It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

Time for a quick update on my reading. I'm still not reading as much as I would like, but here's what I've finished in the past few weeks:

READ LATELY
– Down and Dirty by Christine Bell, second in the Dare Me series. This romance novella was a quick read, and even though I'm not really into this genre, I have to admit that Christine's books are hot, hot, hot.
– The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. I loved this children's book about a group of children living in an old abandoned cinema in Venice and their leader, a boy who calls himself the Thief Lord.
– Hammered by Kevin Hearne, third in the Iron Druid Chronicles. This urban fantasy series is a lot of fun, chock-full of mythical creatures in a modern day setting. This installment focuses on the Norse mythology, which I've been very interested in since I was a kid.
– The Bleiberg Project by David Khara (review coming soon!). Solid thriller by a French author.

CURRENTLY READING
The Orphanage of Miracles by Amy Neftzger. I'm only one chapter in but so far it's very interesting and I can't wait to see what will happen. It's been described as middle grade fantasy, but I think it will appeal to older readers as well.

WHAT'S NEXT
I'm going on holiday next week and will have plenty of time to read, so hopefully I'll be able to get through a couple of books. I don't have any particular titles lined up, but I'm taking Pickwick (my Kindle) so I'll have plenty to choose from. :)

What are you reading this week?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

I haven't done of these this year for the simple reason that I haven't read many books. That doesn't mean I haven't been reading though - it just means I've read one very long book. This is my books so far this year:

READ LATELY

Inspired by the movie I read The Hobbit in December, and decided to embark on a reread of The Lord of the Rings (in Norwegian) while I was still in the mood. It took me all of January and February to get through it, but I finally finished all 1000+ pages. It may have taken me two months, but it's still a lot quicker than the first time I read it 10 years ago, when I spent nearly one and a half years on it (reading other books in between, of course). I think I enjoyed it more this time around, and it didn't feel nearly as slow as I remembered. I'm happy I took the time to read it again.

After the brick I needed something light so I read The Magic Mirror and the Seventh Dwarf by Tia Nevitt (my review), which is a clever retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. On a whim, and because it had been collecting dust in my bookcase for far too long, I also picked up Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones. It's the first book by her I've read but it won't be the last.

CURRENTLY READING
I hardly ever buy a book with the intention of reading it straight away, but I did yesterday with the Kindle edition of Down and Dirty by Christine Bell. I had been struggling with deciding what to read next and I knew this one would be a hot nice and quick read.

WHAT'S NEXT
Like I said I've been having a hard time deciding on a new read since finishing LOTR. It's stupid really; I have hundreds of unread books but I can't find one that interests me enough to pick it up. Perhaps you have any suggestions? I'm looking for something not too heavy that will grab me from the first few pages.

What are you reading this week?

Thoughts on Her Majesty's Will

Her Majesty's Will
By David Blixt

First published: 23 April 2012 by Sordelet Ink

Read: 18 May – 9 June 2012
E-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon

Description

Before he was famous, he was a fugitive. 
Before he wrote of humanity, he lived it. Before he was the Bard of Avon, he was a spy.

A very poor spy.

England, 1586. Swept up in the skirts of a mysterious stranger, Will Shakespeare becomes entangled in a deadly and hilarious misadventure as he accidentally uncovers the Babington Plot, an attempt to murder Queen Elizabeth herself. Aided by the mercurial wit of Kit Marlowe, Will enters London for the first time, chased by rebels, spies, his own government, his past, and a bear. 

Through it all he demonstrates his loyalty and genius, proving himself to be - HER MAJESTY'S WILL. (Goodreads)

My thoughts

This book got off to a slow start for me. I have to admit that I was close to putting it aside thinking it wasn't for me, but as it was a review book I decided to give it a few more pages. I'm very happy I persevered, because once the story got going, it hit the ground running.

