Review: The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea

July 11, 2019 Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea

This was one occasion when choosing a book based on its cover worked out so well. The Glass Woman is a truly compelling and atmospheric read. The wonderful writing weaves together historical fiction, mystery and a touch of the supernatural to create a chilling and addictive read.

THE BLURB

1686, ICELAND. AN ISOLATED, WINDSWEPT LAND HAUNTED BY WITCH TRIALS AND STEEPED IN THE ANCIENT SAGAS.

Betrothed unexpectedly to Jón Eiríksson, Rósa is sent to join her new husband in the remote village of Stykkishólmur. Here, the villagers are wary of outsiders.

But Rósa harbours her own suspicions. Her husband buried his first wife alone in the dead of night. He will not talk of it. Instead he gives her a small glass figurine. She does not know what it signifies.

The villagers mistrust them both. Dark threats are whispered. There is an evil here – Rósa can feel it. Is it her husband, the villagers – or the land itself?

Alone and far from home, Rósa sees the darkness coming. She fears she will be its next victim . . .

MY REVIEW

This was one of those books I picked up on a whim based on a very pretty cover and a blurb that made it sound like just my type of read and boy was I right. There was something so compelling about the writing that from the very first page I was hooked and more or less devoured the whole thing in a day.

The story is set in Iceland in 1686 and begins with the discovery of a woman’s body trapped in the ice off the coast. It then flashes back to six months earlier to another small settlement where young woman Rosa agrees to marry a wealthy stranger who can ensure her mother gets the food and fuel she needs to survive the harsh winter. Rosa has led a relatively sheltered life, innocent and naive she knows very little of the world and even less about her soon to be husband.

Despite this and the rumors around what happened to his first wife she leaves her home and everything she knows behind to start a new life with this man in a remote and fiercely religious community where she is made to feel like an outsider. Isolated and alone, strange things start to happen that make her question just who this man she married is, what he’s hiding, and why the village seem to be afraid of him and his strange apprentice Petur. And I think it’s probably best I stop there as if I say anymore I fear I’ll give something away and I feel it’s better you discover it for yourself.

What I can say is that it’s an intriguing mix of historical fiction, mystery and thriller but with the suggestion that there may be supernatural forces at work. The author picked the perfect setting and time period for this story and the writing is absolutely wonderful. There’s such a great sense of place and it’s very easy to imagine life in this community or in Rosa’s case on the outskirts of it. It’s a cold and forbidding place, with a real feel of remoteness and isolation. From the very start there’s a tense and chilly atmosphere and the author somehow manages to maintain this even when there’s not a lot of action.

The story is told primarily from the point of view of Rosa and follows her as she travels to this strange new place and tries to figure out what’s going on. Interspersed with this are brief chapters set after the discovery of the body, told from the point of view of husband Jon. I did prefer Rosa’s chapters but the little hints and suggestions of what’s to come from Jon do make for an addictive read.

I don’t want to go into too much detail about the characters as again I feel it’ll give too much away but I loved how complex they were and how they developed over the course of the story. No one is wholly good or bad and actually it’s very difficult to get a handle on who they really are and whether they can be trusted. Even Rosa is the typical unreliable narrator as while she’s likeable and comes across as very meek and naive for a lot of the story, she’s also intelligent and determined. She’s superstitious and seems to have an active imagination and a fondness for stories which make it hard to tell at times what is real and what’s in her head.

I did love the way the author worked folklore and mythology into the story and in particular the clash between these old ways and the strict religious beliefs that forbid any kind of superstition or traditional practices, viewing them as blasphemy or witchcraft.

Overall this may not be a fast paced, action packed read but it’s a truly compelling story that had me gripped from the very start till the very end. It was unexpected and unlike anything I’d read before and I kind of loved it.

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy via NetGalley. As always all thoughts are my own.

