Hello everyone
So here is my week blogging.
Posts this week
Books I am Reading
Books I Have Acquired
Hello!
I saw this on Julie’s blog One More Book and loved it so thought I would give it a go.
Never Have I Ever… burned a book
Definitely a no from me, I never destroy books.
Never Have I Ever… read a book I knew I would hate
This I have definitely done. Lots of books on study lists that I just knew I would not enjoy but read anyway.
Never Have I Ever… written a fanfiction about my favourite books
A big no! I have never been keen on fanfiction.
Never Have I Ever… loved a book when I was young, yet hated it when I got older.
Hmm this is a tricky one. I’m not sure I have a book that I have hated as an adult but I have plenty of books that I hated as a child and now love as an adult.
Never Have I Ever… dressed up as one of my favourite literary characters.
I dressed up as lots of characters when I was at school but can’t quite remember them all. I have dressed up as Legolas in the past.
Never Have I Ever… hated a book by an author I love
Terry Pratchett is my all time favourite author but I hated his book Snuff and that really upset me as I never thought I would dislike a book by him.
Just recently I read The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths and I really did not like that either when everything I have read of Griffiths’ so far I have loved.
Never Have I Ever… gone into a bookstore to buy one book and come out with many more
All the time! I seriously can not be trusted in a bookstore as my poor husband knows all too well.
Never Have I Ever… read the ending of a book before reading the beginning
Never! But I have read the ending of a book that I haven’t been enjoying to see if it is worth carrying on with.
Never Have I Ever… read a book without the dust cover
All the time as it protects the dust cover.
Never Have I Ever… skim read nearly half a book
Definitely, especially when reading study books.
Never Have I Ever… dropped a book in the bath
Yes! Hence why I never now read in the bath.
I really enjoyed this book tag. I won’t be tagging anybody but feel free to join in!
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.
Happy Wednesday!
Time for another reading update!
What I am Currently Reading
Really getting into the Aeneid at the moment.
What I Have Recently Finished Reading
Really did not enjoy this sadly.
What I Plan to Read Next
As per usual lots of options because I am never sure what I will read next.
So there is another WWW Wednesday. Please drop me a link to your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.
Hello!
This Top Ten Tuesday is a bit of a tricky one for me because as I have said many times, I am a mood reader. However, I will try my best to see which books I might read this Autumn.
The Time-travelling Caveman by Terry Pratchett
The Ickabog by J. K. Rowling
Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen by Alison Weir
Troy by Stephen Fry
Mantel Pieces by Hilary Mantel
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Die Standing by John Jackson Miller
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Sea of the Dead by Amy Kuivainen
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
So there is my Top Ten Tuesday. Please drop me a comment if you want to chat about the books listed and of course please drop me a link to your Top Ten Tuesday and I will head over for a visit.
The Smell of Cedar by River Dixon
Trigger warning: Male rape, child abuse, torture
About the author
When once asked for an author bio, River Dixon was quoted as saying, “Life is pretty good these days. But that doesn’t mean I don’t remember. It’s quite easy, too easy, to slip back to what once was, realizing it still is. Fortunately, I have the knowledge that there is an underlying hope in all this, and that is one of the greatest gifts the years have given me.”
When asked what she thought of his writing, his wife answered, “I don’t know, he puts his soup in the freezer and ice cream in the microwave. I think that just about says it all.”
River Dixon and his family are currently trapped in the incessant heat and beauty of Arizona.
Blurb
Sarah’s day was already off to a bad start when the arrival of a strange package from an unknown sender sent her spiralling into a state of paranoia. Memories of a tortured childhood in her grandmother’s care taunt her as she tries to piece together the events of the past few months—the events that have led up to this day. She’s convinced that a killer is coming for her, and it’s become a race against time and madness to figure out who is pulling the strings in this game of hunt or be hunted.
Review
I saw this book on a fellow blogger’s site and thought it sounded really good so I immediately downloaded it on the Kindle and started to read it. Oh how misleading the blurb is.
The beginning of the book started off well and I was hooked but then it went downhill fast and I was also left with a few unanswered questions which I also found annoying. The character Sarah has a great deal of issues and they are not her fault. Her grandmother created what Sarah is today and you can’t help but feel sorry for Sarah when reading Sarah’s flashbacks of her life with her grandmother.
However, Sarah as an adult is a different kettle of fish. It all starts off so normal but then it spirals quickly. Towards the end of this book I will be honest I had to skim read certain parts just to make sure I could sleep that night and also not throw up.
