Happy Wednesday friends!
Didn’t think I’d have this post for today, but I have to share my reading habits with you because of one word: SCHWAB! đ
Thanks to the lovely Sam at Taking on a World of Words for hosting this amazing blog hop every week! If you arenât following her already, youâre missing out đ
Want to join in? All you have to do is answer these questions:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish reading?
- What do you think youâll read next?
CURRENTLY READING
Dreadnought (Nemesis #1) by April Daniels
Blurb:
Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the worldâs greatest superhero. Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out sheâs transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Dannyâs body into what sheâs always thought it should be. Now thereâs no hiding that sheâs a girl.
It should be the happiest time of her life, but Dannyâs first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. Between her fatherâs dangerous obsession with âcuringâ her girlhood, her best friend suddenly acting like heâs entitled to date her, and her fellow superheroes arguing over her place in their ranks, Danny feels like sheâs in over her head.
She doesnât have time to adjust. Dreadnoughtâs murdererâa cyborg named Utopiaâstill haunts the streets of New Port City, threatening destruction. If Danny canât sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.
An ebook received through NetGalley, this book was just released in January and I’m actually rather enjoying it. The unique perspective has drawn me in and there’s an eclectic cast of characters to round it up. The story seems to be working with extremes but I do appreciate that the author is trying to explore the force of transphobia (and homophobia to some extent). The protagonist is highly likeable and the writing is quirky and and suits the first person POV.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
Blurb:
Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.
So far, this is proving to be a very inspiring and motivating read! I find it especially poignant these days, and maybe just the kick in the creative butt that I need đ
FINISHED READING
A Gathering of Shadows & A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #2 & 3)by V.E. Schwab
Blurb (from A Darker Shade of Magic, the first book)
Kell is one of the last travelersâmagicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes connected by one magical city.
Thereâs Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, and with one mad KingâGeorge III. Red London, where life and magic are reveredâand where Kell was raised alongside Rhy Maresh, the roguish heir to a flourishing empire. White Londonâa place where people fight to control magic and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London. But no one speaks of that now.
Officially, Kell is the Red traveler, ambassador of the Maresh empire, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world theyâll never see. Itâs a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, theyâll first need to stay alive.
What an absolutely brilliant series this has been! Whether it’s the gripping prose or the engaging world building or the memorable characters, Schwab has brought such magic into the world with this series. I haven’t felt this satisfied with a conclusion in a long time and it’s bittersweet to know that the adventure is over. Of course, that’s where the magic of the re-read comes in.
I do highly recommend this series â€
READING NEXT
The days are winding down, but I’m still hoping to get through these ones!
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
Blurb:
If you want something done right….
When the ruthless Pirate King learns of a legendary treasure map hidden on an enemy ship, his daughter, Alosa, knows that there’s only one pirate for the jobâherself. Leaving behind her beloved ship and crew, Alosa deliberately facilitates her own kidnapping to ensure her passage on the enemy ship. After all, who’s going to suspect a seventeen-year-old girl locked in a cell?
Then she meets the (surprisingly perceptive and unfairly attractive) first mate, Riden, who is charged with finding out all her secrets. Now it’s down to a battle of wits and will… Can Alosa find the map and escape before Riden figures out her plan?
Debut author Tricia Levenseller blends action, adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic into a thrilling YA pirate tale.
Wolves of the Calla (Dark Tower #5) by Stephen King
Blurb:
Roland Deschain and his ka-tet are bearing southeast through the forests of Mid-World on their quest for the Dark Tower. Their path takes them to the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis. But beyond the tranquil farm town, the ground rises to the hulking darkness of Thunderclap, the source of a terrible affliction that is stealing the town’s soul. The wolves of Thunderclap and their unspeakable depredation are coming. To resist them is to risk all, but these are odds the gunslingers are used to. Their guns, however, will not be enough….
Ashael Rising (Vessel of KalaDene #1) by Shona Kinsella
Blurb
Ashael is a hunter-gatherer woman, apprenticed to Bhearra, the healer and spiritual leader of their tribe.
The Zanthar are invaders from another world who extend their own lives by stealing the life-force of everything around them. They were last seen on KalaDene 200 years ago. They have returned, looking for The Vessel, a being prophesied to hold the life-force of the land.
Iwan is a slave to the Zanthar, descendant of the folk that were taken as slaves the last time the Zanthar visited this world. He is sent out as a spy, while his mother is held hostage to ensure his compliance.
When Iwan and Ashael meet and she invites him to stay in Oak Cam, neither of them realise that she is the one the Zanthar seek. The fate of KalaDene and all of its people rests on Ashael’s shoulders.
Share your WWW link in the comment or let me know what your reading habits have been like lately. Let’s spread the bookish love across the sphere đ
May inspiration flow like ink upon your quill,
FaithÂ
You’ll love Ashael Rising, Faith â€
Big Magic has a beautiful cover!! I'm not sure if it's my kind of book, but if you recommend it I'll trust you đ
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If you say I will, then I know I shall. You know me very well â€
It's a great motivator so far, with quite a bit of tough love. I think it's a helpful book for when you're in a rut.
