Sunday Summary: 3 July 2022

Happy Sunday!

What are you up to/What have you been up to this weekend? I am finally having a relatively quiet weekend, which is nice! The week ahead is pretty busy though…

Here is some book stuff, TV stuff and music stuff that has been keeping me busy!

READING

I am reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It was one of the books on my 2022 all-ebook TBR. It’s been living on my Kindle for a while, ever since I picked it up for like 99p or something. I have read a couple of Neil Gaiman books and thought I’d give this one a go, because it sounded so weird. We have tried to watch the Netflix show, but never got past the first episode. Mainly because I had no idea what was going on. I am just over halfway in the book and I still have no idea what’s going on. I think I am enjoying it. It does take quite a bit of reading for me. You know how you sometimes fly through the pages of a book? This is not one of those for me. I have to read it quite consciously. Maybe that’s a good thing. I am not sure, but it makes it quite slow going. The book is almost 675 pages long, so I hope there is a pay-off in the end. However it ends, I think I will be glad to tick this one off my TBR.

Have you read American Gods? What did you think?

The only other book I am reading at the moment is Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin. I have this one in a lovely Penguin paperback, but I decided to listen to it on audio, which I think was the right decision. The narrator is doing a great job and I am enjoying the subject and the way the author chooses to talk about these trees. It’s very much part travel writing and nature writing, which I love. I find nature based books like this very relaxing to listen to.

Incidentally, both American Gods and Wildwood have an average rating of 4.11 on Goodreads.

I am already looking at what I might be reading next and I think I may pick up The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I picked that one up from a charity shop at some point and I think I may be in the mood for it. That may change though… We’ll see…

The other options is a big fantasy book, but I am reading a big fantasy-type book now, so I feel like I need to read something different inbetween. Though American Gods mainly has a contemporary setting and is kind of more magical realism feel I guess.

As for my next audio book when I get to it – I hope this week – I think I may actually take a deep breath and dive into Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I have always been really scared of Dickens, but I found a version narrated by Matt Lucas and I think he would do a good job.

TV & FILM

What have I been watching? I have not watched many movies at all. The only movie I watched was Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which is a French movie and it was a gorgeously shot slow movie. I liked it a lot. It reminded me of Call Me By Your Name in the way the natural sounds was utilized. It is set in 19th century France I think. I enjoyed it a lot.

Series wise, we have recently finished a few. We watched The Time Traveler’s Wife, which both me and my husband enjoyed quite a bit. I haven’t read the book and I don’t think I have any interest to, but the series was a fun time.

We also finished watching Obi-Wan Kenobi. We both enjoyed it a lot. I thought Ewan McGregor was great as Obi-Wan again. I love him so much as an actor. I though the focus of the series was interesting and the actress that plays little Princess Leia was fantastic!

We still have one episode to go of Stranger Things, I think, and we just watched the first episode of The Umbrella Academy.

If you can recommend some series that are on Prime, Netflix or HBO please let me know!

MUSIC

I went to three gigs during June and they definitely guided what I listened to these past few weeks.

The first one I saw was Arooj Aftab. I saw her in beautiful venue in Amsterdam, which used to be a catholic church, but is no longer functioning as such. She was amazing. She had one guy with her who played double bass and a lady who played the electric harp, who was suitably electric!

Then I saw two gigs in a row and both happened to be Belgian musicians. The first was a young Belgian guy called Tamino. He was absolutely fantastic – so so good. It was the first time seeing him in live and I already bought tickets to see him in the autumn. He was incredible live, as was his band, which includes Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood. I was going to put a live video here, but they are all quite old, as he only just appeared from the Covid abyss again. Instead I will stick in the video for one of his new songs – and a beautiful video it is too!

Finally I saw Belgian band Balthazar for the third time this year. I never meant to see them three times, but it just ended up that way. It looks like they will go on an extended break after the summer so despite three times being a bit overkill, I enjoyed every single time, as they are just such a fun time live. I always come away feeling completely destressed and happy. Afterwards me and my friend ended up sitting outside in a square for a couple of hours just having some cocktails, snacks and chatting. It was a late night, but a fun one! Always good when you combine live music with time spent with good friends.

