TTT: Ten books I can’t wait to read

May 1, 2018April 30, 2018 Ali@abookishlife23 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme that was started by The Broke and Bookish and moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists (something I share) and each week participants come up with a list of ten(ish) things based on a theme.

The theme for this weeks Top Ten Tuesday is Books I’d slay a lion to get early. Given my love of felines of all shapes and sizes I’m probably not going to slay a lion for any book (what did the lion do to deserve that??) but these are 10 books I can’t wait to get my hands on.

King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1)

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – Considering my love for all things Leigh Bardugo, the Grishaverse and the fact that Nikolai Lantsov is one of my all time fave characters this book is definitely top of my list (and may even be slay a lion worthy). This is the book I feel I’ve been waiting for ever since Siege and Storm.

And the Ocean Was Our Sky

And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness – Again I’m a big fan of anything Ness writes and was particularly excited when I heard this described as Moby Dick from the POV of the whale.

Us Against You (Beartown, #2)

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman – this is due out in June so not really too long a wait but I am keen to find out what’s happening to the residents of Beartown

99 Percent Mine: A Novel by [Thorne, Sally]

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne – The Hating Game by Thorne is probably one of my all time favorite romance reads. I pick it up and read random sections on a fairly regular basis and it never gets old. I’m therefore very curious to see if her second book will become my new favorite.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Guide, #2)

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee – I adored Felicity’s character in the Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue so I am very excited that she’s getting a book all of her own.

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2)

The Wicked King by Holly Black – Cruel Prince was an absolutely brilliant read but honestly that ending was a killer. Part of me wishes I hadn’t read it so I didn’t have the wait for book 2.

Shadow of The Fox

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa – DRAGONS!!!! There’s only around a week to go until Inferno, the final book in the Talon series, is released in the UK and I just know that once I’m finished it I’m gonna need something else to fill a dragon shaped hole. And this new series with a Japanese influence sounds sooo good. Plus ya know, Kagawa books are always exciting reads (and she’s not afraid to bump off characters)

City of Ghosts

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab – My kitty cat is on the cover (not really) so I feel like I have to read this. Seriously though, a girl who can see ghosts, Edinburgh setting, Schwab’s writing, I’m in.

Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik – You’d think I’d be over my obsession with fairytale retellings by now but nope and this sounds good and dark and twisty.

Big Sexy Love

Worst Girlfriend Ever by Kirsty Greenwood – Yep I know the cover above is for a different book but I there doesn’t seem to be a cover up for this one yet so I’m using it as an excuse to once again plug Big Sexy Love (that book is sooo under appreciated). I think Greenwood is just seriously under appreciated. Every book I’ve read so far by her I’ve loved so looking forward to this, her next one.

So that’s the 10 books I’m very excited about and would love to get a hold of early (although maybe not slay a lion early). Are any of these on your list or is there a book you’re particularly looking forward to?

Feel free to leave comments below and links to your top ten’s.

TTT: Ten Books I Loved but Probably Wouldn’t Re-Read

April 10, 2018 Ali@abookishlife28 Comments

The theme for this weeks Top Ten Tuesday is Books I Loved, but Will Never Re-read. I do have a small pile of favorite books I’ll re read time and time again but I have to admit the majority of books I loved I’ll probably never pick up again. This may be because it’s too emotional (and I can’t go through that again), there’s a major plot twist or mystery central to the story (which I already know) or just because reading it the first time was such a wonderful experience I’m scared a re read would ruin my memory of it.

Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – This definitely falls into the too emotional to re read category. I’m a big fan of Moyes and this is my all time favorite book of hers but while I’ll watch the film over and over again I just can’t bring myself to read this again.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)

The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness – Like pretty much everything Ness writes this series is an absolute masterpiece. It’s just so wonderfully imaginative and unique but also completely real and believable. It is however far too emotional for me, particularly the first book, and I don’t think I could put myself through it again.

Beartown

Beartown by Fredrik Backman – this is an incredibly atmospheric book, the majority of which is a big build up to a pretty major event. As I know how everything falls out, I don’t think I would necessarily read it again (or at least anytime soon). I’m more excited about the sequel that’s coming out

A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – Reading this book about a Count in Moscow who’s sentenced to live out the remainder of his life in a hotel was an absolutely wonderful experience but I think it’s probably a one time thing. I really don’t think it would be as good a second time.

Good Me, Bad Me

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land – this mystery/thriller is fantastically dark and twisty but while I found the main characters voice so intriguing I know where the story goes so don’t think I need to read it again.

