paperback – Page 4 – Lyndsey Hall

My growing TBR

Let’s not talk about the fact that I haven’t even read all of the books on my TBR from January.

Moving on! In the past two months, I have managed to acquire two new paperbacks and five audiobooks! I have, however, failed to join my local library and borrow any books, probably because of my already vertiginous to-be-read pile. There’s always next month.

Last night, I went to a local writers’ group. A local, published author, Julie Malone (pen name Jae Malone) who has written a series of middle grade fantasy novels about a boy from Nottingham, The Winterne Series, spoke about creating characters and world building. It was aimed at the fantasy genre, but most of Julie’s points were adaptable to every genre.

It was a really interesting talk, and reiterated the tips and advice I had already read about creating a fantasy world. It was reassuring to hear from a successful, published author that what I’m doing is right! Plus, now I have a huge list of fantasy authors to check out.

Everyone in the group was absolutely lovely, they meet fortnightly, with every other meeting being an informal ‘write-in’ where they are given a prompt and have to write as much as they can in an hour, and then share their work.

Having returned home from the group, I discovered that my lovely dog had decided to destroy my Illumicrate, which had arrived the day before. The box was absolutely shredded, and there were several teeth marks in one of the books. She is now banned from spending any time alone with any of my books, the little demon. Luckily, she didn’t actually eat any pages or damage it beyond reading, or she’d be for dinner tonight. Just kidding, she is my fur baby and any evil actions were probably learnt from me, I do love to devour books.

An unboxing of my Illumicrate (minus the box) will be up soon!

Right, on with the show, here’s what I’ll be reading if I ever get round to it.

Paperbacks

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

This was the first book I received in February’s Illumicrate, and it’s been on my wishlist since I first heard about it online. Based on the fairy tale about the Goblin King – and the movie, Labyrinth in which David Bowie played the character – it tells the story of Liesl, whose sister has been taken by goblins, and her quest to bring her back home.

The book is inspired by JJ’s love of music, Liesl composes songs with the Goblin King as her muse, having met him in the forest as a child. When the Goblin King refuses to let Kathe go without another maiden taking her place, Liesl volunteers. Captivated by the king, she finds that he still inspires her years later.

How amazing does that sound? I definitely feel the need to watch Labyrinth now!

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

This was the second book in my Illumicrate, a surprise ARC of Mark Lawrence‘s new book, the first in a new series called Book of the Ancestor.

I’m ashamed to say that I am yet to read a book by Lawrence, but I do have them all on my Audible wish list, ready to download at some point…That point has now been moved infinitely sooner! I get the impression this new series will be set in the same world as The Broken Empire and The Red Queen’s War, so I’ll have to work out if I need to read those series first.

According to the blurb, the Convent of Sweet Mercy trains young girls into lethally-skilled women, spending ten years teaching them to become deadly assassins. Women called Red Sisters. Nona Grey is eight years old and due to hang for a murder she didn’t commit. Saved from execution and taken to the convent, she must learn to become an assassin, but she can’t escape her secret and violent past.

Cannot wait to get to this one, it sounds right up my street. I tend towards YA fantasy, but a bit of adult fantasy will make a nice change and hopefully spark some ideas for my books.

Audiobooks

King’s Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard

I’m currently listening to this one, but I have to say I’m struggling with it. This isn’t one of my favourite series, but I’m persevering to the end because I’ve invested so much time and want to see how it ends.

It’s not a bad series, loads of people love it, but it just hasn’t gripped me. I don’t like any of the characters, I’m not rooting for any of them – aside from the obvious division between right and wrong. I’m not a huge fan of the story, it’s heavy on the politics and war strategy, and I prefer stories that focus on the characters. Also, it seems to borrow heavily from a few others series that I have enjoyed a lot more, like The Hunger Games and The Grisha Trilogy.

My feelings on this book are that a lot of it could have been cut or condensed, making it a trilogy instead of a four book series. The bits where Mare is held captive are quite dull and drag on, and I don’t like Cameron’s POV. But that’s just me! You might love this one, don’t let me put you off!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I’ve heard a lot about this one, and it was on offer on Audible for £1.99, so I had to buy it. I’ve read that it’s similar to Caraval, which is a new book that I’m really keen to read, so I thought I’d check this out first so I can compare.

