WWW Wednesday 8th June 2016

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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?

As always, clicking on the cover image will take you to the book’s Goodreads page.

1. What I’m reading at the moment

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Jonas Jonasson

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All by Jonas Jonasson book coverI read Jonasson’s also snappily titled, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared a few years ago and remember laughing quite a lot, so I was looking forward to reading this one. Not as funny so far though. Hmn.

The blurb: Hitman Anders is fresh out of prison and trying to keep his head down when he meets a female Protestant vicar (who happens to be an atheist), and a receptionist at a 1-star hotel (who happens to be currently homeless). Together they cook up an idea for a very unusual business that’s going to make them all a fortune – but then all of a sudden, and to everyone’s surprise, Anders finds Jesus…

Anders’ sudden interest in religion might be good for his soul but it’s not good for business, and the vicar and the receptionist have to find a new plan, quick.

As wildly funny and unexpected as The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, this is a madcap, feel-good adventure about belief, the media – and the fact that it’s never too late to start again.

2. The last books I read

The Safe Word by Karen Long

The Safe Word by Karen Long book coverThis is a gripping thriller featuring an escalating serial killer (no surprise there) and competent detectives other than the main character (wow! that’s different!). I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Here’s my full review.

The blurb: Toronto has become the backdrop to a macabre set of artistic installations: women kidnapped, tortured and horrifically displayed by a killer with a vision.

Only someone capable of understanding the killer’s creative desire will be able to stop the murders and D I Eleanor Raven is uniquely qualified. Driven by a complex personality she pursues only the facts, only the things she can see, but never casts a judgement.

But she also has a dark and dangerous secret – one that will threaten her very survival…

AND

Passenger (Passenger, #1) by Alexandra Bracken

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken book cover The time-travel shenanigans were great, but were sadly smothered by an insta-love romance. Bah! Here’s my full review.

The blurb: In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home… forever.

3. What I’ll read next

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye book coverThis seems to be one readers love or hate. It sounds like exactly my sort of thing and, as a big fan of Jane Eyre, I’m looking forward to it. I’m so glad my local library had a copy. I think I’m the first person to borrow it!

The blurb: Like the heroine of the novel she adores, Jane Steele suffers cruelly at the hands of her aunt and schoolmaster. And like Jane Eyre, they call her wicked – but in her case, she fears the accusation is true. When she flees, she leaves behind the corpses of her tormentors.

A fugitive navigating London’s underbelly, Jane rights wrongs on behalf of the have-nots whilst avoiding the noose. Until an advertisement catches her eye. Her aunt has died and the new master at Highgate House, Mr Thornfield, seeks a governess. Anxious to know if she is Highgate’s true heir, Jane takes the position and is soon caught up in the household’s strange spell. When she falls in love with the mysterious Charles Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him – body, soul and secrets – and what if he discovers her murderous past?

Have you read/are reading any of these? What are you reading? Let me know! 🙂

And elsewhere on the blog…

Make melting moments custard powder cookies biscuits recipe

Last week I made melting moments: delicious custard powder and icing sugar cookies.

Claire Huston / Art and Soul

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56 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday 8th June 2016”

    • I usually take far too many books out from the library at once. I was very pleased I only got 3 last time. Then again, I did go in just to get 1… hey ho!

      I couldn’t believe no-one else had taken Jane Steele out! 🙂 It still has that lovely “new book” smell.

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  2. I definitely fall into the love category as far as Jane Steele goes (and I had an ARC with dodgy formatting) so I hope you enjoy it. The highlight for me was definitely all of the nods and references to Jane Eyre (which I am huge fan of). It does have a bit of a mix of genres thrown in and the odd slow section but overall I thought it was fantabulous 🙂

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  3. Those distracting cookies 😦 Your pastries always look so yummy. I have wanted to read The Safe Word since reading your review. I like the idea of competent detectives as opposed to having one who is portrayed as the hero while the others look like morons which is common in most crime fictions. The passenger has quite a number of mentions. Sad to hear it dissapointed you 🙂

    Enjoy your next reads. Happy reading 🙂

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  4. I thought the instant romance in Passenger was so unnecessary and it actually started to piss me off after a while. She met a guy and fell in love so quickly she seemed to be forgetting why she was in that situation to begin with. If I was that distraught over something I don’t think a boy would be able to erase it that easily.

