Over the last 12 months I’ve read 151 books (according to GoodReads) which was well ahead of my 100 book target for the year. Looking over all of the books and my ratings I thought I’d do a quick awards ceremony for the stand out books of the year, good and bad.
I’m sure not everyone will agree with my choices but these were definitely some of my favourites. (if you’re interested in reading any you can click on the links to go to the GoodReads page)Read More »
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:
So here’s my W’s for the week.
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.
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.
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?
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. 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 A Daily Rhythm.
I have a bit of a confession to make this week, I’ve never read a single book by Charles Dickens. Shocking I know but I’ve decided to rectify the situation by getting in the spirit of the season and reading A Christmas Carol. I’ve just started but couldn’t resist using it for this week’s teaser.
My Teaser
It was a strange figure – like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium, which gave him the appearance of having receded from the view, and being diminished to a child’s proportions. Its hair, which hung about its neck and down its back, was white as if with age; and yet the face had not a wrinkle in it, and the tenderest bloom was on the skin.
~ page 31
Happy reading everyone.
Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was really excited to get a copy of this book. I love a good scary story and based on all of the great reviews I had high hopes.
Unfortunately it was not at all what I was expecting so I found it a bit disappointing. It’s actually one of those books where I feel like I’ve been reading something different from everyone else. I don’t know, maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind when I started it and that influenced my reading but I found the whole thing a bit of a struggle.
Synopsis
When Tess bumps into ex husband Nick on the street she gets angry when it seems he’s pretending not to know her. She phones to give him hell but when she finally speaks to him she realises the guy she bumped into wasn’t him but his double. Chatting to friend Lili she finds out that people have reported her friend has a double. Tess and Lili decide there’s something sinister about these doubles and start investigating.
Meanwhile Frank, an old colleague of Tess, Lili and Nick, is confronted in his home by an intruder who has his face. Fake Frank holds him hostage in the basement and starts to take over his life.
As Tess and Lili step up their investigation they discover a connection to events in their past and have to face their fears and their doppelgangers if they hope to survive.
Thoughts
I’ve been going through a bit of a horror phase at the moment and was drawn to this story by both the blurb and the fantastic reviews. It’s described as a haunted house story with a twist which I have to say I don’t think it is. I was expecting the majority of the story to be set in a house with the danger coming from the mirrors. I had this idea of the reflections not imitating but seeking to escape and replace the originals.
In fact there is very little of the story set within a house. I would probably describe it more as a type of invasion of the body snatchers than haunted house tale. The idea of doppelgangers seeking to replace their doubles, while not original, is an interesting one. It has the potential to be creepy and menacing however I felt like that didn’t come across.
For me there were just too many things that didn’t work. I didn’t feel any real tension or emotion and I never really connected with any of the characters. To be perfectly honest I wasn’t too fussed who lived or died.
Every single character had some issue or past trauma that was almost constantly referred to and over analysed. I’m all for diverse characters but there were just too many issues among a small number of people for it to be realistic and it just wasn’t that relevant to the story. I’m of the view that you shouldn’t have to keep telling the reader about a character’s issues or personality traits. It should be obvious from their actions and their dialogue
I also thought they kind of over reacted to some of the early incidents. OK it’s a bit funny to bump into someone who looks exactly like someone you know but I wouldn’t think it would be as terrifying as it’s made out to be. It’s possible my stress levels at the moment are leading to a lack of empathy but I just didn’t find a lot of the supposed terrifying incidents that scary.
The dialogue between characters seemed a little clunky to me at times and I think the story suffered from a lack of description of both people and places. Some of the action sequences in particular were a little confusing and unclear and I would have liked a little more scene setting to help me imagine where they were and what was happening. I don’t know, maybe I just missed it or wasn’t paying attention.
There are a lot of 5 star reviews so it obviously hit the right spot for others but sorry it wasn’t for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I kind of swithered between 3 and 4 stars but decided that I’d give it the benefit of the doubt as it’s Christmas and I suspect my enjoyment of it was reduced by the chaos around me at the moment.
This book is a mixture of different genres, fantasy, science fiction and steampunk with a bit of good old fashioned detective story thrown in for good measure so there is a lot going on. However the author balances all of these elements very well. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely got potential to be the start of a great series.
Synopsis
The story follows Irene, junior librarian at “The Library”. Her role is to travel to alternate worlds and seek out particular books to be added to the libraries collection.
