WWW Wednesday 22nd 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

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles by Madeline MillerThis is beyond superb. I can’t imagine my opinion changing in the last few chapters… but you never know, so I’ll reserve final judgement for my review 🙂

The blurb: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their difference, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.

But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

2. The last books I read

A Force to Be Reckoned With: A History of the Women’s Institute by Jane Robinson

A Force to be Reckoned With A History of the Women's Institute by Jane RobinsonThis is good. It’s interesting, but not fascinating. If you want to know more about the Women’s Institute, you can’t go wrong with this book. Otherwise, you might want to read about something you already have an interest in. Here’s my full review.

The blurb: Everyone knows three things about the Women’s Institute: that they spent the war making jam; some of their members were those sensational Calendar Girls; and that slow-handclapping of Tony Blair.

But there’s so much more to this remarkable movement. With a growing membership of 200,000 women of all classes, religions and ages, it has come a long way from its early meetings. Founded in 1915, it counted among its members suffragettes, academics and social crusaders who discovered the heady power of sisterhood, changing women’s lives and their world in the process.

AND

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye book coverOK, I’m sorry, I know I mentioned this last week. But all my reviews have got out of sync with my WWW posts and mentioning it again here brings me back into line. And, anyway, I loved Jane Steele and this is another chance to recommend it. Here’s my full review.

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?

AND

Foxglove Summer (Peter Grant, #5) by Ben Aaronovitch

Foxglove Summer (Peter Grant, 5) by Ben AaronovitchI snuck in the fifth book in the Peter Grant series. If you haven’t seen any of my previous posts or reviews about these books, all you need to know is they’re British police procedurals which feature magical stuff (or “weird shit” as many of the police in the books prefer to refer to it). I enjoyed this one, which takes the main character out of London to give him and us a much-needed break from the old routine after the traumatic events at the end of book 4. I don’t review these books on the blog anymore to avoid spoiling things for anyone catching up, but I did write a short review on Goodreads.

The blurb: In the fifth of his bestselling series Ben Aaronovitch takes Peter Grant out of whatever comfort zone he might have found and takes him out of London – to a small village in Herefordshire where the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. But while you can take the London copper out of London you can’t take the London out of the copper.

Travelling west with Beverley Brook, Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what’s more all the shops are closed by 4pm…

3. What I’ll read next

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana GabaldonOutlander by Diana GabaldonI know!! I’m finally reading Outlander. I promised myself I would read the first book in the series before half of 2016 had passed, and I’m just squeezing this in. All 896 pages of it :-/

The blurb: The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

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

And elsewhere on the blog…

White chocolate blondies recipe sliced and decorated tray bake

Last week I made white chocolate blondies.

Claire Huston / Art and Soul

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68 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday 22nd June 2016”

    • I’m fine, thanks 🙂 Just hoping that summer pulls itself together soon and after tomorrow there’s something other than referendum coverage on the TV!
      I know what you mean about time. It’s not the reading I don’t have time for, it’s the writing about it!
      Are you ok?

      Liked by 1 person

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      • I think they’l be talking about what the result means for weeks to come yet.

        I’m ok – kids playing up at bedtime so I’m tired and not much time for anything much at the moment.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I love Outlander. I’ve listened to all the books (the narrator is fab!) apart from the last one. It’s 40+ hours and the thought is scaring me ;-D I’m just watching the first season on DVD.

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  9. The Song of Achilles I absolutely loved! Such a good book!! I need to read Outlander, and I’ve tried, but I just haven’t gotten into it. I have it on audio, so I might try it that way.

    Here’s my post. Happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Reading you using “superb” to describe your current read made me curious! I’m looking forward to your review.
    896 is a daunting number! I have issues with books over 500 pages, they scare me!
    I like the sound of the Peter Grant series but I know supernatural elements are a turnoff for me. Still, it worked with Portmanteau so I might try it.
    Happy reading! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Big books make me feel a bit tired before I even start them. With 896 pages (small text too!), I could read 3 other books in the same time :-/ Which is why I tend to stay away from giant books.
      The nice thing about the Peter Grant series is, if you like book 1, you’ll like the all. So you can give the first one a try and be pretty sure you’ll enjoy the rest.
      The Song of Achilles is absolutely wonderful. I’ll have a review up tomorrow!
      Happy reading 🙂

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      • I hope this giant book is worth the pain 🙂
        I’ll give the first a try, knowing that if it works, I’ll have another series to add to my wishlist, haha! They are so tricky.

