Hmm, now who is seriously failing as a blogger right now?! Yes that’s right, me! 

The last post I actually got out for you all was back in the start of July, and we are now half way through August, I’m really needing to get back on top of this! Oh and have I mentioned, I haven’t even been reading… I know, such a great reading blogger lately!

So the main plan for this month is to read Heir of Fire with the buddy read group over on Insta! But then in order to do that I really do need to finish the first two books! Yes that’s right I have been failing at these buddy reads. I love the group, and really have been trying, but somehow I am massively behind!

Other than that, I don’t really have any reading plans. Although I have really been wanting to get into a good book and read lately, I just have so much going on at the moment, with health and life stuff, its just taking up my time. Not to mention the stress just makes me want to binge watch Friends and sleep for hours!

So what can you expect from me and the blog in the coming future?

Well I like to think that I will now start my weekly blogs again. I have lots in mind, from what has been going on with my health, the big changes coming up in life, and the joys that have been my weight lose journey over the past 5 months.

But the reality is that until October I really cant see me getting a grip on my stress levels! There is just so much for me to sort out in life and events coming up, that are just going to take my focus! But fingers crossed that I will get some more out in the near future.

What’s going on with publishing books you may ask? 

For the time being I am not really accepting new review books, but hopefully come
October I will start again, and get back to the rhythm of things.  For the mean time, I have plenty to catch up on from previous months.

So what are you planning to read in the rest of the month?

Do you have any quick fun post ideas for me to do? I’d love to get some fun pieces out in the near future!

Yet again, long time no post! There has been so much going on over the last few months, and there will be two posts coming up explaining it all- yes there is really too much to do it all in one post!

But as per normal for me, with things going on, the reading completely stopped again! I am such a terrible reader now, just cant fight out of this LONG lasting slump! To be honest at this point Im starting to get concerned whether I will be able to pull myself out of it while I have so much going on!

With that in mind I have two physical books and a book on my kindle to try and focus on this month- one of which was meant to be a group read last month that I completely failed on!

So the kindle book, and the group read that I failed at, is Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. This has been on my TBR for such a long time! Somewhere I have the physical copy, but for the time being I decided to read it on my kindle as this is easier for me to transport! As a young adult fantasy I feel that this should be a great book for getting out of a slump, so hopefully I can manage this one this month.

Second, is a book that I read as a child, and my lovely neighbour lent me a copy of to reread. Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman is, well I believe, a middle grade? But again it is a fantasy that I know really well as I used to love this series as a child! My plan for this, to try and get out of the slump is to then pick up the rest of the series, and possibly even go onto the newer books. Let me know if you have any methods for getting out of slumps as my normal methods are not working!!!

Then finally is a very odd book for when you are in a slump, but its something that I actually really feel like reading! And that is Alison Weir’s A Kings Obsession. I have all of this series that is out, but have only read the first one so far. I just feel really in the mood to read through all of this series ready for when the rest is released, but as I said this is a really odd thing to pick up when you are in a slump as they are big old books, and adult historical fiction. But sometimes you just have to go with what you are in the mood for!

As I said I am in a massive slump so I am not expecting to manage all of these within the month, especailly as I have a lot going on (will be explained in later posts), but we will see just how much I manage in the month, and hopefully can start just getting through a few books each month. After all it looks like the GoodReads goal will not be happening!

Any tips on getting over reading slumps- especially when they have been going on for so long- will be greatly appreciated!

What are you hoping to read this month?

April was another good month for reading, I am so happy that I seem to be getting myself back to reading. No I may not be reading as much as I once used to of, but life is different now, and I don’t have the time to just sit and read all the time quite like I used to. But completing more than one book in a month is a success to me, as that will keep me going towards my goal of reading 20 books within this year.

So what have I read this month? Two fabulous books!

Eden by Tim Lebbon has become one of my absolute favourite books now, it was just that good! A  dystopian that really doesn’t feel all that unlikely in the grand scheme of things, it was hauntingly dark, and so full of suspense! You can find out my full thought on it here.

The other book I read this month is one of my most anticipated, a book from one of my favourite authors, Looking Glass by Christina Henry. This is a collection of novellas which are a sequel to the Alice Series. This was fabulous! Again, I have a full review that can be found here, but this was amazing, I just wish it was a full length novel, but that’s just because of my love of the world!

So that leaves me with what I am hoping to read in the month of May. As I will still be shielding, I am hoping to get through at least three books, but it is throwing up some challenged with my partner and the little one being home a lot more.

The first book is of course my current read, The Wise Friend by Ramsey Campbell. This is a horror that I am reviewing, and is only a short read of just over 200 pages. This follows a man and his son as they dig into the artwork of his recently passed aunt. I don’t know much more than that and I am only about 20 pages in so far, but currently I am loving the writing style.

