www wednesday – Wicked Witch's Blog

WWW Wednesday August 10

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.

We’ve had a brilliant weekend away since my last WWW post. We spent a gorgeous weekend on the Norfolk coast and spent hours walking along long empty beaches. The weather was pretty much perfect; Sunny but not too hot. Unlike the next few days are going to be as we enter another heat wave.

But onto my WWW post. 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

The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas
I’m really enjoying this thriller ARC from Net Galley. It’s set in Brittany which is an area of France that we have regularly visited so the setting feels very familiar. Mila has moved to Brittany to take care of her orphaned niece and discovers an old woman dead in her travelling van. The police want to treat it as a normal death but Mila isn’t convinced. Then a hate campaign begins aimed at the director of a nearby archaeological dig and she is sure that the events are linked. It’s a brilliantly twisty story so far with lots of threads to follow.

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
I just started this yesterday and found it really hard to put down as I kept wanting to find out what would happen next. It’s told from several points of view so you get different views of the same incident. Emmet is going to take his younger brother Billy along the Lincoln Highway all the way to California to find their mother. However things don’t quite go to plan.

What I have recently finished reading

Year of the Reaper was brilliant. It was recommended by A Book Owl’s Corner and I loved it. It is supposedly a YA book but it read perfectly well as an adult fantasy to me. I loved that it was inspired by the Black Death in the middle ages and I really liked how she used that idea in the book.

I didn’t enjoy Orphans of the Storm as much as I hoped. Celia Imrie just doesn’t grab me with her characters. The story is an amazing and the amount of historical research that went into the book is amazing but her characters don’t come to life for me. The last third of the book when we get on the Titanic was where I really got interested.

The Key in the Lock was a bit of a let down too. It was supposed to be very dark and gothic but it was all just a bit so-so. An interesting story but not as gripping as I thought it might be.

I loved Elektra and will hopefully post a proper review in the next few days.

Spring Cannot be Cancelled was also brilliant and I have reviewed it here as part of my non fiction reader challenge

What I am intending to read next

The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
Definitely looking forward to reading this one next

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

WWW Wednesday Aug 3

Oh my, it’s the first Wednesday in August. How did that happen? 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.

What I’m currently reading

Thrown by Sara Cox
A group of women begin attending a pottery class at a local community and begin to make friendships. This is told from the point of view of 4 of the women in turn and we find out about their lives as well as how they interact at the pottery class with the gorgeous teacher Sasha. It’s a fun read so far.

Spring Cannot be Cancelled by David Hockney and Martin Gayford
I’m still reading this and loving the discussions on Art and life in general.

What I have recently finished reading

I really loved all of these. I reviewed Godmersham Park here and I will post my review of The Secret Society of Irregular Witches soon, It was an absolutely brilliant read though and I thoroughly recommend it for anyone who loves a romantic witchy book.

What I am intending to read next

Elektra by Jennifer Saint
Definitely looking forward to reading this one next

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

WWW Wednesday July 27

Welcome to 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.

What I’m currently reading

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
A gorgeous retelling of Chinese legends. I remember using the legend of the 10 suns in an assembly with my pupils many years ago. I’m loving this book so far.

Spring Cannot be Cancelled by David Hockney and Martin Gayford
I love David Hockney’s art and have been to several exhibitions. I was bought this for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. It’s basically a long conversation by email between David and Martin and covers so many things about his art work, other artists, nature and life itself. It’s so interesting to get such an insight into an artist’s mind.

What I have recently finished reading

I really enjoyed all of these although I can’t remember the last time that I went a whole week without reading a crime novel!!!!!

I loved being able to read the complete duology by Elizabeth Lim. I didn’t think that The Dragon’s Promise was quite as good as Six Crimson Cranes but it was still a good read.

What I am intending to read next

Madonna of Bolton by Matt Cain
This cover caught my eye at the library last week and then I realised that it’s by the author of The Secret Life of Albert Entwhistle which I loved. A nine year old boy is given one of Madonna’s singles and promptly Mfalls in love with her. She then becomes a sort of spirit guide for him as he deals with life’s problems. I’m expecting a sort of feel good coming of age story but I could be totally wrong!!

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

WWW Wednesday July 20

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. As we’re in the middle of an unprecedented heatwave, it’s too hot to do anything else but read so I’ve got through lots of books in the past week.

What I’m currently reading

The IT Girl by Ruth Ware
A thriller set in an Oxford Cellege and starring bright young things in an echo of Evelyn Waugh. It’s told in a dual time line as we see the events that lead up to the murder as well as what is happening 10 years later. Compulsive reading so far.

