This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. A similar meme, This Week in Books is hosted by Lipsyy Lost and Found.
Why not join in? Just answer the following three questions in a post and then put a link to that post in the Comments over at Taking on a World of Words.
The questions are:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish reading?
- What do you think you’ll read next?
1. What I’m reading at the moment
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
I’m making quick progress through this and think I’ll finish it today. So far, so good, although there are a few stylistic things which are a bit irritating…
The (long) blurb: In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror once and for all.
Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she’d imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It’s an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid’s life as retribution for the many lives he’s stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.
2. The last books I read
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
You can read my full review here. This is well-written and at points the prose is beautiful, but I don’t think it was what I was expecting. I was hoping for more about the collapse of civilization and the chaos that followed. But this book tells stories from before and long after the pandemic which nearly wipes out mankind. I didn’t care about the characters enough the become fully-absorbed in the plot. A shame, because the premise is great and the author is clearly very talented.
The short blurb (for more, click on the book cover image to go to Goodreads): An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
AND
Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon
You can read my full review here. A perfectly passable piece of chick-lit, this is light, breezy and well-written. Although the characters could do with a good smack round the head and it’s far too long, enough happens that you happily keep turning the pages. This is the first Paige Toon I’ve read, and I’d read more.
The blurb: If your boss was the hottest rock star on the planet, would you mix business with pleasure?
Celebrity PA to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg’s glam new life in sun-drenched LA is a whirlwind of showbiz parties and backstage passes. Cool, calm Christian, in town to write his famous friend’s biography, helps keep Meg’s feet firmly on the ground. But with Johnny’s piercing green eyes and a body Brad Pitt would kill for, how long will it be before she’s swept right off them again?
3. What I’ll read next
Tremor by Ryan Mark
I was lucky to win a signed copy of this book in a competition hosted by Amanda at ChocolatePages. The author published through Britain’s Next Bestseller – an interesting initiative to get debut authors published (if you haven’t taken a look, do!). I’m looking forward to reading it 🙂
The blurb: The life William knew has gone. His world has been left devastated by the Fossil War. All major governments have been wiped out and the land is now under the control of the company Terrafall. Although Terrafall’s intentions seem honest, William wonders if the company will live up to its promises and stop the tremors, which have been plaguing the Earth since the end of the war. And can Terrafall really find out who is behind the recent wave of abductions?
When someone close to William disappears, he decides it’s time to take matters into his own hands. But in a land that is on the verge of tearing itself apart, is it a life worth fighting for? If your world was falling apart, how far would you go to save it?
And I also have:
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
After the marvellous A Monster Calls, I’m looking forward to this! Although it is the start of another series…
The blurb: Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee — whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not — stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden — a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?
Have you read/are reading any of these? What are you reading? Let me know! 🙂
You can also find me on Twitter @ClaraVal and on Goodreads.
Art and Soul 
I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the cover for The Wrath and The Dawn, apparently it’s a phobia because of the holes so a lot of people won’t read it. It sounds quite good though, I look forward to your review if you review it.
I’ve also heard good things about Patrick Ness. Have you read any of his other works?
Great post!
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Thank you!
I’ll definitely review The Wrath and the Dawn. I think the conclusion will be a bit like Red Queen: it’s good, but not life-changing.
I’ve only read A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, but that was so brilliant I have high hopes for The Knife of Never Letting Go.
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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Gutted you didn’t love Station Eleven but totally get why.
I need to read more Patrick Ness; I think A Monster Calls will be my next one. Have you got a copy of More Than This? I still think about that book and can’t get my head round it, maybe I should re-read! This will be my last recommendation to you lol! 🙂
Thanks for visiting my WWW – https://bookboodle.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/www-wednesday-august-26th
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Haha! Keep recommending! I have a feeling I might have liked Station Eleven more if I’d come to it at a different time.
I don’t have More Than This but it’s on my TBR. If The Knife of Never Letting Go and the rest of the series is as good as I expect, I’ll work my way through Patrick Ness’ complete works!
Thanks for visiting and happy reading 🙂
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I haven’t read The Monster Calls yet despite the urging of trusted fellow book bloggers – I need more time 😦 You look like you have an excellent selection this week. Thanks for visiting my Wednesday post https://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/this-week-in-books-august-26/
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If you ever find the time, it’s well worth it. 🙂
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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I haven’t linked up this week, but I’m currently reading Monster by C.J Skuse which is said to be Malory Towers meets I Know What You Did Last Summer. It’s okay, but not mind blowing. I really like Paige Toon’s writing! She’s one of my favourite chick lit authors.
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I think her writing is very good, I just wanted to shoot Johnny at several points in the story! I’m hoping in the sequel Meg can either stand up to him properly and tell him to get lost, or just get together with him and that’s it.
Malory Towers meets I Know What You Did Last Summer sounds like an intriguing mash-up! I look forward to hearing what you think when you finish 🙂
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I’ve been looking for more chick-lit to pick up. But I don’t want to go into one unknowingly. I might get Johnny Be Good from my library. I’m glad The Wrath and the Dawn is going good. Here’s my WWW!
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It is definitely one to get from the library/find in a charity shop (I did the latter). It’s perfectly enjoyable and lots happens. And it doesn’t try too hard to be funny, which is a bonus.
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I didn’t really like The Knife of never letting go but I hope it’s different for you.
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I hope so. I’ve been disappointed by a few things lately so hoping it’s good 🙂
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I haven’t read any of these – The Wrath and the Dawn appeals to me and the Patrick Ness books look very interesting – I’ll look out for those. Thanks for visiting my post too.
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The Wrath and the Dawn is an interesting one, particularly if you don’t mind starting another series and waiting for the next installment. Happy reading!
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Thank you for the mention. I hope you enjoy Tremor.
Amanda.
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I hope so too 🙂 Thanks again. I can’t actually remember the last time I won anything, so I’m still delighted.
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The Knife of Never Letting Go sounds interesting. I keep seeing Patrick Ness around all the blogs so I’m thinking he’s worth checking out!
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If you want a short book by Patrick Ness to start with (rather than a series), A Monster Calls is not much over 200 pages and it’s fantastic. 🙂
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Awesome, thanks!
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Sorry Station Eleven fell a bit short. I’ll be reading it at some point so I’m glad to hear it was at least well written. Happy reading and thanks for participating in WWW Wednesday!
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Hopefully you’ll love Station Eleven. I think your enjoyment of it depends a lot on what you’re expecting from it and what you’re in the mood for.
Thanks for visiting and happy reading! 🙂
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Tremor sounds like a really interesting read!
I hope you like The Knife of Never Letting Go. So far for me it’s really interesting and pretty good.
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Good! A Monster Calls earned Patrick Ness a lot of good will from me and I hope he maintains the standard 🙂
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I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on The Wrath! Tremor sounds like an interesting read and I really enjoyed reading The Knife Of Never Letting Go. It has a pretty big cliffhanger at the end though, so if you don’t have the sequels yet like me you will probably want to buy them afterwards. 😉
Thanks for visiting my WWW! 🙂
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I’m trying to put my thoughts on The Wrath and the Dawn in order now 🙂
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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