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?

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Currently Reading

I’m currently reading The Red Road by Denise Mina which I need to finish by Friday for my RL book club. I’m around halfway through but have to admit I’m not particularly enjoying it. Nothing wrong with it I just don’t really know or care what’s going on. I think it’s supposed to be a mystery/thriller but there are a lot of characters and no particular storyline so far.

I’m thinking I might need to find a new book club as I don’t think there has been a good book yet. I kind of understand why this one was picked, it’s setting is relevant to where I work but it’s the fourth in a series so I don’t know what I’ve missed (and have no plans to read the first three). Anyway, rant over, I’m sticking with it in hopes I’ll finally get to pick a book. Mwah ha ha!! It’s going to be all zombie apocolypse 🙂

On audio I’m listening to Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost. This is the third and penultimate book in the series so I’m getting excited about how it will all end.

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Recently Finished

First book finished this week was Spring at Blueberry Bay by Holly Martin which I received from Bookouture via NetGalley. It’s set on the Isles of Scilly and is about a woman, Bella, who finds a homeless man on her doorstep and invites him in. It turns out however that homeless man Isaac is not all he seems and what follows is a sweet and funny romance which made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion.

I had a few niggles about it but overall found it a pretty enjoyable read and the light and fluffy type of book I needed. You can find my review here.

My next book finished, Endings by K.M. Shea, was also a light and really enjoyable read. It’s the seventh and final book in her King Arthur and her Knights series and a book I feel like I’ve been waiting on for ages. It’s a retelling of King Arthur and the Knights of the round table but in this story the real Arthur doesn’t want to be king so runs off with a shepherdess leaving Merlin to pull American teen Britt Arthurs from the future to take his place.

Like all K.M. Shea books, it has a strong heroine and a lot of humour. As it is the seventh and final book I won’t say much about what happens but I thought the ending was great.

I also managed to make some progress on my NetGalley backlist this week with Jojo Moyes’ latest book Paris for One and Other Stories. I’m not generally a fan of short stories (they’re too short) but I am a fan of Jojo Moyes so there was no way I could resist this book. There are 9 short stories (and I mean short  – 10-20 pages) in this collection together with two longer stories (around 100 pages) and while I enjoyed all of them I definitely liked the longer stories better. Paris for One was definitely my favourite but Honeymoon in Paris, a prequel to The Girl You Left Behind, was very enjoyable too. Moyes seems to be able to capture very real people and situations perfectly. Hopefully my review will be up in the next couple of days.

The next book finished, On The Fence by Kasie West, was a random pick from my kindle mostly to avoid reading The Red Road. I’d spotted a lot of good reviews of this authors other books and it turned out they were correct. It was a very cute and funny and I think I finished the whole thing in around a day.

The final book finished this week was my audio, Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost. I’m really enjoying working my way through this series again.

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Reading Next

Between library books, my NetGalley shelf and some recent acquisitions my TBR is completely out of control. I’m not positive what’ll be next but will likely be one 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?

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Currently Reading

I’m kind of feeling like I have a bit of a book hangover at the moment so I’ve decided some light and fluffy reading is required. I’ve therefore just started reading Spring at Blueberry Bay by Holly Martin  which I received from NetGalley yesterday. I have only read a few pages so can’t really say much about it but I think it’s just the type of book I need.

On audio I’m listening to Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost, the second in her Night Prince series. I read this about 6 months ago but am gradually working my way through the series again so that I’m up to speed for the final book.

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Recently Finished

First book finished this week was A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab, the third and final book in the Shades of Magic series. This was a book I’d been looking forward to since finishing A Gathering of Shadows but for some strange reason I found it a difficult read. The writing is brilliant (as always), the story was exciting and I loved every single character but I kept finding reasons not to read it. I actually wandered off and read another book mid way through and found myself re reading old books as well. Possibly I just didn’t want it to be over.

The second book finished this week was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I ended up reading this from cover to cover in an evening after work (while midway through ACOL). I was a little bit wary of the play format initially but I think this style suited me. Dialogue, when done well, is often what I enjoy most in a book so to have a book which was pretty much all dialogue was perfect. I really enjoyed finding out what all of the characters were up to but the highlight for me were the new characters and Scorpius Malfoy in particular.

The final book finished this week, and the one that’s left me with a bit of a book hangover, was Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. This was my fourth Rowell book and was every bit as fantastic as the others but a little sadder. I love Rainbow Rowell’s writing, she somehow manages to create very real characters and makes you feel everything that they feel.

This is a “first love” story set in the 80’s but as Eleanor has a very troubled home life deals with some darker issues too. It’s sweet and funny and I loved the 80’s references but it did also make me angry and quite sad.

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Reading Next

Unfortunately  all the progress I’d made on my NetGalley shelf has been wiped out over the last week as lots of really tempting books popped up and I just couldn’t resist requesting. I’m not sure what’ll be next but it will almost definitely be one 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?

 

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Currently Reading

At long, long last I’ve finally made a start on reading A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab. It’s the third and final book in her Shades of Magic series and is a book I’ve been on the edge of the seat waiting for since the end of A Gathering of Shadows. I’m only around halfway through but so far it’s not disappointing. There is something very readable and easy about Schwab’s writing style and the Shades of Magic series has a few of my all time favourite characters. Even the ones I wasn’t so sure about (Rhy) seem to be growing on me. I just don’t want it to be over though.

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Recently Finished

Slightly shorter list than last weeks with only three books finished. The first of which, Broken Prince  by Erin Watt, I think I’d actually finished by lunchtime last Wednesday. It’s the second in Erin Watt’s (aka duo Jen Frederick and Elle Kennedy) Royals series and is completely addictive reading. It’s like an American soap opera with mean girls, rich bad boys, a bit of romance and a lot of drama. I have however decided that I was overdosing so taking a break before reading the third book.

