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.

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Currently Reading

I’m continuing on my mission to get my list of ARC’s down so at the moment I’m reading The Sign of One by Eugene Lambert. I’m around the 20% mark and so far not too sure about it. It’s a young adult dystopian so should be right up my street but there is something about it that’s a little off and I can’t put my finger on it just yet. It kind of seems a little bit similar to the first book in the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness but isn’t quite doing it as well.

I also have a new audio book this week, Storm Front by Jim Butcher (I couldn’t get the next Harry Potter book). I’ve heard a few people recommend it as the narration is supposed to be very good (James Marsters aka Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Worryingly I still haven’t actually read the synopsis but it seems to be about a wizard in Chicago who consults for the police and finds missing objects. So far it’s ok but it’s very early days.

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Recently Finished

I feel like I haven’t read as much as usual this week but despite that I have managed to finish three books.

The first of these was Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye which I had literally just started last Wednesday. I’d requested this from NetGalley as soon as I heard it was a retelling of one of my favourite books, Jane Eyre. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly a retelling as the main character refers to the novel regularly but the stories are fairly similar. The big exception to this is that Ms Steele seems to end up killing quite a few people.

The language is pretty similar to that in Jane Eyre which is why I think it took me a bit longer to read but I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. So much so that I think I’m going to have to go out and buy a physical copy to keep. I’m struggling a little to write a suitably glowing review but hopefully should have one up this week.

In addition to Jane Steele, I also finished the audio book of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. I had said I wasn’t in any rush to finish as I was loving the narration so much but it turns out I should have been as I’d gotten it from the library and it returned itself with still an hour left to go. I ended up having to switch to the e book.

The final book of the week, and which I read most of on Monday night, was The Heir by Kiera Cass. This is the fourth in the Selection series but is set some 20 years after the original trilogy. This time it’s daughter and future Queen Eadlyn who has the task of finding a husband from 35 potential candidates. I’ve always been very critical of the first three books and had decided I wasn’t going to continue with the series but when I saw this in the library I couldn’t resist.

I will admit I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. The main character is still quite annoying but so far there isn’t the awful love triangle and endless indecision that drove me crazy in the first three. The biggest problem is it ended on a cliffhanger so now I’ll need to get my hands on the next one in May.

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Reading Next

Believe it or not I actually made a list a few nights ago of what I’m planning to read over the next few weeks. I have a pile of library books and a lot of ARC’s to read by certain dates so I really thought I should get organised. Whether I stick to the plan is a whole other question.

In terms of ARCs I think my next read will be chick lit novel Who’s That Girl by Mhairi McFarlane. I’ve previously read a couple of books by this author so couldn’t resist this when I saw it on NetGalley. After that I have Riverkeep by Martin Stewart which is a young adult fantasy and sounds like a bit of a road trip, self discovery type story so should be good.

On the library book side I’m hoping to get stuck into Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare this weekend. It’s due back next week so it’s now or never. I’ve seen a lot of good reviews for it so I’m looking forward to it.

All in all I’m hoping for a good week. 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) 🙂

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.

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Currently Reading

Unusually for me I actually have three books on the go at the moment. I usually prefer to focus on one book at a time (I tend to get fully absorbed and find it difficult to switch) but I have a book of the month, an ARC and an audio that I’m trying to juggle.

For my GoodReads group book of the month I’ve just started A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab. I’ve been very excited about this pretty much since I finished the previous book in the series (you may have noticed this from my previous WWW’s) but only started it yesterday so it’s still early days. I’m vaguely trying to stick to a reading schedule (that will definitely never happen) so it should take me the next couple of weeks to finish (I’ll be finished by Saturday, maybe Friday).

As well as AGOS, I’m also reading Flawed by Cecelia Ahern which is an ARC I received from NetGalley. I’ve loved most of Cecelia Ahern’s previous books but this is the first YA dystopian she’s written so I was a little bit nervous as the reviews are mixed. I’m only around halfway through but I’m definitely in the loving it category.

