My April covers
Below is a round up of my covers for the books I’ve read during April, I’ve had a slower month this month although I do have another 3 books on the go with reviews to follow shortly. A lot of dark covers this month which makes the cover for Eleanor stand out slightly! Which is your favourite?
The road goes ever on and on….
29 April 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Rings, The Friday Face Off
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme being hosted by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite books covers. The rules are fairly simple and can be found here. Each week, following a predetermined theme choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Simples. This week the theme is:
Like One, That on a Lonesome Road
A cover which features a road
I thought about this for a while and came up with a few choices but I’ve decided to go with The Fellowship of the Ring by JRRTolkien.
I quite like all of these to be honest for different reasons. I like the first one that clearly shows the fellowship heading off into a mysterious forest. The second one succeeds in having an epic feel with gandalf and his cloak flaring out. The third image is very peaceful and rural, a perfect picturesque countryside – just before the darkness moves in! And, finally a rather darker cover that reflects the seriousness of the Fellowship and their mission in I love the colours.
Difficult to choose this one but I would have to go for the first – I just love all the detail and the fact that the characters seem to be travelling on a road that is set to become darker!
Waiting on Wednesday: The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North
27 April 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Breaking the Spine, Claire North, The Sudden Appearance of Hope, Waiting on Wednesday
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. Every Wednesday we get to highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week I’m highlighting: The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North.
Listen.
All the world forgets me. First my face, then my voice, then the consequences of my deeds.
So listen. Remember me.
My name is Hope Arden, and you won’t know who I am. We’ve met before – a thousand times. But I am the girl the world forgets.
It started when I was sixteen years old. A slow declining, an isolation, one piece at a time.
A father forgetting to drive me to school. A mother setting the table for three, not four. A teacher who forgets to chase my missing homework. A friend who looks straight through me and sees a stranger.
No matter what I do, the words I say, the people I hurt, the crimes I commit – you will never remember who I am.
That makes my life tricky. But it also makes me dangerous . . .
The Sudden Appearance of Hope is the tale of the girl no one remembers. But this gripping story – of love and loss, of hope and despair, of living in the moment and dying to leave a mark – is novel that will stay with you for ever.
How gripping does this sound??!?
Sky rockets in flight, afternoon delight…
Every Tuesday over at the The Broke and Bookish we all get to look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) examples to demonstrate that particular topic. The topic this week is:
‘Top Ten Bookworm Delights’
- First on the list has got to be book tokens. I know people would sooner buy an actual gift or book but it’s not possible really because it’s highly likely that people would buy me a book I already own! I. Love. Book. Gift. Vouchers. Guilt free book shopping! And, in fact, I usually feel quite disappointed if I don’t receive book tokens for birthdays and Christmas!
- The next one is a double edged sword. This is when people come to you, in work, or friends, etc, and say ‘ohh, you like reading, I’ve brought you some books that I’m getting rid of’! 1. I don’t like to look a gift horse in the mouth. 2. I’m always really excited to receive a bag of books. 3. Very rarely does that aforementioned person have the same taste in books; and finally, 4. Just because I like reading doesn’t mean I want everybody’s old books! Unless they’re SFF of course – and then yes please! Basically this never quite lives up to expectations.
- Checking out forthcoming books – I really shouldn’t but I can’t help it. I love to look at up and coming releases!
- Seeing somebody out and about reading a book that I love – this actually turns me into a bit of a book stalker because I desperately want to speak to that person and see if they’re loving that book! Which is really bad – because there’s nothing that annoys me more than people speaking to me, that I don’t know, about the book I’m reading! Ahh, the dilemma, the conflict!
- Going on holiday – no work, no chores, no gardening = lots of free time, not to mention travel time. Beautiful, book reading time.
- This is the best one on the list I think – finding a brilliant book when you least expected to. Nothing makes me happier.
- Finding out about new books from my favourite authors. Oh yeah!!
- Reading a book that makes me want to find out more about something. Makes me want more knowledge – history for example! Sometimes I read a book and then I have to go and check out the facts and just cram myself with more information about a certain character or period of time.
- A definite date! No, not that type of date – a definite, confirmed, bona fide release date for a book that I’ve been keeping my beady eye on.