I also binged quite a lot of the Glastonbury and Pinkpop Festival content.

Here are some of my favourites from that:

Kendrick Lamar

Little Simz

Sam Fender

Phoebe Bridgers with Arlo Parks

Inhaler (who I saw live a month or two ago)

***

I will leave things here for now. These were the cultural things I needed to get of my chest!

Is there anything you want to share? Music you have been listening to? Books you think everyone should read? A series or movie you really enjoyed?

SHARE AWAY!

WWW: What I am reading on 15 June?

It’s been a while. My reading has been too erratic to document to be honest, but I am feeling like I am getting back in the swing of things. I am also looking forward to seeing what all of you are reading, cause I haven’t checked my reader in ages, so I have been missing all your posts! * need to do better

It’s a lovely sunny day today. Apparently it’s going to be very hot tomorrow and the day after. Not good for doing anything apart from reading, so fingers crossed for catching up.

Anyway, on with the show.

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?

***

What am I currently reading?

I am reading Music & Silence by Rose Tremain. It’s one I have been meaning to read since I bought it last year, but it’s reasonably sizable and I felt a bit intimidated by it. I decided I did not care and that I just felt like reading it. I am only 20 pages in, as I was out all day yesterday, but so far so good. It’s historical fiction centering around a lute player in the royal court of Denmark.

I am listening to Revelation: Connecting with the Sacred in Everyday Life by Russell Brand. This is an Audible original I think. I think I got it as an extra when there was a buy one get one free offer on Audible and nothing else spoke to me. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Russell Brand. Sometimes I think he’s a pretentious git and sometimes I feel like he’s talking lot of sense between his big words. So it is with this audio book. There’s some fluff, but overall the subject matter interests me and I like hearing to him speak. He’s clearly very passionate about it and I am pleased for him that he managed to turn his life around so completely. And, to be fair, a lot of what he is saying here makes sense to me. All in all, I am enjoying the listen.

I am supposed to be reading Spring: an Anthology for the Changing Seasons (edited by Melissa Harrison), but I have made no progress in that. I do hope to get that one read this month. Otherwise I will keep it till next spring.

What did I finish reading?

I finished A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari, which was a rare NetGalley e-ARC. It’s a historical mystery set just after the first world war and I actually really enjoyed it. It was a light read and just moved along at a nice clip.

After that I read We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman. God, I loved that book. It’s a tearjerker; one of those dealing with disease, death and love, but it was so well written, so beautifully done, that it just worked. It’s not the kind of book I want to read too often, but it was just what I needed I think.

Those two books were polar opposites, but I enjoyed them both and they helped me find my mojo back,

What will I be reading next?

Well, I have a ton of books still left on my Spring TBR due to me hardly reading for the past month or two. There is no way I will be able to read them all, especially since many of them are big books. Ah well, I will just read what I feel like when I finish my current read.

WWW: What I am reading on 18 May 2022

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?

***

Again, I have not been reading very much. I don’t feel slumpy – I have just been doing other things. We have been hanging out with friends a lot over the last week, so a lot less time for reading. It was a lovely week, but now I am back to the normal more antisocial animal that I am!

What did I finish reading?

Only one book! I read Gold Dust by Ibrahim al-Koni. It was a good read, but my mind was drifting a lot, which says more about my state of mind at the time of reading than the book itself. It’s definitely a book I will re-read in the future as I am not sure my reading it at this time did it justice.

What am I currently reading?

I made little progress in either my audio book (The Life of Olaudah Equiano) or my anthology (Spring, edited by Melissa Harrison) this week. I have started reading Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, which is on my 2022 TBR. I am just over halfway and I am intrigued. I am not quite sure whether I will end up loving it, but I am definitely interested in what I am reading.

What will I read next?

I am not sure. My spring TBR reads are not going well – I have been way too slow reading this month and I have three really big books on there! We’ll see. A lot can change. I may read tons in the next two weeks. Who knows?

WWW: What I am reading on 11 May 2022

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?

