It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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 started Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver a couple of days ago which is a YA mystery/thriller about two sisters. I’m around the halfway point at the moment and while I’m liking the writing I have to admit I’m not finding it as gripping as I hoped it would be.

I had previously read the author’s debut novel Before I Fall and after a slightly rocky start ended up absolutely loving it so I’m hoping that this will be the same. I am liking that it includes newspaper clips, photographs and diary entries but it’s jumping around in time which I’m finding a little confusing.

Recently Finished

The first book finished last week was  Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I was reading this as part of a group read but it’d been one I’d been looking forward to for a while due mostly to the absolutely beautiful cover. It’s YA fantasy, set in the desert and follows a girl, Amani, who goes on the run to escape the life that’s been mapped out for her.

I really wanted to love this and based on the synopsis I should have but while I didn’t dislike it in anyway I found it just sort of OK. I liked the main characters but I thought the world was a little bit confusing. Too many different places (towns, countries), too many characters who were introduced only to disappear a few pages later and too much terminology. I suspect this is mostly a me thing.

The other book finished this week was The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin which I could possibly be one of the last people ever to read. It’s another YA book (I seem to be on a bit of a spree at the moment) about a girl Mara who wakes up in hospital with no idea how she got there. She was in an accident that killed her friends but remembers nothing about it.

I liked this book a lot. Hopefully I’ll get a review up soon but I loved how it kept you guessing throughout. I like a story where you’re not sure what’s real and what’s not. I also liked the main characters which always helps.

Reading Next

I think my reading next list will be pretty similar to last weeks as I still want to read The Girl with All The Gifts by M.R. Carey which I got from the library and Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick which is an ARC from NetGalley. I also managed to get my hands on Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Abertalli. It’s been on my desperately want to read list for a while.

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

Happy Wednesday everyone.

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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 have a new team challenge starting on GoodReads on Friday so I’m trying to calm my reading for a few days so I can get everything finished and hopefully post some reviews. I somehow seem to have gotten very behind on my reviews.

I therefore only have one book on the go at the moment, Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. This is actually a book of the month for the same GoodReads group but is a story I have been wanting to read for a while. It’s a YA fantasy set in the desert with magic, Djinni and horses. In other words it’s perfect for me and while I’m only around halfway through I really enjoying it.

Recently Finished

 It’s been a bit of a quieter reading week as I’m between challenges (I’m a challenge addict) so only three books finished.

The first is The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness which I picked up at the library. Patrick Ness books are always good and this one is no exception. It’s about a group of friends who are just trying to get by while someone else saves the world from whatever threat it’s under. There are some odd events but it’s more about friendship and dealing with the fear of graduating school and growing up. It’s not as exciting as some of Ness’s other stories but I’d still definitely recommend it. I thought there were a lot of feels and I found myself laughing, smiling and crying at points which I always think is a good thing.

The second book finished was Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan which I received as an ARC from NetGalley. It’s a mystery/thriller about the local newspaper’s agony aunt (and school teacher) who gets a letter from someone claiming to be a girl who was kidnapped a number of years ago. Unsurprisingly the police don’t take her seriously so she starts to investigate on her own.

I very much enjoyed this book although I have to say that I thought the first half was the better than the second. I think I really liked the mystery and uncertainty in the first half and once the secret was out I wasn’t quite as gripped. It is very well written and there is something just very likeable about it. For a debut novel it definitely shows a lot of promise.

The third and final book read was Princess Ahira by K.M. Shea which was actually a re read. The story is about a princess who is kidnapped by a dragon on her sixteenth birthday. She ends up living with the dragon, Azmaveth, and they form a sort of friendship. It’s a very cute and funny story as Ahira hates being a Princess and knocks back all of the Princes who come to rescue her. There are dwarves, griffins, unicorns and many other magical creatures as well as references to different fairytales. I think it may actually be my favourite K.M. Shea story.

Reading Next

I’m not too sure what I will be reading next as a lot will depend on the challenge. I do however still have some ARCs due to be finished soon and a giant pile of library books to read. If possible I’m hoping to pick up The Girl with All The Gifts by M.R. Carey and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin both of which I got from the library. These have been on my TBR pile for ages so I really, really hope I can get to them. I also have an ARC approaching it’s archive date, Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick, so should also be trying to squeeze it in 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.

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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 trying to work my way through some of the library books I have lurking around the house at the moment so I’m juggling two books at the moment, a physical and an ebook. I’m never very good at reading more than one book but they’re very different so it’s easier to keep them separate (although I will no doubt still become addicted to one and neglect the other).

The library book I’m reading is The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. I always love getting the physical Patrick Ness books as they are sooo pretty. This one has blue edged pages and pictures of animals in the inside covers. Anyway, I should probably be talking about the story rather than the cover. The story is very, very good. It’s about a boy, Michael, who’s not the hero or the chosen one. He’s just trying to live his life while other people go off and save the world. Weird stuff does happen around him but he’s more focused on asking out the girl he likes, dealing with family issues and his own problems. I don’t know how Ness comes up with such fantastic stories. He has an incredible imagination.

The ebook that’s keeping me company on my commute at the moment is Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan. It’s a mystery/thriller about an agony aunt (and school teacher) who gets a letter from someone claiming to be a girl who was kidnapped a number of years ago. Unsurprisingly the police don’t take her seriously so she starts to investigate on her own. I’m starting to get the feeling that this summer is going to be all about great crime books as so far this is very good. Here’s hoping it keeps it up till the end.

On audio, I do still have Grave Peril by Jim Butcher from the library although I haven’t listened to any of it in the last week. I will no doubt resume it at some point but I have to admit I’m enjoying listening to music in the car at the moment.

Recently Finished

The first book finished was Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast which I’d just started last Wednesday and was having my doubts about. As it turned out those doubts were justified as it wasn’t good. I’d considered giving up around the 30% mark but decided to push on which probably wasn’t the best idea. The plot was confused, the dialogue was bad and I didn’t like any of the characters. I did get it from NetGalley so maybe the final published version will be better but I doubt I’ll be reading any more from this author.

After the disaster of Amber Smoke I switched to one of the e books I’d gotten from the library, Glass Houses by Rachel Caine. It’s the first in the Morganville Vampire series and was first published in 2006 so it’s definitely an oldie. I read Caine’s most recent book Ink and Bone not too long ago and really enjoyed it so was looking for other books by her. This is the usual teenage vampire type story but it was enjoyable enough if you can ignore a slightly idiotic main character who’s willing to risk their life to go to school. It obviously didn’t bother me too much as I went on and read the next book in the series The Dead Girl’s Dance. There seem to be about 15 books in the series so it should keep me busy for a while 🙂

Reading Next

I only have a few days left before it will be returning itself to the library so my next read will very probably be Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I keep hearing a lot of great things about it so I do definitely want to read it this time.

I also have a couple of book club books that I must read over the next week or so. The first is Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell which is for my real life book club. I have to admit it’s not a book I would have picked up otherwise and I’m not convinced I want to read it but I’ll give it a go. I’m not entirely sure I’ll last in book club if they keep picking books I don’t want to read (sorry, having a grump).

The second book is Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton which is book of the month for one of my GoodReads groups. It’s one I’ve been wanting to read for a while so I’m looking forward to doing a group read.

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

Happy Wednesday everyone.

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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 can’t believe it’s the 1st June already. The good thing about that is we’re finally getting our week of Summer here in Scotland so the weather has been perfect for lying out in the garden with a book.

I’m still trying to make some progress through my ARC’s from NetGalley so I’m currently reading Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast. I have to admit I ordered this because the name of the author sounded vaguely familiar which is possibly not the best strategy for choosing books but never mind. I’ve only read a couple of chapters so far and it seems to be about the son of the Furies who is sent to catch some souls that have escaped from Tartarus. I’ve always been fascinated by mythology but at the moment I’m not overly optimistic about this book. It doesn’t seem to get the best reviews.

On audio, I’ve managed to get Grave Peril by Jim Butcher back out from the library. It’s the third in the Dresden Files series which is about a magician/private investigator. I was around a third through when it returned itself a month or so ago so I’m struggling to remember what had been happening. I may have to start from the beginning again.

Recently Finished

As the weather has been so good over the last week and it was a holiday weekend I managed to get quite a bit of reading done and finished a few books.

The first book finished was Summer Days and Summer Nights which is a collection of YA short stories edited by  Stephanie Perkins all with a summer love theme. I had this on my Amazon wish list as I’d enjoyed Stephanie Perkins previous collection My True Love Gave To Me so I was very happy when it popped up on NetGalley and I was approved. Like the previous collection this one is very good and includes a mix of stories from some of my favourite authors and some new ones. You can read my full review and a quick rundown of each story here.

The second book finished, Sweet Resolve by Jill Sanders, was also an ARC from NetGalley. Unfortunately it was not a book that worked for me as I did not like the main character and there were a few things I really disagreed with. I don’t think I’m going to post a review here as I’m struggling not to go off on a mad rant so I’ll stick with just a GoodReads review.

After Sweet Resolve I was in the mood for something considerably darker so picked up The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza. This had been on my reading next list for a while and I’m so glad I finally managed to read it. It’s a police procedural and the first in the DCI Erika Foster series. I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend to anyone who likes story about the hunt for a serial killer. There is the odd detective story cliché but in a good way. What I loved most however was the diverse cast of characters. Hopefully I’ll get a review up soon.

