Hurrah, weekend. Obviously things are still a bit subdued around here (re: the loss of a pet last week), and I’m working over the weekend, but there’s still a bit more reading time and that’s always good.

Books acquired this week

This week it’s just my British Library Crime Classic. Now I have the subscription, I don’t keep good track of what’s coming out — so I was excited that this month’s was an E.C.R. Lorac title!

I might dig into that this weekend.

Posts from this week

I’ve eased back on posting my review backlog for a bit: the major backlog is in comics, but I don’t like to post too many reviews of the same type of thing at a time, so I’m waiting to have finished a couple more books of different genres to create variety. Still, there’s been plenty of reviews without so many extras, so here’s the roundup!

• Romance manga: Love in the Palm of His Hand, by Rinteku (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Horror: Into the Dark, by Jordan L. Hawk (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Historical mystery: The Wages of Sin, by Kaite Welsh (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Fashion history: Nineteenth-Century Fashion in Detail, by Lucy Johnston (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Non-fiction: The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks, by Daniel Konstanski (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy manhwa: Solo Leveling, vol 9, by Dubu (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy romance: The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish, vol 2, by Xue Shan Fei Hu (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy mystery: Baking Bad, by Kim M. Watt (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Non-fiction: The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscripts Club, by Christopher de Hamel (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)

And the usual disclaimer that I didn’t read any of these books in the last week, I have reviews backlogged out anywhere from days to months depending on the genre! Books I read this week are below.

What I’m reading

There was plenty more manga this week, but also I did manage to get back into reading more long-form stuff somewhat and finally finished reading Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. Here’s a sneak peek at the stuff I plan to review!

My plans for the weekend involve reading Feng Ren Zuo Shu’s The Beauty’s Blade and… I’m not sure what else. I made a start on Rowenna Miller’s The Palace of Illusions, which is pretty seasonally appropriate, so perhaps I’ll focus on that. Or maybe I’ll read that new E.C.R. Lorac reprint!

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.

Sadly, this week one of my rabbits died (RIP Hulk, aged 12), so I’m not feeling super chipper. I’ll get to replies when I can, but it might not be over the weekend. Sorry folks.

Books acquired this week

My wife swung by the library for my hold for me — I’ve had this on hold since mid-October, for a reading challenge that’s now ended, but ah well. People have been very keen about it, so I’m curious.

Posts from this week

Let’s do a round-up, as usual! I’ve continued working on posting some of my backlogged reviews, so there are a few extra.

• Classic crime: Death in High Heels, by Christianna Brand (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Non-fiction: Tir: The Story of the Welsh Landscape, by Carwyn Graves (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Horror novella: Nothing but Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Fantasy romance: The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish, vol 1, by Xue Shan Fei Hu (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Romance manga: A Beast’s Love is Like The Moon, by Guri Nojiro (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Short mysteries: As If By Magic: Locked-Room Mysteries and Other Miraculous Crimes, ed. Martin Edwards (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Non-fiction: The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry, by David Musgrove & Michael Lewis (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Poetry: Death of a Naturalist, by Seamus Heaney (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Historical romance: One Night in Hartswood, by Emma Denny (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)

As usual, for some of these it’s been weeks/months since I read them, due to the way I try to post a mixture of review genres, and the many, many reviews I have ready to post. For this week’s reading, check below!

What I’m reading

It’s not been the best week for reading — though I’ve finished a bunch of books, they’re mostly manga/graphic novels — but oh well, such are my whims and needs, and I go with them. Here’s a sneak peek of the books I finished this week and plan to review on the blog, as usual.

For the weekend… I’m not sure what I’ll read. I haven’t been much in the mood for it (for obvious reasons), but I started on a new book and was suddenly quite into that, so maybe I’ll finish it: it was a bit of a random choice from my Kobo Plus borrows, Clues to Christabel by Mary Fitt. I’m also partway through another murder mystery, Death in Ambush, so I’d like to finish that. Aaaand some more Dinosaur Sanctuary, probably!

If I can get into a book, that would obviously be great and comforting, but if it doesn’t happen… well. That’s fine too.

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.

Weekend time! And nearly the end of the month too; I cannot believe it’s about to be December.

Books acquired this week

This week we have two books acquired to review! Both from Netgalley; I’ve not been lucky enough (so far at least) to get physical copies.

I’m excited for both! Technically I got the version of Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter with the UK cover, but I like this one better and I already had it saved, sooo. There you are.

Posts from this week

I’ve continued posting extras to get to grips with the pre-written review backlog, so there’s a bunch again for the roundup this week! As ever, don’t forget that most of them are books I read weeks/months ago by this point, so it doesn’t reflect this week’s reading. That’s below in the “What I’m reading” section!

