books – Page 2 – The Terror of Knowing

Review | Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

05/07/201929/06/2019EmmaLeave a comment

Title: Ghostly Echoes (2016)
Author: William Ritter
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Read: 26th – 27th June 2019
Genre: YA fantasy; historical; mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the services of her detective-agency tenants to solve a decade-old murder— her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny’s fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny’s case isn’t so cold after all. Soon Abigail’s race to unravel the mystery leads her down to the mythical underworld and deep into her colleagues’ grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced..” (Synopsis from publisher)

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Wrap Up | June 2019

03/07/201901/07/2019EmmaLeave a comment

Welcome one, welcome all, to my June Wrap Up! June was a bit of a mixed bag month. Reading wise, I ended up deciding to take part in two readathons – A Game of Booksathon and Simsathon – despite the fact that I knew full well that I had a couple of holidays booked over half of the weekends in the month. You would think I would have realised that, for all I aspire to read on holidays such as these, I never do. And I was true to form and didn’t. That put me a little behind where I originally hoped to be with the two readathons but I won’t beat myself up about it too much because I made up for it a little bit in the second half of the month when I read, read, read to try to get some more challenges done for both of the readathons and I really did have such fun on both my holidays.

Firstly, me and Liz (and our other friend Cathy) visited our university friend Sarah in the town she now lives – Cardiff. Despite the fact I now live in Liverpool (and am therefore not far at all from the Welsh border), I’d never been to Wales until then. I know, I know, it’s crazy to think but I hadn’t ever had the reason or opportunity to do so. It was a lovely long weekend, we mostly just chilled out and hung out and we went for a walk in the Gower Peninsula which is just… stunning. Then, for my second little holiday, I went to the Scottish Highlands with my group of friends from school and it was just lovely. Our Air BnB was wonderful and so huge and my friends Kate and Tom brought along their gorgeous dog Daisy so many a petting of Daisy was had – and it made me feel a lot better. (Guys, I need a dog.) We went on a couple of walks, visited a castle (it was the place they filmed that Highlands episode of Downton Abbey for any Downton fans in the house), and generally just hung out and played a lot of boardgames (Obama Llama, Chameleon, and Scrawl now firm favourites). It’s also made me realise that I really do actually like going on longer walks and I should make an effort to get out more and do it more often, especially considering I don’t live far from arguably one of the most stunning National Parks – the Lake District.

But enough about me realising I hope to someday genuinely fulfil my aesthetic of walking boots, a dog, and the Lake District, let’s see how my reading went in June!

In June, I read a total of 8 books – 8 fiction and 0 non-fiction – and 2 were re-reads (marked by *). This amounted to 3272 pages in total.

In terms of format: 2 were hardback, 1 was paperback, and 5 were audiobooks.

As for genre, 2 were fantasy, 1 was middle-grade/children’s, 1 was romance, 1 was YA contemporary, 1 was YA fantasy/mystery, 1 was YA fantasy/paranormal, and 1 was historical fantasy.

Onto the books themselves…

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A Game of Booksathon & Simsathon | Progress Update #4 aka Wrap Up

01/07/2019EmmaLeave a comment

If you’ve seen my TBR post, my first progress update, my second progress update, or my third progress update, you’ll be well aware by now that in June I was taking part in two readathons this: A Game of Booksathon and Simsathon, based on A Song of Ice and Fire and The Sims respectively! This is by fourth and final progress update aka a wrap-up of how I did in the weeks gone by.

Reading Challenges & TBR

✓ Furyborn (Empirium #1) by Claire Legrand
The Game of Thrones: first book in a series/trilogy
Take a bubble bath: Read a book over 400 pages

✓ Black Powder War (Temeraire #3) by Naomi Novik
House Targaryen: book with mythical creature or dragons
Make a friend: read a book that features friends

✓ Kingsbane (Empirium #2) by Claire Legrand
Daenerys: book featuring a strong female character
Meet the Grim Reaper: read a book featuring death

✓ Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend
Westeros: book set in a fictional place
Create-a-sim: read a book that is first in a series

– Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
House Tyrell: book with plant or green on cover
Get a promotion: Read a book you think will be 5 stars

✓ The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
House Stark: book that has family dynamic or siblings
Fall in love: read a book with a romance element

– The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter
House Lannister: book with red cover
Reach the top of your career track: read a finale

The Assassin’s Curse (The Ananna Duology) by Cassandra Rose Clarke
House Greyjoy: book with pirates or story set at sea
Gain a fishing skill: randomise your TBR

