Wrap Up: January 2025

 Hi everyone

January was a loooong month. Cold, dark and depressing. Perfect time for evenings filled with books and cups of tea.

Here's what I read last month:

- Benedict Jacka: An Inheritance of Magic 

- Eowyn Ivey: To the Bright Edge of the World 

- Fredrik Backman: A Man Called Ove 

- Grant Snider: I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf 

- Rebecca Thorne: Can't Spell Treason Without Tea 

- Jonathan French: The Grey Bastards 

- N. K. Jemisin: Emergency Skin 

Is there anything you'd like to recommend me? What did you read in January?

Happy reading!
Helena

Jonathan French: The Grey Bastards

 Hi everyone

The Grey Bastards is Jonathan French's first book in The Lot Lands series.
I got my copy from Bol.

"Jackal is proud to be a Grey Bastard, member of a sworn brotherhood of half-orcs. Unloved and unwanted in civilized society, the Bastards eke out a hard life in the desolate no-man's-land called the Lots, protecting frail and noble human civilization from invading bands of vicious full-blooded orcs. But as Jackal is soon to learn, his pride may be misplaced. Because a dark secret lies at the heart of the Bastards' existence - one that reveals a horrifying truth behind humanity's tenuous peace with the orcs, and exposes a grave danger on the horizon. On the heels of the ultimate betrayal, Jackal must scramble to stop a devastating invasion - even as he wonders where his true loyalties lie."

This was very enjoyable. Dark,violent and grim but also full of friendship and humor. The hogs were my favorites and I loved the friendship between the half-orcs and their hogs. The camraderie between half-orcs themselves was great too. The worldbuilding and premise of the half-orcs as protectors were very promising.

I definitely feel like there were a few plotholes, things that didn't seem to really make sense, the worldbuilding could be grander and the plot a bit more believable but I didn't care too much.

Happy reading!
Helena

 

Bookhaul

 Hi everyone

Last week, I turned 36! 
I had a lovely day at work and after with my wonderful husband and my two amazing daughters. And of course we had to celebrate with family too.

I received four new books!
Here they are;

- Werner Herzog: Of Walking in Ice

- Simon Jimenez: A Spear Cuts Through Water 

- Christopher Ruocchio: Empire of Silence

- Jen Williams: The Ninth Rain

Happy reading!
Helena

Rebecca Thorne: Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

 Hi everyone

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is the first book in Rebecca Thorne's series Tomes & Teas. I read this on my e-reader.

"All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters… all complemented by love and good company. Thing is, Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives isn’t so easy.
But after an assassin takes Reyna hostage, she decides she’s thoroughly done risking her life for a self-centered queen. Meanwhile, Kianthe has been waiting for a chance to flee responsibility–all the better that her girlfriend is on board. Together, they settle in Tawney, a town that boasts more dragons than people, and open the shop of their dreams.
What follows is a cozy tale of mishaps, mysteries, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. In a story brimming with hurt/comfort and quiet fireside conversations, these two women will discover just what they mean to each other… and the world."

This was ok. 
The story, the writing and the characters were very forgettable. It was an easy, relaxing read but it was too high on the drama over nothing/feelings.

Happy reading!
Helena

 

Grant Snider: I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf

 Hi everyone

I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider is a comicbook about being a reader, reading, books and literature. This was a gift from my husband.

"A look at the culture and fanaticism of book lovers, from the beloved New York Times illustrator and creator of Incidental Comics.
It’s no secret, but we are judged by our bookshelves. We learn to read at an early age, and as we grow older we shed our beloved books for new ones. But some of us surround ourselves with books. We collect them, decorate with them, are inspired by them, and treat our books as sacred objects. In this lighthearted collection of one- and two-page comics, writer-artist Grant Snider explores bookishness in all its forms, and the love of writing and reading, building on the beloved literary comics featured on his website, Incidental Comics. I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf is the perfect gift for bookworms of all ages."

This was ok. It was never laugh-out-loud, but it did make me smirk and smile. Some things were recognizable, others were farfetched. Nothing really stood out to me.

