December Countdown, Day 1 : Snow
1 December 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: December meme, Mark Lawrence, The Girl and the Stars
December book meme (details here). A book set in a cold or wintry place:
Deal with the Devil (Mercenary Librarians #1) by Kit Rocha
30 November 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Deal with the Devil, Kit Rocha, Mercenary Librarians #1
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Dystopia with sexy badass characters
Okay, to be straight to the point, Deal with the Devil is not my typical sort of read but, to be honest, I did know what I was picking up before I started reading it so was well prepared, in fact, it was exactly the sort of read that I fancied and so in that respect it worked an absolute treat.
Jump forward to the year 2086. Let’s just say that things haven’t gone well. The place, is practically a wasteland following a catastrophic event known as the Flares. We have a group of three women, looking after their community. These are women who can look after themselves to be honest, they all have their own particular skills, but, headed by Nina, who is something completely different, they are capable and at the same time caring. They help people in their community to survive is the top and bottom of it and on top of that they try to provide them with reading material. Come on now.
Now we have a group of mercenaries. Hard core ex solidiers who have gone rogue (for reasons that you will discover). These mercs have cut the ties to the Big Brother Style Corporation that controlled them but unfortunately this leaves them vulnerable in terms of their own modifications and keeping them updated in order to survive. Unfortunately, their hacker Luna has been taken captive, and the abductor wants Nina delivering in order for an exchange to take place. Knox, the leader of the mercs has the task of roping in Nina and her companions into a double cross, the bait, some sort of fantastic library, the ultimate goal, to deliver Nina over to who knows what.
Now, look. I’m not going to try and say that this book is reinventing the wheel. There is plenty of sexual tension here – mainly between Knox and Nina who are both two hard ass characters with plenty of battle scars and a hard outer exterior to match. There’s also lots of set up – you can already see the pairings for future novels clicking into place. And, I won’t deny, there was a little bit of eye rolling here. Everybody is superfit, they’re all dangerously gorgeous and you stand an equal chance of having your throat cut as having your day made. But, like I said above, I was well aware of that fact when I picked this book up.
Don’t go into this expecting heaps of world building or unique ideas though – the setting and, to be honest, the plot, are more backdrops for the eventual coupling that will inevitably take place, but, I did like some of the storylines and each of the characters have their own personal set of skills which makes them unique.
In terms of criticisms. Instalove. I don’t need to say more.
So, to round up. If you fancy a road trip with a bunch of sexy, hard hitting, muscle wielding, tough talking, ‘my dad is bigger than yours’ characters that also have hidden depths (that are not really so very hidden in fact you could dig them out with a teaspoon if you had a mind to do so) then here you go. And, did I mention there is some smouldering sexy times – because there are, and I suspect there will be more to come in future instalments.
There you go then.
Also, brief mentions of libraries – which always makes my day (is that weird?)
Okay, to be fair, this isn’t my go to style of book but I can’t deny that it was fun and, okay, you dragged it out of me, sexy. I wouldn’t go for this type of story as the norm and to be honest I’m not sure I’d reach for the next in series but this was a very easy book to get along with and it was a little bit of what I fancied at that moment in time. I suppose, it just felt easy to get along with and I have no quibbles with that at the moment.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
December Countdown: One prompt per day
For the month of December I’m scheduled a quick post, early each day, that simply highlights a book based on a prompt, a countdown, if you will to 2021. Below is a list of the prompts I will be using, one for each day. This is a fun way to highlight some books for the month of December and, given the time of year, some of the prompts are Christmas inspired. Feel free to join in. Note: I don’t want to over burden people and fill up readers I simply wanted to use the final month of the year to shine the spotlight on some books (all the books highlighted will be linked to Goodreads for information purposes).
Prompts:
- Snow – a book set in a cold or wintry climate
- Shopping – the last book added to your wishlist
- Wrapping paper – a lovely cover
- Presents – a book you enjoyed more than you expected to
- Chocolates – a book that was simply delicious
- Christmas stocking – stocking fillers – a novella or short story
- Christmas Tree – traditional style, winter read
- Baubles – these add some colour, a very colourful and striking cover
- Fairy Lights – a book of the fae
- Under the Tree – a book you forgot you owned
- Mistletoe – a little bit of romance
- Holly and Ivy – a book with great world building
- Feast – a book that was magnificent
- Christmas pudding – if you could squeeze in just one more book for 2020
- Mince pies – a little sweet something
- Turkey Dinner– a book that is almost too big to face
- Glitter – A book that you simply have to have
- Christmas Cards – a book with a hidden message
- Christmas Carols – a book with musicians, song or instruments
- Eggnog – a book that was out of your comfort zone
- Santa’s Snack – a book that was a ‘light read’ between heavier books
- Reindeers – a book with memorable critters
- Sleigh bells – a series that you want to ring out the praise for
- Christmas Eve – One of your most anticipated books for 2021
- Christmas Day – choose one from the wishlist
- Boxing Day – feeling bloated, a palate cleanser
- Christmas Crackers – Ended with a bang
- Candlelight – a book that kept you up into the early hours
- Christmas Cactus – A seasonal read
- Family and Friends – a book with great characters
- Bottle of Bubbly – Recap
The Meaning of Colour Book Tag
This is a tag that I created myself although it is very possible that there could be others out there that are similar, it was inspired by the Rainbow Book tag created by Le Book Chronicles that I first saw over on the Booforager’s Blog. I wanted to look at the meaning of the colours and find a book that suits the definition. There are no rules, if you fancy giving this a try then do so:
RED – The colour of Passion (love and hate) – could be a book filled with love and hate or a book that inspires one of those emotions in you
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey immediately sprang to mind for this one. Primarily because it is a book of passion, love and hate. An amazing MC and an antagonist who you will love to hate.