***

Well, it’s been a rough week. My week of seeing live music in audiences meant I picked up Covid somewhere along the way and I was pretty sick for a few days. Still, it was worth it! Mostly recovered now, though yesterday I did too much in the morning and felt like shit the rest of the day.

Anyway, I did get some reading done, so let’s talk about it!

What did I recently finish reading?

I finished When I Found Home by Susan Mallery. That one was just ok for me. It was on my 2022 TBR, but I don’t think I will remember much of it by the end of the year.

Luckily, I really loved The House with the Golden Door, the second book in the Wolf Den Trilogy by Elodie Harper. I requested it on NetGalley after finishing the first book and I am glad I got to read it already! Downside is, it will be a long wait till book three!

What am I currently reading?

I started the final seasonal anthology Spring, edited by Melissa Harrison, but I did not get far into it yet at all. I hope to give it some more time this coming week.

I am still listening to The Life of Olaudah Equiano, but I have not been doing many chores this week on account of being ill, so haven’t made much progress. Although it is interesting, it is not grabbing me at the moment.

Finally, I have just started Gold Dust by Ibrahim al-Koni yesterday. This one was first published in 1990 in Arabic. The author is from Libya. It’s a story about a man and his camel. Intriguing, right? I am only 20 pages, but I think it’s the kind of oddball book I will end up loving.

What will I read next?

I think next I will read either Exit West by Mohsin Hamid or The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.

Weekend (Some) Reading Diary: 6-9 May 2022

Reading just one book, sharing some music and my Kindle woes

Friday, 6 May 2022

21.20 – I meant to start this earlier, but I just did not get around to it! I have read a bit today. I got stuck into The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper. This is the follow-up to The Wolf Den, which I read and loved last month. When I saw this one on NetGalley, I just needed to read it! It’s out next week. I am only about 19% in. Partly because my Kindle battery has suddenly decided to be on its last legs and only holds its charge for a day! I will order a new battery for it. My husband is technically gifted enough to replace it (which I am not!). I have had it five years or so. I could buy a new one, but if a new battery does the trick, why not do so. It’s still fine otherwise!

After two years of managing to avoid it, I have been sick with Covid this past week, so after a couple of slow reading weeks, this one was not much better – cause well, fever and stuff. However, I am feeling much better and I feel like could be back in the swing! Hence a weekend bloggy blog. Though it’s my daughter’s birthday on Sunday and I am not sure how much reading I will get done then. OOPS!

Saturday, 7 May 2022

09.40 – Great start to the morning. I broke a bit off my back molar… again! It just got fixed a month ago! Ah well, it’s not hurting, so it can wait. They don’t want to see me right now anyway with my Covid! I wasn’t even eating anything hard or crunchy!

Anyway, I got 25% into The House With The Golden Door yesterday before falling asleep. I will try and read a chunk today.

I did want to share a song I have been loving so much this past week. This guy is a Belgian musician and singer, with a mixed Belgian/ Egyptian/ Lebanese background. I love the way his music mixes elements from his heritage and the tone of his voice is just mesmerizing. On an interesting side note, Colin Greenwood of Radiohead plays bass on this song. I presume he will be playing bass on the whole new album (which I hope will be announced soon!). Anyway, not enough people know about this artist and they should because he writes incredible songs. The music, the lyrics, the stories he tells – I just think he’s an extraordinary young artist. Check the video out if you have a moment.

Back to books now! I will read a bit and hope my Kindle wants to hold its charge.

23.47 – Well, this day flew by! I did not read an awful lot, but I am about to go to bed and will read a bit more. I am at 37% at the moment. I had hoped to get to 50% at least, but nevermind. I am still enjoying it a lot. I am curious where the story will go in this book. I think it’s supposed to be a trilogy.

Unfortunately I still tested vaguely positive for Covid and we have had to cancel by daughter’s birthday. I feel so sorry for her. She had been looking forward to it. We will celebrating bit by bit over the next week or two, as no one can make it on the same day.

Well, we will it make the best that we can with just the three of us. I think my parents are popping around anyway to give her her presents and will just keep their distance. I will still be baking a cake in the morning, as whatever happens, it’s still her birthday and cake needs to be consumed!

