I've been looking forward to creating another TBR actually, as it gives me a chance to really think about the books I want to read over the next few months. I anticipate a lot of fantasy, enchantment and magic to be in this one, as well as anything with a snowy theme!
1) 'The Last' by Hanna Jameson.
Something about this book just really appeals to me. It seems like a bit of a cross between The Shining, and And Then There Were None. A murder mystery set in snowy Switzerland right after Nuclear War. What could possibly go any more wrong?
2) 'The Sisters Of The Winter Wood' by Rena Rossner.
Anything magical set a dark, cold night in a slightly creepy forest is a win. Combine it with a fairy tale feel, Jewish folklore and family as the main theme and I am sold 100% on the concept. BONUS: That cover is gorgeous.
3) 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease.
Recently sent to me by My Kinda Book, I am feeling so lucky to have received this GORGEOUS proof and I'm so excited by the premise! Magic, historical Paris in 1789, and the French royal court. It sounds like such a great story, and I'm hoping the world-building will hit my high standards.
4) 'Last Night In Montreal' by Emily St. John Mandel.
I absolutely adored 'Station Eleven' by Mandel, and I've been meaning to read another book of hers since. I really like the look of this thriller and am looking forward to a little bit of mystery in the author's unique style.
5) 'Stars Above' by Marissa Meyer.
I've asked for this one for Christmas because I really miss the world of The Lunar Chronicles! I loved the finale of that series, but I have read the synopsis of some of the short stories and I am so on board with getting a little more conclusion for some of the characters!
6) 'The Winter Of The Witch' by Katherine Arden.
Set in gorgeous Russia, I love Katherine Arden's 'Winternight' trilogy because from the very first book she has totally drawn me into her historical, fantastical world filled with speatures and creatures and swoon-worthy frost demons. Not to mention that Vasya is a badass.
7) 'Crooked Kingdom' by Leigh Bardugo.
I read 'Six Of Crows' earlier this year and loved it so much, so I am all over the idea of reading number two and finishing the series would be perfect. Especially as 'King Of Scars' is coming out next year! I have such high hopes for the resolution of the character's stories too!
8) 'Shadowsong' by S. Jae-Jones.
I read 'Wintersong' last Winter too, and I really liked the setting and Labyrinth references. It's one of my favourite films actually so I've been looking for a sexy, darker retelling of the cult classic film! 'Shadowsong' is the finale to the duology and I hope to love it as much as the first one.
9) 'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian.
I have been putting this book off for too long, and I'm not really sure why! Everything about the synopsis, the Cinderella references and the kickass sounding heroine seem like a great book to me! I'm sure I'll get to it this winter.
10) 'The Enchanted Sonata' by Heather Dixon Wallwork.
When it comes to winter fairy tales, The Nutcracker is the cream of the crop. And this is a retelling! It reads like it's going to be a good one too, so I'm excited to see if anything fresh is brought to the story!
This week, despite having work, has been absolutely fantastic for me because it was the last week before I started my Christmas holidays! Woohoo! I've been seriously looking forward to having a decent amount of time off this year, and I'm finally going to have my wish come true. Mat and I picked up our Wedding rings on Friday, which also happened to be our anniversary! We only have about half a year to go before our wedding, and I'm super excited about it. On Saturday was Mat's birthday so we spent the day playing games and ordered some take out. All in all, a successful week leading up to Christmas!
I Read...
I Received...
- 'The Dollmaker' by Nina Allan: Netgalley (14/12/18)
- 'Monsters' by Sharon Dogar: Netgalley (14/12/18)
- 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease: Publisher sent ARC (14/12/18)
A definite improvement on chapter one, though I'm still a little unsure about this space-set M/m comic.
SOURCE: Internet
TYPE: Web Comic
TITLE: Starfighter
AUTHOR: Hamlet Machine
SERIES: Starfighter (Ch. #2)
PUBLISHER: --
PAGES: 69
GENRE: LGBT+, Graphic Novel, Web Comic, Erotica, Sci-Fi
RATING: 3.5/5 Stars
Blurb:
After surviving the most intense day of his life, young navigator Abel is harboring doubts about having started a romantic relationship with his quick-tempered squadmate, Cain.
Stories of the fighter's volatile - and violent - past abound on the station, and it's proving difficult to separate truth from rumor.
When an alien menace threatens all he holds dear, Abel must keep a clear head - but how can he concentrate when his thoughts keep returning to his mysterious new partner?
Overall Conclusion:
I had some issues with the first chapter of this webcomic because it contained a lot of non-con and dub-con, and that makes me more than a little uncomfortable. That's still present in this second chapter, but less so and I'm beginning to feel that there is a little more chemistry and a little less violence in this ship. The world-building is also more detailed, which is so much better! I'm very curious to see how the world that Hamlet Machine has created develops. I'm really hoping to see more plot and less sex in future chapters, but no one can fault Hamlet Machine's phenomenal artwork!
Christmas is coming! It really hit me big-time this month because I love this time of year so much. Every year, Mat and I have dinner with friends and it's become something of a tradition for us! That was the main thing we did this week and it was wonderful to get fully into the Christmas spirit! Soon my time away from work begins too, which is extra exciting!
On the same day I also volunteered for Active Newham, which was so much fun! It's a big part of my new role, and as Newham is my local community, it felt like a great place to start. The Festive Fun Run that they held was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to doing more of this in the future!
I Read...
--
I Received...
- 'The Grass People' by Kay Parley: NetGalley (03/12/18)
- 'Evermore' by Sara Holland: NetGalley (05/12/18)
Memes...
