It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday is a book meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. It's a great way for everyone to share what they've been reading.

This is really two weeks in one but the first book on my list is the only book from the previous week. The res are from last week. I had a very good week reading wise. My course work is just about done and most of it has been handed in so I have relaxed a bit. Even took a trip to my local library. I haven't been since it relocated and it's all very modern and fancy. I quite like it though and I won't leave it so long before I go back. Also of course there was the readathon which was a lot of fun and most of these finishes are from that. Hope everyone else had a good week too.

Last two weeks I read;

Empire State - Adam Christopher. A great sci fi noir book. I read this for the sci fi challenge. I picked it rather than the group choice as I didn't want to buy more books (trying to be good). Glad I did as I very much enjoyed it.

Angelmaker - Nick Harkaway. Yes, I actually finished this last week. It was so good but it was the hardback edition that was slowing me down. A great story of a clockwork device that could destroy the world, spies and government agencies fighting over it and one poor clockwork repair man caught in the middle. Very different from his first book.

Freedom - Jonathan Franzen. I read this for the mixing it up challenge under the modern fiction category. I had been looking forward to it since seeing so many people raving about it and I had never read this author before. I know that a lot of people had problems with it, particularly the characters, but I loved it. Found it hard to put down.

The Doctor Will See You Now - Max Pemberton. The first of the readathon books. This is the third in a serious of books about Pemberton's time as a junior doctor. I remember describing the first one as similar to scrubs (without the daydreams). This is just as funny but still has a serious note. I liked it all the more because I recognised quite a bit of it.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie. I thought I had two of these waiting for the readathon but no, just this one. Such a good one too. No Hastings but probably my favourite starring Poirot to date.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay. Since everyone raves about the TV series I have been wanting to read the books. I quite enjoyed the first one although it's not the best book I have ever read. I got the impression that we are supposed to like Dexter despite him being a serial killer. I'm afraid to say I didn't. He came across as a little too smug. Haven't completely written off the books or the TV show though as I did still like it.

The Grass Is Singing - Doris Lesson. This was her first book so I am not going to be too harsh on her for not really enjoying it (The Golden Notebook is one of my favourites). I think more than anything it was the wrong choice for the hours I most struggled with. So I am not going to review it as I don't think I would be giving it a fair review.

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes. Still to review it. Ellie warned me that this book kept her up all night reading. Sure enough after a short nap and dinner I picked it up and that was me. Wasn't going back to sleep until I had finished it. I think I sobbed for the entire last 80 pages. I got this from the library and it's on short loan because of it's popularity. With how slow my reading has been I was actually worried about getting it read on time which is why I picked it up yesterday.

Just now I am reading;

The Granta Book of the American Short Story Vol2 - Richard Ford. This is the other book I got from the library. I picked it up because I do like a short story (a new appreciation) and flicking through it I saw a few authors I love in there. Only read the first one and very much liked it.

Revenge of the Tide - Elizabeth Haynes. I have only just started it so can't comment but like her first book.

Next I plan to read;

Possession - A. S. Byatt. I love this cover, good old Vintage - although not one of their classics. I read The Children's Book when it first came out a few years ago and loved it. Have been meaning to read this one ever since. Looking forward to it.

And that's me. I promise that was a one off. Anyone else had their reading week expanded thanks to the readathon?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This is a book meme by Sheila from Book Journey where we all share what we have been reading and what we plan on reading next.

Last week I read;

The Book of Dave by Will Self. A fantastically original dystopian. I highly recommend this.

Just now I am reading:

The Three Musketeers by Alenadre Dumas. I am reading this for the classics challenge. Loving it but I'm not that far into it.

Ghost Town by Rachel Caine. I decided to read a lighter book at the same time. This is one of the few YA that survived my cull. Not the best of the series but it is a light, entertaining read.

Next I plan to read;

The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham. I plan on reading this for the sci fi challenge. Not sure if I will get onto it this week but it will be my next book. Since reading Dreamcatcher this is now the oldest book on my tbr pile. Been a long time since I read a Wyndham so looking forward to it.

What have you been reading?

What's Next?

There seems to be a lot of new books coming out in the next few months. I am trying not to go mad in my book buying but I may have to buy a few that I have been looking forward to. One of those is the next Hilary Mantel which I have already talked about in one of these posts.

 Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway. Released 2/2/12.

I actually only recently discovered that Nick Harkaway is the son of John Le Carre. I have never read a Le Carre so can't compare but I loved Harkaway's first book. I have been impatiently keeping my eye opened for another from this author ever since and it's finally here. This one seems to be very different from The Gone-Away World (a post apocalyptic novel) which I am actually glad about. When an author starts off with so much potential it's nice to see that they aren't going to pigeon hole themselves. This one is a noir/comedy and couldn't be more different and so I am very excited to read it. I expect this will be my next book purchase since it came out today.