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So many wonderful books this week. Dreadnought sounds really glad. Glad to see that you are enjoying it. I really liked Eat Pray Love. Elizabeth’s journey was so inspiring. I need to check out this book. I didn’t even know that she had written anything else until this review. Thanks for sharing. Happy reading đ
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She actually wrote a lot of fiction before writing Eat Pray Love. She’s got such a quirky voice, full of sarcastic wit. I kind of love it đ
Glad to share my dear and Happy Reading to you too â€
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You’ve been doing some great reading! I’m really looking forward to the Dark Tower series, Daughter of the Pirate King, and definitely Big Magic! I STILL haven’t read ADSOM, but I do have it! I seriously love Schwab’s writing! Happy hump day! đ
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Thank you, my dear! The Dark Tower series is brilliant. I’ve been milking it because I don’t want it to end, but I’ll finish the last three this year for sure.
Schwab is an amazing author. I hope you enjoy her Shades of Magic series. It’s brilliant â€
Happy Reading đ
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Thanks a bunch! I think I’m going to get The Gunslinger today! LOL! đ
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So many amazing books! I can’t wait for Daughter of the Pirate King and I just bought the whole V.E. Schwab trilogy so will be marathoning that soon!
Here’s my WWW Wednesday
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Thanks for dropping by, my dear! Enjoy your marathon of Shades of Magic. It’s quite brilliant, in my honest opinion đ
I’m looking forward to Daughter of the Pirate King too! Hopefully, we will both enjoy it!
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Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love kind of turned me off…something about a privileged person claiming to find herself while traveling the world rather expensively does not fascinate me…LOL. But I should probably get over myself and read something else of hers.
Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
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I haven’t read any of Gilbert’s other books. I can understand your issue with it, though. A few points she makes in Big Magic definitely are inspired by her context and can’t apply to everyone, but overall I think it can be universally motivating, if that makes sense…
Thanks for stopping by! Have an excellent week đ
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I’ve heard many amazing things about Big Magic. I’m happy it’s inspiring you!
My WWW Wednesday.
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Thanks for dropping by, my dear. It’s a wonderful little motivational book. I’ll go check yours out now đ
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So exciting to see Ashael Rising on your to-read list!
I hope you enjoy Wolves of the Calla, I loved it. That’s my favourite series! I’ve read the whole thing three or four times now
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I can’t wait to start it.
I just started Wolves of the Calla last night and so far it’s typically brilliant King đ I can’t believe how long it’s taken me to finish this series… ;P
Have a great week!
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Waaah I love Schwab! I have just started ACOL and I am excited!!
Here’s my WWW.
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Enjoy it Kelly! â€
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I very quickly skimmed over all mention of ACOL as it’s up next for me. I do like the sound of Daughter of the Pirate King so must add it to my tbr.
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A wise move, though I avoided spoilers đ
I’m excited to get to Daughter of the Pirate King too.
Thanks for stopping by. đ
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I’m so glad you loved the Shades Of Magic sequels! I can’t wait to get a copy of ACOL myself. I hope you will enjoy your books this week and happy reading!
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Thanks my dear! Hope you get a copy of it soon đ
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Lots of really good books here! Dreadnought sounds interesting – very different. And I have heard so many people tell me to read V.E. Schwab, but I haven’t been able to get around to it. So many books, so little time! đ
Here’s my post for the week: https://lifewithnoplot.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/www-wednesday-february-22-2017/
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Just finished Dreadnought and it was an exciting read. Very different indeed
Hope you get a chance to explore VE one day. She is brilliant. But I understand the TBR issues.
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll go check yours out now đ
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I really want to read Dreadnought after seeing it on your GoodReads page yesterday. It sounds awesome!
ACOL will probably be first on my March TBR, though I’m a bit apprehensive about it because I liked AGOS a lot less than most people. But that excerpt they released last year impressed me a lot more so I’m hopeful it was just me. I’m going on a trip in early March where there will be lots of curling up in front of a fire with a book so it would definitely be a good one for that.
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I just finished it, and while the ending was a little ‘out there’, it was a highly enjoyable book with great characters.
In my honest opinion, ACOL is much stronger than AGOS. I hope it proves the same for you! đ
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I’m down for the Daughter of the Pirate king :))
Here’s my WWW post friend
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I can’t wait to read it, mostly because I want to see how it might be competition for Pirate Eyes đ
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haha right! I was thinking about that too. It sounds good.
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Well you can’t go wrong with Stephen King.
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Definitely not đ
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I’m definitely intrigued by Big Magic! đ I hope you have a great reading week!
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You too, my dear đ
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I †Big Magic, so I'm really glad you're enjoying it so far. đ
My copies of ACOL and AGOS should be coming next week, and then it'll be BINGE-FINISHING TIME! Until then, I'm planning to start Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch tonight, and just finished The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. Oh my goodness, the latter was beautiful.
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I just added Daughter of the Pirate King to my TBR and yay for both AGoS and ACoL!!! My copy of ACoL hasn’t arrived yet and I’m getting impatient more and more. Haha. Glad you loved the ending!!!
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I bought A Darker Shade of Magic earlier this week, I’m really hoping I’ll like it as much as everyone else! Happy reading!
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