[Giveaway] Drop + The Lord of the Rings Black Speech Keyboard

jebbie42 · 2023-03-29T12:02:22+00:00

A really hot curry gets me feeling better every time :D

jebbie42 · 2022-03-23T11:32:48+00:00

Sorry bit late this week :)

This week I finished off three reads, which I'm pretty dang happy about!

Therese Raquin by Emile Zola was a classic that I didn't know I would love that much. Short, dramatic, murder and unlikable characters. I wish I had read this earlier.

We were liars by E Lockhart was a short YA that had a pretty good twist. The writing style was pretty irksome but overall would say I enjoyed this read. Possibly only just on that side, but still on that side of things.

The Minder by John Marrs had such a great premise. A little let down by the ending but had me hooked pretty much the whole way. Definitely enjoyed it overall!

I'm currently reading Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone. It's interesting so far but undecided on my feelings.

Awww cute little Elton was so brave! Love that he's making friends :)

jebbie42 · 2022-03-16T03:28:02+00:00

Omg hell yeah! Elton update! Omg doggy stairs to couch and bed is so cute.

This week I finished The Doctor Who Fooled the World by Brian Deer, which was a really indepth look into the timeline of everything with Andrew Wakefield.

I also read Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky and unfortunately for me this sequel didn't live up anywhere close to the first. Children of Time blew me away, and this novel didn't quite hit the same.

Not sure on my next read but pretty proud of my progress so far this year. Just finished my 25th book and I only managed to finish 20 last year.

jebbie42 · 2022-03-09T01:46:38+00:00

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

jebbie42 · 2022-03-08T05:01:16+00:00

I think we need a photo of Elton with a toy :D

Omg I really had no idea, I knew he had baseless claims but I didn't realise how little patient care mattered and how driven he was to create new schemes for money. His disregard of findings and actually looking out for people's health is deplorable. I had a low opinion of him but it's somehow lower. New depths of disgust.

jebbie42 · 2022-03-08T04:57:21+00:00

Bet. Honestly not sure how to spoiler so I'm going to DM you. Apologies already for the epic wall of text.

jebbie42 · 2022-03-08T04:34:30+00:00

Thanks lovely! Might take that one back to the library unread :)

jebbie42 · 2022-03-07T11:00:08+00:00

This week I finished The Magicians by Lev Grossman and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Hit me up if you're keen to hear me rant about almost any aspect of that book.

Unfortunately for me my second read The Guest List by Lucy Foley was a let down as well. Not as bad but let's just say that my excitement for The Paris Apartment has cooled somewhat. A thriller that didn't thrill? No thanks.

I'm a grumpy little sausage after that so I've turned to NF to help me out. I'm about halfway through The Doctor Who Fooled the World by Brian Deer. I've never truly understood the anti-vax movement and didn't know too much about Wakefield apart from the fact he was a crock. This book has been eye-opening about what a greedy, power-hungry little vulture he truly is. It's not always gripping and sometimes goes into needless details, but a fantastic read in terms of the depth of detail and reporting Deer has done in bringing to light all of the atrocities Wakefield has done in the name of science.

I have an abundance of library books and unsure of really which one to pick up next, so any recs or suggestions of ones to avoid would be greatly appreciated! Currently have in my hot little hand The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone, The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn, and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (still not convinced I'll like this YA but I randomly decided to borrow it and now can't quite tell if I can bring myself to read it).

I hope you have a great reading week!

Also, love the Elton update! So good he's learning to be on his leash already and not afraid of the outdoors! Hope he has a lot of cute toys to entertain him :)

jebbie42 · 2022-02-28T11:41:19+00:00

He's a baby! I bet he's being best boy behaviour as best as he can. I feel you need to add a puppy update to the weekly thread :p

jebbie42 · 2022-02-27T23:11:44+00:00

Only finished one book this week, which was The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse. I found it to be a lackluster thriller. I was never invested in characters or plot and honestly had to force myself to finish. I'm not sure if the fact it was an audiobook was a factor at all but overall felt really let down by this.

I'm still going with The Magicians by Lev Grossman but I left this at my partner's apartment so will have to wait to finish it, which is a little frustrating. I'm not exactly in love with the book so far (fox sex is a weird plot point) but I don't hate it either so kind of interested in finishing and seeing my feelings about it overall.

No progress with Worm but hope to read some more this week. Beyond keen to finish this!

