The WWW Wednesday meme is 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

It’s October (how did that happen) which seemed to me to be a great excuse to pick up ghost story The Secret of Cold Hill by Peter James. This is a sequel to The House on Cold Hill (which it turns out I read about four years ago) but could easily be read as a standalone, I certainly don’t remember the details of the first book and so far haven’t had any issues. I started it on Monday and am already a third of the way through and very much enjoying it. It is the classic ghost story with spooky goings on (things go bump in the night) but while the first book was set in an old house this is set in a new housing estate built on the site of the original house. Fingers crossed it manages to maintain the tension and chills.

Recently Finished

With another long weekend I managed to finish three books again this week the first of which was Postscript by Cecelia Ahern, sequel to PS I Love You. I do love Cecelia Ahern’s writing and PS I Love You was a favourite so expectations were high but this totally lived up to them. It is a tearjerker, I think I cried most of the way through the story, but it’s also hopeful. There is a slightly cynical part of me that wonders if it was deliberately playing on emotions but I loved it regardless.

After such an emotional read I decided something a little lighter and fluffier was in order so picked up the ARC I’d received of The Princess Plan by Julia London. I do love historical romance and this sounded intriguing but I’m afraid it was a major disappointment. It may just be that I’ve read some brilliant historical romances lately but I did not get on with this at all. Didn’t like the characters, thought the plot was a little silly and needed to make its mind up what it was and yeah, nope.

With the Princess Plan being a bit of a bust I decided to go for something completely different with Highfire by Eoin Colfer. This was another ARC from NetGalley and I have to confess I picked it up largely due to the author, even though I’ve never actually read any books by Colfer. It’s a pretty quick and easy read and I finished the whole thing more or less in a day but again ended up being a little disappointed in it. I’m having trouble pinpointing what the issue was and I’m currently struggling to figure out how to review it. I have no idea what to say, I have literally no feelings about it.

Reading Next

I’ve decided that as it’s October I’m going to spend the month reading mostly Halloween type reads. I’m currently in the process of coming up with a Spooktober TBR but one book that’s definitely making the list, and will likely be up next, is Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell. I loved Carry On so have been waiting for the sequel. I’m not expecting it to be particularly creepy but who cares. I have an ARC of The Lost Ones by Anita Frank that should fit the spooky bill.

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 ❤

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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 The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry at the weekend and am making really good progress with it. It’s a sequel to The Way of All Flesh and is set in Edinburgh in 1850, a time (and place) when a lot of important medical advances were being made. I enjoyed the first book but I think this one has the potential to be better. I felt like the balance was a little off in the first between the historical fiction elements and the murder mystery but this feels a little more even and I’m very much enjoying being back in this time with these characters. I think this could very easily become a favourite series for me, and I know there is at least one more book in the works.

On audio/spotify I’m still listening to Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. It’s such a fun read with some very distinctive characters, I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Recently Finished

The first book finished this week was Breakers by Doug Johnstone and wow what a book, I can definitely understand why it’s on the shortlist for the McIlvanney award at this year’s Bloody Scotland. Set in Edinburgh it’s about a teenage boy, Tyler who is trying to do the best he can despite a not so great family. His mum has addiction issues and his half brother and sister bully and coerce him into breaking into houses. It’s on one of these break ins that someone gets hurt and Tyler ends up in serious trouble with some not very nice people. It’s a hard and brutal read at times but you can’t help but become invested in Tyler.

After such a tough read I decided I needed something a whole lot lighter and less gritty so ended up reading contemporary romance Pucked by Helena Hunting. It did make for a good reading palate cleanser and I liked it for the most part but I’m not sure there was anything particularly memorable about it (other than how disturbing the male MC’s stalking was).

Reading Next

Bloody Scotland kicks off on Friday and as well as attending a few of the events on Saturday I’ll be volunteering on both Friday evening and Sunday afternoon so I’m not sure how much time I’m going to have for reading. If I do manage to squeeze some reading time in I think I’m going to go back to my NetGalley shelf (it’s completely out of control) and pick up American Royals or Into the Crooked Place, I think I’m in a YA kinda mood. I’ve also been tempted to re read Carry On though in preparation for Wayward Son coming out.

