I have that aren’t ‘current’. I’m expecting some classics to pop up, but broadly, I suspect my reading list has a lot more recent books.

My next Friday feature is my First Lines Friday post. It’s been months since I shared one of these, so I’m keeping the subject entirely open so I have freedom of choice on the book I feature!

Lastly, you know the drill. Next week I’m back with my next Sunday Summary update post. Find out if I finish Defiant and progress further with The Eye of the World. Plus, catch up on any content you might have missed in the week!

Until next time, have a great week and I’ll see you in my next post!

Happy reading!

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Sunday Summary – 6th October 2024

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Happy Sunday folks and welcome to another Sunday Summary update!

With the beginning of the final quarter of the year, I’ve had a busy week at work. It’s not quite over for me yet, but hopefully I’ll be over the hill in a couple of days time. If nothing else, I certainly will be by the end of the week as I’m then on leave for a week!

Despite being busy at work, there’s been no rest on the blog. This week, I shared my Monthly Wrap-Up post for September on Wednesday. In that post, I recapped reading progress throughout the month. If you haven’t checked that out already, here’s a link so you can!

My Monthly TBR went live on Friday. I have a mixture of seasonal and non-seasonal reads coming up in the next few months, and I’m leaning into spooky season with some thriller and horror novels on the TBR. Want to see what I’ll be reading this month?


Books Read


The Kingdom

I left off after last week’s Sunday Summary post with 45% progress into The Kingdom. This week, I made great progress and finished the book by Monday night.

The Kingdom is a very quick read and I enjoyed the twist at the end. The elements of mixed media also helped the pace along and vary the narrative style for a few chapters.

As a genre, it’s a fun take on a theme park style location. The writing is perhaps aimed at a slightly younger age than myself, but it was a good jaunt into another world for a little while.


The Rosie Project

As well as progressing with The Kingdom, I made it to 31% of The Rosie Project. We’re supposed to be meeting for book club on Tuesday, so I may not finish it in time. We are holding it a week early in fairness as I’m on leave next week. I might see what the consensus is on postponing to the following week when I’m on leave if we need the time. From chats with a couple other members, we might need an extra week with the book anyway…

For a book that’s really not my go-to genre, I’m having a good laugh with it. Don, the protagonist, makes the whole thing for me. Without his character I don’t think I’d be able to stick with it.


Books Discovered



I made the mistake of going for a mooch in The Works today. I bought 5 books! I’ve shared quite a few Sunday Summary posts with no new books, so I obviously felt the need to make up for that…

It’s fair to say that non-fiction books are more on my radar than they ever have been. I’m looking forward to reading each of these. Bonus that they only cost me £20 for the lot!


Coming Up…

I’m back to my two post schedule and revision time after work this week. With this in mind, my plan is to share a book review of Assassin’s Quest midweek.

You can guess what’s coming next, my good old Sunday Summary this time next week. Find out what I’ve made progress with there, and whether The Rosie Project meet goes ahead or is postponed!

Until then, happy reading!

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Monthly Wrap-Up – September 2024

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In today’s monthly wrap-up post, I feature the books I read throughout the month of September. No surprises here that I didn’t get to everything on my September Monthly TBR. Given that I’ve got into the swing of studying for an upcoming exam, naturally reading progress is a little slower.

However, I have broadly enjoyed the books I picked up this month. That said, I didn’t complete  anything that knocked me out of the park in terms of enjoyment. Still, it was a steady month.

Shall we take a look at what they were?


Books Read


Eruption

Following on from last month’s Monthly Wrap-Up post, I had 35% of Eruption left to finish. Priority was given to finishing Eruption as I was lending my copy of it, once I’d finished with it, to another member of the club. Hats off to Helen for reading it as quick as she did; she was faster than I was!

I picked up this read for our second ever work book club. Overall the general feeling from the group was mixed. There were elements of the book we liked, others less so much.

Overall the book received a verdict of different, but average. I definitely agree with the group’s sentiment.


The Lost Apothecary

After finishing Eruption, I elected for some lighter reading. The Lost Apothecary wasn’t planned, but given that I am trying to allow myself the space for mood reading now and then, I made this choice as I wasn’t in the mood for anything on my reading list.

The Lost Apothecary was also a fairly decent read, but nothing outstanding either. It was a relatively fast paced and interesting historical fiction with the two timelines coming together nicely towards the end of the book. If you enjoy your historical fiction with a slant towards feminism and advocating for women, you’ll get on with this book! I really enjoyed this aspect of it.


Defiant

Audiobook progress over the course of September was a little slow. Although I’m listening to a great audiobook at the moment, I only progress through a third of defiant throughout September.

This is partly victim to the fact that I’m studying and using what was my listening time whilst driving to think about what I’m learning or just have a quiet moment to myself.

I’m loving the storyline so far so the amount of progress I’ve made is no reflection on the book at all! Rather, I’m looking forward to progressing with this one over the next month or so. Hopefully, I’ll have more progress to share…

 

The Kingdom

I just squeezed the last few pages of The Kingdom in at the end of September making 100% completion on the very last evening of the month.

I enjoyed the twists in the plot line for The Kingdom and it was a very fast paced read. If you enjoy a little bit mixed media in your books, there are court transcripts and small variations in the way in which the story is told making it more engaging than just standard pros.

I also found Ana‘s character very compelling and I sympathise with her. There was definitely far more going on than she was initially party too. It had me asking questions throughout and the ending was interesting.

of all the books featured in this monthly wrap-up, it’s the one I recommend the most to you. I loved it!


The Rosie Project

Finally, I made the briefest of starts to my next work book club read, The Rosie Project. We’re only talking 4% here, so I’m only just getting into the narrative and getting a feel for the style.

I was promised The Rosie Project is funny and so far that has already established itself. With the protagonist as he is, there is definitely going to be a lot of humour throughout. I also enjoy reading perspectives from neurodivergent individuals, and Don very clearly is.

We are reviewing this book together in just under a week’s time, so if you want to find out more about my thoughts of this book, check out my blog over the next week to find out more. I’ll be prioritising this book over the next few days so I’ll have something to say in my upcoming Sunday Summary.


Summary

I’m not made the most reading progress this month, but it’s been a good one nonetheless. Remember that I am having to prioritise studying for an exam. That is a short term commitment for long-term gain and that’s going to have a knock on effect on my reading for the next couple of months. Once that’s done, I’ll be back in full swing!


What did you read in September? Do you have any recommendations you would like to share?

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Sunday Summary – 29th September 2024

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Good evening from a slightly damp and very windy island in the middle of the Irish sea! As always, a warm welcome to you in this Sunday Summary update. In today’s post, I take the opportunity to update you on the books I’ve been reading this week. I’m pleased to say I have more progress to report than last week, so make yourself a cuppa and get comfy!

Before I get into the books I read this week, I like to recap the blog posts I’ve shared at the beginning of every Sunday Summary post. That way if you missed anything, it’s a chance to catch up! You may remember that I am studying for an exam that I’m sitting in November. As a result, I’ve temporarily reduced my blogging schedule from three posts a week to two to accommodate my revision time. As such, I’ve only shared one post so far this week, and that was my Autumn 2024 TBR.

Next week I’ll be busier; stay tuned to find out why below. For now though, onto the books I’ve read this week!


Books Read


The Lost Apothecary


Whereas in last week’s Sunday Summary post I lamented having not finished The Lost Apothecary, I am able to confirm in this Sunday Summary that I HAVE now finished it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but it didn’t rate as highly as I’d hoped. It was perfectly readable – if you enjoy historical fiction with a mystery split across dual timelines then this is a solid recommendation I would make. For me though, it didn’t *dazzle*. I rated this book at a perfectly acceptable three stars, so it’s solid. It just didn’t blow me away.

 

The Kingdom

It’s funny, I’ve only been saying the last couple of weeks that I don’t enjoy reading on my phone. However, the practicalities of picking up The Kingdom this week have meant that I’ve only picked up my Kindle once – today. Instead, I’ve progressed with this book more via the Kindle app on my phone.

I don’t really know why. The only reason I can think of is that I have been reading this book in very short bursts and when opportunity knocks. For example, whilst I’ve been waiting for my boyfriend to finish work, I’ll be sat reading this in the car.

I’ve just picked The Kingdom up properly on my Kindle this evening. I much prefer my Kindle as it’s a lot nicer to look at, especially when reading in longer bursts.

Having said that phone reading is not my preference, I managed to read 30% of The Kingdom that way and I’ve blitzed another 15% on my Kindle this evening alone. It’s a quick read!

The storyline has me hooked and I can’t wait to see what’s going on. I don’t know whether I can trust our protagonist and her perspective at the moment, but there is definitely more going on under the surface that I can’t wait to dredge up…


Defiant

Reading progress with e-books has certainly been better than audio once again. In this Sunday Summary post, I can only share 35 minutes of listening time to Defiant by Brandon Sanderson.

More often than not these days, I listen to audiobooks whilst I’m driving. I’ve been doing a lot more studying this week than I would typically average. As a result, I’ve been taking those quiet moments (whilst not quite being on autopilot, but you know what I mean) to think over what I’ve been reading and learning instead.

Is managing operational risk in financial institutions anywhere near as interesting as Defiant? Not especially. However, it is necessary for me to go over this content in anyway and shape that I can.

 

Books Discovered


I’m trying to read more non-fiction books this year, and I discovered another non-fiction earlier today that I think may make interesting reading for me.

The Courage to be Disliked caught my attention because it teaches readers how to advocate for their own wishes and overall directional life path, especially when that doesn’t align with societal expectations. Whilst there are many aspects in which I’m perfectly okay with doing my own thing, I feel there are certainly takeaways from this book that I would benefit from were I to read it. Everyday is a school day after all. 


Coming Up…

Although I am for the most part sticking to a two post per week schedule, this week is an exception. I don’t like to wait too long before sharing my monthly wrap-up and monthly TBR posts. With the way the beginning of the month of October falls, I’m going to have to incorporate both of those posts into my week, as well as a Sunday Summary. It’s also quarter end, which is one of my busiest periods at work.

It’s going to be a busy week…

My intended timeline for sharing the posts is for my monthly wrap-up post for September to go live on Wednesday and my monthly TBR on Friday. We’ll see if that pans out… 

Then, of course, I’ll be back at the same time next Sunday with the usual Sunday Summary update.

Still with me? Thanks for reading! What have you read recently… and do you have any recommendations for me?

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Sunday Summary – 22nd September 2024

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Good evening friends and welcome to another Sunday Summary update from yours truly. It doesn’t feel like I have a whole lot to update you on this week. But, we’re both here so let’s make the most of it!

Earlier this week I shared some of my bookish confessions. Whilst I think some of these could be expected from me, there are some here that don’t fit the typical ‘book-blogger’ persona too.

Now, let’s take a look at the books I’ve read this week.


Books Read


The Lost Apothecary

I was hoping for completion of The Lost Apothecary this week. However, I’ve had to extend my library loan once again.

That’s entirely down to circumstance and reflection on the book at all. We’ve been really quite short staffed at work this week and I’ve been covering and plugging gaps wherever possible. As a result, my downtime has ended up being spent on mindless things to take a break. I’ve not read a whole lot as a result.

I have read some more of the book today so as of this Sunday Summary update, I’m now 86% into The Lost Apothecary. I’m hoping for a nice quiet evening, so may get a little further into the book before the end of the day. Maybe a finish?

 

Defiant

As of my last Sunday Summary, I was about an hour and a half into Defiant by Brandon Sanderson.

It’s much the same story with audio – I’ve only listened to half an hour of Defiant this week. I’m enjoying the storyline so far and where it’s going. I’ve just not had the mental energy after work to listen and concentrate on it…


Books Discovered

Updates on additions to my reading list are as quiet as my actual reading progress this week. At least that’s not a bad thing!


Coming Up…

I’ll kick off this week with a Top Ten Tuesday post. I’ve shared a few similar posts before as they relate to my seasonal TBR’s. My last was my 2024 Summer TBR and it’s a great way to share planned upcoming reads.

Finally, next week I am hoping for a more interesting and eventful Sunday Summary to share with you! Things are going to get a bit better at work, but we do have quarter end coming up too. Hopefully it won’t be too busy this time round.

Until Tuesday, have a great one and I’ll see you in that post!

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Sunday Summary – 15th September 2024

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Happy Sunday readers – I’m back with my usual Sunday Summary update! As always, I hope you’ve had a great week?

This week has been a little unusual in that I’ve not really stuck to the regular schedule. On Wednesday morning I took part in a charity event for work that saw me helping to cut down around 150 pine trees. on Thursday I attended one of my school friends weddings, which was really special to share with them.

Combine both of these with a busy week at work and it’s fair to say my plans have been a little affected as a result. I was still able to share my book review for Dark Matter with you, but that came later than intended. I ended up publishing that one on Friday if you’re interested to check it out!


Books Read


The Lost Apothecary

I haven’t read as much of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner as I thought I would this week. That’s because of those aforementioned changes to my schedule, if you will.

That said, I have read around 40% of the book so far this week, bringing me up to 60% progress in total as of drafting this Sunday Summary. Thankfully, I have been able to extend my digital loan of the book and I still have opportunity to progress with it today. I’m hoping to read more of this and see what starting to unfold in the plot it’s definitely getting interesting!


Defiant

As of my last Sunday Summary update, I had just started Defiant by Brandon Sanderson. Have been listening to more of this book this week, clocking in another hour and a half of listening time.

Already I feel we are getting stuck into the action, so I’m surprised I’m not as far along as I expected given the events. I suppose that can only mean that there is plenty more of it to follow – and I’m looking forward to reading it!


Books Discovered

It’s another week of no news being good news. I’ve not seen anything new or added any new books to the reading list this week!

Thank goodness for that…


Coming Up…

I’m sticking to my slightly reduced schedule next week as it’s going to be busy at work and I need to continue on with studying for an exam.

In an attempt to share some different content with you next week, I’ll be sharing a bookish confessions post with you next week. What are your bookish confessions? You’ll have to stay tuned to see what mine are!

As usual, my last post of the week will be another Sunday summary weekly update.

That’s all for me and today’s Sunday Summary post and I hope to see you around very soon!

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