Her latest mission, thrust upon her unexpectedly, is to seek out a copy of Grimm’s fairytales from an alternate which is very much like Victorian London. The main difference being that this world is infected with chaos (kind of like magic I suppose) which means the presence of Fae, Werewolves, Vampires and strange mechanical inventions.
It’s a world considered dangerous by the ordered and controlled librarians but Irene is assigned an assistant Kai to help her with her mission.
When they reach the world things are more complicated than they were expecting, the owner of the book has been murdered and the book stolen by an infamous thief. The race is on to track down the volume before anyone else can but there are other factions and societies who want the book and will go to any means to obtain it.
Thoughts
This book should have been right up my street. It’s about a librarian and books (what more do I need?) but for some reason it didn’t quite draw me in the way that I hoped it would.
The writing and characters are excellent. It did remind me a little of Jasper Fforde or Jodi Taylor in terms of style. It has that very British, formal, dry humour type feel to it which I do love.
The characters were very well described and well rounded. They all had their positives as well negative qualities. No one was perfect in anyway and there were chunks of good even in the villains.
I think where it lost me a little was the plot. It seemed at times like an awful lot of trouble to go to just for a book. I love my books and I understand that this is their vocation but I’m not sure I would be willing to do and put up with as much as they do. I found it difficult to be captivated by the hunt for a book.
The other thing which I thought made it a bit difficult to connect to was narrator Irene. As librarian she must be disciplined, in control and detached at all times. While I admire her dedication to her role it’s not easy to connect with someone so seemingly prim, proper and emotionless. My favourite moments of the story were probably those where she loses control or gets distracted and let’s her thoughts wander inappropriately, particularly in respect of her assistant.
Other characters were a bit more likeable and I have to admit to a soft spot for her apprentice Kai. I wasn’t too sure about him initially but loved him by the end. There is a lot of mystery around him which is fascinating and I can’t wait to see what happens with him next.
There was quite a lot of world building in this, the first in the series, which probably slowed things down a little but I think now that’s out of the way subsequent books will be better. I have the feeling that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes of the Library. There have been a few suggestions of a darker motive to it and some questions over the true motivations of the senior librarians so I will be interested to find out where the story goes next.
Thankfully I have the Masked City ready and waiting to start.
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:
So here’s my W’s for the week.
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.
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.
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.
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. 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 A Daily Rhythm.
This week I’m reading The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. It’s about a librarian who travels to alternate realities to retrieve books. Bit of a mixture of detective story, science fiction and fantasy with some steampunk thrown in for good measure.
My Teaser
Irene paused, considering what words she could use that wouldn’t get her into trouble later if repeated elsewhere. She personally liked Coppelia, but words such as Machiavellian, efficiently unprincipled, and ice-hearted didn’t always go down well in conversations.
~ page 26
Happy reading everyone.
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:
So here’s my W’s for the week.
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.
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.
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.
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. 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 A Daily Rhythm.
This week I’m reading Clockwork Prince, the second in the Infernal Devices series. I love Cassandra Clare’s writing so there was no way I could limit myself to just two sentences.
My Teaser
His breath against her ear made her shudder with each deliberately spoken word. “I have wanted to do this,” he said, “every moment of every hour of every day that I have been with you since the day I met you. But you know that. You must know. Don’t you?”
~ page 292
If she doesn’t want him I do.
Happy reading everyone.
Blurb from GoodReads
On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.
In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.
Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.
Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.
Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.
Initial Thoughts
This is a book with a lot of buzz around it and I think it will definitely be one of the big new releases in 2016. It’s certainly the type of book I’m excited about particularly considering it’s been given the seal of approval by Sarah J Maas one of my favourite authors.
I received an extended extract (about the first 15 chapters) of Truthwitch from the publishers via NetGalley and based on what I’ve read so far I think I’ll have to read the rest.
It certainly starts well with action from the very first page (Safi and Iseult are in the middle of a heist gone wrong). This is great as it gives a good sense of the characters and hooks you into the story from the very beginning. I do like a story with strong female leads and that is definitely the case with Truthwitch. What makes it even better is that these women seem to be true and loyal friends, something which is too rare in young adult fiction.
Truthwitch is set in a totally new world and has a very unique take on magic. There are a number of different lands and places as well as a lot of different types of witch and magic which I have to admit I found a little confusing. I probably would have preferred a simpler start with more gradual world building but I’m sure it will all make more sense once I get further into the story.
Overall it’s definitely a promising start and I’m looking forward to reading the rest.
A Bookish Life 