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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

Ummm… Not actually reading anything at the moment as I finished two books yesterday and I’ve been loaded with the cold since Christmas Eve which generally means lots of feeling sorry for myself and watching Disney films 🙂

Recently Finished

The first book finished this week was The Deal by Elle Kennedy which is the first in the Off Campus series. I have to admit to having already read the third book, The Score, so I kind of knew where it was going (although it wouldn’t be particularly hard to guess) but I still really enjoyed this. It’s definitely better than The Score and was just the kind of read I was looking for.

I also finished my audio book, Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card, this week. This was my first sci fi audio and I don’t think it’ll be my last as I absolutely loved it. It’s a companion novel to Ender’s Game and tells the story of Ender’s second in command Bean, who it’s safe to say has an interesting life. There was a bit of a gap in my listening which did leave me a little confused at one point but this was my own doing and no fault of the story. I really want to continue this story but unfortunately this was the only one on Overdrive 😦

The third book finished this week was The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer. This was a book I’d heard about on Cleo’s blog and it didn’t disappoint. I started and finished it in one day which, considering I was loaded with the cold and just wanted to sleep, was pretty impressive. It doesn’t have the most unique plot, serial killer becomes fixated on main character, but it’s very well written with moments of light and dark. Probably not for the squeamish but definitely a book I’d recommend.

Finally, I also read Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. This was the seventh and final book in the Night Huntress series. I do kind of feel like this series went on a little too long but the early books are definitely great reads if you like paranormal romance.

Reading Next

As I’m still on holiday from work I think I’m going to try and make a dent in some of the physical books I have sitting on my bookshelf. So expect I will be going for one of the following books next

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

Happy Wednesday everyone and I hope you have a great New Year.

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

This is my really busy time at work so, as my brain feels ready to explode, I decided to go for some nice easy reading that doesn’t require too much concentration. I’m therefore reading The Deal by Elle Kennedy which is a new adult contemporary romance. I do generally enjoy Elle Kennedy’s books so I’m sure this will be no exception, if I can manage to read it 🙂

I also have a new audio book on the go at the moment, Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card. I think this is my first sci fi audio and I’m absolutely loving it. I’ve been trying to find excuses to drive places so I can listen to it. It’s a parallel story to Ender’s Game which I have to admit I haven’t read but think I may swing back to once I finish this (or at least watch the film).

Recently Finished

The first book finished this week was psychological thriller The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney. I was lucky enough to receive this from NetGalley and the premise sounded so good I couldn’t wait to read. It follows Jane who, after a personal tragedy forces her to move house, finds the perfect new home to rent. The only catch is that it comes with a long list of rules to follow to maintain the minimalist decor. Very shortly after moving in Jane discovers the previous tenant Emma met a mysterious death there and begins to dig into what happened. Was it an accident, suicide or murder and if the latter, who was responsible?

I think if you read and enjoyed The Girl on the Train you’ll like The Girl Before as it did remind me a little of it. There are a lot of elements to the story which are fascinating. The main negative for me was that I didn’t really take to any of the characters and wasn’t particularly emotionally invested in the outcome. I’ll post a full review closer to the release date.

The next book was actually one from my “Reading Next” list, Gone by Elisabeth Naughton. This was another NetGalley pick and the second in the series (although you could probably read as a standalone). It’s a romantic suspense about a couple whose child went missing in a play park three years ago. Their relationship broke down as a result but when they both receive a call that a child has been found that could be their daughter they end up working together to get to the truth.

I do like Elisabeth Naughton books and I think this book was better than the previous in the series as it felt like it had a bit more of a plot and was slightly less predictable. Again, I’m planning to write a review at some point.

The third and final book finished, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, was also a “Reading Next” book (it’s a miracle) but this time from the library. I’ve found the previous books by Colleen Hoover to be a bit of a mixed bag. I usually like the start and the writing but find it all goes a bit wrong at some point. I had however heard some great things about It Ends With Us and having now finished it I completely agree. I won’t go too far into what it’s about but it deals with some sensitive issues in a really thoughtful and realistic way. It did frustrate me at times and I wasn’t sure about the journal entries but otherwise liked it a lot.

Reading Next

As the Christmas holidays are coming I think I’m going to leave my reading next open this week and just see what I feel like (or what books I get). I have a whole week and a bit off work as of Friday so I’m looking forward to taking it easy and just reading whatever I feel like at the time.

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

Happy Wednesday everyone and I hope you have a great Christmas, Hannukah or whatever holiday you celebrate 🙂

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I just started The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney on Monday but seem to be making really good progress already despite not having much reading time between work and trying to get organised for Christmas. It’s a psychological thriller I received from NetGalley and follows Jane who after a personal tragedy finds the perfect new home to rent. It’s minimalist to the extreme and comes with a long and unusual list of rules to follow. It also turns out the previous tenant Emma met a mysterious death there. Can Jane avoid meeting the same fate?

Still fairly early days but so far so good.

Recently Finished

First book finished this week was Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land. It’s a dark psychological thriller I received from NetGalley about a 15 year old girl Annie who turns her serial killer mother into the police. She’s placed into foster care with a family but in the run up to her mother’s trial she’s wondering whether she can really be a good person or if she has more in common with her mother than she thinks?

I absolutely loved this book and think it will almost definitely make my 2016 favorites list. I’ll post a full review closer to release date.

Second book finished was  The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. It’s a YA contemporary about a girl Andie who as a  congressman’s daughter is a bit of a control freak. She has her whole life mapped out but when her father gets caught up in a scandal her plans for the summer fall apart and she ends up doing things she never expected, getting a job as a dog walker, spending time with her father and starting a relationship that may last more than 3 weeks.

I struggled to get into this book at the start as Andie kind of annoyed me. It was probably around the 30% mark before I really started to connect with it after which it got a lot better. I would still rate it as average rather than great as it was a bit on the long side but still a good read.

The final book read was The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid. I spotted this in the library on Saturday (I swear no one ever goes into the YA section) and read the whole thing from cover to cover on Sunday. It’s a YA science fiction about a girl Nemesis who was created in a lab and trained to kill without thought to protect one person, Sidonia, at all costs. When the family she serves falls foul of the Emperor, Sidonia is summoned to the galactic court as a hostage. To keep her safe Nemesis goes in her place, hiding her true identity.

It’s not a particularly original story, it reminded me a lot of Red Queen and Red Rising but still a really enjoyable read and has the benefit of being a standalone which means no cliffhanger…yay!!

Reading Next

Still trying to work my way through some of the books I have sitting on my NetGalley shelf and hope to start Gone by Elisabeth Naughton or Behind her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough next. I did however manage to get It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover from the library so I may divert from my plan as I’ve heard great things about it.

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

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I couldn’t resist wandering off my reading plan this week and making a start on Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land. It’s a dark psychological thriller I received from NetGalley. The story is about a 15 year old girl Annie who turns her serial killer mother into the police. She’s placed into foster care but is struggling to work out just what kind of person she is and whether she can go up against her mother in court.

It’s being promoted as one of the most extraordinary debuts of 2017 and now that I’m around halfway through I’m starting to agree. I have a few little niggles with the writing style but it’s addictive reading.

Recently Finished

Two books finished again this week. The first one was  His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet. The story is about a 17 year old boy who murders three people in a small crofting community in the Scottish Highlands in 1869. It’s told through a collection of different documents including witness statements, autopsy reports and newspaper articles covering the trial however the majority of the book is made up of the accused’s memoir.

I really, really liked this book despite it being different from my usual type of read. It’s not a fast paced thriller but reading all of the different perspectives around the same series of events is fascinating. It’s a book I’ve been desperate to talk to someone about to see what they think really happened so I’ve been recommending all over the place.

The second book I read this week was Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern. It’s about a documentary crew who come across a woman in the mountains of West Cork. She’s been living alone in a cottage for 10 years with almost no one knowing of her existence. When they discover that she has a unique talent for mimicry, they make her the subject of a documentary but will taking her away from her home open new doors for her or destroy her.

I think I read this whole book more or less in a day. It’s definitely an interesting story and Ahern’s writing is as always engaging. It does switch perspectives quite a lot which I found a little irritating and there were a few parts of the story I wasn’t convinced on but overall an enjoyable read.

Reading Next

So I gave up all hope of reading The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo for book club so looks like I’m skipping this month’s meeting. There are just too many tempting books sitting on my kindle. I think I’m going to try and read another couple of NetGalley books before the holidays. I managed to get Gone by Elisabeth Naughton and Behind her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough so I’m leaning towards one of them. I also still really want to read The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson.

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

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I’ve been very indecisive about what to read at the moment but at the end of last week I decided to pick up His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet. I’m not usually a fan of historic fiction but I have been known to make an exception for Scottish history and am really enjoying so far. The story is about a triple murder in a Scottish crofting community in 1869 and is in the form of a collection of documents from the time including witness statements and the memoir of the accused.

It’s not a particularly fast paced story but it’s fascinating reading about life back then and the characters are very well defined despite the unusual format.

Recently Finished

Two and a half books finished this week which is a definite improvement on last week’s zero.

The first of these was The Trespasser by Tana French which I’d received as an ARC from NetGalley. It’s the sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series and follows Detective Antoinette Conway and her investigation into the murder of a young woman.