The One Memory of Flora Banks

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr – This is another story about a young woman with a very unique voice. She suffers from a kind of amnesia which means she can’t hold on to memories for more than a few hours. She is a wonderful character and the book is so inspirational in a lot of ways but I kind of feel like I’ve been there and read that. I would maybe read little bits here and there but probably not the whole thing again.

Soldier (Talon, #3)

Soldier by Julie Kagawa – What I absolutely loved about this book, the third in the Talon series, was the ending. OMG, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with such an edge of the seat finale. I was literally bouncing up and down, wanting to read but not wanting to read because I had a bad feeling. Given I have now finished it and read sequel Legion so know what happens I don’t think it would have the same impact if I picked it up again. I’m now anxiously awaiting Inferno as I want to know how it all ends.

Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake, #1)

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine – This is a classic murder mystery brought right up to date. It’s fast paced, exciting and really keeps you guessing but now I know who did it I don’t need to read it again.

Ginny Moon

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig – This story is completely unique as it’s told from the pov of a 14 year old girl with autism. It’s emotional, frustrating as hell and for me a one time experience that I don’t think I’d repeat.

We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – I’m not going to say much about this as it’s impossible to avoid spoilers but I’d probably not re read it now I know what the main character can’t remember in the beginning (is that suitably vague)

So that’s my 10 books I loved but probably won’t re read, or at least not for a long time. You could probably add to this most sci fi and fantasy series, thriller/mystery and contemporary as I don’t tend to re read many books, only certain favorites. Do you have a stack of books you like to re read? Are there any books you would never re read?

Feel free to leave comments below and links to your top ten’s.

10 Signs you may not be loving your current read

January 4, 2018 Ali@abookishlife27 Comments

Sometimes it’s clear that you’re not enjoying your current read but sometimes the signs are a little bit more subtle. You don’t hate it but it’s just not holding your attention. Often it’s not even that the book is bad, it may just be the case that it’s the wrong book for that particular time or you may just be in a bit of a reading slump.

So how do you know you’re not loving your current read. Here are 10 signs I’ve found that this may not be the right book for right now.

1 You’ve read the same page 3 times,

have no idea what happened…

and don’t care enough to read it a fourth time, moving on…

2 You check how far you’ve gotten every five minutes

read karen gillan GIF by HULU

If it’s a physical book you flick forward to see how many pages are in it, how many are left, whether there’s a lot of writing on them or hopefully how many blank or partial pages there are. If you’re on an ereader, you check either the percentage, page x of x or more often than not the “there are x minutes remaining in the chapter/book”. You also have to start timing your reading just to make sure that little timer is accurate. There’s nothing worse than when you’ve been reading for 30 mins and it hasn’t moved or even worse gone up.

3 You read the last page

halloween book reading humour read GIF

I know some people do skip forward when they’re reading but if you’re checking to see how much writing is on the pages and reading bits to find out if something exciting is going to finally happen, or it’s going to switch to the pov you prefer it’s not a good sign. If you’re actually reading the last page to find out how it ends (and this isn’t something you usually do) it’s a really, really bad sign.

4 You go to bed to sleep!!!!

winnie the pooh night GIF

Wait, WHAT?!?! Actually going to bed at a reasonable time and sleeping, what’s that about? Surely beds are for horizontal reading until you can’t physically keep your eyes open any longer?

5 You spend an inordinate amount of time shopping for new books

confessions of a shopaholic shopping GIF

Look how shiny, new and exciting they are. Yes you have hundreds of books you haven’t read but you’re midway through a book so it’s okay to buy one or two or a hundred more for when you finish it. And obviously you have to do your research. What are the reviews like? Have you checked every bookshop to see which one has the best deal or that collectors edition you really want. Maybe you should have a quick look on NetGalley and see if there’s anything interesting there.

Who am I kidding, I do this regardless of whether I’m enjoying my current read 😀

6 You start reading something else

reading read GIF

That shiny new book you just bought, maybe you should just read the first few pages to see if it’s going to be as good as you think it will? And if you’ve started it, maybe you should just finish it? Or maybe you could re read an old book that you love, just to help you get to sleep or to calm you down.

You’re definitely not abandoning your current read, just putting it on hold for a bit, honest.

7 Binge watch shows on Netflix

bored edward norton GIF

You know that new show that everyone’s been talking about but you don’t really fancy? Now seems like the perfect time to watch every single episode and maybe also catch up on those other shows you’ve been meaning to see. And I mean if you’re doing that you may as watch all of those shows/films you’d recorded to watch later.

