Wow did I hit a writing slump this month! O couldn't even focus on Audiobooks for a lot of the month, but finally seem to be back to reading... as long as my next pick isn't so dull anyway!

It was hard for me to read - not because it was particularly complicated but because the writing style reminded me of H Rider Haggard in She. It was convoluted and very filled up with it's own self importance.

I'm about a third of the way through....

Ok, I have to ask... is it worth carrying on? I enjoy the sections with the story of the blind assassin - the book within the book - but I dont care much for Laura or Iris, or anyone else in the flash backs, and old Iris isn't any more interesting than her younger self....

(Not quite the right book that's tagged but it was the closest fit)

A really cool take on the zombie survival story. Almost every zombie story I've ever read was set in the US, so reading one based in the UK was pretty awesome - especially because it made the whole thing seem far more real and recognisable. Really good, enjoyed it a lot.

It was a reread for me, but I still loved it this time around.

An amazing story with race and gender diversity that tackles a lot of key issues that we're going through today - racial inequalities, exploitation of power and immigration to name a few.
Noam and Dara were amazing characters and well written, and the world was as familiar as it was alien which is what I always like in an urban fantasy.
A strong start to the series 😁

Oh lord. I kinda hoped to like it, and when I opened with the main character talking so longingly about his love I had high hopes.... and then the story got going... and it kept getting worse. I know that things were different in bygone eras, but that doesn't make this level of misogyny any easier to read. When the guy literally talked about how he had succeeded in breaking her!?!

I really liked this book and the way it was written, and it could have easily been a 5 star read but - and I respect that it probably matched the way of thinking for the era in which it was set - there was a lot of outdated language. For me as someone who grew up while it was already an outdated way of thinking it was a little cringy. Otherwise the stories were excellent and engaging, so I'd still recommend it... but maybe with a pinch of salt.

So it was another really good month of reading 😁

I had a lot of really amazing books in this lineup, and a couple of real duds, but the good definitely outshone the bad.

Book of the month for May was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

#MonthlyWrapUp #WrapUp #MayWrapUp

I just couldn't get into her writing. It was like H Rider Haggard - she spent the first 17 pages of a short story setting the scene and it wasn't exactly riveting stuff... it was literally about wallpaper... not for me at all

I've come to the conclusion that China Mieville is just not for me. The writing sounds so impressive that it's almost enjoyable, but I struggled to imagine the story or keep up with what was happening. I'm still not entirely convinced I know what happened in the story.

This was very clearly a book aimed at 12-15 year olds, which I am not, but I generally enjoy a good time travelling adventure so gave it a go.

It was not for me, in this case, and there were a few moments that made me cringe or roll my eyes that I'm pretty sure my 15 year old self might have agreed with.

That being said, it was a decent book. It just wasn't great, and I personally felt it missed the mark.

A lively, fun and well explained dive into the science that makes the thing we take for granted work. I particularly loved the discussion about the uniqueness of rainbows at the end.
Really interesting read, would definitely recommend to anyone with a curiosity about science.

Oh dear... I have some catching up to do today! Late review 3 of 3

It's been a long time since I played any Warhammer but it was a familiar world to step back into with this book.

It was gruesome, dramatic and detailed, just as Warhammer should be. A very good book, but I would only recommend it to people with at least a basic understanding of the Warhammer universe.

Oh dear... I have some catching up to do today! Late review 2 of 3

This was such a beautiful, heartfelt yet also lighthearted and refreshing take on life, death, mortality and funerary practice in the modern age.
I really enjoyed hearing about it from and 'insider' in the industry because the death industry definitely seems like a secret society, hoarding its secrets, and I think it's long past due for an open and frank discussion.
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Oh dear... I have some catching up to do today! Late review 1 of 3

Warlock was at it again, with good old Watson at his side keeping him (mostly) alive. I really liked getting to learn more about the making of Warlock Holmes, and his back story was superbly crafted for his character.
This is a truly excellent series so far!

I loved it! The entire series was an adventure of highs and lows, with plenty of action.

Excuse me while I go track down the rest of the books in the The Lost Fleet universe...

I really do love this series. There is plenty of action, adventure, thrills and disasters. The space fights are easy to imagine and follow...

Really glad that I (while a little tipsy...) decided to buy the full series when they were on sale last year.

One more book to go!

I'm really loving this series. The battle, the wars, the sabotage...
I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I won't go into detail, but I'm really loving the direction of this series.

Another brilliant addition to what has already proved to be a awesome sci-fi series. I loved the exploration of what bravery and honour mean, and how that can shift.
With this being book 3 I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this is most certainly a series I would recommend so far.

A brilliant follow up to the first book. I loved the way things played out between both Geary's supporters and his opposition. We got to explore a lot more about what makes Geary tick, and explore his relationships both past and present a little bit.
It maybe played a little too much about his doubts and fears at times, ...
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I tried, I really did. Maybe it's the writing style, maybe it's the format, but the very idea of listening to ten more hours of it fills me with dread, so I'm out.

Jack Campbell has built a brilliant universe for these stories and populated it with people who are at once alien and familiar. Best of all - his chief hero, John 'Black Jack' Geary, is powerful, intelligent, charismatic and (certainly so far at least) unproblematic! He judges people on their merit, treats people fairly and hasn't taken advantage of the hero worship that his legend affords him.
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Another collection of amazing stories about the Scarlet Witch. At last she has return to her Roma roots, we learn more about her origins and her tragic past, and she kicks some ass. Loved it!

It was such a fun and novel retelling of the Sherlock Holmes series.

Warlock Holmes was a strange, socially inept and darkly sympathetic character, while John Watson was a brilliant, slightly more proper, recasting of the original Sherlock and Watson melded into one.

