Saturday 30 May 2015

"As long as there is life, there is hope"

All year I've been looking for that book that would light a spark in me and completely knock my socks off.  Ladies and gents, I think I have found that book.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir has been on my radar for awhile.  Not only had it been getting a lot of fantastic buzz from other bloggers, but it just sounded so very cool.  Gladiator meets The Game of Thrones??  Heck yes.  It was with some trepidation that I picked this one up since, as with many of you I'm sure, I've been burned before by books that are beloved by many and yet, for one reason or another, just don't float my boat.  From the opening few chapters of this one, however, my worries vanished; I was hooked.  I started reading it on my lunch break (and almost came back late because I didn't want to put it down) and was up way past my bedtime because I was just so captivated by the world that Tahir has created.

I don't think I've encounter a YA novel that was so thrilling, so blood thirsty, and so compelling since quite possibly The Hunger Games (ya, I said it).  If you were a fan of Suzanne Collins trilogy, you will enjoy this book.  I would also recommend this for fans of Marie Rutkoski's amazing (and still ongoing) Winner's trilogy.

The world building is well done and inspired by Ancient Rome (and there are maps!  I've said it before and i'll say it again; I love me a book with maps).  The characters are outstanding.  These are hardened individuals that are forced to take risks to survive and yet still contain an almost heartbreaking humanity.  There is romance, but not so much that it overshadows other elements of the book. Oh, and the brutality!  As with The Hunger Games, there is violence here that almost shocks the reader but at the same time is integral in depicting this world.

There is a sequel coming and may I say, THANK GOD, because what an ending.

Looking for an action packed read that has heart?  Read this!

* Many thanks to Penguin Random House for the Reading Copy!

Monday 25 May 2015

An Ode to Elly Griffiths

One of the best authors/ series finds I've had in the last few years is the wonderful British mystery novelist, Elly Griffiths.  I picked up the first book, The Crossing Places, on a recommendation and my god, I was hooked fast and hard.  At the time my obsession began, there were 5 books out.  I read all of them over a weekend, taking time off only to eat and sleep.  I was lucky enough that a coworker of mine got hooked at the same time so we can happily discuss the books and the characters to our hearts content, secretly hoping that the characters were real people and alway wishing for the next book to arrive.

The series is about forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway.  When she's not digging up bones or other ancient objects, Ruth lives happily alone in a remote area called Saltmarsh near Norfolk.  In book one, The Crossing Places, Ruth  is called in to assist on a case by Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson.  A child's bones are found on a desolate beach and Nelson thinks they may be the remains of a little girl who went missing over a decade ago.  Despite her discovery that the bones are actually two thousand years old, Ruth is drawn into the disappearance of Lucy Downey.  Then another child goes missing and the hunt is on to find her and her kidnapper.

Ruth Galloway is one of my favourite mystery solving ladies.  She is relatable, clever, and funny.  While the mysteries are entertaining, it is the characters that keep you coming back for more.  Looking for a new series?  Look no further.

Ruth Galloway Series
1. The Crossing Places
2. The Janus Stone
3. The House at Sea's End
4. A Room Full of Bones
4.5. Ruth's First Christmas Tree (e-novella)
5. A Dying Fall
6. The Outcast Dead
7. The Ghost Fields







Saturday 23 May 2015

Back in the Saddle Again

Well....I feel like I've said it before...but I'm back!

A new computer has motivated me to get the old blog up and kicking again so, to quote Whitesnake, here we go again!

It has been over A YEAR since I last posted! A year! Many wonderful books were read and clearly not discussed here.  If you want to check out what was going on in my literary world last year, you are always welcome to check out my Goodreads page.  Every book I read gets posted there, with a tiny review / general thoughts, so please come visit and say hi!

Since it would take forever to recap all the books I read last year, here were my Top 5 reads for 2014.

1. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman writes good books.  Really good books.  I was such a fan of her novel The Dovekeepers that I was really excited to read this one and it did not disappoint.

2. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

After finishing this, I actually wanted to go back to the beginning and read it again.  One of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time and definitely one of the best bad ass heroines I've ever read.

3. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Such a beautiful book and my favourite teen novel of the year.  Considering this was Dellaira's debut novel, I'm pretty darn excited to see where she goes next.

4. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I was so blown away by this.  It deserved all the acclaim it got.

5. Us by David Nicholls

I have talked to several people who thought that this was just ok, but for one reason or another, this just spoke to me.  One Day was a DNF for me so I was really surprised I liked this one as much as I did.

So, there it is, 2014 in a nutshell.

And here we are now almost halfway through 2015!  Book wise, the year is off to a good start. I've read many books that I've really enjoyed, however,  I am still waiting to find that book that really knocks my socks off.

Here are the Top 3 things I have to report for 2015 so far:

1.  My best discovery has been the novels of the absolutely dynamite Australian novelist, Liane Moriarty.  Seriously, go pick up either The Husband's Secret or Big Little Lies, and get ready for a day of addictive reading.  You're welcome.

2. Teen novels everywhere!  Best so far have been Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places, everything Rosamund Hodge writes (Cruel Beauty, Crimson Bound, Gilded Ashes), and The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski (man, this series just keeps getting better!).  I've got a lovely stack of current and upcoming teen books to get through so I'm pretty excited to read those.

3. I'm making an effort to read more non-fiction since it is something that I don't read all that often and really should.  So far I have I've read Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling, and Without You There is No Us by Suki Kim.  All have been enjoyable and not felt like school (which is always my fear with non-fiction, despite the fact that it is rarely true...)

Well this has been long and rambling!  I'm glad to be back :)




Cheers,
Sam



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