I’m a big fan of Tana French and have loved pretty much all of her books but I think this could be one of my favourites. I think the success or otherwise of her books comes down to the narrator and Conway was a brilliant one in my opinion. I will hopefully get a full review up soon but it’s definitely a book I would recommend even if you haven’t read the earlier books in the series.

The next book finished was The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer which I managed to borrow from the library. It’s about a scientist on the run after the secret Government department she was working for tried to kill her. When they contact her and offer her her freedom in exchange for one last job she decides to take a chance but all is not as it seems.

For the most part I found this an enjoyable read but I don’t think there was anything that particularly stood out. A lot of it reminded me of Meyer’s The Host (there are some very similar characters) but without the whole invasion of the body snatchers element there wasn’t much unique about it. This wasn’t helped by a slightly disappointing male lead and some insta love.

The final book, or half book as it was a novella, finished was Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover. Have to admit I haven’t read Maybe Someday which this story is related to but I had a gap and was looking for something quick and easy to read. It was fine but again nothing particularly special. Had a couple of funny moments but like most novellas there wasn’t enough for me to get invested in.

Reading Next

Still haven’t started real life book club book The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo yet so it should be next on my list but I’ve managed to get hold of another couple of books I really want to read so there’s a fair chance it won’t be. I will definitely be picking up Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern this weekend as it’s a library book and due back and I think I may also try to fit in The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson.

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

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

Still reading The Trespasser by Tana French and am around 80% through so nearing the end. It’s the sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series and this story is focused on Detective Antionette Conway and her investigation into the murder of Aislinn Murray.

I’ve always been a big fan of Tana French but I’m especially enjoying this one. The main character Antionette is absolutely fantastic and it’s turning into a really twisty and intense read. It’s very character driven rather than being full of action and excitement, so possibly not for everyone, but I’d definitely recommend.

Recently Finished

Umm… I think this may actually be a first but I haven’t finished any books this week. I did watch the recent (ish) film adaptation of Black Beauty if I can count that 🙂 I don’t even have the excuse of being really busy as I wasn’t feeling great over the weekend so was pretty much just lying around the house doing nothing.

Reading Next

Unsurprisingly I haven’t started real life book club book The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo yet so it should really be next on my list. However, the two books I’d ordered from the library, The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight) and Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern, have arrived so it’s likely I’ll read them first as others are waiting on them.

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

Happy Wednesday everyone.

The WWW Wednesdays 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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I’m a bit later than normal with this post today as I was waiting until I decided which book to start this morning (a difficult decision at the moment). I have however gone for The Trespasser by Tana French.

I received this a few weeks ago from NetGalley but have been putting off due to a challenge I was taking part in on GoodReads. I absolutely love Tana French books but know from previous books that they can be a little hard to get started on and take a while to read (something which isn’t good when you’re trying to read as many books as possible). It’s actually turned out however that this is not the case with this one. I’m only a few pages in but so far I’m loving it and can’t wait to read more. The MC is a joy to read, she’s so grumpy and negative 🙂

Recently Finished

Despite my plan last week to relax and slow down my reading I somehow seem to have managed to finish six books this week (I blame the fact I was reading a box set)

The first book finished was real life book club book The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I, unlike most of the people in the book club, did actually manage to finish it before the meet. I’m still a bit conflicted on it as honestly I found it really hard going for the most part. It’s very heavy on philosophy and there are whole chapters on the purpose of grammar, how to appreciate art and the meaning of life (I skimmed a lot). The plot is pretty non existent with most of it packed into the last 20% but it did somehow get to me. I think the discussion at book club helped me to appreciate it more as well. There were a couple of people who absolutely loved it and I’m reliably informed that part of the difficulty with it is due to the translation from French.

As I was already reading outwith my comfort zone the next book I picked up was Faithful by Alice Hoffman which I had received from NetGalley but had been putting off reading for some unknown reason. This was my first Alice Hoffman book and while it was an emotional read, it was so beautifully written that I absolutely loved it. You can read my full review here.

After two very hard going (for different reasons) books I felt the need for something lighter so picked up The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert. I’m ashamed to say I received this from NetGalley over a year ago and am only now reading and reviewing. It’s a romantic thriller with gangsters and I found it an enjoyable read. I’m actually kind of tempted to get the next one as it sounds even better.

The final three books finished were the first three books in the Pepper Jones series by Ali Dean. It’s a YA/NA sports romance about a 17 year old girl Pepper Jones who’s a runner. I really like Ali Dean’s books as the female characters do tend to be very goal focused and successful which I love. I do kind of wish not everyone was beautiful and successful and that they didn’t go boy mad but you can’t have everything.