Sunday, 8 May 2022

21.55 – As expected, today was about being a family. My daughter’s birthday was a success despite the lack of guests. It was just a nice day to spend together. We baked a cake with marshmallows on it. She had a few presents and the sun was out. In the early evening we watched a movie together.

People are visiting for her birthday later in the week when the danger of Covid infection has passed.

I got to almost 60% of The House With The Golden Door. It’s been a bitty day, as expected, but I managed to get some reading in! Tomorrow is going to be a nice sunny day and I don’t have anything on, so I will add another day of diary, as it’s a bit sparse!

As for the second book in the Wolf Den Trilogy, I am enjoying it quite a bit. I am feeling a bit anxious for Amara. Something bad is about to happen I’m sure! I love Amara. There’s something so human about her. It’s interesting to see a couple of her old friends/colleagues in new places and how they are coping. I am especially curious to see where side character Britannica is going. Her fighting skills must come in handy at some point! I am still waiting for some revelations about the love interests.

And of course, there’s the silent presence of Vesuvius. When is that coming into play? There was a mention of earlier earthquakes somewhere. Ominous!

Monday, 9 May 2022

09.28 – I will make this my final day of this rather bitty blog. I will try and get a chunk read this morning. It’s supposed to be 23C today, which is nice! Hopefully I will get a chance to just sit outside and read for a bit later. Our Airbnb guests are leaving today and new ones are not arriving until later in the week, so we have a bit of breathing space.

Thought I’d share another bit of music I am enjoying at the moment. Although Arcade Fire’s new album WE is yet to grow on me, I enjoyed their SNL performance!

13.20 – I managed to read a bit this morning. Time to do some chores and then hopefully I will be able to sit outside and enjoy the spring sunshine whilst reading.

17.15 – Well, for once things went according to plan and I finished the The House with the Golden Door! And I enjoyed is just as much as The Wolf Den! Even if it is a bit less eventful. It’s another 6* read for me. Actually, it was the perfect book for me to stretch out in the sun with and just enjoyed the reading experience today.

I will leave this blog here. I will write up my review in a bit. All I know that right now, I have the book fuzzies and that’s a great feeling!

Now, what to read next?

PS My Kindle is suddenly behaving itself!

WWW: What I’m Reading on 27 April 2022

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?

***

It’s King’s Day here in The Netherlands, but it’s also my mum’s birthday, so we’re going avisiting. I don’t expect to notice much of the national festivities and that’s fine by me! We went out to see some live music last night (young Irish band Inhaler) and I am feeling a little tired.

Reading has been slow this past week – almost non-existent, but it’s been a very busy week with lots of appointments and live music in the evenings. It’s been a good week though. As for the reading, I am sure I will get back into the swing of normalcy soon.

So…

What am I currently reading?

I am still reading Spring, the first book in the Hyddenworld series by William Horwood. Now, this is a re-read and the first time I gave it the equivalent of 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads (about 5/7 stars in my own blog rating, but it was pre-blog!). The writing is really messy, as if it’s been edited badly, even if the story itself is good. I think it will end up with a lower rating. It’s not quite holding my attention either, but that may also have to do with the fact that I have so many other things to think about at the moment.

In the evening I have been reading When We Found Home by Susan Mallery. Since I am only reading this one ten minutes at a time, it’s been slow going. I am enjoying it though. This is one of the e-books on my 2022 TBR. I plan to go away for the night tomorrow with a friend – I may get a little time to read. I will take my Kindle anyway.

Finally, I have started listening to The Life of Olaudah Equiano on audio. This is a memoir of a slave originally published in the late 1700s. I think it will be a fascinating listen/read.

What did I finish reading?

I only finished my audio book, which was Horses Never Lie by Mark Rashid. I thoroughly enjoyed that one. It’s a horsemanship book and a bit of a memoir rolled into one. It was right up my horsey street.

What will I be reading next?

I am not sure yet, but one book I would like to read in May is The Hero of Ages, the final book the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Whether I will start with it depends on how I finish this reading month. If my mind still feels scattered I would be better off starting with some shorter books.

WWW: What I am reading on 20 April 2022

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?

