WWW Wednesday | 31/03/2021

 

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

What did you recently finish reading?

I got Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #3) by Leigh Bardugo finished last night. I think it was a fitting ending and possibly my favourite of the three? The pacing was a lot better and it was definitely more action packed then the last one. It's not a favourite series but I'm really excited to be moving on to Six of Crows.

What are you currently reading?

Still reading Threadneedle by Cari Thomas but I am now 60% in so I'm making progress. I am really really loving this book, it's just so magical. Cari Thomas does such a good job of making everything so vivid and the descriptions in here are gorgeous. It's starting to ramp up a bit so as it's the last of March, I need to try my best to finish it today.

What do you think you'll read next?

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is up next for the #grishaversereadalong and this is the moment I've been waiting for! Most everyone adores this book/duology and I'm excited to discover Kaz Brekker and his crew. 

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

 

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out!

Top Ten Tuesday | Fictional Places I'd Love To Live

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

This Weeks Topic Is...

Places in Books I'd Love to Live. I tried to pick some less obvious ones cause I know a few of these will be in a lot of people's lists. This list actually made me realise that I usually read books with contemporary settings and the fantasy books I read have worlds that I don't particularly want to live in with all the mass destruction going on!

 

 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I'd be more then happy to just live my life out within the Midnight Library just entering into my many infinite lives, seeing all the endless possibilities of what could've been. I don't know if I want to die in order to get there but the rest of it could be cool.

 

Stardust by Neil Gaiman  

I'd love to live in Wall! Residing in the quintessential English village with all it's charm but having the magical kingdom of Stormhold just a stones throw, a dream. You basically get the best of both worlds here! 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Ok, just imagine actually living within Le Cirque des Rêves and travelling around the world with all the acts and the attractions! Everyday would bring something new, you'd get to explore all the magical installations and it would be wonderous!

 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

An obvious choice but I've been obsessed with Alice in Wonderland since I was little and that fascination is yet to fade. I don't know if this would be a longterm home because things can get a little trippy in Wonderland and I sense that I would end up losing my sanity but it could be a something akin to a holiday home somewhere I go for short visits.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis   

A hidden land, talking animals, endless amount of magical creatures and oh yeah, a gorgeous prince! Another childhood favourite that would be incredible to explore, getting to have tea with Mr Tumnus and then when I feel like it all I have to do is go back through the wardrobe.

 

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend  

Can you tell I like magical, unexpected locales? A recent find but imagine living in the Hotel Deaucalion with all it's quirky staff and guests, travelling by brolly rail and attending The Wunderous Society. Actually, do I need more persuasion then the fact that you would have Jupiter North has a mentor?

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Neverland is just one of those fictional places that holds so much whimsy and imagination that it's hard to not want to live there. There would never be a lull in excitement with fairies, mermaids and pirates to contend with. Plus, you'd never have to grow up!

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

So much nostalgia is attached to this world. I'd love to visit Munchkinland and then travel down the yellow brick road towards the Emerald City with the scarecrow, tin man and the cowardly lion. I wouldn't mind a pair of those ruby red slippers either...  

 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald

This more comes from the film adaptation because Gatsby's mansion from the movie is just glorious. It may be a tad extravagent but imagine the parties and I could only picture the library that that house has. You could probably lost in a house that big!

 

Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce   

Life at Winding Circle would be a fairly peaceful, living among mages and scholars. Getting to train under the different dedicates and discover more about elemental magic would be so fun though especially Lark and Rosethorn. The fact that it's library is famed doesn't hurt either.

 

Which fictional places would you love to live in? Leave a comment or link your own Top Ten Tuesday's for me to check out! Happy Reading!

#5OnMyTBR | Royalty

This meme was created by E. @ Local Bee Hunter's Nook and you can find the announcement post here. Also, side note, these aren't necessarily books that I own physically but they're all on my Goodreads TBR and they'll mostly be the five most recently added.  

This Week's Prompt is...

Royalty! These are all fantasy based featuring royal characters as I actually struggle reading about royalty in contemporary settings for some reason. The dynamics of royalty and their different quests/responsibilites can be really interesting when done right.