What I have recently finished reading

The outstanding book out of this lot was The Botanist which was definitely a five star read. The Lost Man of Bombay was excellent too.

Longshadow was disappointing and I won’t bother to read any more of this series. I enjoyed the first which was a cross between Regency Romance and fantasy but now this one is mainly about the fae which doesn’t interest me as much.

What I am intending to read next

I have the sequel to this on my Net Galley shelf so I really need to read this one first 😃

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

WWW Wednesday July 13

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. As I’ve been on holiday including a couple of flights, I’ve had plenty of time to read.

What I’m currently reading

I Belong Here by Anita Sethi
The author’s walk along the Pennine Way was inspired by her being the victim of a hate crime when she was racially abused on a train. This led her to think about what it meant to belong to somewhere and a feeling that she wanted to get close to the natural landscape. It’s not an easy read as It is only about her walk in a small part and much more about her experiences of racism. It’s quiet meandering too with lots of different themes being explored.

Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino
A Japanese crime story featuring Detective Galileo who is actually a university professor called Manabu Yukawa. Professor Yukawa appears to be almost a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Poirot as he helps the police and points them in the right direction in their investigation. It’s a really interesting plot and I’m looking forward to seeing how it ends up.

What I have recently finished reading

An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan
This is the fourth instalment of life on Mure and it was lovely to revisit the island and its inhabitants. Definitely a romance and not just one but two weddings. As often the case with Jenny Colgan, the ending is bittersweet and not all of the characters drift off into the sunset happily.

The Last Blade Priest by W P Wiles
I loved this Epic Fantasy about a world where the main religion involves worshipping a mountain. The last blade priest who is being trained to carry out human sacrifice to his God but hates the idea of taking a human life. The world building and characters were all brilliant.

MurderFest by Julie Wassmer
I love this series set in Whitstable where Pearl Nolan runs a restaurant as well as a detective agency. The characters and plot are always good and I really like the way the books are truly set in Whitstable. I want to go and visit and see all the different places for myself.

What I am intending to read next

This book is currently waiting for me at the library and I can’t wait to read what’s in store next for Washington Poe. .

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

WWW Wednesday June 22

Welcome to Wednesday. The Summer Solstice has been and gone and now the days are already getting shorter even if only by a few seconds each day!! This might be really good news for anyone reading this in Australia. Here, we have clear blue skies and gorgeous sunshine at the moment so Summer really seems to have arrived.

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

Bleak House by Charles Dickens
I’ve never read much Dickens so I’m working my through his books one a year. Last year I read Great Expectations and this year it’s Bleak House.

The Darkening by Sunya Mara
This is a YA Fantasy novel that I am reading from my Net Galley shelf. I am really enjoying it. Like The Final Strife, it’s about a society dealing with unsolvable problems. Here, the sunlight is disappearing and more and more of the city is being plunged into darkness. Obviously, all the rich people live in the sunlight while the workers suffer the darkness. The characters are interesting and the world building is excellent.

What I have recently finished reading

The City between Two Bridges by Niklas natt och Dag
I didn’t finish this one as it was far too grim. Set in Stockholm in 1794, this was unrelenting in its description of the poverty, despair and cruelty of the people he wrote about. It was really well written and I was interested in the mystery but it was just too much darkness for me.

Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan
This was an interesting novel with dual time line of 1977 and the present day. Lottie Archer, a newly arrived archivist becomes fascinated by the previous owner of a 15th cent painting. Who was Nina and what happened to her? It was an enjoyable read but not gripping.

The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley
I loved this one. It had echoes of the Malbry books by Joanne Harris with its school setting but was very much a detective based murder mystery. I really liked the character of detective Jazz Harper and the mystery was intriguing. I loved all of the family revelations and relationships that became apparent through the book.

What I am intending to read next

Exit will probably be my next read as a bit of light relief will be very welcome.

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

WWW Wednesday June 15th

Welcome to Wednesday. I can’t believe that we’re halfway through June already. In two weeks time I will be in the US as we are visiting our daughter in Kansas City. We’re getting very excited about seeing her again and I know these next two weeks are going to fly by.

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

Murder at the Royal Botanic Garden by Andrea Penrose
This is a historical crime story based in Regency London. It’s the fifth in the series and I haven’t read any of the others but that isn’t proving to be a problem. An American botanist has been murdered at Kew Gardens and soon to be married Charlotte Sloane and her fiance have become involved with solving his murder. I’m really enjoying it so far and my only complaint is that there are references to the previous novels in the series which have given away their endings so I probably won’t go back and read them.

What I have recently finished reading

Storyland by Amy Jeffs
This was interesting to dip in and out of. The author had collected many of the really ancient myths and legends from around the UK and then put them into their geographical and historical context. Many of the legends were completely new to me and reading her accounts of visiting the different sites was fascinating.

The Final Strife by Saara El-Ariel
I really loved this book and stayed up past midnight to finish it. An epic fantasy with an African type setting and three really memorable female main characters. Brilliant!

The Summer Fair by Heidi Swain
This was a nice feel good read based in a fictional square in Norwich. As with the previous book I read in this series, everything ends up perfectly for everyone. The books are fun and easy to read but there isn’t really a lot of plot or a lot of humour so not my favourite romance author.

Echoes in Death by J D Robb
I’m enjoying working my way through this series. I say enjoying but actually the crimes committed are very grim and I do wonder sometimes where crime authors get their ideas and characters from. I like the fact that each book can be read as a standalone and the relationships between the main characters are great.

What I am intending to read next

Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan will probably be my next read.

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

WWW Wednesday June 8th

Welcome to Wednesday. Doesn’t it come around quickly? Today is my son’s birthday and he’s 37 which seems absolutely impossible to me. Isn’t it weird how we all get older but feel exactly the same inside?

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

Daughter of Redwinter by Alex Livingston
This is a Net Galley ARC which is due to be published later this month and I am loving it so far.

Storyland by Amy Jeffs
This is a non fiction book looking at the some of the myths and legends that belong to Britain. It’s an interesting book to dip in and out of.

What I have recently finished reading

Elizabeth of York the Keep by Alsion Weir
It was interesting to have a novel with Elizabeth as a Focus as the normal stories focus on her uncle Richard III or her husband Henry Tudor. It was a bit dry though and she didn’t really come alive for me as some of Alison Weir’s characters do.

A Dangerous Engagement by Ashley Weaver
I really loved the setting of this one in Prohibition New York and the mystery was interesting too. Definitely a series I want to continue reading.

A Very French Wedding by Maeve Haran
I bought this last year but then forgot about it. I discovered it again when we put all of our books on our new book shelves. So glad that I did as it was a simply lovely read.

What I am intending to read next

Hmmmm. I’m not sure
It will be another of my current library books but which one will depend whether I’m in the mood for more crime fiction or another romance.

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

WWW Wednesday June 1st

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

Knave of Secrets by Alex Livingston
I’ve heard so many great things about this book and was really excited to get approved for the ARC. So far, it isn’t gripping me as much as I’d hoped. I love the plot and the different points of view but the actual characters aren’t coming alive for me at the moment. I’m only about a third of the way through so that might change.

What I have recently finished reading

Beneath the Keep by Erika Johansen
I loved Queen of the Tearling and was really excited when I heard about this prequel. It was a great read and has definitely made me want to go back and reread the original novel.

Jade War by Fonda Lee
The second part in the Jade Wars trilogy. It was a good read but basically just more of the same as in the first novel so fairly undemanding.

Quicksilver Court by Melissa Caruso
Another middle book of a trilogy but this one did move things along a bit and there were a couple of fairly dramatic plot twists. I don’t think it’s quite as good as her first trilogy but still enjoyable.

The No Show by Beth O’Leary
Another brilliant book by Beth O’Leary. It took a while to get into it as I wasn’t sure what was going on but then I just got involved with the story and loved it. The midnight scene with the cherry picker was hilarious.

What I am intending to read next

Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir
This is the story of Elizabeth of York who went on to marry Henry Tudor and unite the two families at the end of the Wars of the Roses. She’s always seemed to be a secondary character in other people’s stories so it will be interesting to see what the author makes of her character in her own right.

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

WWW Wednesday May 25

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’m posting this from sunny Italy where we’ve just got a couple more days left of our holiday. The weather has been amazing and we’ve been out a lot so haven’t done as much reading as normal

What I’m currently reading

Jade War by Fonda Lee
I can’t believe that it’s taken me so long to get around to reading this after reading the first one at the end of last year. I loved Jade City and this one is promising to be just as good

What I have recently finished reading

Kagen the Damed by Johathan Maberry
I’m really grateful to Tessa for recommending this one (see her review here . It was a brilliant epic fantasy read and I loved the ending. I can’t wait for the next instalment

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. I’m not sure why as it should have ticked all the boxes for me.

What I am intending to read next

Quicksilver Court by Melissa Caruso
This is the middle book of this trilogy by Melissa Caruso. It seems appropriate try and read it during our time in Venice as I’ve always felt that the country of Raverra in her Swords and Fire trilogy was inspired by Venice.

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