26 December 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Boxing Day, Countdown to 2023, Katherine Addison, The Grief of Stones
Today is day 26 of my countdown to 2023. Today’s prompt is ‘Boxing Day’. 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:
The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison was a great palate cleanser for me with a world and characters that I would happily return to.
Tomorrow: Christmas Crackers – Ended with a bang
25 December 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Book from the wishlist, Christmas Day, Countdown to 2023, Kimi Cunningham Grant, These Silent Woods
Today is day 25 of my countdown to 2023. Today’s prompt is ‘Christmas Day’. 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:
Well, I do have quite a long wishlist but I’ve chosen a book that had absolutely glowing reviews and one that I’ve wanted to read for some time, These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham grant. This sounds amazing and emotional.
Tomorrow: Boxing Day – feeling bloated, a palate cleanser
24 December 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO 8, My Second Finalist, Not a Review, The Cruel Gods #1, The Thirteenth Hou, Trudie Skies
What is SPFBO? Check out Mark Lawrence’s post here to look at this year’s entrants, judges and allocations list.
This year I am teaming up again with the ladies from The Critiquing Chemist.
We recently announced our finalist. To check out all the Finalists simply follow this link.
Our finalist this year was Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson – if you haven’t read it – I highly recommend it – seriously, grab yourself a copy and tuck in. It’s positively delightful.
Over the next few months my partners and I will be reading the other finalists and once we have a few tucked under our belts will start posting reviews. In the meantime I have randomly selected my reading order. The first finalist I picked up can be found here. The second finalist to be chosen is The Thirteenth Hour (book 1 of The Cruel Gods series) by Trudie Skies.
Here’s the description and cover:
Cruel gods rule the steam-powered city of Chime, demanding worship and tribute from their mortal subjects. Kayl lost her faith in them long ago, and now seeks to protect vulnerable and downtrodden mortals from their gods’ whims. But when Kayl discovers powers that she didn’t know she had—and destroys a mortal’s soul by accident—she becomes Chime’s most wanted.
Quen’s job was to pursue sinners, until the visions started. Haunted by foreboding images of his beloved city’s destruction, Quen hunts soul-sucking creatures made of aether who prey on its citizens—and Kayl is his number one target.
To ensure Chime’s future, Kayl and Quen must discover the truth of Kayl’s divine abilities before the gods take matters into their own hands.
For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.
The Thirteenth Hour is the first book in The Cruel Gods series—a gaslamp fantasy featuring magical portals, gothic cosmic deities, quaint Britishisms, and steampunk vibes. This is an adult book containing strong language and mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. For a full list of content warnings, visit Trudie Skies’s website.
24 December 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Christmas Eve, Countdown to 2023, Laura Purcell, The Whispering Muse
Today is day 24 of my countdown to 2023. Today’s prompt is ‘Christmas Eve’. 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:
For this prompt I have to give a shout out for a favourite author. Laura Purcell. I love her books and I get super excited whenever I see she’s written something new. The Whispering Muse is sat waiting on my shelves and I suspect it will be one of my earlier reads.
Tomorrow: Christmas Day – choose a boo from your wishlist
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:
Decadent and rich – a cover that is purple
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 – purple: and I’ve gone for a medley this week:
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 : Completions – a satisfying conclusion to a book or series
2022
Books and travelling with Lynn 