The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I think I might be in a bit of a reading slump at the moment as I’m juggling a few different books and not making a huge amount of progress on any of them. I started Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare at the weekend and have made it about a third of the way through before I had to park it for a bit. I have the hardback version and it’s huge so there’s no way I’m carrying it on my commute. Enjoyment wise it’s ok. I’ve seen quite a few rave reviews but so far I haven’t been wowed. It has been surprisingly easy to put down.

As I can’t carry Lady Midnight about with me I’ve started reading ebook thriller Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine. I joined Amazon Prime and got this as my freebie first read book. I quite like Caine and I think this is possibly the first adult thriller book of hers I’ve come across. It’s about a woman who discovers her husband was actually a serial killer and, when people don’t believe she wasn’t involved, she takes her children and goes into hiding. The first chapter of this was brilliant. Really hooked you in so I think it’ll be good.

The third and final book on the go at the moment is audio book Attack of the 50ft. Women by Catherine Mayer. I thought it was about time I tried a non fiction audio and I’ve been curious about this book since it was published earlier this year. I’ve only managed to get a couple of hours listening in so far but it is fascinating. Feminism and equality is something I’m interested in and it’s definitely making me question my belief that things aren’t really that bad as far as gender equality goes (or at least where I am it isn’t too bad).

Recently Finished

It’s been a slightly slower reading week for me (I blame Lady Midnight) so the only book finished this week was Perfect by Cecelia Ahern. This is the sequel to her debut YA book Flawed about a dystopian society where those who are found guilty of moral or ethical crimes are judged to be flawed and branded with a litter F.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped I would. I didn’t dislike it but it was just kinda ok. I felt like the main character who had developed really well in the first book reverted back to being naive and frustrating and there just wasn’t the tension or emotion the first book had.

Reading Next

Given my current slump I think I will be in need of some light and easy reading next. It would be good to get something off my NetGalley shelf too so I may pick up The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach by Kitty French or The Rome Affair by Karen Swan

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I started reading Perfect by Cecelia Ahern on Monday and am around 20% through. It’s the sequel to her debut YA book Flawed about a dystopian society where those who are found guilty of moral or ethical crimes are judged to be flawed and branded with a letter F. It’s definitely an interesting concept and Ahern’s writing is always good so I have high hopes. I do only have about four days to finish it though as it’s due back to the library.

Recently Finished

First book finished this week was Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. This was actually my first Laini Taylor but I very much doubt it will be my last. There is maybe a little too much imagery and description for me but the story, characters and world the author creates are wonderful. The ending in particular is stunning, edge of your seat stuff but has unfortunately left me wanting more (and with a bit of a book hangover). I’ll definitely be getting the second part of this duology. You can read my full review here.

The second book finished was thriller, His Kidnapper’s Shoes by Maggie James. I probably wouldn’t have picked this myself but it’s this month’s real life book club choice so I gave it a go. The story is about a man discovering the woman who he thought was his mother had kidnapped him when he was four years old and the fall out from that discovery. Not sure if I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind but I found this just ok rather than good. It’s quite readable, I blasted through the whole thing in a day, but I didn’t really like any of the characters and thought the plot was a bit too far fetched at times (and I read a lot of YA fantasy). 

As a little bit of a reading palate cleanser I managed to slot in short story The Bone Knife by Intisar Khanani. I have to confess I’ve never read a full length novel by Khanani but there’s definitely something very likeable about her writing which makes me think I should as soon as possible. I get the impression she may be one of those seriously underrated authors.

The final book finished this week was The Devil’s Colony (or Colon as I keep calling it 🙂 ) by Bill Schweigart. It’s the third and final book in a horror trilogy about a group who investigate cryptids (monsters in the woods). I’ve been absolutely loving this series so I’m a little sad it’s all over. While this book wasn’t quite as creepy as the first book in the series I think it may be my favorite and it’s definitely the biggest in terms of monster scale. The whole series has kind of reminded me of the James Herbert and Dean Koontz books I used to read in my teen years.

Reading Next

I’ve been very lucky at my local library recently and have managed to pick up a few books that I’ve been really looking forward to reading so hopefully I can make a start on one or more of the following before they’re due back.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Before I go into this weeks list I need to apologize for last weeks post as I’ve literally just realized the formatting was weird (I have no idea how that slipped through). Hopefully I won’t be doing the same this time 🙂

Currently Reading

I started reading Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor very early on Monday morning (1am) but so far haven’t made a lot of progress on it. I have this week off work so I have been forcing myself to put the book down and get my life and house sorted out 🙂 It won’t last though, I’m sure I’ll be back to book obsessed with a house falling down around me very soon.

What I have read so far has been really good and I can definitely see this being a series to obsess over.

Recently Finished

First book finished this week was Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher which I received from NetGalley. I’d already watched the show before I started reading it but while I do wish I’d done things the other way around I definitely got something different from reading the book. I couldn’t help but imagine the actors as the characters and the show has a lot more in it but the format of the novel is very unique and the characters didn’t feel quite the same. I should have a full review up this week.

The second book finished was Release by Patrick Ness which seemed to take me forever for some reason. It’s not a particularly hard read and was a book I was very excited about but while the writing was as always wonderful it wasn’t my favorite Ness book. All of his books are very different but if I were to compare I’d say it’s probably most like The Rest of Us Just Live Here as it’s mostly a YA contemporary with some fantasy as a secondary story. It is very well written and there were moments I loved but I don’t think I was the right audience for it. You can read my full review here.

My YA fest continued with my next book read, Nemesis by Brendan Reichs. This is a YA Sci Fi story about a girl Min who every two years on her birthday is murdered by a man in a suit and sunglasses. As you can probably tell just from that it has a really fantastic and unique premise. It was very different from anything I’d read before, although in fairness I don’t read a lot of sci fi. I really liked the story which was packed full of twists and turns but felt like it was missing the feels. My review has more details.

The final book (also YA) finished this week, Hunted by Meagan Spooner, was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I really love retellings and this is definitely one of the best ones I’ve come across. It sticks pretty close to the original but moves the setting to Medieval Russia and turns our heroine into a hunter out for vengeance. I actually started this as an audio but found it too slow going so ended up switching to the book (both of which I got on Overdrive) and reading the majority in a morning, I literally couldn’t put it down. Here’s my full review

Reading Next

Given all of my recent YA reads I think I need something a bit more old adult. I have RL book club next week so I should really be making a start on this months pick His Kidnapper’s Shoes by Maggie James. I’d also like to continue my good work getting my NetGalley shelf down so would like to pick up either The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach or The Devil’s Colony.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I started reading Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher on Monday and I’m already around half way through. I watched the TV show a month or so ago and found it really engaging (I want to say I enjoyed it but it’s quite heavy so that’s not really the right word). I already had it on my want to read list but the show definitely made me want to read it even more so I was very happy to receive it from NetGalley.

It’s strange reading the book so close to watching the show as you can’t help but imagine the actors as the characters and comparing the two. There are a few differences but even though I loved the show I’m still very much enjoying (argh!! I need to find another word) the book.

No progress on Release by Patrick Ness this week unfortunately. I really need to get back into it.

Recently Finished

First book finished this week was A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I received this from NetGalley and read it as part of a group read on GoodReads. It was a little outwith my usual reading comfort zone but I absolutely loved it. It’s begins in the 1920s in Moscow with a man being ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel. It’s quite a slow story but it’s beautifully written with some fascinating characters and many touching and funny moments. You can read my full review here.

The other book finished this week was Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh. This was also from NetGalley (I’m slowly making progress getting my shelf down) but I also got a hardback copy as well. I liked this book a lot and pretty much read the whole thing in one sitting. It’s my first book from this author and her writing style definitely suits me. I loved the story and the feudal Japan elements but it was a little too similar to other YA fantasy stories to be a standout read. My review should be up soon.

Reading Next

Unbelievably I’ve actually read or am reading all of the books on last weeks reading next list so I need some new ones. I also have a week off work so will hopefully have plenty of reading time. I’ll no doubt wait and see what I’m in the mood for but likely I’ll make a start on one or more of the following:

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I still seem to be juggling multiple books at the moment which is very unlike me but as of right now I’m midway through two.

