Category: Books

Daily Harvest

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

The book fair is over. I didn’t get as many books as I wanted because I already have too many. I need to be mindful about how much space they take and have not recently donated to the library to free up the shelves. I think I still got some pretty nice books.

On the photo:

  • Malice by John Gwynne
  • The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin
  • Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Adrian Tchaikovsky in Sofia

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

I made it to the book signing with Adrian and got my copy of Children of Ruin signed. Big thanks to the publisher for putting these events together, helps a book blogger gain some good memories, photos, and posts.

The event kicked off with a panel exploring just how alien aliens can be, which was fun and thought-provoking. What would a spider say to a human if the spider communicates by pulling strings? Why haven’t you all read Octavia Butler?After that, we had a short game, a Q&A session, and finally the signing itself.

I’m really glad I got the chance to attend. It was memorable!

What I read in August

~ Veselin ~ 7 Comments

August was a fine month for reading. I managed to finish 8 books, mostly thrillers and fantasy.

Best books for the month

  • Frieda McFadden’s The Housemaid – Best book of the month by a wide margin. The novelty of reading something very different from my usual picks hit me hard, and I loved it. ★★★★★
  • The Sword of Kaigen – although I rated this overly dramatic epic fantasy with 4/5, it seems to age well and my memories about it are improving over time. ★★★★☆
  • Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? Nicci French got a 4/5 and could’ve been a 5 without the slow first half of the book. It features a new and promising detective Maud O’Connor. ★★★★☆
  • Never Lie by Frieda McFadden – Another claustrophobic thriller, ★★★★★ in the moment, but it slips to fourth place because other reads feel more significant.
  • The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa got a 4/5 review and a blog post. I have a signed copy, the print is high-quality and sits well on the shelves. I also read the continuation, which gave a bit of entertainment and a bit of eye rolls. ★★★★☆

Worst books for the month

  • Nightshade by Michael Connelly – surprisingly weak from Connelly. A disappointing ★★☆☆☆.
  • I also read the book Traitors in Space – My first sci-fi about a parasite that spreads by touching people’s foreheads. Above average for a Choose Your Own Adventure book, so ★★★★☆. Sure, the hand-to-forehead infection method feels questionable, but I’ve also read two vampire stories this month where they survive on a few drops of blood a day without breathing. Who am I to judge?

Daily Harvest

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

This will be a tough one to read. I’m still half-way through the last one but the buy 2 get 4 books promotion by the local publisher Artline was too good to miss.

  • The last Ronin – I plan reading one chapter per day with the little one (already completed two). It features one surviving ninja turtle and the elderly badass April O’Neil but it’s mostly for the sub-10 audience
  • Lore Olympus – another graphic novel, which I’ve not unboxed yet
  • Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky – in case I’m meeting the guy next month, I’d like to have that completed
  • To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christofer Paolini – I have to admit that I got that for the cover because they add up nicely with the one above. I’m not sure if I’ll ever read it. The author is well-known for his series Eragon.

Goodreads Brings Back Friends’ Reading Challenges

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

One of my favorite parts of Goodreads used to be seeing how my friends are progressing toward their annual reading goals. It was fun and a little competitive in a good way.

Last year, Amazon decided to clutter Goodreads with about a hundred new challenges while somehow hiding the only one that mattered to me. For a while, seeing friends’ challenge simply disappeared.

Well, good news: it’s back. If you’re using the mobile app, you can find it under:
Settings → Reading Challenges → More frien…

I’m thankful it’s back so I can keep an eye on what my frien… read again.