 

Down The TBR Hole #28

Current TBR shelf: 3861

Last week's TBR shelf: 3865

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Reading Habits Book Tag

I realised I haven't done a book tag since Christmas and then I saw someone had done it on my Twitter timeline although I can't remember who it was, sorry 😬 This tag was created by TheBookJazz but I took the questions from Jenniely's blog.  

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I mostly tend to read in my bed as I find that the most comfortable place in my house. I like being in my cosy room surrounded by books and all my things. My dream is to have a proper reading room some day with a big, squashy armchair to relax in.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Bookmark every day of the week! I have a wide selection so I'm never worried that I'll run out of them anytime soon. If I happen to be somewhere that I don't have access to a bookmark then I probably would just use a random receipt or something I found in my bag.

 

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?

I'm definitely one of those people that has to get to the end of a chapter or at least to a significant break in the text before I can stop. I'd find myself getting muddled about what exactly is happening if I didn't. There's chapters for a reason people!

 

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

I always try and have something to drink whilst reading as it can be thirsty work! Snacks aren't a requirement really but occasionally I'll have a few biscuits or crackers on hand.

 

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

I'll listen to music when I'm in the mood for it but it has to be instrumental pieces/scores with no lyrics. Books and tv at the same time is a big no, far too distracting!

 

6. One book at a time or several at once?

I try and only read one physical book and one ebook at a time, sometimes another one will sneak in there if I need to get it read but when that happens I'll usually put the first book down for a while until I finish the second. I find it too confusing to read a lot of books at the same time and I wouldn't want to get them all mixed up.

 

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

Because of this pandemic I've only been reading at home but usually I will take a book with me anywhere, particularly on trains. I really enjoy reading on trains a lot! I'll whip out an ebook if I know I only have ten minutes or something and audiobooks are great for long journeys.

 

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

I'll hold my hands up and admit that I used to be one of those people who muttered slightly under their breath when I read (I did it without realising) but after someone pointed it out I now do it silently in my head quite consciously.

 

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

Absolutely not! Why would you want to spoilt it for yourself??

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

I don't crack the spine on purpose but if I do it's not the end of the world, it's just a sign of a well read book in my opinion. 

11. Do you write in your books?

Other people make it look so pretty when they annotate books but I know that if I attempted it it would look a huge mess and I would basically ruin the book!

 

Readabits Questions

1. When do you find yourself reading?

Usually in the evenings is when I have the most motivation to read but it depends on whether the book is really gripping and I just want to find any opportunity to pick it up.   

2. What is your best setting to read in?

The ideal setting would be a comfy couch covered in soft blankets and cushions with a mug of hot chocolate at hand and a roaring fire in the background 😊  

3. What do you do first – Read or Watch?

I much prefer reading the source material first unless I'm really not bothered about the book or the film/tv series ends up being completely different anyway. 

 

4. What form do you prefer? Audiobook, E-book or physical book?

Physical books are my go to, there's nothing like having a brand new book in your hands. Audiobooks and ebooks are good for convenience but nothing beats the real thing.  

5. Do you have a unique habit when you read?

Not really, I'm pretty standard. I do like to make sure I have extra support for my head when I'm sitting up in bed to read otherwise my neck will ache for days.

 

6. Do book series have to match?

I'd love to have all matching series but when you get a lot of your books secondhand it can be a challenge to get all the same editions cheaply. If i'm going to buy them full price then I would do my best to make sure they all match.

 

If you fancy giving this tag a go make sure to comment so I can check out your post! Happy Reading!

WWW Wednesday | 24/03/2021

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

Top Ten Tuesday | Quirky Book Titles That Are Just Fun To Say

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

This Weeks Topic Is...

 

Funny Book Titles. I love a good funny title, it can immediately grab your attention and give you a glimpse into the kind of book you're going to get. Hopefully you'll find some of these picks as amusing as I did.

 

#5OnMyTBR | Green Covers

This meme was created by E. @ Local Bee Hunter's Nook and you can find the announcement post here. Also, side note, these aren't necessarily books that I own physically but they're all on my Goodreads TBR and they'll mostly be the five most recently added.  