The first of these, Release by Patrick Ness, I was around halfway through last week and have failed miserably to make much progress with. It’s absolutely nothing to do with the book itself as I’ve just not been in the right frame of mind and had other books that I needed to read for challenges and group reads. I think I only have around 100 pages left so it shouldn’t take me long once I get back to it.

The second book I’m currently reading is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. This is a book I received from NetGalley an embarrassingly long time ago and kept putting off because it’s historical fiction, a genre I’m not overly keen on. I finally decided to read it because it was picked as a Group read over on GoodReads (I nominated it) and I’m so glad I did because I’m absolutely loving it. It’s not an action packed or fast paced story but I’m enjoying taking my time over it and the writing is beautiful. It’s one of those stories where I find myself highlighting huge chunks of text all over the place.

Recently Finished

First book finished this week was Obsession by Amanda Robson which I received as an ARC from NetGalley. It’s a psychological thriller about two couples, adultory and obsession. I found it a really engrossing read and when I was reading it literally nothing would distract me. I couldn’t tell you anything about my commutes last week. I did think it was a little on the long side and some variety in voice (there are four narrators) would have been good but otherwise it’s definitely worth reading. You can read my full review here.

I’ve been feeling terrible over the last few days so after finishing Obsession I felt the need for some comfort reading and blasted my way through two sports romances, The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen and Out of Bounds by R.S. Grey. Both were just what I needed although the second was maybe a little OTT in certain places (if you’ve read it, yoga class???).

Reading Next

I’m determined that as soon as I finish my current reads I’ll make a start on Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh. It’s been too long since I’ve read a YA fantasy. I also managed to get my hands on a copy of Thirteen Reasons Why from NetGalley so I want to read it as soon as possible. I watched the TV show a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it so I’m curious as to how they compare.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I started reading Legion by Julie Kagawa yesterday so I’m only around 15% in. It’s the fourth book in her Talon series and it’s off to a good start. It’s pretty much impossible to talk about without spoilers for the previous books in the series so I’ll just say it’s a YA fantasy about dragons and leave it there. I’ve had mixed views of Kagawa’s books in the past but I’ve been enjoying this series (and her Blood Of Eden series too). I am a little bit wary though as the last book had one of the most edge of the seat endings ever. I have a horrible feeling this could be the same and I’m not sure I can take it.

On audio I’m still listening to Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost. It’s the fourth and final book in her Night Prince series and I have been absolutely loving it. There are just so many bits that make me laugh out loud.

Recently Finished

Things have gotten really busy at work again so I only managed to finish two books this week, the first of which was Want You Gone by Chris Brookmyre. Want You Gone is the 8th book in his Jack Parlabane series about an investigative journalist. While it is part of a series it could be read as a standalone as each book has a different story and theme. This time Parlabane is pulled into the world of cyber crime and industrial espionage when a hacker he’s used as a source calls and asks for his help.

This was a great story. It has a really clever and well thought out plot that doesn’t get too techie despite involving hacking. It was also good to have Jack back in a more prominent role than in the previous book in the series as he’s a great character. Without giving too much away, if you like an Ocean’s Eleven style heist in your books you’ll like this. You can read my full review here.

The other book finished this week was More Than This by Patrick Ness. This was actually a re read as I’d previously read it back in August last year. I’d picked it for real life book club (I was put on the spot and it was the first book I thought of) and it turned out to be a really good choice. All of the books we’ve read so far have been either literary fiction or crime so it was good to shake things up with something completely different. Not everyone liked it (the word “nonsense” may have been used by one person) but it definitely generated a lot of discussion. Personally I think I enjoyed it more on the second reading.

Reading Next

I went to see Stuart MacBride at a book signing last week so I’m more keen than ever to read his latest book  A Dark so Deadly. He’s one of my favourite authors and I know a few people have already read this and loved it so it’s one I’m looking forward to. I’m also going to try and make a dent on my TBR with one or more of the following books.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I just started Want You Gone by Chris Brookmyre yesterday so I’m only around 20% in but enjoying it so far. It’s the 8th book in his Jack Parlabane series but could probably be read as a standalone (I’ve certainly missed a few in the series). This time the story is about the dangers of the internet and I have to admit it’s already got me thinking about all of the information I put online. I received this from NetGalley and am on the blog tour so you can expect a review this weekend.

