Books I’m Excited About #3

Hello!

I love preordering books as they are such a nice surprise when they turn up on your doorstep and this year because I haven’t been able to visit many bookshops I’ve mainly been preordering all my books.

So here are a few of the books I am excited about…

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A brand new collection of short stories from the incredible Sir Terry Pratchett. This deluxe collector’s edition comes in a beautiful slipcase, and includes an extra short story (the brilliant tale of The Bed Scratcher!), an exclusive colour print . . . and an unique number assigned to your book!!

Imagination is an amazing thing.

It can take you to the top of the highest mountain, or down to the bottom of the deepest depths of the sea.

This is where it took Doggins on his Awfully Big Adventure: a quest full of magic and flying machines. (And the world’s best joke – trust me, it’s hilarious.)

It took three young inventors to the moon (where they may or may not have left a bottle of lemonade) and a caveman on a trip to the dentist.

You can join them on these adventures, and many more, in this incredible collection of stories . . .

From the greatest imagination there ever was.

Written for local newspapers when Terry Pratchett was a young lad, these never previously published stories are packed full of anarchic humour and wonderful wit.

I am so excited about this – anything Terry Pratchett and I must read it.

 

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The eagerly awaited sequel to the cult classic Ready Player One, Cline’s bravura mash-up of high-octane gaming adventure and 1980s pop culture rides again in the electrifying Ready Player Two. Fizzing with wit and invention, this is big-hearted, big concept science fiction built to last.

 

Absolutely loved book one and I am so pleased there is going to be a sequel. I just hope I am not going to be disappointed.

 

 

 

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Lyra Silvertongue and her daemon Pantalaimon have left the events of His Dark Materials behind. Here in this snapshot of their forever-changed lives they return to the North to revisit an old friend where we will learn that things are not exactly as they seem.

I will be honest this is actually for my husband as I’ve never really got on with Philip Pullman but I might give this one a try.

 

 

 

 

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The Ickabog is coming… A mythical monster, a kingdom in peril, an adventure that will test two children’s bravery to the limit. Discover a brilliantly original fairy tale about the power of hope and friendship to triumph against all odds, from one of the world’s best storytellers.

The kingdom of Cornucopia was once the happiest in the world. It had plenty of gold, a king with the finest moustaches you could possibly imagine, and butchers, bakers and cheesemongers whose exquisite foods made a person dance with delight when they ate them.

Everything was perfect – except for the misty Marshlands to the north which, according to legend, were home to the monstrous Ickabog. Anyone sensible knew that the Ickabog was just a myth, to scare children into behaving. But the funny thing about myths is that sometimes they take on a life of their own.

Could a myth unseat a beloved king? Could a myth bring a once happy country to its knees? Could a myth thrust two children into an adventure they didn’t ask for and never expected?

If you’re feeling brave, step into the pages of this book to find out…

This was preordered as soon as I heard about it and I can’t wait to read it.

 

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Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission–and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that’s been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it’s up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.

I loved The Martian and adored Weir’s style of writing so even though this isn’t out till next year I had to preorder it so I will get it the day it comes out.

So there is my list of books that I simply can’t wait to get ahold of. Are there any books that you are excited about? Please drop me a comment for a bookish chat.

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The Weekly Brief

Hello!

Another week is over and we are halfway through August already!

Posts this Week

Currently Reading

Books Acquired

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Blogs I’ve Enjoyed Reading This Week

First up is Evelyn, who writes about all things books on her blog evelynreads. Evelyn does some fantastic reviews on her blog.

Another one of my favourite blogs and one that I have followed from when I first started blogging is Sara at The Bibliophagist. Sara reviews young adult, new adult and romance.

 

So that is my week!

Happy Reading.

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WWW Wednesday: 12/08/2020

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?

 

Another Wednesday is here and I am really into my reading groove. Here is what I have been up to this week.

What I am Currently Reading

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I am just reading this at the moment and I am loving it so far. The translation is a joy to read and the introduction by Wilson is possibly the best introduction I have ever read to a book. I have not stopped telling people about this book. Plus it is so unbelievably tactile, the pages are cut like real parchment and are thick and just amazing. Yes I know I am weird but I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds certain books wonderfully tactile, am I?