This Week's Prompt is...

Green Covers! Green covers are often some of the prettiest, I love that the different shades are so significant and can signify what kind of book it is. These five are some of my favourites.

 

Down The TBR Hole #27

Current TBR shelf: 3865

Last week's TBR shelf: 3870

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Netflix Recommendations | Part 2

 

 

We're back for round 2! Still been doing plenty of bingeing over on Netflix and there's been a good few new releases over the last month or so that I was excited to watch. Here's a roundup of everything that I've been watching on the platform throughout March. 

Note: Most of these are Netflix originals apart from White House Farm therefore this title may not be available in all countries.  

Also if you're viewing on mobile clicking on each image will enlarge it and make it easier to read!

Book Review | The One by John Marrs

 

Publication Date: May 4th 2017 by Del Rey

Format: Owned Physical

Target Audience: Adult 

Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction

Author's Site

Goodreads • Waterstones • Blackwells

 

How far would you go to find The One?

A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner—the one you’re genetically made for.

That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.

Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…

 

Rating

WWW Wednesday | 17/03/2021

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

 

Top Ten Tuesday | Books On My Spring 2021 TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

This Weeks Topic Is...

Books On Your Spring 2021 TBR and I always like when these seasonal prompts come around as it gives me a good excuse to go through my shelves and pick out the books I should be prioritising for the next couple of months. A lot of these are actually library books or ARC's that I need to get read so it's a nice little reminder.

 

#5OnMyTBR | Mythology

This meme was created by E. @ Local Bee Hunter's Nook and you can find the announcement post here. Also, side note, these aren't necessarily books that I own physically but they're all on my Goodreads TBR and they'll mostly be the five most recently added.  

This Week's Prompt is...

Mythology, a genre of fiction I've really been getting into lately. I love learning about the original tales and then the author putting their own twists on them.

 

1. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

 

Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

 

I'm not sure that this is based on particular myth but a lot of people have described it as having elements of mythology and fantasy so we're just gonna go with it! It's also got an infinite labyrinth and a weird but wonderful premise.

 

2. The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

 

The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden’s enchanting first novel, introduced readers to an irresistible heroine. Vasilisa has grown up at the edge of a Russian wilderness, where snowdrifts reach the eaves of her family’s wooden house and there is truth in the fairy tales told around the fire. Vasilisa’s gift for seeing what others do not won her the attention of Morozko—Frost, the winter demon from the stories—and together they saved her people from destruction. But Frost’s aid comes at a cost, and her people have condemned her as a witch.

In The Girl in the Tower, Vasilisa faces an impossible choice. Driven from her home by frightened villagers, she has only two options left: marriage or the convent. She cannot bring herself to accept either fate and instead chooses adventure, dressing herself as a boy and setting off astride her magnificent stallion Solovey. 

 

Drawing on Russian folklore, this second book in the Winternight trilogy promises more adventure, demons and an impossible choice. A little ashamed that I still haven't found the time to continue this series!

 

3. Mermaid Moon by Susann Cokal   

 

Sanna is a mermaid — but she is only half seavish. The night of her birth, a sea-witch cast a spell that made Sanna’s people, including her landish mother, forget how and where she was born. Now Sanna is sixteen and an outsider in the seavish matriarchy, and she is determined to find her mother and learn who she is. She apprentices herself to the witch to learn the magic of making and unmaking, and with a new pair of legs and a quest to complete for her teacher, she follows a clue that leads her ashore on the Thirty-Seven Dark Islands. There, as her fellow mermaids wait in the sea, Sanna stumbles into a wall of white roses thirsty for blood, a hardscrabble people hungry for miracles, and a baroness who will do anything to live forever.

 

This book obviously focuses on the mythological creatures mermaids and is a retelling of The Little Mermaid. I haven't heard too many people talk about this book but I was enchanted by that gorgeous cover and then the dark fairytale premise sealed the deal. 

