WWW Wednesday: 22 March 2023

It’s spring!!! Yay, yay, triple yay! It’s raining though…. Booooo!

It’s been a tough week, because my beloved pony is not well and we’re not quite sure how it’s going to pan out. I’ve been quite emotional and my reading has been a bit all over the place because of that, but at the same time it’s good to get lost in a book for a while to forget the stress of having an animal that is suffering unless she is on painkillers.

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

CURRENTLY READING

My main read at the moment is Fredrik Backman’s My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologises. I am enjoying it ok. I am almost 150 pages in and it is has not quite sucked me in the way other books by the author have done in the past. I am sure it will make me cry at some point though…

As a ‘side quest’ I am reading Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. That one is on my 2023 TBR and one of my Spanish translation books I am reading a bunch of this year. I am a few stories in. They’re all stories about fictional books and it’s kind of interesting and weird. Not quite sure what to make of it yet.

Finally, I am listening to Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr on audio. It’s a book that is actually on my April TBR, but I am reading it early. The audio book was included in my Audible subscription and I was just in the mood for it. I am getting up to halfway. It’s quite an old fashioned style of fantasy – it was written in the 1980s – and it took some getting used to. Some questionable plot devices for sure. I am enjoying it ok though.

RECENTLY FINISHED

I only finished two books in the past week, but they both ended up really great. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson was a really fun read and it scored 9.14, whilst An Immense World by Ed Yong was a super interesting non-fiction book about animal senses and a scored 9.86!!!

SOON READING

The only book left on my March TBR after the ones I am currently reading is Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo, another one from my 2023 TBR and translated from Spanish. If I have time left to read another book this month I will likely read The Gypsy Morph by Terry Brooks to finish out the Genesis of Shannara series. Audio book wise I am not sure what I will pick up next.

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WWW Wednesdays: 15 March 2023

Finally, a sunny day after way too much depressing rain. I have to continue work at the moment, as we have new guests arriving in our AirBnB this evening. Yes, my job is being a glorified cleaner, ha!

My reading has been a bit up and down to be honest, but in the last week I have read some really good books, so here we go!

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

CURRENTLY READING

My main read at the moment is Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. I just started that one yesterday and I did not get very far into it. Hopefully I will enjoy it. I have not had the best track record with sci-fi, but if anyone can write a sci-fi story I like it’s Brandon Sanderson.

My audio book is An Immense World by Ed Yong. I have got the hardback, but I decided to listen to it. I do leaf through the physical book every now and then, because it has a ton of footnotes and some explanatory drawings (and pictures!!!). The book is about how animals see the world and about their (extraordinary) senses. It’s really interesting and I am loving it so far. It certainly makes you see the world differently!

I am still reading A Year of Wonder by Clemency Burton-Hill (a piece of classical music for every day of the year), but I am still stuck in January, cause I haven’t been picking it up. I plan to binge a chunk soon. I prefer to do it that anyway, so that’s ok. I like to just curl up with that book and listen to the pieces of music for a while with no one else around, just in my own world, so I can write down my thoughts on each piece. I just need to find a bit of time to do that.

RECENTLY FINISHED?

I finished quite a few books this past week, compared to only finishing one the previous week.

The first one I finished was The Elves of Cintra by Terry Brooks, the second book of the Genesis of Shannara series, which is book number two of my epic Shannara (mostly re-) read. That one I liked less than the first one in the series, but it was still pretty decent. It took me a while to read it. Maybe I was in kind of a slumply place. I am not sure. 7.71

I finished an audio book, which was To The River by Olivia Laing. I expected to love that one, but though I love non-fiction books that are a bit meandering, I felt this one was a bit too much so. It didn’t seem to know what it wanted to be. It was okay. 6.57

Me and my daughter finished reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman. We both really loved it. 9.00

I finished Alone with you in the Ether by Olivie Blake, which I absolutely loved. It was a very intense read for a book under 300 pages, but that was exactly what I loved about it. One of my favourite books of the year so far. 9.43

After that came another fantastic read; Violets by Alex Hyde. Very short, very poetic. Loved it. 9.43

Finally, I just finished a poetry book this morning; A Fortune for Your Disaster by Hanif Abdurraqib, which I really enjoyed. 8.50

SOON READING:

I am about to pick up Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. It is the last book on my Winter TBR. I think it is a collection of short stories, so I will read it as such over the next couple of weeks. The only other books left on my March TBR are My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologizes by Fredrik Backman and Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo.

I am doing well this month, especially after playing catch-up this week.

Spring is on the way – always a good thing!

WWW Wednesdays: 22 Feb 23

A little bit of spring is in the air. The days are lengthening. The weather is relatively calm. I am longing for the sun to get warmer.

Anyway, on to the books!

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

CURRENTLY READING

My main read is still The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb. The past week has been a little eventful, so I am going slower than I had hoped. I am about 700 pages with 200 left to go. I am hoping to get to page 750, maybe 800 today. I am enjoying it!

Coraline is on my February TBR, but because it is middle grade I am reading it with my daughter before bedtime. We are both enjoying the story. It’s scary without being too horrifying. I am not sure we will finish it before the end of February, but it’s fun reading it together.

Finally, I have started a classic on audio: Zofloya, or the Moor by Charlotte Dacre. It was originally published in 1806 and apparently it was considered quite scandalous, especially since it was written by a woman. I am curious to see what I think. It’s set in Venice, which is fun. I do have this one in paperback as well, but sometimes classics are just easier to read via audio book. I am only about 10 pages in, so I can’t really form an opinion yet.

RECENTLY FINISHED

I just finished up my last audio book My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell yesterday. It’s an autofiction memoir and it was a joy to listen to.

I also read a poetry book: The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón. I really enjoyed that one as well.

READING NEXT

I will be reading either Specters by Radwa Ashour or Meru by SB Divya. The first is a translated fiction book by an Egyptian author and the second is a SciFi.

WWW Wednesdays: 15 February 2023

And so February continues. To be fair, it was lovely weather the past few days. Spring was definitely in the air. Unfortunately from tomorrow we’re back to miserable rain. Blegh!

Anyway, on to the books!

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

CURRENTLY READING:

My reading has been practically non-existent the last few days. I have been busy and tired. My main read is The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb and when I actually read a few pages I REALLY enjoy it. I am just struggling with a bit of focus. A me thing, not a book thing. It will pass in a day or two. I hope anyway! I have four books (including The Mad Ship) left on my Feb TBR and only 13 books left to read them in. If I don’t make it – no big deal, I will just move what’s left from my TBR on to March – rollover! That’s how we roll these days. I am about 100 pages in, so I have about 800 pages left – YIKES!

On audio I am listening to My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. I picked it up for GBP 2 at some point on Audible. I have the 1950s hardback version on my shelf. I picked it from my husband’s great-aunt’s shelf after she passed and the house was being cleared. I took a small stack of old hardbacks and this was one of them. It has her name in it as well and I like that it makes me think of her. Listening to it I can imagine her reading and liking it. It’s a memoir and it is quite a joy!

RECENTLY FINISHED

I finished The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Unfortunately I did not end up loving that one. After that I read The Fires by Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir, which was translated from Icelandic. It was just ok for me. There were elements of it I liked and some I really didn’t. I really did not like the ending at all, even if I could appreciate it.

I between I read The Tea Dragon Society Boxset (The Tea Dragon Society, The Tea Dragon Festival and The Tea Dragon Tapestry). Absolutely adorable graphic novels, which I enjoyed immensely!

I also finished The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I listened to that one on audio and I really enjoyed it! The atmosphere was amazing! After that I listened Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson, which was quite a ride. I did not love it, but it was certainly something and I am glad I read it!

READING NEXT

I have three books left on my TBR. A sci-fi, a middle grade and a novel translated from Arabic. It really depends whether I will pick up the pace with The Mad Ship.

WWW Wednesday: 8 February 2023

February may well me my least favourite month of the year. It sucks. Big time. You get a glimpse of spring and then the weather gods are like: ha ha, fooled you! Wait another couple of months! Sod you, February!

