Wednesday Reading Meme
What I Just Finished Reading: I had a good week. Three books and a novella: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles, Notes on a Zombie by Daniel Betts, and The Whisper Man by Alex North. Reviews below.
What I'm Reading Right Now: I'm 20% through The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. Her writing is excellent but I find it a little cliched.
What I'm Planning to Read Next: I've got two physical books awaiting pick up at the library, so probably one of those. I may go with Diary of a Bookseller first.
113. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
In the first book of a series, a ragtag group of criminals who have formed a family (yes, my favourite “found family” trope) try to overthrow their tyrannical ruler.
Great well-drawn characters, with a strong and capable young heroine. It’s obvious that the author had a very clear vision for his world. There’s a detailed history and the magical system has clear rules, but I must admit I found that sometimes he dwelled on the way things worked a little too much. I think there could have been some editing there.
The plot was fun and action-packed, and there were a couple of big surprises. The book also has a strong ending, so if a reader chose not to continue it’s still a satisfying conclusion, while still leaving some open questions and mysteries yet to explore. I’ll definitely be continuing on.
Dates Read: September 22 to 25, 2024
Page Count: 537
4 out of 5 stars
+ Challenge Factory Save The Bees - Task 5C - character makes a nest (can be figurative)
+ Challenges and Fandoms Fan Favourites 16 - read a book from “Leading Ladies You’re In Love With” (16/16) Complete!
114. The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles
Robin and Marianne Loxleigh (I see what you did there, Ms. Charles) have come to London to snag rich spouses. Robin sets his sights on young Alice, but he’s really much more interested in her uncle Hart. I loved watching Hart and Robin work through their issues (in a relationship that starts out transactional and soon becomes more) in a loving, mature fashion, learning and growing together. The historical details are, IMO, just right to set the scene without overwhelming the story.
Dates Read: September 26 to 28, 2024
Page Count: 310
5 out of 5 stars
115. Notes on a Zombie by Daniel Betts
The zombie uprising was more of a whimper than a bang, which is a pretty common theme in the new generation of zombie fiction. I much prefer my zombies tearing up the countryside, so I found this novella very slow-moving (heh). The author tries to inject some humour that mostly falls flat. It doesn’t help that probably 80% of the novel is the MC musing to himself, and his thoughts just aren’t that interesting.
Date Read: September 28, 2024
Page Count: 68
2 out of 5 stars
116. The Whisper Man by Alex North
After his wife’s death, a man and his son move to a new town where a serial killer preyed 20 years before, and where a new killer is now at large.
Part psychological horror, part thriller, part mystery, there are a lot of twists and turns here that kept me guessing. Everyone has a secret and I wasn’t very good at guessing them, which made this a page-turner for me.The touch of supernatural elements - or were they? == were a nice tough, and I especially loved the creepy yet apt ending.
Dates Read: September 28 to 30, 2024
Page Count: 355
5 out of 5 stars
+ Lost Challenges Bingo - I27 (17/25)
.
What I'm Reading Right Now: I'm 20% through The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. Her writing is excellent but I find it a little cliched.
What I'm Planning to Read Next: I've got two physical books awaiting pick up at the library, so probably one of those. I may go with Diary of a Bookseller first.
113. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
In the first book of a series, a ragtag group of criminals who have formed a family (yes, my favourite “found family” trope) try to overthrow their tyrannical ruler.
Great well-drawn characters, with a strong and capable young heroine. It’s obvious that the author had a very clear vision for his world. There’s a detailed history and the magical system has clear rules, but I must admit I found that sometimes he dwelled on the way things worked a little too much. I think there could have been some editing there.
The plot was fun and action-packed, and there were a couple of big surprises. The book also has a strong ending, so if a reader chose not to continue it’s still a satisfying conclusion, while still leaving some open questions and mysteries yet to explore. I’ll definitely be continuing on.
Dates Read: September 22 to 25, 2024
Page Count: 537
4 out of 5 stars
+ Challenge Factory Save The Bees - Task 5C - character makes a nest (can be figurative)
+ Challenges and Fandoms Fan Favourites 16 - read a book from “Leading Ladies You’re In Love With” (16/16) Complete!
114. The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles
Robin and Marianne Loxleigh (I see what you did there, Ms. Charles) have come to London to snag rich spouses. Robin sets his sights on young Alice, but he’s really much more interested in her uncle Hart. I loved watching Hart and Robin work through their issues (in a relationship that starts out transactional and soon becomes more) in a loving, mature fashion, learning and growing together. The historical details are, IMO, just right to set the scene without overwhelming the story.
Dates Read: September 26 to 28, 2024
Page Count: 310
5 out of 5 stars
115. Notes on a Zombie by Daniel Betts
The zombie uprising was more of a whimper than a bang, which is a pretty common theme in the new generation of zombie fiction. I much prefer my zombies tearing up the countryside, so I found this novella very slow-moving (heh). The author tries to inject some humour that mostly falls flat. It doesn’t help that probably 80% of the novel is the MC musing to himself, and his thoughts just aren’t that interesting.
Date Read: September 28, 2024
Page Count: 68
2 out of 5 stars
116. The Whisper Man by Alex North
After his wife’s death, a man and his son move to a new town where a serial killer preyed 20 years before, and where a new killer is now at large.
Part psychological horror, part thriller, part mystery, there are a lot of twists and turns here that kept me guessing. Everyone has a secret and I wasn’t very good at guessing them, which made this a page-turner for me.The touch of supernatural elements - or were they? == were a nice tough, and I especially loved the creepy yet apt ending.
Dates Read: September 28 to 30, 2024
Page Count: 355
5 out of 5 stars
+ Lost Challenges Bingo - I27 (17/25)
.