4. Circe by Madeline Miller

 

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child - not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power - the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

 

Miller apparently writes amazing books inspired by Greek mythology and she's definitely an author that a lot of people recommend if you're looking for books to do with mythology. Circe sounds incredible and I just need that push to pick it up.

5. The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

 

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...

 

Taking inspiration from Middle Eastern mythology, so many people have fallen under the spell of this series. I'm usually wary when it comes to pure fantasy but I have a feeling this could become a new favourite (hopefully, seeing as I already bought the whole trilogy!)

 

Which books inspired by mythology are on your TBR? If you've already read some of these, let me know what you thought! Leave a comment with your own #5OnMyTBR posts for me to check out! Happy Reading!

Down the TBR Hole #26

Current TBR shelf: 3870

Last week's TBR shelf: 3879

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Book Review | Felicity Carrol and the Murderous Menace by Patricia Marcantonio

 

Publication Date: February 10th 2020 by Crooked Lane Books

Format: Netgalley ARC

Target Audience: Adult

Genre: Mystery, Historical

Goodreads • Waterstones • Blackwells

 

Felicity Carrol would rather be doing just about anything other than attending balls or seeking a husband. What she really wants to do is continue her work using the latest forensic methods and her photographic memory to help London police bring murderers to justice, so when her friend, Scotland Yard Inspector Jackson Davies, weak from injury, discovers a murder in a wild mining town in Montana that echoes the terrible crimes in England, Felicity decides to go herself.

In Placer, Montana, her first obstacle is handsome lawman Thomas Pike, who uses his intuition as much as his Colt in keeping law and order in this unruly town. When the murderer strikes again, Felicity begins to suspect Davies is correct: Jack the Ripper has come to America. Felicity sets out to find the killer in a town chock full of secrets, shadows, and suspects, but as the body count rises, this intrepid sleuth faces her most dangerous adversary yet—and discovers that not all killers are as they seem.

Rating

#5OnMyTBR | Nature

 

This meme was created by E. @ Local Bee Hunter's Nook and you can find the announcement post here. Also, side note, these aren't necessarily books that I own physically but they're all on my Goodreads TBR and they'll mostly be the five most recently added.  

This Week's Prompt is...

Nature so I just chose to highlight 5 books with gorgeous covers that feature some kind of nature element.  

Down the TBR Hole #25

Current TBR shelf: 3879

Last week's TBR shelf: 3886

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Netflix Recommendations | Part 1

I go through periods where I just want to binge watch everything that Netflix has to offer and for the last few months that's exactly what I've been doing. Netflix have really been prepared for this whole pandemic situation because they have been releasing tv shows and movies left, right and center. I can't believe how much new content they have, there seems to be a new selection every other week or so. I'm not complaining though because I love how much choice there is and how there's something for every mood I have. 

I decided I wanted to start highlighting some of the shows and films that I've been consuming over on the platform and give someone else some ideas of where to start with their next binge. This is a selection of what I've been enjoying over the last two months and hopefully I'll be able to do these types of posts every couple of months or so when I've logged more hours.   

WWW Wednesday | 03/03/2021

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking On a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

 

Top Ten Tuesday | I Really Wish I Had These Characters Jobs

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

This Weeks Topic Is...

Characters Whose Job I Wish I Had and I love this prompt because there's nothing better then imagining yourself in all kinds of crazy occupations. Books always seem to have the best career choices for their characters because let's face it, all rules are just thrown out the window when it comes to fiction. Somehow I didn't go to crazy with my choices (I stopped myself from adding the obvious book store owner or librarian) but these are jobs that in an alternate life I could definitely see myself enjoying. Even if it's just for the amount of time it takes for me to read the book!

#5OnMyTBR | Retellings

This meme was created by E. @ Local Bee Hunter's Nook and you can find the announcement post here. Also, side note, these aren't necessarily books that I own physically but they're all on my Goodreads TBR and they'll mostly be the five most recently added.  

This Week's Prompt is...

Retellings and for once all of these books are actually on my owned TBR! Hallelujah! I absolutely love retellings, they are some of my favourite types of book to read and I find it so intriguing how an author can rewrite a classic story into something new.