#randomsofmine review

June was a very good month with some very good reads. I managed to read 10 books (plus a secret project for a friend). In total I read 3257 pages.I still feel a bit slumpy and there were times where I found myself avoiding reading, although a few books did help with this.

The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion 

This is the story of Don, who is in search of the ideal wife, using scientific methods. The story is told from his POV and while its never directly said, he has Asperger’s. I liked this and it lived up to the good reviews. I found all the characters interesting (Don’s though processes were interesting, Rosie felt very genuine and Don's best friend is the worst) and the story was  quirky and fun (although the outcome of the romance was fairly predictable).  3/5

Gates of Thread and Stone (Gates of Thread and Stone #1) by Lori M, Lee

A YA fantasy series set in an almost dystopian world. I really enjoyed this. It was fast past and interesting, well-written and full of good quality world building and characters. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series. 4/5

Not Just Jane: Rediscovering Seven Amazing Women Writers Who Transformed British Literature by Shelley DeWees 

A look at seven females authors who influenced the literary world but who are not as celebrated as Jane Austen. This was interesting if a bit dry in places. Some of the authors I had heard of and even read and some were completely new to me. I’ve made some notes of books to pick up. 3/5

Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #3) by Jenny Han 

Wrap up to the series. I really enjoyed this and read it in a about a day. It was what I needed at that time and was a fantastic ending to the series. It wrapped up a fair few things and we got to see Lara Jean grow as character. 4/5

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon 

This was completely worth the hype it’s been receiving. I couldn’t stop reading it. It was adorable and charming and just what was needed at the time. I liked that DImple was a smart female character who knows what she wants in life. Rishi was just adorable. The romance did come a bit quick but there are a few time jumps so I can excuse that easily. I can’t wait to see what Sandhya Menon brings out next. 4/5

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo 

This months VF pick. This was a historical paranormal romance. I have to say this gave me Spirited Away vibes. I liked it, However there were issues. The main character was a bit bland and wishy-washy. I didn’t get the relationship between her and one of the characters. My favourite character was only in it for brief periods. Frankly had it not been for that character, I would have probably DNF’d. In terms of world building, it was very interesting and I enjoyed looking into the Malaysian culture. 3/5

I See You by Clare Mackintosh 

I’m gonna preface this by saying I am a massive wimp. I rarely read or watch anything in the horror genre. I love true crime, strangely. But horror,nope! This was possibly the creepiest thing I’ve ever read. It was well written and had me guessing the whole way through with some excellent twists. It played on all of my fears and I will definitely be picking up other books by the author. 4/5

Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragonlance: Chronicles, #1) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman 

This is an absolute classic in D&D fiction. I’ve read it several times now and it just improves every time I pick it up. It contains all the standard D&D tropes and I just love it. Its a bit of a comfort read at this point. 5/5

Abracadaver (Esther Diamond, #7) by Laura Resnick 

This is an urban paranormal series about an actress who accidentally discovers the paranormal truth about the world and tries to help save it with a band of misfits. I love it.Its fun and fast paced and interesting. I’m now up to date with the series with no idea if there will be any more books. 4/5

The Duke and The Domina : Warrick The Ruination of Grayson Danforth (Lords of Time #3) by Jenn LeBlanc  

This was a really good month. My best so far in terms of the number of pages read. I finished two readathons and managed to finish or catch up to four series. I finished 13 books and DNF’d 1. I read a total number of 6428 pages,  which is roughly 214 pages a day.

House Cup Reading Challenge

The Cuckoo Calling (Cormoran Strike, book 1) by Robert Galbraith I’ve been wanting to read this for ages but I kept putting off reading it in case it was terrible. I just decided to bite the bullet, bought a second-hand copy and I actually really enjoyed it. Yes, it is full of the standard tropes that detective novels tend to suffer from. And yes, I don’t love it like I do Harry Potter. But it was an enjoyable read. I liked the twist and only sort of saw it coming. Will definitely continue on. 4/5

The Strain (The Strain, book 1) by Guillermo del Toro

This is another re-read that I’m doing so that I can continue a series. I read this a few years ago and then just never got around to the rest of the series. The first read through I loved it, it was creepy and dark and atmospheric. This time around I listened to the audiobook and it was just as dark, creepy and atmospheric. I love the take on vampirism and I’m excited to pick up the next book. 4/5

Starflight (Starflight, book 1) by Melissa Landers

I liked this book. It was described as a YA Firefly novel, which I can see where the comparison comes from. But I didn’t love it.IT felt a bit trope-y, there were time jumps so we didn’t really get to see the characters building their friendship and relationships. There were some good points. The world building was very interesting, something happened towards the end that I didn’t see coming and I liked that the main female character was a mechanic. 3/5