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      • That’s what I thought too! But the time travel parts had me hooked! I wish she would have had more time so she could have spent more time in each place! It would have made it so much better, in my opinion.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. The Safe Word sounds like a really interesting book. I’ll definitely have to check that out. I don’t think I read enough Thriller books, which is surprising because I love watching the Investigation Discovery channel all day LOL!

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  7. Eyeing The Safe Word. I’ve been reading Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King lately, which features a serial-killer and a retired policeman in a cat-and-mouse game. I’m thinking of trying out a bunch of thrillers this month and this looks intriguing enough.

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  8. Ooh! I love Jonasson’s titles! They’re so clever and memorable! I really need to read those 🙂
    And you’re going to be reading Jane Steele!!! Oh, I really want to get my hands on a copy, but it’s only in hardcover here and I have a thing against hardcovers… Not that my current TBR would allow me to slip it in either way 😛 I hope you enjoy it once you get to it!
    Thanks again for stopping by my WWW!
    Happy Reading ❤

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  13. The Safe Word sounds very interesting! I’ll have to check that out. Sadly for me, I didn’t care for Jane Steele. I hope you like it fairs better for you! Thanks for stopping by my post earlier. 🙂

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    • The Safe Word is very good and the characters have been set up so they’ve got lots more potential for future books in the series.
      I hope Jane Steele is good. Readers either seem to love or hate it and I hope I’m in the “love” camp 🙂

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  17. I want to read Hitman soon as well! Although I’m not so sure anymore now I see that you’re not enjoying it as much… And same goes for Passenger. Insta-love? I think I will be pospone getting my copy now. 😉 The Safe Word sounds great though!

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    • It’s such a shame. Hitman is definitely not as good as The 100 Year Old Man 😦 It’s amusing every now and then but not laugh-out-loud funny. Plus, it doesn’t have the interesting historical bits either.
      I don’t always dislike insta-love, but it was insta-love + always thinking about the feelings – ugh! Give us a break!
      The Safe Word on the other hand is a very well-written thriller if you like serial killers vs. detectives done well 🙂

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      • Mmm that definitely doesn’t sound as good, especially since those were the best elements of The 100 Year Old Man…
        And your description of Passenger literally convinced me to not buy a copy for now; it’s basically everything I hate about YA insta-love romance.
        The Safe Word will definitely be high on my wishlist though.

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  18. Cookies! I’d kill for a cookie today.
    I’ve never read anything from Jonas Jonasson but I love the sound of the synopsis. Also, very intriguing book titles! The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared could win the longest title medal. Your intro for Passenger sums up the story so perfectly, although I did not mind that much about the love story. Probably because I read it right after Throne of Glass and the love triangle in this one had me rolling my eyes so many times I got headaches. I have a special bond with Jane Eyre. It is the first classic I enjoyed, and I have been on the fence about reading Jane Steele. I’ll wait for your review before I make a move!
    Happy reading!

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    • All his book titles are like that! The 100 Year Old Man is good, but Hitman (so far… nearly finish) isn’t even very amusing 😦
      I’ve been on the fence about reading Jane Steele for similar reasons. I LOVE Jane Eyre and I’m just hoping this one makes good use of that story… we’ll see 🙂
      Happy reading!

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    • I did too. If I could have ignored the insta-love and all the feelings the characters kept dwelling on it would have been a terrific read 🙂 I’m hoping in the next book – because they’re not together – the adventure will be the most important thing and the romance will be a bit more in the background.

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  23. The Safe Word sounds really interesting. I’ll probably try and pick it up soon as part of my YA-detox. I hope you like Jane Steele, especially since I’ve also been seeing really mixed comments about it.
    Thanks for visiting my WWW post and happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I’m trying to go into Jane Steele with realistic expectations… hopefully that’ll help.
      I’ve been trying to break up my YA fantasy books too, but there were so many new releases recently to keep up with 🙂 I was very good recently and refrained from picking up Rebel of the Sands in the library.
      Happy reading!

      Liked by 1 person

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