Happy reading.
Helena

Fredrik Backman: A Man Called Ove

Hi everyone

Because this has been turned into a movie, I've been seeing this book and the movie everywhere. 
I finally decided to read it, so here's my review.

"At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.
But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so?
In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible . . ."

This wasn't for me. I get what Backman was trying to do. Grumpy old man turns out to have a heart-trope. I just didn't enjoy Ove or the side-characters. The story is trying to be funny but for me it wasn't. It was a struggle and I ended up fast-reading it in hopes of getting to better parts. In vain.

Happy reading!
Helena

Eowyn Ivey: To the Bright Edge of the World

 Hi everyone

I reread one of my favourite books ever, Eowyn Ivey's To the Bright Edge of the World. 
This was my second time reading it and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time.

"Set again in the Alaskan landscape that she bought to stunningly vivid life in The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey's second novel is a breathtaking story of discovery and adventure, set at the end of the nineteenth century, and of a marriage tested by a closely held secret.
Colonel Allen Forrester receives the commission of a lifetime when he is charged to navigate Alaska's hitherto impassable Wolverine River, with only a small group of men. The Wolverine is the key to opening up Alaska and its huge reserves of gold to the outside world, but previous attempts have ended in tragedy.
For Forrester, the decision to accept this mission is even more difficult, as he is only recently married to Sophie, the wife he had perhaps never expected to find. Sophie is pregnant with their first child, and does not relish the prospect of a year in a military barracks while her husband embarks upon the journey of a lifetime. She has genuine cause to worry about her pregnancy, and it is with deep uncertainty about what their future holds that she and her husband part."

This is so, so beautifully told. It's captivating, atmospheric, and impossible to put down.
Both Sophie's and Forrester's diary entries are written well, interesting and engrossing. I adored their love and their interests. The way Sophie has his support in everything she does. It melts my heart. The setting is wonderfull, the history fascinating and the sidecharacters feel real too.

I loved it, from the first page to the last. I loved this book.
Highly, highly recommenden!

Happy reading!
Helena

Bookhaul

 Hi everyone

The Holidays are officially over (finally) and life is getting back to normal (idem).
For Christmas en New Year's I received a lot of gifts. Mostly money (to buy books with oc) and three books.

My parents gifted me with:

- Kristin Hannah: The Great Alone

- Richard Swan: The Justice of Kings

 

From my husband I received:

- Grant Snider: I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf

 

And with part of the money I received I bought myself books too:

- Peter Brown: The Wild Robot Escapes

- Peter Brown: The Wild Robot Protects

- Rachel Joyce: Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North

- Brian McClellan: Promise of Blood

- Brian McClellan: The Crimson Campaign

- Brandon Sanderson: Tress of the Emerald Sea

 

Have you read one or more of these? Or is there something you would like me to read asap? Please let me know!

Happy reading!
Helena

Benedict Jacka: An Inheritance of Magic

 Hi everyone

An Inheritance of Magic is the first book in Benedict Jacka's new series called Inheritance of Magic.
I really enjoyed Jacka's first series; Alex Verus so I had to get this one. I got it from Bol.

"The wealthy seem to exist in a different, glittering world from the rest of us. Almost as if by... magic.
Stephen Oakwood is a young man on the edge of this hidden world. He has talent and potential, but turning that potential into magical power takes money, opportunity, and training. All Stephen has is a minimum wage job and a cat.
But when a chance encounter with a member of House Ashford gets him noticed by the wrong people, Stephen is thrown in the deep end. For centuries, the vast corporations and aristocratic Houses of the magical world have grown impossibly rich and influential by hoarding their knowledge. To survive, Stephen will have to take his talent and build it up into something greater—for only then can he beat them at their own game."

This was good but not great. The story is quite slow and there are a lot of boring info-dumps. And even though there are a lot of info-dump moments, I have to say the magic-system still doesn't really make sense. But that could be me.

I did like the characters, the setting (London!) and the easy to read writingstyle.

