August Wrapup

Hey Readers….

I have had a mixed month for reading this month, I have finished 4 books this month and put down 2 books.

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I have put these two books down but this isn’t because I hated them, it was because at this time these just weren’t the books I wanted to read.

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse was a very religious based book and even though it was an interesting book I just wasn’t something I wanted at the time I picked this book up.

The City we Became by N.K. Jemisin, at the beginning of the book I was slightly confused but it has interested me and I do want to see what the whole plot is about. I will get back to this by the end of the year but just not this month

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I have really enjoyed everything I have read this month, I finished The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty on audiobook. This one is a re-read for me and I enjoyed it more than the first time I read it.

The Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell, this was read as an ebook, for an online read along and I am so glad I dived into it as it was a series I had been looking at for a while and just never picked up.

If It Bleeds by Stephen King is the first set of short stories I have read by Stephen King and I really liked them, there was one story I wasn’t too sure about but apart from that I felt they were the correct length for each story and the right amount of creepy and thought provoking.

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher is the 2nd book in the Dresden files series and I enjoyed this so much. This series is becoming a favourite of mine and I can’t wait to carry on with a book a month and dive further in the series with Harry Dresden.

Reviews for all these books will be coming in the next couple of weeks so make sure you keep your eye out for them.

What did you read this month? let me know in the comments below.

Review: The Rumour

Author: Lesley
Pages: 304
Star Rating: ✪✪✪✪

| Synopsis |

When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back . . .
Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.
Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.
So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?

| My thoughts |

I was given this book was a gift from my step mum. I actually quite enjoyed this book. It was a page-turner, and the plot kept me intrigued. I didn’t gel with the characters as much as I hoped I would but I didn’t affect my rating on the book. 

I am using the CAWPILE spreadsheet put together by Gi, her channel is Book Roast on youtube. You rate each section out of 10, here are my results.

I just didn’t have an emotional connection to any of the characters, they weren’t bad characters, they just weren’t for me.

I did have a theory about who was involved, which turned out to be slightly correct but there was still a twist. I think this is a solid debut and I will look into any other books by this author.

overall this was a solid debut.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

Happy Reading
xoxo

OWLs Week 1 & 2 Wrapup

Hey Readers … 

I am going to do a quick little update for week 1 and 2 of the OWLs Readathon. As everyone is well aware the UK and most of the world at this point are on lockdown due to the COVID-19 virus. I am currently working from home and only leaving the house when absolutely necessary. This lockdown is taking its toll on motivation to do anything at the moment except play Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I can’t seem to be able to concentrate on any reading. 

I have finished one book in these two weeks and I have started another three. 

The first book I finished is The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson, I have mainly been listening to this whilst I have been working to help me to concentrate as both myself and my husband are working from home in the same office – we do the same job for the same company. I have given this book a 5 star and the review will be up on Wednesday. 

I have started Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, this is a good story so far. This is something I don’t usually read so it’s slow going as I can only read so much at one time. I also tried to read The Magic of the Magdalene Key by Patrica Iris Kerrins, this book just wasn’t for me and I DNF’d it after 10 pages. The writing wasn’t for me at all, descriptions on one page were repeated with a slightly different word order 2 pages later. I was really looking forward to this one it sounded like something I would have really liked. 

The last book I have started is Deeplight by Frances Hardinge, I am only 25 pages into this one so far but I am really enjoying what I read and will continue on reading this over the next week. 

well… that’s everything for now. 

I hope everyone is staying safe and following the lockdown rules. I also want to thank all health care professionals all over the world, who are putting themselves at risk to look after the sick during this time. 

Let me know if the comments, what you have read recently this month, also let me know how you are holding up during this difficult time. 

Keep Reading
XOXO

 

January Wrapup

Hey Guys…

Today I am going to tell you about the books I read in January, this month I read 7 books and DNF’ed one book.

Let’s start with the book I DNF.

The Priory of the Orange Tree

This book just was not for me. I really couldn’t get into the story at all. I did enjoy the chapters with Tané, but when the story carried on and moved away from her chapters I just wasn’t interested in anything that was happening. 

I really wanted to like this book, this is the second time I have tried to read this book, I did manage to get a bit further in the book this time, unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

 

 

The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason

This is the first book in the Gardella Vampire Hunter series. I really enjoyed this book, this one is a re-read for me and I still enjoyed it this time around as I did the first time I read it. I gave this book 4 stars, You can read my full review here.

 

 

 

 

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

This is the first book of short stories in The Witcher series. I started this immediately after finishing the Netflix series, which I highly recommend. I also highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to carry on reading more about The Witcher. I gave this book 5 stars, You can read my full review here.

 

Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason

This is the 2nd book in the Gardella Vampire Hunter series. I enjoyed this book and it certainly through some surprises my way as I was reading it. I really want to carry on with the rest of the series throughout 2020. I gave this book 4 stars and you can read my full review here.

