Sunday 31 August 2014

Flock

I'm not afraid to admit that sometimes it takes very little to amuse me.

Case in point: I got a new set of point protectors the other day. 

Clover double pointed needle protectors in large and small sizes.

I now have a flock of point protectors. *grin*

Friday 22 August 2014

Reading Friday

I heard back about my application for the Masters course. I got accepted!!! I’m over the moon about it, but I feel like I'm living in a bit of a whirlwind at the moment as I make some big changes to get ready for it.

Some things are constant though, so on to what I'm reading. 

What I finished reading
Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews. I was a bit disappointed with this. The pacing felt off in bits, and perhaps it was just because I was reading it on my phone, but the ending felt a touch anti-climactic. It makes sense thinking about it, as there doesn’t seem to be anyway Kate could fight Roland and win, but I’m left wondering if that will really be the end of the matter, and not in an anticipatory way given the authors have suggested this was to be the end of that arc. I’m finding the very end and the set up for the next book in the series a little hard to believe, but I will read the next one to see how it goes. That’s not to say there weren’t good points in the book, there were some scenes I absolutely loved and a lot of character background that I really enjoyed, which made the sense of disappointment more annoying.

Earth Girl and Earth Star by Janet Edwards. I loved these just as much as first time round, possibly even more. I don’t really have anything else coherent to say about them, except that this won’t be my last reread of them.

Magic Study by Maria V Snyder. I spent an enjoyable wet Sunday afternoon curled up with this, and I really liked rereading it.

What I'm reading
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. I’m about 90 pages in and so far I think it’s a decent debut, but I’m not really in the mood for high fantasy at the moment so it got pushed to the side a little.

Fire Study by Maria V Snyder. I’m about halfway through my reread, and I’m enjoying it as much as the previous books.

Earth Flight by Janet Edwards. Okay, I’ve only just got a hold of it, but I know what I’ll be doing tonight!

What I'll be reading next
Blood Games by Chloe Neill has just come in for me and that should be good for spending Saturday curled up with tea. Possibly The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter if I feel in a crime mood.

Sunday 10 August 2014

Reading what ever day of the week it is...

Between applying to go back to university, my wee sister passing all her highers, and my wee brother getting engaged, it's been a whirlwind of a week. A good one, but hectic all the same, and I'm finding it hard to believe it's Sunday night already so let's get on with the reading!

What I've finished reading
I ended up DNFing God's War by Kameron Hurley and Lascar's Dagger by Glenda Larke. Both were well written and full of interesting ideas. In the case of God’s War, it just wasn’t my cup of tea (I really should know by now that anything described as gritty or dark just isn’t for me.) As for Lascar’s Dagger, there was a lot of worldbuilding and character traits that I normally love, but I just couldn’t get into it. I think it was a case of good book, wrong time. I’ll definitely try one of Larke’s other books at some point.

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron. The day Aaron writes something that doesn’t completely hit all my buttons and make me grin in glee is the day hell freezes over. By which I mean I completely loved it, and I cannot wait for the next one. I love the worldbuilding in this but more than that, I love the main two characters to bits, and I could have read about them all day. Plus, the vast majority of supporting characters, good, bad and not entirely sure yet, feel well rounded and appropriately scary in places. Definitely one I’m going to reread, and I'm looking forward to the promised paper edition coming out.

The Hangman's Song and Dead Men's Bones by James Oswald. I raced through both of these this weekend, and I really enjoyed them. I like the mix of crime and supernatural, and the way there could be a rational explanation for all the events but there probably isn't. I like the way the threads and loose ends are running through the series now, and I'm loving the whole cast of characters, even Duguid. Long story short, I like Oswald's writing, he had me laughing a couple of times and these held my interest all the way through, unlike all the other crime novels I've tried recently.  I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for the next in the series.

What I'm reading
Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews. I'm about a third of the way through it and enjoying it so far. I'm looking forward to reading the ending, but I can definitely agree with the reviews I've seen that the pacing is a little off. It's not enough to stop me reading, but I do think it has leeched some of the (admittedly rather large) enthusiasm I had for the book. 

What I'm reading next
Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen has just come in for me on short loan, and I've heard reports it's not bad so I'm eager to see for myself. I also plan on rereading Earth Girl and Earth Star by Janet Edwards as Earth Flight comes out next week.