WWW Wednesday | The Ninth

Happy Wednesday again everyone!

Wow! Two posts in one day! I’ll apologize first with inundating you with notifications.

As per the usual way of things, here’s my WWW Wednesday post for the week. Hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words, it’s a great way to discover new reads and new friends. I think that’s plenty of reason to participate!

Why not join in? All you have to do is answer these three questions…

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll be reading next?

Here are mine!

---

WHAT I’M CURRENTLY READING

The Wisdomfold Path(The Song of Forgotten Stars, Book 2): by Kelly Sedinger

BLURB:

Continuing the story begun in STARDANCER, THE WISDOMFOLD PATH is a tale of sisters and brothers, of children and parents, of secrets and history, of lies and truths, of loss and love, of despair and hope…and of a ten-year-old girl rising above herself in ways she never thought possible.

I didn’t have a chance to do a lot of ereading this past week until the last two nights when I got through a decent 200+ pages. I’m nearly done now. And it’s definitely exceeding expectations so far 😉

Under the Black Flag: The Romance & Reality of Life Among Pirates by David Cordingly

Blurb

For this rousing, revisionist history, the former head of exhibitions at England’s National Maritime Museum has combed original documents & records to produce a most authoritative & definitive account of piracy’s Golden Age. As he explores many accepted myths (i.e. walking the plank is pure fiction), Cordingly replaces them with a truth that is more complex & often bloodier.

As most of you, one of my top priorities at the moment is my fantasy novel Pirate Eyes. I’ve been working on it for a good ten years and I’m hoping to have it in the hands of a publisher (at least) by the end of the year. I’ve done some research in the past to educate myself on pirates, but when my sister found this book at Chapters, I couldn’t resist the chance to do some more research. And wow!

It’s been a while since I read a nonfiction book for pleasure (besides books on the craft of writing) and it is just a thoroughly enjoyable and informative little gem of literature. And it’s definitely inspiring me to consider possible paths for my second installment in the larger series.

WHAT I RECENTLY FINISHED READING

The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Collette Freedman

Blurb:

The Hallows. Ancient artifacts imbued with a primal and deadly power. But are they protectors of this world, or the keys to its destruction?
For decades, the Keepers guarded these Hallows, keeping them safe and hidden and apart from each other. But now the Keepers are being brutally murdered, their prizes stolen, the ancient objects bathed in their blood.
With her dying breath, one of the Keepers convinces Sarah Miller, a practical stranger, to deliver her Hallow—a broken sword with devastating powers—to her American nephew, Owen.
The duo quickly become suspects in a series of murders as they are chased by both the police and the sadistic Dark Man and his nubile mistress.
The mystery leads Sarah and Owen on a cat-and-mouse chase through England and Wales, and history itself, as they discover that the sword may be the only thing standing between the world… and a horror beyond imagining.

I really did not care much for this book. There two many perspectives, too little character development, and an overstuffed plot. Honestly have to say it was a real disappointment. I WANTED it to be better.

High Rise by J.G. Ballard

Blurb:

When a class war erupts inside a luxurious apartment block, modern elevators become violent battlegrounds and cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on “enemy” floors. In this visionary tale, human society slips into violent reverse as once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, re-create a world ruled by the laws of the jungle.

This book! As I was reading it, all I could thing was The Great Gatsby meets Lord of the Flies. Ballard has a fascinating writing style. It’s been a while since I read a novel such as this and I was rather intrigued by the premise and the way in which the plot ultimately unfolded. It was also a troubling read in many ways, which is a good thing, but also left me rather distressed by the end of it.

If you like disturbing stories about the darker side of human nature, well, this is a book for you!

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Blurb

The only one of Kipling’s novels to be cast in an American setting, Captains Courageous endures as one of literature’s most cherished and memorable sea adventures. Harvey Cheyne, spoiled millionaire’s son, tumbles overboard from a luxury liner–only to be rescued by the crew of a Gloucester schooner. Thus begins the boy’s second voyage into the rugged rites and ways of sailors.

I’ve been on a quest to read as many books as I can set upon the high seas, just as a comparison to my current WIP. I remember having read this book as a Great Illustrated Classic (did anyone read those? They’re how I got introduced to most classics — I might to a post about this… hmm…) And I decided to read the Bantam edition (a book I had purchased for 3.00!). It was just as good as I remember it being 🙂

WHAT I KNOW I’LL READ NEXT

Visions of Zarua by Suzanne Rogerson

Blurb:

Two wizards, 350 years apart. Together they must save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past.
An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria.  Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master Kalesh dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate.  Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer.
The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago – a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his visions in time to save the Paltrian people from the dark menace of Zarua’s past?

I had hoped to be started this by now, but I really need to wait to be done Wisdomfold Path first. I can do the one ebook one novel at a time, but not two ebooks at once. I only have about 100 odd pages left to go in Kelly’s book. So I’ll be able to start Visions by tomorrow latest!

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss

Blurb

Told in Kvothe’s own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.

The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.

So I’m ready to embrace the big one 🙂 Though it’s still not as long as Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (722 vs. 1,059 pages). Still, I’ve been putting it off in my attempt to fit in more reads this year and reach my 100 book goal. But no more procrastinating. This book has been waiting nearly 3 years on my shelf. Time to give it its due 🙂

---

Well, that closes off this week’s edition of WWW Wednesday!

What are you reading? What have you read? What will you be reading? Let’s share the love of bookish endeavours 🙂

Happy Reading

May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,

Faith