 

 

 

 

In The Dark by Loreth Anne White

This was a surprising book for me, I had heard nothing about it but I saw it on amazon and decided to get it for my kindle. I am going to have a look at other books this author may have written. I gave this book 5 stars, you can read my full review here.

 

 

 

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

This is the 2nd book in The Mistborn Trilogy. I love this series and even though this book is a little more political I enjoyed reading it. Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourite authors. I am hopefully going to get to Hero of Ages sometime in the next couple of months. I gave this book 5 stars and you can read my full review here. 

 

 

Girl Most Likely by Max Allan Collins

This was a really good book which had such a good relationship between father and daughter. I thought the mystery was a good element in the book. There are a few trigger warnings for the thought of suicide, but I really enjoyed this book due to the two main characters relationships. I gave this book 4 stars, you can read my full review here.

 

 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The final book I read was Shadow and Bone which I finished the day this post is going up. I am going to try and have the review up in the next week. I really enjoyed the friendships in this book between Alina and Mal. This is my first time reading this series and I can not wait to carry on. I gave this book 4 stars. 

 

 

 

Let me know if you have read any of these books and what you thought of them in the comments below. 

see you in the next post

XO.

 

August Wrap up

Hey readers…

I surprised myself in the month of august and read more books than I ever thought I could. I read 10 books.

Monthly Statistics

Books read: 10

Pages read: 4100

average pages per day: 132 

average days per book: 3

7 of the books I read were for the #N.E.W.T.s Readathon and 3 were not. All the reviews will be linked in the titles of the books if the review is currently up on my blog for that book. 

N.E.W.T.s Readathon

First I will list the books I read for this readathon. 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness 

This book is about a witch who tries to deny who she is and a vampire, who goes against what he knows to protect her. It also starts to include time-travel. I can’t wait to carry on with the series to see where the story goes.

I gave this book ✪✪✪✪✪

 

 

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Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan 

This book is based on fairytales which include a slight feminist twist.

I did like this one, I didn’t really get on with some of the stories but the others really made up for that.

I gave this book ✪✪✪✪.

 

 

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A Death at fountains Abbey by Antonia Hodgson

This book is a historical crime/mystery books set in 1728. I didn’t realise this book was part of a series, but you don’t need to read the series to enjoy the book. I think I will buy the others before this to see if they do add any insight to the book which may make it better.

I gave this book ✪✪✪

 

 

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Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan 

I didn’t think I would like this book as much as I did, the start seemed a little off for me but picked up massively towards the end. I thought the author represented anxiety excellently. This book includes magic and self-discovery. 

I gave this book ✪✪✪✪

 

 

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The word for world is forest by Ursula K. Le Guin

This one was a strange one for me and I didn’t really know where to rate it. I thought this story was very important. This book is about invading other peoples land and when violence starts it is very difficult to stop 

I gave this ✪✪✪

 

 

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Under a dancing star by Laura Wood 

This book is set in 1930’s England and is about a girl who doesn’t fit in with typical standards of women in this time period. She doesn’t mind getting filthy and wading through mud, much to her mother’s distress. She is then sent to spend time with her uncle in France and the story goes on from there.

I really enjoyed this and it made me feel so many different emotions.

I gave this book ✪✪✪✪✪

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This book is set in the year 2044 but is based on 1980’s culture. I preferred the book to the film, which is surprising as I watched the film first and usually don’t prefer the books after doing this, I thought there was more of a storyline in the book which didn’t appear in the films.

I rated this book ✪✪✪✪✪

 

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Other Books 

The reviews for this book have not gone up onto my blog yet but will be up this month

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan 

This book does take a while to get into. This is about 3 young lads as they go on a journey they were forced onto. Throughout the journey, they are being chased by the Dark One. This series is very intimidating but this book was fairly quick once I got into it.

I rated this book ✪✪✪✪

 

 

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The Lumberjanes Vol 1 by Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen

This graphic novel was a quick, entertaining little read. I am glad that I picked it up and I am going to pick up the rest of them to read them I am feeling a little slumpy. I loved all the characters and giggled throughout reading it. 

I gave this graphic novel ✪✪✪✪

 

 

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Hour Game by David Baldacci 

David Baldacci’s book are fast becoming a favourite of mine. I really enjoy his writing and I like the twist and turns they take throughout. you never know who is going to be the bad guy at the end. These are mystery/crime novels involving King and Maxwell, both ex-secret service agents. 

I loved the fast pace of this story and all the different interweaved stories.

I gave this book ✪✪✪✪

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Well, that is a wrap, let me know in the comments below what books you have read this month. or if you have read any of these, let me know what you thought.

 

–HappyReading
xoxo