Surprise surprise
Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic is :
Books That Surprised Me (in a good way)
The following are all fairly recent reads and they’re books that I enjoyed. It’s not so much that I was surprise to like them more that they exceeded my expectations:
- Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky – this was a surprise for me. I expected it to be a bit too much of a military style story and whilst there is some parts of the story that fit that theme this is an excellent book with characters that you can feel for.
- The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne – I have to say that the cover for this would probably never have enticed me. I picked this up on a strong recommendation and I’m so glad I did. A serial murder case and a professor who is determined to solve it – even though on the face of things it looks like all the deaths were natural causes. Brilliant.
- A Time of Dread by John Gwynne. This was the very last book I read in 2017 and it was excellent. I haven’t read the previous series by this author and I think in a way I was a bit daunted – there was no need. This was an excellent read and I highly recommend it.
- The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – I suppose, I was worried that this might have second book syndrome. I was blown away. I think enjoyed this one even more than the first.
- Hazelwood by Melissa Albert – a very good, compelling dark fairy tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t wait to read No.2. This does seem to be a book that has divided opinion a little so I guess I had concerns going in but, as with the others, there was no need. This book just worked for me.
- The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar – this book is amazing. I can’t recommend it highly enough. A romping, classical style type story that is just wonderful. I had my doubts because there’s very little fantasy involved here – but this book is amazing and absolutely deserves all the recognition it receives.
- The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch – a time travelling murder mystery, cutting edge, bleak, twisty turny mind bender that was very clever. The surprise here is that I don’t always enjoy time travelling books but this one worked. Even if I confess to not always understanding everything that took place.
- Age of Assassins by RJ Barker – this is one of those books that has enjoyed a lot of hype and I’m pleased to say it’s all well deserved. I enjoyed this so much that I read the second book immediately.
- Kin by Snorri Kristjansson – Vikings and a murder mystery with a hint of Norse Gods. This has a rather stark cover and the setting itself is similar but it just transported me more than I ever expected.
- This one is free for you to tell me which book surprised you recently – good or bad.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,”
6 March 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Middle Earth Month, That Artsy Reader Girl, Top 10 Book quotes, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic is :
Favorite Book Quotes
As the month of March is Middle Earth Month I’ve taken all my quotes from Tolkien’s Lord of the rings:
- ‘A cage,’ she said. ‘To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.” Eowyn
- “I look foul and feel fair.” Strider/Aragorn
- “He paused and looked at Frodo doubtfully. ‘Have you got it here?’ he asked in a whisper. ‘I can’t help feeling curious, you know, after all I’ve heard. I should very much like just to peep at it again.” Bilbo
- “It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish, as my old gaffer used to say.” Samwise
- “I think I know already what counsel you would give, Boromir,” said Frodo. “And it would seem like wisdom but for the warning of my heart.” Frodo
- And here in the wild I have you: two halflings, and a host of men at my call, and the Ring of Rings. A pretty stroke of fortune! A chance for Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to show his quality!” Faramir
- “Ah! The Ring!’ said Boromir, his eyes lighting. ‘The Ring! Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing?” Boromir
- “With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard’s knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. ‘Fly, you fools!’ he cried, and was gone.” Gandalf
- “I pass the test,’ she said. ‘I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.” Galadriel
- Do you have a favourite quote?
“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”
To reread or not to…
27 February 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic is :
Books I Could Re-read Forever
I don’t tend to do a lot of rereads so I’m going to split this between those books that I have read a few times and consider to be comfort reads and those books that I would like to reread to see if I love them as much as I did on the first read. The most obvious ones for me are:
- Lord of the Rings by JRRTolkien – I love LotR
- Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier – this book is so good and I love DuMaurier’s writing
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – this is a book that simply begged me to read it every December. How could I resist.
- Dracula by Bram Stoker another firm favourite.
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – early gothic science fiction/horror
Five books that I would like to reread to see if I still love them:
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
- The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
What book is your comfort read?
Parting is such sweet sorrow..
20 February 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: That Artsy Reader Girl, The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic is :
Books I’ve Decided I’m No Longer Interested In Reading
Well, this week’s topic, to be clear, it’s not so much that I’m not interested in reading these more that I’ve realised it’s just not going to happen (although a small bookish voice inside my head is whispering ‘never say never’). So, these are books that I’ve been wanting to read for a very long time, many of them are impulse buys or recommendations that I was determined to read – but, it still hasn’t happened. I have to be realistic, I’m constantly adding more and more books and although this has been a guilt inducing exercise I think these books will have to go to into the ‘not going to read’ room. It’s sad, and, to be honest, even now I’m thinking that I might one day rescue them. Who knows, maybe somebody will invent a way to distort time and make 24 hours a day feel more like 48 – it could happen:
- Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler
- Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth – I enjoyed the first book but I never felt compelled to continue with the series for some reason
- Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes – I bought this after reading and loving Into the Darkest Corner, but just simply haven’t had chance to pick it up
- Timeless by Gail Carriger – I am literally never going to finish this series. I have a mental block
- The Sin Eater’s daughter by Melinda Salisbury – this is a book that I loved the sound of but then found myself knocking it down the list after seeing reviews that were a bit negative – I know it shouldn’t make a difference but sometimes it’s off putting.
- Monster by Ilsa Blick – this is another book that I was keen to read but then just got put off – similar to No.5
- Days of Blood and Starlight and Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor. I absolutely loved the first book so have no idea why these didn’t get eagerly devoured. The thing is, it’s been so long now that I can barely remember what the first book was about. Such a shame.
- Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine – this is a series that I fully intended on reading but as I’ve got further and further behind I’ve realised it’s not going to happen.
- The King’s Blood and the Tyrant’s Law by Daniel Abraham. I read the first book as part of a readalong and enjoyed it. But, I don’t think the group then picked up the second book or if they did I missed it – so, I’m probably not going to complete this series at this point.
- I usually leave this one blank for you to add your own book – what book did you have the best intentions of reading but then just didn’t manage to succeed?
As you wish…
13 February 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: That Artsy Reader Girl, The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic is :
Love Freebie
I don’t really read romance books on a regular basis, I don’t mind romance being a part of the book I’m reading but I don’t want it to be the primary focus. With that in mind I’m going to suggest some fantasy books with a smidgen (or maybe a little bit more) of romance:
- The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss – very light on romance but there is a definite theme going on here.
- The Study series by Maria V Snyder – starting with Poison Study. Valek and Yelena.
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. This really is a great series. I read it a long time ago and there is quite a bit more romance involved with this – but it’s just addictive to read.
- The Gentlemen Bastards by Scott Lynch – Locke and Jean – both enjoy a little bit of romance during the course of the series, but it’s very, very mild, the main focus are their elaborate heists.
- The Rebel Angel series by Gillian Philips – because of Seth MacGregor. That is all. Well, when I say that is all, obviously I enjoyed the books!
- The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar – a recent read of mine that I loved. Feels like a classic book but is new and very easy to read. Fun and with a strange romantic element.
- The Nightingale and the Bear/The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – because I just love these books – and there’s a frost demon, which why wouldn’t you love that?
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman – The beautiful girl and the farmboy – I do love this book and indeed the film. I could read this again at the drop of a hat.
- Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey – the first three books in the Kushiel series are just amazing. Reading about Phedre and Joscelin’s journey is just so damned good.
- ?? Your pick. If you know of a great fantasy book with an element of romance then give me a shout.
