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.
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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.
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.
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 have had another wonderful day of reading and catching up on jobs that I don’t manage when I’m working.
What I am Currently Reading
I have 50 pages left of this book and I’m so happy to own the rest of the series as I can’t wait to read the next book.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I absolutely loved this book and my review will follow soon.
What I Think I will Read Next
As usual I have no idea what I will read next but it might be one of these.
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. I had a lovely morning of reading which was a great start to my Easter holidays.
My chosen book to feature this week is another that has been sat on my TBR pile for a very long time and that I have recently rediscovered.
1645. When Alice Hopkins’ husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives.
But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women’s names.
To what lengths will Matthew’s obsession drive him? And what choice will Alice make, when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan?
Happy Reading
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good weekend. I now have two weeks off from teaching so I am looking forward to some good reading.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
I am thoroughly enjoying this and can’t put it down.
Happy Reading
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!
Only one book purchased this week and it was prep for our holiday. We always like to get a book about our planned destination so we can plan our trip and learn more about the place. The books are also nice little reminders of the places we have visited.
So here is our next holiday destination! We have never been before and we are both very excited to visit. This little book is smaller than expected but it is packed full of useful information and historical facts and is helping us plan what we want to do whilst in Jersey.
Happy Reading
Nephthys by Rachel Louise Driscoll
Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith
Blurb
Quiet and reserved, Clemmie is happy in the background. But although her parents may overlook her talents, her ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at the Egyptian relic parties which have made her father the toast of Victorian society.
But at one such party, the words Clemmie interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. The beautiful and dangerous glyphs she holds in her hands will change her life forever.
Five years later, Clemmie arrives in Egypt on a mission to save what remains of her family. The childhood game she used to play about the immortal sisters, Isis and Nephthys, has taken on a devastating resonance and it is only by following Nephthys’ story that she can undo the mistakes of the past. On her journey up the Nile she will meet unexpected allies and enemies and, along with long-buried secrets and betrayals, Clemmie will be forced to step into the light.
Review
I was really excited to read this book and had it preordered for quite a while and I read it almost as soon as it arrived in my parcel box which is unusual for me.
I will be honest I did not gel well with this book. I really tried and there were parts that I enjoyed but I did struggle with the writing style and some of the characters. One of the elements I did enjoy was that the main character Clemmie was an asthmatic. As a fellow asthmatic I found it really interesting to see how asthma was treated in the Victorian period. It really made me realise how dangerous asthma was in that period as there really wasn’t any drugs to help if they had a bad attack.
The other element I loved was the descriptions of Egypt and how the Victorians visited the different locations. I also enjoyed the snippets of Egyptian myths that were included in the book and I would have loved to have had more of those and the descriptions of Egypt. The showing of how Egypt was plundered by tourists and so much history was either destroyed or taken was also good to see that it wasn’t covered up or skipped over but was made part of the story.
I did struggle with how much this book jumped around at times from the present to past and sometimes to dreams. I just felt like it detracted from the storyline and I found it slowed the pacing down quite a bit. I also struggled with Clemmie. Clemmie was a very frustrating character to me. At times she was just too naive and childish and although I know the Victorians were very superstitious Clemmie was broaching on the ridiculous.
This was a take it or leave it book for me, I did enjoy the scenes set in Egypt but I found the flashbacks all too frequent and I just wanted the story to get a move on and back to Egypt. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Rachel Louise Driscoll won the Curtis Brown Creative scholarship in 2020. Originally from the South West of England, she lives in the North East with her husband and cat, Cleopatra. Nephthys is her debut novel. She was inspired to write Clemmie’s story by an experience she had at a local museum as a child where she was allowed to hold a mummified ancient Egyptian cat. Enjoying the hours of avid research required, Rachel even wrote some of the book wearing a corset in order to capture Clemmie’s experience more accurately!
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 from my Goodreads TBR to feature this week is one that has sat on my TBR for quite a few years.
When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in the classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch?
Long before Dorothy drops in, a girl is born in Oz with emerald-green skin. Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous witch, is a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived ideas about the nature of good and evil.
Taking readers past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world, Gregory Maguire’s novel is a rich and triumphant feat of imagination and allegory.
Happy Reading
Hello!
I hope you have all had a good weekend so far. I have managed to finish a book this weekend which is good.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
Happy Reading
Lady Book Dragon 