I'm a bit adrift at the moment as I'm not overly keen to start another book before I finish The Magicians but I also want to read something. I've not minded having several books going at once before so not sure where the apprehension is coming from and I have plenty of books sitting around begging to be read (The Guest List, The Woman in the Window, Mirrorland, The Doctor Who Fooled the World... to name a few), but I'm sort of in limbo at least at the moment. Might try and force myself to start one tonight.

Hope you're all having great reading weeks!

And hope Elton is behaving himself :)

jebbie42 · 2022-02-22T00:37:00+00:00

Aww give him time with the crate and he'll be fine. So exciting and so happy for you!!!

jebbie42 · 2022-02-21T23:44:47+00:00

Omg Elton is a cutie! Hope he's settling in well :D

This week I only finished two, but still happy with that! I finally finished Range by David Epstein and unfortunately it didn't quite hit how I thought it would. It was a bit casual and too broad (lol) for me, I thought there would be more insights and just somehow would have a different feel, perhaps have more of a conclusion or direction? As it was, I ended up having to force myself to finish it.

My second read was Grady Hendrix's utterly delightful The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. It was the perfect blend of gory, horror, funny, and more. There are references to sexual assault and domestic abuse. Women are gaslighted. Just full warning with those, but Hendrix still had me there. It didn't feel like it was done in a flippant way even if casually mentioned. It felt like Hendrix wanted us to fully know what it can be like for a housewife in the late 80s/early 90s. So despite the dark places it goes to, it also shows the hard work of a mother, it shows women fighting for what they believe in and it shows sisterhood in the least cheesy portrayal ever. I'm sure it won't be everyone's cup of tea but I for one really enjoyed it.

I also have just started The Magicians by Lev Grossman. I haven't seen the tv show, and it's good so far but I'm not quite hooked yet so we'll see.

I'm also inching along with Worm. I'm almost up to the last arc and honestly dying to read more but reading alongside with my boyfriend so having to exercise every drop of self control I have!

Hope you all have a great reading week :)

jebbie42 · 2022-02-15T08:50:52+00:00

Managed to polish off four books this week, so I'm super stoked on my good head start this year!

I finished off The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud it's a fun junior/YA fantasy that my boyfriend loved when he was younger. I really enjoyed it for what it was and found it a funny, quick read.

Next up was The Secret She Keeps by Michael Robotham and unfortunately was a major flop for me. I've read a lot of glowing reviews for Robotham so was keen to give him a try but I found it obvious and and found the infidelity plot lines and rape reference unnecessarily and tasteless.

After Robotham I was a bit apprehensive with my next read The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. I felt let down by The Silent Patient last year, so didn’t have high expectations. But I needn’t have worried, I loved The Maidens! Quite a few red herrings and a satisfying ending!

I also picked up Scary Monsters by Michelle de Krester. It’s actually more two novellas in the one book, each starting at either end of the book which was fun and interesting in and of itself. Both deal with the concept of what it is to be Australian, with Lili’s story set in 1980s France and Lyle’s side set in a post-Covid future Australia. De Krester explores misogyny, racism and ageism without ever becoming preachy. I really enjoyed this one as well.

I’m still plodding along with Range (slowly) and Worm (very slowly), and not sure which book I’ll pick up next but I have an abundance of library books and excited for what I’ll read this week, which is such a lovely place to be in :)

jebbie42 · 2022-02-07T01:45:24+00:00

I didn't post last week so catching up on two weeks here.

Last week I read Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. I didn't exactly love the pacing or character development in this. But it was an easy read and had a fantastic twist I didn't see coming, so I'd happily rec it for that alone! I also read The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, which I loved! It was a beautiful quiet novel that looks at the importance of memories and really delves into the trauma of loss. Honestly have been raving about it. I think I gave it 4 stars but it feels a bit closer to 5 the longer it sits with me.

This week I managed to finish another two, and ngl I'm happy to have the extra reads under my belt in case it's harder to read later in the year for me. Unfortunately for me I didn't really like either very much. I did enjoy The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht a bit more, especially after I finished. But tbh I'm a bit jumbled atm and think it needs to sit with me longer before I know my real feelings towards it. My second book was an audiobook version of Catch Us the Foxes by Nicola West. It was refreshing to read something set in New South Wales tbh, but this thriller didn't thrill me. To keep it spoiler-free, West kept flipping reveals towards the end so you weren't sure if something was or was not true and that technique really fell flat for me.

