Stone Blind: Medusa’s Story by Natalie Haynes (Review #15)

Stone Blind: Medusa’s Story by Natalie Haynes

Blurb

Medusa is the only mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her sisters, she quickly realises that she is the only one who gets older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When desire pushes a God to commit the unforgivable, Medusa’s mortal life is changed forever. Her punishment is to be turned into a Gorgon: sharp teeth, snakes for hair, and a gaze that will turn any living creature to stone. Appalled by her own reflection, Medusa can no longer look upon anything she loves without destroying it. She condemns herself to a life of solitude in the shadows to limit her murderous range.

That is, until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

Review

This is my first Haynes book but I have been wanting to read one of her books for ages, hence why I have so many of her books on my TBR pile. However, what made me choose this book first was because I have always had rather a soft spot for Medusa. Medusa in my opinion is extremely badly treated for something that is not her fault. Like a lot of females in Ancient Greek mythology they quite often are treated unfairly. 

The thing I really liked about this book is that it covers the whole of Medusa’s life, right from when she is a new born baby to the inevitable conclusion. I loved how when Stheno and Euryale found their mortal infant sister they knew that it was their job to look after and care for Medusa. This meant the two sisters had to learn to farm sheep for milk and wool to feed and clothe Medusa. They had to watch mortals to learn how to look after Medusa. The two sisters love Medusa without question and will do anything to protect her. 

Medusa grows up knowing only love and safety from her sisters. She doesn’t see her sisters as monsters but as beautiful women who love her. This means that Medusa loves even those she doesn’t know and doesn’t see beauty as only skin deep but what is inside people. 

The other element I loved was how Haynes had written Perseus. I have always found Perseus to be rather a pompous arse and Haynes obviously agrees because that was how she had created Perseus. The Gods were also brilliantly written especially Zeus. 

This book was a really good read and I will definitely be reading more of my Haynes books soon. The only issue I had was that at times I found the storyline dragged slightly but overall I loved the book. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲🐲

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About the author

Natalie Haynes, author of THE FURIES (THE AMBER FURY in the UK), is a graduate of Cambridge University and an award-winning comedian, journalist, and broadcaster. She judged the Man Booker Prize in 2013 and was a judge for the final Orange Prize in 2012. Natalie was a regular panelist on BBC2’s Newsnight Review, Radio 4’s Saturday Review, and the long-running arts show, Front Row. She is a guest columnist for the The Independent and The Guardian. Her radio series, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, was first broadcast in March 2014.

Etsy

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20 Books of Summer 2023

Hello!

This year I have decided to take part in the 20 Books of Summer challenge which is ran by the wonderful Cathy at her blog 746 Books.

The rules are choose 10, 15, or 20 books to read between the 1st June and 1st September. However you can swap a book on your list during the challenge and you can also reduce your list to a smaller size if you feel overwhelmed. This is one of the reasons I am drawn to this challenge because the rules aren’t too strict and there is plenty of flexibility.

My choices are a combination of books that have been sat on my TBR for years and some recent additions to my TBR. I really hope this challenge will help reduce my TBR pile.

So here are my choices:

  1. The Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris
  2. The Witcher: Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
  3. The Royal Game by Anne O’Brien
  4. Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon
  5. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
  6. The Catch by T. M. Logan
  7. Meet Me In Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo
  8. Troy by Stephen Fry
  9. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
  10. Babel by R. F. Kuang
  11. Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
  12. Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
  13. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
  14. The Greek Plays
  15. The Persephone Book of Short Stories
  16. The Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse
  17. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
  18. Revelation by C. J. Sansom
  19. A Three Dog Problem by S. J. Bennett
  20. An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

I really hope we have some nice weather over the Summer as you just can’t beat reading a good book in the sun.

If you are taking part in the 20 Books of Summer challenge please let me know as I would love to see your lists.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Stacking the Shelves: 6/05/2023

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!

So I know I said last week that I wouldn’t be buying anymore books anytime soon but I had a stressful week with work and I just accidentally found myself on the Waterstones website. I went on there initially to do some book preorders but then I ordered some other books as well.

  • The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix. I started The Left-Handed Booksellers of London this week and so far I am really enjoying it so I decided to get the next book in the series.
  • The Two Penny Bar by Georges Simenon is my next planned Maigret read and hopefully I will read it soon.
  • Hidden Depths by Ifan Morgan Jones is a quick read book. I love the quick reads series as I find them great introductions to new authors and the perfect reads for when I have very little concentration.
  • Notting Hill Carnival by Candice Carty-Williams is another new author for me but as the book was only a £1 I threw it in the trolley.
  • Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati. Now I could have sworn I had this book preordered but as it never arrived I must have been wrong so I made sure I ordered it.

Now the book buying ban is back in place whilst I read some of these new books. Hopefully I don’t have another stressful week as my bank account needs to recover.

