Countdown to 2025
16 November 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, book-blog, Books, Countdown to 2025, highlight-of-2024, new-year, reading
A short and sweet post to let you all know that once again I am doing my December Countdown where I tick off the days to the new year by spotlighting a book from the present one. This is a one per day prompt where I will literally post the prompt and the book I think fits the prompt. I’m hoping to use books read during 2024 where possible and use this as an opportunity to shine the light on some good reads. Books will be linked to reviews where possible or Goodreads. If you fancy joining me feel free to dip in and out. This is just a little fun and isn’t meant to be hard work. Starts on 1st December and concludes on 31st.
Here are the prompts: 31 days of December and 31 opportunities to give a very quick shout out to a book you’ve loved or are highly anticipating.
Prompts:
- Snow – a book set in a cold or wintry climate
- Shopping – the last book added to your wishlist
- Wrapping paper – a lovely cover
- Gifts – 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 – a winter read
- Baubles – these add some colour, a very colourful and striking cover
- Fairy Lights – something magical
- 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– eye’s too big for your belly? A chunkster
- Glitter – A book that you simply have to have
- Christmas Cards – a book with a 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 2025
- Christmas Day – a book you received as a gift
- Boxing Day – feeling bloated, a palate cleanser
- Christmas Crackers – Ended with a bang
- Candlelight – a book that kept you up into the early hours
- A roaring fire – a book that was heartwarming
- Family and Friends – a book with great characters
- Bottle of Bubbly – your first read for 2025
Friday Face Off: The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E Pearson
15 November 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, book-blog, Books, fiction, Friday Face off, reading
Today I’m returning to the Friday Face Off, originally created by Books by Proxy). I’ve missed these for the past few months and so would like to get back to comparing covers (and hopefully I will be updating this page with a new banner. This is an opportunity to look at a book of your choice and shine the spotlight on the covers. Of course this only works for those books that have alternative covers (although sometimes I use this to look at a series of books to choose a favourite). . So, if you have a book that has alternative covers, highlight them and choose your favourite. If you’re taking part it would be great if you leave a link so I can take a look at what you’ve chosen.
This week I’ve chosen another book that is on my shelf waiting to be read. The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E Pearson is one of my current reads and I’m enjoying it very much. Only two covers, take a look:
My favourite this week:
Have you read this book already? What did you think and which is your favourite?
Join me next week in highlighting one of your reads with different covers.
Monthly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate October/November
1 November 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, book-blog, Books, Fantasy, Monthly Wrap Up, reading, What's On My Plate October/November
I’m trying to post a wrap up for the end of each month, mainly to help me to keep track of my reading and at the same time look at what I’m intending to read during the month ahead (inspired by Books Bones and Buffy’s What’s on My Plate.
In this post I shall be looking at the reading I completed during October and also setting out what I’m hoping to achieve during November. I pretty much recognised when I posted at the conclusion of September that October was going to be an impossible task. I had a lot of review books, three SPFBO books to complete and also another couple of book requests that I’d accepted without realising just how fully loaded I was. As it happens I still managed to read ten books this month. I completed Phase One of SPFBO, we chose our finalist and I reviewed the other three semi finalists that I read. In terms of review books I am behind but I think my November shelf is nowhere near as chaotic so I’m hoping that during November and December I can complete all my review books and have a fully finished list for the year. Next week I will be focusing on catching up with reviews which I’m a little behind with. Can I end 2024 with all my commitments uptodate? Time will tell. I think I can do it.