• Crime: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, by Jesse Q. Sutanto (1/5 stars, “didn’t like it”)
• Non-fiction: Stony Jack and the Lost Jewels of Cheapside: Treasure and Ghosts in the London Clay, by Victoria Shepherd (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Prose-poetry: Seeing Stars, by Simon Armitage (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Fantasy manhwa: Solo Leveling, vol 8, by Dubu (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy romance: Paladin’s Hope, by T. Kingfisher (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Classic crime: Jumping Jenny, by Anthony Berkeley (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Non-fiction: The House Dress: A Story of Eroticism and Fashion, by Elda Danese (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Non-fiction: The Book of Were-Wolves: Were-Wolf History and Folklore, by Sabine Baring-Gould (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Young adult: Felix Ever After, by Kacen Callender (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Young adult horror: Hold Back the Tide, by Melinda Salisbury (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)

Aaand if you were curious (as people often are) about why I bother to finish/rate/review low-star reads, I wrote about that not so long ago.

What I’m reading

After a quiet reading week last week, I finished eight books last weekend, so this was a bit more action-packed (inasfar as reading is action). Here’s a sneak peek at the ones I intend to review on the blog sometime:

As you see, I’ve been busy, though my reading did slow down after the weekend.

As for the weekend’s plans, I’m not sure. I’ve finished my Book Spin Bingo card early for once, so I think I might chill with some manga/graphic novels, and maybe read volume four of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. As ever, though, it’s down to my whim!

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.

Wooo, weekend! This one feels much-needed.

Books acquired this week

Just one this week! I’ve been waiting for this book for a bit, so hurrah for its arrival:

I need to read it soon because I’m considering it as a Christmas gift for someone, so I might get started very soon.

Reviews from this week

I’ve continued posting extra reviews from the backlog of (ready-written) reviews I have to post, catching myself up a bit on the backlog. So a roundup definitely seems like a good idea! As ever, click the links to read the full review.

• Poetry: So Far So Good, by Ursula Le Guin (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Non-fiction: Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them, by Dan Saladino (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Graphic novel: The Deep Dark, by Lee Knox Ostertag (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy romance: The Honey Witch, by Sydney J. Shields (1/5 stars, “didn’t like it”)
• Gothic mystery: All of Us Murderers, by KJ Charles (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Poetry: Door into the Dark, by Seamus Heaney (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Non-fiction: No Ordinary Deaths: A People’s History of Mortality, by Molly Conisbee (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Non-fiction: Vaccines: A Graphic History, by Paige V. Polinsky (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Romance manga: In Love’s Key, Reprised, by Guri Nojiro (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Fantasy: The Bookshop Below, by Georgia Summers (3/5 stars, “liked it”)

Reminder: I read most of these months ago, my ratings here don’t indicate whether I had a good or bad reading week!

What I’m reading

I’ve had a pretty slow reading week! I had quite a few books in progress at once, but I didn’t finish a lot, since I wasn’t really in the mood (in part because my attention got swallowed by playing the game Dispatch). Ah well! Here are the books I did finish and intend to review on the blog:

I’m not sure what I’ll be reading this weekend, to be honest. I have several books on the go, so I’d like to finish some of them! First target: probably As If By Magic, a collection of classic crime stories. But we’ll see how it goes.

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.

It’s the weekend, and I at least am very ready for it!

Books acquired this week

My monthly British Library Crime Classic arrived! Not one of the authors I like best, but it should be fun anyway.

I’ve started on it already.

Posts from this week

Time for a bit of a roundup, especially since I’ve been posting extra reviews this week. I still have many more waiting to be posted, but hopefully with a couple extra per week, I won’t get a post backlog that’s too silly… As usual, here are all the links to the full reviews!

• SF novella: Boy, With Accidental Dinosaur, by Ian McDonald (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Historical romance: The Duke at Hazard, by KJ Charles (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Science: The Genetic Lottery, by Kathryn Paige Harden (1/5 stars, “didn’t like it”)
• History: Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global, by Laura Spinney (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Mystery: Mockingbird Court, by Juneau Black (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Fantasy manhwa: Solo Leveling, vol 7, by Dubu & Chugong (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy novella: Audition for the Fox, by Martin Cahill (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Non-fiction: The Genius Myth: The Dangerous Allure of Rebels, Monsters and Rule-Breakers, by Helen Lewis (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Classic: The Vampyre, by John William Polidori (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Mystery: I Could Murder Her, by E.C.R. Lorac (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)

Other posts:

• Top Ten Books: Outside the Comfort Zone
• What Are You Reading Wednesday

What I’m reading

It’s been a bit of a quieter week, reading-wise, with some pretty disappointing reads. Ah well, it happens! Here’s a peek as usual at the books I intend to review on the blog:

Over the weekend… I’ll probably work on finishing up with Christianna Brand’s Death in High Heels, which I have in progress, and I hope to get chance to read more of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation too. Other than that, I’m not sure; I randomly started on Andrew Ziminski’s Church Going: A Stonemason’s Guide to the Churches of the British Isles last night, and might focus on that.

In the end, though, it’s all down to whatever whim strikes me!

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.

Happy weekend!

Books acquired this week

N/a! I’m working on reading some of the books I’ve got this year and haven’t started yet, and some backlog books, so I can meet my reading targets. If there’s something really tempting I’ll get it, there’s no book ban or anything, but I’m pretty happy with my current lineup.

