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’ve had to schedule this post in advance (it’s a busy week) so I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be reading on Wednesday but I suspect it will be Love And Other Words by Christina Lauren. I’ve been in the mood for a Christina Lauren and this appeared on NetGalley so I couldn’t resist putting in a request.

 

---

Recently Finished

I’ve been off work for the last week but have to confess I haven’t really been in the mood for reading. Instead I was taking little day trips and watching lots of TV and movies, basically taking it easy. I did however manage to finish off three books, although the first I was pretty much finished when last week’s post went up.

• Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L.C. Rosen –  This was a lot more gripping and disturbing than I was expecting. It’s pretty addictive reading and I thought incredibly informative about some controversial topics but yeah, the stalker side of the story kind of creeped me out (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing).
• Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare – I needed something light after Jack of Hearts so yep I was back on Tessa Dare again. This time it’s a kind of historical romance take on My Fair Lady (or maybe She’s All That) given a Duke makes a bet with his mother that if she can turn any girl he picks into a convincing Duchess, he’ll marry her (the girl obvs).
• The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker – This was an incredibly intense telling of the Trojan war from the point of view of Briseis, a Trojan queen who is taken captive by the Greeks when her city is invaded. I really liked the different perspective this brought to the story but I think it lost it’s way in the second part when Achilles pov was introduced. Still a great read but could have been brilliant.

---

Reading Next

I’ve got a lot on over the next week, as I’m into the busy time at work, I’m volunteering at Bloody Scotland over the weekend and I’m in the process of selling my house (which means I’m gonna have to clean) so not sure how much reading I’ll get done. I did however receive an ARC of Sarah Morgan’s latest Christmas book so I suspect I’ll sneak that in somehow and possibly either Broken Things by Lauren Oliver (who I also love) or A House of Ghosts (which is by a new to me author).

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 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’m pretty close to the end of Jack of Hearts (and other parts) despite only just starting it quite late on Monday night. My NetGalley request was actually only approved on Monday but I was bookless (I’d just finished one) and felt like this was exactly the story I was in the mood for (or at least was very curious about).

I suspect this is a book that’s going to really divide opinion given how open and explicit it is about sex and gay sex in particular. I think a few parents are going to be uncomfortable with their teenage kids reading it but it’s probably a book they should be reading as there’s some really good advice given in the form of an online sex advice column written by the main character Jack. There’s also a great story dealing with difficult issues, lots of diversity and as you can probably tell with how fast I’ve read it, it’s very addictive.

---

Recently Finished

Between not sleeping very well, bad weather and some time off work I’ve actually had quite a lot of reading time so managed to finish four books this week, although in fairness two of these are really short.

• The Towering Sky by Katherine McGee – This was a fitting conclusion to the Thousandth Floor trilogy and it was wonderful being back in futuristic New York. However, while it was a little emotional particularly towards the end I thought it lacked some of the mystery and surprise the previous books had.
• Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher – I wasn’t sure about this initially but once “Real” Brett (as opposed to “Dream” Brett) showed up around the halfway mark it really picked up and I ended up quite enjoying it. Still wouldn’t say it was a favourite but it did make me laugh a few times.
• And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness – aka Moby Dick from the POV of the whale. This has been getting mixed review but I really liked it. Ness’s creativity and brilliant writing shine out of every page and the illustrations go with the story perfectly. The only thing missing for me was emotion (it was a little lacking in feels).
• Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire – The third book in the Wayward Children series and I think this is my fave so far. It starts off back in the school from the first book and then travels to a few other worlds as they try to resurrect the dead. This just made me laugh so much and I loved that Christopher and Kade were back.

---

Reading Next

I think I’m going to need something light and fluffy after Jack of Hearts so I’m thinking I may pick up Roomies by Christina Lauren next (although I’m undecided). After that, with the Scottish Crime festival Bloody Scotland fast approaching, I think I’m going to try and read a couple of the books in the running for the McIlvanney prize to get me in the mood. I managed to get a copy of The Quaker from the library so that’s likely to be first but also hoping to read Places in the Darkness.

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.

And on the subject of Bloody Scotland, I’m taking part in the blog tour with a Q&A with Ruth Ware author of The Death of Mrs Westaway, In a Dark Dark Wood, The Lying Game & The Woman in Cabin 10 on Saturday so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Happy Reading ❤

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’m very excited to be finally reading The Towering Sky by Katherine McGee. I knew as soon as I received it from the publishers via NetGalley I wouldn’t be able to resist it for long. It’s the third and final book in the Thousandth Floor trilogy and I’m fully expecting something wow. I tend to think of it as a kind of futuristic teen soap opera. It has that rich people stabbing each other in the back, inappropriate relationships and dangerous secrets thing that is so fun to read. I only really started it late last night so only around 5% in as I’m writing this but like the previous books in the trilogy it begins with a killer hook.

On audio I’m still listening to Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher. I’ve actually made some good progress with it and only have around 3 hours left so I expect to finish it this weekend. I have to admit I wasn’t wholly convinced by this to start with, and I’m still not saying it’s a great read, but since I reached around the halfway point it has picked up a lot. I think my biggest gripe is the main character who’s a little too passive for my tastes. I’m crossing everything that she will at some point make a stand and give her horrible ex, her mother and her boss what for.

As I suspected trying to read two books at the one time was a bit much so I’ve put And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness on the back burner until next week. I want to take the time to sit and enjoy it rather than only reading a couple of pages here and there.

---

Recently Finished

The first book finished this week was  Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I received this ages ago from NetGalley but had parked it due to difficulties with the formatting of the ARC. I finally managed to get a copy from the library and dived right back in. It’s very loosely based on Rumpelstiltskin but there’s so much more to it than that. The author has made it completely her own. There’s so much depth and complexity to it and the writing and world she creates is incredible. If I had one niggle it’s that I was never wholly invested in it. Think it was a case of too many pov’s. You can read my full review here.

After Spinning Silver I was in the mood for something completely different, some light and fun nonsense, so needless to say I reverted to Tessa Dare and Do You Want to Start a Scandal. I love Dare’s historical romances and this has now become one of my favorites. It just made me laugh so much. Keeping a straight face while reading this on the train on the way to work was however a challenge, I don’t recommend it.

The third book finished The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley was a much more serious read, thank goodness (I do not want to be the train weirdo). This was a major diversion from my reading plans but I was sitting in the hairdressers trying to pick a book and this was calling to me. It’s not out till January I think, so yep I’m really early, but I just loved the sound of it. It’s one of those “group of old friends (and some creepy strangers) stranded in a remote location (Scottish Highlands) and someone is murdered” type stories. I do love these stories and this was brilliant, particularly in terms of the horrible characters. My only issue with it was that it lacked tension and that creepy factor I was hoping for.

---

Reading Next

And yet again I think I have the same reading next list, I really must pick up The Silence of the Girls and Mirage soon. I also have an ARC of A House of Ghosts which I’m really looking forward to and quite a few library books including the third in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series, Beneath the Sugar Sky. So yep, busy week ahead 🙂

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 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’ve somehow ended up juggling three books again which never ends well 🙂 The first of these is And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness. I picked this up from the bookshop last week and it is just sooo beautiful I knew I had to start reading it immediately. I’m a big stalker fan of Ness so I’ve  been anxiously awaiting this story tagged as Moby Dick from the pov of the whale. It is however quite a big book to carry around so I’m only around a third of the way through but so far so good. I just love Ness’s writing and the illustrations throughout are beautiful.

The second book I’m reading is Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I actually started this ages ago but had put it aside as the format of the ARC I’d received was killing my enjoyment of the story (the writing was tiny). I managed however to get a copy from the library on Monday so I’ve picked it up again and am enjoying it so much more (as are my eyes). With the break I had slightly lost the plot a little but I’m getting back into it again and all of the threads are starting to come together which is quite exciting. I am loving how there are a lot of fairytale references but it’s still pretty unique and quite dark.