When I finished, I couldn’t resist moving straight on to the next book in the series, The Night Stalker which is another hunt for a serial killer story but is less of a whodunit. I actually liked this one more than The Girl in the Ice partly I think because I already knew and liked the characters. It was good to get a bit more information on some of the secondary characters and see a bit more development. The ending did make me exceptionally angry so I do want to read the next one now.

I was finishing off a team challenge this week so I also managed to sneak in a couple of re reads during the weekend. I was looking for something light and enjoyable so went for Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin by K.M. Shea. As you can probably guess from the titles they are re tellings of fairy tales. I’m a big fan of K.M. Shea books. They could do with a bit of a proof read but I like the take no nonsense heroines and the humour.

The final book finished this week was my audio, At Graves End by Jeaniene Frost. This was the third in the Night Huntress series about a half vampire who hunts evil vampires and other creatures. I lost concentration a little part way through this so didn’t enjoy quite as much as previous ones.

Reading Next

I have the most ridiculous to read pile at the moment as I went a bit nuts on both NetGalley and at the library. I think I have about 20 books I’m supposed to read over the next three weeks which is unlikely to be achievable even with the best of intentions. I think the most likely upcoming reads will be ARC’s The Paris Secret by Karen Swan and Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan. I am however still keen to read The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness and Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare which I have from the library. Decisions, decisions 🙂

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

Happy Wednesday everyone.

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

I kind of skipped last weeks WWW as I was feeling a little guilty about not really reading anything but thankfully there’s been a bit more progress over the past week.

Currently Reading

Started reading Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty yesterday and I’m around 80% through as for some reason I just can’t stop reading. I requested it from NetGalley mostly due to the cover but I’m enjoying it a lot more than expected. It’s a middle grade/children’s book which I’m obviously not the target audience for but it seems to be exactly what I need at the moment. I think I can more or less guess how it’s going to end but the writing is just so nice to read.

Technically I’m also still midway through the audio book Grave Peril by Jim Butcher which is the third book in the Harry Dresden files. I say technically because I was around a third of the way through when it returned itself to the library. I will get it back out again at some point so I can finish it but I’m on a wait list.

Recently Finished

I read very little while I was away on holiday so I’ve been playing catch up over the last few days and managed to finish quite a few books although I’m still a little behind on my reviews.

First up was  Unrivalled by Alyson Noel which is a contemporary YA (although I would say maybe more new adult) set in the Los Angeles night club scene. It’s told in alternating chapters from the point of view of four different character, three who wannabe famous and one who already is but has a secret. I loved Alyson Noel’s Immortals Series so had high hopes but found it a bit average rather than anything special. You can read my full review here.

Following Unrivalled I went on a Talon saga reading binge over the bank holiday weekend and finished all three of the books, Talon, Rogue and Soldier, that are available now.

I’ve had my doubts about Julie Kagawa’s books in the past but I’ve come to the conclusion that the more she writes the better they get and this is possibly her best series to date. I think if you like YA fantasy, dragons and don’t get too upset about love triangles you will enjoy it. I finished the latest book Soldier on Monday night and without giving too much away the ending is incredible. The series is worth reading for that alone. Hopefully I’ll get reviews up this week.

The final book of the week, which I snuck in between Talon books, was Cannon by Sabrina Paige. Her stepbrother romance books have become a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. They are a little on the trashy side but sometimes I need a bit of trash in my reading life. This is the third in the series and for me possibly the best so far.

Reading Next

I’m very excited this week as I’ve joined a book club with actual real live people as opposed to virtual ones. I’m naturally quite shy and quiet so it may not work for me but hopefully it’ll be good. First meeting is in just over a week so I’m thinking it might be an idea to start the book sooner rather than later.

The book selected is The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence which is not my usual type of read but sounds interesting. Hopefully it’ll trigger some good discussion.

I’ve also been back on NetGalley again so have a few more ARCs that I really want to read over the next couple of weeks. I think first up will be the thriller Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica. I’ve had issues in the past with psychological thrillers not being particularly thrilling (I’m looking at you The Girl on the Train) but having read and loved her previous book, Pretty Baby, I have high hopes for this one. It certainly seems to get good reviews.

Following a trip to the library I do have a few other books I may be reading but I would be guessing if I said which one will be next 🙂

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Any advice to a book club newbie? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I’m writing this post on Sunday when I should really be packing my suitcase for my holiday so I should probably keep it brief 🙂

I’m still not really reading anything this week as I’ve been too keyed up about going away. I’m finding it hard to concentrate on anything so it wouldn’t really be fair. Instead I’m doing what I usually do and re reading bits of some of my recent favourites such as Him by Sarina Bowen, Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (I know I’m obsessed with this book at the moment) and Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.

I have however started a new audio book, Grave Peril by Jim Butcher, which is the third in the Harry Dresden series. Early days but so far I’m enjoying.

Recently Finished

It’s been bit of a quiet reading week for me but I did manage to read You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan which I picked up as an ARC from NetGalley during the week. This wasn’t a book that was on my planned reading list (the list didn’t last long did it) but when I saw it I just couldn’t resist picking it up immediately. It’s not due for release until 7th June so will post a full review closer to the time but if you like YA contemporary I think you’ll like it.

My Harry Dresden obsession also continued during the week and I finished the audio book of  Fool Moon by Jim Butcher in record time. This may have been due to me listening to it at every possible opportunity. I really, really love James Marsters voice. There is just something so soothing about it.

Reading Next

I think my reading next list is largely unchanged from last week considering I completely abandoned it in favour of reading You Know Me Well (oops).

The hope is therefore that I’ll manage to read Riverkeep by Martin Stewart, Unrivalled by Alyson Noel and Soldier by Julie Kagawa, which are ARCs I received from NetGalley. All are due for release at the end of the month or start of May so I really need to get reading. Particularly as Soldier is the third book in the Talon series and I haven’t read the first two yet 🙂

In case you’ve missed the first hundred posts mentioning this (sorry) I will be in Italy when this post goes out so not sure if or when I’ll be able to respond to any comments. I’ll try to respond and visit everyone’s blog when I can but apologies in advance if it takes me a while.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

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?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I’m actually not reading anything at the moment. I finished a few books at the weekend and think it’s put me into a bit of a slump. I do really need to try to get some reviews up so hopefully if I take a little bit of a break it will force me to get them posted 🙂

While I’m not reading, I am listening and am partway through the audio book Fool Moon by Jim Butcher. It’s the second in the Dresden Files series and is narrated by James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The series follows Harry Dresden, a wizard and private investigator who consults with the police on murders and other crimes. It’s not exactly quality literature but I have to admit I’ve developed a bit of an addiction for this series and it’s become a guilty pleasure. I suspect a lot of this is down to the narration. James Marsters has a great voice and I could listen to him all day long.

Recently Finished

I actually managed to make a bit of a dent in my NetGalley shelf this week. It seems like making a list and sticking to it may actually work, who knew 🙂

The first book finished was  The Sign of One by Eugene Lambert. This is a YA dystopian road trip type book which I thought had quite a lot in common with the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness. However, while it was in no way a bad book I didn’t think there was anything about it that particularly stood out and made me think “wow I can’t wait for the next book in the series”. You can read my full review here.

 The second NetGalley title I finished over the weekend was A Stolen Kiss by Kelsey Keating. It’s based on the wild swans fairytale so given my love of retellings should have been perfect for me but unfortunately it was another book I found decidedly average. Again, there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it, other than it may have been a little bit young for me, but I found myself really not caring what happened at the end.

My third and final ARC was Who’s That Girl by Mhairi McFarlane. This was a change in genre to chick lit and was definitely a good idea as I think I may have sickened myself of YA. I’ve read a couple of books by Mhairi before and enjoyed them but I think this may be my favourite so far. The plot isn’t necessarily the most original but there are a few surprises and a lot more depth than usual. The characters are more complex and not always perfect which makes everything that happens that little bit more believable. I’d definitely recommend if you’re a chick lit reader.

In addition to the ARCs from NetGalley I also finished the Storm Front audio book which is the first in the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Really liked it although it does seem to have triggered an addiction that may not be a good thing.

Reading Next

I’m going away on holiday next week so not sure how much I’ll manage to read before then or while I’m away. I should probably be packing and cleaning my house (my parents are cat sitting) but I’m sure I’ll sneak at least one book in.

I still have my list from last week so I’m hoping to keep following it despite the holiday. There are quite a few books on it that I’m very excited about so with a bit of luck they’ll knock me out of my slump.

In terms of ARCs my next reads should be Riverkeep by Martin Stewart, Unrivalled by Alyson Noel and Soldier by Julie Kagawa. Have to admit to being particularly excited by Unrivalled as I absolutely loved the authors Immortals series. I think this will be very different from that series but I’m still optimistic despite the less than stellar reviews.

On the library book side I still have Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare although it’s due back imminently. I’ve been a little bit put off by the size of it (it’s just under 700 pages) but having just had a quick flick I’ve noticed a short story at the end featuring the characters from the Mortal Instruments series. I will most definitely be reading that if nothing else.

Have you read any of these? What would you recommend? Let me know in the comment box below (and feel free to leave links to your WWW) 🙂