www wednesday – Wicked Witch's Blog

WWW Wednesday November 30

It’s Wednesday again and it’s the last day of November. This time last year we had snow and I took the photo that I’ve just put back at the top of this page. Sadly we have no snow this year. It’s just grey and dull.

However, although the weather is miserable, 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

The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
Two children, a young girl travelling on a ship with her nurse in 1628 and a young boy travelling to live with his grandfather in 1989. Both of their mothers are dead. That’s about it so far. The book is written in the present tense which I always find a bit jarring at first but then gives a real feeling of being there.

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 is a very easy book to read but very interesting to see how his experiences and training influence the way he thinks and behaves.

What I have recently finished reading

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This was a brilliant read and I found it really hard to put down. Sam and Sadie met in a hospital and then didn’t see each other for years. They finally bumped into each other again at Harvard and renew their friendship. I really enjoyed the way Sam’s backstory was revealed to us and how the two of them had a friendship that never quite made into love.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
This was similar to Tomorrow as it had the main character’s back story gradually reveal itself to the reader. It was a good story but it didn’t grip me as much as the Gabrielle Zevin did.

An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris
I really enjoyed this urban fantasy set in an alternate 1930’s America. I loved the Character of Gunnie Rose and how self sufficient she was in a dangerous society.

What I am intending to read next

The Christmas Holiday by Phillipa Ashley

It’s the first of December tomorrow so we will be officially in the run up to Christmas and I will celebrate by reading actual Christmas books. I think I’ve got enough sorted on my TBR to have at least one a week for the weeks up to the big day! And then of course, there are Christmas films to watch too.

What are you reading this week?

WWW Wednesday Nov 23

It’s Wednesday again and that 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 weather here has been very dull and wet but the weekend was gorgeous and sunny so we took a quick drive down to the New Forest and the coast. It was lovely walking in the forest and the beach as well as eating lots of lovely food that I didn’t have to cook.

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

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This isn’t my normal type of read but I’ve seen a couple of good reviews for it so I thought I would ask for it at the library. It also seems appropriate to read a book about two people creating a computer game after The Ink Black Heart where the online game was such a big part of the plot.
It’s a brilliant read and I found it really hard to put down. Sam and Sadie met in a hospital and then didn’t see each other for years. They finally bumped into each other again at Harvard and renew their friendship. Sam’s backstory gets told gradually along side the real time story and I just want to keep on reading to find out what happens (or what happened next).

What I have recently finished reading

The Ink Black Heart took ages to read and I am totally convinced that it didn’t need to be that long. I think that this was the most disappointing book in the series so far. The online chats went on for pages and were quite hard to follow and the story itself seemed to be too padded out. I love Cormoran and Robyn but this wasn’t their best outing.

I really enjoyed Agatha Christie and will review it soon as part of my Non Fiction reader challenge. Lucy Worsley is a very easy author to read.

The Golden Oldies Book Club was a fun, cosy read that I polished off in an afternoon while we were away. I loved the fact that the main character was 72 years old. It’s a lovely story about a group of 4 women who are all dissatisfied with their lives and end up doing something about it. The section where they all go on holiday to a cider farm in Brittany was excellent.

Devils Way by Robert Bryndza
I love Robert Bryndza and was really excited to be approved for an ARC of his latest Kate Marshall mystery. Kate is an ex police officer who is now a Private dectective. While in hospital, she meets a woman whose grandson went missing eleven years earlier and agrees to look into his disappearance. In contrast to Ink Black Heart, this was a brilliant read and I would definitely recommend Robert Bryndza to anyone who loves crime thrillers.

What I am intending to read next

I just have one of the books that I hoped to read over the weekend left so The Ivory Tomb is definitely next on my list.

What are you reading this week?

WWW Wednesday November 16

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 Ink Black Heart is the latest in the Robert Galbraith’s series featuring Cormoran Strike. I’ve loved the previous books but have to say that I am a lot less certain about this one. A lot of it is shown through chat room dialogue, twitter posts etc which can be quite difficult as they show different chats on a page in separate vertical columns. I’m enjoying the story so far but I don’t really like the lengthy online parts.

It’s Non Fiction November so I had to read at least one Non Fiction this month. Luckily Agatha Christie turned up at the library. I do enjoy Lucy Worsley’s books. She has a very clear writing style and really makes her subjects come alive.

What I have recently finished reading

I loved this latest book by Ian Rankin. It kept me guessing all the way through and the ending still keeps the reader partly in the dark. I don’t want to say too much in case of spoiling it but anyone who has enjoyed previous John Rebus novels will enjoy this.