I’ve also started a new audio this week, Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher. I think this might be the first contemporary romance I’ve gotten on audio and it probably wouldn’t have been my first choice when I was hunting for something to listen to but I remembered I got an ARC of this from NetGalley 3 years ago and never actually read it or submitted feedback (oops) so thought it would give me the chance to get it off my shelf. I’m currently around 3 hours in and so far I’m finding it okay. Main character Sarah is kind of annoying me (I want to shake her) which is not ideal but hopefully the story will pick up.

---

Recently Finished

The first book finished his week was A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, which I’d received from Netgalley. It’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and yep I’ve read a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings but this was definitely a stand out read. I did have a little bit of a wobble at the start, it’s a bit weird and confusing, but it quickly became an addictive and engaging read. I loved main character Harper and I had a very definite soft spot for Commander of the Guard, Grey. It’s way too early for a review but I think it’ll be a solid 4.5 stars.

The next book finished was audio book Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire. This is the second in the Wayward Children series and it’s the author herself who does the narration. I did enjoy it, particularly at the start, but I think I preferred the first book. The narrator has a bit of a tendency to talk directly to the reader which is funny at times but I felt like it stopped me from really becoming engaged in the story.

The fact that I couldn’t remember the next book I read and just had to go check probably says quite a lot about Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. It’s not that it’s a particularly bad read, there’s just nothing particularly memorable about it. It sets itself up as this big battle to the death between triplets but that doesn’t really happen. Instead there are three separate stories about each of the sisters, setting up the world, the magic system and introducing the numerous characters. It’s fine, it’s interesting, there’s some great world building but it feels like not very much happens. I also never really understood the reason why these three 16 year old girls had to murder each other and why it’s a generally accepted and encouraged practice.

The fourth and final book read was Not So Nice Guy by R.S. Grey. Honestly this has just been lurking on my kindle since it was released and I was in the mood for something light and fun. It really is a great read. It’s a friends to lovers story and it’s so nice to finally have a romance without angst or obstacles or whatever. I loved the main characters, I loved the school setting, it made me laugh, it made me smile and I just really liked it.

---

Reading Next

I think my reading next pile is pretty much the same as last week’s with The Silence of the Girls or Mirage likely to be one of my next reads. I also picked up a copy of City of Ghosts at the bookshop last week so would love to start reading it soon too although I did just get my hands on an ARC of The Towering Sky by Katherine McGee which I’ve also been anxiously awaiting so we’ll see.

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 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 A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer on Monday morning and I am flying through it. It’s just so good. It’s not out till January but when I spied it on NetGalley I couldn’t resist requesting and when my request was approved I couldn’t resist reading it. I love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling and even though I initially had my doubts on this one I am now completely hooked. Main character Harper is pretty awesome and I know I should be rooting for her and the prince but I love Commander of the Guards Grey.

On audio I’m still listening to Down Among the Sticks and Bones, the second book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. I only have about 30 mins left so should finish in the next day or so.

---

Recently Finished

A slightly slower reading week for me this time with only two books finished the first of which was The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry (aka Chris Brookmyre and Dr Marisa Haetzman). I’ve been a big fan of Brookmyre for a long time so was excited to see what he would do in historical crime fiction (and with his wife as a writing partner). I don’t read a lot of historical fiction but I really loved the setting in this and actually thought that part of the story was a lot stronger than the murder mystery (I guessed the killer very early on). The characters are interesting but what really fascinated me were the medical aspects, although be warned, some are not for the faint of heart.

The second book read this week was The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett. This was one of those cases where I couldn’t decide what I wanted to read so went for a scout around on NetGalley and came across this. It was probably one line in the blurb “Bridget Jones meets The Exorcist” that drew me to it and while it’s not exactly like either it is brilliantly peculiar.

It’s about a woman who, recovering from cancer, accepts a teaching job in a small town in Australia. When she gets there however she discovers her predecessor disappeared in the middle of the night, there are an awful lot of locks on the door of her house and some very odd characters. The whole story is told in the form of a blog making it very difficult to tell what’s real and what’s fantasy. I would have loved it to be a bit creepier but it is really funny and unique so no real complaints 🙂

---

Reading Next

I’ve just started a new team reading challenge (Game of Thrones based this time) so I’m currently on the hunt to find a book to fit some very specific tasks. If anyone has suggestions for books with a character who’s a gardener or with a female ruling line let me know 🙂

Pending me figuring that out I want to finally pick up How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. I’m going to see him on Saturday evening so would love to read it before then. I’m also thinking about picking up The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (I love that cover) or Mirage by Somaiya Daud.