✓ A Princess In Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole
House Baratheon: book with king or queen or royalty
Woo hoo: read a smutty book

✓ Her Royal Highness (Royals #2) by Rachel Hawkins
A Clash of Kings: a sequel
Buy a house: read a contemporary or book set in our world

✓ Ghostly Echoes (Jackaby #3) by William Ritter
Wildlings: paranormal
Get a job: Secret agent – read a mystery book

junereadathons4

So this week was something of a rush when it came to reading. I finished up a whole bunch of booksand I’m really proud of myself for that – I finished Ghostly Echoes, A Princess in Theory, Her Royal Highness and Kingsbane (this one literally was eleventh hour as I finished it at 11pm on 30th June!). If only I’d had that same ‘let’s finish ALL THE BOOKS’ ethic throughout the month, eh? I’m annoyed at myself for not finishing up The Dire King and Fragile Things, to be honest. I’d started both of them and could have finished them in time if I’d just foregone watching Gilmore Girls and Parks and Recreation on Sunday afternoon but my brain clearly needed the break and I wasn’t about to deny it that.

But, let’s put that behind us, and what did I achieve?

A Game of Booksathon – 8 books, 8/11 challenges completed = I’m a Queen!

Simsathon – 8 books, 3272 pages, 34 points

All things considered, I’m pretty damn pleased with that! Thanks to the lovely hosts for creating such fun and creative readathons – I hope Simsathon will happen again and I will be continuing onto Round Two of A Game of Booksathon so it’s not quite over yet!

Did you take part in Simsathon or A Game of Booksathon? How did you do? What was your favourite book you read in June? Leave a comment below!

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Review | Furyborn by Claire Legrand

26/06/201922/06/2019Emma2 Comments

Title: Furyborn (2018)
Author: Claire Legrand
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Read: 1st – 5th June 2019
Genre: fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed…unless the trials kill her first. One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable―until her mother vanishes. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire’s heart is more terrible than she ever imagined. As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world―and of each other.” (Synopsis from the trilogy’s website)

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A Game of Booksathon & Simsathon | Progress Update #3

24/06/2019Emma1 Comment

If you’ve seen my TBR post, my first progress update, or my second progress update, you’ll be well aware by now that I’m taking part in two readathons this month: A Game of Booksathon and Simsathon, based on A Song of Ice and Fire and The Sims respectively! I’m not doing as well as I hoped which means I have no time for chit chatting so let’s see how I did this past week, shall we?

Reading Challenges & TBR

✓ Furyborn (Empirium #1) by Claire Legrand
The Game of Thrones: first book in a series/trilogy
Take a bubble bath: Read a book over 400 pages

Black Powder War (Temeraire #3) by Naomi Novik
House Targaryen: book with mythical creature or dragons
Make a friend: read a book that features friends

– Kingsbane (Empirium #2) by Claire Legrand
Daenerys: book featuring a strong female character
Meet the Grim Reaper: read a book featuring death

✓ Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend
Westeros: book set in a fictional place
Create-a-sim: read a book that is first in a series

– Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
House Tyrell: book with plant or green on cover
Get a promotion: Read a book you think will be 5 stars

✓ The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
House Stark: book that has family dynamic or siblings
Fall in love: read a book with a romance element

The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter
House Lannister: book with red cover
Reach the top of your career track: read a finale

The Assassin’s Curse (The Ananna Duology) by Cassandra Rose Clarke
House Greyjoy: book with pirates or story set at sea
Gain a fishing skill: randomise your TBR

– A Princess In Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole
House Baratheon: book with king or queen or royalty
Woo hoo: read a smutty book

– Her Royal Highness (Royals #2) by Rachel Hawkins
A Clash of Kings: a sequel
Buy a house: read a contemporary or book set in our world

– Ghostly Echoes (Jackaby #3) by William Ritter
Wildlings: paranormal
Get a job: Secret agent – read a mystery book

Since last week I have finished my re-read of The Raven Boys (LOVED it, again, obviously) and I’ve also started Kingsbane (100 pages in) and Her Royal Highness (66% in), on top of the books I was already in the middle of (Ghostly Echoes, Fragile Things, A Princess in Theory). Because why try to finish books one by one in a sensible and logical fashion when, instead, you could be spreading yourself thin in trying to finish all the books at once?