8 Your home has never been so clean and tidy

movies cleaning clean clean up cleaning up GIF

OK you know there’s definitely a problem when cleaning seems like a more enjoyable option than picking up that book.

9 You look for projects

no idea diy GIF by Mayhem

Similar to the previous one, it suddenly seems like now may be the perfect time to clear out your closet, rearrange your bookshelf, write that novel you’ve been thinking about, learn a foreign language, pretty much anything that’s not reading.

10 You write blog posts about signs you’re not loving your current read

fight time GIF

😀

Technically, I’m between books at the moment but I did start this post when I wasn’t particularly loving the book I was reading. Anyone want to take a guess which one?

Do you have any subtle tells that you may not be loving your current read? What do you do? Do you give up and move on or push through?

Let’s chat

Dad’s Recommended Reads

June 18, 2017 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

Happy Father’s Day everyone!!!

I was originally planning to do a post on great father’s in books but my list would probably not be that long (Atticus Finch and Arthur Weasley) as there are unfortunately way more books with bad dads than good ones. Instead I’ve decided to do a post highlighting the books and authors my Dad recommends.

My Dad is a big reader and is to a large extent responsible for my book obsession. Like me he can quite happily sit with his head buried in a book all day long (something which drives my Mum nuts). Our tastes are a little bit different, he exclusively reads thrillers and murder mysteries, but he’s definitely influenced my reading. So here’s a list of the authors he has or is still trying to persuade me to read.

Ten Authors My Dad Recommends

The first three authors on the list are all Scottish authors and are actually three of my favourites too.

Stuart MacBride – probably most famous for his Logan Macrae series which follows a police detective on the murder squad in Aberdeen. They’re a little bit gruesome and quite dark but there’s a lot of humour too.
Chris Brookmyre – has written a few different series but the most famous is probably his Jack Parlabane books. These follow an investigative journalist who gets embroiled in murder mysteries, hacking, political espionage and all kinds of other cases. Personally my favourite series of his is the Angelique Xavier series.
Ian Rankin – most famous for his Rebus police detective series set in Edinburgh, this is probably one of the first authors my dad convinced me to read. This year is the 30th anniversary of Rebus so he’s been in the murder business for quite a while.

The next three authors also have a Scottish connection but I have to confess so far Dad hasn’t convinced me to read them yet.

Peter May – born and raised in Scotland he writes three main series, the Lewis trilogy, the China thrillers and the Enzo files. I actually own the Black House but I haven’t had a chance to read as yet. We have family in Lewis so I know it well and think it will make a great setting for a mystery.
Ann Cleeves – OK technically she’s English but she writes a murder mystery series set in the Shetlands so that’s good enough. My Dad has been trying to persuade me to read her books for years but so far I haven’t
Val McDermid – McDermid is another author who has been in the business for a long time and is most famous for her Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series about a criminal profiler Tony Hill who works with the police. This was turned into a TV show, Wire in the Blood, which I watched and loved so I have no idea why I haven’t read the books.

The final four authors are a little more geographically spread (some are even outwith the UK 🙂 ) but the mystery/thriller trend continues (one of these day’s I’ll succeed in getting him to read a sci fi or fantasy)

Jo Nesbo – a Norwegian author most famous for his Harry Hole series. He’s an autobuy author for my Dad who has been trying to persuade me for years to give one a try.
Lee Child – I know, it’s absolutely ridiculous that I haven’t read a single Jack Reacher book (confession: I haven’t seen any of the films either) but for some reason they’ve never really appealed. He has managed to persuade my Mum to get into them but so far I’m holding out.
Harlan Coben – an American author this time, and one he has persuaded me to try. He seems to mostly write stand alones and while I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read they haven’t really blown me away.
Mark Billingham – Another writer my Dad raves over but hasn’t yet convinced me to read. Billingham’s Tom Thorne series is about a police detective who investigates stuff (can you tell I’m struggling to describe books I haven’t read).

Anyway, that’s ten of the authors my Dad recommends. There are actually many, many more (Jeffrey Deaver, David Baldachi, James Patterson, Clive Cussler to name a few). I’ve read a few but still have so many to try.

Let’s Chat

So let’s chat, have you read any of these? Are there of my Dad’s recommendations you agree that I really should read?

As my Dad is stuck in a little bit of a reading rut (honestly it’s impossible to persuade him to try a new author) are there any books or authors you think I could persuade him to read?