Wednesday, 2 December 2015

Wednesday Catch-Up 2nd December 2015

Every Wednesday we are linking up with WWW Wednesday, What Are You Reading Wednesday? and Waiting on Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is hosted at Taking on a World of Words and asks 3 questions: What are you currently reading?, What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next? 
What Are You Reading Wednesday are hosted on It's a Reading Thing and asks;
1. What's the name of your current read?
2. Go to page 34 or 34% in your e-book and share one complete sentence.
3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?
Waiting on Wednesday is hosted at Breaking the Spine and is a chance to show what upcoming releases you are excited for! Each week we will take it in turns to choose a book for Waiting on Wednesday and this week was Ann's turn! You can click any of the pictures in the post to go to that books goodreads page.

Ann:

Currently Reading: 
Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)Daisy MillerThrone of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
Illuminae which is brilliant and I am loving it. Daisy Miller which is interesting; I am a bit confused but it is hopefully going to get less confusing. Also I have to admit I may have started to read Throne of Glass even though I haven't finished Illuminae yet.

Page 34:
"She would have snorted, but he did look rather good in his knee-high brown boots." - page 34 The Throne of Glass
I don't know much about this book yet but I really love all the descriptions of things which are so detailed. However because I don't know much about it yet I don't think I can make a decision about whether I would want to live in this world. I think probably not though. 

Recently Finished: 
The Turn of the Screw
I have recently finished The Turn of the Screw which was really good.

Planning to Read Next: 
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)
As I have said many a time I still plan on reading The Throne of Glass series. I've been saying it for weeks but I mean it!

Clare:

Currently Reading:
Hourglass (Hourglass, #1)The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
I am currently reading Hourglass by Myra McEntire. I have only just started this but I am hoping I enjoy it. I am also reading The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo which was my Classic read for November and I didn't finish it - so on I go with that.
"Michael laughed, flashing white, even teeth. It was a good sound, comfortable, like he did it a lot. I wished I could laugh like that." - Page 34, Hourglass
I do like this quote. Makes me wonder why she doesn't laugh naturally. And kind of hope that at some point in this book she will. I have barely started Hourglass but I am pretty sure it's just our world but with lots of ghosts and possible time travel? Time travel, as ever, would confuse me. I do believe in ghosts in general but I think I'd pass on seeing them everywhere. Might get a little creepy.

Recently Finished:
Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1)SoundlessUprootedThe Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy, #1)The Perilous Sea (The Elemental Trilogy, #2)The Immortal Heights (The Elemental Trilogy, #3)
The first book I read this last week was Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine. I was rather pleasantly surprised by this. I liked most of the characters although some of them weren't as developed as I would have liked and I loved the atmosphere, definitely excited to see where the series goes next. I then read Soundless by Richelle Mead which was ultimately disappointing. Her Vampire Academy characters are so well developed that it honestly baffles me how difficult it was to connect to the characters here. Really dodgy world building as well. I have a mini review for this on my Goodreads here. Then I read Uprooted by Naomi Novik which I have been planning to read for a long time and I am so glad I finally did as it was amazing. Really enjoyed this. After that I read the Elementals Trilogy by Sherry Thomas which is made up of The Burning Sky, The Perilous Sea and The Immortal Heights. I really loved these books as well. The characters and atmosphere were great and for some reason the whole series just made me feel very nostalgic like I was reading something I'd already loved (I know for a fact I've never read them before). 

Planning to Read Next:
Timepiece (Hourglass, #2)Infinityglass (Hourglass, #3)How We FallNovember 9Wait for You (Wait for You, #1)The Beekeeper's Daughter
Hopefully I will enjoy Hourglass and I can then continue the series with Timepiece and Infinityglass. I would then like to read How We Fall by Kate Brauning which seems like it could be an intense read. I also want to read November 9 by Colleen Hoover. I loved Slammed by her and I've liked her others but never quite as much. I've heard mixed things about this but hopefully I will like it. And then I would like to read Wait For You by J. Lynn which I am hoping will be a good read. Finally I would like to read The Beekeeper's Daughter by Santa Montefiore which my best friend read recently and recommended to me.


Waiting on Wednesday:

A Drop of Night
A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachmann
Five gifted teenagers are selected out of hundreds of other candidates to fly to France and help with the excavation of a vast, underground palace buried a hundred feet below the suburbs of Paris. Built in the 1780's to hide an aristocratic family and a mad duke during the French Revolution, the palace was sealed after the aristocrats fled there. No one has set foot in it for over two centuries.
Now, in the present day, the teenagers enter with cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art security, scientists and chaperones. And then a brutal accident occurs. No way out. Caught in the dark.
They will have to fight to survive. But are they really alone in the depths?


A Drop of Night: This sounds like a book that I would really enjoy and I just really look forward to reading it. This is due for release on March 15th.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Top 5 Audio Books

Top 5 Wednesdays are hosted by Ginger Reads Lainey and you can find the goodreads page here. Both Ann and I have only actually fully read one audiobook each. But I have started a few others which I am enjoying. And most of mine are auto-biographies since I tend to find them easier to read when they are narrated by the person writing them.

1) Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to be a Grown Up by Grace Helbig
Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown-up
This is the only audio book I have currently finished and I really loved it. I read it whilst also reading the physical copy and it worked really well.
2) Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Yes Please
Amy Poehler is one of those people I just love so listening to her narrate her own book is wonderful. I am about a third of the way th
3) You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
Again - I love Felicia Day. I have actually only just started this but am definitely enjoying it so far.
4) Binge by Tyler Oakley
Binge
I am reading this and the physical copy at the same time. So far I've read more from the physical copy than from the audio book but I am enjoying both kinds of reading.
5) The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner
The Red Necklace
Ann: This is the only one I have read so far and I loved it. It's narrated by Tom Hiddleston and it was just perfect.


You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Tuesday, 1 December 2015

November Wrap Up & December TBR

Ann:

I have only read 2 books this month and one of them was my classic so I haven't had a brilliant reading month this month.

Ann's Favourite Book of November: 
Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters
Texts From Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg
My favourite book this month was Texts from Jane Eyre because it was really really funny. Also, as the only book I read this month - this was pretty much a default!

Ann's Reviews in November:


Clare:

This month I read a total of 36 books, most of which I enjoyed although I did have a few disappointing ones. I didn't get as many reviews written in November as I had hoped but I should be better in December as I am not going away anywhere again.

Clare's Favourite Books of November:
Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)UprootedWinter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)
1) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
I had heard nothing but amazing things about this before I started it but I was still completely unprepared. This book blew me away and I absolutely cannot wait for the rest of the series. I have a full review for this linked below.
2) Uprooted by Naomi Novik
This is another one that I have yet to read a bad review for. Very enjoyable and brilliantly written and I just loved all of the characters. This is the first Naomi Novik I have ever read but it won't be the last!
3) Winter by Marissa Meyer
This was the final book in the Lunar Chronicles and it was kind of a bittersweet ending. I thought everything was wrapped up extremely well and I loved where the characters ended up but I am still sad that the series is over. I have a full review for this below.

Clare's Reviews in November:

Ann's TBR for December 2015:

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5)Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)
My TBR is nearly entirely The Throne of Glass series because I really need to get around to reading them. And if I manage to finish them I want to read The Lunar Chronicles.

Clare's TBR for December 2015:

How We FallNeedNovember 9Vengeance RoadFind Me If You DareDon't Eat The Glowing BananasDeadly Dance: The Daath Chronicles 2.5Broken Dolls (Broken Dolls, #1)The Infinite Loop #1Zodiac (Zodiac, #1)Their Fractured Light (Starbound, #3)Christmas Ever AfterChristmas on Primrose HillChristmas in the SnowThe Parisian Christmas Bake OffFalling for ChristmasJust For ChristmasMarried By ChristmasThe Night Before Christmas
My current TBR pile includes the Hourglass trilogy by Myra McEntire, How We Fall by Kate Brauning, November 9 by Colleen Hoover and Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman. I also have four books to review this month - Find Me If You Dare by Vicki Leigh, Don't Eat the Glowing Bananas by David D. Hammons, Deadly Dance by Eliza Tilton and Broken Dolls by Tyrolin Puxty. I then have four pre-orders arriving this month, Infinite Loop by Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet, Zodiac by Romina Russell, Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner and The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean. And then finally I have all of my Christmas reads which includes Falling For Christmas by Kate Hewitt which I received from Netgalley recently.



Classics Wrap Up:

The Turn of the ScrewThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Ann: I finished The Turn of the Screw. It was such a brilliant book and I loved it.
Clare: I didn't manage to finish The Hunchback of Notre-Dame this month, I went away for a while and when I got back I just never seemed to pick it back up.

Classics TBR for December:

Daisy MillerThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Ann: Because I didn't get to finish Daisy Miller in November I have decided to make it my classic for December.
Clare: I will be continuing The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. I am actually enjoying this so hopefully I will be able to finish it soon.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Top Ten 2016 Debut Novels We Are Looking Forward To

Top Ten Tuesdays is an original feature created by The Broke and The Bookish and you can find their page here. This is one of those topics I initially thought I would struggle with, only to find there are so, so many exciting debuts coming out next year!

1) Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie
Burning Glass
Emperor's and magic and potential betrayal! Sign me up!

2) Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto
Revenge and the Wild
Revenge. I need to know absolutely nothing else. I love revenge stories.

3) These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas
These Vicious Masks
"Jane Austen meets X-Men". I don't think I have ever read a more enticing description.

4) Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers
Assassin's Heart
Just - Assassins. I need more of them.

5) Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward
Bleeding Earth
I love the cover of this. I'm not 100% sure of the plot but it sounds intriguing.

6) Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
Shallow Graves
"Her end was just the beginning" - the cover looks creepy and yet kind of pretty.

7) The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Hellig
The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere, #1)
I'm not always a huge fan of time travel (my brain just can't handle the paradoxes apparently) but this one sounds great.

8) Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan
Sword and Verse
I just really need to read more fantasy. And this sounds spectacular.

9) Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake
Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers, #1)
I hadn't heard of this one until I started searching for debuts, but libraries? I love books about books.

10) The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game, #1)
Not sure why I didn't put this one at the top because I am definitely very excited for this. Very.



You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading