MISC: Down The TBR Hole #1

I came across this idea on Lost In A Story and Book Bum’s blog a few weeks ago and thought it was something I needed to try out. Lia at Lost In A Story started this weekly post to trim down the Goodreads to-read list, and as I’m in dire need of narrowing mine down, I thought I’d give it a go.  My Goodreads to-read shelf is a dark and dangerous place, much like my Amazon Wish List. There are books on both lists that were probably added in the previous decade, covered with dust and internet spiderwebs.It’s about time some of them went So, without further ado let’s get into it!

The rules are simple:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

MISC: An Evening with Stephanie Garber

A couple of weeks ago I saw that Stephanie Garber was coming to Waterstones in Liverpool to talk about her amazingly successful debut novel, Caraval. Unfortunately it clashed with my university course, which meant I wouldn’t be able to go. The world was conspiring against me. Then, last week the group decided to have a Reading Week (I know, it’s an MA so everyone is alarmingly chill about the whole degree thing), and alas I was able to go. The only problem was, I hadn’t read the book and I didn’t have a copy.

I splashed out on the hardcopy on Amazon. It’s potentially the prettiest book I own, and I know that means nothing if a book isn’t good, but the publishers have just gone an extra mile with this book. You already feel yourself being pulled into a world of magic before you open the page.

Anyway, I booked my ticket and I was going solo. For me, that’s a big thing. There are a lot of times I haven’t done things I wanted to do because it meant doing them alone, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

I was a little worried that I hadn’t read the book. I felt like people would instantly know before I got there and shun me, which is ridiculous. The book community in general are always super welcoming, and no one seemed to sense my unworthiness.

It was a really great talk. I didn’t feel excluded for not having read the book. James Rice, the author of Alice and they Fly, hosted the evening, and asked a lot of questions about the process of writing and how Caraval was written, rather than the intricacies of the plot. As an aspiring writer, it was comforting to hear that because a novel is a debut, it doesn’t mean it’s the first one a writer has finished. Caraval was Stephane Garber’s sixth novel and while it must have been frustrating to have five books go unpublished she perceviered. In the end, she said she was glad that the other novels hadn’t be picked up because they were gearing her up towards Caraval. In those books she learnt a lot about world-building and character development, not from the things that went well, but from the mistakes.

Meeting her at the end of the evening was a treat. She was so warm, and even though I blurted out that I hadn’t actually read the book, she was excited for me to read it and happy that I’d come out. I’m looking forward to more book events soon!

WWW Wednesdays: 22nd February 2017

I missed last week’s WWW Wednesday post because I didn’t do a whole lot of reading. I’ve gone into a general slump since the resolutions I made in the New Year, but I’m trying to get back on track. I probably would have read more this week, but the family descended over the weekend, so I’ve taken my time. I did finish Eileen though! Hooray!

WWW is hosted by Taking on the World of Words. Each Wednesday book enthusiasts share their read by answering three questions:

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I know I intended to read Eleanor & Park after I finished reading Eileen but I’m fickle. I find that once I’ve bought it book and had it around for a couple of months, I’m much more relaxed about when I read it. So I end up pushing it back for other books. I rewatched the first season of Bitten on Netflix last week and remembered that it was based on a series of book’s by Kelley Armstrong. I’ve been craving more fantasy based books recently, so I picked it up from the library. It’s interesting to see how the TV adaptation has moved away from the book.

 

What did you recently finish reading?

Eileen. I’ve had it waiting patiently to be read since November. I think part of the reason I was holding off is because it’s signed and to me that’s the equivalent of a Fabrege egg in the book world. It wasn’t a disappointment. After reading Eileen, I’m tempted to get Moshfegh’s short story collection. Her prose is just flawless. The characters have so many idiosyncrasies that they feel three-dimensional. The mundane life of an unremarkable young woman is changed irrevocably by her friendship with a new colleague and the events that follow.

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m going to say Eleanor & Park (again) knowing that I’ve reserved Diana Athill’s Stet: An Editor’s Life from the library. Wishful thinking, but who knows?

 

 

What are you reading this week?

REVIEW: Fates & Furies by Lauren Groff

The saying ‘life imitating art’ might be used more often than necessary, but in Lauren Groff’s third novel Fates & Furies, it is an apt description for unsuspecting Lancelot ‘Lotto’ Sutterwhite’s life. The Fates narrative starts before his birth when his mother, a professional mermaid, and his father meet, following his conception, to his childhood, to meeting his own wife, Mathilde. Lotto is an aspiring actor, but despite his charisma he fails to make a real impact and as his dreams of making it slip away, he stumbles across his real talent for writing plays.

MISC: Mystery Blogger Award

I’ve never been tagged in anything before, so we’re all going to act cool and pretend I know what I’m doing. If it seems like I’m fumbling through, then it’s probably because I am. Thanks to BookBum for introducing me to this tag and asking some great questions. Check out her own Mystery Blogger Award post, and her blog in general (her Wednesday Wisdom posts are perfect).

The Rules:

• Put the award logo/image on your blog
• List the rules
• Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
• Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well (Okoto Enigma @ Okoto Enigma’s Blog)
• Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
• You nominate 10 – 20 people
• Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
• Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
• Share a link to your best post(s)

REVIEW: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Being a teenager is never easy, especially when you’re on the verge of leaving school. The future Frances Javier has been working towards is hurtling towards her quicker than she expected, and she hasn’t had a moment to think if it’s still the future she wants. Her best friend, Carys, went missing months ago, the only person she could be herself around, and she might have pushed her away. The only time she feels relaxed is when she listens to Universe City, a YouTube podcast made by a person known as the Creator.  Frances secretly posts her fan art online, but when the Creator takes interest in her drawings, she finds a friend in someone unexpected.

WWW Wednesdays: 8th February 2017

I managed to finally finish Fates & Furies a couple of days ago and I’m looking forward to another week of reading. I’ve read 6 books so far in 2017, so I’m well on my way to completing my goal of 50 books this year!

WWW is hosted by Taking on the World of Words. Each Wednesday book enthusiasts share their read by answering three questions:

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

MISC: 10 TV Adaptations That Made Me Want to Read The Book

Apple Tree Yard has been on the BBC for the last few weeks and I’ve finally caught up on iPlayer. The TV adaptation of Louise Doughty’s novel about a geneticist’s extra-marital affair sucked me in by the end of the first episode, and like the binge-watching addict that I am, I went straight on to episode two. What could be a familiar story, a woman who finds herself unexpectedly attracted to a man who isn’t her husband, takes some dark and unpredictable turns. I haven’t read the book, so I have no idea what’s waiting in episode three, but watching the series made me think of other small screen adaptations over the years that have made me want to read books I’ve never heard of, or already decided weren’t for me. Here are nine more:

REVEIW: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

WARNING: This review may contain some spoilers

Gillian Flynn’s tale of murder, deception and investigative journalism instantly draws you in. the prose is rich in imagery that reveals a narrator with an unusually perceptive world view. Yet, despite her keen observations, Camille has struggled to make her big break as a reporter in Chicago.

WWW WEDNESDAYS: 1st February 2017

How is it February already? Where did January go? I’m slightl scared by the speed 2017 is trying to go at. I had a little bit of a reading slump this week (more a slump in general) but I managed to finish at least one book. Hurray!

WWW is hosted by Taking on the World of Words. Each Wednesday book enthusiasts share their read by answering three questions:

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?