 Revenge of the Tide by Elizabeth Haynes. Published 15/3/12

This is another author who's first book I very much enjoyed (although not as much as Harkaway) and I'm looking forward to the second. Again this one is slightly different than the first. The first (into the Darkest Corner) was about a woman gaining control of her life after an abusive relationship. It had it's elements of crime but it was more about the regaining of her life than anything else. This one seems to be focused mainly on crime. Will be interesting to compare the two.

Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman. Published 27/4/12.

A second book but this time it's a sequel to Anno Dracula. The first one was set during the reign of Queen Victoria. The Queen has married Dracula and has herself become a vampire making it a fad amongst the aristocracy. This time it's WWI and Dracula is at the head of the German army. The first one was really more of a murder mystery. Who is Jack the Ripper who is killing of vampire prostitutes? An interesting read and I loved the addition of so many historical figures and well known fictional characters. Can't wait to see what this one brings.







Anyone looking forward to any books being released in the next few months?

What's Next!

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel published May 2012.

This obviously isn't the image for Bring Up the Bodies. There isn't on yet. In fact the title of the second book was only announced this week. I read this book before I started this blog. Which is a shame because it means I haven't shared with you how amazing this book actually is. If you love historical fiction then I have no doubt that you will enjoy this. For those of you who don't know the book is written from the point of Thomas Cromwell, a controversial adviser to Henry VIII. He has often been portrayed as a rather dark character. One who uses situations for his own political gain and is blamed for the downfall of Anne Boleyn. This book instead gives a more sympathetic view of Cromwell. He is seen as a family man who hasn't had the best start in life and is now just trying to do what is best for his family and his King. He is more a victim of circumstance. It's a rather large book and the writing style felt a little strange at first but I soon was caught up in the story and quickly devoured it. I have enjoyed Booker Prize winners in the past but this is the first time I have felt the need to rave about one. It was also the first historical fiction that I had read. A new genre for me to explore.

Enough raving about the first book. As I said the title of the second book was announced this week. I knew that there was going to be a sequel due to the way Wolf Hall ended. It was set up so that the second book would be about the downfall of Anne Boleyn. What I didn't know was that it is going to be a trilogy. I read an article in the guardian this week which said that the author had decided that when writing Bring Up the Bodies that she felt that it needed a third book. Very excited about that and I really can't wait for the publication of Bring Up the Bodies.

What's Next?

The Mountain Shadow by Gregory David Roberts. Pub 31/05/2012 (according to Waterstones but on amazon it sites it as 2013). Having mentioned Shantaram in my last post I remembered that the sequel was supposed to be out about now. Clearly it has been postponed. There isn't even an image available of the book cover yet. Regardless, I am looking forward to it. Despite some flaws I very much enjoyed the first one and I think by the time the second one comes out I will be ready to read another huge volume by this author. I am extremely curious as to what happens next.

The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde. Pub 10.11.2011 (although it looks like it's out now as it's available to order rather than pre-order). The is the second book in a children's series by one of my favourite authors. The first book was called "The Last Dragonslayer" and it was fantastic. Extremely funny and well written. Actually reminded me a little of John Connolly's writing style in his children's books. For me that was just a sign that Jasper Fforde was made for writing them.





Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James. Pub 3.11.2010. It was actually seeing this book whilst browsing online that made me want to do another What's Next post. I have never read anything by this author before although my mum used to be a big fan. I do have one on my tr list because it's dystopian. However, you can imagine that it was the title that caught my eye. If you haven't guessed it, it's a murder story involving the characters of Pride and Prejudice. It takes place a few years after the original book. Lydia turns up the door of her sisters and claims that her husband has been murdered. How could I not be intrigued by that?

Does anyone else have news of books soon to be released that they are looking forward to?

What's Next!

Last week was non-fiction releases I was looking forward to. This time I thought I would show some paperbacks I can't wait to be released.

"Smokin' Seventeen" by Janet Evanovich. Published 15/11/11. The 17th Stephanie Plum book. I was getting a little bored with these. Back in the beginning they were fun and filled with humour. A little bit different and a great way to ease someone into a genre they didn't particularly appreciate in the first place. At least that's what it was like for me. The later ones haven't been that great but I suppose that's to be expected after so many books. Book 16 restored my faith however. It had the humour that felt a little forced in the last few. 16 was to be my last if nothing had changed. What I found was that I enjoyed it and I am now looking forward to this one. Hope it wasn't a one off and the series has actually picked up again.