Have you added any new books to your bookshelves recently?

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Friday Poetry: Annette Wynne

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has had a good week and you all have exciting plans for the weekend. Sadly I will be working on Saturday and Sunday but I am looking forward to a free day on the Bank holiday Monday.

My chosen poem this week is inspired by all the wonderful blossom I have seen this week. I love this time of year.

May Snow

May is a blue and gold and green,
Not a trace of cloud is seen;
Yet I find along the way
Snowflakes falling all the day.

Dainty snowflakes fragrant white,
And there's not a cloud in sight,
Snow you cannot truly be—
You're just petals from the tree!

Annette Wynne

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

May 2023 TBR

Hello!

I will be honest I my TBR plans for March went out of the window and April was just a struggle to read let alone stick to a plan. However, for May I am going to try and read some planned reads but maybe not as structured as my previous TBR posts.

Shorter books are best

One thing I have worked out is that currently when I am working I’m too tired to tackle big books. I’m not reading so much at night because I struggle to focus and so I’m only really reading in the morning. So I have chosen some shorter books to keep me occupied this month.

Comfort Reads

I have some current comfort reads at the moment in the form of two book series that I love reading and feel like I can trust to not upset me. These are the next two books I am due to read in the series.

These are my planned reads for May and hopefully I will get around to reading some extra books as well. At the end of the month I have half term so I might plan a longer read them.

I hope you all have some good reads planned for May.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

WWW Wednesday: 3/05/2023

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.

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you will read next?

Hello!

I hope you are all having a good week so far. I will be honest today has been rather a tiring day and I am thoroughly looking forward to getting into bed with my book later.

What I am Currently Reading

This is an interesting read and not what I was expecting. So far it is an excellent read.

What I have Recently Finished Reading

I found this an interesting read and will be writing and posting my review soon.

What I Think I will Read Next

I have bought quite a few new books recently and I can’t wait to read them. I just don’t know what to read first!

Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Reading My Height in Books #4

Hello!

It is awkward photo time! April was a better reading month for me than March and I also managed to read one big book so I’m really hoping that will help make up for the lack of height during March.

Here is the current book stack which contains 21 books.

I managed to get Lyra to participate this month for the photo. This meant being very stealthy and swooping her up before she knew it was cuddly photo time.

The book stack is now the height of 21 inches exactly. This means I have 46 inches to go. Happily I am still ahead of this time last year but only by 2.5 inches. I must keep pushing with my reading as I really don’t want to fail again.

Look at that book stack grow.

Hopefully Lyra will appear in more photos soon but she can be a very reluctant photo model sometimes.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Goodreads Monday: 1/05/2023

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!

Pinch, punch first of the month! Yes it is May, I’m not sure how we are already in May but I’m really hoping this means less rain and more sunshine. I want to get out and read in my garden!

Anyway, my chosen book for Goodreads Monday is one that I have recently added to my TBR list on Goodreads but one that I hope to read very soon and not just because the lady at Waterstones said it was her favourite book of 2023 so far.

New York is slipping from Cleo’s grasp. Sure, she’s at a different party every other night, but she barely knows anyone. Her student visa is running out, and she doesn’t even have money for cigarettes. But then she meets Frank. Twenty years older, Frank’s life is full of all the success and excess that Cleo’s lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a green card. She offers him a life imbued with beauty and art—and, hopefully, a reason to cut back on his drinking. He is everything she needs right now. 

Cleo and Frank run head-first into a romance that neither of them can quite keep up with. It reshapes their lives and the lives of those around them, whether that’s Cleo’s best friend struggling to embrace his gender identity in the wake of her marriage, or Frank’s financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates after being cut off. Ultimately, this chance meeting between two strangers outside of a New Year’s Eve party changes everything, for better or worse.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is an astounding and painfully relatable debut novel about the spontaneous decisions that shape our entire lives and those imperfect relationships born of unexpectedly perfect evenings.

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

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

April 2023 Wrap Up

Hello!

How are we already in May? I really can’t believe how fast this year is going or how far behind my book challenges are. I think I have been in a bit of a slump but I have been trying to push through but I am still way behind.

Anyway, here is how April went.

Statistics

As you can see the stats are far better than March but they still need work.

Books

Pages: 390

Format Read: Paperback

Review

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 880

Format Read: Hardback

Review to follow

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 384

Format Read: Hardback

Review to follow

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 352

Format Read: Paperback

Review to follow

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 154

Format Read: Paperback

Review to follow

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲

Pages: 224

Format Read: Paperback

Review to follow

Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲

Goodreads Challenge: 21/80

As you can see I rather enjoyed the books I read in April but I am also way behind with my reviewing. Something I plan on correcting in May.

Hopefully, in May I catch up with my reviews and get back into regular blogging and also do better with my reading.

I hope everyone had a good reading month in April. What was your favourite read?

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you