What I have Recently Finished Reading

Finished these two last week. I enjoyed The Postscript Murders but the story was just a bit ridiculous for me and certain characters annoyed me. The Summer of Madness was wonderful though and I really enjoyed it. (click the titles to go to the reviews).

What I will Read Next

The honest answer to this is I have no idea! I have so many books I want to read on my TBR pile that I just don’t know what to choose. But here are some possibles anyway.

So there is another WWW Wednesday done and dusted. Please drop me a link with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit. Please also feel free to chat about the books, I love talking all things books.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved But Never Reviewed

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.

Happy Tuesday!

The subject this week is easy for me as before the blog I rarely reviewed books so there are loads that I have never reviewed. I’ve talked people’s heads off about books I’ve loved but not written it down. So here are the ten I have chosen…

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Lord of Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett

So that is another Top Ten Tuesday complete. Please drop me a comment with your thoughts on the books or your Top Ten Tuesday and I will head over for a visit.

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The Summer of Madness by Alexander Raphael (Review)

The Summer of Madness by Alexander Raphael

About the author

Alexander Raphael was born and bred in London, though as he is half-Mexican grew up with an awareness and understanding of other cultures from a young age.

He’s always been a big fan of short stories in particular.

Blurb

In the summer of love, or rather of madness, a whole set of stories are emerging. But there is one that has got everyone talking. When Kurt decides to win back his ex-girlfriend with the help of a literary classic, he sets off a string of events that will build to a dramatic finale.

Review

I spotted this story on Hayley’s blog Rather Too Fond of Books and was very intrigued so I downloaded it straight to my Kindle for a weekend read as I do enjoy a short story.

At only 27 pages I read this in one sitting and absolutely loved it. This short story is about a man who has taken his girlfriend for granted and has now lost her and he is doing everything in his power to get her back. After everything else has failed he has one final go to win her back with a grand gesture.

This short story is beautifully written and was a joy to read. I adored the use of Wuthering Heights in the book as it is one of my all time favourite books. The plot was really clever and unlike anything I have read before. I really liked the character Judy and was really hoping she would get her dream come true.

The ending of this book left me smiling from ear to ear and thoroughly pleased that I had read the book. I highly recommend this short story to everyone, it will take less than half an hour to read and was a true page turner. I give this short story 5 out of 5 Dragons.

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The Weekly Brief

Hello and Welcome to all my new followers!

We have come to the end of another week so that can only mean one thing, it is time for another Weekly Brief.

Posts this Week

 

Currently Reading

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Books Acquired

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Blogs I have enjoyed reading this week

The first blog I always love reading and is in fact the first book blog I ever started following is by the wonderful Hayley at Rather Too Fond of BooksI always love Hayley’s book reviews and book posts but it invariably ends up with me buying more books. Not that I am complaining.

The next blog I have enjoyed this week and always do is my fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan Flora. Flora’s favourite genre is adult Paranormal Romance. You can find Flora’s fantastic blog over at Flora’s Musings.

The final blog that I have thoroughly enjoyed this week is HappymessHappinessI really enjoy the Six Word Stories and the quotes from this blog. They always make me smile.

 

So that is my week! I hope everyone else has had a good week.

Happy Reading my fellow Book Dragons.

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The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths (ARC Review)

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

About the author

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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 and the cat Gus.

Blurb

PS: thanks for the murders.

The death of a ninety-year-old woman with a heart condition should absolutely not be suspicious. DS Harbinder Kaur certainly sees nothing to concern her in carer Natalka’s account of Peggy Smith’s death.

But when Natalka reveals that Peggy lied about her heart condition and that she had been sure someone was following her…

And that Peggy Smith had been a ‘murder consultant’ who plotted deaths for authors, and knew more about murder than anyone has any right to…

And when clearing out Peggy’s flat ends in Natalka being held at gunpoint by a masked figure…

Well then DS Harbinder Kaur thinks that maybe there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.

Review

This is my first non-Dr Ruth Galloway book from Griffiths and I was so excited when I discovered I had been granted my request to read it on NetGalley.

Peggy Smith has died but has she been murdered? Peggy is also a ‘murder consultant’ who helps authors with the crime writing. As the story goes on more murders happen and the mystery thickens.

