WWW Wednesday 30th September 2015

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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?

1. What I’m reading at the moment

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London by Ben AaronovitchThis is great fun so far. Basically a police procedural with some supernatural shenanigans in the mix.

The blurb: My name is Peter Grant. Until January I was just another probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service, and to everyone else as the Filth. My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – We do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from a man who was dead, but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Chief Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England. And that, as they say, is where the story begins.

Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated. I’m dealing with nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden – and that’s just routine. There’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious, vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying. Which, I don’t mind telling you, would involve a hell of a lot of paperwork.

AND

Days of Blood and Starlight and Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy #2 and #3) by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone 2 and 3 by Laini TaylorI’m also finishing off the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. Book 3 is, fittingly enough, a monstrous tome at over 600 pages! I have it in hardback from the library and I think it’ll break my wrist if I try to read in bed.

If you’d like a bit more background on this series, check out my review of Book 1 – I had some mixed feelings but was optimistic for the rest of the series.

2. The last books I read

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha ChristieRead my full review here. I’m glad I’ve finally read something by Agatha Christie and such a classic too. Shorter and more concise than I expected, I enjoyed it but would have liked it to take more time to tell us about the characters.

The blurb: The title says it all! Hercule Poirot at his sleuthing best.

The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2) and Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #3) by Patrick Ness

Chaos Walking 2 and 3 by patrick nessYou can read my reviews of books 2 and 3 here. I think I’ve just about got over the experience of reading the Chaos Walking trilogy (in a good way, it’s highly involving to the point of exhaustion!).

The blurb: No blurb to avoid spoiling the trilogy, but I don’t think it’s too much to say this is about the continuing trials and tribulations of our young heroes, Todd and Viola, struggling to survive on an alien world where the thoughts of all men are audible.

3. What I’ll read next

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Other Queen by Philippa GregoryAfter reading many good things on other blogs, I’ll finally be reading something by Philippa Gregory! And I love all things Tudor, so I have high hopes this will be good. Plus, it’ll be nice to get back to some historical fiction 🙂

The (short) blurb: Two women competing for a man’s heart. Two queens fighting to the death for dominance. The untold story of Mary, Queen of Scots.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by mary Ann Shaffer and Annie BarrowsI’ve hard many good things about this book too. Another one from the library…

The blurb: January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

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
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54 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday 30th September 2015”

  3. So many good books! Hope you enjoy Gregory and Gurnsey. I have that Gregory on my shelf. And I hope the Daughter of Smoke and Bone books end well. Happy reading and thanks for participating in WWW Wednesday!

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  5. So many great books! I really need to get a copy of both sequels of the Chaos Walking trilogy soon as well as trying to start the Daughter Of Smoke And Bone series. Rivers Of London sounds like an interesting read and I’ve heard nothing but great things about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Thanks for visiting my WWW! 🙂

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    • It’s good. It’s basically a well-written police procedural with a few supernatural goings on. It would also appeal to anyone who likes/has an interest in London. I think it helps if you’ve visiting/lived there. Hopefully my review will be a bit more coherent than that! 😉
      Thanks for visiting. I’ll check out your post now (I’m a bit behind today).

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  10. Nice 🙂 You’re reading a lot of books that I have been interested in. Murder at the Orient Express has been on my list for about a year now, I’m waiting for it at the library 🙂 Also I’ve been hearing a lot about these Smoke and Bones books, also saw them at my library!

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    • Murder on the Orient Express is a nice quick read and Poirot reminds me of Sherlock Holmes quite a bit (always good!). I’ll have to try and read another Christie fairly soon as they’re good fun. If you get Smoke and Bone, get them from the library. People either seem to love them or find them irritating (I’m somewhere in between), so I think it’s best not to spend money on them 🙂

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    • I wouldn’t hurry to Smoke and Bone. It is incredibly (and unnecessarily) long and I think there are better trilogies/series out there. Rivers of London, on the other hand, is a quick and enjoyable read which I hope to recommend in a review tomorrow (just have to find time to write one…).
      I’ll check out your post now 🙂

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  15. I liked Rivers of London (the audiobook narrator really helped with that), and the rest of the series is good, too, but I will admit having to occasionally stop and go, “okay I get you’re a horny heterosexual dude can we get on with it”.
    Happy Wednesday!

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    • That’s a tricky question. I think it would depend on how you feel about insta-love. If you don’t mind it, then I think you’ll enjoy the book. If it’s something you really hate, then I wouldn’t risk it. The big idea behind the series is brilliant and the writing is wonderful, but I felt the big romance element of the story let the rest down.
      That said, I have read so many reviews by people who loved the books deeply and can’t stop gushing about them, so I wouldn’t want to put anyone off! Book 1 isn’t that long, so I’d suggest reading that and seeing how you feel…
      Sorry. That probably wasn’t very helpful 🙂

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  17. I just finished the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy. I have such mixed feelings. I loved Book 1, I actually used Audible and blew through it in like 3 days. Then I rushed out to buy the next 2 books. I finished that within 1 week, but book 3 dragged and dragged. I finally finished it after 3 weeks. I feel like there are whole chapters where nothing happens and could just be cut out…

    I have never read any Agatha Christie, I think Ill make a note to start with Murder on the Orient Express.

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    • I agree about Book 3 in particular! She should have split it in 2 and had a 4-book series, or just do some serious editing.
      I’ll try and write a joint review for books 2 and 3 of Daughter of Smoke and Bone next week. It’ll be tough. Like you, I have such mixed feelings.

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  19. I’ve seen the Daughter of Smoke and Bone but haven’t been inspired to pick it up yet. I did really enjoy the Guernsey Potato Society and the Other Queen, so I hope you enjoy them!!!

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  22. I adore The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which despite living in Jersey I only got around to reading relatively recently – I do hope you enjoy it too. And of course I’m a big Agatha Christie fan and Murder on the Orient Express is one of my favourites.

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