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!!!