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?
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
This 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
This 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
OK, 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
I 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
I 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…
Last week I made white chocolate blondies.
Claire Huston / Art and Soul
Would love to join in if not for time… boo!
You ok? 🙂
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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?
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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.
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Hahaha, good luck squeezing Outlander in! 😉
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Don’t! I have a couple of train journeys this weekend which should help… hmn… Might have to speed read!
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You can do it! *choo chooooo!*
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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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I’d like to watch the TV version very much, but feel I should at least get the first book under my belt first 🙂
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Oh yes, there’s much more detail in the book and so you’d be able to follow the TV series better and fill in the parts it misses out.
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Hey, so glad you like The Song of Achilles, maybe that’ll push me to read this finally. And I hope you like Outlander more than I did. Here’s my post : https://alextheshadowgirl.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/www-wednesday-22nd-june-2016/
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Please read The Song of Achilles. It’s wonderful 🙂
Fingers crossed for Outlander. It’s a lot of book to read to be disappointed
I’ll check out your post now…
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Reblogged this on forthenovellovers.
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Oh, I love Diana Galbadon’s Outlander. I hope you’ll love it too. Here’s my WWW Wednesday
https://awondrousbookshelf.com/2016/06/22/www-wednesday-4/
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I hope so too! 🙂
I’ll check your post now…
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I tried to get into the Outlander TV series, but I just can’t connect to it. I’ve always wondered if the books are more appealing.
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I think you could probably watch an entire series in less time than it takes to read a book. They’re enormous! 🙂
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Yummy to those blondies….and to Jane Steele, which looks very tempting. Here’s my WWW WEDNESDAY POST
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Jane Steele is great. And the best thing is you can read it while eating blondies 🙂
I’ll visit your post now…
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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!
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The Song of Achilles is my favourite book so far this year. It will be hard to top it. So beautiful!
I’ll visit your post now… just catching up!
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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! 🙂
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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.
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Good luck with Outlander!
You can do it!
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Thank you! It’s a little daunting. The text is really small too. Takes me back to studying English and reading Dickens…
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after about 70 pages or so then it’ll start to fly by
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I loved Jane Steele too! And The Song of Achilles has been on my TBR for so long, I definitely need to read it soon!
http://dualreads.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/wednesday-catch-up-22nd-june-2016.html
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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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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.
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I’m going to be interested in your feelings on Outlander. I have the book, but I’m scared to take on such a reading commitment!
My WWW: http://www.anovelglimpse.com/2016/06/22/www-wednesday-june-22-2016/
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That is precisely why I’ve been putting off reading it. This weekend I have some spare time so I’m hoping I can get through it.
I’m just catching up on WWW posts now and I’ll head over to your asap…
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Haha! I get it. 🙂
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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 🙂
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I really enjoyed The Song of Achilles too, so I’m pleased to read that you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
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Yay! I’m hoping to convince more people to read it so I can go on their blogs and waffle on about how much I love it 🙂
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I hope you enjoy Outlander. It wasn’t for me but I seem to be in the minority. Happy reading and thanks for participating in WWW Wednesday!
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I really hope I enjoy it. Otherwise that’s a lot of time I could be spending reading 3 other books! 🙂
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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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I love when books capture you so much that you lose track of how long you’ve been reading. That’s the best! 🙂
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Nice list! I hope you enjoy Outlander. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but a lot of people love it.
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Thank you! I really hope I enjoy it. It’s such a long book and I’ll be so disappointed if I feel I could be spending my time better reading 3 other books 🙂
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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!
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Thank you! I’m keeping everything crossed I enjoy Outlander… I have the first four books on my shelf and I’m a compulsive completist. Even if I don’t like it that much I’ll feel I just have to read them all!
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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 😛
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I didn’t realise Outlander was so long! I’ve had it recommended to me before – both book and TV series – but I’m not sure it’s for me…maybe I will try it at some point!
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I really want to watch the TV series, but would like to have read at least one book first. I would have read it sooner, but the length kept putting me off!
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The paperback of Jane Steele is so expensive. I put it on my wishlist and I’ll wait for a drop in its price before I get it. Happy reading! http://www.curious-daisy.com/www-wednesdays/www-wednesday-june-22-2016/
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I was so lucky to get a copy of Jane Steele at my local library. I think I might have been the first person to pick it up – I couldn’t believe it! 🙂
I’ll check out your post now…
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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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The Song of Achilles is amazing. Please read it! In fact, I’m going to be saying that to everyone so I have more people to rave about it with 🙂
I’m going into Outlander very optimistic. It’s so popular (on TV and the boos).
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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!
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You’ve sure read a lot!
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I try ! I’d like to read even more if I could. So many books, not enough time 🙂
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There sure is a ton of books to read! You do a pretty great job of reading as many as you can though.
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I’m glad that Song of Achilles is working for you! It doesn’t really sound like my kind of thing, but I have a friend I think I should recommend it to. She would love it.
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It’s so wonderful. Definitely one to recommend. Which reminds me, I must check if my sister’s read it because I’m pretty sure she’d love it too 🙂
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I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about The Song of Achilles. I’ve heard such amazing things about that book and I’m seriously considering bumping it up on my TBR.
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Do bump it up! It’s amazing 🙂 You won’t regret it!
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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!
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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!
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You have been a busy reader! I absolutely ADORE Outlander. Forever. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
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I haven’t got too far into it yet, but so far so good 🙂
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Jane Steele and Song of Achilles sound like must reads. I do love a bit of Trojan era fic so I’ve been tempted by that one. Hoping we get it in our library.
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If you love Trojan era stories then The Song of Achilles was written for you! It’s beautiful. I hope you can get a copy soon 🙂
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