Teaching – Wicked Witch's Blog

WWW Wednesday February 1

It’s Wednesday and the start of a brand new month. January is done and so the days are getting longer which is always good as I hate it when it’s dark at 4 o clock in the afternoon.

Wednesday means that it’s time for WWW Wednesday. This is one of my favourite memes and I love taking part in it and reading everybody else’s posts. It’s currently hosted by Sam and it can be found on her blog Taking on a world of words which can be found here.

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

Return to Cornish Bay by Philippa Ashley

I’ve got my ARC requests down to a relatively sensible amount and I only have to read one a week which seems quite manageable and leaves me time to read all the other lovely books on my shelves. This one is due for publication in a couple of weeks and is by an author that I usually enjoy. I hadn’t realised that it’s actually a rerelease of a book that was originally published in 2012 though. It’s quite a fun read so far but there are a couple of references that date it such as going to see Hunger Games at the cinema.

Tomorrow is Beautiful Chosen by Sarah Crossan

I am reading my way through this as part of my Poetry Reading Challenge this year. I have found some lovely poems as well as been reminded of a couple that I already knew and loved.

What I have recently finished reading

The Mitford Secret by Jessica Fellowes

I enjoyed this final Mitford Sisters mystery with its backdrop of WWII. There was lots of historical detail, almost too much sometimes but the lives of the different groups of people was fascinating. The mystery was interesting too and I’m sorry to say good bye to this series.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
I loved this new visit to the Grishaverse. It was great to catch up with Prince Nikolai and Nina again. This was an exciting fantasy with several different threads all happening at one and multiple points of view.

This was a brilliant read and I loved the story of Jess’s struggle to open a museum for all of the extraordinary objects that have been stored in a warehouse. The relationships between her and her boyfriend and her new workmate Alex were really well written as well as her life long friendship with Luce.

The Little Venice Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin

I think this is one where I am going against popular opinion. This was an OK read but I didn’t love it as much as I hoped. The descriptions of Venice were great but the main character didn’t really appeal at all.

What I am intending to read next

A Gruesome Discovery by Cora Harrison

What are you reading this week?

The Functions Book Tag

I always get very excited when I get tagged in someone’s post to do a book tag. It doesn’t happen often 😃Being tagged by Naemi at Book Owl’s Corner to do her functions tag was even more exciting as it is an original tag so I was one of the first people who would be taking part. The downside to it was that it was so hard!!!! Which pretty much sums up my relationship with Maths, I do love it but it has never been an easy subject for me.

This was a really creative tag although it has taken me quite a while to think of books to fit each category. If you want to read the original post then you will find it here and if you don’t already follow Naemi, then have a read of her blog which is always interesting plus, she is a great person to have bookish conversations with.

The Rules

Thank the person who nominated you!
Ping-back to the original creator, Naemi @ A Book Owl’s Corner, so that she can sneakily read your answers and be thrilled at how much attention math is getting within the bookish community!
Answer all the prompts while appreciating the mathematical beauty contained in them! (You’re more than welcome to use the original graphics so that all the canva and GeoGebra work the creator put into them will be worth it…)
Tag some people! Five would be best, since five is obviously the coolest natural number out there, but any other quantity works, too.

I think that I want to thank Naemi for tagging me but this tag was really hard and it’s taken ages to think of books to fit the categories😃. However, I guess that pretty much sums up my relationship with maths; it’s really hard but I get there in the end.

I adore the musical and have made several attempts at reading the book but have never succeeded. To me, the book is just dull and I can’t get into it which is strange as I’ve read a couple of other Victor Hugo novels and enjoyed them.

Pretty much any Christmas romance book. They all end up exactly as you expect them to but the books are still lovely to curl up with on a December evening.

I love the Cormoran Strike books but this was just so hard to get through with all of the online messages and group chats. Great opening and ending but an inteminable middle.

To be honest, like so many children of my generation, anything written by Enid Blyton. I loved the mystery and adventure stories as well as both her school series.

This one did have one of the more unbelievable plots of the Christmas books I read this year. Ex boyfriends, pagan grandfathers and long lost daughters all made an appearance. It was still a heart warming read though.

I felt quite pleased that I could immediately think of an answer for this one. Several of Mercedes Lackey’s more recent Valdemar books feature pies, especially the hand size variety that can be put into a pocket and eaten while you’re on the move.

The amazing Babel by R F Kuang features many, many footnotes which added to the academic feel of the novel.