- Finding a lovely comfy chair, a nice glass of something delicious, a wonderful book – and then falling down my own book hole!
Kushiel’s Justice by Jacqueline Carey, Week 6 readalong
24 April 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Justice, Readalong week 6
Today is week 6 of our readalong of Kushiel’s Justice by Jacqueline Carey. The schedule and participants are below. All welcome to join in or to simply jump in with the comments. This week we cover chapters 38-46, and our host is Emma Wolf. Without further ado, to the questions with the customary warning of spoilers!
1. At some point before she died, Dorelei made Urist promise to bring Imriel back to the City of Elua and Sidonie for fear that, if he didn’t go, he would be driven to bitterness. What do you think of this promise? Do you agree with Dorelei that Imriel would turn bitter?
Yes, I think she read him very well. I think he would have dwelled on it all, probably found himself totally guilty and no doubt after wallowing around in guilt and despair would probably have turned very bitter! Okay, I’ve laid that on a bit thick but I really do think Dorelei knew Imriel very well and I think she was sending home to somebody who would love him and help him to cope.
2. Imriel questions whether there was no way to escape the fate of his son foreseen by the Maghuin Dhonn. What do you think?
Well, I’m not sure. I don’t know whether I totally buy into the ethos that all things are fixed or pre-determined. I think some of what actually happened in the vision seemed to hinge upon the fact that Imriel had left his son after Dorelei died and perhaps there was bitterness that turned even worse. So maybe knowing that Imriel could have made a difference by simply raising his son?
3. Urist explains the politics underlying the matter to the other Cruithne by noting that Imriel was good enough for Dorelei and Alba, good enough to father Alban heirs, but not good enough for Terre d’Ange. What do you think of his observation?
I think he made a very good point – which also brings me back to our comments (was it last week) when it was noted that Ysandre had never visited Alba. I do wonder about Ysandre sometimes. There have been moments along the way where I’ve definitely felt a little annoyed with her behaviour. Plus I didn’t like what she said to Imriel about Dorelei when she found him with Sidonie. I know that she was angry but it really did sound as though she was almost accusing Imriel of being behind Dorelei’s death somehow.
4. We see new places and new peoples. Imriel wonders about the tanner and his wife and their story and how he will never know it. Of all the minor characters we’ve met so far, are there any you wish you knew more about?
Ohh, this is a difficult one. I sometimes think it would be good to spend more time with Drustan. I think I would like to know more about him and how he deals with having such a long distance relationship with Ysandre. It would be good to be inside his head for a while and see if we could discover more about the real Ysandre as a result.
5. What do you think of what’s become of the Yeshuites? Of Micah ben Ximon? Do you think the written word is more open to multiple interpretation than the spoken one, as Urist hints?
I’m not sure what has become of the Yeshuites to be honest. Perhaps I’ve missed something so will wait for all the answers on that one. – (I think I misunderstood this question – blame it on being tired! I think I was reading into and thinking something bad had happened to them and I’d missed it – apologies!)
I guess the written and the spoken word are open to misinterpretation depending on the language used and maybe even the wishes of the person listening or reading. But, it seems to me that people started recording things in writing in order to keep an accurate record whereas the spoken word, I think, can quite often develop and become adapted as time goes by – like Chinese whispers or a fisherman’s tale! So, in that respect I think the written word is probably more correct – providing of course it was accurate in the first place.
Here is the schedule:
Week 1: Chpts. 1-7, Mar 20 – Hosted by Dab of Darkness
Week 2: Chpts. 8-14, Mar 27 – Hosted by Emma Wolf
Week 3: Chpts. 15-22, Apr 3 – Hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 4: Chpts. 23-29, Apr 10 – Hosted by Tethyan Books
Week 5: Chpts. 30-37, Apr 17 – Hosted by Dab of Darkness
Week 6: Chpts. 38-46, Apr 24 – Hosted by Emma Wolf
Week 7: Chpts. 47-56, May 1 – Hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 8: Chpts. 57-65, May 8 – Hosted by Tethyan Books
Week 9: Chpts. 66-END, May 15 – Hosted by Dab of Darkness
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Emily at Emma Wolf
Susan at Dab of Darkness
Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
Books and travelling with Lynn 