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 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 The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry (aka Chris Brookmyre and Dr Marisa Haetzman) yesterday morning and am making pretty good progress with it. I’ve been a big fan of Brookmyre for many years now so was interested to see what he (in partnership with his wife) would do with historical crime fiction. As I’m writing this (last night) I’m around a quarter of the way through and very much enjoying it. Other than the discovery of a body at the start by the MC there hasn’t been much in the way of murder mystery but I’m loving all of the detail around medicine in 1847.

On audio I’m still listening to Down Among the Sticks and Bones, the second book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. I haven’t had much listening time over the past week so even though it’s only 4 hours long I’m still only around halfway through but still really enjoying it. I really love McGuire’s writing and this series is quite fairytale-ish albeit a dark and gruesome fairytale. This book is a kind of prequel to the first and tells the story of two of the characters, twins Jack and Jill. I’m not sure I’m loving it quite as much as the first book but I’ve only just gotten to the bit where they go through a door into another world so I’m expecting it to pick up.

---

Recently Finished

The last week was another pretty good reading week for me with four books finished and a five star read among them.

The first book finished was The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth which I’d received from the publisher via NetGalley. I really wanted to love this story of a girl growing up in small town Montana but I’m afraid to say it didn’t wholly work for me. The writing is brilliant and there are some great characters and descriptions which all make it feel very real but I just never found an emotional connection to the story or the main character. And, with this type of story, I need some kind of feels.

After Cameron Post I decided to take some brave pills and finally tackle The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa which I kind of needed for a Goodreads challenge (cat on cover) but mostly wanted to read because I’ve been trying to read more translated fiction and I liked the sound of this story about the relationship between a man and a cat. I was a little wary going in as I had an inkling it may be sad, and it was, but I’m so glad I’ve read this. Yep it turned me into a big teary mess but it also made me laugh and left me feeling uplifted. It really is a beautiful story.

As I predicted last week, after the emotional trauma of the Travelling Cat I needed something much lighter so picked up The Governess Game by Tessa Dare and it was just what I needed. It’s the second book in the Girl Meets Duke series but like most of Dare’s books can easily be read as a standalone. I very much enjoyed this historical romance with it’s elements of Jane Eyre (and a random Titanic reference) but I’m not sure I loved it quite as much as the previous book. It may just have been that I’ve read a lot of Dare’s books over the past few months so the novelty’s worn off a bit. What I will say is that I read the whole thing in one sitting so it obviously wasn’t too much of a chore 😉

The fourth and final book finished this week was The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak which I borrowed from the library. I’d love to say it was one that had been on my TBR for a while but if I’m honest I was looking for a book with a musical instrument on the cover for the same challenge as above and this had a guitar and some pretty good ratings. It did however surprise me in the best possible way. It’s a really cute and funny romance with a heck of a lot of chemistry. I will be tracking down more books by this author I think.

---

Reading Next

Per last weeks post I was hoping to pick up Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill next but unfortunately by the time I got to it I only had a couple of days left on the loan and others were waiting so I decided just to return it rather than rushing through it. I don’t think I’m in the mood for another mermaid book right now anyway so probably for the best. What I am in the mood for is something dark and twisty. It’s not too long till Bloody Scotland so I think I may pick up Luca Veste’s latest book The Bone Keeper next. It looks suitably creepy and I haven’t read any books by Veste yet despite owning a couple.

I’m also going to see Matt Haig on the 25th of this month so really want to read How to Stop Time before then. Finally, I’m thinking I may pick up A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kmmerer. I got this from NetGalley and it’s not out for ages but I do love a Beauty and the Beast retelling and this is getting some great reviews.