Godsgrave (Nevernight Chronicles, book 2) by Jay Kristoff

This book....killed me, it was so good. It was very dark and bloody and just as a good as the first book. The world building is very strong (although I believe there may be some controversy over how Kristoff represents a particular race which is based on the Maori people. As I don’t know too much about this, I’m not gonna comment on it). The main character is very strong and flawed and fascinating, especially in terms of what she is or isn’t willing to do to get her revenge. She may or may not be bi (I can’t remember if it’s ever stated that she loved Tris) but either way, she’s definitely somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum.Yay! Can’t wait for book 3.  4/5

PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

My sisters, Mum and I love the movie of this. It’s been played at least a bajillion times in our house by now. So I figured I’d finally get around to reading the book. It was different from the movie. The book is set in Ireland instead of America.  I liked it, not as much as the movies but I liked it. I did not like the supposed love interest. He was a moron in the end. But I did love that it showed the complexity of grief and that you just don’t get over losing someone in a few months. It's an ongoing process.3/5

Secrets and Scoundrels by Sarah MacLean

The Rogue Not Taken, book 1 4/5

A Scot in the Dark, book 2 4/5

These were perfect to read during the readathon. Fun and quick to read. I did pick up the 3rd book later in the month. My favorite in the series is the 2nd book.Sarah MacLean is a brilliant romance writer and I just love her. And the sisters in this are just brilliant. I want them for my friends.

Tome Topple

Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders, book 1) by Robin Hobb

I finished the Farseer Trilogy in October and loved it. I was a bit worried that after 3 months, I’d be tired of Robin Hobbs writing.....that was stupid. This was even better than all of the Farseer books. It has a much darker tone than the Farseer books and there are parts that actually upset me. Within 100 pages I had gone through so many emotions, to the point I was almost in tears over something happening while I was on a bus. Women in this part of the world are slower being made into less than what they were. It is socially unacceptable for a woman to handle business matters. It's very realistic. There are multiple POV’s in this series, which differs from the Farseer where we only saw through Fitz’s eyes and the changes were handled very well. I already can’t wait to get to the second book. 5/5

Orange (Orange, vol.2) by Ichigo Takano

This was a fun and cute read. However, I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and sometimes the characters came off as a bit overly dramatic. 3/5

The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastard, book 3) by Scott Lynch 

I love this series. I cannot express how much.It’s fun, action-packed, smart, dark and gripping. I love all the characters. And I love how Scott Lynch handles the changes between the past and present scenes. It’s handled so well and with minimal confusion. I’m now settling into a long wait for the 4th book but given everything, it’ll be worth the wait. 5/5

Other

The Day of the Duchess (Secrets and Scoundrels, book 3) by Sarah MacLean

This is the third book in the series. I would give this a trigger warning for child loss and adultery for this one. It was very emotional. 4/5

The Shadow Revolution (Crown and Key, book 1) by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

I picked this up on a whim literally because it had werewolves, steampunk, and historical London. It wasn’t greatly written. It was a bit clunky...but I really did enjoy it. It was very action-y and had a couple of interesting magic systems within the world. I think I will carry on with it. 3/5

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy, book 1) by Ilona Andrews

Interesting world building where people with powers are essentially running things while people without powers try to survive. The heroine is a bounty hunter in a family run business. The hero is a man with major powers. I liked this. I did have some issues with the hero. He was very Alpha male and he was a bit overly confident that he would get the heroine into bed. I will probably pick up the remaining series but mostly because I loved the heroine's family. Full of bad ass women and very funny. 3/5

DNF

Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore 

Really good month. And yet again I signed up for a ridiculous number of readathons. I’ve participated in Victober, Zoes 24-hour Readathon and Deweys 24 Hour Readathon (*). I’m still participating the House Cup Reading Challenge (+), which is a month-long readathon that started part way through October.Some of my books have overlapped with other readathons so I’ve added a little symbol to note which is which.I’m also thinking of taking part in Tome Topple Round 5 in November. I managed to read 15 books for a total of 5207 pages.

