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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I started A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard on Monday morning. I was very lucky to receive this from NetGalley as I have been so excited about reading it. It’s about a 16 year old girl who suffers from an anxiety disorder that means she finds it difficult to speak. She’s introduced to a boy who’s deaf, they become friends and she starts to find her voice.

I’m around the halfway point at the moment and so far I’m absolutely loving it. It’s so rare to find a book that deals with both mental illness and a disability in such a realistic way. I too suffer from anxiety (although not as severely) so I can really relate and despite my terrible synopsis it’s not a “fall in love and be magically cured” type story.

On audio, I’m still listening to The Hunger Games and am around halfway through so we’re into the games. I’ve read it before but it’s amazing just how much of the detail I’ve forgotten

Recently Finished

Two books finished again this week, the first of which was  The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. This was a book I received from NetGalley and as mixture of Russian history and fairytale I was very excited to read it.

It is beautifully written with some incredibly vivid descriptions that make you feel like you’re there but unfortunately I didn’t love it quite as much as I wanted too. The POV jumped around too much for me particularly in the beginning and it was a little on the slow side meaning that I never really connected or became emotionally invested in any of the characters. I did still enjoy it but it didn’t have the spark. You can read my full review here.

The second book finished was Proxy by Alex London which I borrowed from the library (via Overdrive). It’s a young adult sci fi dystopian about two sixteen year old boys Knox and Syd. Knox is the rich, spoiled bad boy who leads a charmed life. If there’s trouble he’s in the middle of it but it doesn’t really matter because he has Syd as a proxy. If Knox gets in trouble Syd takes the punishment, but then Knox steals and crashes a car and someone ends up dead. The sentence for Syd is severe so both boys go on the run.

I liked this book a lot. It’s not necessarily the most unique of plot lines but the writing is great, the dialogue fantastic and for those looking for more diverse characters in their books this definitely fits the bill. Unfortunately it is a duology so it seems likely I’m going to have to hunt down the next book 🙂 I’m struggling to write a review of this for some reason but will hopefully get one up soon.

Reading Next

I’m still trying to make some progress on my NetGalley ARCs so I think my next read will be either The Breakdown by B.A. Paris or Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough, I’m definitely in the mood for a thriller. I also managed to get The Crown’s Game and Spectacles from the library on Overdrive so I may sneak one of those in somewhere too.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can. Unfortunately I’m working a lot of hours at the moment so apologies in advance if I’m a little slow in replying and visiting everyone else’s posts.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

Yet again I’m not really reading anything at the moment, there must be something about Tuesdays (I always write this post the night before). I am however planning to start The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden which I received from NetGalley but haven’t had a chance to read as yet. I have to admit that I requested this partly due to the cover which is stunning and also because I heard the words “draws on Russian fairytales”. I absolutely love fairytale type books. I can’t say too much about it yet but it’s definitely a book I have high hopes for.

On audio, I’ve started listening to The Hunger Games and am really enjoying it. I’ve obviously read it before and have watched the films more than once but I’d kind of forgotten the details from the book. I did find the narrator a bit irritating at the start, she sounds like someone around my age who’s smoked 60 a day rather than a teenage girl but I’m getting used to it, although I still can’t stand her Peeta voice.

Recently Finished

I honestly don’t know what I’ve been doing for the past week as, despite hardly moving from the house, I seem to have read very little and absolutely none of the books I had on my reading next list from last week. 

I am however very happy to report that I did read Ensnared, the third and final book in the Splintered series. The Splintered series is a modern day take on Alice in Wonderland with one of Alice’s descendants being sucked back into Wonderland.

I was mostly happy to read this because it finished off the series and I wanted to know how it would all end but it is quite a good read. There was a lot more action than in the previous book (which was mostly filler) but be warned there is one of the most annoying love triangles ever. I also wasn’t entirely convinced by the ending.

The second book finished, The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr, is probably my favorite book of the year so far. I know it’s only the 4th of January but I suspect it will remain a favorite as I still keep picking it up and reading little bits. It’s one of those books that just makes you smile.

I received it from NetGalley and it’s about a seventeen year old girl who suffers from amnesia. She can only hold onto a memory for a couple of hours and then it’s gone. Then one night she kisses a boy on the beach and the memory sticks. Thinking he could be the cure for her amnesia she follows him to the Arctic. It’s a little bit nuts, kinda funny and also sad in places but I found it completely addictive. You can read my full 5 star review here.

