Most Anticipated Reads

Hello lovely people, I hope you’re having a great day. I’ve been meaning to do a most anticipated reads post for a while but despite starting to write it ages ago narrowing down all of the upcoming releases (and actually finding time to write the post and figuring out the new block editor wotsit on WordPress) took me a lot longer than it should have. This list could easily be double the length it is, there are sooo many good books coming, but I’ve whittled it down to ten almost all of which I have pre ordered from the book store. I’ve included links to the Goodreads page for each book and the synopsis from there too in case you’re curious.


The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I’m a big fan of Matt Haig’s books, he seems to be able to write any genre, but I’m especially excited about The Midnight Library because it’s the first adult fiction book from him a while. Also, gotta love any book set in a library.


The Midnight Library

Between life and death there is a library.

When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren’t always what she imagined they’d be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?


The Devil & the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

No pressure on the author but I think this may be my most anticipated book possibly ever. Turton’s debut, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, was one of the most original and complex stories I think I’ve ever read so I’ve been both excited and nervous of what he would do next. I’ve read the sampler for The Devil and the Dark Water and am already a little in love with it.


The Devil and the Dark Water

A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.

It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.

But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered.

And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.

Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?

With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.


The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

I was fortunate enough to see Richard Osman talking about his debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, at Bloody Scotland last year and he totally sold me on it. The synopsis makes it sound like a cozy murder mystery (a genre I hate) but I get the feeling this will be a much sharper and funnier read.


The Thursday Murder Club

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved killings.

But when a local property developer shows up dead, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

The four friends, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?


The Searcher by Tana French

Not sure I need to say anything on this… it’s a new Tana French… I love Tana French.


The Searcher

Retired detective Cal Hooper moves to a remote village in rural Ireland. His plans are to fix up the dilapidated cottage he’s bought, to walk the mountains, to put his old police instincts to bed forever.

Then a local boy appeals to him for help. His brother is missing, and no one in the village, least of all the police, seems to care. And once again, Cal feels that restless itch.

Something is wrong in this community, and he must find out what, even if it brings trouble to his door.

Our greatest living mystery writer weaves a masterful tale of breath-taking beauty and suspense, asking what we sacrifice in our search for truth and justice, and what we risk if we don’t.


The Survivors by Jane Harper

And talking about autobuy authors, Jane Harper also has a new book coming out in January 2021. I find her writing very similar to Tana French’s in that the focus is on character development and setting. Not necessarily a fast paced read but no less gripping.


The Survivors

The compelling new novel from Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry.

Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal town he once called home.

Kieran’s parents are struggling in a community which is bound, for better or worse, to the sea, that is both a lifeline and a threat. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away…


The Invisible Life Of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

I am pretty sure this is on most people’s most anticipated lists. Schwab knows how to tell a great story and I just love the sound of this one.


The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.


A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Oooh this sounds so good, there’s a bit of a Harry Potter/Hogwards feel to it but with all of the danger and none of the nice/fun bits. Novik is a fabulous writer so I’m expecting rich and vivid descriptions and a story that’ll entrance me.


A Deadly Education (Scholomance, #1)

Lesson One of the Scholomance

Learning has never been this deadly

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.


The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

Bridget Collins’ previous book The Binding was very different to what I was expecting, it’s more of a romance than a fantasy, but there was something about it that really drew me in. I’ve therefore been looking out for what she would do next and just look at that cover. It’s sooo pretty. I know this isn’t a valid reason for picking a book but…


The Betrayals

If everything in your life was based on a lie
Would you risk it all to tell the truth?

At Montverre, an exclusive academy tucked away in the mountains, the best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu: an arcane and mysterious contest. Léo Martin was once a student there, but lost his passion for the grand jeu following a violent tragedy. Now he returns in disgrace, exiled to his old place of learning with his political career in tatters.

Montverre has changed since he studied there, even allowing a woman, Claire Dryden, to serve in the grand jeu’s highest office of Magister Ludi. When Léo first sees Claire he senses an odd connection with her, though he’s sure they have never met before.

Both Léo and Claire have built their lives on lies. And as the legendary Midsummer Game, the climax of the year, draws closer, secrets are whispering in the walls…


A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore

This is the second novel in the League of Extraordinary Women series and I have been seriously looking forward to this. I guess it falls into the category of historical romance but if it’s anything like the first book it will be so much more. The time of the suffragettes is not one I know well and while I’m sure the author has taken a bit of creative licence I did find the first book very authentic.