Strange Magic (Essex Witches, book 1) by Syd Moore

This was pretty interesting in terms of the history info it gave. I was unaware that certain parts of England had a higher concentration of witch trials than others. It was an ok mystery. The main female character had some moments that made me not like her. She tended to be pretty judgmental. I could see myself picking up the sequel at some point but I probably won’t be breaking doors down to get to it.  3.5/5

How To Be A Heroine: Or, what I’ve learned from reading too much by Samantha Ellis

This is sort of a memoir as well as a discussion on popular female characters. The author is re-reading certain books while looking back at her life and seeing how those books shaped her as a person. There were some interesting thoughts and I liked how the authors' original opinion on some characters had changed after re-reading their book years later.  3/5

Victober 2017

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

This was a re-read for me. I first read it for an English Lit course and loved it. And I still love it. It's so odd and dark and full of weird impossible events. Victor is the worst.  4/5

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Another re-read. But I feel like that I never actually finished it the first time around as I have no memory of the ending. My only real criticism of this is is that Mina Harker is put into the secretarial role. This horrible creature is coming after her and they have her typing up notes.  4/5

Classic Ghost Stories by Various +

This is a mish-mash of several short stories by Charles Dickens and  M. R. James. There were some good ones and some less so.My favorite was the Signalman and Rats.  3/5

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell   

My love for Elizabeth Gaskell grows with every book. This explores the life of a small town doctors daughter when her father re-marries and her friendship with the local rich family. It is an unfinished novel as Gaskell died before finishing it.Even without the ending, it's still fairly clear on the outcome and that doesn’t spoil it at all. It's an excellent story full of wonderful and somewhat absurd characters.I enjoyed it so much.  5/5

House Cup Reading Challenge

Assassins Quest (Farseer Trilogy, book 3) by Robin Hobb

The final book in the Farseer trilogy. Such a good ending to the 3 books. If you wanted you could leave it here and be satisfied but I will be continuing on to her other works that link to this.It does get pretty dark and a bit weird but it is so good.  5/5

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur *

I read Milk and Honey at the beginning of the year and fell in love. I’m not a poetry lover normally but it blew me away. My copy is now earmarked with my fave ones.I really enjoyed her second book. Possibly slightly less than Milk and Honey but only a smidge. Emotional and full of lines that just speak to me.  4/5

Death at the Fountain Abbey (Tom Hawkins, book 3) by  Antonia Hodgson

Somehow I accidentally bought the 3rd book in this series.To be fair the summery on the back didn’t indicate that it was a part of a series.Checking reviews, I was told that I could read it as a stand alone. I’m not entirely sure that’s 100% true but they did give you the background of the characters and some of the events in the other two books. I really enjoyed this. The main character wasn’t an overly clever detective. He was surrounded by characters of dubious quality. The mystery was interesting and a bit weird. I’m definitely planning on picking up the other books.  4/5

The Moomins (The Invisible Child and The Fir Tree) by Tove Jansson *

Two cute short stories from the Moomin world. I adore the Moomins and had never read the actual books. It was very cute and enjoyable.   4/5

The Witches by Roald Dahl *

I think The Witches is one of the few Roald Dahl books that I haven’t read before. It was so good. Twisty and funny and bonkers as all his books are.Much darker than I thought it would be.Perfect for the 24 hour readathon.  3.5/5

The Wicked and The Divine, vol. 6 by Kieron Gillian *

This gets stronger and stronger with every volume. The mystery surrounding the characters deepens even further and we get to see a couple of the characters backgrounds. We also get to see them deal (rather badly) with the fallout of the last volume.  4/5

The Grendel Affair (SPI Files series, book 1) by Lisa Shearin*

I’m a massive fan of Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series. I’ve re-read it at least twice.And I have read this book before, I just failed to continue on with the rest of the books. So I decided I needed to re-read the first book again before I could continue on. It was such a joy to re-read. Its a fun, smart urban paranormal fantasy with some interesting characters and creatures. I like the mesh of supernatural creatures working in SPI. Now I need to pick up the second book.  4/5

The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke series, book 1) by Tessa Dare

Historical romances are my comfort food. They are just always so easy and fun to read and perfect for palate cleansing in between heavy fantasy books or for when I’m feeling slumpy or unhappy with the world. Tessa Dare is one of my fave romance authors. Her books are always a good read and this was no less. I couldn’t put it down.It was just so good.The romance was really good and believable. Can’t wait to pick up her next book.  5/5

You (You series, book 1) by Caroline Kepnes

September was an excellent month for reading, in part due to The Reading Quest and a few excellent choices. In total I read 12 books and DNF’d one book, which amounted to 4584 pages. I also took part in another readathon, The Space Readathon, which was created by Sanne from Booksandquills which I really enjoyed. I did make the mistake of reading two non-fic books which I always feel slumpy reading but they were both fascinating so I’m not bothered that it took longer than I’d hoped to read them.