Reading Next

Unfortunately I’m now back at work 😦 so I have a lot less time for reading and will need to switch back to ebooks as physical books are just too awkward to carry around. I’ve also realized that quite a few of the ARCs I have are due for release so I really need to get reading. I think my next reads will therefore by A Quiet Kind of Thunder  and Behind Her Eyes. I also managed to get Proxy by Alex London from the library on Overdrive so I may sneak that in somewhere too.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

Ummm… Not actually reading anything at the moment as I finished two books yesterday and I’ve been loaded with the cold since Christmas Eve which generally means lots of feeling sorry for myself and watching Disney films 🙂

Recently Finished

The first book finished this week was The Deal by Elle Kennedy which is the first in the Off Campus series. I have to admit to having already read the third book, The Score, so I kind of knew where it was going (although it wouldn’t be particularly hard to guess) but I still really enjoyed this. It’s definitely better than The Score and was just the kind of read I was looking for.

I also finished my audio book, Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card, this week. This was my first sci fi audio and I don’t think it’ll be my last as I absolutely loved it. It’s a companion novel to Ender’s Game and tells the story of Ender’s second in command Bean, who it’s safe to say has an interesting life. There was a bit of a gap in my listening which did leave me a little confused at one point but this was my own doing and no fault of the story. I really want to continue this story but unfortunately this was the only one on Overdrive 😦

The third book finished this week was The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer. This was a book I’d heard about on Cleo’s blog and it didn’t disappoint. I started and finished it in one day which, considering I was loaded with the cold and just wanted to sleep, was pretty impressive. It doesn’t have the most unique plot, serial killer becomes fixated on main character, but it’s very well written with moments of light and dark. Probably not for the squeamish but definitely a book I’d recommend.

Finally, I also read Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. This was the seventh and final book in the Night Huntress series. I do kind of feel like this series went on a little too long but the early books are definitely great reads if you like paranormal romance.

Reading Next

As I’m still on holiday from work I think I’m going to try and make a dent in some of the physical books I have sitting on my bookshelf. So expect I will be going for one of the following books next

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone and I hope you have a great New Year.

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

This is my really busy time at work so, as my brain feels ready to explode, I decided to go for some nice easy reading that doesn’t require too much concentration. I’m therefore reading The Deal by Elle Kennedy which is a new adult contemporary romance. I do generally enjoy Elle Kennedy’s books so I’m sure this will be no exception, if I can manage to read it 🙂

I also have a new audio book on the go at the moment, Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card. I think this is my first sci fi audio and I’m absolutely loving it. I’ve been trying to find excuses to drive places so I can listen to it. It’s a parallel story to Ender’s Game which I have to admit I haven’t read but think I may swing back to once I finish this (or at least watch the film).

Recently Finished

The first book finished this week was psychological thriller The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney. I was lucky enough to receive this from NetGalley and the premise sounded so good I couldn’t wait to read. It follows Jane who, after a personal tragedy forces her to move house, finds the perfect new home to rent. The only catch is that it comes with a long list of rules to follow to maintain the minimalist decor. Very shortly after moving in Jane discovers the previous tenant Emma met a mysterious death there and begins to dig into what happened. Was it an accident, suicide or murder and if the latter, who was responsible?

I think if you read and enjoyed The Girl on the Train you’ll like The Girl Before as it did remind me a little of it. There are a lot of elements to the story which are fascinating. The main negative for me was that I didn’t really take to any of the characters and wasn’t particularly emotionally invested in the outcome. I’ll post a full review closer to the release date.

The next book was actually one from my “Reading Next” list, Gone by Elisabeth Naughton. This was another NetGalley pick and the second in the series (although you could probably read as a standalone). It’s a romantic suspense about a couple whose child went missing in a play park three years ago. Their relationship broke down as a result but when they both receive a call that a child has been found that could be their daughter they end up working together to get to the truth.

I do like Elisabeth Naughton books and I think this book was better than the previous in the series as it felt like it had a bit more of a plot and was slightly less predictable. Again, I’m planning to write a review at some point.

The third and final book finished, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, was also a “Reading Next” book (it’s a miracle) but this time from the library. I’ve found the previous books by Colleen Hoover to be a bit of a mixed bag. I usually like the start and the writing but find it all goes a bit wrong at some point. I had however heard some great things about It Ends With Us and having now finished it I completely agree. I won’t go too far into what it’s about but it deals with some sensitive issues in a really thoughtful and realistic way. It did frustrate me at times and I wasn’t sure about the journal entries but otherwise liked it a lot.

Reading Next

As the Christmas holidays are coming I think I’m going to leave my reading next open this week and just see what I feel like (or what books I get). I have a whole week and a bit off work as of Friday so I’m looking forward to taking it easy and just reading whatever I feel like at the time.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone and I hope you have a great Christmas, Hannukah or whatever holiday you celebrate 🙂

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I just started The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney on Monday but seem to be making really good progress already despite not having much reading time between work and trying to get organised for Christmas. It’s a psychological thriller I received from NetGalley and follows Jane who after a personal tragedy finds the perfect new home to rent. It’s minimalist to the extreme and comes with a long and unusual list of rules to follow. It also turns out the previous tenant Emma met a mysterious death there. Can Jane avoid meeting the same fate?