On audio I finished listening to Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost. This was actually the second time I’ve listened to it but while I knew where it was going it was no less enjoyable.

The third and final book finished was The New Rules of Work by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew. It’s not often I read a non fiction book but I spotted this on NetGalley and was kind of curious. I’ve been working in the same job for 11 years now so was interested to see what advice they had to give for someone stuck in a rut and thinking about a change. Have to say that I did find it incredibly useful. It’s possibly one of the most comprehensive books I’ve come across and covers everything from working out what type of job would suit you, to how to get it and for those with a job they’re happy with how to be more productive, communicate effectively and impress your boss so much you’ll get a promotion.

There were a lot of things I already know but still some useful tips and tricks that I will be trying out.

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Reading Next

I’m gradually making some progress on my NetGalley shelf so I think I’m going to keep at it and see if I can hit that elusive 80% feedback ratio (I’m currently at 75%). On that basis I think I’m planning on picking up either He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly or Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes. I did however also pick up Harry Potter and the Cursed Child from the library so there’s a fair chance I’ll sneak that in somewhere too.

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?

I was on holiday last week so didn’t post so this week I’m doing a bit of a catch up of everything I read over the last two weeks.

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Currently Reading

As I was on holiday and have a week off work at the moment I’m currently reading some of those books that have been on my TBR pile for a while but haven’t had a chance to read. I was looking for something light yesterday so finally made a start on Paper Princess by Erin Watt (aka duo Jen Frederick and Elle Kennedy).

I enjoyed it so much I somehow managed to finish the whole thing by lunch time so now I’ve moved on to the second book in the series Broken Prince and as of writing this am 75% through. 

On audio I’m currently doing a re listen (is that a thing?) of Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost. I originally listened to this (and the other two books in the series) in August last year but with the fourth and final book in the series, Into the Fire, out last month I decided to start from the beginning again to refresh my memory. It also helped make a three and a bit hour flight that little more enjoyable. I do have to be careful though as Jeaniene Frost books do have a bit of a tendency to make me laugh out loud.

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Recently Finished

As I’m covering two weeks worth of reading there are quite a few books on my recently finished list this time. First up is King’s Cage, the third book in Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series. This was probably one of my most anticipated books of this year and I think I had maybe built it up too much in my head. I did like it a lot and there is some great writing and truly epic scenes but I didn’t love as much as I hoped I would. I’m planning to post a full review this week.

The second book finished was audio book Storm Siren by Mary Weber. It does have a lot of the common YA sci-fi/fantasy tropes (love triangle, special snow flake destined to save the world etc) but it’s a lot darker than a lot of the others and has enough unique aspects to it to make it worth a read (although I’m not happy about the ending). It also deserves special props for using the words “man treasures” to describe a certain anatomical area that gets kneed.

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, an ARC I received from NetGalley was the next book finished. It’s a YA thriller which is kind of like a mixture of The Breakfast Club and a murder mystery. Five very different teens end up in detention together but within 15 minutes one of them is dead and the other four are suspects.

As a huge fan of The Breakfast Club this was right up my street. I did guess fairly early on who did it but it didn’t really diminish my enjoyment of the story and there are enough reveals to keep you questioning. The highlight for me was the four characters and how they develop over the course of the story. It’s not out for a couple of month’s so I’m holding off on a full review until closer to publication date.

The next book finished, Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse, was also an ARC from NetGalley (I will get my shelf down). I’ve loved Skuse’s previous YA books so was excited to see what she would do with her first adult read and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s probably not one for the easily offended or the squeamish but I found it very funny.

It’s like a combination of Bridget Jones and Dexter, as the story follows Rhiannon, your average woman who just happens to be a bit of a psychopath. Like Bridget she keeps a journal but rather than recording her weight etc each entry begins with a list of the people she wants to kill, from the cashier at her local supermarket to co workers and even boyfriend Craig. It did worry me how often I kind of agreed with Rhiannon’s thoughts and it often made me laugh out loud. My main criticism was that it was maybe a little too long and lacked direction at times.

Next up, was the Upside of Unrequited by Becky Abertalli, author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (another NetGalley ARC). It’s kind of similar to Simon vs in that it’s a diverse coming of age story about a girl called Molly but while I was decidedly underwhelmed by Simon vs I really liked this one. This seems to be contrary to all of the other reviews I’ve read but I suspect it’s due to expectations. I went into this with much lower expectations and consequently enjoyed it a lot more. Again this isn’t out till next month so I’m holding off on a review till nearer the time.

My next book was Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh. I can’t remember where I heard about this author but I bought this, the first in the Guild Hunters series a while ago and only just got around to reading. I wasn’t too sure about it at the start. First thought was “argh, not another paranormal romance” but within a few chapters I was completely hooked which is always good until you realize there are like 11 books in the series and you’re going to end up reading them all 🙂

After Angel’s Blood I decided I needed a thriller so picked up Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (another ARC). It begins with main character Amber Reynolds realizing she’s in a coma but with no memory of how she ended up there other than the feeling that it wasn’t an accident. I absolutely loved this book. Completely gripping and addictive reading I finished the whole thing in a day. It’s probably my favourite thriller of the year so far and definitely a book I would  recommend.

The final book finished (and started) yesterday was Paper Princess by Erin Watt, which as I’ve already mentioned above I won’t go into detail about.

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Reading Next

Based on the number of books read over the past couple of weeks and lack of reviews I should probably take a break from reading to get caught up. I think I will however finally make a start on A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab. Despite being desperate to read it I’ve been kind of putting it off due to a combination of fear that it won’t live up to expectations and just not wanting it to be over.

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.