Posts from this week

And now for the usual roundup! I haven’t started posting extra reviews yet, but I should pick a couple of days a week to do so, or figure out how to bundle some together, because the backlog of reviews to post is getting a liiiiittle bit out of hand. They’re all written, I just don’t want to spam y’all.

Anyway, here are the reviews I did post!

• Non-fiction: History in Flames: The Destruction and Survival of Medieval Manuscripts, by Robert Bartlett (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Classic crime short stories: Continental Crimes, ed. Martin Edwards (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Poetry: The Cinder Path, by Andrew Motion (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Horror: The Forgotten Dead, by Jordan L. Hawk (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy romance manga: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, vol 5, by Kazuki Irodori (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)

And the non-review posts:

• My Year in Non-fiction
• Top Ten Tuesday: Random Books From My Shelves
• What are you reading Wednesday

What I’m reading

My reading’s been a bit calmer this week, ahaha, but there’s still plenty! Here’s the usual sneak peek of books I plan to review on the blog soon:

As for this weekend’s plans… the final volume of The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish, probably. I keep saying that, but I do really want to get to it! Other than that, who knows?

[ETA: I just want to be clear, posting that I’ve read The Genetic Lottery does not constitute a recommendation. I would rate it 1/5, “didn’t like it”. I posted my review earlier than intended if you want to check that out!]

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.

The weekend again already?! The time is flying by.

Books acquired this week

This was going to be another week of nothing, but then at the last moment I realised I was auto-approved on Netgalley for this, and couldn’t resist…

I’ve been awaiting this one for a long time, so very excited for it!

Posts from this week

Let’s start with the usual review roundup:

• Alt-history crime: Pagans, by James Alistair Henry (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Non-fiction: Bitch: A revolutionary guide to sex, evolution and the female animal, by Lucy Cooke (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Poetry: Magnetic Field: The Marsden Poems, by Simon Armitage (1/5 stars, “didn’t like it”)
• Romance manga: The Troublesome Guest of Sotomura Detective Agency, by Kusama Sakae (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Fantasy novella: The Rider, the Ride, the Rich Man’s Wife, by Premee Mohamed (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Historical romance: You Should Be So Lucky, by Cat Sebastian (5/5 stars, “loved it”)

And a What Are You Reading Wednesday post, as usual.

What I’m reading

It’s been a busy, busy week for reading, as I worked on finishing up with Book Spin Bingo and Comics Bingo. So let’s see — here’s the sneak peek of books I’ve finished this week and plan to review soon!

I’m going to need to start posting more than one review a day to keep up, at this rate!

Over this weekend, I’m not sure what I’ll read, because I’ve only just drafted my November reading list, and there’s so much choice! But chances are high that I’ll make a start on vol 4 of The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish (last volume, sob sob sob), and maybe read some more of the Tied to You manhwa.

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.

Here we are again, huh?

Books acquired this week

N/a! Not even a library trip.

Posts from this week

As usual, here’s a roundup of the stuff I’ve posted this week:

• Fantasy manhwa: Solo Leveling, vol 6, by Dubu (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy novella: A Magical Girl Retires, by Park Seolyeon (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Crime short stories: Blood on the Tracks, ed. Martin Edwards (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Non-fiction: The Hero, by Lee Child (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Non-fiction: Valkyrie, by Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Graphic novel: Fence: Redemption, by C.S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy: Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)

And of course a What Are You Reading Wednesday post.

What I’m reading

It’s been a fairly busy week reading-wise, though mostly with graphic novels. Let’s take a look at the books I’ve finished which I plan to review on here…

As for what I’m reading this weekend… I reaaaally have to focus on any books left on my Book Spin Bingo card for October, if I want to get a blackout! My first focus is probably volume three of The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish, and then Emily Tesh’s The Incandescent. But, as ever, we’ll see what happens!

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.

Hurrah, it’s the weekend!

Books acquired this week

Last weekend was Bookshop Day in the UK, so I made sure to acquire some books — it’s my duty, right?! I didn’t go nuts: I acquired physical copies of the Shady Hollow series (which I had in ebook before, not pictured) and the rest of this series, The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish:

I’ve already read book two, and I’m probably going to steam straight ahead and read the next volumes!

Posts from this week

First up, the reviews:

• Non-fiction: The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker: The Story of Britain Through Its Census, since 1801, by Roger Hutchinson (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Fantasy romance manga: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, by Kazuki Irodori (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Fantasy romance: Paladin’s Strength, by T. Kingfisher (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
• Classic mystery: Deadly Earnest, by Joan Cockin (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
• Classic: The Man Who Was Thursday, by G.K. Chesteron (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
• Non-fiction: Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History, by Moudhy Al-Rashid (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)

Other posts:

• Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d Want to Read for the First Time Again
• What Are You Reading Wednesday

What I’m reading

It’s been a bit of a quieter week for me reading-wise, especially since I was off sick on Wednesday/Thursday. Still, I have done some reading!

As for what I’m reading this weekend… probably more of The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish, for a start! But I’d also like to get back to KJ Charles’ All of Us Murderers. We’ll see, though!

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, and the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz.