Happy Friday bookish people! I can’t believe how quickly the summer has gone by this year. I had a long list of things I wanted to get done over the holidays and now they are ending I have barely done anything from my list. Is anyone else like that?
One item on my list was read a lot more and well.. that did not happen. I read a bit but I definitely didn’t stick to my TBR. Oops.
Let’s get into the wrap up!
A Disaster in Three Acts by Kelsey Rodkey – I did not read
Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey – I did not read, I wasn’t feeling a romance book this month.
Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – I did not read this book
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson – I did not read
Lady Macbethad – I was so excited to start reading this but I didn’t get around to it this month
A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry – I did not read
Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd Robinson – I did not read this
The Agathas – I started to read this book and I did not enjoy the part that I read, I’m not sure yet if I will go back and try and read this again at another point or if I will find someone else to have it
A Gathering of Shadows by V E Schwab – I did not read
The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton – I did not read
So.. I only read part of one book from my TBR but I did read two books from outside my TBR which were: Winterhouse by Ben Gutterson and Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials by Marion Gibson.
What did you read in August? and what did you think of it?
Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my review for Anatomy by Dana Schwartz.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not give any spoilers.
Anatomy Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
In this novel we follow Hazel Sinnett, a wealthy woman who wants more than anything to become a physician, but she doesn’t just want to help with healing, instead she wants to do the operations. In the process of infiltrating the all male lecture classes she meets Jack Currer, a resurrection man but there is much more going on then either of them know.
I enjoyed this novel a lot more than I thought I would do, I was gripped for most of the novel. The atmosphere was very intense and dark and as a reader I was waiting for each new thing to be discovered. However, towards the end I did find the story a bit dragging, very satisfying but a little slow.
Anatomy Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Hazel Sinnett is a lady, she has lived in a castle her whole life but her life isn’t exactly happy. She is a headstrong woman who will stop at nothing to become the physician she wants to be, no matter what society thinks of it. I liked how her character knew what was right and wrong and even though there was a lot of conflict because of ti she always followed her heart.
Jack currer is a ressurection man, he steals corpses in the night and sells them, but he only does this because he has no other choice. I liked how his character developed throughout this novel, I want to say so much more but I can’t without giving away too many spoilers so you’ll have to read the book to find out what Jack is like.
Anatomy Writing and Dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Anatomy Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I gave this book four stars overall because although the ending was a little slow I really enjoyed this novel and I bought the second one to read soon.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Edinburgh, 1817. Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.
Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.
When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect.
Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then.
But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.
A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.
Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my review for The Art of the Dying by Ambrose Parry, the second book after The Way of all Flesh.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not include any spoilers.
Art of the Dying Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Art of the Dying is the second book in a series following Will Raven, an aspiring Doctor, and Sarah Fisher. In this book Raven has returned to work for Dr James Simpson and realises that there are people out there who want to blame Dr Simpson for the death of a patient, teaming up again with Sarah Fisher to uncover what happened they realise there is something more sinister going on in Edinburgh.
This book is my favourite of all the books I have read so far this year, I was pulled into the middle of the unfolding events and a readers we can see the side of the protagonists and get deeper glimpses into the backstory of the villain. There is a lot of emotion coming through this novel, it makes you question everything you know about these characters and people in general. Such as, are people truly evil? Or did something cause their actions?
Art of the Dying Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The two main characters in this novel are Dr Will Raven and Sarah Fisher. Raven is a man with many secrets who owes many debts and often he is a character that does not get understood by the people around him, they believe he is stubborn and cold but in this book you can see how there are more things that soften him than first thought. Sarah Fisher is a very smart woman who stands out in the male Edinburgh society, she dreams of practising medicine but struggles against male opinions on this. I like her character because she doesn’t stand back and let lies be spread around, she starts investigating and does not stop until she gets to the truth.
Art of the Dying Writing and Dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Art of the Dying Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I gave this book four stars because it was may favourite read so far this year and has cemented this as one of my favourite series’
Blurb/Synopsis:
Edinburgh, 1850. Despite being at the forefront of modern medicine, hordes of patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. But it is not just the deaths that dismay the esteemed Dr James Simpson – a whispering campaign seeks to blame him for the death of a patient in suspicious circumstances.
Simpson’s protégé Will Raven and former housemaid Sarah Fisher are determined to clear their patron’s name. But with Raven battling against the dark side of his own nature, and Sarah endeavouring to expand her own medical knowledge beyond what society deems acceptable for a woman, the pair struggle to understand the cause of the deaths.