Anyway, on to the books!

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

CURRENTLY READING:

My main read is The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I vastly underestimated how long it would take me to read that one. I am not finding it an easy read. I like it, but I am distracted from it way too easily. It’s not quite holding my attention. I have about 200 pages left. I really hope I can finish it in a couple of days, but the rate I am going, I doubt it!

My audio book is The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the second book in the Library of Forgotten Books series (the first being The Shadow of the Wind). It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. At first I wasn’t sure, but now I am very much invested in the story and I am completely intrigued! Zafon is an amazing writer. I love some the way he writes sense of place. Barcelona feels like a living breathing thing.

Finally, I am reading The Tea Dragon Society boxset by Kay O’Neill. I read the first one and it was supercute!

RECENTLY FINISHED:

I finished both Mudlarking by Lara Maiklem (audio) and All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie right at the beginning of the month, but that’s it.

READING NEXT:

I have a few books on my February TBR I could choose next. My next audio will probably be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson. My next ‘eye read’ will most likely be one of my non-fantasy books. Perhaps The Fires by Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir or Specters by Radwa Ashour.

WWW Wednesday: 18 January 2023

I actually first wrote 18 June in the title. June! Someone has spring on the brain. To be honest, I can’t wait for winter to be over. At least it has stopped raining every day and I have actually seen some sunshine in the last couple of days. It does a human bean good to see that star in the sky again, even if it’s for just a while. I had almost forgotten she existed – it has been so miserable!

Anyway, on to the books!

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

CURRENTLY READING:

I have three books on the go at the moment. A physical poetry collection, which is Sound Mind by T J Singh. The first part of that is a collection of poems that form a story about wolves, but which is really about humanity. I am just over halfway through that story. The second half is just a poetry collection. I have heard mixed things and I am feeling mixed things. Sometimes I think some stanzas are great and others are just… * shrug*. This was a collection I bought this month, so it’s nice to be getting to it swiftly.

I am reading The Visitor by Katherine Stansfield on my Kindle. I think it’s supposed to be a historical mystery. I am about 50 pages in and I am not quite sure of the vibe yet. So far I find it a bit depressing. It’s set in Cornwell, a timeline in the 1880s and another in the 1930s, one following Pearl as a girl and the other as an old woman in a seaside town undergoing big changes. I am enjoying it, but like I said, the vibe is not cheerful.

Finally, on the opposite side of the spectrum I am listening to The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell. This is a non-fiction memoir of a guy who finds a penguin that is a victim of an oil spill and takes it home. It’s funny and light hearted and I am enjoying the listen so far. It’s narrated by Bill Nighy.

RECENTLY FINISHED:

I only finished the two books that I was reading last week, which were The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which was a lovely cozy classic middle grade listen, and Armageddon’s Children, the first book in the Genesis of Shannara series by Terry Brooks. The latter is a dystopian/fantasy novel and as I read so much Terry Brooks when I was younger, his writing feels so warmly familiar. I like that feeling and the story was better than I remembered. Well, to be fair I did not remember much at all. They both ended up being 4 1/2 * reads.

SOON READING:

I still have an ‘unlikely book’ to read and my choice ( reduced to two since I already DNFd one) is between Green Rider by Kristen Britain and Decider by Dick Frances. So either YA fantasy or a horseracing mystery. I will let it depend on my mood.

At the moment I would be leaning towards Green Rider, as I am in a fantasy kind of mood, but that may well change! It’s a bigger book (500p vs 350p appr), so if I have lots of time it would be a great way to go.

I am happy with how I am going through my January TBR. I may even have some time left. If I do, I may just pick a book from my February TBR or maybe pick a book from my Winter TBR.

WWW Wednesday: 11 January 2023

I love my reading mojo at the moment! How was the start of your 2023? Any early favourites?

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

CURRENTLY READING:

I am currently reading Armageddon’s Children, the first book in the Genesis of Shannara series by Terry Brooks. This is a re-read. I am hoping to read a chunk of the all the Shannara series in the recommended re-reading order, which is different from the publishing order. Many of these books I haven’t read in many many years. There is one trilogy I will skip, because I read it not too long ago. This first trilogy I read about seven years or so ago and I don’t remember much about it. I am only 10 pages into the first book and so far I am enjoying it. It’s a prequel trilogy to the original Shannara books and it’s kind of dystopian fantasy, taking place at a future point of our own world.

On audio I am listening to The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I am enjoying it quite a bit. It is a bit dated in places, especially when it comes to privilege and race, but overall it’s quite a sweet story so far. It works great as an audio book and the narrator does a fantastic job with the Yorkshire accents. I’m about a third of the way in. This one is on my 2023 TBR.

RECENTLY FINISHED:

Bad news first. I DNFd two books, which is almost unheard of for me, but I think it’s actually a good thing. I DNFd Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning at 25% – I just hated the writing. It felt lazy and surprisingly sexist. The plot could have been ok, but by the 100 page mark I had just had enough when there was another mention of how pretty the main character is, etc. No, just no. I also DNFd My Name is Light by Argentinian author Elsa Osorio. I only got 10 pages in and I was not enjoying myself. The writing was awful (though that could have been the translation) and I had had enough. I felt oddly pleased with my DNFs, as I simply have too many good books to read! One was an e-book and the other a paperback. Still, they can both be struck off my TBR. The paperback is on the unhaul pile of course.

Now, I did finish some books as well! I read Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. This is a YA fantasy story, which I enjoyed well enough, but I will not be continuing the series. I am happy with where it ended. To be honest, I have already forgotten most of it!

On the very positive side, I finished two books this past week that will end up on my favourite books of the year list! A Little Devil in America: in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib is a fantastic non-fiction book about a variety of artists that made an impact throughout the past century. This one is also part memoir and social commentary and Hanif has such a poetic turn of phrase and so much passion in his prose that this was truly a joy to read. All the chapters and people he talked about were really interesting as well. I would highly recommend this one.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell was incredible. Such a wonderful historical novel. I loved it start to finish, maybe even more than I loved Hamnet by the same author. It was such a sensitively written novel, kind of slow, but beautiful. I loved the ominous undercurrent as well.

SOON READING:

I have a poetry book on my TBR this month, which is Sound Mind by T J Singh, so I am likely to get to that in the next week. I started to read one of my unlikely books (one of my January prompts), but DNFd it, so I will probably choose one of the other two, so either Decider by Dick Francis (mystery) or Green Rider by Kristen Britain (fantasy). I also have an unlikely e-book to read. I have three choices for that and I am not sure what I will be in the mood for yet. I am going through my January TBR at a good clip, so I am hoping to finish my reads early, so I can get started on The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb, which is on my February for sure, but I hope to bring forward if I can. I am SO looking forward to that one!

Good times ahead! (I sincerely hope!)

WWW Wednesday: 4 January 2023

Happy New Year, WWW peeps!

New year, new chances! Have a great one! Reading or otherwise.

Anyway, let’s talk about books!

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

CURRENTLY READING:

I just started Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. It’s YA fantasy and it’s fitting some prompts for challenges this year. Hence it’s on my 2023 TBR. May as well start the year right. I am only 50 pages in and I am not yet warming to it, though I am enjoying it enough to think a DNF is unlikely. Going in I expected it to end up on the unhaul pile afterwards to be honest, but we’ll see. I have been surprised before!

I had a dentist appointment today, so the waiting time was perfect to start an audio book. I have a couple on my January TBR, but I ended up starting Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning. It’s a urban fantasy and I think it’s romance heavy. My track record with fae type stories is not great, but we will see. I am only 20 pages in, but I am starting to be interested, so fingers crossed it will be a fun read.

Finally, my first audio book of the year is A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib. Honestly, he is one of my favourite writers out there. His passion for his subjects is second to none and the way he expresses that passion just works for me. This one looks at a variety of black performers throughout history and I love the way he tells their stories, so naturally and easily. His narrative always flows so well and the way he connects it to his own experiences and life makes it feel so personal. I cannot sing the praises of this author enough.