Still fairly early days but so far so good.

Recently Finished

First book finished this week was Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land. It’s a dark psychological thriller I received from NetGalley about a 15 year old girl Annie who turns her serial killer mother into the police. She’s placed into foster care with a family but in the run up to her mother’s trial she’s wondering whether she can really be a good person or if she has more in common with her mother than she thinks?

I absolutely loved this book and think it will almost definitely make my 2016 favorites list. I’ll post a full review closer to release date.

Second book finished was  The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. It’s a YA contemporary about a girl Andie who as a  congressman’s daughter is a bit of a control freak. She has her whole life mapped out but when her father gets caught up in a scandal her plans for the summer fall apart and she ends up doing things she never expected, getting a job as a dog walker, spending time with her father and starting a relationship that may last more than 3 weeks.

I struggled to get into this book at the start as Andie kind of annoyed me. It was probably around the 30% mark before I really started to connect with it after which it got a lot better. I would still rate it as average rather than great as it was a bit on the long side but still a good read.

The final book read was The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid. I spotted this in the library on Saturday (I swear no one ever goes into the YA section) and read the whole thing from cover to cover on Sunday. It’s a YA science fiction about a girl Nemesis who was created in a lab and trained to kill without thought to protect one person, Sidonia, at all costs. When the family she serves falls foul of the Emperor, Sidonia is summoned to the galactic court as a hostage. To keep her safe Nemesis goes in her place, hiding her true identity.

It’s not a particularly original story, it reminded me a lot of Red Queen and Red Rising but still a really enjoyable read and has the benefit of being a standalone which means no cliffhanger…yay!!

Reading Next

Still trying to work my way through some of the books I have sitting on my NetGalley shelf and hope to start Gone by Elisabeth Naughton or Behind her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough next. I did however manage to get It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover from the library so I may divert from my plan as I’ve heard great things about it.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I couldn’t resist wandering off my reading plan this week and making a start on Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land. It’s a dark psychological thriller I received from NetGalley. The story is about a 15 year old girl Annie who turns her serial killer mother into the police. She’s placed into foster care but is struggling to work out just what kind of person she is and whether she can go up against her mother in court.

It’s being promoted as one of the most extraordinary debuts of 2017 and now that I’m around halfway through I’m starting to agree. I have a few little niggles with the writing style but it’s addictive reading.

Recently Finished

Two books finished again this week. The first one was  His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet. The story is about a 17 year old boy who murders three people in a small crofting community in the Scottish Highlands in 1869. It’s told through a collection of different documents including witness statements, autopsy reports and newspaper articles covering the trial however the majority of the book is made up of the accused’s memoir.

I really, really liked this book despite it being different from my usual type of read. It’s not a fast paced thriller but reading all of the different perspectives around the same series of events is fascinating. It’s a book I’ve been desperate to talk to someone about to see what they think really happened so I’ve been recommending all over the place.

The second book I read this week was Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern. It’s about a documentary crew who come across a woman in the mountains of West Cork. She’s been living alone in a cottage for 10 years with almost no one knowing of her existence. When they discover that she has a unique talent for mimicry, they make her the subject of a documentary but will taking her away from her home open new doors for her or destroy her.

I think I read this whole book more or less in a day. It’s definitely an interesting story and Ahern’s writing is as always engaging. It does switch perspectives quite a lot which I found a little irritating and there were a few parts of the story I wasn’t convinced on but overall an enjoyable read.

Reading Next

So I gave up all hope of reading The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo for book club so looks like I’m skipping this month’s meeting. There are just too many tempting books sitting on my kindle. I think I’m going to try and read another couple of NetGalley books before the holidays. I managed to get Gone by Elisabeth Naughton and Behind her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough so I’m leaning towards one of them. I also still really want to read The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I’ve been very indecisive about what to read at the moment but at the end of last week I decided to pick up His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet. I’m not usually a fan of historic fiction but I have been known to make an exception for Scottish history and am really enjoying so far. The story is about a triple murder in a Scottish crofting community in 1869 and is in the form of a collection of documents from the time including witness statements and the memoir of the accused.

It’s not a particularly fast paced story but it’s fascinating reading about life back then and the characters are very well defined despite the unusual format.

Recently Finished

Two and a half books finished this week which is a definite improvement on last week’s zero.

The first of these was The Trespasser by Tana French which I’d received as an ARC from NetGalley. It’s the sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series and follows Detective Antoinette Conway and her investigation into the murder of a young woman.

I’m a big fan of Tana French and have loved pretty much all of her books but I think this could be one of my favourites. I think the success or otherwise of her books comes down to the narrator and Conway was a brilliant one in my opinion. I will hopefully get a full review up soon but it’s definitely a book I would recommend even if you haven’t read the earlier books in the series.

The next book finished was The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer which I managed to borrow from the library. It’s about a scientist on the run after the secret Government department she was working for tried to kill her. When they contact her and offer her her freedom in exchange for one last job she decides to take a chance but all is not as it seems.

For the most part I found this an enjoyable read but I don’t think there was anything that particularly stood out. A lot of it reminded me of Meyer’s The Host (there are some very similar characters) but without the whole invasion of the body snatchers element there wasn’t much unique about it. This wasn’t helped by a slightly disappointing male lead and some insta love.

The final book, or half book as it was a novella, finished was Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover. Have to admit I haven’t read Maybe Someday which this story is related to but I had a gap and was looking for something quick and easy to read. It was fine but again nothing particularly special. Had a couple of funny moments but like most novellas there wasn’t enough for me to get invested in.

Reading Next

Still haven’t started real life book club book The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo yet so it should be next on my list but I’ve managed to get hold of another couple of books I really want to read so there’s a fair chance it won’t be. I will definitely be picking up Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern this weekend as it’s a library book and due back and I think I may also try to fit in The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

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?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

Still reading The Trespasser by Tana French and am around 80% through so nearing the end. It’s the sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series and this story is focused on Detective Antionette Conway and her investigation into the murder of Aislinn Murray.

I’ve always been a big fan of Tana French but I’m especially enjoying this one. The main character Antionette is absolutely fantastic and it’s turning into a really twisty and intense read. It’s very character driven rather than being full of action and excitement, so possibly not for everyone, but I’d definitely recommend.

Recently Finished

Umm… I think this may actually be a first but I haven’t finished any books this week. I did watch the recent (ish) film adaptation of Black Beauty if I can count that 🙂 I don’t even have the excuse of being really busy as I wasn’t feeling great over the weekend so was pretty much just lying around the house doing nothing.

Reading Next

Unsurprisingly I haven’t started real life book club book The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo yet so it should really be next on my list. However, the two books I’d ordered from the library, The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight) and Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern, have arrived so it’s likely I’ll read them first as others are waiting on them.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday 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:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

I’m a bit later than normal with this post today as I was waiting until I decided which book to start this morning (a difficult decision at the moment). I have however gone for The Trespasser by Tana French.

I received this a few weeks ago from NetGalley but have been putting off due to a challenge I was taking part in on GoodReads. I absolutely love Tana French books but know from previous books that they can be a little hard to get started on and take a while to read (something which isn’t good when you’re trying to read as many books as possible). It’s actually turned out however that this is not the case with this one. I’m only a few pages in but so far I’m loving it and can’t wait to read more. The MC is a joy to read, she’s so grumpy and negative 🙂

Recently Finished

Despite my plan last week to relax and slow down my reading I somehow seem to have managed to finish six books this week (I blame the fact I was reading a box set)

The first book finished was real life book club book The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I, unlike most of the people in the book club, did actually manage to finish it before the meet. I’m still a bit conflicted on it as honestly I found it really hard going for the most part. It’s very heavy on philosophy and there are whole chapters on the purpose of grammar, how to appreciate art and the meaning of life (I skimmed a lot). The plot is pretty non existent with most of it packed into the last 20% but it did somehow get to me. I think the discussion at book club helped me to appreciate it more as well. There were a couple of people who absolutely loved it and I’m reliably informed that part of the difficulty with it is due to the translation from French.

As I was already reading outwith my comfort zone the next book I picked up was Faithful by Alice Hoffman which I had received from NetGalley but had been putting off reading for some unknown reason. This was my first Alice Hoffman book and while it was an emotional read, it was so beautifully written that I absolutely loved it. You can read my full review here.

After two very hard going (for different reasons) books I felt the need for something lighter so picked up The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert. I’m ashamed to say I received this from NetGalley over a year ago and am only now reading and reviewing. It’s a romantic thriller with gangsters and I found it an enjoyable read. I’m actually kind of tempted to get the next one as it sounds even better.

The final three books finished were the first three books in the Pepper Jones series by Ali Dean. It’s a YA/NA sports romance about a 17 year old girl Pepper Jones who’s a runner. I really like Ali Dean’s books as the female characters do tend to be very goal focused and successful which I love. I do kind of wish not everyone was beautiful and successful and that they didn’t go boy mad but you can’t have everything.

Reading Next

Still don’t really have a plan for me reading next list. My next real life book club book is The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo so if I’m sensible I should make a start on that (I’m not sensible so probably won’t). Other than that I think I’m in the mood for either fantasy/SF or horror so maybe Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet or The Many.

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below. Also, if anyone is a Jo Nesbo reader is it ok to start on the third Harry Hole book?

Happy Wednesday everyone.