Will and Sarah must unite and plunge into Edinburgh’s deadliest streets to clear Simpson’s name. But soon they discover that the true cause of these deaths has evaded suspicion purely because it is so unthinkable.
Happy Friday bookish people! I thought it would be fun today if I shared the top ten books I want to reread within the next twelve months. I have to say I’m not usually the type of person who rereads books, there are a few that I have loved and read over and over but not many but recently I have been thinking about rereading these ten books:
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah penner
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson
Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my book review for Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens, the second book in the Murder Most Unladylike series.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try my best to avoid any spoilers.
Arsenic For Tea Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
In this book we are back with Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells as they look for their next case to solve. They are staying at Daisy’s home during the school holidays and somebody ends up being murdered.
I enjoyed the different set up of this book, compared to the first in the series, the location being Daisy’s home made the stakes higher because of the personal connections between Daisy and the suspects. The location also had an isolated feeling that Deepdean School did not have.
Arsenic For Tea gave me the same feeling that a good Agatha Christie would, a limited group of suspects each with their own secrets and motives. However, for me, the ending let this book down. I felt that the resolution, although plotted very well throughout the novel, did not give me the satisfaction that I look for at the ending of a murder mystery.
Arsenic For Tea Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The two main characters in this series are Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong, two best friends who met in the first book as they started at Deepdean School. In my review for the first book, Murder Most Unladylike, I mentioned how I struggled to like Daisy as a character because she was bossy and always sure she was correct, this is a character trait that has continued in Arsenic For Tea so I am still not keen on her as a character, but on the other side I do like Hazel’s character. Hazel is a smart and logical thinker, although sometimes she judges people with her emotions, and she is the character whose head we are in throughout the series.
Arsenic For Tea Writing and Dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The writing in this series is very enjoyable even as an adult aged reader. The pacing is perfect for the style of story.
Arsenic For Tea Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I gave this book four stars overall because it was a great continuation of the series and I am interested in reading the rest of the series.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy’s home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy’s glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy’s birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn’t really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious.
Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill—and everything points to poison.
With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem—and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth… no matter the consequences.
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today.
Today I am bringing you my book review for the middle grade mystery, The Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not reveal any spoilers in this review.
The Clockwork Sparrow Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
This middle grade mystery follows Sophie, a store girl at the newly opened Sinclairs department store who becomes involved in solving the mystery after there is a break in. The first half of this book spends a good deal of time setting up the characters and the store and the way their lives are and the relationships between them which I did find a bit boring to begin with. However, once the mystery began to take place I became hooked in the story, and each chapter ups the stakes in a delightful way for mystery lovers.
The Clockwork Sparrow Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
There are three key characters that you get introduced to early on. Sophie, the shop girl who I found to be a very likeable character, there are a lot of secrets surrounding her background that I am hoping the rest of the books in the series will explore. Then there is Lil, who wears clothes and works in shows and is employed by the store for this. Lil is a very bright, excitable character with fun ideas. Then there is a young boy who is a porter at the store who joins Sophie and Lil to help solve the mystery. Each of these characters work so well with each other, the story wouldn’t work without them.
The Clockwork Sparrow Writing and Dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Although this book is middle grade I felt that the writing felt challenging for this age range and mature which I thought was what this story needed.
The Clockwork Sparrow Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I gave this book four stars overall because it sets up characters brilliantly and I am looking forward to continuing the series.
Blurb/Synopsis:
You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store!
Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villians to justice…
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today.
Today I am bringing you my book review of the non-fiction book A Taste of Poison by Neil Bradbury. Usually I write reviews in four sections but that wouldn’t work with this book so instead I am going to write a paragraph about my overall thoughts of this book.
A Taste of Poison is a non-fiction book detailing 11 of the world’s deadliest poisons and pages of information about each one. As a researcher of crime fiction and a writer myself I found this book very useful and interesting because it was broken down into different sections. There would be information about the poison itself, where it came from what it was and then it talked about the uses of each poison and I found this part the most interesting because it didn’t focus entirely on the negative uses of each poison but also the ways that scientists and doctors throughout the years have found positive uses for them, for example insulin can be used in good and bad ways. After the information section the book details real life cases where the different poisons had been used, some of them I had read about before but most of them I hadn’t. Then finally each chapter ended with a description of what each poison would do to the body, what symptoms it would cause and that sort of thing. For me this book was a fascinating read.
Blurb/Synopsis:
A brilliant blend of science and crime, ‘A TASTE FOR POISON’ reveals how eleven notorious poisons affect the body – through the murders in which they were used.
