Bookmarked... #12

The return of the (mostly) weekly post letting you all know what I'm reading and have lined up for the week! It's my own version of Sheila at Book Journey's It's Monday What Are You Reading (now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date) and I have her permission to rename it for my own nefarious reasons...

Bout of Books may be long over now but I kept up the reading last week and managed to finish six books, although The Robber Bridegroom is in a book with just 64 pages... January is always a good month for reading for me, I haven't had time to get disillusioned by the stacks and stacks of books around me so hopefully I'll get ahead on my Goodreads challenge enough that I don't need to worry about it.

This week has started off well too. I currently have bookmarks (real & electronic) in four books all of which enjoying. My enjoyment of short stories continues so I'm loving Best of Apex magazine and Hawley Book of the Dead is one of those books that seems to appear to be a book written just for you because you can't find anything wrong with it! No idea what's up next but it's not as if I'll run out of books to choose from. I'm on a blog tour for the next book in Melinda Salisbury's series, The Sleeping Prince, so thought I better reread The Sin Eater's Daughter now rather than waiting to the last minute.

Finished Last Week

And Then There Were None

Blue Diablo

I Know Who Did It

Return To The Secret Garden

The Robber Bridegroom

Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom Of The Wicked

Currently Reading

Best of Apex Magazine

The Hawley Book Of The Dead

Luna: New Moon

The Sin Eater's Daughter

The Seventh Bride - T Kingfisher

Young Rhea is a miller’s daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage. Since commoners don’t turn down lords - no matter how sinister they may seem - Rhea is forced to agree to the engagement.


Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat “Come back before dawn, or else I’ll marry you.”

With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.

There are many variations of the Bluebeard story, the most well known are obviously The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, The Robber Bridegroom by The Brothers Grimm and Bluebeard by Charles Perrault. Ever since reading The Bloody Chamber I've tried to keep up to date with retellings of the Bluebeard story so was pleased to find this version by T Kingfisher (also known as Ursula Vernon).

Rhea is a miller's daughter with a hint of something special about her. After being spotted by Lord Crevan she becomes engaged to him, very much so against her will. With the wedding approaching Crevan demands that she visit him at his estate and so she sets off on a white road towards something that may well be the end of her. Staying true to the original story she discovers that she is to be the latest in a line of wives for Lord Crevan and having no desire to end up like the Clock Wife or the Golem Wife Rhea fulfills tasks set for her that seem impossible.

As retellings go this is one of the better ones I've read. I don't think any will ever measure up to Carter's Bloody Chamber but I really did like Kingfisher's interpretation. Rhea was headstrong and feisty but also scared out of her wits. I loved her hedgehog companion who got her out of a tight spot more than once and the bear that lurked about in the forest was another favorite. The other wives were fascinating, I especially loved Maria and the way that Kingfisher continually muddles your thinking about which wife may actually be on Rhea's side and who may may not want her to succeed at all. Great writing and a nice spin on Bluebeard has ensured The Seventh Wife a spot on my favorites list. Kingfisher has written a Beauty & the Beast retelling, Bryony and Roses, which has gone on the wishlist.

The Seventh Bride - T Kingfisher
Publisher - 47North
Release date - November 24 2015
Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Book Haul #118, Or I Never Realized How Much I Used My Kindle Fire...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

I still don't have my new Kindle Fire... I can see it in my orders on Amazon, it's just sitting there saying 'not yet dispatched' and 'expected delivery by January 12 to January 18'. It's now January 16 so unless a miracle happens, on a Sunday too, it won't be here by the 18th. Not having it is such a pain though as I have discovered I used it for just about everything whenever I was away from home. There's no quick blog posting, no game playing, no watching a movie on the train, nothing. Maybe next weekend I'll have something to show!

I was feeling very pleased with myself last weekend when I was doing my book haul post and thinking well done you for only buying two books up to the end of 2015. And then the last of my medicated haze ordering turned up from Book Depository... Ooops? It was only another two books so I don't think four is too high a number really. I'm doing well on the no book buying front though. I have bought nothing at all in 2016 and I've requested one title on Netgalley this week!

Bought

I already own 3 different copies of The Bloody Chamber but I couldn't resist this Penguin Deluxe version with an introduction by Kelly Link. I definitely need to reread this book soon!

My Neighbor Totoro is one of my favorite Miyazaki movies and I've wanted to get this for a while.

For Review

Huge thanks to Titan for sending me a copy of Charlie Jane Anders's debut novel. I've been waiting to read this for a long time and I featured it as a WoW pick in April last year!

I actually got this last week but completely forgot that I'd been approved for it. This was another WoW pick in 2015.

January New Release Giveaway!

Welcome to the January 2016 New Release Giveaway Hop, hosted by It Starts At Midnight! The hop runs from today through to midnight on January 31 2016. Up for grabs is any new release this month up to the value of $22 from the Book Depository as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here. 

All you have to do is choose any new release published in January and fill out the rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the linky for lots of other chances to win, thanks for entering and good luck!

Waiting On Wednesday #145 - New Pompeii

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

New Pompeii - Daniel Godfrey

ISBN - 9781783298112

Publisher - Titan

Release date - June 21 2016

Find - Goodreads |  Book Depository

Some time in the near future, energy giant NovusPart develops technology with an unexpected side-effect: it can transport objects and people from deep in the past to the present day.

For post-grad historian Nick Houghton, the controversy surrounding the programme matters less than the opportunity the company offers him. NovusPart’s executives reveal their biggest secret: they have saved most of the people from Pompeii, minutes before the volcanic eruption. Somewhere in central Asia, far from prying eyes, the company has built a replica of the city. In it are thousands of real Romans. And Nick has been chosen to study them.

But Nick soon realises that NovusPart are underestimating their captives. The Romans may be ignorant of modern technology – for now – but city boss Manius Barbatus wasn’t appointed by the emperor because he was soft. The stage is set for the ultimate clash of cultures in which time itself is a weapon…

Love the sound of New Pompeii so had to share! Titan are publishing some amazing books this year and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy! 

Top Ten Tuesday #104 - 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fabulous girls cover at The Broke & The Bookish. This week's topic is -

Top Ten Nine 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't

Oh dear. Where do I start with this list? There are so many titles that could be on my list and I feel guilty about every single one of them. Although I did start reading several of these I just never got round to finishing them...

Bookmarked... #11

The return of the (mostly) weekly post letting you all know what I'm reading and have lined up for the week! It's my own version of Sheila at Book Journey's It's Monday What Are You Reading (now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date) and I have her permission to rename it for my own nefarious reasons...

It was Bout of Books 15 last week and all in, a great week of reading! I finished up my final book yesterday evening and was really pleased to meet my target of reading 7 books over 7 days. I didn't meet my social targets though as my anxiety has been through the roof recently and I've had a few panic attacks. Over Christmas and New Year I got some great reading done too, I read all of Em's books that she got for Christmas plus a couple from my sister's shelves. I still don't have my replacement Kindle, hopefully it will turn up in the next week or so.

Bout Of Books Reading

Currently Reading