***

What did I finish reading this past week?

Since last Wednesday my reading has still be a little on the slow side. I did finish a few books, all of which I was reading at last week’s WWW. The first one is Hex by Jenni Fagan. It’s only short, and I struggled to get into it, but luckily I loved it in the end!

Then I finished Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith. There is nothing to say apart from that I love the way Patti writes her memoirs. This was wonderful on audio book.

Finally, I finished Upstream by Mary Oliver, which is a wonderful collection of essays that just worked for me.

What am I reading right now?

I am reading Spring, the first book in the Hyddenworld series by William Horwood. I am just over halfway. It’s a re-read so I can continue the series. The start of this book is so clumsy, but it does get better after about 100 pages, just as I remembered. Am I totally invested? No, but I am enjoying the re-read well enough and now reads away quite easily. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars six years ago. I am not sure it will quite get there this time, but it’s ok. I can’t remember how it ends, so…

I am listening to Horses Never Lie by Mark Rashid on audio. I have this one on paperback as well, but it was in the Audible sale, which was the perfect excuse to read it. It’s a book about horse training and since I have a couple of ponies, it’s interesting to me. I agree with a lot of his training methods, so it works for me. It’s kind of a memoir of his experiences with horses as well and why he ended up trainig the way he does. It’s very readable as a book.

That’s it for the moment.

What will I read next?

It’s about time to read a book from my 2022 TBR, so I will be reading one of those next. I may pick up some poetry soon as well.

WWW Wednesdays: 6 April 2022

Happy humpday!

The weather is miserable and after a lovely March, the weather is as grumpy as I am. Well, I think I’m grumpy because of the rainy windy weather.

***

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?

***

What am I currently reading?

My current main read is The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper. It’s a historical novel about prostitutes in Pompeii. I am enjoying it a lot.

On the side I am reading Upstream by Mary Oliver. It’s collection of essays centred around nature. I read one of Mary Oliver’s poetry collections before, but I think I am enjoying this more.

Finally, I am listening to A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie on audio. It’s a Miss Marple and I have to say, it’s not my favourite. It’s nice to listen to a mystery on audio though. I much prefer Agatha Christie in this format. Plus they are nice palette cleansers after a hefty non-fiction listen.

What did I recently finish reading?

I finished God: An Anatomy on audio. It was such a fascinating listen! Really enjoyed learning about the history of the God familiar from the Bible and I enjoyed the format the author chose to tell it in.

I also finished Book Two of The Masnavi by Rumi. I just appreciate the stories and this form of poetry. I think the translator made it very readable. There is a lot of explanation of the references in the back as well.

I read Galatea, a short story by Madeline Miller. I just really enjoy everything she writes and that one was a nice little book I could read in half an hour curled up on the sofa. Short reads are underrated!

Finally, I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It was a good read, but I was surprised I did not end up loving it. Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing is just ok for me. I am not sure.

What will I reading next?

I have only a few books on my April TBR, but I think I will go with Spring, the first book of the Hyddenworld series by William Horwood. It will be a re-read, so I can finally get to the rest of the series. It’s not a well known one at all. What I remember from my first read of the book about six or seven years ago is that it starts pretty weak and gets stronger.It’s fantasy, but kind of contemporary. I’m looking forward to diving back into it. I am a little apprehensive, but I enjoyed it in the end last time, so I hope I will this time as well.

WWW Wednesdays: 23 March 2022

Hello book folks! How are you this Wednesday. I’m pretty good, thank you.

For a moment I am trying not to think of all the crap going on in the world. The sun is out, I have some live music lined up and I am reading some good books – I am allowing myself to be happy!

***

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?

***

What am I currently reading?

I am currently reading too many books! My mood has been over the place this past week, and so has my reading.

So, let’s start with my audio book, as I have been reading that one the longest. I am still reading God: An Anatomy by Francesca Stravrakopoulou. I am still loving that one. It’s absolutely fascinating. I am learning a lot about the history of the god from the Bible. I am not religious myself, but I think theology is fascinating. I am almost halfway now and I have some hefty chores coming up, so I should make good progress this coming week.