The Reading Quest

 Alien (Alien, book 1) by Alan Dean Foster

Spooky atmospheric novelization of the movie. It was great to go back re-visit it from the characters POV. 3.5/5

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaimen

This is Neil Gaimens version of the most famous Norse myths of the Gods.Fascinating and fun and an interesting insight into the Norse culture.Also very weird.  3.5/5

The Bride Says No (Brides of Wishmore, book 1) by Cathy Maxwell

This was an ok read.For some reason it was more focused on the heroines sister (who was a major brat and possibly delusional) than the heroine.I did enjoy the bits with the hero and the heroine but I’m not sure if I will pick up the second boon. 2.5/5

No Ifs, And or Bears About It (Grayslake, book 1) by Celia Kyle

This was fun and hilarious and just the sort of thing to read at the end of a long readathon. Not entirely sure if I will go back for the second book but its pretty likely. 3/5

The Space Readathon

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

A fascinating insight into the life of an astronaut, his every day life and his path to the stars. It was full of interesting stories and information. Between this and Packing For Mars I’m 100% sure I’d never make it as an astronaut. 4/5

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach

I loved Mary Roach’s Stiff and this was just as good. It’s essentially the history of the Space Race and how we actually got up there. Its full of astronaut gossip and interesting tidbits like how they developed space friendly food or toilets. Highly recommend. 4/5

These Broken Stars (Starbound, book 1) by Amie Kaufman

This was a lot better than I expected it to be. Its a YA sci fi romance about people from two different classes who are involved in a crash. Its essentially Titanic in space but really good. I liked the romance and the majority of the world building. I could have done with more about why the upper class people were replicating Victorian society in the future. That seemed odd.But I enjoyed it and I’ll be picking up the next book soon. 4/5

Non-Readathon Books

Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, book 2) by Robin Hobb

Technically this is for the #PlentyofHobb readathon but I didn’t see the point in giving it its own section. Good god, this was good. Full of court intrigue and plots and war and romance and wolves.Cannot wait to start the 3rd book. 5/5

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.  I cant even put into words how much this book affected me.I cried,I laughed,I was genuinely frightened for and moved by the characters and it made me think.About how I view the world,about how the world is and about how much we need to do to make it better for everyone. I strongly recommend this book. Its one of the best books I’ve read all year. I need more by this author. 5/5

Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties, book 1) by Jenn Bennett

This was the September alt pick for the book club Vaginal Fantasy. I enjoyed it a lot. It was interesting and fairly historically accurate (it need more flap talk). The romance was interesting and I got through it fairly quickly.Will be continuing on with the series. 3/5

The Winter Long (October Daye, book 7) by Seanan McGuire

As ever, so good.A couple of big twists are introduced.I just love this series.If I say any more, we’ll verge into massive spoilers. Just read all of the series.Trust me.4.5/5

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, book 1) by Libba Bray

I love Libba Brays The DIviners series.Its amazing, atmospheric and wonderfully written (I need to read book 3!).This isn’t The Diviners but I did enjoy it a lot.I was expecting, from reading the synopsis, something similar to The Dark Days Club but it was slightly different.It was an fun read and I liked the magic concept.The main character was a bit annoying but she grew on me as the book went on.Will be continuing on with the series 3.5/5

DNF Stalking Jack The Ripper (Stalking Jack The Ripper, book 1) by Kerri Maniscalco

This has been an amazing reading month and its largely in part thanks to Tome Topple and The Reading Quest readathons. I picked some amazing books and they inspired and drove me to keep reading. In total, I read 16 books with no DNF’s and a total of 5512 pages. (thats roughly 177 pages per day!)

Books Outside of Readathons

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, book 1) by Stephen King

This was really not what I was expecting,after watching the movie trailer.It is very different.But I really liked it.It had a Old West/High fantasy feel to it. There was a bit of time jumping and the main character is a bit of an unreliable narrator.I also felt like I’d missed part of the story.But I will be picking up more of the series (hopefully soon!).I’m already a massive Stephen King fan but I’ve only read his horror novels and am really looking forward to going into his other genres. 4/5

San Andreas Shifters series by Gail Carriger

Marine Biology, book 0.5 2.5/5

The Sumage Solution, book 1 3.5/5

So these are by a favourite author of mine.I love Gail Carrigers steampunk series The Parasol Protectorate. Now while I didn’t fall immediately in love with this series, I did enjoy it a lot. The Sumage Solution was this months VF alt pick, which I’m really glad of. It’s a m/m erotic romance and is set in the same world as The Parasol Protectorate but further into the future. The novella was ok, it was a short story to get you into the world and could have done with being a bit longer to give us more time with the characters. The Sumage Solution was very sweet and there were some very good sexy time scenes between the two main characters.I will definitely be continuing on with the series.

