WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.
- WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?
I’m taking a break from ARCs for the rest of the month… I’m currently reading the final two books on my May TBR: first up is The Only One Left by Riley Sager, and I will be starting The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton as well. I have high hopes for both!
- WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?
1. Burn by Patrick Ness (3.5/5 stars) REVIEW 13/06
It’s true that I don’t read a lot of YA anymore, but I wasn’t exactly mad when my TBR jar thought it was time I finally picked up Burn. It’s been a couple of years since my last Patrick Ness book, and there is just something about his writing that always has me intrigued. Add the fact that I needed a book with dragons for the POPSUGAR challenge and the fact that the blurb sounded SO good, and I’ve actually been looking forward to this TBR jar pick. I can’t deny that I somehow ended up having mixed thoughts though… It’s not a bad read, but not my favorite among his books either.
2. The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle (4.5/5 stars) BLOG TOUR REVIEW 11/06
Look out for my thoughts during my stop of the blog tour next month!!
3. That Night In The Library by Eva Jurczyk (2/5 stars) REVIEW 31/05
Oh boy… I was already afraid this was going to happen to be honest. On paper, this story should have been a perfect fit for me. I love a good locked room mystery, and adding a bookish element only makes me want to read a story even more. For the locked room element to be actually set INSIDE a library? That was simply too irresistible, and I’ve been looking forward to read That Night In The Library ever since it appeared on my kindle. This excitement changed when I was putting together my May TBR and saw just how low the rating on Goodreads was… I decided to go in with low expectations and hope for the best, but let’s just say that the low rating is there for a reason.
4. Mislaid In Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire (3.5/5 stars) REVIEW 16/06
I’ve been catching up with this series and I decided to read the most recently published sequel as well so that I’m finally up to date. Mislaid In Parts Half-Known is already book number nine of this YA urban fantasy/magical realism series, and it’s a direct sequel of book eight with plenty of spoilers for the other books as well. This means it’s definitely important to read the books in order! That said, I really liked that we got to see how Antsy’s story ends in this sequel. It wasn’t my favorite Wayward Children book, but still a pretty good read.
5. What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall (DNF 14%; 0 stars) DNF REVIEW 09/06
No. Just no. If I have to suffer through one more fucking ellipsis or dash I’m going to scream! Seriously, I’ve tried, but sometimes you just KNOW it isn’t going to work. On paper, What Fire Brings should have been a great fit for me. I love a good remote setting and a bookish angle; add a missing person case as well as the promise of danger and I was all in. Not that I’m denying that it was the absolutely stunning cover that first caught my attention of course… But still, I fully expected to have an excellent time with this story, and to my surprise the complete opposite ended up happening. More about the why in my DNF review.
6. The Golden Oldies’ Book Club by Judy Leigh (3.25/5 stars) REVIEW 16/06
I was looking for a book with humor for the Beat The Backlist Bingo challenge when I remembered I had a copy of The Golden Oldies’ Book Club on my kindle. I’ve enjoyed this author in the past and I always like a story with older main characters, a bookish angle and a travel element. It sounded like such a fun read and I decided to read it as a little break from my usual thrillers. In the end, I did have mixed thoughts though… It’s not a bad read, but it wasn’t nearly as uplifting and humorous as I thought it would be either.
7. The Last Secret Of Lily Adams by Sara Blaydes (4.75/5 stars) REVIEW 02/06
I’m not sure why, but the blurb of this story kind of gave me The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo vibes and I couldn’t resist adding it to my shelves. I’m so glad I did now, because I ended up having a fantastic time with this debut! This is a dual timeline story, where we switch between a Hollywood actress in the 1940s and her granddaughter in the present. I loved both timelines, and the story was a blend of historical Hollywood glamour, family drama and a mystery that will keep you on your toes. I couldn’t get enough! Without doubt one of my reading highlights so far this year.
8. Hart’s Ridge by Kay Bratt (2/5 stars) REVIEW 18/06
I honestly don’t get why this book has such a high rating. I admit that I should have known better when it comes to kindle freebies by now… But I liked the sound of the blurb and it fitted more than one challenge, so I thought I had a good deal going on with Hart’s Ridge. Things started out well enough as the writing flows well and I can never resist a dog character being so prominent in a story. Sadly, the dog (Bernard/Diesel) is just about the only positive thing in this first book of a series, and I came VERY close to DNFing more than once.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?
I’m probably going to read the final book for the What’s In A Name? challenge next: Under The Storm by Christoffer Carlsson. Afterwards, I might travel to Russia again with the sequel The Last Agent by Robert Dugoni, and I want to finally read priority title Fearless by M.W. Craven as well. I still can’t believe it’s taking me this long to start it! I’m probably leaving TBR jar pick Don’t Look Back by Jo Spain for June as I’ve seen mixed reviews.
You can also find me at Goodreads. StoryGraph. Twitter. Instagram. Bloglovin’.
Quite a packed week. I’ve read:
The Mermaid by Anki Edvinsson. Cold Fury by Toni Anderson.
The Life she Had by Kelley Armstrong
Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson
The Curse of the Alien Ring by Veronica Scott
Thin Ice by Lane Hayes
Currently reading Alien in Disguise by Cara Bristol
Next up will be the new Nora Roberts book, Mind Games
I loved the Chanel Cleeton book too.
Gill
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Great line-up! I hope you enjoyed Yule Island as well and I’m so curious about The Mermaid.
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Too bad that That Night In The Library was not as good as it seems, I also thought it seemed amazing but have been seing mixed reviews
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I was lured in by the cover and premise last year, but if I had waited the reviews would probably have warned me off… In this case, the low rating is definitely justified.
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Oh, dear. That’s quite a few stinkers there. Hope your next couple of reads are way better.
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I’m absolutely loving The Only One Left so far and Chanel Cleeton hasn’t let me down yet, so I guess that’s two winners for next week at least? Robert Dugoni and M.W. Craven are usually hits as well… I would have preferred the new Tilly and Poe of course, but Netgalley told me no so Fearless will have to do.
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I’ve never been able to get a Tilly and Poe from NG. The demand is too high, I guess. Hope you enjoy Fearless. It’s very different!
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Me neither! I’m guessing they only approve UK readers? At least I’ll have Fearless to keep me entertained while I wait… I do like more action-focused thrillers, so I should be safe.
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Tough week. Here’s hoping what’s ahead is more satisfying, Yvo💜
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I’m absolutely loving The Only One Left so far and Chanel Cleeton hasn’t let me down yet, so that’s two winners for next week at least. 😉 xx
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Oof, you had some not so great reads this past week!! I hope this next week is much better for you! 🙂
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I have high hopes for both current reads! I’m almost halfway in The Only One Left and absolutely loving it so far.
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Yay, that’s great!!!
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That is awesome that you’ve got all your May reads in the bag (almost) enjoy the last week or so of this month.
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Thanks! It’s been fun to pick up books on a whim for a change…
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