I’m not sure why but I struggled to get into this book and it just did not move along as I would have liked it to. I really liked the characters Harbinder and Neil and really liked their working relationship. However I disliked her repeatedly comparing Neil to a type of animal and thought it was unnecessary and rather mean of her. I also enjoyed the fact Harbinder still lived at home with her parents and the family dog Sultan.

The character that really grated on my nerves was Natalka. She really drove me insane. I found her very arrogant and self centred. I didn’t mind Benedict and Edwin and thought that they were both interesting and rather endearing characters, especially Benedict who was once a monk and now owns a coffee shop. But the whole concept of Natalka, Benedict and Edwin running off trying to solve the crime just came across as ridiculous and really they should have been arrested for meddling in a murder case. I think it was the whole storyline of this book that put me off as it did just come across as all a bit fanciful.

I still liked elements of this book and will admit I did not see the conclusion of the book at all. I will read the first book with Harbinder in and give the series another shot but sadly this book was just not for me. I only give the book 3 out of 5 Dragons.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Purchase Links

WaterstonesBook Depository

 

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WWW Wednesday: 5/08/2020

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?

 

Welcome to my first WWW Wednesday of August!

What I am Currently Reading

The Postscript Murders is my first Elly Griffiths that isn’t from the Dr Ruth Galloway series and I must admit I am struggling to get into it. I am still plodding on with The Odyssey. 

What I have Recently Finished Reading

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This is my favourite read of 2020 so far! I absolutely loved it. Click the picture for my review.

What I Plan to Read Next

It will definitely be one of these.

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

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Colours in the Title

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 Readers!

I can’t believe we are in August and it is already Tuesday! I had a great weekend reading which was wonderful.

The theme today is Books with Colours in the Title which has really made me rack my brains trying to think of all the books I have read with colours in the title.

The Black House by Peter May

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Sammantha Shannon

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Goldfinger by Ian Fleming

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

 

Please drop me a link with your Top Ten Tuesday and I will head over for a visit.

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Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir (Review)

Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir

About the author

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Alison Weir was born in 1951 and is a British writer of history books, and latterly historical novels, mostly in the form of biographies about British Royalty.

Blurb

The woman haunted by the fate of her predecessor.

Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn, Jane is dressing for her wedding to the King. She has witnessed at first hand how courtly play can quickly turn to danger and knows she must bear a son … or face ruin.

This new Queen must therefore step out from the shadows cast by Katherine and Anne. In doing so, can she expose a gentler side to the brutal King?

Jane Seymour. The third of Henry’s Queens. Her story.

Review

I will be honest straight away this is my favourite book so far from the Six Tudor Queens series by Weir and possibly the best book I have read so far this year. I could not put this book down and absolutely loved it!

The first thing I love about this book and the previous two is how the books entwine and you get to see the same scene but from different Queens’ perspectives. I love the different perspectives seen and the different feelings expressed about the same situation. This also shows the back stabbing nature of the court and how lethal it can be just dabbling in idle gossip.

Weir shows Jane Seymour as a wonderful character in this book and the way I always like to think of Jane Seymour. Jane is a timid, good natured creature, who has a deep faith and worries for her soul. Some people think Jane is the boring queen but I think she was a wonderful breath of fresh air after Anne Boleyn. Jane is a complete opposite of Anne Boleyn and that is what attracts Henry to her and although she doesn’t argue with him she has a deep inner strength. She gets the Princess Mary back to court and always tries to get Henry to do the right thing.

The description of Jane’s family home and family life before she goes to court is wonderfully detailed and a joy to read. I also really liked the characters of Jane’s brothers and her mother.

However, in this book poor Jane is haunted by a shadowy figure and every time she sees this figure tragedy follows. Is it a vision of Jane’s creating or real? We do not know but it is clear that Jane feels a deep sense of guilt over the death of Anne Boleyn.

I absolutely loved this book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the author’s notes at the end. I always enjoy reading about how Weir created the book. I highly recommend this book and the series so far. They contain love, intrigue, religion, drama, history and much more. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.

Purchase Links

Book DepositoryWaterstones

Reviews of previous books

Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen

Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession

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