Tome Topple

The Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch 

The Lies of Locke Lamora, book 1 5/5

 Red Seas Under Red Skies, book 2 5/5

I read the first book in this series years ago, loved it and always meant to return. I kept putting it off and then managed to pick up books 2 and 3 as part of a deal a little while ago. Re-reading the 1st book was amazing. I thought I had remembered everything but I definitely hadn’t. I had only planned on reading the 1st book for the readathon but found myself diving into the 2nd book straight away. And it didn’t disappoint. It was just as brilliant as the 1st. Scott Lynch has created a fantastic world, which is almost Medieval Italy with an Oceans 11 theme and some magic. I loved Locke and Jean’s friendship. The whole book is filled with the amazingly realistic characters, twists and very dark moments. I’ll be picking up the 3rd book as soon as my readathons are over.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Guide, book 1) by  Mackenzie Lee

This book was such a delight to read. Its a fun historical romp across Europe......except its not just that. Its also a m/m romance between 2 best friends. The main character is bisexual and has clearly been abused by his father because of his relationships with men. This is the 18th century and Percy is part of the aristocracy so this is not unexpected and I think it was handled fairly well. Percy’s sister is also along for the ride and is (potentially) asexual, which I just loved as asexuality is not something that is usually written about much. There will be a sequel next year and I will be picking it up. 5/5

Orange: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 by  Ichigo Takano

This was a cute manga set in a school, where a new student has just arrived. The main character has received a mysterious letter in the mail which sets into motion a series of events. I enjoyed this. It was fun, although I didn’t get some of the references or humour, but I have already bought the 2nd volume. 4/5

The Reading Quest

Assassins Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, book 1)by Robin Hobb

This was also for the readathon Plenty of Hobb and a re-read. I think I read this about 8 or 9 years ago and had only vague memories about the story. One thing I had forgotten........how dark it could be. There were some moments where I had to stop for a second to breathe. It was amazing. The world building was rich and interesting. The story had me on edge at parts and always interested.I will be carrying on with the series, one a month for the next year and I am sorely tempted to just ignore the schedule and jump into the next book. 4.5/5

Paper Girls, vol. 3 by Brian K Vaughn

This just keeps getting better and better. I don’t want to spoil too much but I will say if you love mysteries that are outside the box, excellent characters and strong world building, this is definitely for you. 4/5

October Daye series by Seanan McGuire

Chimes at Midnight, book 7 4/5

Never Shines The Sun , book 7.5 3/5

And so continues my love for this series. Its just one of my favourite. Seanan McGuire has created this very dark and fascinating world.Book 7 was full of high stakes and had me on edge to see how it would end.And full of the gallows humor that I love.Book 7.5 is a novella set before the series and adds another layer of mystery to Octobers life.

Knit One,Two Girls by Shira Glassman

This was a short f/f romance centered around a knitting project. It was sweet and well written. It could have done with being much longer. I wanted to spend more time with the two main characters and have the romance more drawn out. It went a bit too quickly for me. But if you are looking for a good short story, I can recommend this. 3/5 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

A fascinating and some what horrifying look into the history of the HeLa cells. These cells lead to the discovery of an untold amount of vaccines, cures and scientific knowledge. However the origin of the cells (and sometimes use of) is highly controversial. The cells were taken from an African American woman by the name of Henrietta Lacks, in the 1950′s who had cervical cancer without her or her family’s knowledge or permission. This is a hard book to read, there are areas that will make a person uncomfortable. It goes into detail about Henrietta Lacks history (medical and personal) as well as her family’s history (I would give a trigger warning for the parts about Deborah Lacks childhood). It also goes into the history of scientific experimentation,especially on people of colour. There were genuine moments where I had to put the book down due to the overwhelming emotion I was feeling at the time, mostly anger and horror.I completely recommend this book, I think its very important for people to understand what has happened and how far we’ve come. 4.5/5

Stars of Fortune (The Guardians Trilogy, book 1) by Nora Roberts

An easy magical romance read. I’ve read Nora Roberts Cousins O’Dwyer trilogy which I really enjoyed and this is along a similar vein. It takes place in Greece and brings together a bunch of strangers who are linked to an ancient myth. It is very insta-lovey but for a quick easy read, its not too bad. 3/5

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer

A classic Georgette Heyer novel that thankfully lived up to its hype. I’ve so far never found a bad book of hers. Miscommunication, rakes and high society.I actually listened to this via Audible and the narrator was Richard Armitage which never hurts. 4/5

Overlapping Books

American Gods (American Gods, book 1) by Neil Gaiman

I am very happy with my reading this month. I managed to read a whole slew of excellent books which makes me very happy. There’s still a bit of a slumpy feeling that’s been around since Februaryish that I just can’t seem to shake. Its not stopping me from reading but I have found several times instead of reading on my commute, I’ll just listen to music or just stare out the window. Fingers crossed that I shake this eventually. In total, I read 12 books for a total of 3997 pages. I did DNF one book. 