As any listener or reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring – and popular – weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict?
In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and true crime, Dr. Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes – some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved – are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function.
Drawn from historical records and current news headlines, A Taste for Poison weaves together the tales of spurned lovers, shady scientists, medical professionals and political assassins to show how the precise systems of the body can be impaired to lethal effect through the use of poison. From the deadly origins of the gin and tonic cocktail to the arsenic-laced wallpaper in Napoleon’s bedroom, ‘A TASTE FOR POISON’leads listeners on a riveting tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive – or don’t.
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today.
One May 26th 2023 I went to MCM London Comic con, I went originally because they announced Sebastien de Castell would be there however they didn’t reveal the timetable until really late and it was too late for me to cancel but he was only going to be there 4-5 and I already had to be on the train home by the because Plymouth is far away from London so that was annoying but while I was at the Comic Con I realised that the accessibility was something that definitely needed to be addressed.
First of all, once you get to the site there is a long tunnel way you have to walk through and there are no clear signs telling you where you need to go and which direction so there were people walking every which way which is horrible to navigate for me as a disabled person.
Then once we did finally find the accessible queue to get in it got even worse. The disabled queue was the same queue as press and content creators and the organization was terrible. Once you had your bag checked you had to queue to get your disabled stickers and passes and there were no clear lines for queues or where you had to go, the staff were shouting at people because they didn’t know where they had to go, but worst of all is these queues were barely moving, it took over an hour and a half to get our passes and this is not good for a disabled person who cannot be standing for long. I saw so many people struggling to stand and nobody would help them.
After I got into the venue halls it became clear that in the corridor by the Costa there were no disabled toilets, there were male and female ones which were down sets of stairs but no disabled ones, so I asked a staff member where they were and they directed me towards the stairs. This is ridiculous because I am visually Impaired and I can’t use the stairs. So, I go in the main room of the comic con, there looks to be two disabled toilets along the back wall, good that is where we head first, in the first one there was a toilet luckily but the size was tiny, I didn’t take my guide dog with me but I might have dine and there would not have been room in this toilet for her and it definitely wasn’t big enough to fit a wheelchair in it. so later we decided to try the other toilet and see if it had enough space, only to find that to reach the toilet you had to use the lift or the stairs and the lift wasn’t even working! Another person at the con told me later that none of the lifts were working which is unacceptable.
I can’t discuss any of the ‘priority’ options that are there for disabled because by this point I was already angry and exhausted so we left early and only really looked around some of the stalls. I would not attend this event again because you don’t feel like you get treated as a human, you are treated as an inconveniance.
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today.
Today I am bringing you my review for the Historical Fiction short story collection, In The Shadow of Queens, by Alison Weir.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not include spoilers in my reviews.
In The Shadow of Queens Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
If you have seen more of my book reviews you will know that short stories are not usually my favourite thing, because they don’t give you very long to become immersed in the story and the characters in my opinion. However, this collection is split into sections each of them depicting the time period of one of Henry VIII’s wives. For example the first two short stories are in the time Catherine of Aragon was Queen and so on for all six wives. I enjoyed how each story was showing you something different, about the queens and about the state of England in general. My personal favourite was the short story that was written from the point of view of a young Anne Boleyn, while she was at the French court and her engagement to a young man. This story wove such a complex, emotional story that brought to life how a young woman had to learn that life wouldn’t be romantic or kind and showed how women had to learn to keep their hearts and not give them away freely.
In The Shadow of Queens Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The most fascinating part of this collection was definitely the characters, there were stories told from the points of view of people within the court that you may never have known existed and although Alison Weir uses artistic license to create a brilliant story you can see how much research went into each story to give you a glimpse into people’s lives.
In The Shadow of Queens Writing and Dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I haven’t yet read her tudor queens series, although I di have the books, but after reading the short stories I am excited to get into the main novels because I know they will have depth and her wonderful writing style draws you right into the centre of the Tudor court.
In The Shadow of Queens Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I gave this book four stars because I loved getting a peak into so many different areas of this period but short stories still don’t hook me enough to give this book five stars.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Behind every great king stands a queen. And behind every queen, the whole court watches on…
Over the years of his reign, six different women took their place beside King Henry VIII of England as his wife and queen.
But the real stories of the six Tudor queens belong to those who lived among them. Played out in glittering palaces and whispering courts, these are tales of the people who loved and served these women, and those who lied and betrayed them.
Collected together for the first time, In the Shadow of Queens reveals thirteen startling stories from the Tudor court, told by those at the very heart of that world.
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