The final book I’m listening to is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone last week and a few people recommended the audios which are narrated by Stephen Fry. You were so right so thanks. I’ve discovered I can get the Overdrive app on my phone and my library has all of the Potter audiobooks available so it looks like I’m sorted for the next couple of months 🙂

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Recently Finished

I’m back at work this week so it’s been a slightly slower reading week, only three books finished.

The first book was  Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben which I also received as an ARC via NetGalley. It’s a thriller about a Former special ops pilot, Maya, who spots her husband on the nanny cam playing with their 2 year old daughter. The only problem, her husband was murdered in front of her eyes two weeks ago. I’m still not sure what to think of this book. For the majority of the time I was a bit meh and then the ending happened. I can’t decide if it’s brilliant or awful. Hopefully I’ll make my mind up soon and post a review.

Second book was Forever in my Heart by Maria K. Alexander but I’ll just gloss over this quickly with a “not for me”.

The final, and by far best book of the week (month and possibly year/decade/ever), was A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. It’s a young adult book about a boy, Connor, whose mother has cancer and who is visited by a monster. It’s kind of like a modern day fairytale. It’s sad, it’s uplifting, it’s completely beautiful and totally heartbreaking. Loved it.

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Reading Next

Don’t have a definite plan of what’s next on the reading list although I’m thinking maybe Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye which is a dark, gothic tale based on Jane Eyre (if Jane Eyre was a serial killer). Jane Eyre was always my favourite of the classics and so far I haven’t come across many books based on it (other than a dodgy sequel I forget the name of) so when I saw it on someone else’s blog I couldn’t resist.

I also just picked up a copy of Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare from the library. I’d totally forgotten I’d put in a request for it so got way too excited to get an email saying it was in. I really enjoyed the Mortal Instruments series and I find Cassandra Clare’s writing style very readable so I’m really looking forward to it.

Other than that I’m not sure so if you have any suggestions or recommendations let me know in the comments below.

Happy reading everyone and enjoy the Easter weekend if you’re celebrating it.

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.

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Currently Reading

I’m continuing in my mission to reduce my ARCs at the moment so I’m currently reading Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben which I received from NetGalley. It’s quite early days (I’ve only read the first chapter) but what I have read I’m liking. I have read a few of his books in the past and enjoyed them so looking forward to it. If nothing else it makes a nice change from my usual YA sci fi and fantasy.

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Recently Finished

I was on holiday from work last week so I had a bit of a reading binge and finished five books. First up was The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. It’s a young adult dystopian with vampires but despite my initial doubts I have to admit I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately it is the first in a trilogy, so I’m fighting hard to resist buying the rest of the series. I really need to finish some of the books I already have before buying more.

The second book I finished was Gone Astray by Michelle Davies. It was another pleasant surprise as I’ve been a little disappointed with the thriller/crime books I’ve been reading recently. It’s the first book in a new series where the main character is a police family liaison officer. It definitely gives it a unique and interesting twist. You can read my full review here.

The next book finished was  Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine (yes for once I actually read something from my reading next list). It was a book of the month read in one of my GoodReads groups and the discussion is still going so I’m waiting to post a review. I would definitely recommend it though as it’s a very good read. I’m just not sure I can wait for the next one.

Book number four of the week was the short novel, Coco Pinchard’s Must Have Toy Story by Robert Bryndza. I do love Coco Pinchard books as they always make me laugh. This time it was back to the 90’s and the hunt for that must have Christmas Toy, Tracy Island.

The final book of the week was a re read of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.  It’s been many years since I’ve read it (I estimate at least 10) so it was a little strange but definitely enjoyable re reading it now.

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Reading Next

Drum roll please…..at long, long last I can finally start A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab. It’s been sitting on my kindle for a few weeks but the Group read starts next week so I can finally start. I’m completely stunned I managed to hold out. I just hope I haven’t built it up too much 🙂

Other than that I’m not too sure so have decided not to even try to guess. I should probably be slowing my reading anyway and trying to get some reviews up instead.

So that’s my week in books, what have you been reading? Do you have any recommendations? All comments or links welcome below 🙂

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.

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Currently Reading

I’m currently reading The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa and am around 85% through so I think it will probably be finished by the end of the day. I’d previously read The Iron King and while I didn’t hate it I didn’t particularly love it either so didn’t read any further in the series.