WWW Wednesday: 10th July 2019

July 10, 2019July 9, 2019 Ali@abookishlife12 Comments

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 it’s due back to the library in two days and there are five people waiting on it (I hate that Libby tells you this) I thought I should really get cracking on The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee. I’ve been wanting to read this ever since I finished the first book in the series The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue so I was very excited when it appeared in the library. I started it late on Sunday and have been really flying through it so I think I’ll probably be done by this evening. It’s a lot of fun and you can’t help but like the three women at the center of it. I was also so happy that Monty and Percy make an appearance even if it is brief.

Recently Finished

I’m on a mission to write up some of the reviews I have outstanding this month so my reading is still a little slower than usual. Probably not helped by me making the most of the good weather and getting out and about. I did however manage to finish a couple of books again this week.

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas – This was my first book from Douglas and for the most part I enjoyed it. I did find it a little on the slow side and I never felt especially invested in the characters or the story but it was well written and had enough twists and turns to keep me reading.
The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare – When I spied this on NetGalley last week I couldn’t resist requesting despite trying to reduce my shelf rather than increase it. I did however pretty much read the whole thing the same day and submit my review so it’s all good. I do love Tessa Dare’s books and this was one of her best. I had a little niggle that some of the obstacles were overcome a little too easily but other than that I loved it. I’ll post a full review closer to publication.

Reading Next / Recent TBR Additions

I’m still vaguely trying to stick to my Summer TBR but as I’m unsure which book I’ll pick up next I thought I’d just list the books that I acquired over the last week here instead.

From NetGalley I was very excited to get an ARC of the first book of Katherine McGee’s new series American Royals. McGee is the author of the Thousandth Floor trilogy which I loved so am very interested to see what she’ll do with an alternative history. I also stumbled across Before the Coffee Gets Cold on NetGalley and couldn’t resist requesting, what can I say I’m a sucker for Japanese fiction with cats on the cover (and this one also features time travel).

Finally from the library I picked up The Girl in Red by Christina Henry. I love Henry’s books, she takes classic tales and puts a unique and dark twist on them, so have been looking forward to this postapocalyptic take on Red Riding Hood.

American Royals Before the Coffee Gets Cold The Girl in Red

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 ❤

Teaser Tuesday: The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats & Piracy

July 9, 2019July 15, 2019 Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. 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 The Purple Booker.

This week my teaser comes from The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee. I’ve been wanting to read this ever since finishing the previous book The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. I only started reading on Sunday evening so it’s early days but it’s living up to all expectations.

My Teaser

I also want to cry, or shout that I hope all their genitals sprout wings and fly away, or perhaps travel back in time to the start of the meeting and go about this whole thing differently. I want to shut up the small, nasty voice in my head whispering that maybe they’re right and maybe I am unsuited for this and maybe I am hysterical because even though I don’t think I am, it’s hard to be raised in a world where you’re taught to always believe what men say without doubting yourself at every step.

16% The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats & Piracy

Blurb

A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a window of opportunity opens—a doctor she idolizes is marrying an old friend of hers in Germany. Felicity believes if she could meet this man he could change her future, but she has no money of her own to make the trip. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid.

In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

Review: 99% Mine by Sally Thorne

July 6, 2019July 6, 2019 Ali@abookishlife8 Comments

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

As a huge fan of The Hating Game I was a little nervous going into this but I needn’t have worried. It’s a very different book but is just as brilliant. It’s packed full of feels and I laughed, I got angry and I cried (a lot). Sally Thorne is now safely on my list of auto-buy authors.

THE BLURB

Crush (n.): a strong and often short-lived infatuation, particularly for someone beyond your reach . . .

Darcy Barrett has undertaken a global survey of men. She’s travelled the world, and can categorically say that no one measures up to Tom Valeska, whose only flaw is that he’s her twin brother’s best friend – oh, and that 99 percent of the time, he hasn’t seemed interested in her. That’s the problem with finding her dream man at age eight and peaking in her photography career at age twenty – ever since, she’s had to learn to settle for good enough.

When Darcy and Jamie inherit a tumble-down cottage from their grandmother, they’re left with strict instructions to bring it back to its former glory and sell the property. Darcy plans to be in an aisle seat halfway across the ocean as soon as the renovations start, but before she can cut and run, she finds a familiar face on her porch: house-flipper extraordinaire Tom’s arrived, he’s bearing power tools, and he’s single for the first time in almost a decade.

Suddenly Darcy’s considering sticking around – just to make sure her twin doesn’t ruin the cottage’s inherent magic with his penchant for chrome. She’s definitely not staying because of her new business partner’s tight t-shirts, or that perfect face that’s inspiring her to pick up her camera again. But sparks start to fly – and not just because of the faulty wiring. Soon, a one percent chance with Tom is no longer enough. This time around, Darcy’s switching things up. She’s going to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers.

MY REVIEW

As a huge fan of the author’s first book The Hating Game (I’ve read it a LOT) this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year but I have to confess that for a fair amount of time I was too scared to read it.

I put it off and put it off, I read some of the reviews, and then I put it off some more. I think I was worried it wouldn’t be good and that it would somehow take the shine off THG. It was only receiving an ARC from Netgalley that forced me to take the plunge and I’m so glad I did as I kind of loved it.

This is not The Hating Game and if you go in expecting it to be you will be disappointed. It’s a very different story about very different characters but is just as brilliant for different reasons. For me this may not have had the same romantic spark or be an upbeat fun read but it was packed full of feels. I laughed, I smiled, I shouted at a certain overbearing brother and I cried a lot.

I suspect I am a bit of an odd bod in the number of times I cried while reading this but I just related so much to Darcy and what she went through I couldn’t help it. She seems tough as nails, independent and determined but she’s just a mass of fear, loneliness and self recriminations. She has a heart condition that means she’s used to being left behind or made to feel like a liability so she pushes everyone away to avoid being hurt.

There are very few people she trusts and one of those she relied on the most, her grandmother, has died leaving her and her twin brother her house on the stipulation they restore it before they sell it.

Weirdly I think it was Darcy’s relationship with her grandma and her grief over her loss that got to me the most in this story. I could relate so much and it absolutely broke my heart watching her try to let go. It also frustrated me no end that both her brother and romantic interest Tom couldn’t see this and stomped all over her feelings at times.

I also really liked how determined Darcy was not to let anything hold her back, and to live her life to the fullest. I liked the dynamic between her and Tom and that it was for the most part her pursuing him. It’s good to see an alpha female for once although that’s not to say Tom doesn’t turn the tables on her.

The realness of the relationship between Darcy and her brother was another highlight for me. They bicker and they squabble but deep down they depend on each other. He comes across as absolutely horrible at the start and I thought there was no way he could redeem himself but he kind of does.

The one bit I was less sure of was the romance. There are some brilliant scenes but there were also some that were a little uncomfortable and awkward. There was chemistry but at times it’s difficult to see what the attraction is. They are so different personality wise and there never seems to be a moment where they really get each other.

Thankfully for me however the other aspects of the story made up for it. Thorne’s writing is as wonderful as you would expect, warm and funny but with a little bit of an edge this time, and it was so easy to settle in to this story.

I think she’s proved with this book she’s not a one hit wonder and I look forward to whatever comes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC. This has in no way influenced my review.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review: I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney

July 5, 2019 Ali@abookishlife2 Comments

I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney

As a huge fan of Feeney’s first book I was ridiculously excited about I Know Who You Are but while there’s a lot to like about it I’m afraid it didn’t quite live up to my admittedly ~~too~~ high expectations. There are some great twists and some gripping moments however the final reveal was a step too far for me.

THE BLURB

l Know Who You Are is the brilliant tale of two stories. One is about Aimee Sinclair—well-known actress on the verge of being full-on famous. If you saw her, you’d think you knew her. One day towards the near-end of her shoot on her latest film, Aimee comes home from filming to find her husband’s cell phone and wallet on the dining room table. He never goes anywhere without them. But he’s nowhere to be found. She’s not too concerned—they had a huge fight the night before. They both said things they didn’t mean. He might have done things he didn’t mean, things she can’t forget. Even though she has a history of supposedly forgetting. After all, she’s a very good actress.

The next morning she goes for her morning run and then goes to her favorite coffee shop. But her card is denied. When she calls the bank they say her account has been emptied of $10,000. She immediately suspects her husband. But they say no, it was Aimee herself who closed out the account. And thus begins a bizarre rabbit hole into which Aimee finds herself falling where nothing is at it seems.

Alternating with Aimee’s story is that of a little girl who wandered away from home. We always tell our kids not to talk to strangers or bad things will happen. Well, bad things happen.

In I Know Who You Are, Alice Feeney proves that she is a master at brilliantly complicated plots and twists after twists.

MY REVIEW

As someone who absolutely loved Alice Feeney’s first book Sometimes I Lie I was ridiculously excited to get the chance to read an advance copy of her latest one. I really love her writing, the complex characters she creates and the sudden twists that will literally leave your jaw on the floor. Unfortunately however, while there is a lot to love in this book I’m afraid the ending kind of ruined it. There are a lot of twisty thrillers around at the moment and I can understand the temptation to push the boundaries to make your story stand out with that big surprise ending but I’m afraid for me this pushed things a little too far, becoming unbelievable. It’s a pity, as up until that point there was a lot to like.

Main character Aimee Sinclair for example was wonderful as the unreliable narrator. As an actress on an upward trajectory she knows how to play a part, to show the world what they expect to see. When her husband suddenly vanishes without a trace it’s difficult to tell how she really feels about it (and possibly more importantly, whether or not she had anything to do with it) but it’s clear there were problems in the marriage. As other strange things start happening around Aimee it becomes increasingly difficult to work out what’s real and what’s not and, as she is constantly pretending, it’s hard to tell how she really feels. Consequently I was never too sure what to think about her. I think I liked her and was rooting for her but there were moments when I really had my doubts.

Interspersed with the Aimee in the present day is the story of a little girl in Ireland who wanders away from home to look at the pair of shoes she really wants in a shop window. She knows she’s not supposed to be out on her own and she’s not supposed to talk to strangers but she does and bad things happen.

This for me was the more gripping (and horrifying) part of the story. It’s often dark and occasionally very disturbing (there’s mental and physical abuse, and violence) but I found it difficult to stop reading it (although I may have skimmed over one particularly disturbing scene). It’s clear there’s some kind of connection between these events and the odd things happening to Aimee in the present but it’s pretty much impossible to figure out what.

The big reveal at the end however just didn’t work for me. I’ll try to keep this vague to avoid spoilers but while it was surprising it just wasn’t believable. I kind of wanted to just throw the book at the wall at that point.

Anyway, regardless of the ending it is a well written and gripping story so it hasn’t put me off Feeney as an author. I will still be looking out for whatever she writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy. This in no way influenced my review.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

WWW Wednesday: 3rd July 2019

July 3, 2019July 2, 2019 Ali@abookishlife16 Comments

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

Wow, I can’t believe we’re into July already. This has been such a quick year. Anyway, I started reading Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas at the weekend and made some really good progress with it. Unfortunately this progress came to a bit of a halt on Monday when I discovered my commute to work would be by replacement bus service rather than train. I get travel sick if I try to read on a bus (or car, or plane) and my commute is now three times as long so it’s proving difficult to get much reading done. It has been a great read so far so fingers crossed I can find some time to devote to it.

Recently Finished

Two books finished again this week, both very different reads but both enjoyable.

The Binding by Bridget Collins – Have to confess I picked this up largely because of the cover, I’m not sure I even read the blurb, but thankfully this turned out to be good decision as I loved it. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be, it’s more of a love story than a fantasy, but the writing and descriptions are wonderful and the central concept of being able to remove memories and bind them into books is brilliant.
99% Mine by Sally Thorne – As someone who absolutely loved The Hating Game this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year but after seeing a few not so great reviews I’d been putting it off. I couldn’t however resist when it popped up on NetGalley and read the whole thing in pretty much a day. It’s a very different book, with very different characters from The Hating Game but it had to be and I loved it. I think I just really liked main character Darcy and found her very relateable. The romance could have had a bit more heat but the whole thing just made me so emotional I couldn’t not adore it.

Reading Next

I finally got around to posting my Summer TBR at the weekend so I feel like I should maybe try to stick to it for at least the next week or so 🙂 Despite this however it is looking likely that my next read will be The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (which is not on my TBR) as I got it on Libby and it’s due back in a few days.

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 ❤

Teaser Tuesday: Arctic Zoo

July 2, 2019June 29, 2019 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

This week my teaser comes from Arctic Zoo by Robert Muchamore. I won a copy of this in a giveaway on Readers First last week. It only arrived at the weekend so I haven’t had time to read much but am looking forward to it.

My Teaser

Georgia felt weirdly sentimental about her dad as she pushed down her headset and moved into another world. Now she saw through the drone’s eye, face sweating, thumbs on the control sticks. Five red lights about to turn green…

Pg23 Arctic Zoo

Blurb

From London . . .
Georgia gets straight As at school, writes essays for fun, has been placed first in twenty-six drone races and has a serious addiction to buying Japanese stationery. She plans to follow her older sister Sophie and become a doctor, but her worldview is shattered when Sophie commits suicide.

To Lagos . . .
Julius lives in Ondo, a Nigerian state where half the population lives on less than a dollar a day. But he isn’t one of them. His uncle has been governor of Ondo for more than a decade and his mother is the power behind that throne. He finds refuge in a derelict zoo with best friend Duke, but as the two of them grow close, the world outside becomes more and more hostile.

Following two teenagers living very different lives, ARCTIC ZOO is a startling contemporary novel about protest, sexuality, mental heath and flawed leadership, from the bestselling author of CHERUB.

My Summer TBR

June 30, 2019 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

With July fast approaching (how did that happen?) I thought it was about time I posted my Summer TBR. I probably should have done this a month ago but ummm… *frantically tries to come up with an excuse and fails miserably*

I’m notoriously bad for sticking strictly to my TBRs but I do find it a useful way to keep track of what books I’ve got to read and how I’m doing against my reading goals (not well). There are probably more books on this list than I’m realistically going to get through but I like to set stretch targets 😀

FROM MY SPRING LIST

I posted my last TBR list back in March and while I did manage to read 11 of the 28 books listed I did wander a little off course. There were a few on the list I can admit I’m probably never going to get to – or won’t get to any time soon – but there are a few ARCs I received from NetGalley I still plan on reading in the near future.

Believe it or not I’m still kind of okay date wise for Rosamund Lupton’s book Three Hours. There’s still a bit of time before it’s released which is part of the reason I’ve been bumping it down the list. I’m also a little wary of books about school shootings but it does seem to be getting great reviews. I do not have the same excuse for Tana French’s The Wych Elm. I’m a big fan of French’s writing and this was published ages ago. I think it’s more a case of occasionally finding her books hard to get into so waiting til I’m in the right mood.

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer and The Queen’s Resistance by Rebecca Ross both fall into the category of sequels to books I really enjoyed. But, both are YA genre fiction which I’ve been a little down on lately. Not sure if I’ve been reading too much of it but they’re all starting to feel samey.

It’s kind of a similar story with Light Years and Nocturna. Both are new to me authors and these series look great but they sound similar to other recent reads and I’ve been reluctant to start yet more series until I finish off some of the million others I seem to be midway through.

