WWW Wednesday: 23rd December 2015

December 23, 2015 Ali@abookishlife10 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I thought that as Christmas is coming I should start to get in the spirit of things so I’m currently reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. While I’ve seen a few TV and film adaptations, this is my first reading of the original. It’s also my first Dicken’s book. I’m only around a quarter of the way through (the ghost of Marley has just appeared) but I’m really enjoying it. All of the characters feel so real and so well described.

Recently Finished

I’ve been reading a lot this week so have finished a few books. The first of which was The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. Quite enjoyed it but didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would. You can find my full review here.

After the Invisible Library I abandoned my original reading plan yet again and decided to read Knight and Play by Kitty French. I really like Kitty French, she is turning into my go to author when I’m looking for something fun and a little bit smutty. For what I was looking for it certainly disappoint although I have to admit I got a little bored with all of the erotic scenes (it was almost every page).

I also couldn’t resist reading Carry On by Rainbow Rowell over the weekend. I’d been planning on saving it for Christmas but after reading so many good reviews I couldn’t hold out any longer. I have to say all of the good reviews are totally justified. I loved it. I’m kind of hoping there will be a sequel.

Finally, I also read The Paper Swan by Laylah Attar. It was a book of the month in one of my GoodRead groups so wasn’t something I would necessarily have picked for myself but found it a really engaging read. Once I started I don’t think I put it down (other than when I was at work). I finished it pretty late last night so haven’t had a chance to write a review but should have one up soon.

Reading Next

I’m starting to think that I should stop saying what I’m planning to read next as I never seem to stick to it. However this time I am determined to read at least a couple of the books I had from last week, Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I’m far too excited about both of them to hold out any longer.

I also got overly excited this week when I got home to find that Pan MacMillan had sent me an advance copy of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I read the first few chapters a couple of weeks ago and have been desperate to read the rest. It’s also very pretty so there is no way I’ll be able to resist (I can’t find a picture but will photo for my review).

Overall it looks like I have some great books lined up for the Christmas period. Have you read any of them or have you been saving a book for the holidays?

WWW Wednesday: 16th December 2015

December 16, 2015 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I completely abandoned my planned reading list from last week and am currently reading The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. It’s a mixture of steampunk, fantasy, science fiction and a detective story. Reminds me a little bit of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series. Slightly undecided about whether I’m enjoying it or not. I like the writing but it is a little bit slow and the narrator seems kind of detached from events.

I’m also still reading My True Love Gave to Me, a collection of holiday related short stories. I have to admit I haven’t managed to get very far with it so can’t comment on how good or bad.

Recently Finished

It’s been another slow week for reading unfortunately but I did manage to finish Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden. I found this book hard work and ended up having to make a concerted effort to just finish it.

Haven’t had a chance to post a full review but I’m probably not going to be giving it a good rating. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and wasn’t too keen on the writing. I do seem to be in the minority on this so maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind when I read it.

Reading Next

I only have 3 days of work left so think I’ll be embarking on a reading binge from Saturday. As I’m almost finished the Invisible Library I think I may just carry on and read the next in the series The Masked City which I received as an ARC from NetGalley.

I also have a big pile of library books which I’d like to make a start on including Dangerous Lies, The Marble Collector and The Knife of Never Letting Go. I do have a few other books I’ve been saving but I think I’ll hang on to them as a Christmas treat to myself.

If you have any other suggestions or if you’ve read any of these leave a comment below.

Happy Wednesday all.

WWW Wednesday: 9th December 2015

December 9, 2015December 8, 2015 Ali@abookishlife16 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

Unfortunately I seem to have gotten a little bit stuck on Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden. Last week I was at 25% and have now reached around the 40% mark. I’m so tempted to give up but am determined to finish. I think the main problems are that I don’t really like any of the characters and it’s not particularly scary. Maybe the second half will be better.

My chances of finishing Dead Ringers is also being reduced dramatically by the fact that I’ve started reading My True Love Gave to Me. It’s a selection of holiday themed short stories by young adult authors. Just started but I’m very excited as there are some great author’s stories included.

Recently Finished

It’s been a slow week as far as reading goes so only finished one book this time, Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. It’s the second in the Infernal Devices Series and while I wasn’t mad keen on the first in the series I thought I’d give it a try. I didn’t hate it but I have to admit I still prefer the Mortal Instruments series. Hopefully I should be able to post a review in the next couple of days.

Reading Next

As I’ve been really busy and stressed at work I’ve been resorting to my usual coping mechanism of acquiring books. Thankfully there wasn’t too much damage to my bank balance as most came from the local library or NetGalley.

From NetGalley I managed to get my hands on My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis and You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell so think I’m going to try one of them next. I feel like it’s time for a switch to chick lit. I also found Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick in the library so may squeeze that in somewhere.

If you have any other suggestions or if you’ve read any of these leave a comment below.

Happy Wednesday all.

WWW Wednesday: 2 December 2015

December 2, 2015 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I’m still going through a bit of a horror phase and have recently started reading Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden. As you can possibly tell from the title it’s supposed to be a creepy story about an invasion of doppelgangers. I’m only around the 25% mark but so far I’m not overly impressed. I’ll stick with it and hope it gets better as I think it may be my mood rather than the story or writing.

I’ve also started reading Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare which is the second in the Infernal Devices series. I do love Cassandra Clare’s writing style but wasn’t as keen on Infernal Devices as I was on the Mortal Instruments. I’m hopeful however that the series improves.

Recently Finished

I’ve had a very busy week so I haven’t had much time to post any reviews but I have managed to finish a couple of books. I read Six of Crows as part of a group read on GoodReads. It took me a little bit of time to connect to it but by the mid point I was totally hooked. I love the world and characters Leigh Bardugo creates as they feel so unique yet real.

I also managed to sneak in Endeavor which was book 6 in KM Shea’s King Arthur and her Knights series. This has to be one of my favourite series and I read this instalment in a couple of hours with a smile on my face the whole time.

Finally, I read Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This was the first story by this author I’ve read and found it fascinating and so emotional. It’s left me with a bit of a book hangover and I think may be part of the reason I’m struggling with my current reads.

Reading Next

I still have a few library books lurking that need to be read over the next couple of days and I really want to read The Rosie Project before I have to return it. I noticed in my last visit that they have The Rosie Effect so if all goes well I may pick that up next time.

I also bought Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and have sneakily read the first few pages despite already having another couple of books on the go. So tempted to keep reading but need to resist till I finish the others. I prefer to read one book at a time.

If you have any other suggestions or if you’ve read any of these leave a comment below.

Happy Wednesday all.

WWW Wednesday: 25 November 2015

November 25, 2015 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I started reading Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo yesterday and, while it’s still early days, I’m enjoying it so far. I read the Grisha trilogy at the start of the year and really liked it so it’s nice to be back in that world again. Just need to get used to the new characters.

I’m also kind of re reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I spotted it on kindle unlimited and couldn’t resist. I’ve watched the films many times but it has been a long time since I read the book. It’s strange but nice.

Recently Finished

It’s been a slightly slower reading week for me as I was forced to return to work or have no money to buy books. I did however finish Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. This was my first book by this author and I had slightly mixed feelings about it which you can read about here.

I also read the extended extract of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard which I received from NetGalley. I’ll be posting a sneak peek soon but it definitely has the potential to be big next year.

Finally, as predicted, I couldn’t resist reading Northwoods by Bill Schweigart which I also received from NetGalley. It’s the follow up to The Beast of Barcroft and takes the horror up a notch. I’m not supposed to review till nearer the release date of February but I definitely recommend the series to anyone who likes Stephen King or James Herbert books.

Reading Next

I have a huge big pile of library books which are due back in just over a week so should really be reading them. It seems unlikely I’ll get through them all in that time but I’m hoping to read The Rosie Project and Delirium.

I also have an ARC of Dead Ringers which I should probably already have read (I think it may have been published) so hopefully I can squeeze it in somewhere too.

If you have any other suggestions or if you’ve read any of these leave a comment below.

Happy Wednesday all.

WWW Wednesday – 18th November 2015

November 18, 2015November 17, 2015 Ali@abookishlife13 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I’ve just started reading Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. This is my first book by this author which is ridiculous as I’ve been hearing great things for a long time. Only a few chapters in but so far so good.

I’m also reading an extended extract of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard which I received from NetGalley. This is a book with a lot of buzz around it and from the few chapters I’ve seen so far this buzz seems well deserved. It’s due for release on 5th January 2016 and I’ve already added to my Amazon wish list.

Recently Finished

It’s been a really good week for books this week. I finished the remaining books in KM Shea’s King Arthur series, Embittered, Embark and Enlighten. I love KM Shea books they are always fun, easy reads, with strong female characters. You can find my review of the series here.

I also finally got to read Winter by Marissa Meyer. It’s safe to say I’d been waiting for this for a while. It is an epic conclusion to the series and I loved it. Only downside, nowhere near enough Cress and Thorne. Haven’t had a chance to post a review yet but it should be coming soon.

Reading Next

I still have a stack of library books lurking around the flat that I really should read before they are due to be returned but realistically I know I won’t get to them this week as I’m participating in a group read of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. This is another book I’ve been desperate to read for a while but had been hoping the price would come down. It hasn’t but I’m going to cave and get it anyway.

I should also be working my way through some of the ARC’s that are due for publication over the next couple of weeks but I think I’m probably going to be bad and read Northwoods by Bill Schweigart. It’s also an ARC from NetGalley but isn’t due to be published till February 2016. I just can’t resist starting it now as it’s the follow up to The Beast of Barcroft which reignited my love of horror.

If you have any other suggestions or if you’ve read any of these leave a comment below.

Happy Wednesday all.

WWW Wednesday : 11th November 2015

November 11, 2015November 11, 2015 Ali@abookishlife11 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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.

The three W’s are:

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

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I’m still (not very) patiently waiting on the release of Winter so I’ve been putting off starting anything too heavy. To get me in the right frame of mind however I am currently working my way through KM Shea’s King Arthur series. It follows young American girl Britt Arthurs who is pulled into the past by Merlin when the real Arthur runs off with a shepherdess. Merlin gets her to impersonate Arthur (a 15 year old boy) to try to bring the Kingdom together. It’s a fun, easy read like all of KM Shea’s books so I’m finding it quite addictive. At this very moment I’m midway through Embittered which is book 3 of 5. Lancelot has finally arrived and Britt is off in search of a round table.

Recently Finished

I’ve been on holiday from work for the last week so I’ve managed to finish a few books. As well as the first two books in the King Arthur series, Enthroned and Enchanted, I also finished the two books I was midway through last week, The Beast of Barcroft by Bill Schweigart and What Might Have Been by Matt Dunn. I was pleasantly surprised by the Beast of Barcroft which is a monster lurking in the woods type of story. It reminded me of the horror stories I used to read in my late teens. You can find my full review here.

Matt Dunn’s What Might Have Been was also quite an engaging story but in a completely different way. I haven’t had a chance to write a review as yet but it’s about a guy trying to win back the girl he thinks he’s in love with. It’s quite unusual to find a good chick lit book written by a man but it definitely gives it a unique slant and it’s a very humorous read.

On the more traditional chick lit side I completely devoured Meet Me in Manhattan by Claudia Carroll. I had no idea before I started that it was Christmas story so it was a nice surprise. It’s romantic, funny and has a couple of very unexpected twists that set it apart from the usual type of Christmas romance. The highlights for me though were the descriptions of New York in the snow. It’s somewhere I’ve never been and now desperately want to visit. Click here for my full review.

Finally this week I also read Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick. Another slightly creepy tale but of the young adult variety so not too scary. First book by this author and it’s made me hopeful for her series Hush Hush which is currently lurking on my kindle. You can find my review here.

Reading Next

I’m sure you will be totally unsurprised to learn that Winter will be my next read. Can’t wait until it’s out tomorrow. I have it pre-ordered so it should be there waiting for me on my kindle when I get up and I suspect that will be me for the rest of the day.

After that I think I’ll be in need of something completely different and following a trip to the library I have quite a few options available. I managed to get my hands on The Rosie Project, The Shock of the Fall, The Perfect Match and Before I Fall. They are all physical books so I should really try to read them before I go back to work and have to carry them on the train.

Not sure which to go for first so if you’ve read any of them and have a recommendation let me know.

Happy Wednesday all.

WWW Wednesday : 4th November 2015

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 Ali@abookishlife14 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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.

The three W’s are:

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

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I’m still working my way through The Beast of Barcroft by Bill Schweigart as part of my Halloween themed reads. I’ve just passed the halfway point and am really enjoying it so far. There’s a large cat (or possibly something else) lurking in the woods and picking off pets in the neighbourhood. Actually finding it a little bit creepy. Reminds me a bit of some of James Herbert’s older stories such as the Rats. Review should be coming soon.

I’ve also started an audio book which is a rare occurrence for me. The only other audio book I’ve listened to was The Girl on the Train which I wasn’t too keen on. This time I’m listening to What Might Have Been by Matt Dunn. It’s a boy meets girl, boy leaves girl and then changes his mind and decides he wants her back type story. There isn’t a huge amount happening and it’s a bit frustrating but I’m still loving it. It makes a pleasant change to find a relationship book written by a man and I think the audio is improving it. I was sitting giggling in a traffic jam yesterday.

Recently Finished

Only managed to finish one book so far this week and that was Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by J.L. Bryan. This was another of my Halloween themed reads and I was hoping for a creepy ghost story. Unfortunately that isn’t really what I got as it turned into more of a science manual for ghost catching. It’s well written and has some great characters but just not what I was looking for. You can read my full review here

Reading Next

I’m not so patiently waiting on Winter the next in the Lunar Chronicles to be released so I’m struggling to know what to read next. I think I will try to work my way through some of the ARCs I have received from NetGalley. I just received The Masked City by Genevieve Coleman and have realised it’s the follow up to The Invisible Library which has been on my TBR (and kindle) for a while now. I think it’s probably time I read it. It says it’s for fans of The Eyre Affair so should be a good choice for me as that was one of my favourite series.

I also hope to make a start on Meet Me in Manhattan by Claudia Carroll (one of my favourite authors) but I probably need to finish What Might Have Been first as I don’t think I can read more than one romance at a time.

There is a strong possibility that I will wander off and read something else so if you have any suggestions or recommendations let me know.

Happy Wednesday all.

WWW Wednesday : 28th October 2015

October 28, 2015October 28, 2015 Ali@abookishlife7 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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.

WWW Wednesday The three W’s are:

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

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I was feeling the need for something a bit spooky so based on a recommendation I started reading Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by J.L. Bryan this morning. It’s a haunted house story so I’m hoping for lots of creepy goings on. I’ve only read a couple of chapters so no ghosts as yet but I’m liking the writing style. Slightly worryingly it’s the first in a series so there is a fair possibility I’ll end up reading the lot.

Recently Finished

Over the last week I’ve managed to finish a couple of books. The first was The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance by Kirsty Greenwood. For the most part I really enjoyed it. It definitely made me laugh a lot. I have a feeling though that it’s one of those books that is more or less instantly forgettable.

For once I also read one of the books I had planned as my next read, Blonde Eskimo, and posted my review here yesterday. As I predicted it was probably not the right book for me. I don’t know if it’s just one YA fantasy too many or if it was just meant for readers a lot younger than me but didn’t really enjoy it too much.

Reading Next

I’m planning to continue my spooky themed reading over the Halloween weekend and have just received The Beast of Barcroft by Bill Shweigart via NetGalley. Have never read anything by this author but I like the cover and quite fancy a creature feature. I am a little worried as it tells you the beast eats the main character’s dog but I plan to skim that bit.

I’m also still trying to convince myself to read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It’s been lurking on my kindle for a while but I keep putting it off based on the mixed reviews it seems to get. If I don’t go for that I may switch back to Love, Death and Tea or try a classic such as Dracula or Frankenstein. Not sure yet.

Does anyone have any recommendations or ideas for Halloween reads?

WWW Wednesday – 21st October

October 21, 2015October 21, 2015 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

The WWW Wednesdays meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Unfortunately I missed last week as I’d been ill and hadn’t had a chance to actually read anything but I’m so excited to be taking part again.

WWW Wednesday The three W’s are:

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

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading 23343303

At the moment I’m working my way through The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance by Kirsty Greenwood. It’s a light and fluffy romance about a girl who doesn’t do love and romance but is convinced to follow the rules in a “get a man” guide book from the 1950’s. Finding it really funny which is proving difficult as far as reading on my commute goes. I’m back to using my hand to cover my mouth so I won’t actually laugh out loud.

Recently Finished

Over the last week or so I’ve been doing quite well and have finished a few books. After reading Know Not Why by Hannah Johnson last week I couldn’t resist the follow up novella Toil and Trouble. It’s set at Halloween so seemed an appropriate read for October. Unfortunately little bit disappointed in it as it switched from first to third person and nothing much happened.

After that I was looking for a bit more romance so read How to Lose a Bachelor by Anna Banks which I’d received as an ARC. OK read but nothing special. I then switched back to my usual genre of YA fantasy and read The Jewel by Amy Ewing. First in a series but not sure I’ll be rushing to read the sequel. It seemed quite formulaic and as if the author was dragging out what could have been one story into a series. I think it may actually have put me off YA fantasy altogether for a while.

Reading Next

Next I need to start working my way through some of the ARC books I have sitting around and which are kind of overdue. I think first up will be Blonde Eskimo by Kirsten Hunt although I’m a little bit unsure about it. The reviews seem to be a bit mixed so I have a feeling it will be a love or hate type story.

I have however been distracted by Love, Death and Tea by Will Once which sounds like it could be an interesting read. It’s a story from the point of view of a zombie so should definitely fit my love of the weird and unusual stories. Also another one that should fit in with the Halloween theme.