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 ❤

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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

It’s all change this week as I finished both my audio and ebook. As it isn’t too long till Bloody Scotland (Scottish Crime Festival) I’ve  decided to go on a bit of a crime spree (reading wise obvs) and picked up Breakers by Doug Johnston. This book is on the shortlist for this year’s McIlvanney prize and I have heard so many wonderful things about it so I couldn’t resist. I did only start it on yesterday however so very early days. I do have a good feeling about it though. The story is very different from the norm and I already have a lot of sympathy for character Tyler.

I made the incredible discovery at the weekend that you can get audio books on spotify so needless to say I was straight in there to see what I could find. Choices are a smidge limited but I did come across Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. This is a book that’s been on my wish list for ages, it just sounded so much fun, so yep very happy to discover it. I’m a couple of hours in I think (cos it’s spotify I have no clue) and really enjoying it. I did have some doubts when I heard the author was narrating (it can be hit or miss) but am pleased to report Bray is pretty great.

Recently Finished

Two books finished this week, the first of which was Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I mostly listened to it on audio but also had a flick through the book too so I could get the benefit of the graphics. I can honestly say this was one of the most unique and brilliant reading/listening experiences I’ve had. The narrators do such a wonderful job. What makes it particularly good though is that behind the sound effects and the visuals there’s a great story and some wonderful writing. It’s one of those books with lots of lovely, memorable quotes. This is one of those series I can’t wait to continue on with, I’m just waiting on my next audible credit 🙂

The second book finished was the Six by Luca Veste, an ARC of which I’d received via Netgalley. This isn’t out for a couple of months but I was in the mood for a change from all of the fantasy and sci fi I’ve been reading lately so couldn’t resist. I hadn’t actually read anything by Veste before despite owning a couple of his books but based on this I think I’ll be picking up more. It is such an addictive read. The story is pretty similar to the film I Know What You Did Last Summer as it’s about a group of friends who cover up a death, albeit these friends are 30 somethings and the death happens on a weekend away at a 90s music festival. It’s a twisty tale that really keeps you guessing and I loved all of the 90s music and pop culture references.

Reading Next

Given Bloody Scotland starts a week on Friday I think I’m going to continue on with my crime spree over the next week. There are four books on the shortlist for the McIlvanney, I’ve read one (The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry) and have Breakers in progress so I think I’m going to try and read Conviction by Denise Mina next. I am pretty sure I have access to it through The Pigeonhole.

I am also tempted to pick up sequel to The Way of All Flesh, the Art of Dying as I managed to get a copy on Overdrive. I do also want to start Darkdawn the final book in the Nevernight Chronicles as soon as possible. I’m putting it off a little as it’s a hardback and I don’t like carrying them around (or stopping and starting) so am waiting till I have enough time in the house to really focus on it.

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 ❤

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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’m trying not to start anything new until I get caught up on some reviews so only have audio book Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff on the go at the moment. I’ve owned copies of all three books pretty much since they came out but the combination of hype and unusual format put me off.  A lot of people did recommend reading it while listening to the audio though so that’s kind of what I’ve been doing and I am flying through it. The audio is brilliant and I feel like the narrators deserve some kind of award, they are so good. Right now I only have around 2 hours to go and I am not happy with what’s just happened in the story 😥

Recently Finished

Two books finished again this week, I seem to be on a roll. The first was Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff, the second in the Nevernight chronicles series. It’s a little darker and more serious than the first book but so, so good. I’m still not sure about the format, there are lots of footnotes which are really funny but interrupt the flow (especially when you’re reading the ebook) but I do love the story and Kristoff’s writing. Things never seem to go the way you think they will, characters you think will have a big part have their stories cut short and it’s almost impossible to predict how main character Mia will act or what she’s willing to do. Needless to say the ending was epic but has left me hanging for book 3.

As I’m pretty much just waiting to read Darkdawn when it’s released tomorrow, I decided to pick up something completely different and went for historical romance Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore. I do love a historical romance and was expecting the usual light and fluffy read but yeah, that’s not really what Bringing Down the Duke is. It is a romance and it does have a lot of the classic tropes but it plays around with them a little. What I loved however was how grounded and realistic it felt. I also loved the time period it was set in and all of the details around the women’s suffrage movement and class. It makes it a little bit different.

Reading Next

I’m sure it’ll be no surprise that I fully intend on starting Darkdawn the second I manage to get my hands on it. It would be nice to finish one series I’m partway through and also I feel like I need to know how it ends. There’s also a strong possibility I’m going to continue on with the Illuminae Files with Gemina, although that depends on how upset I am at the end of Illuminae and whether I splash out on the audio now or wait till I get my next audible credit at the end of the month.

Finally, it’s just over a two weeks till Bloody Scotland so I feel I should be getting back into my crime fiction. I saw Ambrose Parry in Glasgow last week so I have a copy of their latest book The Art of Dying. They read a couple of extracts from it and it sounds fantastic. I also have an ARC of the Six by Luca Veste which is calling to me too though.

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 ❤

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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

My Kristoff-athon is now well underway and I started the second book in the Nevernight Chronicles, Godsgrave, on Sunday. It’s still fairly early days as I’m only around a quarter of the way through but so far so good. It’s a little darker than the first book and there have been a things I would have liked to have gone a different way but I absolutely love main character Mia (and her shadows). I’m also finding it much easier to read than the first book, I think because I’ve gotten used to the style.

On started listening to Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff on audio on Monday. This is another series I’ve been meaning to pick up for ages but despite owning all of the books in it kept putting it off (I think it may have been the format again). I’m around an hour in so far and I’m absolutely loving it. The narrators are brilliant and are really bringing it to life for me. My only complaint is that Ezra and Kady are just too funny, I can’t help laughing aloud at some of the things they say at their interviews.

Recently Finished

Things seem to have settled down a little (it won’t last) so I’ve managed to find some time for reading and finished off two books. The first Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky, was an ARC I received from NetGalley. I have to admit that despite not having read Perks of Being a Wallflower I requested this largely on the basis of the author’s name and didn’t realize it was a horror story (I like a good horror story so this was an added bonus). At over 700 pages it is a little on the long side but while I’m not sure it needed quite so many pages I liked it a lot.

The second book finished was Nevernight by Jay Kristoff and yeah I think this may be the first time I’ve “read” a book in pretty much every format. I started listening to it on audio, switched to the ebook around quarter of the way through and then to the hardback for the second half. I do generally prefer reading ebooks (I like highlighting quotes) but I didn’t think the ebook version worked particularly well with all of the footnotes (there are a lot of footnotes). The audio really helped me to get into it but I think it worked best as a physical copy.

Reading Next

I’m not entirely sure what I’ll pick up next. I do want to continue the Kristoff-athon so may press on with the Illuminae files or pick up Lifel1k3 or it may be time for a bit of a change. I like a bit of variety in my reads so I’m thinking I may need to break up all of the sci fi / fantasy with some crime or a romance. I recently had NetGalley requests for Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore and Robert Bryndza’s new book Nine Elms approved so I’m very tempted to pick one of them up.

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 ❤

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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

As expected I haven’t quite managed to finish Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky as yet but I only have around 10% left to go so I should be done today or tomorrow. I’ve never read Perks of Being a Wallflower so this is my first book by Chbosky and I’ve been really enjoying it. Given it’s a horror I get the impression it’s very different from Perks but I do like his writing style. At over 700 pages it is a lot longer than the books I usually read but it’s kept me pretty much hooked throughout (to the extent that I almost missed my stop on the train twice). I have read some not so great things about the ending but fingers crossed it doesn’t let me down.

On audio I’ve been listening to Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. I’ve had a copy of the book for a couple of years now and have tried to read it more than once but somehow never made it past the first few pages. The audio does seem to be working a lot better for me, the narrator is brilliant and really brings it to life, but I suspect I’m going to switch back to the book at some point as I’m going to see Kristoff at the start of September and I take too long with audios to have it (and hopefully Godsgrave) finished in time.

Recently Finished

No books finished this week unfortunately, I blame the cat.

Reading Next

I just realized at the weekend that it’s just over two weeks till I go see Jay Kristoff and I’ve read exactly one of his books (or given he co wrote Aurora Rising, half a book). I’ve therefore decided to make the next two weeks a Kristoff-athon. I for sure want to finish Nevernight and Godsgrave but I also have Lifel1k3 lined up too.

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 ❤