FROM NETGALLEY & READERS FIRST

My spiraling out of control NetGalley shelf (there are currently 79 books on it) does not seem to be stopping me from requesting more books. I am reading them, just haven’t been doing so well at reviewing them… oops.

Given my downer on YA fantasy I probably shouldn’t be requesting more but I just can’t resist. I mean look at the cover for We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal, there’s no way on earth I wasn’t going to try and get my hands on a copy. Sea Witch Rising is the sequel to Sea Witch (a kind of Little Mermaid villain origin story) which I loved so I couldn’t resist, and Sorcery of Thorns just seems to be getting lots of great reviews.

Thankfully I do have some crime/thrillers in the form of Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas and Shari Lapena’s Someone We Know. Then She Vanishes will be my first book by Douglas and I’ve already started it. So far it’s going well. I’m a big fan of Lapena so I have faith that Someone We Know will be fantastic.

Arctic Zoo, Serious Moonlight, and Recursion were slightly more impulsive requests. I haven’t read anything by these authors but they sound quite unique and different so am very excited about them.

FROM MY BOOKSHELF

I have sooooo many books on my bookshelf I haven’t read it’s frightening. I’m thinking I may actually need to instigate a book buying ban which is a truly terrifying thought.

At the start of the year I set myself what I thought was the easy goal of finishing off some of the series I’m midway through. I thought this would be incredibly doable because I knew two of my fave trilogies were coming to an end this year. Holy Sister and Finale have both been on my most anticipated list but despite pre ordering them and having them sitting on my shelf I’ve been putting them off.

I actually won The Corset and Social Creature in a twitter giveaway but they were already on my want to read list. They just sound so different and intriguing. Other Words for Smoke has pretty much been on my TBR since I finished Spare and Found Parts. I loved that book so am keen to get to Other Words for Smoke asap.

ON AUDIO

So I took out an audible membership this year and there have been a lot of very tempting deals. I’m a little slow on getting through audio books but I do love them. The narrator can make or break them but they’ve definitely helped me tackle books I otherwise wouldn’t have considered reading.

Illuminae and Rosemary and Rue are both new series to me but I’m a big fan of the authors. I listened to Seanan McGuire’s whole Wayward Children series on audible and loved it so I’m hoping Rosemary Rue will be of a similar quality. As for Illuminae, a few people have recommended listening to it and reading at the same time so am gonna give it a bash.

I absolutely adored the narrator of the Diviners by Libba Bray, she brought the story to life so I feel like I have to listen to continue the series on audio with Lair of Dreams. I actually can’t imagine reading the books now. I read Lady Midnight a couple of years ago and am afraid I didn’t love it but I noticed that the second book Lord of Shadows is narrated by one of my fave narrators James Marsters so I’m gonna give it a go that way.

FROM MY E-READER

I’m kind of scared to check how many unread books I have on my kindle. I think when I looked a year or two ago there were around 300 and I have definitely been buying more than I’ve been reading. Would be nice to get that number down a bit and actually read some of the books I’ve bought.

Another of my bookish resolutions this year was to read more translated fiction and books set, or by authors outwith the UK/US. I started the year pretty well but most of my recent reads have been by US or UK authors. I’m therefore hoping to get to Snare by Lilja Sigurdardottir and The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen. I read and loved Palm Beach Finland by Tuomainen earlier this year so have high hopes for The Man Who Died, and Snare has been on my want to read list for a while.

To balance out all of the sci fi and fantasy I also want to pick up The Puppet Show and The Passengers. I know the second is technically sci fi but I’m intrigued by the mystery/thriller aspects to it and I’ve heard so many great things about it.

As the list is looking decidedly light on romance I think I’m also gonna pick up The Risk and Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating. I doubt these are the only romance reads I’ll pick up (it’s summer after all) but I love these authors so it’s pretty certain these will get read.

So that’s my reading plan for the next couple of months or so. Hopefully I’ll manage to stick somewhat close to it and not get tempted by too many other new books on Amazon or NetGalley (ha who am I kidding).