This is a really hard thing to do as there are so many books that I have read and reread over the years. My most favouritist books are probably The Lord of the Rings, Magician and The Goblin Emperor though as they are probably the books that I have reread the most often.

The Death of Lucy Kyte featured a journal written by a girl who lived several years before this story takes place. Many of the Wesley Peterson novels by Kate Ellis also use this method of telling a story from the past.

This is probably cheating but I’m going for series that intimidates me. I really want to reread the Wheel of Time books and actually finish the series as I gave up at book 9 originally. The only problem that a series of 14 books is really intimidating so I’m not sure if I ever will complete it.

I loved Tom Hindle’s murder mystery last year and I’m really looking forward to reading this next one.

So that’s it! I have finally completed the functions tag. Thank you Naemi for tagging me and I’m just sorry that it’s taken me so long to complete it.

I can never think of people to tag but if you fancy a go at a mathematically based book tag, then please join in.

WWW Wednesday December 14

It’s Wednesday again and we’re now halfway through December. The UK is still in a mini ice age with temperatures not really getting above freezing and this weekend we had snow!!!! We were carol singing for charity on Sunday morning and I had lost touch with my fingers and toes by the end of it. Cue a warm fire and hot chocolate.

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

A Summer of Murder by Oliver Bottini
This is definitely an unseasonal read as it’s set during a really hot Summer and the temperature forms a large part of the scene setting. It is definitely the second book of a series with lots of references to what has happened before and I think I would probably enjoy it more if I had read the first one. It’s an interesting mystery so far though.

Journeys to impossible places by Simon Reeve
I’m about two thirds of the way through this one now. It is absolutely fascinating reading about the little known places that he has visited. The environmental and human issues that he covers are just huge and often heartbreaking. We hear about so many stories of war and hardship but there are so many more which are occurring without most people even being aware.

What I have recently finished reading

Exiles by Jane Harper
I love Jane Harper’s books and this one is just as good as all of the previous ones. Set in a small town in Australia, it’s the third story featuring Aaron Falk and possibly the last as his story arc seems to have come to a natural conclusion. I loved this one and it has Jane Harper’s really strong feeling for the places she sets her books.

Lirael by Garth Nix
I loved this sequel to Sabriel too. The world building is incredible and although I’m fairly sure that they were released as children’s books originally, they definitely stand up to an adult audience. I need to go straight onto the third book in the series as this leaves events completely up in the air.

Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith
This was quite a strange golden age crime story told over the period of 4 days when Adrian Grey’s family gather together for Christmas. The story is told from various points of view including that of the murderer which gives a real insight into the crime and the reasons and repercussions behind it. It’s not a whodunnit but more a willtheygetawaywithit. It was definitely an absorbing read

What I am intending to read next

I definitely think a more festive read is going to be next after a recent double bill of murder.

What are you reading this week?

WWW Wednesday December 7

It’s Wednesday again and we’re into December. The weather has got colder with snow forecast and at the weekend, we’re going to visit my son in Manchester and go around the Christmas Markets. It’s definitely starting to feel festive.

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

Exiles by Jane Harper
I love Jane Harper’s books and this one is just as good as all of the previous ones. Set in a small town in Australia, police officer Aaron Falk is on holiday about to become godfather to a friend’s young son. The town is remembering the disappearance of a woman the previous year and is running an appeal for any more witnesses or information. Falk gradually becomes involved with the family and the investigation as well as maybe finding a bit of romance.

Journeys to impossible places by Simon Reeve
This is my 12th non fiction book of 2022 and will see me successfully completing my challenge.

What I have recently finished reading

The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I really liked the start of it but then my interest tailed off. It was a very dark story with few light patches and I found the children’s points of view a bit unconvincing especially Mayken’s chapters.

An Astronaut’s Guide to Earth by Chris Hadfield
This is the eleventh book in my Non fiction reader challenge and so I’m well on track to read 12 non fiction books this year. This was a very easy book to read but very fascinating to see how his experiences and training influence the way he thinks and behaves. I love the way that his preparations for space travel and the way they always plan for the worst means that he does that in his daily life too. Many of us could probably do with a touch of that mindset so that we are not completely overcome when things go wrong.

Let it Snow by Bella Moran
This was a brilliant festive read set in Nottingham but also involving a last minute to Scotland where our heroine got snowed in. It’s a very familiar theme but this was a definitely a different take on being snowbound.

The Marriage Act by John Marrs
I really enjoyed this story of a near future when marriage is the only approved way to live. It’s a dark dystopian tale but I really enjoyed each of the four couples’ stories within the book.