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 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 The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth on Monday and while I’m finding it a bit of a slow read I have managed to make reasonable progress and am around halfway through. It’s a coming of age story, set in the early 1990’s and follows a teenage Cameron Post who loses both her parents in a car accident when she’s 12 and is brought up by her religious aunt and Grandmother. As well as dealing with the grief over her parents death she’s also trying to figure out why she’s more attracted to girls than boys and how to reconcile that with her family’s (and most of the town’s) religious beliefs. I am liking it but I’m not too sure where it’s going (it’s a little meandering). It definitely gives you a sense of small town America around that time though, and I am loving all of the movie references.

On audio I’m listening to Down Among the Sticks and Bones, the second book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. I’ve literally just started this but having listened to the first book in the series last weekend I’m really looking forward to it. If the first book is anything to go by it promises to be a dark and gothic fairytale with some very intriguing characters. It’s narrated by the author, which I didn’t realize until I started it (authors don’t always make the best narrators in my very limited experience), but she’s pretty good. My only criticism is that it feels a little rushed.

---

Recently Finished

I seem to have gotten my reading mojo back over the last week or so and have been reading virtually non stop (I even posted a few reviews). Combine that with a sneaky day off work and I managed to finish 5 books, the first of which was The Mermaid by Christina Henry and boy did I enjoy this book. I had clearly not read the blurb properly as I hadn’t realised this was a story about a mermaid who joins PT Barnum’s Museum of Curiosities. It’s loosely based on one of his most famous hoaxes, the Fiji Mermaid, but with a real mermaid as well as the fake one. It’s not a fast paced story (or necessarily a happy one) but I found it truly fascinating to read. There are some wonderful characters and themes and the writing is brilliant. You can read my full review here.

The second book finished was The Princess Bride by William Goldman which I listened to on audio. I absolutely adore this story so will take any opportunity available to either listen to, watch or read it. I was a little disappointed that this is an abridged version but it does have almost all of the best bits and is narrated by Rob Reiner who, while maybe not the best (it’s a little rushed and he doesn’t do voices) makes up for any shortcomings in style with lots of enthusiasm and passion.

With my Princess Bride obsession in full flow after listening to it on audio I couldn’t resist picking up Cary Elwes look behind the scenes at the making of the film, As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride, immediately after and I think I read the whole thing in a day. I don’t know much about film making so it was great to get an insiders view. I also loved all of the anecdotes about the filming of my favorite scenes but especially getting a sense of who the actors were and the type of stuff they got up to off camera.

Despite feeling a little mermaided out I picked up Sea Witch by Sarah Henning next. I’d received it from NetGalley a couple of months ago and despite wanting to read it when I requested I’d been a little put off by a combination of some negative reviews and the number of other seemingly similar books that are around at the moment (you wait forever for a mermaid story and 6 come along at once). I did however end up absolutely loving it as it reminded me why I love a good villain story. It was just so completely unexpected and surprising. Because it is a villain story you know there’s a fair chance it won’t have a “and they all lived happily ever after” type ending, there will probably be some kind of betrayal and no doubt a tragedy, basically something horrible will happen, which may not be great for the characters but makes for a compelling read. I will admit there were a few things that niggled me but I would recommend it.

I had a 2 hour drive on Saturday so that was the perfect excuse to finally listen to Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire and it was sooo good. It’s a little bit fantasy, a little boarding school story and a lot gruesome murder mystery. Is there a better combination? There are some very unique and diverse (including asexual & trans) characters and the writing is absolutely wonderful. My main gripe is that at only about 4 hours long (169 pages) it’s too bloomin short.

---

Reading Next

I posted my second update for Candid Cover’s Summer TBR Wipeout at the weekend with all of the books I’m planning on reading over the next couple of weeks but next up is probably going to be The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. This book was mentioned in the blurb of If Cat’s Disappeared from the World (a “if you loved this you’ll enjoy this” type quote) so when I spied it in the library I couldn’t resist. I am slightly concerned it’s going to upset me though so I’m probably going to wait till I’m home alone to pick it up.

Should it break me I’ll probably pick up The Governess Game by Tessa Dare. I do love Tessa Dare and this is one historical romance I’ve been looking forward to for a while. I will also probably be reading yet another mermaid book as my loan of The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill is up at the start of next week and if I don’t read it now I’ll need to go back into the wait list for 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 ❤