Le Cirque des Reves appears one day without warning, and is only open at night. It is utterly unique, unlike any circus you have ever seen. But behind the scenes, two young magicians, Celia and Marco, have been raised to compete in a game that can only end one way. Only one will be left standing. Until, they fall in love.

How magical does that sound? I absolutely cannot wait to listen to this one, I bet the audiobook will be fantastic. There are certain books that are just made for audio, they really come to life, and I can imagine this is one of them.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Another one I’ve downloaded thanks to the amazing reviews I’ve seen online, I wasn’t sure whether to get this one on audio or in paperback as I read that it includes footnotes and I wasn’t sure how that would work on audio, but the Audible reviews clinched it for me.

Mia Corvere is the daughter of an executed traitor, a fledgling assassin seeking vengeance against those who destroyed her family. Mia has an ability, she can speak to the shadows, and she is apprenticed to the deadliest group of assassins in the Republic, the Red Church. With a killer on the loose in the halls of the Church, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation going on in the shadows she so loves, will she survive initiation and have her revenge?

I can’t get enough of books about assassins, the Throne of Glass series is one of my absolute faves, and this sounds just like my cup of tea. Plus, apparently, there is a talking shadow cat, so yeah…

And I Darken by Kiersten White

This is a Dracula retelling where Vlad the Impaler is actually Lada Dragwyla, a brutal Wallachian princess torn between her gentle younger brother, Radu and Mehmed, the heir to the Ottoman throne.

I am really excited about this one, I’ve been desperate to read it for ages and can’t wait to get to it, but as you can see, I’ve got so many amazing books on my TBR!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

If you read my review of The Scorpio Races, you’ll know I’m a massive Stiefvater fan. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read The Raven Cycle yet, I know it’s most people’s favourite Stiefvater series, and it’s been on my radar for a long, long time, I just never got to it. But, now I have the first book and I think I’m going to listen to it next, despite not having the other three books, and having so many others in my library (that’s my Audible library, sadly I do not have a physical library in my house).

So, The Raven Boys centres around the myth of the Raven King, which is a Welsh legend about Bran the Blessed. It follows Blue and Gansey, the daughter of a clairvoyant who can’t see, and a rich, private school boy who, unhappy with his lot, goes on a strange and dangerous quest, with his three friends. Blue has always known that she will be the cause of her true love’s death, and now she is being drawn to Gansey and starting to worry about what that means.

I have high hopes for this one, thanks to the buzz it gets online, so it better not let me down! Especially, after I adored The Scorpio Races.

So, those are the books I have added to my TBR in the last two months! What with the several books from my last update that I still haven’t read, I definitely don’t need to be buying any more books for a while! I wish I could read more quickly, but I’m still editing my novel, and beta reading for a couple of writer friends.

I also signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo this week, which takes place in April, and I thought was a real life camp, like a writers retreat, but have discovered is all online, like the November version. So, yeah, I’m pretty busy for the next couple of months! If you’re taking part in Camp Nano, add me as a buddy, I’m lyndleloo (same as on Twitter and Instagram!).

Lyndsey

Review: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Phew! That was a bit of a whirlwind read, I haven’t read a paperback that fast in months, especially when I’m not even on holiday.

I’m a bit late to the party with this one, but if you haven’t read The Girl on the Train yet, here’s my little review. It’s a tense, twisty roller coaster of a book where no one comes out unscathed, and I loved it! I went in knowing relatively little, I wanted to read the book before watching the film, so if you want to avoid knowing too much, don’t read on. I try not to include spoilers, but this is one book where you’re best off starting with absolutely no idea what will happen.

If spoilers don’t scare you, read on!

In a nutshell, Rachel takes the same train into London at 8:04am every morning, and back to Ashbury every evening where she rents a room from an old friend. On the way she passes Witney station, and the house she used to share with her ex-husband before their divorce, two years ago.

The train usually stops at a signal, allowing Rachel to spend a few minutes looking into the back gardens of the houses by the tracks, including her old home. A few doors down, a young, attractive couple are often sitting on their roof terrace or patio drinking coffee, and Rachel likes to imagine who they are and what they might do for work, etc. One day, she sees the wife with another man, and a few days later she sees an article in a newspaper stating that the woman has been reported missing. Feeling like she knows these people after months of watching them from the train window, and knowing that suspicion usually falls on the husband when a woman goes missing, she decides to tell the police and the husband that his wife was having an affair.