Im then hoping to jump into A Deck of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman. This is the sequel to the Devouring Gray, a book that I read last year. Although the first one wasn’t the highest rated for me, it left me so excited for the next one because of how it built up ready for the series! I have a feeling that this series is going to be one that I love, with the first literally being just the beginning. This is a spooky paranormal, urban fantasy story, that I have a feeling is going to give me vibes from shows I used to watch as a teen!

Then finally, a book from last month that I didn’t get to, I really really want, actually need, to read The Queen of Raiders by Sarah Kozloff. I adored the first book in this series, and really want to marathon the rest of the series. Although my partner is making me wait till I have read this one to buy the last two, but I have the money put aside. This is a high fantasy series, about an orphan queen on the run! The first book was fantastic, I adored it! And I now cant wait to read the rest as I know it is going to be a favourite series in the end!

I am really looking forward to my reading this month, and I have Crescent City by Sarah J Maas, waiting to be picked up as well!

So now, what are you hoping to read this month? Are you focusing on new releases, or picking up something you’ve been meaning to for a while?

Back with another review today, and this time it is a book from one of my favourite authors, Christina Henry. I have loved her books since I first read Alice what feels like ages ago now, but the Alice world has stuck with me, ad I was so excited to jump into her new book set in this world!

Looking Glass is a collection of four short stories all set following on from the events in Red Queen.

In four new novellas, Christina Henry returns to the universe she created for Alice and Red Queen, where magic runs more freely than anyone suspects, but so do secrets and blood.  (from GoodReads)

Well what can I say? I loved it! But were we really expecting anything different?

I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars for one simple reason, it wasn’t a full novel! Now I may be being petty and, probably end up revising my rating, but I guess part of me just really wanted a full length novel in this world again! I miss it okay…..

IT surprised me as to which of the four was my favourite. I was always a huge fan of Alice so would of just thought I would soak up the stories with her as the lead, but in actual fact. ‘When I First Came to Town’ the story of how Hatcher started out was by far my favourite – dont get me wrong I loved all four! I had never seen the full depth that there was to his character, and just how he came to be with Hattie. From this alone I feel like I want more of their story, more of what happened after he rescued her. Probably going to have to go back and read Alice and Red Queen enough to satisfy my longing for this world!

There was a quote within ‘Girl in Amber’ that struck me, ‘ Life is never what you want it to be… only what it is’. Now I know that I am taking it out of context a touch, but that has stuck with me because of the relevence at this current time. I read this book while not being allowed out of the house, and at a time when everything in life is really up in the air. And I couldnt help but feel hit by that line, as it is so true. Life is what it is and you have to find your way in it.

But anyway that wasnt so much about the book, but just an example of how compelling I find Christina’s writing. I’ll read the words, and not only be drawn into the stories she weaves but also find truth in her writing generally! You can call me weird if you like, I probably am, but I have an obsession with Christina Henry’s writing and books!

Now have I gushed enough to convince her that you really have to go and read Alice, Red Queen and then Looking Glass? I hope so! I can promise you that it will not disappoint, you can go and read my review for Alice here.

This is already out so you really have no excuse. I would love to know if there are any other Christina Henry fans here? Which of her books has been your favourite?

I come to you today with a super exciting opportunity for you. You have the chance to win your own copy of The Deck of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman.

This is the sequel to the Devouring Gray, a book that I adored last year.

On the edge of town a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, its bonds loosening…

Uprooted from the city, Violet Saunders doesn’t have much hope of fitting in at her new school in Four Paths, a town almost buried in the woodlands of rural New York. The fact that she’s descended from one of the town’s founders doesn’t help much, either—her new neighbours treat her with distant respect, and something very like fear. When she meets Justin, May, Isaac, and Harper, all children of founder families, and sees the otherworldly destruction they can wreak, she starts to wonder if the townsfolk are right to be afraid.

When bodies start to appear in the woods, the locals become downright hostile. Can the teenagers solve the mystery of Four Paths, and their own part in it, before another calamity strikes?

If this interests you then you definitely want to get your hands on the sequel, and you can read my full thoughts here, and even then I said about how excited I was for the Deck of Omens. My review of Deck of Omens will be up in the next few weeks so keep an eye out for that!

Now how can you win? Its easy, go over to my twitter @Alexxmarie74 , make sure you are following me, @TitanBooks and @Sarah_Mather_15 and retweet the tweet! It is really that easy!

This will run for 1 week, so entries will need to be in by midnight of Saturday 2nd of May, and I will draw the winner shortly after.

You do need to be within the UK, and there can only be one winner!

Good luck!