Books, reviews and more…
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a great weekend so far. This week has been better reading and blogging wise.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
Started this yesterday and I’m finding it quite interesting so far.
Happy Reading
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
This year I have been determined to buy less books than I have in previous years. This is due to the amount of books on my TBR pile/house and also because I hoped to save some pennies. So far I have managed to cut back on my book buying and I am really pleased with my progress of reading my TBR pile. However, this week I might have gone slightly crazy and my resolve temporarily evaporated. So without further ado here are the books I have purchased this week.
I really hope to get reading these books soon but I also plan to curb the book buying again. I must reduce the TBR house.
Have you added any new books to your bookshelves recently?
Happy Reading
Happy Friday!
I hope everyone has had a good week so far. My chosen poem this week is by the poet, documentary maker and prolific chronicler of his own early life Laurie Lee (1914-1997).
April Rise If ever I saw blessing in the air I see it now in this still early day Where lemon-green the vaporous morning drips Wet sunlight on the powder of my eye. Blown bubble-film of blue, the sky wraps round Weeds of warm light whose every root and rod Splutters with soapy green, and all the world Sweats with the bead of summer in its bud. If ever I heard blessing it is there Where birds in trees that shoals and shadows are Splash with their hidden wings and drops of sound Break on my ears their crests of throbbing air. Pure in the haze the emerald sun dilates, The lips of sparrows milk the mossy stones, While white as water by the lake a girl Swims her green hand among the gathered swans. Now, as the almond burns its smoking wick, Dropping small flames to light the candled grass; Now, as my low blood scales its second chance, If ever world were blessed, now it is. Laurie Lee
Happy Reading
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I am back at work full swing and it has been rather a shock to the system.
What I am Currently Reading
I have only just started reading this and I have literally only read the first 10 pages but I am really excited to read my first Daphne de Maurier book.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I finished both of these this week and really enjoyed them both. Reviews will follow shortly.
What I Think I will Read Next
As usual I never know what to read next but it might possibly be one of these.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading
The Medusa Amulet by Robert Masello
Blurb
David Franco, a talented young scholar, is introduced to Kathryn Van Owen, a beautiful and wealthy widow with a mysterious past. Van Owen owns a sketch of an amulet; a silver medallion with a carving of the Medusa’s face on one side, and on the other a mirror reputed to confer the power of immortality upon any who look into it on a moonlit night – and she is prepared to pay David a million dollars to find it for her. If the rumours of the amulet’s powers are true David could not only pay off his dying sister’s medical bills – he could offer her a chance of survival. But David will need help if he is to find the clues scattered through art and history to the mirror’s current location. And there are others who have heard of the mirror’s powers, and they will stop at nothing to find it…In his stunning new thriller, Robert Masello blends past and present and fact and fiction to create a gripping race through history.
Review
I still have some bookshelves at my parents’ house and these shelves are full of books. I had a hunt around on these shelves and found this book and I will be honest I can’t remember buying it or owning it so it was a nice surprise. Robert Masello is also a new author for me.
I love the story of Medusa and I have always felt rather sorry for Medusa as she was very wrongly treated so it was really good to read a story linked to Medusa but she didn’t really feature in the story.
The story centres around several characters and read quite like a Dan Brown novel but in my opinion it is better than a Dan Brown novel. David Franco is a scholar from Chicago who is an expert in Renaissance art and literature. Due to his expertise he gets asked to help in what seems an impossible quest, to find the lost Amulet of Medusa. David is given the quest by the mysterious Kathryn Van Owen. Kathryn has materials from the Renaissance period that people thought no longer existed. She also seems to have a mysterious past which gives her knowledge that others do not have.
This book is full of twists and turns and features some interesting times from history. You have renaissance artists in Rome and Florence, Marie Antoinette in France and World War Two. It really showed that Masello had done his research for this book.
I really enjoyed this book and found it a thrilling read where I never knew what was going to happen next. I did find one section rather cheesy and to be honest I could have done without the dark arts element but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.
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Purchase Links
Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Robert Masello is an award-winning journalist, TV writer, and the bestselling author of many novels and nonfiction books. A native of Evanston, Illinois, he studied writing at Princeton University under the noted authors Robert Stone and Geoffrey Wolff, and served for six years as the Visiting Lecturer in Literature at Claremont McKenna College.
He now lives and works in Santa Monica, CA.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week. I have some new products on my Etsy site that I thought I would share with you all.
