Countdown to 2023 – Day 19 ‘Christmas Carols’ (12 days remaining)
19 December 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Christmas Carols, Countdown to 2023, Day 19, Dyer Street Punk Witches, Phil Williams, Signal to Noise, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Today is day 19 of my countdown to 2023. Today’s prompt is ‘Christmas Carols’. The prompts can be found here if you want to join in. I’m hoping to use mostly books read this year. Let’s begin:
CHRISTMAS CAROLS (A book with musicians, song or instruments )
I’ll try not to make this a bad habit but again today I’m running another slight cheat and including two boos for this prompt. It’s just that they’re both so perfect and such different reads that I couldn’t resist. Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno Garcia which is a book with subtle magical realism and Dyer St Punk Witches by Phil Williams which is a book with witches (the clue was in the title of course) and a little bit of punk nostalgia.
Tomorrow: Eggnog – a book that was out of your comfort zone
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
18 December 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Booking Ahead, Caffeinated Reviewer, Weekly wrap up
I’m trying to get back into the habit of doing a round-up of the week just completed and also take a look at my plans for the forthcoming week. I rather got out of the habit of doing so but I would like to reinstate this type of post as I feel it keeps me on track. So, I’m linking up to The Sunday Post over at Kimberly’s Caffeinated Reviewer. Without further ado:
Books read this week:
You may have noticed that I missed a weekly update. I’ve been away staying with family and trying to help with various things. At the same time, unfortunately, I’ve caught something nasty and been laid up in bed most of the past 8/9 days. I’m still not over it yet but I feel like I’ve turned a corner. Since my last update I finished reading The Cloisters by Katy Hays. I also read my second SPFBO finalist and read Sarah Gailey’s Just Like Home. I’ve now made a start on Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries which I’m loving.
Next Week’s Reads:
Hopefully continue to recover, finish my current read and then make a start on some backlist books maybe or read another couple of January books. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. I also started and need to complete All of Our Demise by Christine Lynn Herman; Amanda Foody and I also started Ithaca by Claire North.
Reviews Posted since my last Sunday Post:
- The Creeper by AM Shine
- Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno Garcia
- The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova
- Love Will Tear Us Apart by CK McDonnell
- SPFBO No.1
- SPFBO No.2
- The Cloisters by Katy Hays
- Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
Countdown to 2023 – Day 18 ‘Christmas Cards’ (13 days remaining)
18 December 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Dowry of Blood, Christmas Cards, Countdown to 2023, Day 18, Reluctant Immortals
Today is day 18 of my countdown to 2023. Today’s prompt is ‘Christmas Cards’. The prompts can be found here if you want to join in. I’m hoping to use mostly books read this year. Let’s begin:
CHRISTMAS CARDS (A book with a hidden message)
I’m running a slight cheat with this one because I’m actually using two books instead of one. Basically, these are both recent reads, both about immortals, both rely on classic stories and both definitely contain a message, and yet, both are so very different in style and content. A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson and Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste.
Tomorrow: Christmas Carols – a book with musicians, song or instruments
Countdown to 2023 – Day 17 ‘Glitter’ (14 days remaining)
17 December 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Countdown to 2023, Day 17, Glitter, Mark Lawrence, The Book That Wouldn't Burn
Today is day 17 of my countdown to 2023. Today’s prompt is ‘Glitter’. The prompts can be found here if you want to join in. I’m hoping to use mostly books read this year. Let’s begin:
GLITTER (A book that you simply have to have)
Yes, in spite of having ridiculous tbrs I think most of us are guilty of seeing the next shiny thing and wanting it with a serious case of the grabby hands. In actual fact though, the book I’m featuring for this prompt is an absolute ‘go to’ author for me and a book that is not doomed to gather dust on the tbr. I love his work and so to be blunt I simply must have this book to see what goodness he’s come up with next. The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence.
No cover available for this one yet but follow the link above for the description. Expected publication May 2023
Tomorrow: Christmas Cards – a book with a hidden message
Friday Face Off : Grimdark
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book (this doesn’t have to be a book that you’ve read), compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future’s themes are listed below – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout.
I’ve added themes in below. For information, I’m trying out some new ideas so along with coming up with particular items for book covers I thought we could also look for certain elements contained within the book or that play a large part in the story – this really broadens things out because I have plenty of more ideas with this – I’ve gone for a few of the Tough Travel Themes (so a book with that theme – just choose any book – the theme isn’t necessarily on the cover, then compare covers), also, I’ve thrown in some genres and some colours. Hopefully this will open things out a little and give us some more freedom to come up with new books.
This week’s theme:
Grimdark
Firstly, some news. As of the new year the Friday Face Off will be changing slightly which is why I haven’t posted a new list of themes. The FFO has been running for a few years now and I’ve had a lot of fun coming up with themes and finding books with covers that fit, but, I think the idea of themes has run its course and so from the new year the face off will be taking a more general course. This opens things up a little I think so you can choose any book that you’d like to compare the covers of.
Anyway, back to this week’s theme – Grimdark. Today I’m going for a series that I love. I still have to read the final instalment but that will be very soon.
Do you have a favourite?
If you’re taking part in this week’s theme feel free to leave your link in the comments below. Also, you may have noticed that I’ve not updated the list. I’m making a change to the Friday Face Off and will post more soon on that front.
If you know of an event that’s coming up let me know and I’ll try and include covers that work for the event itself so that you can link up to the Friday Face Off and, as always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment – or if you’d like to host a week then simply let me know. Also, I would just mention that it’s very possible that some of these might be repeats from previous FFOs although I have tried to invent more ‘open ended’ prompt that can be interpreted differently and also prompts that relate to emotions. Finally, don’t struggle with any of these, this is meant to be a fun way of highlighting books. If you can’t come up with a book you think fits for a particular week use a freebie – perhaps a recent read for example:
Next Week’s Theme : Decadent and rich – a cover that is purple
2022