RECENTLY FINISHED:

The first book I finished in 2023 was The Golden Mole by KAtherine Rundell, a non-fiction book that talks about a number of animals and how amazing they are when we just stop to take notice. I absolutely loved it. It was a NetGalley eARC, but I ended up buying myself a physical copy once I had read it. My only gripe was that there should/could have been more of it. I wanted more of it.

This morning I finished Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. It was an amazing book, but so so heartbreaking. I really hope we will never experience her version of the future, cause it sucks. Yet, the writing was absolutely great.

SOON READING:

I have quite a strict January TBR, but considering what I am reading at the moment and looking at my remaining TBR, my most likely choices are The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell or one of my ‘unlikely book’ choices, depending on my mood. I don’t think my next read will be fantasy, as I am reading two fantasy books of some sort or another at the moment.

My next audio book will be The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

***

What have you started your reading year with?

WWW Wednesday: 21 December 2022

So, shortest day… I already can’t wait for winter to be over. It’s my least favourite season as we live quite rurally and it’s not nice when the weather is crap. Anyway, it’s almost Christmas and hopefully the coming days will be pleasantly spent with family, even if the weather is supposed be rubbish. Rain, rain, rain… Oh, and wind. Ugh!

Anyway, I’m here to talk about books!

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

So, what am I reading?

I am in the homestretch of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, which I have been listening to on audio for most of the month. I listen to it whilst I do my chores. I have been enjoying it far more than expected, but these last 100 pages or so are dragging a bit and the subjects are becoming a bit repetitive.

I started Children of the Alley by Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz. I have read a few of his books by now and I really enjoy his writing. Reading the first few pages of this one felt oddly comforting. There is something about his writing style that I just really like. Obviously, I am reading a translation as unfortunately I can’t read Arabic, but it simply works for me. I want to seek out more of his books in the New Year.

Finally, I started The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan on my Kindle to lead up to Christmas as a bedtime read. It will be my third and probably final Christmas read this year.

What did I recently finish reading?

I finished Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, a YA fantasy. I enjoyed it ok, but I won’t be continuing the series for now.

After that I read Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson, which was a fun read. I love the way she writes and I want to read more from her. This is a Christmas book, but not too sweet and it has a bit of sass.

Then I read It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, which was on my 2022 TBR. It was fine – it just was not for me.

Finally, I finished a small poetry collection this morning, which was I Have More Souls Than One by Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. I loved his poetry and will be looking out for a more extensive collection of his works.

What will I read next?

I may read The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah if I have time, but we have family coming tomorrow for the Christmas period, so I don’t know how much reading time I will have over the next week.

WWW: 7 December 2022

Just a few weeks left in 2022 and I have so many books left that I meant to read this year. It may be a bit of a challenge, but I will try to get to them!

WWW Wednesdays’ home is at Sam’s blog Taking On A World of Words. Check it out!

The three Ws are:

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

***

So, what am I reading?

I am reading Lost Boy by Christina Henry. It’s one of four books left on my 2022 TBR. I am almost 20% in and so far it’s not grabbing me. It’s a retelling of the Peter Pan story and every time I read a retelling I remember that I don’t tend to like them. Oops! But, this one does have high ratings and of course there is a chance that I will end up loving it.

I am over a third into my audio book of Anna Karenina, which I am enjoying a lot! The narrator does a great job and the story is easy to follow. The writing is beautiful and I am pleasantly surprised how much I like it. This one is also one that was on my 2022 TBR.

What did I recently finish reading?

I finally finished Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, which took me way longer than it should have done. I liked it, but felt it was a bit long and I was not 100% sold on the plot.

After that I felt like a light read and I ended up going with a Christmassy read: The Christmas Bookshop. It was fine as a Christmas read. It served its purpose as a palate cleanser, even if I did not absolutely love it.

What will I be reading next?

Well, I have quite a few books left on my TBR and I will probably choose one of those. I did get Children of the Alley by Naguib Mahfouz from my shelf to remind myself to read it. It’s my final book to read for Back To The Classics. I will see whether I will pick that one or go with something else.

***

I’d love to hear what you are reading!