Here’s what I read during October:
- The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
- SPFBO – Through Blood and Dragons by RM Schultz
- SPFBO – The Enchanter’s Counsel by Thalib Razi
- SPFBO – By a Silver Thread by Rachel Aaron
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan
- Magic by Sarah Pinborough
- Hear Him Calling by Carly Reagon
- The Book of Witching by CJ Cooke
- Run by Blake Crouch
For the month of October I actually had 16 review books (I know – *head/desk*), I also had three SPFBO books to read and two author requests. So, a total (even with my bad maths) of 21 – not in my wildest dreams would that ever be achievable – and as I mentioned above I managed 10 books (a little less than is the norm atm). For November I have five review books, plus another 9 carried over from October, plus my two author requests making a grand total of 16 – I think this is achievable by the end of the year as I have no review books in December in fact I’m hoping to squeeze in a couple of SPFBO finalists too if I stay on track and maybe complete a couple of books that I put down earlier in the year. Lets take a look at my review books for November:
- You All DIe Tonight by Simon Kernick
- Ink Ribbon Read by Alex Pavesi
- The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E Pearson
- The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso
- Blood by Sarah Pinborough
Add to this the books I’m carrying over:
- The Coven by Harper L. Woods
- The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning
- Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne
- The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
- Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
- The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne
- Here One Minute by Alex Lake
- The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry
- The Queen by Nick Cutter
And two books sent to me by authors:
Land from Bjørn Larssen; and
Drown Deep by Phil Williams
This month I yet again have read no Backlist Books -I started the year so well!
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo
This month I’m not ticking off any books – oh dear, will I complete this challenge?
PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO 2024 (TEXT VERSION)
| A microscope | A partially unrolled scroll and a pen | ||
| A beehive (with four bees flying around it) |
So far this year I’ve read a total of 104 books.
How did you get on during October?
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
27 October 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: book-blog, Booking Ahead, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Fantasy, reviews, Sunday Post, Weekly wrap up
Books read this week:
This week has been another busy one. I went off track a little with my reading, well, not off track exactly as the books were still from my October list, just a little out of order, a bit of mood reading. I completed Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan. This one didn’t work out quite as well as I was anticipating, particularly after I loved her last book, Bless Your Heart, perhaps my expectations were out of kilter. I hadn’t realised this was a novella and I rarely request shorter books or collections as they’re not really my go to. I also read, loved and reviewed Magic by Sarah Pinborough, this was so good and I have another from the collection still waiting to be read that I can’t wait to pick up. And, as I’m writing up this post I’ve just completed Hear Him Calling by Carly Reagon – if you want scaring half to death then I suggest giving this a read, seriously this gave me the heebies. It’s the perfect time for a haunting story and Hear Him Calling delivers this without a shadow of a doubt.
Next Week’s Reads:
I’m going to get back on track and pick up The Coven by Harper L Woods and The Book of Witching by CJ Cooke. In fact I’ve already started The Book of Witching, it’s early days but so far so good.
Reviews Posted:
- Cold Snap by Carly Ryan
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- Through Blood and Dragons by RM Schultz (SPFBO)
- Magic By Sarah Pinborough
Outstanding Reviews
- The September House by Carissa Orlando
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- 1 x SPFBO book
- The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
- 1 x SPFBO book
- Hear Him Calling by Carly Reagon
That’s it for me this week, what have you been up to, any good books to shout out about. Let me know.
Friday Face Off : The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning
25 October 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, book-blog, Books, Friday Face off, Karen Marie Moning, reading, The House at Watch Hill
Today I’m returning to the Friday Face Off, originally created by Books by Proxy). I’ve missed these for the past few months and so would like to get back to comparing covers (and hopefully I will be updating this page with a new banner. This is an opportunity to look at a book of your choice and shine the spotlight on the covers. Of course this only works for those books that have alternative covers (although sometimes I use this to look at a series of books to choose a favourite). . So, if you have a book that has alternative covers, highlight them and choose your favourite. If you’re taking part it would be great if you leave a link so I can take a look at what you’ve chosen.
This week I’ve chosen another book that is on my shelf waiting to be read. The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning. I’m looking forward to picking this one up soon. Only two covers, take a look:
My favourite this week:
Have you read this book already? What did you think and which is your favourite?
Join me next week in highlighting one of your reads with different covers.
Books and travelling with Lynn 