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!
I have been book buying which is very naughty and going against my plan for less book buying this year. On Thursday I went to Ely for the first time and discovered Toppings. Now as you all know I love Toppings in Bath so obviously I had to see the Ely branch. This led to buying some books. Two books I bought for my husband and two I bought for myself.
The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie – This is my next Agatha Christie read in my challenge so I was quite pleased to find it in the shop.
Nightflyers by George R. R. Martin – I really like Martin’s work and it is nice to read his books that aren’t Game of Thrones related.
I’m really hoping I get around to reading these soon as they are both rather short so shouldn’t take me too long to read.
I have been at school today which was a bit of a shock because I only usually do school at the beginning of the week. This week has so far been rather busy so not much reading has happened but I’m still trying to fit in as much as I can.
The poem I have chosen today is by a new poet for me. Ursula Askham Fanthorpe (1929-2009) was an English poet, who published as U. A. Fanthorpe.
Atlas
There is a kind of love called maintenance, Which stores the WD40 and knows when to use it;
Which checks the insurance, and doesn't forget The milkman; which remembers to plant bulbs;
Which answers letters; which knows the way The money goes; which deals with dentists
And Road Fund Tax and meeting trains, And postcards to the lonely; which upholds
The permanently rickety elaborate Structures of living; which is Atlas.
And maintenance is the sensible side of love, Which knows what time and weather are doing To my brickwork; insulates my faulty wiring; Laughs at my dryrotten jokes; remembers My need for gloss and grouting; which keeps My suspect edifice upright in the air, As Atlas did the sky.
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!
How is everyone’s week so far? I was overjoyed to actually finish a book this week. I really do feel like I am slacking with my reading at the moment but I just seem to struggle for time.
What I am Currently Reading
I’ve decided for the rest of the week I am going to push ahead with this book and get it finished. I am really enjoying it and I’m so close to the end that a chapter a day is far too restraining.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it is my first 5 out of 5 Dragons read of 2024. Here is the review if anybody is interested.
What I Think I will Read Next
As usual I’m not sure what I will read next but here are a few contenders.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Behind a veil of treachery and haunted bones, a dragon curse is about to set the world ablaze… Dragons didn’t exist until recently. Neither did traitors, until Miriam Huckerpucker started nosing around in The Vault where she and the other undeads are holed up, when they are not out in the countryside picking up haunted bones, which is what they do for an unliving. For Miriam, who has been in the game for a while, with a refined skill set in magic spelling and swordy gymnastics and mourning classes, the hard part is not bone picking but catching homing pigeons which like all living beings don’t fancy the undead at all. When no pigeons arrive from the undead expedition to barbarian lands, where the first known dragon’s bones lay waiting, Miriam suspects a traitor is messing about with the pigeon post. Mustering someone who is literally dying to get a new occupation and also getting an undead dog into the bargain, her investigations unravel a sinister plot far bigger than The Vault.
Review
Firstly, a massive thank you to Astor Y Teller for gifting me this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this book but I was definitely not expecting this wonderful world Teller has created. The book follows Miriam Huckerpucker who is a bone collector for The Vault. She is also an undead with an unusual skill set of swordy gymnastics and magic spelling. She also overthinks things and has a suspicious mind.
On one of her adventures Miriam meets Crazyjones who is a farmer and the adorable Tenderloin who is his dog but things are not as they seem. This meeting is a fantastically funny introduction to the book and introduces these wonderful characters to the reader. There is no messing about with this book and you are thrust straight into the storyline which I loved.
I loved Teller’s writing style and imagination and I flew through this book and laughed constantly. The names of the characters are hilarious and are excellent descriptions for the characters. I also love the world that Teller has created and I can’t wait to learn more about The Vault and the undead. I’m also fascinated by the bones and really hope we learn more about it all. I’m also hoping to see a lot more of Tenderloin as he is very cute (yes he is my favourite character). I loved this book and can’t wait to read the next one. This is a definite 5 out of 5 Dragons from me.
🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲
About the author
Everybody makes a story about themselves. Here is my take:
I started out
1) as a kid telling myself stories using my imagination, then
2) growing up to tell stories to others as a gamemaster (which I still do), then
3) getting sucked most unwilling into occult stuff (the flip side of quantum physics?), escaping that to
4) hesitantly get an education in programming, then
5) surviving dull years surrounded by the machines that go ping and keeping the weekends occupied by reading and being artful and conjuring exhaustion for the work week, then
6) saying enough is enough and submitting myself to another long streak of education, this time in art, where I started out painting (and still do) but graduated in spontaneous storytelling (or bearing witness to my imaginary worlds if you want a fancy way of saying it) then
7) start writing down these stories instead of telling them to an audience, ending up like
1) the kid I began as, telling myself stories using my imagination…
…which is the nation I prefer to be in (after doing my stint of travelling abroad) and where I go by the name of Astor Y Teller.
The rest of me can be gleaned from the books and if not, it’s not worth telling.
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. I must admit I found my first day back at school rather a shock to the system.
I am determined to start my Agatha Christie challenge back up, so for today I have chosen the next book on the list for me to read.
A practical joke goes chillingly, murderously wrong in Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie’s classic detective story, The Seven Dials Mystery.
Gerry Wade had proved himself to be a champion sleeper, so the other houseguests decided to play a practical joke on him. Eight alarm clocks were set to go off, one after the other, starting at 6:30 a.m. But when morning arrived, one clock was missing and the prank then backfired, with tragic consequences.
For Jimmy Thesiger in particular, the words “Seven Dials” were to take on a new and chilling significance…
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I hope everyone has had a good weekend. I am back at school tomorrow and I must admit I’m not keen on going back, half term has gone way too quickly this time. One good thing is the amount of reading I have managed this week.
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!
I am still trying to buy less books this year and so far this month I haven’t bought any books but this week a very nice author sent me her book for me to read and review. I am quite excited about this book and hope to get reading it this month.
This book is partially set in Greece so I am very excited because I just love Greece!
I hope everyone has had a good week so far. I have had a fab day of reading today and it has been bliss.
My chosen poem today is by the American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright Edward Estlin Cummings (1894-1962).
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your doing,mydarling) i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet) i want no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
Welcome to my first This and That Thursday of 2024.
I will be honest I have been rather hectic with work so have had less adventure time. I am now teaching at three different schools as well as teaching from home and doing playing work but I can’t complain as it helps me do the things I love, oh and pay the bills.
Walking and Pokemon Go
During 2023 my walking really took a hit so my husband and I have decided to really make an effort and get back into our walking again. This has also meant I am playing more Pokemon Go. I am in a bit of a competition with my sister-in-law with Pokemon Go but sadly she has really pulled ahead due to my lack of movement and playing. However, I am determined to catch up again! If anybody would like to add me as a friend my friend code is 6008 1727 2520.
National Trust
We have managed a few of National Trust properties so far this year. We went to one of my favourites in the New Year to see their Christmas displays before they took it all down. Berrington Hall does one of my favourite Christmas displays and they never disappoint. We have also been to Hanbury Hall which we haven’t been to for many years. I had forgotten just what a beautiful property it was and what beautiful gardens it has. This week we went to Benthall Hall which also included a lovely walk and a trip into Much Wenlock for lunch.
Etsy
I am still running my little Etsy business and I am absolutely loving it. The TBR Tickets are proving very popular and keeping me busy. I just love creating new bookmarks and coming up with new products for my fellow book lovers.
So there are a few things I have been up to. I am really hoping for more walks and more adventures soon, I just wish it would stop raining!
Lady Book Dragon 