The Christmas Holiday by Phillipa Ashley
This was another lovely festive read this time set in the Lake District. The involvement of the Mountain Rescue volunteers made this a bit more interesting than some Christmas books.

What I am intending to read next

I definitely think it’s time to start catching up with some of the books that I have on my bookshelf and not read yet. I’m going to take this one with me when we go away at the weekend.

What are you reading this week?

Book Blogger Hop September 30th

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, it was relaunched on February 15, 2013 by Billy @ the Ramblings of a coffee addict. . Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

I just love this meme and the questions that come up. They generate so much discussion which is so great.

This weeks question is: Have you ever skipped ahead to read the ending?(submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

This feels like something that I should feel guilty about because yes, I do sometimes skip to the end of the book and read the ending. There are two main times when I do this.

The first is when I’m not really enjoying the book so I’ll just skip to the end to see how it all turns out before I DNF it. This sort of backfired on me earlier this year when I read Magpie by Elizabeth Day.

I wasn’t really enjoying it so I skipped to the end to see it all got sorted out. However, the ending didn’t make any sense and I couldn’t see how the characters could possibly have got to that point. That meant I had to go back and read the entire book to see what the twist was. I’m glad that I did as I really enjoyed it by the end.

The other time that I sometimes take a quick peek at the end is just to check that characters survive. I think I started doing that a lot more after Rob Stark’s death at the Red Wedding when I first read A Clash of Kings years ago. George Martin scarred me for life with his habit of killing off characters!!!!!

I only tend to do it for fantasy novels when I’m more invested in the character arcs. I wouldn’t do it for crime novels as that would spoil the mystery though.

Do you ever cheat and read the ends of books?

In memory

It’s been a day of solemn pomp and pageantry with a huge sense of living through history. The uniforms and finely tuned movements mixed with the famous faces and glorious music and the beautiful settings of Westminster Abbey and the chapel at Windsor all added to the sense of occasion as well as a feeling that we will never see anything like this again. Today really was the end of an era

Rest in Peace your majesty

WWW Wednesday September 14

It’s Wednesday which means that it’s time for WWW Wednesday. This is one of my favourite memes and I love taking part in it and reading everybody else’s posts. It’s currently hosted by Sam and it can be found on her blog Taking on a world of words which can be found here.

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

We’re back home now after our lovely holiday down in South eastern France. It was a gorgeous week and I really didn’t want to come. That was our final holiday this year so normal blog publishing will resume from now on.

What I’m currently reading

Celtic Cross by Sara Sheridan

This is the latest in the 1950’s based crime series featuring debt collector Mirabelle Bevans. This follows shortly on from the previous novel and is based close to Edinburgh in 1959 just as the road bridge is being built over the river Forth. I’m enjoying it and the setting of a nunnery is unusual in more modern mysteries. I also like the fact that Mirabelle’s partner, Vesta has a much bigger role than in the last book. I’m not sure about the direction Mirabelle’s character is taking though. She is not as likeable in this book and is definitely becoming a lot more pushy and antagonistic in pursuit of her investigation.

What I have recently finished reading

Sabriel by Garth Nix

I really loved this. It was a children’s book when originally published but it was quite dark enough in places for it to qualify as an adult read. It was just a great well-written fantasy about a young girl who has to grow up very suddenly. It’s a really old theme but if done well, is always good.

Picture you Dead by Peter James

This is a Net Galley ARC and is the latest in the Roy Grace series It’s a very complicated tale of lost Art works and forgeries. I enjoyed this just as much as the previous novels in this series.

Venetian Game by Philip Gwynne Jones

I’m really enjoying this series of books set in Venice and featuring Nathan Sutherland, translator and honorary consul. I love recognising some of the locations and have made notes of other places that he mentions just in case we return to Venice one day. Just look at the stunning cover picture too! This was the first book in the series and I’ve now got the second one on order at the library.

The Summer that changed us by Cathy Bramley

This was lovely. Three women meet on a beach in North Eastern England and become friends. Each one of them has a problem and their friendship gives them help and support to face the difficulties in their lives. It’s just such a lovely story about the strength and importance of friendship with just a touch of romance. I loved the setting and the way that hunting for sea glass is used in the story.

Dead in the Water by Mark Ellis

This is another historical crime story, this time set in London during WWII. Strangely enough, this one also featured stolen works of art as did the Venetian Games and Picture you Dead. There was definitely a theme with a lot of my reading last week.

What I am intending to read next

Having just read Sabriel, this was an obvious choice when I saw it on the library shelf yesterday.

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

WWW Wednesday August 31

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

I haven’t read very much lately as I’ve been spending a lot of time rehearsing and then performing on stage at Buxton in The Desert Song. It’s a very old musical/operetta which hasn’t been performed in England for over 30 years but the music is glorious and the cast and audience all enjoyed ourselves.

What I’m currently reading

The Blood of the Spear by Mark Timmony
This is a brilliant epic fantasy novel with lots of characters and brilliant world building. I saw if reviewed on Swordsmith’s blog and had to read it.

What I have recently finished reading

The Mapmaker’s Daughter by Clare Marchant
I really enjoyed this historical novel set in Tudor England but with a present day storyline too. Hopefully I get it reviewed properly this week.

The Bird Cage by Eve Chase
This was another twisty family based mystery. I really liked the way the three half sisters grew together during the book.

What I am intending to read next

The Hidden Palace by Dinah Jefferies

As I have no library books to read at present, I’m making good progress along my Net Galley shelves. Next up will probably this second book in the WWII series about a family under Nazi occupation. This one sounds as though it has a very different to Daughters of War so should be an interesting read

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

Stacking the Shelves 56

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It’s Saturday again and time for my weekly Stacking the Shelves post. Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality and details are on her blog. The gorgeous graphic is also used courtesy of the site.

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

My STS posts are generally my library books. The library is where I get most of my books and I hope that maybe I can inspire other people to use their local library. Our libraries are constantly under threat of closure but the more people that use them, the less likely that is. My library is also how I manage to read a lot of newly released hardbacks as I can order them. Sometimes they can take quite a while to arrive if a title is really popular though.

I only had one reservation arrive this week but picked up some lovely books off the shelves to keep me busy.

The Bird Cage by Eve Chase
I’m so pleased that this has arrived as it’s been quite a while since I requested it. I loved Eve Chase’s previous two novels and I’m really looking forward to this one. Three half sisters are summoned to their father’s house on the Cornish coast. It’s the first time that they have returned since a solar eclipse 20 years ago when something happened.

I love twisty stories that have their roots in an event that happened in the past so this is one that I can’t wait to read.

HIghland Fling by Sara Sheridan
This is a great series which is normally set in 1950s Brighton. In this one though Mrabelle heads off to Scotland to meet her fiance’s family. I’ll miss the Brighton setting but am looking forward to a mystery in the Highlands.

The Last Voice You Hear by Mick Herron Ashman
The library have a whole set of new paperbacks by Mick Herron who I haven’t read before. It’s the second book in a series about Zoe Bohm but hopefully that won’t matter too much.

Should I Tell You by Jill Mansell
I always enjoy Jill Mansell’s books and this one about three foster children who become friends and then get reunited in their Cornish home town sounds lovely.

That’s what I’ve added to my shelves this week. What’s been added to your bookshelves?

Stacking the Shelves 55

It’s been another very hot week here in England but we’ve just come back from a short trip to London. I met up with friends before heading off to the National Theatre to see a brilliant production of Much Ado About Nothing. Yesterday we had a gorgeous early morning walk along the Thames path. But now we’re home again and it’s time for this week’s post.

It was just a quick dash into the library this week to pick up my reserved books so I’ve only got three. I haven ‘t finished The Lincoln Highway yet and I’ve still got The House of Fortune to read so I’m not going to run out of books anytime soon.

The Angels of Venice by Philip Gwynne Jones
I tried to request this as an ARC from Net Galley but wasn’t approved. A quick visit to the library online catalogue and I now have this lovely new hardback to read. It’s set in Venice during the floods of 2019 when the body of a young art historian is found in an antique bookshop. The plot sounds very intriguing and as we visited Venice this year, I’m hoping to recognise some of the locations.

No Mercy by Joanna Schaffhausen
The sequel to this was reviewed by Tessa Talks Books earlier this week and it sounded brilliant so I ordered this one from the library. It’s set in Chicago which is another place we’ve visited recently. I do love those connections 😃

The Challenges of a King by K M Ashman
This one popped up on the library’s list of new books and it looked interesting. It’s the story of the battle for England’s crown in the year’s leading up to the Norman invasion of 1066. I read a trilogy about William the Conqueror a couple of years ago so this will be a nice opposing viewpoint.

That’s what I’ve added to my shelves this week. What’s been added to your bookshelves?