I will say that this book has probably upset me more than any other book I have read. I can’t even say I recommend it and that does not often happen and I always try to find a positive with a book and give it a chance. The book was well written and does hook you in but it really was not my cup of tea and I wish to forget it as soon as possible.
A disturbing read that I only give 1 Dragon to.
Another busy week complete and I am so happy to have early access to my course which I have now started to have a look at and I must admit I am in for a busy academic year.
So here is the weekly brief
Posts this Week
Currently Reading
Books Acquired
Blogs I Have Enjoyed This Week
So that is my week on the blog! I wish everyone the very best of weeks.
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Happy Friday!
It is time to guess that book. As per usual the answer is below the cats.
“Anna peered through the window of the gatehouse, watching the chariot trundling through below, enjoying the rich sensuousness of the new silk gown she was wearing, and conscious of her parents’ expectations of her.”
ANSWER
Newly widowed and the father of an infant son, Henry VIII realizes he must marry again to insure the royal succession. Now forty-six, overweight and unwell, Henry is soundly rejected by some of Europe’s most eligible princesses, but Anna of Kleve—a small German duchy—is twenty-four and eager to wed. Henry requests Anna’s portrait from his court painter, who enhances her looks, painting her straight-on in order not to emphasize her rather long nose. Henry is entranced by the lovely image, only to be bitterly surprised when Anna arrives in England and he sees her in the flesh. She is pleasant looking, just not the lady that Henry had expected.
What follows is a fascinating story of this awkward royal union that had to somehow be terminated tactfully. Alison Weir takes a fresh and surprising look at this remarkable royal marriage by describing it from the point of view of Queen Anna, a young woman with hopes and dreams of her own, alone in a royal court that rejected her from the day she arrived.
Please drop me a comment with your First Line Friday and I will head over for a visit.
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 I am Currently Reading
I took a bit of a break on this but have now started reading it again. So far so good.
What I have Recently Finished
Loved both of these books and highly recommend them.
What I will Read Next
As per usual I’m never sure what I will read next. It all depends on my mood.
So there is my WWW Wednesday. Please drop me a message with the link of your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.
Hello!
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie but must be cover related so I have chosen Book Covers That I Love. I will be honest I have chosen books because of their cover rather than their content but sometimes you just can’t help but be tempted by a pretty cover. I am really guilty of buying Christmas books due to their pretty covers but I will try not to have just ten Christmas books on my list, I promise.
So here is my list…
There is my list! Please drop me a comment with your thoughts on my choices and of course if you have taken part in Top Ten Tuesday the feel free to drop a link and I will head over.
The Existence of Amy by Lana Grace Riva
Blurb
Amy has a normal life. That is, if you were to go by a definition of ‘no immediate obvious indicators of peculiarity’, and you didn’t know her very well. She has good friends, a good job, a nice enough home. This normality, however, is precariously plastered on top of a different life. A life that is Amy’s real life. The only one her brain will let her lead.
Review
Firstly, a massive thank you to Lana Grace Riva for supplying me with a free copy of her wonderful book to review.
I will be honest this isn’t a book that I would have chosen to read on my own but I am so happy that I did read it and I definitely plan on reading more of Riva’s work.
Amy is a wonderful character and one that I loved and felt a rollercoaster of emotions for. Amy has a good group of friends, a fantastic job and what appears as a normal happy life. However, Amy is also plagued by her own mind, that little voice that insists she should live a certain way to survive, even though Amy knows this makes no sense. This almost double life for Amy is exhausting and upsets her greatly because she realises she is missing out on things she would love to do and she is grieving for a time she can remember where she didn’t have this weird double life and grabbed life with both hands.
Riva has really done her research for this book and the character of Amy is brilliantly thought out and her friends are perfect. Sally is the loud socialite who doesn’t see that there is more to Amy than she sees and so thinks wrongly of Amy and leaves Amy out of things but is still Amy’s friend. Nathan is the bubbly happy friend who cares for Amy and wants to help her. Then there is Ed who has always had a deep relationship with Amy and cares for Amy a great deal. Ed and Amy share the same tastes and love nothing more than going around an art exhibition.
The thing I love most about this book is that the story is so simple and it focuses on Amy’s daily life and the struggles she encounters each day. This simplicity makes the story so much more real and makes you realise as a reader that this could be anybody in the world who is facing these struggles, including your own work colleagues and friends. This book definitely makes you think about the struggles people have to deal with that you can’t see.
I am so happy that I read this book and highly recommend it to everyone. It won’t take you long to read but I can guarantee that it will stay with you and give you a lot to think about. I give this book a big 5 out of 5 Dragons.
Lady Book Dragon 