This book seems a lot better though. It is a little disjointed in my opinion but it’s an easy read which is a mix of vampire story and dystopian. It’s an unusual combination but seems to kind of work. The main character Allison is definitely more likeable than the main character in the Iron King series.

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Recently Finished

I’ve started another team reading challenge this week and have had a few days off work so I’ve been on a bit of a reading binge. As a result I’ve managed to finish four books.

The first two were books two and three in the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown, Golden Son and Morning Star. I couldn’t resist carrying on to the end of the series when I finished Golden Son, particularly considering the ending. It really is an epic series and has a lot of nods to other stories including Hunger Games, Game of Thrones and even Star Wars but it’s still pretty unique and Pierce Brown’s writing is incredible. I’m hoping I will manage to get reviews up at some point. (Does anyone else struggle to write reviews for books they love or is it just me?)

As well as finishing the Red Rising Trilogy I also managed to sneak in the two books of K.M. Shea’s Snow Queen series, Heart of Ice and Sacrifice. They are prequels to her Timeless Fairytales series which I loved but can be read on their own. I had a few issues with the start of the first book, it seemed like too much background was just stated, but once I got further into it I enjoyed it a lot more. It had all of the elements I love from K.M. Shea, the strong female characters, plenty of action and a bit of romance. I also think her books tend to have the right messages which are so often missing in YA books.

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Reading Next

So I went to the library this week, which is always dangerous for me, and got a couple of new books that I may or may not read (I give up trying to guess what I’ll read next).

The first one is The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. I’ve never actually read a Terry Pratchett before which seems ridiculous and haven’t watched any of the TV series so I have to admit I have my doubts. Particularly as someone told my not to start from book 1 of the Discworld series which this is. I just couldn’t resist the pretty cover. The second library book was 22 Dead Little Bodies and Other Stories by Stuart MacBride. It’s a collection of short stories so hopefully I can fit it in around some other books.

The only book I have definitely planned for this week is Ink and Bone by Rachelle Caine. It’s another book of the month read and is a story about a library so how could I resist 🙂

So that’s my week in books. Have you read any of them? Particularly curious on the Terry Pratchett. Should I read it or will it put me off?

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.

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Currently Reading

At the moment I’m still working my way through Golden Son by Pierce Brown which is the second book in the Red Rising trilogy. I have to admit I was finding it a bit of a struggle to start with but I  reached around the 40% mark and since then I haven’t been able to put it down. It’s starting to feel a lot like Game of Thrones with different factions fighting for power, looking for alliances and stabbing each other in the back. It’s pretty brutal at times but I love that in a book 🙂

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Recently Finished

Due to my difficulties in getting into Golden Son I haven’t really read as much as I usually do this week. I don’t know if this is just a me thing but I was doing pretty much anything to avoid reading it because I couldn’t quite connect but didn’t want to actually give up. I almost never give up on a book.

I did however take a bit of a break from it at the weekend to read a couple of ARC’s I received from NetGalley. The first was Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan which I think has been on my reading next list for at least the last month. It’s the first in a new series set in New York (the title is a bit of a hint). I do really like Sarah Morgan. They are completely predictable however there is always plenty of chemistry between the leads and they are an easy and enjoyable way to spend a lazy afternoon.

The second ARC wasn’t actually a whole book but a sneak peek at the upcoming Richelle Mead book The Glittering Court. I’ve never actually read any Richelle Mead books before (despite desperately wanting to get my hands on Vampire Academy) so was interested to see what her style was like and have to say I was quite impressed. The story is similar in some ways to The Selection but the main character is a lot less annoying. As is typical of sneak peek’s it finished on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’ve been forced to add it to my Amazon wishlist and wait till it’s released in April.

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Reading Next

So this week I will be continuing in my attempt to not read A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab despite some of my fellow bloggers raving over how good it is (you know who you are). I will hold out until it’s time for the group read (well, maybe)

I think there’s actually a fair chance that I will move on to the final part of the Red Rising trilogy, Morning Star, seeing as I have a nice shiny and signed hardback. It’s not the easiest series to pick up and set down (too many characters to keep track of) so it would be sensible to keep going. I’ve also started a new team challenge on GoodReads so will be looking for a few quick reads to get some points on the board. I’m thinking K.M Shea’s new series, the latest books in Nick Pirog’s 3am series and The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

Who knows though, I have a week off work and they’re forecasting snow so there is a strong possibility I’ll read something completely different.