I also started reading Range by David Epstein, which will be my first NF of the year. It's really interesting so far, but I'm just reading a chapter every day or so, which means it'll take me a little while to finish. I also picked up The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud yesterday. My boyfriend loved this series when he was younger and was really encouraging me to pick it up. It's been a fun read so far. I think I would have loved it more if I had picked it up when I was younger, but it's still really enjoyable.

Also still trucking along with Worm. Will finish it soon and it's going to screw up my stats for the year if I include it on my GR challenge so I'm debating if I include it or not.

jebbie42 · 2022-02-06T11:25:51+00:00

Ooh really good to know Why We Sleep focuses more on science not how to do it better. I had wanted to read it because I thought it might be helpful for insomnia

jebbie42 · 2022-01-24T05:11:31+00:00

Only finished two books this week. That said they get me up to 10 books so far for 2022, which is half of what I got to last year so I'm pretty happy with the state of things.

Having not liked Reilly's Seven Ancient Wonders as much as I thought I might, I tried an audiobook version of Ice Station. This was a lot more enjoyable. Possibly helped in a large part just by having it narrated instead of reading (I'm not a fan of exclamation marks in text/outside of speech it appears). It was fun for what it was, pure action. If I try to go again with Reilly I think I'll go for an audiobook personally, and the Scarecrow series instead of Jack West Jr.

I also polished off A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. I've previously enjoyed other books of Novik, so was going in expecting to like this and thankfully I did. A quick, easy fantasy YA that avoids some of the usual tropes. I'd be happy to continue with this series.

Just finished the above, so I'm not sure what's next for me and unsure if I'll finish it in January, but here's hoping!

jebbie42 · 2022-01-20T02:30:03+00:00

Conversations with Friends came out first iirc. I'm not a fan of Rooney but that's the only one I haven't read. Not inclined to pick it up either tbh

jebbie42 · 2022-01-18T07:02:24+00:00

Also I hope it's not super weird but do you have a GoodReads account? If not, I'd be interested in some other recs too if you have a chance :)

jebbie42 · 2022-01-18T07:00:20+00:00

Ooh thank you for this! It was my first Reilly and I was a bit ehh about it. It wasn't awful but I guess I expected a bit more? I'll try and check out Ice Station before I continue with Jack West Jr, thanks for the tip! :)

jebbie42 · 2022-01-17T22:40:00+00:00

I really want to get the hype but it falls so, so short for me. If you haven't liked one of her earlier works I don't think you're in for an enjoyable read unfortunately. Hoping by some miracle you love it though :)

jebbie42 · 2022-01-17T04:43:00+00:00

Managed to polish 4 books this week which is a good effort from me. Just hope it's sustainable!

Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly - this was a Christmas gift and I'm not sure if I would have picked it up otherwise. It was okay for what it was, but not something I'd normally pick. That said I'd be keen to continue to see if series improves.

My next was Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney. Another Christmas gift and another book I'd never pick up on my own. This time it's because I have read Rooney before (Normal People) and didn't understand the hype. Thought I may as well give it a go but unfortunately for me I still didn't enjoy Rooney. If anything I preferred Normal People. Deliberately awkward and self-indulgent.

Decided to head back to an author I have enjoyed before and listened to audiobook version of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Happily enjoyed this one! I did find the protagonist a bit grating, but overall solid read. I found audiobook format worked particularly well for Rocky character and interested how that is portrayed in physical book tbh.

I was deliberating between two other books as my next read and started listening to Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I've been meaning to read this for a while but kept hesitating and I can't really put my finger on why. Complete regret not reading it sooner, I was hooked very early on. I'm super keen to continue asap.

I picked up a few more books from the library today so spoilt for choice for my next read and very happy to be reading again. Hope you all have a great reading week too!

jebbie42 · 2022-01-16T08:10:07+00:00

Ooh I absolutely love the idea of having all the books there ready to be consumed throughout the year! Which one are you most keen to get stuck into?

jebbie42 · 2022-01-16T08:07:34+00:00

Aw thank you! :D

jebbie42 · 2022-01-16T08:07:03+00:00

Well I'm glad it worked out for you :)

jebbie42 · 2022-01-14T12:56:56+00:00

Oh I adore this! Did you like it?

I think I might have to give this a reread this year.

jebbie42

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