        Liked by 1 person

    • The Song of Achilles is going to get 5 stars from me, as did Jane Steele. They’re very very different books, but if I had to choose one, I’d probably go with Achilles. It’s a true achievement for the author.
      I’ll check out your post now… I’m just catching up!

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  13. I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying The Song Of Achilles! I have been wanting to read that one for ages and now I know I will most likely love it as well. 😉 And I need to read Outlander as well; I have been posponing it for so long I’m actually starting to feel terrible about it haha. It’s just so intimidating!

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    • The Song of Achilles is beyond fantastic. I am pretty much certain you will love it! 🙂 Particularly as your feelings towards Hitman Anders so far further confirm we are book twins 😉
      I’ve been putting off Outlander for the same reasons. I have the first 4 books on my shelf. They are enormous and the print is tiny tiny tiny… I just have to get started!

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      • I’ve added The Song Of Achilles to my need-to-get-soon list! And I’m about 25% into Hitman Anders so far and I don’t like it either, so I guess that yet again we think alike. 😉
        And Outlander… I want to read it this year, but I have the fifth Game Of Thrones book on my big books list as well and I’m not sure which one to start first. Although Outlander is probably a bit less intimitating still.

        Liked by 1 person

  15. So glad you’ve featured the Peter Grant book – someone at work was asking me today whether I’d read any of this series and I couldn’t for the life of me place it (and they only had the name Peter Grant) It’s all clear although I did say I hadn’t because of the ‘weird shit’ 🙂

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    • I really like the balance in the series between the supernatural business and the realism of the police procedure (particularly the Met, which seems to have its own hierarchies and red tape). I think it could be one to win over some people who hate fantasy, mainly because so many of the secondary characters are scornful of having anything to do with the supernatural! It has no place in modern policing 🙂

      Like

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  18. I can’t wait to see your review of The Song of Achilles. It definitely sounds like something I would like. I can’t decide if I want to read Outlander or not. It seems interesting, but the books are really long and with my non-existent attention span, that may be a problem haha

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    • I think almost everyone would enjoy The Song of Achilles. It’s so beautiful. And you read it and it doesn’t seem like it’s taken a long time, the story just slides past you… it’s brilliant.
      I’ve been putting Outlander off because of how long it is. But I just have to give it a try! 🙂
      I’ll probably need some short books to read right after it though 😉

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  20. Oh wow! You’re finally going to start Outlander! That’s a big read! I hope you enjoy it! I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would — the second book was much better in my opinion, but it was still a good read!
    I’m glad that the Song of Achilles is superb! It might have just moved a few notches up my TBR!
    And never apologize for pointing out for stories inspired by Jane Eyre 😉 The love deserves to be shared!
    Thanks again for stopping by my WWW earlier!
    Happy Reading!

    Liked by 1 person

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      • I have all the books too even though I’ve only read the first three! I don’t know when I’ll be done them, but I’m compelled to try 😉
        I find it hard to not finish a series… unless it’s really terrible 😛

        Liked by 1 person

  23. I’m so excited that you’re going to be reading Outlander! I hope you love it! It’s one of those series that has been really hit or miss with people and I absolutely loved it when I didn’t expect to.
    And I can’t wait to see your thoughts on The Song of Achilles. I’ve heard good things!

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      • I will read it! Hopefully sooner rather than later!
        And Outlander is amazing, both the books and the show! Definitely watch the show after you finish the books! It’s such a solid adaptation, I’ve been impressed with how well done it’s been!

        Liked by 1 person

  27. Those white chocolate blondies look amazing, but it’s your raspberry ripple cake I’m going to try baking on Tuesday for my sister’s birthday.
    Song of Achilles sounds so good; I can hardly wait to read it! And I’ll admit that the blurb about Foxglove Summer excited me – I’ve missed Beverly, to some extent, and it’s good to see that she’s coming back.
    Thanks for visiting my WWW post and happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Ooo! That’s one of my favourite cakes. I hope it turns out well 🙂
      I hope you love The Song of Achilles too. It’s wonderful.
      If you’ve missed Beverly, you’ll like Foxglove Summer. She gets to do much more than in the previous books.
      Happy reading!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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