Reading Next

Still don’t really have a plan for me reading next list. My next real life book club book is The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo so if I’m sensible I should make a start on that (I’m not sensible so probably won’t). Other than that I think I’m in the mood for either fantasy/SF or horror so maybe Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet or The Many.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below. Also, if anyone is a Jo Nesbo reader is it ok to start on the third Harry Hole book?

Happy Wednesday everyone.

The WWW Wednesdays 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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

Today is real life book club day so I’m no doubt still frantically reading this month’s pick The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (I wrote this post yesterday). I’m currently around page 100 of 320 and it’s fairly safe to say I’m struggling. I really want to like it as I really like the person who picked it but honestly it’s heavy going. It’s very wordy with a lot of philosophy thrown in to the mix which I have absolutely no interest in so can’t be bothered reading. Yet again I am probably going to be the only one at book club who didn’t love the book.

Recently Finished

I was pretty much doing everything possible to try and avoid starting The Elegance of the Hedgehog so it’s been a slightly slower reading week for me again with only two books finished.

The first of these was What Light by Jay Asher which is a YA contemporary about a 16 year old girl, Sierra, whose family grow and sell Christmas trees. Most of the year she’s in Oregon where the farm is but for the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas the whole family relocate to California to sell the trees. This year in California Sierra meets a boy, Caleb, with a troubled past but she sees something in him that makes her want to take a chance despite the odds being stacked against them.

I think I was expecting something a bit heavier but this is a very sweet and funny romance that’s perfect for Christmas. It does have the familiar good girl, bad boy with issues theme but it’s done exceptionally well, is very mature and I liked it a lot. You can read my full review here

The second book finished this week was Love You to Death by Caroline Mitchell. This was another NetGalley request and again had that happy Christmassy feel (ok maybe not happy, more murdery). It’s a police procedural about the hunt for a killer who’s targeting women who’ve given a child up for adoption. I had a bit of a shaky start with this but by the mid point I was completely hooked. The attraction was probably more the main character DS Ruby Preston and her history rather than the hunt for the killer but it’s definitely a series I’ll keep reading. I’m hoping to get a review up later this week.

Reading Next

The team reading challenge I was participating in on GoodReads is now finished so, while I’ll miss it, I think I’m going to make the most of not having to read as many books as possible or that fit some strange task. I’m therefore leaving my reading next open. I think I’m going to slow down a bit, catch up on reviews and maybe find a book I’ve been wanting to read for ages but didn’t want to rush.

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

Happy Wednesday everyone.

The WWW Wednesdays 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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I’m almost finished The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon which I received from NetGalley.  It’s a contemporary YA romance about two teenagers, Daniel and Natasha who come from very different backgrounds but meet by chance (or is it fate?) on the day where Daniel has an admission interview for a college he doesn’t really want to go to and Natasha is facing deportation. They have nothing in common but could change each others life.

As it’s set in New York and is about a couple of teenagers I have to admit I did a lot of comparing to Dash and Lily at the start which was completely unfair. It does have it’s cutesy moments but deals a lot more with cultural differences, racism and bigotry. Now that I’m further into the story I’m loving it a lot.

Recently Finished

It’s been a bit of a mixed week for me with a fantastic book, a truly terrible read and something decidedly average.

First up was The Score by Elle Kennedy which is the third book in her Off Campus series. It’s a new adult romance about a girl who after breaking up with her long term boyfriend gets involved with a bad boy hockey player. It was an ok read but I didn’t think there was anything particularly stand out about it. Thankfully having just finished Heartless by Marissa Meyer and suffering from a major book hangover it was exactly what I needed.

After The Score I still didn’t want to start anything good so picked up The Swarm by Christopher Pearson (basically it fit a challenge I was doing). It’s a horror story with swarms of mutant bugs attacking people everywhere. I’d describe it as the worst book ever written but I suspect that would just encourage more people to read it 🙂 It’s like a bad B movie or a teenage boy trying to come up with the most over the top gory book ever. Unfortunately it’s not even so bad it’s kind of good. It’s just bad.

The final book of the week was the one that I’ve been looking forward to for what feels like forever, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. It’s the follow up to Six of Crows and is a mixture of young adult fantasy and a clever heist story. I absolutely love Bardugo’s writing, there is something about it that draws you in, but the highlight for me was the relationship between the characters and all the little moments of humor.

Reading Next

Not 100% sure at the moment but I think my plan is still to read Love You to Death by Caroline Mitchell and What Light by Jay Asher next. I received both from NetGalley and am really excited about them as they sound really good in very different ways. I also have my next real life book club read to make a start on, The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I haven’t been massively impressed with the book club choices so far but have higher hopes for this one.

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

Happy Wednesday everyone.