A Rogue of One's Own (A League of Extraordinary Women, #2)

A lady must have money and an army of her own if she is to win a revolution – but first, she must pit her wits against the wiles of an irresistible rogue bent on wrecking her plans…and her heart.

Lady Lucie is fuming. She and her band of Oxford suffragists have finally scraped together enough capital to control one of London’s major publishing houses, with one purpose: to use it in a coup against Parliament. But who could have predicted that the one person standing between her and success is her old nemesis, Lord Ballentine? Or that he would be willing to hand over the reins for an outrageous price—a night in her bed.

Lucie tempts Tristan like no other woman, burning him up with her fierceness and determination every time they clash. But as their battle of wills and words fans the flames of long-smouldering devotion, the silver-tongued seducer runs the risk of becoming caught in his own snare.

As Lucie tries to out-manoeuvre Tristan in the boardroom and the bedchamber, she soon discovers there’s truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war…


Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Another romance sequel. Again, I loved the earlier books in the series so have been waiting on the next one. As an added bonus this has a cat cafe (and a cat on the cover) so I’m expecting lots of furry trouble makers.


Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club, #3)

A hacktivist and a cat café owner decode the friend zone in this romantic comedy from the author of Undercover Bromance.

Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.

Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.

Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had.


So that’s my ten most anticipated, are you looking forward to any of these or have you been lucky enough to get your hands on a proof? If so what did you think? Are there any books I’m missing? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Reading x

Seven Fantasy Series I Can’t Bring Myself to Finish

With the big finale of a certain TV show a couple of weeks ago I’ve been thinking a lot about endings and how much I both love and hate them. I can’t wait to find out how things finish but either don’t want it to be over or fear that it won’t live up to expectations.

I think this may be why I’ve developed this bad habit of not finishing series’ of books. I will faithfully read every book released, will add the final book to my most anticipated books list, will even pre-order it and count down the days to publication but once I have that shiny new copy in my hands I just can’t bring myself to read it. This seems to be particularly true of fantasy series for some reason and the more excited I am about it the less likely I am to read it any time soon.

There are a lot more than the seven listed below but these are the most recent cases where I’ve read every book in the series but the last one. I also have a bad habit of reading the first book in a series and going no further, but that would be a MUCH longer list.


Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence

Holy Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #3)

So I absolutely adored the first two books in this series and have been going on and on about how much I can’t wait to read this ever since I finished Grey Sister. There has been so much foreshadowing of what’s to come I need to know how it ends but this is one of those cases where I don’t want it to be over. I have no doubt that the ending will be phenomenal but I have a bad feeling some of my fave characters won’t make it and I’m not sure I can take that.


Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Finale (Caraval, #3)

This series has been a little up and down for me, I was a bit meh about Caraval but I absolutely loved Legendary (Tella made a much better MC for me). I’ve therefore been a bit wary about the third and final book. It could be brilliant or it could be meh… and the reviews I’ve spied so far haven’t exactly been glowing :/


Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Hero at the Fall (Rebel of the Sands, #3)

Similar to Caraval, it’s the reviews that have been putting me off reading the final book in this trilogy. I’ve very much enjoyed the first two but despite owning book three since it was released over a year ago I’ve not quite managed to read it yet.


The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)

Umm… unpopular opinion time but I’ve just never really gotten into this series. I loved The Mortal Instruments (well most of it – let’s not talk about a couple of incidents) but the first couple of books in this trilogy kind of bored me. Not sure if it’s because it’s steampunk (I rarely get on well with steampunk) or if the whole love triangle thing is getting dull (just pick someone Tessa) but other than a few moments the first two books were a hard slog. I do think though that as I have slogged my way through most of the trilogy I should just finish the bloomin thing. Plus it seems that The Dark Artifices is full of spoilers for this and the Mortal Instruments.


Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

War Storm (Red Queen, #4)

For some reason a lot of people seems to hate on this series but I’ve enjoyed pretty much every book. OK yeah there’s been some stuff I haven’t been so keen on but I do want to know what happens to Mare (stupid name) and the others. In this case it’s the fact that it’s a big giant hardback that’s stopped me from reading so far. It’s too heavy to carry about… and ok that’s a rubbish excuse and if I really was desperate to read it I would have read it by now but umm I still haven’t read it.


Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer, #2)

I loved Strange the Dreamer but given how heavy it is on description I didn’t find it the easiest read. That style of writing and me just don’t mesh well, I need to be in the right kind of mood and have enough time (and peace and quiet) to give it my full attention. Needless to say that hasn’t happened as yet so Muse of Nightmares is still sitting patiently on my bookshelf. I will get to it, just not sure when…


Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7)

This is probably another unpopular opinion but for me this series peaked at book two and it’s been downhill ever since. It feels to me like Maas is trying to make them too big and putting in all this unnecessary stuff (and characters). I’ve technically not finished Tower of Dawn, for some reason I gave up ten pages from the end, but I do think I’ve made it this far so should just bloomin read it. If only it wasn’t sooo big.


I actually made a bookish resolution that this year I would finally finish off some of these series but so far I’ve failed miserably. Maybe this post will  encourage me to just do it… although it seems unlikely.

Have you finished any of these? Should I just read them? Do you ever put off finishing a series?

Happy reading

Ax

10 Signs you may not be loving your current read

Sometimes it’s clear that you’re not enjoying your current read but sometimes the signs are a little bit more subtle. You don’t hate it but it’s just not holding your attention. Often it’s not even that the book is bad, it may just be the case that it’s the wrong book for that particular time or you may just be in a bit of a reading slump.

So how do you know you’re not loving your current read. Here are 10 signs I’ve found that this may not be the right book for right now.

1 You’ve read the same page 3 times,

have no idea what happened…

and don’t care enough to read it a fourth time, moving on…

2 You check how far you’ve gotten every five minutes

read karen gillan GIF by HULU

If it’s a physical book you flick forward to see how many pages are in it, how many are left, whether there’s a lot of writing on them or hopefully how many blank or partial pages there are. If you’re on an ereader, you check either the percentage, page x of x or more often than not the “there are x minutes remaining in the chapter/book”. You also have to start timing your reading just to make sure that little timer is accurate. There’s nothing worse than when you’ve been reading for 30 mins and it hasn’t moved or even worse gone up.

3 You read the last page

 halloween book reading humour read GIF

I know some people do skip forward when they’re reading but if you’re checking to see how much writing is on the pages and reading bits to find out if something exciting is going to finally happen, or it’s going to switch to the pov you prefer it’s not a good sign. If you’re actually reading the last page to find out how it ends (and this isn’t something you usually do) it’s a really, really bad sign.

4 You go to bed to sleep!!!!

winnie the pooh night GIF

Wait, WHAT?!?! Actually going to bed at a reasonable time and sleeping, what’s that about? Surely beds are for horizontal reading until you can’t physically keep your eyes open any longer?

5 You spend an inordinate amount of time shopping for new books

confessions of a shopaholic shopping GIF

Look how shiny, new and exciting they are. Yes you have hundreds of books you haven’t read but you’re midway through a book so it’s okay to buy one or two or a hundred more for when you finish it. And obviously you have to do your research. What are the reviews like? Have you checked every bookshop to see which one has the best deal or that collectors edition you really want. Maybe you should have a quick look on NetGalley and see if there’s anything interesting there.

Who am I kidding, I do this regardless of whether I’m enjoying my current read 😀

6 You start reading something else

reading read GIF

That shiny new book you just bought, maybe you should just read the first few pages to see if it’s going to be as good as you think it will? And if you’ve started it, maybe you should just finish it? Or maybe you could re read an old book that you love, just to help you get to sleep or to calm you down.

You’re definitely not abandoning your current read, just putting it on hold for a bit, honest.

7 Binge watch shows on Netflix

bored edward norton GIF

You know that new show that everyone’s been talking about but you don’t really fancy? Now seems like the perfect time to watch every single episode and maybe also catch up on those other shows you’ve been meaning to see. And I mean if you’re doing that you may as watch all of those shows/films you’d recorded to watch later.

8 Your home has never been so clean and tidy

 movies cleaning clean clean up cleaning up GIF

OK you know there’s definitely a problem when cleaning seems like a more enjoyable option than picking up that book.

9 You look for projects

no idea diy GIF by Mayhem

Similar to the previous one, it suddenly seems like now may be the perfect time to clear out your closet, rearrange your bookshelf, write that novel you’ve been thinking about, learn a foreign language, pretty much anything that’s not reading.

10 You write blog posts about signs you’re not loving your current read

fight time GIF

😀

Technically, I’m between books at the moment but I did start this post when I wasn’t particularly loving the book I was reading. Anyone want to take a guess which one?


Do you have any subtle tells that you may not be loving your current read? What do you do? Do you give up and move on or push through?

Let’s chat

Why I Don’t Review Books

OK obviously I do review books, I’m a book blogger so it’d be a little odd if I didn’t post any reviews or express an opinion on what I’ve read, but if you follow my blog regularly you may have noticed that there’s a bit of a disparity between the number of books read and the number I’ve posted reviews for. I do try to review almost every ARC I receive, someone was kind enough to give me it for free so I feel I should, but there are quite a few occasions when I just don’t want to review a book. Here’s why.

I can’t find the words

This most commonly happens with books I love, I literally can’t find the right words to express how a book made me feel in any kind of meaningful way. A Monster Calls (or pretty much any Patrick Ness), ADSOM, Six of Crows are all books I haven’t been able to review for this very reason.

Honestly if I did attempt a review there would be some serious fangirling going on. Loved the author, loved the story, loved all of the characters (where’s that thesaurus I can’t keep using love). Other times I just can’t pinpoint what it was that made me feel that way, so describing it is nigh on impossible.

It’s all been said before

 

Does anyone really want to see my review of ACOTAR or A.N. Other book which is super popular and everyone in the whole wide world has read?

Personally I love reading reviews of these books as I want to know how other people’s opinion compares to mine but I get the feeling there are many out there who are getting a little fed up with reading the same reviews of the same books over and over and over again. I also feel like I don’t have anything original to add and anything I would say has been said before and by someone much funnier or more intelligent than me.

F.O.A.R.

Also known as Fear Of Author Reading (OK I totally just made that up). I’m fairly certain the big popular authors are probably never going to see the reviews I write and if they did I doubt they’d care, but they might. The lesser known authors however will almost definitely see it. As someone who’s kind of in awe of authors and very self conscious about my own writing this terrifies me. What if they think I’m criticising and take offense? What if my review’s poorly written and they see it? Or, even worse, what if it’s my favourite author and I didn’t love the book? What if I meet them or know them? It’s all just too scary.

I don’t feel qualified

I’ve never even written a short story never mind a book, I have no qualifications in English Lit or Creative Writing so am I really in a position to review someone else’s work. Most authors do say they want people to leave reviews even if they’re just a few words but there are certain books, generally the classics, which I feel I don’t really have a right to post a review of. Academics and experts have spent years studying these books and many of them are taught in schools. Any opinion I had would be decidedly amateur and uninformed.

Spoilers

Psychological thrillers, murder mysteries, sequels these can be almost impossible to review. You probably can’t say much about the storyline, you may not be able to talk about the characters without giving something away so what’s actually left.  It was good???

There’s literally nothing to say

There’s nothing wrong with it but nothing I particularly liked either. The whole thing was just meh and I don’t care enough to want to spend the time trying to figure out what to say about it other than it was ok.

It’s not blog appropriate

I generally try to make sure my content is suitable for all ages so while I do read adult books I don’t tend to post detailed reviews (I’d probably self-combust from embarrassment if I tried anyway). There will be a quick liked it or didn’t and that’s probably about it.

I don’t want to hate on a book

I started my blog because I love books and want to chat to other bookish people. I don’t really want to write a review slagging off a story an author has spent months or years creating particularly if it’s just not for me. Don’t get me wrong if there’s something in a book I find really offensive and wrong I’ll quite happily post a big rant but generally if I don’t like it, it’s a quick “not for me” and move on.

I just want to enjoy the read

Yep sometimes I just want to read for the joy of reading without the pressure of having to write a review.

I read somewhere that a good review should be objective, unemotional and that you should provide supporting evidence for your views. I’m pretty sure this means that none of my reviews are actually any good (not qualified remember) but when I do write one I think through all of my points. What did I like or not like and why? How was the writing? Were the characters well defined or stereotyped? How was the pacing? Basically I analyse it and let’s face it even the best books will struggle to withstand scrutiny so if I loved a book I don’t want to analyse it. Partly because it may turn out to be not that well written or a little cliched but mostly because I want to just bask in the way it made me feel.


So that’s my reasons for not reviewing every single book I read. Is it wrong not to review all of the books I read? Do you?

I’d love to know what you think so please, please comment below.

 

To finish or not to finish?

That is the question, or today’s at any rate

Reading various blogs and reviews over the last few weeks I’ve noticed that a lot of readers, if they’re really not enjoying a book, will stop reading and move on to something better. Some even go so far as to have a DNF (did not finish) policy whereby they give every book they read a certain number of pages (or a percentage) to grab them and if it doesn’t they give up and move to the next book.

Up until now I’ve been making an effort to read every book I start to the end, even if I’m not enjoying it (and there have been some truly awful books in there), but I’m starting to wonder if I should change my approach. Read More »