Top Ten Tuesday: Perfect Winter Reads
I'm certainly what some would call a 'seasonal reader', and by that, I mean that I feel that certain types of reads are best suited to certain times of the year. I like Contemporary YA in the Spring, exotic destinations in the Summer, spooks in the Autumn and magical fairy tales during the Winter. Of course, some of these picks are helped along by the mentions of snow, ice or Winter in the title!
1) 'The Snow Child' by Eowyn Ivey.
This book is the epitome of a wintry read. It's magical, wild, set during the Winter and incredibly sad at times. I said I like fairy tales at this time of year, and this is a good one.
2) 'Wintersong' by S. Jae-Jones.
I really enjoy the movie 'Labyrinth' and find the Goblin King an intriguing character. If you feel the same then this is a great read! Again, filled with magic and strange creatures, set during the Winter and it gives real Hades & Persephone vibes too.
3) 'Wolf Winter' by Cecilia Eckbäck.
This contains less of the supernatural but is still a great read for Winter. It's a historical mystery, filled with atmosphere and tension and some very intriguing characters too. It focuses on the goings-on of a small community, as well as strange happenings around the area and is certainly a good read.
4) 'The Toymakers' by Robert Dinsdale.
This was the perfect book to read around Christmas last year as it evoked such a warm feeling within me as I read it. It's light-hearted but contains darker themes, focusing on two brothers at war over the future of a very magical, beloved toy shop. I was hooked from start to end with this one!
5) 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens.
Speaking of fantastic Christmas reads, most people have heard of this classic. Having read it, I can see why it's gained such fame! If you're ready to settle into a more traditional Christmas pastime and tell some ghost stories then I recommend this book for inspiration, especially with its happy ending.
6) 'The Mistletoe Bride' by Kate Mosse.
The title suggests a more Christmas-related theme than you actually get with this one, but I like this book for Winter all the same. It's a collection of ghost stories, taking place all over history and Europe. Each of them builds atmosphere really well and I really like reading short stories at this time of year.
7) 'Winterspell' by Claire Legrand.
This is the book I always think of one someone asks me about the best winter fairy tale I've read. It's based upon 'The Nutcracker' and is such a great read from beginning to end. Filled to the brim with magic, adventure, romance, and great characters, I think everyone should give this one a go if they can.
8) 'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton.
Again, more historical fiction! But this time we're heading to Amsterdam and I think I liked this as a Winter read because of it's cold, European setting. It contains a little bit of magic and mystery too which was nice.
9) 'Winter' by Marissa Meyer.
This might seem a bit of an obvious choice given the title but this certainly fits my fairytale category. It's the fourth in the series, so I would definitely recommend from the beginning if you haven't read them, but this final book ties everything together nicely and makes for a great read this time of year.
10) 'The Bear & The Nightingale' by Katherine Arden.
I love this book. It and 'The Girl In The Tower' are probably two of my favourite wintry reads! The snowy Russian setting lends itself well to the season, and it's filled to the brim with magic, spirits and creatures, and of course a handsome frost demon to bring the romance! Perfect!
It's been quite a busy week for me! First off, I'm on a career experience at work now that involves organising fundraising events for charities and groups of volunteers to attend them! I'm enjoying the change massively, especially when it comes to working with non-profit organisations. I can't wait to fully immerse myself in this.
Friday was Kiara's actual leaving do and it was a very emotional time for me. I will miss her immensely and I'm totally gutted that she wasn't allowed to stay as she had originally intended. I can't wait to keep working on things with her though!
On Sunday I travelled back to my hometown with Mat and we all went to visit my Grandparents for an early Christmas dinner! It was very nice to catch up with them all despite some issues with the food and I enjoyed spending some time in Kent seeing family.
I Read...
I Received...
- 'The Knife Of Never Letting Go' by Patrick Ness: Bought (28/11/18)
I Posted...
November Wrap-Up
Planned Reads for December
December is here! And I have a lot of high hopes for this month because I've actually got a substantial portion of time off! So here are the eight reads that I've got planned.
First on my list is Kendra Leighton's 'Glimpse', a retelling of the famous poem 'The Highwayman' and a book I had on last month's TBR that I really want to read. I have so many NetGalley books to catch up on and I'm trying really hard to work my way through them as a priority!
This next book, 'Feminists Don't Wear Pink & Other Lies' curated by Scarlett Curtis caught my attention as soon as I read about the Topshop controversy. I really want to read this because so many of my role models have contributed something to this book and I think it will leave me feeling super inspired!
Winter is the perfect time to read science fiction! Space is cold, and so is December! Okay, you can read sci-fi any time of the year but I really want to read 'The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet' by Becky Chambers. I've seen it described as Mass Effect in a novel. Yes. Please.
I'm also a really big fan of murder mysteries and 'The Last' by Hanna Jameson looks really cool! Sort of a cross between The Shining and And Then There Were None, I think this has potential to be a really fun read.
My next chosen book is special - I can't describe to you how excited I am to read it! 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease is probably one of my most anticipate 2019 reads and I've got an ARC to read! How exciting!
The cover of my next pick, 'The Sisters Of The Winter Wood' by Rena Rossner is stunning. But beyond the illiustrations, this read looks creepy and filled with folklore/magical realism and that makes me very excited!
'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian is looking to be the one that got away from me this year and I really don't want it to be. The similarities to the classic fairy tale Cinderella are too cool looking for me not to read it! I really hope I get round to it this month.
Last but not least, I want to read 'Everless' by Sara Holland. I have had this on my TBR for some time, but it was one of the few books that my friend who has recently left for New Zealand (a) recommended to me repeatedly and (b) gave her copy to me before she went.