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fischer

Carrie Fischer was a blessing. And her book is like sitting down with an old friend for a good gossip session. This was a collection of her memories from the filming of Star Wars: A New Hope. I thoroughly recommend getting the audiobook as it is read by Carrie and it is just wonderful to hear her talk. 5/5

Devil of the Highlands series by Lynsay Sands

Devil of the Highlands, book 1 3/5

Taming of the Highland Bride, book 2 3/5

The Hellion and the Highlander, book 3 3/5

A series of Scottish medieval romances. Full of the general tropes you usually find in romances. These were fun and fluffy and full of fun characters. I especially liked the narrator.

Dragons of Winter Night (The Dragonlance Chronicles, book 2 ) by Margret Weiss

The second book in the Dragonlance series picks up in action and political intrigue. The world is expanded and more of the opposing forces structure and plans are revealed. 4/5

Ashes of Honor (October Daye, book 7) by Seanan McGuire

Seanan McGuire’s name has been mentioned a lot on Booktube lately, thanks to her Wayward Childrens series. But I’ve been a fan of her work for ages thanks to Wil Wheaton recommending her Incryptid series. From there I moved onto the October Daye series. I love this series so much that I am actually forcing myself to take my time reading them so I don’t run out. This is the 7th book in the series and it didn’t disappoint. Its a slightly dark series, in the vein of Merry Gentry fantasy (but with a heck of a lot less sex)I just want to dive into book 8, its sitting on my shelf, calling me. Also check out her books under the name Mira Grant if you like zombie books. 4/5 The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

A dystopian novel where America has become an oppressed society, through the eyes of  woman who has been forced to serve as a walking incubator. This was a brutal read, as a woman. There were several parts where I had to put it down and walk away for a bit. It is very dark but I think for someone interested in current events or feminist literary, this is a must read. My only complaint is the ending. It was very abrupt and left me feeling a bit like the book as unresolved. 4/5

A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, book 2) by Becky Chmabers

The sequel to A Long Way To A Small Angry Planet. I loved the first book. The world building is just first rate. The characters were fascinating and engaging. I loved it and was very excited to pick up the sequel. While I enjoyed it a lot, I didn’t love it as much as the first book. It takes a step away from the majority of the main characters of the first book, which was disappointing. That’s not to say I’m not recommending this book. I am, very much. I think it has a very important point of discussion that will be very important in the future: the rights of an A.I.It was a brilliant story, I loved the characters and the world building was just as good as the first book. If I gave A Long Way 5/5, then A Closed and Common Orbit is a 4.9/5 and it is solely because I was sad not to return to my fave characters.

Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The BBC radio adaptation of The Bards most famous tragedies. These were brilliant and bought the text to life. And listening to Ian McKellen for a few hours is never a bad thing. 3.5/5

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

A brief explanation of the basics of physics written by someone clearly in love with the subject. The author broke it down into seven short subjects which were wonderfully written. I wouldn’t say that this is a book for a novice but someone who already has a basic physics but it was very enjoyable. 4/5

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 4: Rising Action by Kieron Gillian

This series just keeps getting better and darker and weirder. 4/5

The Silurian Gift (Doctor Who) by Mike Tucker

A short little adventure with The Doctor (Eleventh). It definitely felt like a classic DW adventure. We meet some classic creatures of DW history 3/5 

A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic series, book 3) by V.E Schwab

The final book in an amazing series. I kept putting off reading this as I was slightly worried I would be disappointed or that I wouldn’t be as in love with the world as I was a year ago. I decided to bite the bullet given that I would potentially meeting Victoria Schwab at YALC (didn’t happen thanks to a stomach bug). My fears were completely ridiculous. I loved it! It was a brilliant ending to the series. There were some genuine points where I got emotional and a lot of the plot points were resolved fairly satisfactorily. I do feel there could be more adventures in the world but if this is all we get, I’m pretty happy. 5/5

Bloodshot (Cheshire Red Reports, book 1) by Cherie Priest 

I have no idea why its taken so long to write this.Its been half written since the beginning of June.

It was a good month. Some excellent and surprising reads.Some less so. I have to recommend the audio version of all the Sherlock Holmes books as read by Stephen Fry. Its amazing and Stephen Fry as always is perfection.

The Name of The Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicles, book 1) by Patrick Rothfuss

Possibly one of the best fantasy novels out there. Patrick Rothfuss has created a wonderful world with rich characters, fascinating magic systems and interesting stories. This is the second time I’ve read this and it just improves upon re-reading.His writing style is perfection and it just keeps you wanting more.I can’t wait to dive in to the second book. 5/5

Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle

Every so often my best friend and I decide to buddy read something together. This time is was this behemoth audiobook. Over 70 hours for all of the Holmes stories as read by Stephen Fry. It was perfect. I have read several of the stories already but there was a lot of them I had never attempted. My favorite has and always been The Hound of The Baskervilles .My only complaint is the fact the chapters aren’t named and the guide from Audible is incorrect.It took almost 2 months but it was worth it. 5/5

A Court of Wrath and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, book 3) by Sarah J.Maas

The final in the trilogy (although there will be other books in this world with these characters). I enjoyed it.I don’t think it was as good as the second book but I enjoyed it more than the first. I do think that there was so much crammed into this one book that there were times where I couldn’t take a second to absorb what had just gone on. I can see some of the comments about Sarah J.Maas’s sudden turn around on diverse characters. Some of them did feel a bit forced. Overall I did enjoy this and I felt it was a reasonable ending to that particular story line. 4/5

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by  Alexander Freed

This was a novelization of the movie and I read it via an audio book which I highly recommend.The narrator was excellent and it had sound effects which just made my day.I enjoyed it as much as the movie and I felt it added insight into the characters and the world. 3.5/5

The Princess Saves Herself In This One by Amanda Lovelace

Poetry collection with a fantasy theme.I enjoyed this but it didn't hit me as much as Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur did. I’m still obsessed with that book.This did have some really good poems but for the most part they were ok. 3/5

Paper Girls vol.2 by Brian K.Vaughn

This is definitely for Stranger Things fans.Very atmospheric and intriguing and creepy. Can’t wait for volume 3.

Knit Tight (Portland Heat series, book 4) by Annabeth Albert

Cutesy m/m romance book set in a coffee shop and a knitting shop.Very sweet.The romance was “love at first sight” but still adorable.It was a short read and could have done with being a bit longer.I might pick up the first book in the series. 3/5

To All The Boys I loved Before series by Jenny Han

To All The Boys I loved Before series, book 1 3.5/5

P.S. I Still Love You, book 2 3.5/5

This is a YA contemporary romance series.I was surprised how much I enjoyed this.I only meant to pick up the first book, just to see as I had heard so much about it.Once I finished it,I had to get the second book and started reading it straight away. It was fun and lovely and everything I wanted in a book from that genre.I loved the characters (I need a baby sister like Kitty) and I kept jumping back and forth about who Lara Jean should end up with.I desperately need to pick up the 3rd book now.

The Dacians series by Kresley Cole

Shadow's Claim, book 1 3/5

Shadow's Seduction, book 2 3/5

This is an urban paranormal romance series. It has a link to another series by the author as well. Book 1 was a re-read for me to get back into the world as Book 2 was this months Vaginal Fantasy Book Club’s pick for May.Both are typical for the genre,although I think book 2 was the authors first attempt at a m/m. They both were readable and there were some genuinely enjoyable parts in each book. Unfortunately as with most books of a similar vein, there were some problems. The first book deals with instalove with a very alpha male, which can be a bit much and a little uncomfortable. The second book was much shorter and the romance felt a bit rush, especially as one of the characters had reservations about entering into the relationship due to the culture he’d been raised in. I have to say the world building is probably my favourite aspect of these books. I’ll probably only pick upi the next book if it’s a book club choice,however.

Star Trek IV by Vonda N. McIntyre

A novelization of the movie as read by Leonard Nimoy. I have to say this was probably the first Star Trek movie I ever watched so it has a very special place in my heart. Plus whales! And read by Ambassador Spock himself. I realize there are faults with the story, but I enjoyed it for a 2 hour audiobook. 2.5/5

Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter series, book 1) by Nalini Singh

An urban paranormal romance....with angels and vampires. This was an interesting read. There were some problems with the romance but the world building was top-notch. The romance was very dark at points and could potentially be tagged for triggers. The hero was a high ranking member of the alien race that rules the word. His attitude towards humans and the heroine was off putting. He was cruel at points and there were some bits where mind control was used. The story did keep me intrigued and I did want to see what happened next. As I said, the world building was top-notch. The integration of angels and vampires into the modern world and having it ruled by them was expertly done. It felt realistic, you could feel what is was like to be a human in that world. I would be picking up the 2nd book for the world building alone. 3/5

