Showing posts with label deborah harkness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deborah harkness. Show all posts

Sunday, 19 April 2015

Book Haul #109, Or The One Where I Had An Unplanned Holiday...


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'm starting this week's book haul a day late and on a sad note. As I was sitting typing this post out I discovered that Jonathan Crombie had passed away at the young age of 48 due to a brain haemorrhage. Anyone who grew up in the 1980's and 1990's and watched the television adaptation of Anne of Green Gables knows that Jonathan played Gilbert Blythe. Gilbert was my first real bookish crush so to see Jonathan play him onscreen was amazing and he will never be replaced by any other schmoe they may get to play Gilbert in the future.

On to other news now! I had a bit of an impromptu holiday over the last two weeks with near enough nothing planned for the blog so apologies for that! There was plenty going on though...

Now for the books... I was a bit naughty as I was in London! Even though I have copies of A Darker Shade of Magic and Skin Game I had to get signed copies, obviously. I did mean to take my copy of ADSoM with me but forgot and getting to the Jim Butcher signing was a last minute skin-of-the-teeth thing so was excited to get anything signed and annoyed that I forgot my phone charger. My phone gave up just before I got there so no pictures :( That's the only picture of Sarah Pinborough, Deb Harkness and Victoria Schwab I managed to get that doesn't feature either the arm or the back of the head of Jim at YA Yeah Yeah.

Bought

 A Darker Shade of Magic (signed)
Vicious (signed)
The Book of Life (signed)
Skin Game (signed)

Netgalley/Edelweiss

Ash & Bramble
The Devil & Winnie Flynn
Killer Within
Redemption Road
Walk On Earth A Stranger
Wylding Hall

From Publishers/Author

Alien Resurrection (thanks to Titan)
The Silence (thanks to Titan)
Lies Like Love (for a blog tour - thanks Louisa!)
Renegade x 2 (for a blog tour & giveaway - thanks to Sam at Macmillan)
The Fatal Flame (thanks to Headline)

Tuesday, 13 January 2015

Top Ten Tuesday #78 - 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To


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

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

There are a lot of 2014 releases that I didn't get round to last year. I've been getting together my statistics for last year and if I've worked it correctly, just under a third of the books I read last year were published last year! Which means two thirds weren't... Here's a sample list of 2014 releases that I didn't read last year, kicking myself about not reading them last year and will read, soon hopefully. Especially Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy because I've heard so many good things. Maybe not Gods & Monsters because that's it, series over - same for Book of Life.




Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Top Ten Tuesday #53 - Books I Almost Put Down!


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely people at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is -


Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

I very rarely put down books without finishing them, the number of books I've DNF'd in the last twenty years is around four! What I have a habit of doing is reading a book, not liking it, putting it down to read a book I do like and then going back to the book I wasn't enjoying and finishing it. Most of the time I end up loving the book in question but every now & then I really wish I could DNF without feeling overcome with guilt.

 Outlander - Diana Gabaldon

I nearly out this down a dozen times, the first time I read it I was not in the mood for a long book but I'd borrowed it from the library so felt obligated to finish and return. Years later my mama and I read the books together, I loved Outlander and the rest of the series - we raced through them all!
Across the Universe - Beth Revis

 I read Across the Universe the year in March 2011, I struggled but I gave it five stars in the end. Rather oddly, even though I own the other two books in the series I still haven't read them and I feel no desperate need to do so.
Stormdancer - Jay Kristoff

Nothing to say but it was the best decision ever not to put this down. Note to self, read book two now!
 Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

I'd heard both good and bad about this series and I really wasn't interested in reading yet another teen vampire story but a friend in the States sent me a copy, insisting I read it. So I did... It nearly got to join a select few on my DNF list but something stopped me. I've obviously read all of them now, and the Bloodlines series so this turned out to be a good thing!
 The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

I struggled to get into The Historian and did actually put it down for a month but went back to it and I ended up loving it!
 A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

This was one of those books you borrow from the library and you're not quite sure what it's about. I read this in 2008 and at the time nobody I knew was reading YA (except for sparkly vampires) but I ended up loving this and bought my own copy.
 The Host - Stephenie Meyer

I have nothing against people who liked The Host but it took me four attempts to read/finish and it was this close to joining the DNF list. I'm glad I finally finished it but I can't say I really enjoyed it.
 Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness

I loved A Discovery of Witches, adored it! I think I went into SoN with too many expectations and so I really found it difficult to keep reading. I did though and finished it, eventually. I'm looking forward to The Book of Life this summer but I've not got my hopes up this time.
Divergent - Veronica Roth

I read Divergent in 2011 and I can't remember why I picked it up but I do remember thinking that it didn't sound like my cup of tea. It's another one I put down for a couple of weeks and went back to, eventually giving it five stars (which would probably be four stars if I read it now) and being desperate to read Insurgent. I obviously wasn't that desperate as I read Insurgent last month, exactly three years after Divergent and only because I bought Allegiant for my Kindle for $4/£3.



Seraphina - Rachel Hartman

This was a classic case of cover love! And 'stories about dragons' love! Started reading it and there was something that I can't put my finger on but it was really off-putting to me. I ended up leaving it at my sister's house for a while and then starting it again. It was like reading a different book and I loved it!

Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely people at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is -

Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book

This is a good one! This could have quite easily turned into a top fifty...

1. Dragons

Seraphina
 2. Fairies

The Iron King
 3. Witches

A Discovery Of Witches
 4. Mythology

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief
 5. Libraries/Books

The Demon's Librarian
 6. Fairy Tales

Complete Fairy Tales
 7. Humor

Wyrd Sisters
 8. Gothic

We Have Always Lived In The Castle

9. Ghosts

Anna Dressed In Blood
10. Vampires

Interview With The Vampire

 
Blog Design by Imagination Designs all images from the G'nite Sweetheart kit by Vera Lim Design