Hello!
My chosen quote this week is by the American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, Isaac Asimov (1920-1992).
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”
Isaac Asimov
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 had a busy day teaching but when I have had any spaces I had been busy reading.
What I am Currently Reading
I’m really enjoying both of these books so far. I did struggle with Belgravia to begin with as I found the writing style a bit stilted but I’ve finally got used to it.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I could not put The Bone Season down and absolutely loved it. I found Channel Island Monsters quite interesting and I loved the illustrations. Reviews will follow shortly.
What I Think I will Read Next
I have so many books I want to read at the moment and I’m not sure what I will choose.
Happy Reading
Hello!
Last week I was in Jersey so this obviously meant I needed to visit the Waterstones at St Helier. I haven’t done much of my Waterstones Challenge recently but when I can I always visit a new store.
This store was very nice inside although it did have a very noisy floor. The store was over two floors and had a good selection of books. I was very well behaved though and only bought one book because I had limited luggage space.
Whenever I go to a book store I look for a book that I haven’t read by Alison Weir. There was a very limited selection of books by Weir but this one I haven’t read or own so I chose this one.
Another Waterstones ticked off the list many many more to go!
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.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week. My chosen book to feature this week is by one of my all time favourite authors, Alison Weir. I really want to read this one as well because I don’t know very much about Elizabeth of York and would love to learn more.
Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith
Many are familiar with the story of the much-married King Henry VIII of England and the celebrated reign of his daughter, Elizabeth I. But it is often forgotten that the life of the first Tudor queen, Elizabeth of York, Henry’s mother and Elizabeth’s grandmother, spanned one of England’s most dramatic and perilous periods. Now New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir presents the first modern biography of this extraordinary woman, whose very existence united the realm and ensured the survival of the Plantagenet bloodline.
Her birth was greeted with as much pomp and ceremony as that of a male heir. The first child of King Edward IV, Elizabeth enjoyed all the glittering trappings of royalty. But after the death of her father; the disappearance and probable murder of her brothers—the Princes in the Tower; and the usurpation of the throne by her calculating uncle Richard III, Elizabeth found her world turned upside-down: She and her siblings were declared bastards.
As Richard’s wife, Anne Neville, was dying, there were murmurs that the king sought to marry his niece Elizabeth, knowing that most people believed her to be England’s rightful queen. Weir addresses Elizabeth’s possible role in this and her covert support for Henry Tudor, the exiled pretender who defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth and was crowned Henry VII, first sovereign of the House of Tudor. Elizabeth’s subsequent marriage to Henry united the houses of York and Lancaster and signaled the end of the Wars of the Roses. For centuries historians have asserted that, as queen, she was kept under Henry’s firm grasp, but Weir shows that Elizabeth proved to be a model consort—pious and generous—who enjoyed the confidence of her husband, exerted a tangible and beneficial influence, and was revered by her son, the future King Henry VIII.
Drawing from a rich trove of historical records, Weir gives a long overdue and much-deserved look at this unforgettable princess whose line descends to today’s British monarch—a woman who overcame tragedy and danger to become one of England’s most beloved consorts.
Happy Reading
Hello!
My quote this week is by the American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart (1897; disappeared 1937; declared dead 1939).
“I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”
Amelia Earhart
Happy Reading
Happy Easter!
I hope everyone has had a good Easter so far. Blogging has been going well this week and my reading has been quite good as well.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
I am throughly enjoying this so far. I really do enjoy George R. R. Martin’s sci-fi work.
Happy Reading
The Catch by T. M. Logan
Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith
Blurb
Ed is delighted to meet his twenty-three year old daughter’s fiancé for the first time. Ryan appears to be the perfect future son-in-law. There’s just one problem. There’s something off about Ryan. Something hidden in the shadows behind his eyes. And it seems that only Ed can see it.
Terrified that his daughter is being drawn in by a psychopath, Ed sets out to uncover her fiancé’s dark past – while keeping his own concealed. But no-one believes him. And the more he digs, the more he alienates her and the rest of the family who are convinced that Ryan is ‘the one’.
Ed knows different. For reasons of his own, he knows a monster when he sees one…
Review
This book had been sat on my TBR trolley for several years so I thought it was high time I read it.
I will be honest I found this book very frustrating and nearly gave up on more than one occasion. The first half of the book was just far too unbelievable for me as Ed’s obsession was ridiculous and very annoying. Ed alienated everyone around him and basically destroyed his own life all because of a hunch and no real evidence. I began to really dislike Ed’s character and I was relieved when the narrative was taken over by Ryan.
The other characters weren’t great either and really lacked substance. I would have loved to have learned more about Abbie but all her character showed was that she was a teacher, loved cats and was blind to all else other than Ryan. Claire had a little bit more about her but the part at the end where she found Abbie was also verging on the unbelievable.
Ryan was probably the most interesting character in the book and to be honest I would have actually liked to have learned more about his past. However, my favourite character in the whole book was most definitely the cat!
All in all The Catch lured me in with its interesting blurb but the actual story was just completely lacking and the only reason I kept reading was because I find it impossible to DNF a book. I give this book 2 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Tim was born in Berkshire and studied in London and Cardiff before becoming a national newspaper journalist. He lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children, and writes in a cabin in the corner of his garden.
Happy Friday!
My chosen poem this week is by the Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator and diplomat Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004).
Gift
A day so happy.
Fog lifted early, I worked in the garden.
Hummingbirds were stopping over honeysuckle flowers.
There was no thing on earth I wanted to possess.
I knew no one worth my envying him.
Whatever evil I had suffered, I forgot.
To think that once I was the same man did not embarrass me.
In my body I felt no pain.
When straightening up, I saw the blue sea and sails.
Czeslaw Milosz
Happy Reading
How It Unfolds by James S. A. Corey
Blurb
Roy Court and his crew are taking the trip of a lifetime—several lifetimes in fact—duplicated and dispatched across the galaxies searching for Earthlike planets. Many possibilities for the future. Yet for Roy, no matter how many of him there are, there’s still just one painful, unchangeable past. In what world can a broken relationship be reborn? The universe is so vast, there’s always room for hope.
Review
I love James S. A. Corey books so I was really excited to read a short story and so I downloaded the full Far Reaches collection onto my Kindle.
I struggled with this short story and found it hard to get into. In fact I did abandon it for a few months so when I picked it back up I read it from the beginning again. I enjoyed the concept of the story and really thought more could have been done with the story but I felt that too much was being crammed into a short space and this led to it feeling rather confused at times. I would have also liked more things explained which I think would have also helped me with the storyline.
I couldn’t help but root for Roy and really hoped that at least one version of him found happiness in love. However, I would have loved to have learnt more about his fellow crew mates.
This short story had so much potential but I just felt like it missed the mark for me and it didn’t feel like a typical James S. A. Corey story. I really wanted more from the story but just felt disappointed. I give this short story 3 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
James S. A. Corey is the pen name of fantasy author Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, George R. R. Martin’s assistant. They both live Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Hello!
My chosen quote this week is by the American modernist poet, Wallace Stevens (1879-1955).
“Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.”
Wallace Stevens
Happy Reading
Lady Book Dragon 