The first book in this series was a mixed experience but I will defenitely read the second book in the Inheritance of Magic series because I enjoyed Jacka's Alex Verus series so much.

Happy reading.
Helena

My Favorite Books of 2024

 Hi everyone

 I read a total of 92 books in 2024. That's a lot! But not every book was worth recommending so I wanted to give you a complete list of all the books I rated 5 stars in 2024.
In case I read the book in the last few months, you will be able to click on the title to read the review.

So, here's the list in alphabetical order:

- Stephen Aryan: Magebane

- Nathan Filer: The Shock of the Fall

- Yuval Noah Harari: Sapiens

- Eowyn Ivey: The Snow Child

- Stephen King: Pet Sematary

- Brian McClellan: Sins of Empire

- Brian McClellan: Wrath of Empire

- Brian McClellan: Blood of Empire

- Pascal Mercier: Night Train to Lisbon

- Sequoia Nagamatsu: How High We Go in the Dark

- Emma Newman: Before, After, Alone

- Emma Newman: Planetfall 

- Terry Pratchett: Feet of Clay

- Terry Pratchett: Jingo

- Dennis E. Taylor: A Change of Plans

I would love to see your list! So please, let me know in a comment on this post.

Happy reading!
Helena

Wrap Up: 2024

Hi everyone

Happy new year!

Just like I did before I took a long break from blogging, I wanted to write one single post with a complete list of all the books I read in the past year.

I read a total of 92 books in 2024, not counting the books I didn’t finish.

 

Series I started reading:

- Joe Abercrombie: The Age of Madness

- Travis Baldree: Legends & Lattes

- Peter Brown: The Wild Robot

- Jim Butcher: The Cinder Spires 

- Miles Cameron: Arcana Imperii

- Becky Chambers: Monk and Robot

- David Dalglish: Shadowdance

- David Gemmell: Drenai Saga

- Emma Newman: Planetfall

- Shelley Parker-Chan: The Radiant Emperor

- Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long Earth

- Dennis E. Taylor: Quantum Earth

 

Series I continued reading:

- Ben Aaronovitch: Rivers of London

- Terry Pratchett: Discworld

 

Series I finished reading:

- Stephen Aryan: Age of Dread

- Neil Gaiman: American Gods

- Cameron Johnston: Age of Tyranny 

- Ira Levin: Rosemary's Baby

- Ed Mcdonald: Raven's Mark

Series I started and finished reading:

- Joe Haldeman: The Forever War

- Brian McClellan: Gods of Blood and Power

Series I quit reading:

- Katherine Arden: The Winternight Trilogy

- R. J. Barker: The Tide Child

- Marie Brennan: Doppelganger

- Aliette de Bodard: Obsidian and Blood 

- Madeleine L'Engle: Time Quintet 

- N. K. Jemisin: Dreamblood

- Lois Lowry: The Giver

- Devin Madson: The Reborn Empire

- Richard K. Morgan: Takeshi Kovacs

- Thomas Olde Heuvelt: Robert Grim 

- Rebecca Roanhorse: Between Earth and Sky 

- Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan: The Black Iron Legacy

- Brian Staveley: Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne

- Martha Wells: The Books of the Raksura

Here are all the books I read with a link to the review (if I finished them since restarting the blog).