Have you read any of the books above? Do you have any recommendations?

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.

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Currently Reading

I found out at the weekend that Pierce Brown is coming to Edinburgh this week as part of his book tour so I couldn’t resist requesting tickets. I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to get there but in the off chance I can I’m trying to read a bit more of his Mars trilogy to get up to speed. I read Red Rising a few months ago and, while I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it so took a bit of a break before reading on. I have now started Golden Son and while I’ve only managed to read a couple of chapters so far I’m definitely enjoying it.

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Recently Finished

I had a bit of a reading fest over the weekend and managed to finish three books this week. First up was What Would Lizzy Bennet Do? by Katie Oliver. As you can probably guess from the title there are a few links to Pride and Prejudice (as well as some other Jane Austen) but it isn’t really the same story. Initially I was a little disappointed it wasn’t a straight re telling but once I got over that I ended up enjoying it.

The second book I read was How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran. It’s possible the most foul mouthed and explicit book I’ve read but I have to say I laughed my way through the whole thing and loved it. It was the perfect book to shake me out of a downer.

The final book of the week was Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon. I have to admit I chose to read this as I was looking for a book with a pink cover as part of a challenge (I know, not the most legit reason for choosing a book but never mind). It turned out to be a great read and once I started reading I couldn’t stop.

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Reading Next

This week I will mostly be trying to avoid reading A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab which I received yesterday. It’s the sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic which I read at the start of the year and loved. It is however a book of the month on GoodReads so I’m trying to hang off so I can read along with the group. It’s very unlikely I’ll hold out.

In the event that I don’t cave I think I’m going to try reading either Flawed by Cecelia Aherne or Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan. Both are ARC’s I received from NetGalley and favourite authors of mine so I’m looking forward to both.

Have you read any of the books above? Do you have any recommendations?

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.

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Currently Reading

I recently started reading What Would Lizzy Bennet? Do by Katie Oliver which I received as an ARC from NetGalley. It’s still early days but so far it’s been ok. I am liking how the author manages to work in elements and references to Austen’s books but it’s maybe a little bit light on descriptions. Initial impressions of the Mr Darcy character are not that great but I suppose that’s consistent with the original Darcy 🙂

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Recently Finished

I finished a couple of books this week. First up was the book I’d just started last week, Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. This was my second attempt at a Colleen Hoover after being a bit underwhelmed by Hopeless a month or so ago. I have to admit I’m still not convinced her books are really for me. It was an easy enough read but I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable and I thought it just missed a bit of spark.

The second book I started and finished was Black Widow by Chris Brookmyre. This was another book I’d received from NetGalley and had been lurking on my “Reading Next” list for the last few weeks. So glad to finally get the chance to read it as I found it very enjoyable. A little slow to get going but by the half way point I was totally hooked. It’s quite twisty and keeps you guessing pretty much to the very end. Definitely one I’d recommend even if you haven’t read any of the others in the Jack Parlabane series.

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Reading Next

I’m still determined that I’m going to make some more progress on the pile of ARC’s I have sitting so after my current read I’m probably going to move on to either Flawed by Cecelia Aherne or Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan. Both are favourite authors of mine so I’m looking forward to both. I also had a trip to the library this week (always dangerous) and picked up The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, A Monster Calls and How to Build a Girl. I’m due a bit of time off work after all of the extra hours I’ve been working so hopefully can make a start on at least one of them too. Just need to decide which.

Have you read any of the books above? Do you have any recommendations?

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.

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Currently Reading

I’ve just started Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. It’s a book of the month in one of my reading groups so thought I’d better give it a try (I actually nominated so I feel like I really should). This will be my second Colleen Hoover book. I previously read Hopeless and had kind of mixed feelings about it but I’m hoping this will be a bit better (although I have seen some not great reviews).