The Queen’s Assassin by James Barclay

This was a nice stand alone fantasy novel about a doctor with hidden powers that are regarded with suspicion by the general population. She is given the task of assassinating the queen or having her secret revealed. It was an interesting story with plenty of plot twists and characters that you weren’t sure whose side they were on.

A Shocking Assassination by Cora Harrison

I really enjoyed this historical murder mystery set in 1920’s Cork. Mother Superior is a brilliant character and the depiction of Cork and its inhabitants is brilliant.

I didn’t actually finish this one. Life is too short to read about characters that I’m really not interested in. It’s disappointing as I thought the plot sounded brilliant.

What I am intending to read next

It’s probably going to take me a few days to get through the remaining 900 pages of Ink Black Heart. However, we are hoping to go away for the weekend and so I might spend some time catching up on my Net Galley shelf. Any of these might be up next.

What are you reading this week?

WWW Wednesday November 2

It’s Wednesday again and life is slowing down after being very hectic for the past week. We have just performed in a production of Strauss’s Die Fledermaus and last week was mainly spent either rehearsing or performing. We had a great time on stage though so the effort was worth it as always.

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.

Spending so much time at the theatre does mean that I have read very little compared to my normal amount. Only two books finished this week. Normality has resumed now though.

What I’m currently reading

I have been wanting to read this since it was released at the beginning of the year. I used to read all of his Signa thrillers and was excited to find that he had written a fantasy. It’s a real epic fantasy with a group of very disparate characters all coming together although it’s unclear yet what the purpose of the group will be. I am really enjoying the book so far. The world building and the characters are all excellent.

What I have recently finished reading

This was a group of 6 friends and their husbands who have stayed friends for 20 plus years. Then one of the wives begins an affair with someone else’s husband. The book looks at the ramifications for the group as well as the affair itself. I really enjoyed how the relationships were all portrayed and found myself thinking of the book after I had finished which is always the mark of a good read in my opinion.

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book in this series, A Marvellous Light. It was surprising as I liked Maud’s character in the previous book and I was looking forward to seeing her centre stage. I don’t know why it just didn’t appeal; maybe it was the wrong book at that time. I didn’t really enjoy the lengthy lovemaking scenes which seemed very graphic to me. I expect that’s my age!!!

What I am intending to read next

I intended to read this over Halloween but events overtook me. I need to read it quickly as it’s due back at the library at the end of this week.

What are you reading this week?

WWW Wednesday October 19

It’s Wednesday again and we’re in the middle of a gorgeous October. The weather has been full of warm sunshine which makes all the beautiful Autumn colours even more vivid. I took a drive out to Belvoir Castle yesterday and had a lovely couple of hours wandering around the grounds and through the woodland.

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 Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

This series, The Last Binding, was recommended by Biblio Nerd in their review of the sequel A Restless Truth. I am about half way through and really enjoying it so far. It’s set in alternative Edwardian England where magic is a secret kept by a few families. My one reservation is that the love scenes are a bit more explicit than I’m comfortable with but that’s probably my age 😯

What I have recently finished reading

Fairy Tale by Stephen king

I eventually finished this at the weekend and loved it. I really enjoyed Stephen King’s writing style and the way that the story unfolds quite slowly. It was a long book and took a while to read but I didn’t feel bored at any point. I liked the way that he made all of the different links to various fairy tales, usually the darker side of them.

Taste by Stanley Tucci

This was a brilliant read and you can find my review here.

Death and Croissants by Ian Moore

This was boring!! It was probably just that I wasn’t in the right mood for it but I didn’t really enjoy the mystery which seemed far too complicated, almost like a farce, and I didn’t particularly like the characters either.

What I am intending to read next

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinso

Hopefully this won’t be as disappointing as my last read.

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

This is post 19 for #blogtober 2022

WWW Wednesday – 12th October

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

Fairy Tale by Stephen king

I started this last night and I’m about a quarter of the way through. I’m really enjoying it as Stephen King is a great writer but so far we haven’t got to anything resembling a fairy tale or where the teenage hero has to save the world, At the moment, it’s the story of a teenage boy who saved an elderly man by calling an ambulance and then gets involved with caring for him. Both the characters are brilliant and I love the growing connection between them. The dog, Radar, is lovely too.

However, there is obviously something very nasty that sometimes lurks in the woodshed!

