And here we are at yet another year’s halfway point. I’ve had an okay reading year so far, and I’m reading less than in previous years just as I knew that I would. I’m also buying books only if I think I will read them within the month, which is working out nicely for my TBR. My only real trackable reading “goals” from the start of the year were to keep the average of 400+ page count (I’m kind of on track), aim for an earlier average year of publication (failing miserably despite the literal millions of books that were published prior to the year 2000) and achieve something closer to a 4.0 average star rating (again, no such luck, though this time through no fault of my own).
Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
No one and nothing is as it seems in this Dickensian novel of thrills and reversals. Sue Trinder is an orphan, left as an infant in the care of Mrs. Sucksby, a “baby farmer.” Mrs. Sucksby’s household also hosts a transient family of petty thieves–fingersmiths–for whom this house in the heart of a mean London slum is home.
One day, the most beloved thief of all arrives–Gentleman, an elegant con man, who carries with him an enticing proposition for Sue: If she wins a position as the maid to Maud Lilly, a naïve gentlewoman, and aids Gentleman in her seduction, they all will share in Maud’s vast inheritance.
With dreams of paying back the kindness of her adopted family, Sue agrees to the plan. Once in, however, Sue begins to regret her decision.
Find the book here on Goodreads.
Autumn 2016 Wrap Up
I’ve been in the slumpiest of slumps lately, and only was it in May that I started to snap out of it. Unfortunately, even though I’ve actually, you know, been reading, the books I’ve read have been only okay for the most part. I mean, I’ve quite enjoyed them but a three star read for me means that I was probably bored or frustrated for chunks of the book. Or maybe it’s just that I found it underwhelming – like Warm Bodies, for example, I really liked it but I wouldn’t rush out to recommend it to all my friends. Maybe I’m just expecting too much? Who knows.
Also, I’ve taken to writing little Goodreads reviews instead of the larger reviews to post over here. If you’re interested in seeing what I’m up to, feel free to add me over there.
Fortune’s Pawn, Rachel Bach
Devi Morris isn’t your average mercenary. She has plans. Big ones. And a ton of ambition. It’s a combination that’s going to get her killed one day – but not just yet.
That is, until she just gets a job on a tiny trade ship with a nasty reputation for surprises. The Glorious Fool isn’t misnamed: it likes to get into trouble, so much so that one year of security work under its captain is equal to five years everywhere else. With odds like that, Devi knows she’s found the perfect way to get the jump on the next part of her Plan. But the Fool doesn’t give up its secrets without a fight, and one year on this ship might be more than even Devi can handle.
Find the book on Goodreads.
Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged, Ayisha Malik
“Brilliant idea! Excellent! Muslim dating? Well, I had no idea you were allowed to date.’ Then he leaned towards me and looked at me sympathetically. ‘Are your parents quite disappointed?’
Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene.
As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she goes in search of stories for her book. In amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist tube passengers and decidedly odd online daters, could there be a a lingering possibility that she might just be falling in love . . . ?
Find the book on Goodreads.
Leviathan Wakes, James SA Corey
Humanity has colonized the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond – but the stars are still out of our reach.
Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, “The Scopuli,” they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for – and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.
Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to “The Scopuli” and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.
Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations – and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.
Find the book on Goodreads.
Famous Last Words #26
“Suppose I don’t want to redeem myself? Why should I fight to uphold the system that cast me out? I shall take pleasure in seeing it smashed.”
― Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
February 2016 Wrap Up
… and I’m home! But what with the running here and there to catch up with people and get everything sorted, I was left with little time for reading. That’s definitely a recurring theme this year, but I’m cool with that – though it would be nice if things started to calm down a bit! Continue reading
Top 5 Best Books Recommended By My Mum
This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is Best Books Recommended To You. Scrolling through my Goodreads read shelf, though, I saw most of the books I’ve read in the past couple of years have been recommendations. That’s why I’ve decided to narrow if down to books recommended to me by my mother.
A Touch Of Stardust, Kate Alcott
Julie Crawford left Fort Wayne, Indiana with dreams of being a Hollywood screenwriter. Unfortunately, her new life is off to a rocky start. Fired by the notoriously demanding director of Gone With the Wind, she’s lucky to be rescued by Carole Lombard, whose scandalous affair with the still-married Clark Gable is just heating up.
As Carole’s assistant, Julie suddenly has a front-row seat to two of the world’s greatest love affairs. And while Rhett and Scarlett—and Lombard and Gable—make movie history, Julie is caught up in a whirlwind of outsized personalities and overheated behind-the-scenes drama … not to mention a budding romance of her own.
Find the book on Goodreads.
Lost Beyond The Wall 