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

After reading the To All The Boys I Loved Before books, I wanted something else that was similar and I had heard a lot of good things about this book. I was not let down.I think I liked this even more than the Jenny Han books. It was sweet and angsty and well written. I loved that it was set in Paris,which is a city I love. I loved the main character, I really identified with her. I will definitely be continuing this series. 4/5

Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant series, book 1) by Derek Landy

Given how busy and stressful February has been, I’m surprised that I was able to read any books.Sometimes when I’m stressed or really exhausted, I can’t read.My brain refuses to pick up a book so there were a few days this month where I read nothing. I managed to read 12 books, finished 1 book started in January, DNF’d 1 book and started another book to carry over into March (The Two Towers as part of my Tolkien re-read). In total I read 4293 pages which included:

8 audiobooks

3 ebooks

4 paperbacks

Everybody's Jane: Austen in the Popular Imagination by Juliette Wells The was a look at how people read and engage with Jane Austens work. It covers the differences between academic readers and personal readers. I found it very interesting and got some ideas for future things to read. There were some dry bits and the first chapter was a challenge. I’d recommend this for die-hard Austen fans and those who are used to reading academic papers. 3.5/5

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of The Rings, book 1) by J.R.R.Tolkien Continuing my re-read of Tolkien's works is still a joy and a great way to end my day. I loved meeting favorite characters again. The first part does take a bit to get into and the adventure takes about 4 or 5 chapters to really begin but Tolkien's writing is just beautiful. 5/5

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn Possibly one of my favorite authors for life. I find her writing just pure comfort. This is one of her few stand alone novels. Its a take on the Gothic novel.Its not my favorite of her works but it is really enjoyable and dark and will possibly make you fall in love with Transylvania. 4/5

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie This is a paper version of the authors TedTalk. Its engaging and though provoking and her examples will make you sad, angry and hopeful for a better future. I would recommend this as a gateway into reading about feminism. Its very approachable and short. 4/5

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens I feel like my library card should be burned in front of me. I DNF’d a classic. A Charles Dickens book.I just couldn’t get into it.I probably read the first 40% and I just got bored and kept trying to remember the musical.I possibly may try again at some point but for now I’m taking a break from Dickens.

The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, book 1) by Genevieve Cogman This book reminded me a lot of Jodi Taylor's series The Chronicles of St Mary’s but less quirky. I did feel that I had missed something as it drops you straight into the story so more at the beginning about the Library and the main character would have been nice. It was very interesting and I will be picking up the rest of the series. 3/5

The Kingmaker Chronicles by Amanda Bouchet

A Promise of Fire, book 1 3.75/5

Breathe of Fire, book 2  3.75/5

A New Adult fantasy series. I’m gonna start this off by saying its not perfect. Far from it. But I really enjoyed it. It was fun and full of banter (I wanna be friends with Beta Team!) and adventure and Greek mythology. I read the first one in a couple of days. The second one took  a bit longer thanks to delivery issues and stress. I do honestly recommend this series and cannot wait for the third book. But you need to bear in mind, there maybe issues. The main female character is a bit of a Mary Sue and can be very wishy-washy about her decisions. The main male character is a pure alpha male, who can be high-handed and arrogant. The dialogue sometimes comes off as too contemporary (its set in Ancient Greece). I didn’t realize at the beginning this involved the Greek Gods, so it could have done with some explanatory world building to start off with.Also there is a bit of sexy times, which isn’t overly graphic but it did make me blush to read it on public transport. But I will be getting the third book.

The Fifth Elephant (Discworld, book 24) by Terry Pratchett After Death and The Witches, my favorite set of  Discworld characters is The Night Watch crew. They are bonkers and terrible policemen but led by the brilliant Sam Vines and Corporal Carrot, they always get the job done. This was also a take on the Gothic novel but with Dwarves. 5/5

The Bridgertons by Julia Quinn

The Duke and I, book 1 3.5/5

The Duke and I: The Epilogue ||, book 1.5 3/5

Historical romance fun. Need I say more. These are prefect distractions and remedies for stressful periods. I enjoy Julia Quinn’s writing very much.

The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet, book 3) by Julia Quinn I’m going to be very lazy. Please see above review. 4/5

Romancing the Inventor (Supernatural Society) by Gail Carriger Another one of my favorite authors for life. This short novella dips its toe back into the Parasol Protectorate world and looks at the life and romance of one of its lesser main characters. A fun read and a nice addition to the World. 3.5/5