Taste by Stanley Tucci

This is my current non-fiction read and it’s much easier to get on with than quantum physics. Stanley Tucci loves food and this love shines through in this book. There are accounts of family dinners, restaurant meals and watching TV cooks. It makes me want to go out for a huge Italian meal every time I pick it up and read a chapter or two.

What I have recently finished reading

This was a lovely book all about friendship and neighbours. Definitely one to make you feel better about people in general, even those who appear to be really grumpy!

The Truants by Kate Weinberg

I enjoyed this debut novel. Jess goes to university and falls in love with her best friends boyfriend, a journalist but also is enthralled by her. It’s a coming of age story about infatuation and love and goes from the University of East Anglia to the coast of Italy. One of my favourite aspects was the emphasis on Agatha Christie, especially her mysterious disappearance. If you’ve read The Christie Affair by Nina da Gramont, this book makes an interesting companion piece.

The Bullet that missed by Richard Osman

This was another great mystery for the Thursday Murder Club. The plot was entertaining and the cast of characters keeps on growing. I think that my favourite character has to be Bogdan. Nothing ever bothers him; he just sorts everything out with no fuss.

I love Cathy Bramley’s books and this one was just as good as her previous ones. It’s the story of two totally unconnected women who are both finding life a bit difficult in the run up to Christmas. Gradually, their lives become intertwined as problems multiply. The characters are lovely and the family relationships so believable. Lots of festive cheer and hot chocolate too.

What I am intending to read next

Death and Croissants by I an Moore

A murder mystery in the Loire Valley. What’s not to like?

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

This is post 12 for #blogtober 2022

WWW Wednesday October 5

It’s the first Wednesday of October and the leaves are changing colour daily. We don’t have the brilliant displays of North America but there are some gorgeous colours around at the moment

Wednesday also 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

A Man called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Ove has to be the grumpiest man in Sweden but I am loving the continual interruptions he gets from his neighbours and the way that his past history is gradually revealed .

What I have recently finished reading

Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli

Helgoland – The story of quantum physics

It probably isn’t really true to say that I have recently finished this. Recently abandoned would be far more accurate. I was definitely over estimating my ability to understand anything at all about Quantum Physics. I got about half way through and then it really stopped making any sense at all. My next non-fiction read is going to be a lot more accessible

Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

I loved this year’s Christmas book by Sarah Morgan. It definitely left me with a burning desire to make shortbread. I may well reread it in the week before Christmas to put me in a festive mood. I’ll post my review in the last week of October when the book is published in the UK

The Malice of Waves by Mark Douglas Home

This was a brilliant mystery about a young boy’s death five years earlier. The ‘sea detective’ Cal McGill, is called in to see if he can use his specialised knowledge to work out what happened. This was a really intriguing storyline with some really interesting characters. There was also a sub plot about thieving rare birds eggs too to make things even more interesting.

Murder at the Auction by E C Bateman

I was invited to read this first book in a new crime series. That doesn’t happen very often so obviously I said yes. It was a really enjoyable murder mystery set in the historic town of Stamford which is only about an hour away from where I live. I love books that are set in places that I have visited and this one had a really strong sense of location.

What I am intending to read next

The Truants by Kate Weinberg

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

WWW Wednesday September 28

It’s the final Wednesday of September today. The year seems to be hurtling towards the end in a mad rush. I think it’s a sign of aging!!!

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

Helgoland by Carlo Ravelli

It seemed like a good idea to read a book about a subject that I know nothing about but I’m not convinced. The only thing keeping me going is that apparently quantum physics is not meant to be easily understood. Cats who are neither asleep or awake (or maybe both) are beyond my brain’s capacity to understand.

Blackstone Fell by Martin Edwards

This is the third book in the historical crime series featuring Rachel Savernake. This time she’s investigating mysterious disappearances in a remote village in Yorkshire. There’s also a sub plot about mediums and contacting people in the afterlife too. It’s all very mysterious so far.

What I have recently finished reading

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

I enjoyed this more than I thought at the beginning but it didn’t grip me as much as I had expected. The early parts where the characters were children didn’t really interest me. It’s difficult to write how very young children see the world and I don’t think that the characters were believable. It was much more interesting when they were grown up and Christa began working for the SOE. It didn’t really have anything much different to the many other books that cover the same period though.

The Cruise by Catherine Cooper

This was a fun thriller set on board a luxury cruise ship. It’s one of my ARCs and isn’t due to be published until November. It was an interesting plot with a dual time storyline which I always enjoy.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

This was an interesting book set in San Francisco at the time of the great earthquake in 1906. I really enjoyed the plot and the three female characters who got together to uncover the secrets of their husband.