Have you read any of these? Are there any others I should make room for on my list? Any you’re particularly excited about?

Happy reading ❤

WWW Wednesday: 26th June 2019

June 26, 2019June 24, 2019 Ali@abookishlife23 Comments

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 Binding by Bridget Collins on Monday and am making great progress which is probably a good thing as I got it on Overdrive and it’s due back on Friday. There are currently 15 people waiting so if I don’t get it finished on time I’m going to have a wait, although based on what I’ve read so far I’m very tempted to buy a copy anyway. I’ve been eyeing in in the bookstore for a while, that cover is sooo pretty, and the story is proving just as wonderful. It probably doesn’t hurt that it’s a story about books which let’s face it is going to be a draw for any bookworm.

On audio, I’m back on Cat and Bones with the fourth in the series Destined for an Early Grave. Based on my Goodreads rating it seems like this may have been one of my fave books in the series but I’m only about an hour in so I don’t completely remember what happened.

Recently Finished

It’s been a bit of a slower reading week as I’ve been finding it difficult to focus on anything much. I did however manage to finish two books

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge – I’m a big fan of retellings so this had been on my TBR for a while. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, a straight-ish retelling, but it was wonderful. It mixes the Beauty and the Beast story with a bit of greek mythology to come up with something truly original. I loved the complex characters and how no one is “good”. My only criticism was the ending, which I don’t think I really understood, but I can pretty much overlook that.
Infected by James Schannep – This zombie apocalypse choose your own adventure story was such a fun read. I didn’t try every possible combination of stories (I think there are something like 50 different endings) but I did have a fair few attempts before I finally managed to survive.

Reading Next

I put Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas on hold so that I could finish a couple of library books before they were due back so I think I’ll go back to it next. After that I think I’m probably going to pick up The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. This has been on my want to read for a while and my library hold finally came in so it’s sitting waiting on me. I also want to pick up Sorcery of Thorns as it’s sitting on my NetGalley shelf and I’ve heard so many great things about it.

And Then She Vanishes The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings, #2) Sorcery of Thorns

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 ❤

Teaser Tuesday: The Binding

June 25, 2019June 24, 2019 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

This week my teaser comes from The Binding by Bridget Collins. I borrowed this from the library and unfortunately it’s due back in 5 days and there are 15 people waiting so it seems I need to read it fast (or wait months). I only started on Monday but I’m really loving it.

My Teaser

A second ago I’d felt safe. No. I’d felt… enticed. It had turned sour with that glimpse of the dark; like the moment a dream turns into a nightmare

7% The Binding by Bridget Collins

Blurb

Imagine you could erase grief.
Imagine you could remove pain.
Imagine you could hide the darkest, most horrifying secret.
Forever.

Young Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a strange letter arrives summoning him away from his family. He is to begin an apprenticeship as a Bookbinder—a vocation that arouses fear, superstition, and prejudice amongst their small community, but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.

For as long as he can recall, Emmett has been drawn to books, even though they are strictly forbidden. Bookbinding is a sacred calling, Seredith informs her new apprentice, and he is a binder born. Under the old woman’s watchful eye, Emmett learns to hand-craft the elegant leather-bound volumes. Within each one they will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, a binder can help. If there’s something you need to erase, they can assist. Within the pages of the books they create, secrets are concealed and the past is locked away. In a vault under his mentor’s workshop rows upon rows of books are meticulously stored.

But while Seredith is an artisan, there are others of their kind, avaricious and amoral tradesman who use their talents for dark ends—and just as Emmett begins to settle into his new circumstances, he makes an astonishing discovery: one of the books has his name on it. Soon, everything he thought he understood about his life will be dramatically rewritten.

An unforgettable novel of enchantment, mystery, memory, and forbidden love, The Binding is a beautiful homage to the allure and life-changing power of books—and a reminder to us all that knowledge can be its own kind of magic.