I’ve done some quick calculations and realised that, at this rate, I need to finish off a book a day (plus an extra book on one really good reading day) to complete the readathons. Yeah… so… that’s fun. I’m REALLY hoping that my usual tactic of reading multiple books in multiple formats will pay off and I will somehow manage to get all of this finished in the final week of the month. Clearly this is no small feat but my housemate Liz is off to Russia on Tuesday so I’m thinking that being home alone for the rest of the month will be very conducive to reading. Let’s hope I’m proved right on that count because I think that’s the only way I’m finishing off this TBR!

Have you been taking part in Simsathon or A Game of Booksathon? How have you done so far? Even if you’re not participating, let me know what you have been reading this week because I’d love to know. Leave a comment below!

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Review | Beastly Bones by William Ritter

23/06/201922/06/2019Emma1 Comment

Title: Beastly Bones (2014)
Author: William Ritter
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Read: 21st – 25th May 2019
Genre: YA fantasy; historical; mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

“Some girls work in shops or sell flowers. Some girls find husbands and play house. I assist a mad detective in investigating unexplained phenomena. My name is Abigail Rook, and this is what I do. In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First vicious shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt–for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.” (Synopsis from publisher)

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Discussion | Assigning ‘value’ to genre books

21/06/2019Emma3 Comments

This is going to be something of a discussion post, but also something of a wake-up call for myself. It is all spurred on by one particular book: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren.

(Before we start this: I know this is an incredibly privileged position to be in. The fact that I have the means to buy books at all is a privilege I am grateful for every day. I am fortunate enough to live in the UK, making book buying much easier than those living in countries that don’t have huge book markets. This is an extremely ‘first world problem’ to have. Disclaimer over.)

Me and my friend Liz have both wanted to read Christina Lauren’s newest release since it started making the rounds in the online book community pre-publication. It’s safe to say the hype train on this one has definitely left the station. We’d love to jump on that train too but, like so many other readers, we’re not based in the US, therefore we need to wait until the UK publication date of 2020 which, right now, seems like aaaages away. (We still have our fingers crossed that they’ll push up the UK pub date.)

Now, the ebook is available now via Amazon Kindle, but it’s a whopping £9.99 to purchase. I’ll be honest: ebooks being the same price, or in some cases more expensive than the print version, has always got my back up a little bit for no apparent reason. I think it’s down to the fact that I am stubborn and set in my ways and so I still prefer the tangible ‘pay money for physical product’ strategy as opposed to the whole digital download situation that is happening in all entertainment industries right now. (You can keep your digital copies, thanks, you will need to pry my DVDs from my cold, dead hands.)

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A Game of Booksathon & Simsathon | Progress Update #2

17/06/2019Emma2 Comments

If you’ve seen my TBR post, or my first progress update, you’ll be well aware by now that I’m taking part in two readathons this month: A Game of Booksathon and Simsathon, based on A Song of Ice and Fire and The Sims respectively! Let’s not waste any time and just jump in to seeing how I did with my reading this past week, shall we?

Reading Challenges & TBR

✓ Furyborn (Empirium #1) by Claire Legrand
The Game of Thrones: first book in a series/trilogy
Take a bubble bath: Read a book over 400 pages

Black Powder War (Temeraire #3) by Naomi Novik
House Targaryen: book with mythical creature or dragons
Make a friend: read a book that features friends

Kingsbane (Empirium #2) by Claire Legrand
Daenerys: book featuring a strong female character
Meet the Grim Reaper: read a book featuring death

✓ Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend
Westeros: book set in a fictional place
Create-a-sim: read a book that is first in a series

– Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
House Tyrell: book with plant or green on cover
Get a promotion: Read a book you think will be 5 stars

– The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
House Stark: book that has family dynamic or siblings
Fall in love: read a book with a romance element

The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter
House Lannister: book with red cover
Reach the top of your career track: read a finale

The Assassin’s Curse (The Ananna Duology) by Cassandra Rose Clarke
House Greyjoy: book with pirates or story set at sea
Gain a fishing skill: randomise your TBR

– A Princess In Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole
House Baratheon: book with king or queen or royalty
Woo hoo: read a smutty book

Her Royal Highness (Royals #2) by Rachel Hawkins
A Clash of Kings: a sequel
Buy a house: read a contemporary or book set in our world

– Ghostly Echoes (Jackaby #3) by William Ritter
Wildlings: paranormal
Get a job: Secret agent – read a mystery book

Since last week I have finished Nevermoor (which I ADORED and promptly bought the sequel to read) and I’m still reading/listening to A Princess in Theory (54% listened to), and Ghostly Echoes (11% listened to). I’ve also started reading Fragile Things (I took the book with me to Scotland but read maybe 80 pages total?) and The Raven Boys (which is a re-read so will fly by quickly). Although I know I should just focus my attention on one book and finish it off, multitasking my reading is what has always helped me succeed with reading challenge in the past so I’m hoping that proves true this time too.