Their adventures were hilarious and the world was so familiar and yet not at the same time.

Very entertaining, I would definitely recommend.

I like the variety of stories in the Scarlet Witch; each of the collected stories has it's own villain and it's own resolution, with an underlying story tying them together which suits me very well.
I also love the strength of conviction that she has, even when it is those closest to her that are trying to turn her from her mission.

It was a good book, but it wasn't really my 'thing'. The witchcraft element was interesting, but the prevalent themes of pregnancy, marriage and unfaithfulness were a little dull to me.
Over all the book was a very 50:50 affair for me

A cute story about the power of friendship and imagination, about discovering who you are and what you are capable of, all wrapped up in an adventure that's child friendly. I'm definitely a little older than the target audience, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I didnt know a lot about the Scarlet Witch before I started (I drew her at random for a Superhero themed party I'm going to next month) but I feel like this collection was a great start into understanding her.
I loved the way she embraced her flaws and sought to atone for the wrongs she had done in the past, always seeking to better herself and the world.
I'm excited to see where her story goes (and get some inspiration for my costume).

A really good follow up to the first volume, with plenty of story and room for the story to grow.

This was the last of the books that I had loaned from my friend... weird to see them leave after so long 😅😬📚

A really interesting plotline, and some pretty interesting characters, but the art wasn't as good as a lot of the other Wonder Woman books I've read recently but that's just personal taste.

It may not apply to my current read but I could honestly list so many 📚

This book is just so.... odd.

It's as if it can't decide when it's set and it's making it so hard to follow... 🤔

#AprilWrapUp #WrapUp #MonthlyWrapUp

A little late posting as I was out yesterday with friends, but figured better late than never.

April was a really good reading month for me.

At the beginning if the year I decided to cancel my Spotify subscription to save a little money and to get through all of the audiobooks I'd begun to hoard. I think it's fair to say it worked 😅

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Oh hell yeah! The art was stunning, the characters were all brilliant and bold, the lore was just so weird and wonderful, and the world was awesome. I NEED the second volume!

It was a wild ride! I loved the creepy art style and the characters were a brilliant combination of badass attitude and youthful naivety. Really good.

This was such a cute and quirky adventure. I couldn't put it down once I started it and I loved every wild second of it.

FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed this book, but I struggled to grow an attachment to any of the characters, their motives and beliefs were lost on me and I just never managed to really support any of them.
On the other hand, it was a pleasant surprise to have a 'superhero' story without the cliched happy ending. The story itself was gritty and engaging.
Overall a good book, but I don't think I was the right person for the book.

Forgot to post this one yesterday....

It was ok. The narrative seemed convoluted and over the top at times, but the story itself was interesting.

A really interesting Beowulf retelling.

I'm a pretty big Crichton fan anyway, so I was pretty sure I'd enjoy it and I wasnt disappointed.

It was filled with what would have been the most up to date and accurate historical information of the time, though some of it has since been pushed aside.

Regardless, the story itself was cohesive, easy to follow and engaging. A good book.

It was a good addition as it explores the characters further and highlights the effects the war had on them without brushing it away like it was a mild inconvenience. I also liked the way Feyre finally got to use her painting skills and embrace that more peaceful part of herself.

However, it can easily be skipped. It's nothing particularly special and there are no grand revelations, just a nice story.

Another excellent installment to the series. I've really enjoyed watching the growth of Feyra, the development of her sisters as characters and the expansion of the world that she lives in - to the readers perspective if nothing else, though she definitely gets to see some places she'd never been before.

This feels like a clean place to leave the series though, and I can see that there are other books in the series which is making me sceptical.

This was a really interesting tale on time travel.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started it... it was going to go one of two ways; badly wrong or very right. The eventual answer was very right and I am glad I took the time to read it.

I struggled to grow attached to the characters in the first half, but they grew on me in the latter half as the story picked up the pace making it a lot more enjoyable and pushed it to 3.5/4.

STOP MAKING ME CRY BECKY CHAMBERS!
I promised myself before I started this books that I wouldn't get attached to anyone or anything, like I did in the first two books because I knew exactly how it would end for me... but that failed within the first couple of chapters because I was super invested in all of them.
I adored this story; it gave me hope, made me feel at home, broke my heart and put it back together again.
Highly recommend!

Finished this yesterday while getting ready for a surprise birthday party 😊

An excellent book.

I had a little trouble getting into it as she started out as such a frustrating character, and I struggled to sympathise with the first couple of troubled she went through that led to her exile. Once she was exiled however she became a whole new person and I truly liked her and became invested.

Very good, well worth the time :)

I decided that I needed to read through the entire series again now that the fourth book is out, and it is the best decision possible!

I adore this book as much as I did the first time. Pepper and Blue, Tak and Sidra... Stars they were stunning characters, I loved them all so much. It didn't tear my heart out the way the first book did, but it sure as hell helped to put it back together.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to read the next one!

This was the second time I have read this book and I adored it as much as the first time.

The characters are so well written that the crew felt like family, AI feel like people too, The Wayfarer feels like home and I'm crying with a broken heart all over again over one of the crew!

I cannot recommend this book enough!

A perfect way to end the series. Elizabeth's quick mind and unusual talents were stretched to their limits, Tinker came into his own, Fabulo became such a strong personality and really drove the story forward.
And in my personal opinion the way things ended up between John Farthing and Elizabeth Barnabas was perfect.

A brilliant sequel to The Bullet Catcher's daughter. We got to learn more about the world in this alternative history of the world and the Gaslit Empire, and its precious International Patent office. Elizabeth Barnabas remains an amazing heroine.