ORANGE – warm and uplifting – a feelgood book
The Hobbit. Essentially, a story that you can read to your children. All about one small character stepping out of his comfort zone and going on an adventure – and, becoming an indispensable member of the group
YELLOW – Fun and Joy – put a smile on your face
Well, I’ve not read the entire Discworld series but going off the Tiffany Aching books I’m going to say that Pratchett’s books are definitely a lot of fun.
GREEN – Harmony and Health – a book so good it made you feel in perfect harmony
The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a book that I really loved and made me feel uplifted and full of joy, so this could also have fitted the Yellow and Orange prompt, But, reading a book this good definitely improves your own well-being so I think it also fits this prompt.
TURQUOISE – Calm clarity – a book that made all the cogs of your brain work together to create a clear vision
For this I’ve gone with a book that I found very thought provoking and really stayed with me after I put it down. This book is complex. It goes back and forth between people and times and yet it all comes together in perhaps one of the most satisfying ways I’ve ever encountered. The characters are so well imagined that I feel like I know them and the strong emotions that this creates really contributes to the overall experience
BLUE – Peaceful – so easy to read that the pages turn themselves
This is a strange prompt. What I’ve gone for with this is a book that was easy to read which in my mind makes it a peaceful experience – it’s definitely a book that is beautifully written and I highly recommend it.
PURPLE – Imagination – no explanation necessary for this one. Something that is super creative or maybe unique
Benedict Patrick’s Flight of the Darkstar Dragon is packed to the rafters with imagination and a great start to what promises to be a lovely series full of adventure.
PINK – Kind and Comforting – a comfort read, something you can fall back on and know you will love
I’m going for comfort reads with this one and harking back to a time when I would quite often reread books that I loved. There are a few books that fall into this category but the first that sprang to mind was Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
BROWN – Dependable – an author or series that you love
I’ve gone for an author that I love and never seems to let me down. Sarah Pinborough. I can’t wait to see what she’s got up her sleeve next.
BLACK – Powerful and Sophisticated. A book that is stylish, polished, clever and packs a punch
This is a book that I loved and I couldn’t describe it better than the GR’s description : ‘Sophisticated, witty, and ingeniously convincing, Susanna Clarke’s magisterial novel weaves magic into a flawlessly detailed vision of historical England. She has created a world so thoroughly enchanting that eight hundred pages leave readers longing for more.
GRAY – Compromise and Control – use your own definition for this one
Compromise and control are two of the very things that you usually find in Dystopian novels where compromises are reached and people strictly controlled. Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a perfect example of this and is a chilling book where ‘parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors’
WHITE – Purity and Innocence – a children’s book that you loved or a book about the loss of innocence.
What could be more pure and innocent than a childhood favourite:
Friday Face Off : Modern sci fi
27 November 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Douglas Adams, Friday Face off, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
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 week’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. This week’s theme:
Modern sci fi
This is another one of the themes I came up with to coincide with the sci fi event taking place during November so hope you’ve all come up with something good. This week I thought I’d go with a classic science fiction (well, what I would call modern classic anyways) with the aim of comparing the original cover against a more modern one:
So, firstly, the original cover:
vs, the most recent cover (I could find):
It’s difficult to choose really because I want to choose the original – but I think I have to go with the more vibrant red cover which is very eye catching.
Do you have a favourite?
I’ll be updating the list in order to include forthcoming events that I’m aware of so that you can perhaps link your themes up where possible (if you know of an event you’d like to share then let me know in the comments). 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.
Next week – Modern sci fi
I have completed a new list for 2021 – I’m just putting it into order and it will be included next week.
2020
4th December – Fae – or fairy??
11th December – Lake – the mysterious lake
18th December – Highly Stylised
25th December- Freebie – or day off.
Books and travelling with Lynn 