You might be able to tell that after last week’s slow start, this week has followed much the same pattern. I mentioned in my last progress update that I had a trip away planned and, true to form, I did very little reading on the holiday because I was too busy wandering around the Scottish highlands, hanging out with friends, and petting their adorable cockapoo puppy. Priorities, eh? This upcoming week should be quieter though and I don’t have much planned outside of the house so I’m hoping to catch up and get back on track with these readathons in the next few days.

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Review | Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

12/06/201911/06/2019Emma3 Comments

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six (2019)
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Publisher/Imprint: Cornerstone/Hutchinson
Read: 3rd – 7th April 2019
Genre: historical fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

“They were the new icons of rock and roll, fated to burn bright and not fade away. But on 12 July 1979, it all came crashing down. There was Daisy, rock and roll force of nature, brilliant songwriter and unapologetic drug addict, the half-feral child who rose to superstardom. There was Camila, the frontman’s wife, too strong-willed to let the band implode – and all too aware of the electric connection between her husband and Daisy. There was Karen, ice-cool keyboardist, a ferociously independent woman in a world that wasn’t ready for her. And there were the men surrounding them: the feuding, egotistical Dunne brothers, the angry guitarist chafing on the sidelines, the drummer binge-drinking on his boat, the bassist trying to start a family amid a hedonistic world tour. They were creative minds striking sparks from each other, ready to go up in flames. It’s never just about the music…” (Synopsis from publisher)

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A Game of Booksathon & Simsathon | Progress Update #1

10/06/2019Emma4 Comments

As you may recall if you saw my TBR post, I’ve decided to take part in a couple of readathons this month: A Game of Booksathon and Simsathon, based on A Song of Ice and Fire and The Sims respectively! I thought I would update for these two readathons every Monday, but there wasn’t much point in me updating you last Monday as I’d barely read anything… so here we are with the first progress update for how I’ve been doing in the readathons so far this month.

Reading Challenges & TBR

✓ Furyborn (Empirium #1) by Claire Legrand
The Game of Thrones: first book in a series/trilogy
Take a bubble bath: Read a book over 400 pages

Black Powder War (Temeraire #3) by Naomi Novik
House Targaryen: book with mythical creature or dragons
Make a friend: read a book that features friends

Kingsbane (Empirium #2) by Claire Legrand
Daenerys: book featuring a strong female character
Meet the Grim Reaper: read a book featuring death

– Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend
Westeros: book set in a fictional place
Create-a-sim: read a book that is first in a series

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
House Tyrell: book with plant or green on cover
Get a promotion: Read a book you think will be 5 stars

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
House Stark: book that has family dynamic or siblings
Fall in love: read a book with a romance element

The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter
House Lannister: book with red cover
Reach the top of your career track: read a finale

The Assassin’s Curse (The Ananna Duology) by Cassandra Rose Clarke
House Greyjoy: book with pirates or story set at sea
Gain a fishing skill: randomise your TBR

– A Princess In Theory (Reluctant Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole
House Baratheon: book with king or queen or royalty
Woo hoo: read a smutty book

Her Royal Highness (Royals #2) by Rachel Hawkins
A Clash of Kings: a sequel
Buy a house: read a contemporary or book set in our world

– Ghostly Echoes (Jackaby #3) by William Ritter
Wildlings: paranormal
Get a job: Secret agent – read a mystery book

junereadathons

As you can see I’ve completed one book so far which is… good, but not where I need to be if I plan to finish all of these books in June! However, i have also started a bunch of books; as you can tell I’m partway through Nevermoor (181 pages read), A Princess in Theory (35% listened to), and Ghostly Echoes (10% listened to) so I’m hoping that will work in my favour since multitasking reading usually works out well for me. Fingers crossed!

I will say that, overall though, it has felt like a bit of a slow start to a readathon. I guess that’s what I get for participating in a readathon when I have weekend trips away planned and I choose to read chunky books at the start of the month. I actually have another trip away planned for the end of this week/into this weekend so it’s highly unlikely I will make up for my lack of reading progress this week – however, you never know, maybe those 4 hour train journeys will be smooth enough rides that I can read without feeling sick. Here’s to hoping, right? I’ll update you on how that goes next Monday!

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