"Moriarty: The Hounds of the D'Ubervilles" by Kim Newman. Released 23/09.11. I love to try anything that seems to be a little bit quirky and I think Newman can certainly come under that. This isn't in his Dracula series but once again Newman is playing on famous characters and authors in literature. It was one of the things I loved about "Ano Dracula" so I am sure I will like this one too. In this Moriarty investigates crime but he does it for his own evil purposes. I will be interested to see if any more famous Victorian characters make an appearance.

"Snowdrops" by A. D. Miller. Released 1/9/11. This is one of the books on this years Man Booker long list. I've enjoyed quite a few of the winners over the last few years and so always like to see what has been picked out. I can't say I was all that enamoured with this years list but I think that probably had something to do with the fact that I had heard of very few of the authors. Since then though I have taken the time to pay more attention to the books and there actually a few I wouldn't mind reading. This is one of them and it's about to come out in paper back. A British lawyer gets involved with the wrong woman in Russia. It actually sounds more interesting than that and I've heard good things about it. Worth checking out.

What about you? Any new releases you are looking forward to? Or, have you read and enjoyed any of the books on this years Man Booker list?

Remember that I am giving a lovely copy of one of my favourite books to celebrate my birthday. No rules behind signing up for it and I will announce the winner on Sunday.

What's Next!

I'm not sure if I will do What's Next every week now as I am struggling to find titles. I thought though I would go for some non-fiction this time. I do like non-fiction for a change and this year I think I have read more than I usually do. One of the books I have picked out is already out. I had this book in mind before it was released and since it's a book that I am genuinely looking forward to I thought I would keep it on my list anyway.

"The Doctor Will See You Now" by Max Pemberton. Out 4th August. This is the third book in the junior doctor series. In each Max Pemberton has written about his experiences as a first time Doctor. In the second book he decided to work in the community. This time he is back on the wards and he is classed as an experienced Doctor. These books are extremely funny. When I read the first one I honestly compared it to Scrubs although scarily this was real life. Definitely worth a read.

"Matilda" by Tracy Borman. Out 1/9/11. When it comes to non-fiction history will always appeal to me more. I love reading about it and I don't think I read enough of it. This book appealed to me not just because it's from an era I know little about. It also has the appeal of nostalgia. I remember being taught all about William the Conqueror back in primary school. Even then I enjoyed history. Another reason I like the idea of this book is that it's about Williams wife, Matilda. I think it would make for an interesting perspective. Plus how great is this cover?

"Winter King" by Thomas Penn. Out 29/9/11. Another fantastic cover (in my mind anyway) and another history book. I have a fascination for Tudor history just now (I'm sure I'll get over it). This one is about Henry VII, father to Henry VIII. His life even after death dominated his sons. Henry VII fought battles to keep his throne and he was King who was not loved by his people. It would be interesting to learn about the first Tudor King who took the throne.

Are there any books you are looking forward to?

What's Next!

Lots more book releases to look forward to so I thought I would share some more. I'm not really intending to turn this into a weekly meme but certainly feel free to join in if you have new releases to share. Next week I have some non fiction titles to share.

Player One by Douglas Coupland released on 1.9.11. I must have missed the boat on this one because it's the paperback that's coming out. The hardback was apparently out last year. Waterstones doesn't even have it listed anymore. A little surprised at this as Coupland is normally an author I try to keep up on. I've read everything else and I usually can't wait for the paperback of his latest. In this case I don't actually have long to wait.

Skulduggery Pleasant:Death Bringer by Derek Landy. This is also out on 1/9/11. I love these books and can't wait for the next installment. Again it's got to the stage I buy the hardback as I can't wait for the paperback. I love them for their humour as well as the story. Plus it shows girls can fight the bad guys too. Was left on a bit of a cliffhanger last time. So I'm really looking forward to this.

11/22/63 by Stephen King out on 8/11/11. All this talk of King here on my blog it seemed only apt that he should be listed here. This one is a bit different from his more recent books as the main character is taken back in time. Okay confession time! I was so excited when Stephen King began to release books on a regular basis again after the Dark Tower series. However, I have been a little disappointed in them. They just aren't as good as his older books and I just didn't enjoy "The Dome" (still makes me think of the Simpsons film). It's put me off a little and I've still to pick up never mind read his most recent. This one sounds a little different but I think I can now wait for the paperback release.

I normally don't mention any goings on in the outside world here on my blog. It's not what it's for. However, the events over the weekend feel a little too close to home. Watching the news it feels a little hard to believe that it's happening in my own country. There have even been threats that it will spread to Scotland. Anyway, I'm happy to say all my friends in the effected areas have checked in and are safe and I hope they along with everyone else continues to be safe.