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Recently Finished

Managed to get a flat tyre on Friday night so was trapped indoors for most of Saturday while my hero went off to find me a new one (I don’t have a spare only a repair kit). Between that and some very horrible weather I managed to get quite a bit of reading done this week and finished three books.

First up was Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom which is about a 16 year old girl Parker Grant who’s blind, dealing with the loss of her dad and the return of an ex boyfriend. Not my usual type of read but I did enjoy it for the most part. I loved Parker but thought some of the supporting characters were a bit weak. I would have liked to have had a bit more background or details. You can read my full review here.

After that I felt like something a lot more adult so ditched my planned reading (sorry ARCs) and went for Lick by Kylie Scott. It was quite a quick, enjoyable read and pretty much what I expected. I did think for a romance it missed a bit of spark and I was more interested in one of the supporting characters than the male lead but it passed a lazy Saturday.

Finally, I finished Fairest by Marrisa Meyer yesterday. It’s book 3.5 in the Lunar chronicles and is a bridging book between Cress and Winter. I’ve read and enjoyed all of the others in the series so knew what to expect and it didn’t let me down. It’s quite a short book at only 220 pages but it was a good 220 pages. Hopefully I’ll get a review up soon.

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Reading Next

It’s getting quite embarrassing now that I still haven’t read any of the books I’ve listed over the last couple of weeks as “reading next” but I’m determined that this week I will make a start on Black Widow by Chris Brookmyre. I haven’t read any of his books in a while so looking forward to it. Will also be good to read something other than YA and romance.

In addition to Black Widow I also have another couple of ARC’s I’d like to read (although I make no guarantee that I will actually start them this week). I was very excited today to receive Flawed by Cecelia Aherne. I’m a big fan of her books so I can’t wait to see what she’ll do in her first YA book. Finally, I also have Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan, another of my favourite authors.

Hopefully this week I will actually manage to read some of these books but we’ll see 🙂

Have you read any of the books above? Do you have any recommendations?

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.

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Currently Reading

I’ve just started Fairest by Marissa Meyer. It’s a short’ish book set in the world of the Lunar Chronicles series. I’ve read all of the other books in the series, including the novella prequel, and have loved pretty much every one. They’re all based on fairy tales but set in the future and I love how the author works in the parts of the original story. Fairest gives the back story of the evil queen Levana so looking forward to finding out what made her so bad.

I’ve also started reading Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. I requested this from NetGalley based on the blurb and reviews. It’s another YA book but this time about a girl who is blind and so far pretty feisty. It’s not the type of book I usually go for but so far so good (although I’m only about 10% in).

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Recently Finished

Managed to finish two books this week, You and Me Always by Jill Mansell and  Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness.

I’ve always been a big fan of Jill Mansell books so was quite excited to receive You and Me, Always. It’s sweet and romantic, with quite a few funny moments. I’d recommend if you’re a fan of Jill or if you’re looking for a quick light read but I have to admit it’s not the most memorable of stories and a lot of it has been done before. You can see my full review here.

I only really finished Monsters of Men yesterday. It was the final book in the Chaos Walking trilogy so I’m a little bit sad that it’s all over. I’ve enjoyed Patrick Ness’s writing a lot. He has the most incredible imagination and he makes the most bizarre things (talking animals) completely believable and realistic. I don’t think I’ve ever come across such fantastic world building. I’m probably going to need a bit of time before posting a proper review.

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Reading Next

Unfortunately my list for reading next is pretty much the same as last week’s as it took me a bit longer than expected to finish the books I was reading. This hasn’t really been helped by me wandering off and reading Fairest 🙂 As soon as I finish my current books I plan on reading one or more of the ARC’s (which aren’t really ARC’s anymore it’s taken me so long to read them) The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman, Black Widow by Chris Brookmyre or What Would Lizzy Bennet Do? by Katie Oliver.

I also have Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella, which I got from the library and am kind of curious about. I’m a big Sophie Kinsella fan so am interested to read her take on YA. From what I’ve seen so far the reviews are a little mixed.

Again there’s a fair chance I won’t read any of these but something completely different. I’m a bit of a mood reader so find it difficult to plan.

Have you read any of the books above? Do you have any recommendations?