- Andy Weir: Project Hail Mary

- Brian McClellan: Sins of Empire

- Dan Harris: 10% Happier

- Neil Gaiman: Anansi Boys

- Terry Pratchett: Feet of Clay

- Ira Levin: The Stepford Wives

- Stephen King: On Writing

- Brian Staveley:The Emperor's Blades

- Richard Matheson: The Shrinking Man

- Pascal Mercier: Night Train to Lisbon

- Jim Butcher: Warriorborn 

- Jim Butcher: The Olympian Affair

- Dennis E. Taylor: A Change of Plans

- Brian McClellan: The Mad Lancers

- Emma Newman: Before, After, Alone

- Aliette de Bodard: Servant of the Underworld

- Thomas Olde Heuvelt: Hex

- Marie Brennan: Dancing the Warrior

- Marie Brennan: Warrior

- Hugh Howey: Beacon 23

- Rachel Joyce: The Music Shop

- Stephen Aryan: Magebane

- Eowyn Ivey: The Snow Child

- Philippa Perry: The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

- Julian Barnes: The Lemon Table

- Cameron Johnston: God of Broken Things

- Joe Hill: 20th Century Ghosts

- James Clear: Atomic Habits

- Martha Wells: The Cloud Roads

- Matt Haig: The Comfort Book

- R. J. Barker: The Bone Ships

- Lois Lowry: The Giver

- Iain Reid: I'm Thinking of Ending Things

- Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time

- Miles Cameron: Artifact Space

- Chris Voss: Never Split the Difference

- Michel Faber: The Fahrenheit Twins and Other Stories

- Brian McClellan: Wrath of Empire

- William Goldman: The Princess Bride

- Rebecca Roanhorse: Black Sun

- Andy Griffiths: Waanzinnige Boomhutverhalen

- Ira Levin: Sliver

- Ed McDonald: Crowfall

- Terry Pratchett: Hogfather

- Stephen Hawking: A Brief History of Time

- Joe Haldeman: Peace and War

- Nathan Filer: The Shockof the Fall

- Joe Abercrombie: A Little Hatred

- Edgar Allan Poe: The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Tales

- Katherine Arden: The Bear and the Nightingale

- Tommy Orange: There There

- Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long Earth

- Pete Walker: Complete PTSD

- Travis Baldree: Legends & Lattes

- Matthew Harffy: Wolf of Wessex

- David Gemmell: Knight of Dark Renown

- Emma Newman: Planetfall

- Jonas Heyerick & Sep Vanmarcke: SEP!

- Ben Aaronovitch: Winter's Gifts

- David Dalglish: A Dance of Cloaks

- Dennis E. Taylor: Outland

- Samit Basu: The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport 

- Stephen King: Pet Sematary

- Yuval Noah Harari: Sapiens

- Lucy Holland: Sistersong 

- N. K. Jemisin: The Killing Moon 

- Richard K. Morgan: Altered Carbon 

- Sequoia Nagamatsu's How High We Go in the Dark

- Shelby Van Pelt: Remarkably Bright Creatures

- Gretchen Rubin: Better Than Before

- Alice Hoffman: The Museum of Extraordinary Things

- Travis Baldree: Bookshops & Bonedust

- Devin Madson: We Ride the Storm

- Christian White: The Wife and the Widow

- Shelley Parker-Chan: She Who Became the Sun

- Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long War

- Ira Levin: Son of Rosemary

- Daniel Kahneman: Thinking Fast and Slow

- Brian McClellan: Blood of Empire

- Muriel Barbery: A Single Rose

- Emma Newman: After Atlas

- Peter Brown: The Wild Robot

- Lucy Jones: Matrescence 

- Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan: The Gutter Prayer

- Mike Bockhoven: Fantasticland 

- Marie Brennan: Driftwood 

- Becky Chambers: A Psalm for the Wild-Built

- Terry Pratchett: Jingo 

 

Quite a few of these books aren't included in the pictures because I don't own them anymore or I read them on my e-reader. Still, I love these pictures.

How was your year reading-wise? Anything you'd like to recommend me?

I wish you all a very happy and relaxing reading-year.

Happy reading
Helena 

Wrap Up: December 2024

Hi everyone

December, the last month of the year. The last chance to finish the books you really, really wanted to read this year and the series you wanted to finish.

Here's a list of the books I read.

- Brian McClellan: Blood of Empire

- Muriel Barbery: A Single Rose

- Emma Newman: After Atlas

- Peter Brown: The Wild Robot

- Lucy Jones: Matrescence 

- Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan: The Gutter Prayer

- Mike Bockhoven: Fantasticland 

- Marie Brennan: Driftwood 

- Becky Chambers: A Psalm for the Wild-Built

- Terry Pratchett: Jingo 

What did you read last month?

Happy reading!
Helena