When the curtain falls by Carrie Hope Fisher

I thought that I would enjoy this more than I did with its theatrical setting. It was a fun story about a haunted theatre but I never really felt convinced by the characters in either the 1952 story or the 2022 one. I think that probably I just wasn’t in the right mood for this one.

Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

Normally I try to read my Net Galley ARCs in order of publication so that I don’t get them archived by mistake but I wanted to read this as soon as I was approved for it as I loved Winter’s Orbit so much last year. This was another Science fiction book with a healthy dose of romance. This time it was all about neuro -enhancements and the potential misuse of mental powers. Like Winter’s Orbit, it was very character driven and I loved it. Full review to come nearer publication date

What I am intending to read next

Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

I think that I’m going to have to start reading my Christmas ARCs very soon as it’s so close to October now. 🎄🎅

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

WWW Wednesday September 21

It’s Wednesday again and it’s a been a strange week in which we had an unexpected bank holiday because of the Queen’s funeral. I certainly didn’t intend to spend most of the day glued to the television but that’s how it ended up. It was definitely a historic occasion and one that I’m glad I spent the time watching.

It’s also the Autumn Equinox today – day and night are equal length which means that from today, there will be more darkness than light. It’s all downhill now as we head into colder days.

However Wednesday also 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

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

I’ve only just started this and am not quite sure how I feel about it yet. The style of writing feels quite detached so the empathy with the characters isn’t really there yet.

What I have recently finished reading

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris

I really enjoyed this. It’s Harris’s version of the true story of two Colonels in Cromwell’s army, William Goff and Edward Whalley. Both men signed the death warrant of Charles I and were the subject of a manhunt after the restoration. The book details their life in the newly settled American colony and the hunt for them. I loved the descriptions of the American landscape and the sheer size and emptiness of the country. I can’t begin to imagine how the two men coped with having to live in hiding for so many years. Definitely a great read for anyone who is interested in that period of history or just enjoys a good story.

A Spoonful of Murder by J M Hall

I thought that this would be a cosy crime story in the same style as Richard Osman but it felt a lot more serious. It still fits the cosy crime genre with a group of 3 retired teachers starting to investigate the unexpected death of an ex-colleague. However the tone is more sombre than in some books with all three of the protagonists having problems that they are having to deal with at the same time. One of these is fairly obvious but another one came as a total surprise. I really enjoyed it and the depiction of the three 60 year old women. Maybe because they felt very like me??????

The Death of Lucy Kyte by Nicola Upson

I think I’ve now caught up with all the books in this historical crime series featuring the author Josephine Tey. This one was set in 1936 around the time of King Edward’s abdication but was mainly about life in a small Suffolk village where Josephine Tey has inherited a cottage. She learns about the local murder which happened many years before but still casts a shadow over the village.

I love the way that real history is intertwined with the fiction in this book but what I love especially is the detail in the writing. The mysteries are quite slow paced because you become immersed in life as it was lived then, It’s something that this series has in common with Act of Oblivion. The detail isn’t boring at all, it just makes the characters and the world around them more real.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

This was a very different book to Sabriel. It was set in the 1980’s, a time that is just slightly different to the 80s that I actually lived through. It’s more of an urban fantasy and reminded me of the Rivers of London series in the way that the author included mythical powers of Old England. It was a fun read.

What I am intending to read next

This is one of my ARCs waiting on my Net Galley shelf and will probably be the next book I read. It does depend what mood I’m in though 😃

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

WWW Wednesday September 7th

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 off on our travels again for our final holiday this year. This post is coming from the beautiful town of Collioure in South East France. We discovered Collioure in 2005 and fell in love with it so we have returned at regular intervals ever since. Here’s the amazing view from our bedroom

What I’m currently reading

Sabriel by Garth Nix

I’ve never read this series before and I’m really enjoying this fantasy. I guess it’s Middle Grade or YA but it was written before such classifications existed

Picture you Dead by Peter James

This is the latest in the Roy Grace series and is a very complicated tale of lost Art works and forgeries. I definitely have no idea how it’s going to end up

What I have recently finished reading

Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon
I really fancied rereading something last week so I ended up binge reading all three books in the Deeds of Paksenarrion series and this first book in the follow up series. There’s something really satisfying about curling up with a set of books that you really enjoy

The Hidden Palace by Dinah Jefferies

I loved Daughters of War but didn’t find this one quite so engrossing. The characters didn’t come alive for me in the same way and there wasn’t the same sense of peril as there was in the earlier book

What I am intending to read next