Hi all! Sorry for being away for so long, I just knew I wouldn’t be posting any updates to the blog while I was away on holiday. I did so little reading while I was there, which is quite shameful but we were so busy!
I had a fantastic time in New York! We got to see one of my best friends get married — I only cried three times during the ceremony — and reconnected with loads of people I haven’t seen since I made my way over to the UK in 2015. We also did some touristy things that I missed out on while I was living here. I got to see the Statue of Liberty up close for the first time via the Circle Line boat tour — highly recommended, by the way — and ran around the Bronx Zoo trying to see all the animals.
Other than the wedding, the most exciting bit is that Scottish Boyfriend is now Scottish Fiance! The smart man popped the question in Central Park, despite my best efforts to unintentionally ruin the proposal (I was grumpy, my feet hurt, and I didn’t know why he wanted to go to the park so badly! I got un-grumpy really fast, as I’m sure you can imagine). Any tips for planning a bookish wedding are much appreciated!
Books
Like I mentioned at the beginning, I did so little reading on this trip. I had intended to power through Flame in the Mist, but I forgot to load it onto my Kindle! I was devastated, but that will be my next read. Here’s a breakdown of what I actually accomplished reading-wise over the past ten days or so:
Read
The State of Grace by Rachel Lucas
I finished up The State of Grace on the plane. As I’ve mentioned here a lot I’m not a huge fan of contemporary YA, but I really loved this book. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something quick, sweet, and a little different. A review is forthcoming!
Currently reading
Blackwing by Ed McDonald
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Blackwing is the ARC I picked up when I realised that Flame in the Mist wasn’t on my Kindle. I have to say that it is freaking fantastic so far! I had heard about it via Twitter and decided to take a chance. If you’re a fantasy fan then you need to pick this up. I think it will prove to be one of the best debuts of the year.
Ninefox Gambit is the physical book I decided to bring with me. After a slow start — there’s a lot of pretty confusing terminology to get past — I’m finding it absolutely addicting. To be honest, I have no idea what’s going on half the time, but when I decided to just roll with it I found the book absolutely compelling. I can see why it is a front-runner for the Hugo this year. I have an advance copy of the sequel ready to go when I finish and I’m looking forward to that too.
Books bought
Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
Hey, only one bought! I think this is a streak for me. I picked this up in the airport and naturally didn’t get a chance to read it. I’ve heard such great things about it that I couldn’t resist, but I really do dislike that cover.
Welcome back!!
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I just finished Defy the Stars last week! The UK cover really does a disservice to the plot because the romance is tertiary in terms of narrative focus at best (*shakes fist at YA publishers marketing sci-fi fantasy adventures as a romance*). The North American cover is waaaay prettier and spacey and what got me interested in the first place. :3
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Oooh, did you like it? I’ve heard such great stuff on here, but might have not picked it up otherwise.
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I did like it! I had good vibes about it before I even picked it up and I was excited to find my instinct was correct! It’s like if Jyn Urso and K2SO in Rogue One went on an adventure to destroy the Death Star together. It’s great.
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