More musical themed bookmarks will be arriving soon. I love making these bookmarks as I find it quite therapeutic.
Thank you for supporting my little business.
Happy Reading
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have managed to catch up a little bit with my reading this week as I have managed to have a couple of quiet days.
What I am Currently Reading
I have just got half way through this and I am absolutely loving it so far.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I finished this on Tuesday and I can say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Review is coming soon.
What I Think I will Read Next
So many books and I’m never sure what to read next.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading
The House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths
Blurb
Ruth Galloway has just returned from maternity leave and is struggling to juggle work and motherhood. When a team from the University of North Norfolk, investigating coastal erosion, finds six bodies buried at the foot of the cliff, she is immediately put on the case. DCI Nelson is investigating, but Ruth finds this more hindrance than help – Nelson is the father of her daughter, Kate. Still, she remains professional and concentrates on the case at hand. Forensic tests prove that the bodies are from Southern Europe, killed sixty years ago. Police Investigations unearth records of Project Lucifer, a wartime plan to stop a German invasion. A further discovery reveals that members of the Broughton Sea’s End Home Guard took a ‘blood oath’ to conceal some deadly wartime secret. The more information they uncover, the more elusive any explanation becomes. When a visiting German reporter is killed, Ruth and Nelson realise that someone is still alive who will kill to keep the secret of Broughton Sea’s End’s war years. Can they discover the truth in time to stop another murder?
Review
I am working through the Ruth Galloway series and this was my latest read and the first one that isn’t a reread for me. So far with all the Ruth Galloway books I have read, once I start them I can’t put them down and this was exactly the same.
This book shows Ruth coming to terms with being a mother, juggling work, motherhood and another murder investigation. Amongst all of this Ruth also has a friend from her past staying with her and this friend also brings memories of her experience excavating war graves all those years ago.
Though Ruth is doing her best to juggle everything she does have a support network of friends to help her and also a very generous childminder. Ruth’s biggest problem is actually asking for help when she needs it.
As we watch Ruth learning to cope we also watch Nelson trying to cope and work out how to be a father to a child he can’t own up to having. Nelson finds himself wanting it all, both Michelle and Ruth and his three daughters but he also knows this is not possible. Amongst all of this he is riddled with guilt for his affair. To be honest I’m surprised he has enough mental capacity to solve a crime with all of his emotional problems.
This book like all the Ruth Galloway books is very character driven and I love learning new things about the characters and seeing them develop. My favourite character is still Cathbad, he is such a free spirit and definitely has a particular brand of magic.
I will be honest Ruth did get a little on my nerves at times in this book and I found myself shouting be a mother and stop dashing off to see random things. Ruth put herself in a lot of danger at times and I kept thinking about little Kate who would be left alone if anything happened. I know it was all part of Ruth trying to be a mother and also not lose part of herself to motherhood but I did get frustrated with her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and flew through it and will soon be reading book 4 of the series. I give this book another 5 out of 5 Dragons.
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Purchase Links
Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | Wordery
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Elly Griffiths was born in London and began her career in publishing, she then turned to writing full time. In 2016 she won the CWA Dagger in the Library for her work. Griffiths lives in Brighton with her family.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
Hello!
I hope everyone is well and having a good week so far. I have really managed to push forward on my reading this week but I’m still running behind on my book reviews sadly.
What I am Currently Reading
I started this a couple of days ago and so far I am really enjoying it. I love Haynes’ portrayal of Zeus because it is how I have always imagined him.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I have finally finished it! If I hadn’t been so distracted by other things I would have soon had this book finished but sadly my focus just wasn’t there until this week.
I’m aiming for shorter books for the rest of this month because I hope to make headway with The Count of Monte Cristo as well.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Happy Easter Monday Everyone!
I have the week off this week and although I have things to sort and do I am planning a few little adventures. I am also planning on catching up on my reading as I have rather fallen behind.
My chosen book this week is by an author I have wanted to read for a long time but have still not managed to get around to reading. This year I mean to change this and I have bought a few of the books to make sure they are waiting on my TBR pile. This is one of the books I plan on reading soon.
Dick Young is lent a house in Cornwall by his friend Professor Magnus Lane. During his stay he agrees to serve as guinea pig for a new drug Magnus has discovered in his biochemical research; the effect of which is to transport Dick from the house at Kilmarth to the Cornwall of the 14th century.
What are your thoughts on this book if you have read it?
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading
Lady Book Dragon 