I think the main reason I had trouble getting into it at first, was the old-fashioned language. English isn't my first language and it took me a while to get used to the style. When I got past the initial barrier it didn't bother me anymore. Reading it on my Kindle where I quickly could look up words I didn't know, also made it easier. The writing is littered with puns and alliteration and Shekespearian references, which made it all the more interesting. Like this:

"Near is as good as," scowled Sir Oliver. "If a man be in the cowpie or near the cowpie, he smells it all the same, I daresay! Don't you daresay? Who dares not to say?"

"...the burly bristling brute bent his brain to the paper."

Ultimately this book was good old-fashioned fun. Kit is a marvellous character and my favourite; easy-going, witty, a scoundrel and a con artist. Will is more cautious by nature, but quickly finds himself drawn to Kit and his schemes. Their relationship develops into a great friendship as they take it upon themselves to uncover the conspiracy to murder the queen.

Bottom line: A delightful romp featuring well-known characters that will leave you turning pages long into the night.

My rating:

David Blixt online: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Thoughts on The Magic Mirror and the Seventh Dwarf

The Magic Mirror and the Seventh Dwarf
By Tia Nevitt

First published: 18 February 2013 by Carina Press
Series: Accidental Enchantments #2

Read: 15-19 Februrary 2013
E-book
E-arc received from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon

Description
Prince Richard is cursed. Enslaved to a magic mirror, he must truthfully answer the evil queen when she uses it to call on him. To keep from betraying innocents, Richard wanders the countryside and avoids people.

All her life, Gretchen has been teased for being small. When she hears of a hidden farm populated by little people like her, she sets out to find it—and is welcomed by the mostly male inhabitants. Lars in particular woos her with his gentle kindness and quiet strength.

Danger looms when Gretchen meets a runaway princess and offers her shelter at the Little Farm. Wandering nearby, Richard instantly falls in love with the beautiful princess, and is later compelled to tell the queen that she is not the fairest of them all. Enraged, the queen vows to find them and destroy them.

If either Gretchen or Richard are to have their happy endings, they must team up to break the mirror's spell before the queen kills them all… (Goodreads)

My thoughts

"Richard ran."

So begins this retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and those two words were all it took to get me hooked. We are thrown straight into the story where Prince Richard, slave of the Magic Mirror, is trying to escape from always having to tell the Queen the truth. I instantly liked Richard and unlike most fairy tale princes, his character develops throughout the story, making me like him even more.

We are then introduced to Gretchen, a dwarf in her late twenties who all her life has been bullied because of her size. When she hears about a farm where there are other people like her, she decides to leave her home to find it, because she wants to be with people like herself. Gretchen is a very interesting character; strong and independent, but kind and selfless despite having met so much hostility from other people. She doesn't want a husband as much as she wants somewhere to belong. "I'm not looking for love, Mother," she says before leaving. "Just someone who will accept me. Maybe love will come in time." If I wasn't already rooting for her, I certainly was from that point on.

Naturally there is also the brave and beautiful princess and the evil queen, as well as many other elements you will recognise from the original fairy tale of Snow White. Tia Nevitt weaves it all together in a refreshing and surprising way and I was never once bored (like I always am with the original story - even the Disney film). Now, this is a fairy tale and that does of course mean we all know how it's going to end. But the journey towards that ending is quite different from what you'd expect and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My rating:

The Accidental Enchantment Series

1. The Sevenfold Spell (2010)
2. The Magic Mirror and the Seventh Dwarf (2013)

Author online: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Top Ten Tuesday - Series I'd Like To Start

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature / weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we make a top ten list from a given topic.

This week's topic is

Top Ten Series I Would Like To Start

I tend to start far too many series and never finish them, so what's ten more, eh? ;)

1) A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
I really want to watch the TV series Game of Thrones, but I'm weird and won't watch anything based on books until I've read the book first. I own the first book in the series so I should just get reading. But it's long and a bit intimidating and I just finished rereading The Lord of the Rings so I'm afraid I won't be picking up A Game of Thrones just yet. Thinking about it, this is true for many of the series on this list.

2) Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
I've wanted to start this series for years, ever since I almost bought book 6 without realising it was part of a series.

3) All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness
A friend keeps reccommending this to me, and from what I've heard it sounds like it would be right up my alley.

4) Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series by Tess Gerritsen
Another book series I want to read before watching the TV series.

5) Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry
Turns out I've accumulated quite a few books by Steve Berry because they sound like great thrillers, but I've never actually read any of them.

6) Wyatt series by Garry Disher
What can I say, I love con artists. Plus, this one is Australian.

7) Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
With the movie coming out this year I'd love to read this series.

8) Michael St Pierre series by Richard Doetsch
Another thriller series that sounds really good.

9) Courts of the Feyre by Mike Shevdon
I bought the first book when I was in Australia 4 years ago so my copy has travelled half-way across the world - I should read it for that reason alone.

10) Kingkiller Chronicle series by Patrick Rothfuss
I've heard so many good things about this series and I just really want to read it.

So tell me, which series would you like to read?

Top Ten Tuesday: Settings I'd Like To See More

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature / weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we make a top ten list from a given topic.

This week's topic is

Top Ten Settings I Would Like To See More Of

1) Scotland
I fell in love with Scotland through Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher and A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers and I've wanted to read more books set in this wonderful country ever since.

2) Theatres
I've always had a passion for acting and I love being in a theatre, both on stage and off. There is this special kind of anticipation and excitement in the air. So much could happen behind the stage and I think it would be a great setting for many different novels.

3) Gothic settings
There's just something about big old mansions with towers and secret passageways and strange inhabitants and gloomy weather.

4) Sydney, Australia
Sydney is my very favourite city in the world, and I love reading about it. After having lived there for a few months it's even more fun to read stories that are set there, because I can recognise places and picture everything much more vividly in my mind.

5) Northern Norway
The unique landscape, the rough weather and the many contrasts of this area would be an amazing setting for a mystery or thriller. Plus, it's my home and I'd love to see it through someone else's eyes.

6) Hogwarts
Because.

7) Completely original worlds
Think the prison in Catherine Fisher's Incarceron series. I love it when an author can make me believe in a whole new world I've never imagined before.

8) New England
I visited some small towns in New England last year and absolutely loved it.

9) Yorkshire
Green hills, cosy stone cottages, quirky characters and sheep - I blame the TV show Heartbeat for giving me this romantic view of the area.

10) Libraries/book stores
I think all of us book lovers like this setting, right?

What settings would you like to see more of?

Thoughts on The Christmas Bus

The Christmas Bus

By Melody Carlson

First published: 2006 by Revell

Read: 30 Nov - 1 Dec 2012
E-book

Description
The people of Christmas Valley always celebrate Christmas to the fullest extent. The mayor plays Santa, every business is holiday themed, and there's a nativity for the kids each Christmas Eve. This town knows Christmas. But this year nothing goes according to plan. Shepherd's Inn is full of strangers, Mad Myrtle is causing problems, and a young couple with a baby due any minute rolls in to the middle of town in their Partridge Family-style bus. It's hardly the holiday Christmas Valley wanted--but it may be just what they need. This charming novella is sure to become a new Christmas tradition for readers who love a great holiday story.

My thoughts

This was such a delightful little Christmas story! In many ways it reminded me of the Harmony series by Philip Gulley which I love, with its small-town charm and quirky characters. It's the perfect way to spend a few relaxing hours in this otherwise stressful holiday month.

The main character is Edith, the pastor's wife who runs Shepherd's Inn. This year none of the couple's grown children are coming home for Christmas, so Edith decides to keep the inn open over Christmas in the hopes of making the holidays feel less lonely. Before long the inn is filled with guests, the most notable being old Myrtle, who's set on stirring things up in Christmas Valley.

Yes, the story is somewhat predictable and because it's so short we don't get to know some of the characters as well as others. But it's still an engaging story and it almost had me in tears towards the end. I admit to being a big softie at this time of year but I really enjoyed this tale and I wouldn't mind spending more time in Christmas Valley, perhaps during another season.

I've never read anything by this prolific author before, but this certainly won't be the last book by her I read. In fact, I think I'll start Christmas at Harrington's right away.

Bottom line: A delightful Christmas story that I'm sure I will re-read for many holidays to come.

My rating:

Melody Carlson online: Website