Teaser Tuesday: 10th April 2018

April 10, 2018 Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of The Purple Booker.

This week my teaser comes from Genesis by Brendan Reichs which is the sequel to Nemesis (note the blurb below may have some spoilers). I wasn’t sure I was going to carry on with this series but I’m very glad I did. I picked Genesis up yesterday morning and literally couldn’t put it down. Talk about action packed. Anyway I won’t say anything else, I’ll just leave you with a teaser.

My Teaser

And so, once again, our truce was cemented by mutual hatred. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

~ 50% Genesis by Brendan Reichs

Blurb

Noah Livingston knows he is destined to survive.

The 64 members of Fire Lake’s sophomore class are trapped in a place where morals have no meaning, and zero rules apply. But Noah’s deaths have trained him–hardened him–to lead the strongest into the future . . . whatever that may be. And at any cost.

Min Wilder knows that survival alone isn’t enough.

Trapped in a violent world where brute force passes for leadership, it’s tempting to lay back and let everyone else fight it out. But Min’s instincts rebel against allowing others to decide who lives and who dies. She’s ready to fight for what she believes in. And against whomever might stand in her way.

WWW Wednesday: 4th April 2018

April 4, 2018April 3, 2018 Ali@abookishlife23 Comments

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

Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah I finished a book pretty late last night (about 15 mins before writing this post) so I’m not 100% decided on what I will be currently reading when this goes up but I think I’m probably going to pick up Sam and Ilsa’s Last Hurrah by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and it’s due for publication tomorrow so….

I have read around the first 10% (I was doing that picking up books then changing my mind thing) and I think it’ll make for a fun read. I already like Ilsa’s voice. Plus I am a huge big fan of the author’s other book Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. Call Me by Your Name

On audio, I’ve started listening to Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman and am finding it strangely addictive. It is very focused on main character Elio’s infatuation with summer guest Oliver and I do find myself thinking get a grip, is that really all you can think about but there is something that draws you in even if it is a bit pretentious. I hadn’t realized it was narrated by Armie Hammer when I got this from Overdrive and while I do like his voice I’m not entirely convinced he’s the right narrator.

Recently Finished

The Ghost of You and Me Eliza and Her Monsters Skin Deep

The first book finished this week was The Ghost of You and Me by Kelly Oram. I really, really liked this story about a teenage boy who died in an accident and comes back as a ghost to try and help his girlfriend and best friend to move on with their lives. It was sad as I expected but also very funny in places too. I do love Oram’s writing, it’s just so easy to read but full of feels.

The second book finished this week, Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia also turned out to be an incredibly emotional read, which I was not expecting. I kind of knew that there would be some kind of mental health element to the story, it’s about a girl who’s shy, weird and friendless, but it went a lot heavier than I was anticipating and really broke my heart towards the end. It was a fairly quick read and I think I blasted through the whole thing within a day (it was due back to the library) but I do feel I should add a warning that it could be triggering.

Skin Deep by Liz Nugent, the final book finished this week, was thankfully a less emotional read. If anything this character study of a sociopath could have done with a bit more feeling. I do love Liz Nugent and this is a fascinating read with a truly heartless MC but it never really grabbed me. My review should be up soon.

Reading Next

Unbelievably I’ve read or am in the process of reading everything I had here last week so I get to pick new books. I have to admit I mostly just want to read Legendary (the sequel to Caraval) but I’m going to try to pick up a few more of the ARCs on my NetGalley shelf before it gets completely out of control.

Frat Girl The Craftsman Dear Martin Legendary (Caraval, #2)

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: 3rd April 2018

April 3, 2018March 30, 2018 Ali@abookishlife7 Comments

This week my teaser comes from Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia, a book that seems to have been on my wishlist forever and I finally managed to get from Overdrive. I pretty much finished this at the weekend but it is such a great book I had to use it for this week’s teaser. I found this such an emotional read, something I didn’t expect, I couldn’t help but love it.

My Teaser

Broken people don’t hide from their monsters. Broken people let themselves be eaten.

~ 82% Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Blurb

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

WWW Wednesday: 28th March 2018

March 28, 2018March 27, 2018 Ali@abookishlife54 Comments

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

Despite literally just posting my Spring TBR a few days ago I’ve wandered off and picked up The Ghost of Me and You by Kelly Oram which was most definitely not on it. It is however a book I’ve been wanting to read for quite a while and it just seemed a good fit for right now. It’s about a a boy who returns as a ghost to help the girl he loved and the boy who was his best friend to move on. I do really love Oram’s writing, it always gets to me and yep I have shed a few tears already (including on a very busy train).

I have to confess I haven’t made much progress with The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton. While I think I do like the writing (it’s very lyrical), I’m finding it incredibly slow going. I spent quite a few hours reading it and only managed to get to 10%, with my kindle telling me there are still 14+ hours remaining. I will go back to it (I think) but I’m really not in the right mood just now.

On audio, I’ve made more progress with The Sweetest Burn, the second in the Broken Destiny series by Jeaniene Frost. I only have a couple of hours left so should finish it today or tomorrow. It’s not been my favorite book by Frost.

Recently Finished

The first book finished this week, Deadly Secrets by Robert Bryndza, is probably the main reason why I haven’t made much progress with The Queens of Innis Lear. I’m afraid as soon as my NetGalley request for this, the latest in the DCI Erika Foster series, was approved I abandoned everything and started reading it immediately. This is just such a great series and completely addictive reading. It did suffer a bit from me reading straight after The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (which is much more complex and twisty) but I think this is one of my fave books in the series. I just wish they would spend a little longer on editing and proofreading, the little continuity errors drive me nuts.

Second book finished was Sherlock Holmes story, The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle. Possibly not my fave (it’s kinda racist, Holmes takes a lot of cocaine and Watson has the biggest insta love story I’ve come across) but it’s still great to read the original. The Exact Opposite of Okay

The last book read was The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven which I also received from NetGalley. I have to admit this was a second attempt at this book as the first time I started it I gave up after a couple of chapters. The story is told in the form of a series of blog posts by MC Izzy and I found her a bit extra. She’s constantly cracking jokes, using innuendo and is just so confident and extroverted that I found it difficult to connect (she’s basically the exact opposite of me). It is however an important book and deals with so many issues in a new way that I do think it’s worth reading. Also Izzy kind of grew on me. I’m hoping to get a full review up this week.

Reading Next

Next up I think are two books I got from the library, Eliza and her Monsters (which is due back in three days) and Call Me By Your Name (which will be my next audio). I also want to pick up my next couple of galley’s Skin Deep and Sam and Ilsa’s Last Hurrah.

Eliza and Her Monsters Call Me by Your Name Skin Deep Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Ten Books Set In Another Country

March 27, 2018 Ali@abookishlife10 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme that was started by The Broke and Bookish and moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists (something I share) and each week participants come up with a list of ten(ish) things based on a theme.

The theme for this weeks Top Ten Tuesday is Books That Take Place in Another Country. It’s been a while since I took part in TTT but couldn’t resist this week. I do love travelling and learning about other countries through my reading so thought I would fairly easily make it around the world but as it turns out most of my reads seem to be set in the UK or US. I have however tried to find 10 great books from around the world where the setting is a big part of the story.

The Dry/Force of Nature by Jane Harper (Australia) – Very atmospheric thrillers, that show a different side to Australia. The Dry in particular, which is set in small town rural community during a drought, was completely alien to someone from a very wet Scotland.
Broken Harbour by Tana French (Ireland) – Every book in Tana French’s Dublin murder squad series paints a realistic picture of modern day Ireland but I think this one set in a ghost estate outside Dublin was the one that struck me the most.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (Sweden) – set in a small dying community, this may be in a very different country but was extremely relateable.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Russia) – little bit cheaty as it’s historical and is mostly set within a hotel but it does have a real sense of time and place (and I love it)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Spain, Egypt, Sahara Desert) – follows a young shepherd who follows his dream to find treasure in Egypt so is probably more of a fable but it gives you a taste of the different cultures and beliefs.
The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (France, Spain, Italy) – this is historical again, following Monty on his Grand Tour of Europe but seems pretty realistic in its portrayal of Europe around this time.

The Border by Steve Schafer (Mexico) – four teens try to make it across the border from Mexico to the States after their families are killed. I had no idea how treacherous a journey it is and how desperate you have to be to attempt it.
Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick (Mexico) – also about a couple of teens who fall foul of drug gangs in Mexico but has a much bigger focus on culture and beliefs.
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter (Alaska) – funny and action packed story about a girl trying to save her ex-friend from trained assassins in middle of nowhere, Alaska.
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares (New York, USA) – I love this book so much, mostly because of all the different sides of New York it shows you as Dash and Lily challenge each other to a series of dares around the city.

So that’s my 10 books set in other countries. I kind of feel like I’m missing something major (which will no doubt come back to me after I post this) but hey ho. Looking at this I also feel like I should be reading wider, and travelling further so I’m open to any and all recommendations. Have you read any of these? Anything you think I’m missing or that you’d recommend?

Feel free to leave comments below and links to your top ten’s.

Teaser Tuesday: 27th March 2018

March 27, 2018March 25, 2018 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

This week my teaser comes from The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven an advance copy of which I received from NetGalley. I have to admit I initially struggled to get into this as main character Izzy has a really strong voice and a sense of humor I’m not sure I wholly get (it’s a bit extra) but I’m now around halfway through and enjoying it a lot more.

My Teaser

I would love to be brave enough to take matters into my own hands, like a soldier who proudly charges to the front line and faces enemy troops head-on. But alas I am instead going to hide out in my soggy trench until the problem passes, or I’m brutally murdered by a rogue grenade. Either way I am fundamentally a coward and not the kind of person you want on your side in a battle zone.

~ 19% The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven

Blurb

Izzy O’Neill is an aspiring comic, an impoverished orphan, and a Slut Extraordinaire. Or at least, that’s what the malicious website flying round the school says. Izzy can try all she wants to laugh it off – after all, her sex life, her terms – but when pictures emerge of her doing the dirty with a politician’s son, her life suddenly becomes the centre of a national scandal. Izzy’s never been ashamed of herself before, and she’s not going to start now. But keeping her head up will take everything she has…

WWW Wednesday: 21st March 2018

March 21, 2018March 20, 2018 Ali@abookishlife24 Comments

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

Yet again I’m a little bit all over the place with my currently reading list and somehow seem to be partway through four books. I am not good at juggling multiple books however so I think my focus is going to be on The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton which I received from the publisher via NetGalley. So far I’ve literally only read the first chapter (well maybe two depending on when you’re reading this) so it’s a little too early to tell. I had no idea when I requested it that it’s a retelling of King Lear (despite the clue in the title). I’m really hoping you don’t need to know anything about the play to fully appreciate this as I don’t. It’s possibly the Shakespeare play I know least about.

The other two books I’m partway through are Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and Sherlock Holmes story, The Sign of Four. I just kept seeing Northanger Abbey everywhere and it is my fave Austen so I couldn’t resist a re read and as for Holmes, I’ve been slowly working my way through the collection and this one fit a challenge.

The Sweetest Burn (Broken Destiny, #2)

On audio I’m still listening to The Sweetest Burn, the second in the Broken Destiny series by Jeaniene Frost. I do love Jeaniene Frost but this book just isn’t working for me the way they usually do. The main character is a bit moany, and has a tendency to get a touch hysterical every time someone tries to kill her (which is a lot) so it’s getting on my nerves (some people are just total drama queen’s honestly!!) I will however persevere to find out how it ends, although I think there may be a book 3 still to come.

Recently Finished

Hmm, I thought I’d read more but just checking back and it looks like I’ve finished three books this week, or really two as I’d technically already finished the first of the three, The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West last week. Given one of the other books finished was PS I Like You I think I can admit to a bit of a Kasie West Reading Fest over the last couple of weeks. They are not the most original plot wise but there’s just something completely addictive about them, and they’re just such easy and fun reading. I’ve been tempted to do a bulk review post, rating and ranking them, but my fave so far has to be The Distance Between Us (mostly because of all the creepy doll jokes).

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle The other book finished this week was The Seven (or 7 ½ if you’re in the US) Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and boy was this a book and a half. I will be posting a review probably this weekend or early next week but I can say now that it’s getting a full five stars. It’s like a mix between a classic Agatha Christie murder mystery with some Quantum Leap/Groundhog Day thrown in. I very much liked the writing and how vivid and atmospheric the whole thing was but most of all I loved the complexity and originality of the story. I finished it very late on Sunday night and am still pondering various aspects a few days later. I do wonder though if this is what’s making it so difficult for me to start something new.

Reading Next

I’m not going to list anything here just now as I’m planning to post my Spring TBR in the next day or two with all of my upcoming reads, including a few ARCs I’m very excited about.

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: 20th March 2018

March 20, 2018March 19, 2018 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

This week my teaser comes from The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, a book I’d had my eye on for a while and was lucky enough to receive a copy of from NetGalley. I read the majority of this over the weekend and honestly I can’t recommend it highly enough. Such a clever and intricately plotted story and such brilliant writing. I absolutely loved it.

My Teaser

Yet instead of being angry he pities me. That’s the worst part. Anger’s solid; it has weight. You can beat your fists against it. Pity’s a fog to become lost within.

~ loc 236 The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Blurb

How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed–again. She’s been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden’s only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle’s murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend–but nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

Deeply atmospheric and ingeniously plotted, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a highly original debut that will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson and Agatha Christie.

WWW Wednesday: 14th March 2018

March 14, 2018March 13, 2018 Ali@abookishlife44 Comments

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 did technically finish The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West last night but I haven’t really started anything else yet so lets just pretend I’m still reading it. I’ve had this on my Amazon wishlist for a while and finally it appeared on Overdrive so I couldn’t resist picking it up. I’m a big fan of the pretend relationship turning into real feelings plot and West just does it so well. Main character Gia is maybe not the most likeable, particularly in the beginning but she did grow on me and there were plenty of other brilliant and funny characters to make up for her, plus the romance was kinda sweet.

The Sweetest Burn (Broken Destiny, #2) Unfortunately the book I was listening to, The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, returned itself to the library and someone else had a hold so it seems I’m going to have to wait a bit for it. I have however managed to get my hands on The Sweetest Burn by Jeaniene Frost which is the second in the Broken Destiny series. I’m not as keen on this as on the author’s other books (the MC gets on my nerves) but it has been giving me a giggle.

Recently Finished

The Queen’s Rising

It’s been another busy week for me as I’m hoping to put my flat on the market and looking for a new house. This has unfortunately required a big clear out and a lot of cleaning. I have however managed to finish three books this week, the first of which was The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross. I received this from NetGalley and have to confess with the mixed reviews I was a little wary going in. I did however end up enjoying it much more than I expected. I’ve been a little down on YA and YA fantasy at the moment but this restored a little bit of the love. It has a few pacing issues but I did like the author’s writing and will be looking out for a sequel. You can read my full review here.

The Distance Between Us Because I clearly don’t have enough books on my TBR mountain, I decided after finishing Queen’s Rising to have a look around on Overdrive and, lo and behold, my library have gotten a load of new books in. All reading plans therefore went straight out of the window and I decided to read The Distance Between Us by Kasie West. The only other Kasie West I’d read was On the Fence and while I enjoyed it I hadn’t massively loved it. This however, I did love mostly due to main character Caymen’s sense of humour. I found myself cracking up laughing on the train (little bit embarrassing) and could not put it down. There were a couple of parts that bugged me and the ending seemed a little too sudden but overall this was just such a fun read. Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King, #1)

Speaking of fun reads, I needed something to distract me while cleaning (I hate cleaning) so couldn’t resist listening to the audio book of Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller which I also found on Overdrive (I love my library). I think I probably would have preferred to read this (and am thinking about doing this anyway) as I didn’t give it as much attention as it deserved but I did really love it and can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.

Reading Next

Two of the books that have been on my wishlist forever, Eliza and her Monsters and Girls Made of Snow and Glass also appeared on Overdrive this week so I think they will probably be my next reads. I also have a couple of NetGalley ARCs I’m hoping to get to soon, The Exact Opposite of Okay and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I’m actually planning to read Seven Deaths as part of a structured group read on GoodReads’ Nothing But Reading Challenges Group which starts on the 16th. We are a little light on numbers for the discussion so if anyone is interested in joining you can find it here.

Eliza and Her Monsters Girls Made of Snow and Glass The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle The Exact Opposite of Okay

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: 13th March 2018

March 13, 2018March 12, 2018 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

This week I’m going for a classic for my teaser with Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. I think this may be my favorite Austen (although it’s a pretty close run thing with Persuasion) as I find it the easiest and most amusing of her books. I absolutely adore all of the gothic elements and how it highlights the dangers of too much reading 😉 I do think Austen is a little harsh on her poor heroine though.

My Teaser

Such were her propensities – her abilities were quite as extraordinary. She never could learn or understand anything before she was taught; and sometimes not even then, for she was often inattentive, and occasionally stupid.

~ page 1 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Blurb

Jane Austen’s first novel—published posthumously in 1818—tells the story of Catherine Morland and her dangerously sweet nature, innocence, and sometime self-delusion. Though Austen’s fallible heroine is repeatedly drawn into scrapes while vacationing at Bath and during her subsequent visit to Northanger Abbey, Catherine eventually triumphs, blossoming into a discerning woman who learns truths about love, life, and the heady power of literature. The satirical novel pokes fun at the gothic novel while earnestly emphasizing caution to the female sex.