My main physical read at the moment is My Damascus by Suad Amiry. The author is looking at her family’s connection to Damascus and tells us a somewhat fictionalised version of her family history. I am really enjoying it. The author is an architect and you can really tell how much she loves the buildings. If you are used to fiction, this book feels a little all over the place, but as a fiction/non-fiction hybrid I think this works perfectly.

At nighttime I have been reading Looking For Alaska by John Green. This was one of my lingering books and it seemed to be an easy one to pick up besides the other books I am reading.

Finally, I have made very little progress in Book Two of The Masnavi by Rumi. When I do read a few lines, I enjoy it, but my brain has been too scattered for poetry lately. I will come back to it when my mood suits it better, because I want to give it my full attention.

What did I recently finish reading?

I have actually had a really good reading week overall. I finished three books.

The first one I finished was The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce. That one was a bit disappointing. It just did not grab me the way I had expected it to, considering it was about music!

Next I read The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott. It was the second book by this Australian author I read and I loved them both. It’s the perfect kind of magical realism. It’s sort of dystopian as well. A wonderful read.

Finally, I finished The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré. Set in Nigeria, this story about a young girl trying to make her way in life was another excellent read and one I highly recommend.

What do I think I will read next?

The only book left on my Winter TBR is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, so I will definitely try and get that one read this week. I am a bit apprehensive about that one, as I have heard so many mixed things. That kind of makes me curious as well though.

WWW Wednesdays: 9 March 2022

It’s been odd week. We had our storm ravaged roof fixed and we moved back into the main house at the weekend. It is my birthday week, but I don’t really feel like celebrating at all. I am not sure why. Just not in the ‘people’ kind of mood. I am feeling fine in general, but just need lots of me-time. At the same time I have not been reading as much as I have been. It’s been a patchy week. However, the sun has been out and spring is in the air – yay!

***

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?

***

What am I currently reading?

Well, this is a mess! My main read is The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson, the second book in the Mistborn series. I am enjoying it quite a bit. It’s such an interesting world. I try and read 100 pages a day, but this week I have only managed that once and I am not quite halfway.

I have also started Book 2 of The Masnavi by Rumi. Epic poetry from the thirteenth century, rooted in sufism. I read Book 1 last year sometime and enjoyed it and I figured it was time for Book 2. I have only just read the introduction and I am just about to get into the poetry.

Finally, I am reading a bit of The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce on my Kindle at bedtime, as I don’t want to lug a chunker of a paperback into bed. I’m not very far in as I a read only a few pages at a time, but I am enjoying it so far.

What have I recently finished reading?

I finished three books, which sounds like a lot, but one was under 200 pages and one was an audio book that I had been listening to since mid February.

So, I finished Beneath The Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire. This is the third book in the Wayward Children series and my least favourite. It was the last one I owned in that series and at the moment I do not feel compelled to continue the series. It just about scraped a 5/7* from me, but maybe it was a 4*.

I also finished Psycho, book two in the Necessary Evils series by Onley James. These are quite smutty romance books. The first book I enjoyed quite a bit, but this one just felt like more of the same and I found myself a little bored with it in places. The idea of this Umbrella Academy like set-up is intriguing though. However, only a 4 out of 7* from me for this one. I won’t continue this series for now.

Finally, I finished my audio book yesterday, which was The Seabird’s Cry by Adam Nicolson. That one I really enjoyed. It was a wonderful listen. These ocean going birds are definitely fascinating, as so many of the creatures on this planet are. If you’re interested in nature books, I would highly recommend this one. 6*.

What will I be reading next?

I will be starting my new audio book today, which I am excited about. Digging into some theology with God: An Anatomy by Francesca Stavrakopoulou. Although not particularly religious myself, the idea of God and religion fascinates me and this one just sounds right up my street. I have the hardback, but I will be listening to it on audio. It’s a long one, so I will be in it for the long haul. I expect this one to be on my WWW for a good few weeks to come! It should be very interesting.

As for a physical book, I have a stack to choose from, but I will be mood reading and since it will be a few days yet before I finish my current book I don’t know what I will be in the mood for yet.