The thing is, Rachel is an alcoholic. And she’s been harassing her ex-husband and his new wife for over a year. When Anna, the new Mrs Watson, sees Rachel on the day of the missing woman’s disappearance, she reports it to the police, and as a result Rachel becomes embroiled in the investigation. Suffering from blackouts caused by her heavy drinking, Rachel remembers being outside her old home on that night, she remembers an argument and having blood on her hands, but nothing else.

I’ll leave it at that for fear of giving too much away, but suffice it to say this was a book filled with twists and turns, an unreliable narrator who can’t remember crucial events, and a supporting cast of very flawed, complex characters, none of which are completely innocent.

I’m giving it four stars because I really enjoyed it, I was gripped and got through it quite quickly, but there were some slightly frustrating parts. It wasn’t a completely satisfying read for this reason. I feel like the climax could have been even more tense and exciting as the whole book built up towards it and I was so ready to find out what really happened by the end.

I really enjoyed the writing style, it’s written almost like diary entries from the points of view of Rachel, Anna (Rachel’s ex’s new wife) and the woman who is missing, herself. We see the day-to-day run up to ‘that night’ and the aftermath from Rachel, with the occasional counter from Anna, and the events that lead up to it over the course of the last year from the missing woman.

I loved seeing the story from all three sides, each woman was completely different – they were all such fully formed and layered characters, each with their own traits and flaws. Hawkins is a brilliant writer, the story is well crafted, and I found the pacing was just slow enough for me to be desperate for more every time I read, but satisfied with what I had discovered so far.

If you like a good thriller, you’ll love The Girl on the Train. Even if you saw the film and weren’t convinced, I’ve heard it’s nowhere as good as the book and that they changed a few things – I’ll have to watch it now to compare!

Go and get the book, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Lyndsey

PS. Paula Hawkins has a new book coming out soon, Into the Water, and it sounds just as suspenseful and thrilling as The Girl on the Train!

I am a member of the Book Depository affiliate program, so if you click through and buy any of the books mentioned in this blog I might make a little commission, but I am not paid to review books and all reviews are my own opinions!

Currently Reading:

Paperback

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

I just started reading this last night and only managed the prologue so far as I was really tired, but I love a good fairy tale retelling so I’m anticipating enjoying this one. I ran a Twitter poll to see what I should pick up next and this won so there are lots of you out there who loved it!

Audiobook

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I am so in love with this book! I’ve enjoyed everything by Ms. Stiefvater that I’ve read so far, I’ve got The Raven Boys lined up on Audible next and I know that’s most people’s favourite of her series, so I’m really excited to get stuck in, especially after loving this one. The voice actors who play Puck and Sean are absolutely fantastic, they really bring the characters and the whole world she has created to life. I’ll do a review of this when I’m finished as it’s a standalone and I honestly can’t praise it enough!

Second draft word count: 11,066

(I’m about 1/7th through my second draft and it’s going really well so far, keep your fingers crossed for me! I’m writing a post about second drafts so I’ll be sharing that soon.)

What’s on my TBR?

Allow me to clarify: by ‘to be read’, I mean books and audio books I am in possession of that I am yet to read. I know some book bloggers use the term TBR for books they intend to acquire, books on their Goodreads ‘to read’ list etc. but here, I’m talking about books I could literally pick up and start today, if I were so inclined.

I’m currently reading The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury, and I just finished listening to Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) this morning on my way to work. I really enjoyed it, and it was fun to see JK trying out a different genre.

I started watching the BBC adaptation of The Casual Vacancy years ago when it was on, but I wasn’t hooked and didn’t watch the end. I haven’t read the book – if you have, was it good? Should I read it?

I recently read that the three Cormoran Strike novels are also being adapted by the BBC and will be shown later this year, so I guess I’d better read the other two sharpish! Career of Evil is the third – I didn’t realise this when I downloaded the audio book in Audible’s sale -so I’m a bit behind, but luckily the book is crafted so that you don’t need to have necessarily read the other two first.

Right! Onwards to my TBR…

Paperbacks

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I wanted to read this before the film came out so I could watch the film and compare. I didn’t get round to reading it in time, so I didn’t see the film either… Sound logic, I’m sure. Anyway, I want to read this over the next couple of months so that as soon as the film comes on Sky Movies I can watch it.

Basically, Rachel takes the same train to work everyday and looks out at the same houses and sees the same people going about their lives. One day, one of the people she watches goes missing and Rachel becomes a witness, and then a suspect. It has an unreliable, alcoholic narrator, and the film trailer looked really dark, so I’m pretty excited about it!

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

This has been on my wishlist for a while, I bought it when I had a bit of a book binge a couple of months ago and I’m desperate to get to it.

It’s set in an exotic desert nation and has sharpshooters, mythical beasts and magic wielding djinni (genies). What’s not to love?

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

A dark Snow White retelling where the princess has magic and the huntsman and the prince are one and the same? Yes please!

I’ve seen good and bad reviews of this one – some thought it was too dull and boring, others loved it – so I’m going to give it a chance. It sounds right up my street, I love fairy tale retellings and YA fantasy.

Once Upon a Dream (Twisted Tales) by Liz Braswell

Another fairy tale retelling, this time based on Sleeping Beauty. Liz Braswell was tasked with writing dark and twisted versions of all our favourite Disney fairy tales, for this one she took from the animated Sleeping Beauty as well as the live action Maleficent.

The key difference to the originals is that instead of waking the princess when the prince kisses her, he also falls under the spell, entering the dream world where Aurora has been trapped for years.

I’ve seen mainly bad reviews for these reimaginings, but I’m an open-minded, kind-hearted type of girl, so I’m hoping to enjoy this.

Who is Tom Ditto? by Danny Wallace

Funny story, I actually ‘acquired’ this book from a cottage I stayed at with my husband and dog. There were a few books in the TV cupboard, I didn’t think they’d miss this, presumably another visitor left it behind… Either way, it wound up coming home with me.

One of the few contemporary novels on this list, this one is written by a British filmmaker, TV presenter and comedian, so I have high hopes for a light-hearted, funny read. I need a little light between the dark sometimes.

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

I received this book in November’s Illumicrate, a bookish subscription box. This was my first Illumicrate and I am so excited for next month’s (it’s a quarterly subscription) because it is actually going to include TWO books, one which hasn’t even been released yet!

November’s also included the cutest socks from Happy Socks, a coffee cup cosy from Sparrow + Wolf, a notepad for my ‘Evil Plans’ by House of Wonderland, an Aidan candle from Meraki Candles – I believe Aidan is a character from Illuminae, but I haven’t read it yet. It smells of sandalwood and bergamot (I do love a nice cup of Earl Grey) and is absolutely delicious. There were also lots of other little bookish bits, like a bookmark and postcards, a signed book plate and cute Christmas tag.

I’m really excited to read The Diabolic, it follows Nemesis, a cyborg designed to protect a galactic Senator’s daughter, Sidonia. Having grown up side by side, they’re practically sisters, as well as cyborg and master, so when Sidonia is summoned by an evil Emperor to be a hostage, Nemesis goes in her place and must impersonate Sidonia. As a humanoid – but not human – cyborg, Nemesis shouldn’t feel, but perhaps she is more human than she seems…

Audio books

The Muse by Jessie Burton

I just started listening to this today on my way home from work. I haven’t read The Miniaturist, but I know it got a lot of hype when it was released. From what I’ve read on Goodreads, The Muse is even better.

Odelle is a Trinidadian woman living in 1960s London, working as a typist at an art gallery when a mysterious lost masterpiece is delivered to the gallery. The painting’s history takes us back to rural Spain in the 1930s, and another ambitious young woman with a fascinating story.

How good does that sound? I’m enjoying it already and I’m only an hour in!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Having read the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, and the Books of Faerie, I’m a pretty big Stiefvater fan. I’ve heard that The Scorpio Races and especially The Raven Cycle are absolutely fantastic, so I had to add them to my wishlist.

I thought I’d start with The Scorpio Races as it’s a standalone.

About teenagers who ride flesh-eating water horses in a deadly competition, how could I not love this book?

So, there you have it. My TBR for the next couple of months. Actually, I’m not that fast a reader, the books will take me several months to read, but the audio books will definitely be done by the end of February, when I fully intend to move onto The Raven Cycle.

What’s on your TBR for the not-too-distant future? I’d love to know!

Lyndsey