On audio I’ve finally managed to get my hands on Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost. It’s the fourth and final book in her Night Prince series. This series is definitely one of my guilty pleasures and has already had me teehee-ing in the car.

Recently Finished

First book finished this week was Last Breath by Robert Bryndza which I received from NetGalley. It’s the fourth in the DCI Erika Foster series and is possibly the best in the series so far. This time Erika and the team are on the hunt for a serial killer who stalks and befriends his victims online.

It’s more of a police procedural than a who dunit but it doesn’t really matter as for me the highlight of Bryndza’s books are the characters. Erika isn’t necessarily my favourite but the secondary characters like Moss are brilliant. I should have a full review up soon.

The next book finished this week was Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I have to admit I read this because it fit a challenge (yellow cover) but given my love for Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares I was quite excited about it. Unfortunately it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.

It’s an easy enough read and really enjoyable in places but it just fell a little bit flat for me. It might be because I was comparing to the film or it may be I missed a lot of the music references or possibly just that I didn’t really take to the characters but something was definitely missing.

The third and final book finished this week was And I Darken by Kiersten White. I knew I wanted to read this the second I saw it was loosely based on the story of Vlad the Impaler. I’m not generally a fan of historical fiction but this is more of an alternative history where it’s Vlad’s daughter Lada who is the violent, slightly unstable and totally ruthless warrior on the hunt for power. Something that’s not particularly easy for  a woman in that time period.

I loved this book and literally couldn’t put it down. It wasn’t just Lada’s story it was also that of her brother Radu who’s seen as a bit of a weakling and a coward but is actually the more cunning of the two. The relationship between them is fantastic and so is the story. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series when it comes out this summer.

Reading Next

My plan for the next week is to keep making some progress on my NetGalley shelf so I’m hoping to read A Dark so Deadly by Stuart MacBride and Sleep Tight by Caroline Mitchell. They are both crime/thrillers so I think I’ll probably need to mix it up a bit with either Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh or Legion by Julie Kagawa

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’ve finally started Last Breath by Robert Bryndza, woohoo!! This is the fourth in his Detective Erika Foster series and a book I’ve been looking forward to since finishing the previous one in the series.

Very early days, I’m only a few chapters in but so far so good and I’ve seen some incredible reviews for it so I have high hopes.

Recently Finished

First book finished this week was The Cornish Escape by Lily Graham which I received from NetGalley. The story is about a woman who, after her husband admits to having an affair, escapes to a village on the Cornish coast. While out for a walk one day she discovers a derelict cottage hidden away near the cliffs. Curious about it and all of the local rumours about a curse she begins to dig into its past.

This was somewhat different from the light and fluffy romance I was expecting but I really enjoyed the mystery around the cottage. My biggest gripe was the ending which left me feeling very frustrated. You can read my full review here.

The second book finished this week was Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick, which was another NetGalley pick. It’s about two guys who live near the Mexico/America border and end up on the bad side of one of the gangs. They have 36 hours to find a lot of money or they’ll likely end up dead.

Have to admit to having very mixed views on this one. For the most part I liked the story, the writing was good and there are some brilliant scenes but I found the whole thing a little slow and difficult to focus on. It’s not the easiest of topics to read but is probably worth sticking with. Review should be up later this week.

Reading Next

OK I have to confess that last week I got distracted by 13 Reasons Why on Netflix (watch it if you get a chance) but this week I’m hoping to get a bit more reading in particularly over the Easter weekend. Next up from the NetGalley shelf will most likely be Want You Gone by Chris Brookmyre and A Dark so Deadly by Stuart MacBride (my two favourite Scottish crime authors). I also have Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor so I’m still hoping to squeeze it in somewhere.

In other news I discovered a new real life book club the pick for which is Anatomy of a Soldier by Harry Parker. Initially when I heard it was a story told by a series of objects I kind of thought “oh no!!!” but having listened to a bit of the audio I’m actually kind of excited about it. I managed to get a copy of the book from the library but I’m thinking I may try and get the audio instead.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!