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:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

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1. What I’m reading at the moment

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I’m finding this really gripping so far (I’m about half way through). I’m slightly dreading the end because I know it’s a series and I don’t want a cliff-hanger! Think I’ll probably end up downloading the second book straightaway. 🙂

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?

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2. The last books I read

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

You can read my full review here. I liked this very much and look forward to the sequel. However, I didn’t love it, mainly due to some stylistic quirks which kept jolting me out of the story.

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.

AND

Tremor by Ryan Mark

I won a copy of this, but I’m sorry to say I won’t be reviewing it. I think the best I can say is that it wasn’t for me. And I was sad I didn’t enjoy it more because the set-up is interesting and has a lot of potential. Oh well. I wish the author the best of luck with the rest of his series.

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?

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3. What I’ll read next

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

I found this in a local charity shop and, after the positive reviews I read elsewhere, I couldn’t resist!

The blurb: It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned, the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa, a large silent house now bereft of brothers, husband and even servants, life is about to be transformed, as impoverished widow Mrs Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.

For with the arrival of Lilian and Leonard Barber, a modern young couple of the ‘clerk class’, the routines of the house will be shaken up in unexpected ways. And as passions mount and frustration gathers, no one can foresee just how far-reaching, and how devastating, the disturbances will be.

The Paying Guests is a chunky book. But just in case I get loads of time to read (haha!) I also have:

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

This was a bargain price for Kindle and it’s had great reviews from other bloggers (including Sam, I seem to remember…). I’m looking forward to it!

The (short) blurb: Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.

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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.

 Claire Huston / Art and Soul