someonelookingpraediti

[someonelookingpraediti]

Hi i saw your bookclub post

Maybe the ocean? Our wives under the sea by Julia Armfield is beautiful, but also maybe Chlorine by Jade Song

Maybe Moby Dick(????)

That’s a great idea for a theme! Thanks for your recommendations!

[someonelookingpraediti]

Booklr Help Needed!

Ok, I know I've been completely absent, I have no excuse, I've just not been very focused the last few months. I'm going to catch up and get back on track!

But right now, I need Book Club help!! I run the book club at work, and we've been going for almost a year, but I'm running out of ideas for monthly themes.

We have a theme for each meeting, and then the members get to vote on three books that all match that theme.

Previous themes we've done are: Horror, Criminal Minds, Dark Academia, Murder Mystery, Star-Cross'd, Autobiography, Greek Mythology, Sci-Fi, Classic Lit, Hauntings, "Fae"bruary, Wanderlust.

Booklr blogs, I'd love some recommendations on themes, and some books that fit with them! Go wild - the more I have, the better!

Also, if anyone has any advice on writing discussion guides, I'd appreciate that as well - I find that really tricky!

#booklr #bookish #bookblr #book club #reading

[someonelookingpraediti]

Monthly Roundup February 2024

Monthly Goals: ✔️ Take part in a "social" read ✔️ Read a current subscription book ✖️ Read a backlog subscription book ✔️ Read a free book ✖️ Annotate a book ✔️ Read a sequel I've been putting off

I've done a little better this month, although I still didn't manage to hit all my goals. My reading has... suffered. I'll explain more at the end of the post.

An English Murder - Cyril Hare ★★★☆☆

This was on my Christmas reading list, it just took me a while to get into it! I enjoyed it, but it was just a pretty standard murder mystery.

Grieving Gold - Daniel McDaniel (DNF) ★☆☆☆☆

This was my "free" book of the month. I got an ARC from NetGalley, but I gave up after 71%. It was an alright plot, but the writing really wasn't good.

Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones ★★★★★

This was my sequel for the month. It didn't feel like much of a sequel at first, but it really tied up at the end. I think I actually liked it more than the first one!

An Enchantment of Ravens - Margaret Rogerson ★★★☆☆

February's theme for Book Club was "Fae-bruary". I enjoyed most of this book, but I really didn't like the ending. It didn't seem very well thought out.

The Invocations - Krystal Sutherland ★★★★★

My "current" subscription book for this month was January's Evernight pick. I absolutely loved this dark fantasy story, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for this author!

The Salt Grows Heavy - Cassandra Khaw ★★★☆☆

This is March's pick for Book Club, which means I'm going to have to find a buddy read as March's social read. I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, although it was very atmospheric.

Right, so. I've really fallen out of the habit of reading, and I'm missing so many opportunities to pick up a book. I've also completely stopped posting on this blog. I haven't posted about any of the books I read this month, and I've got four unboxing posts to catch up on. I'll catch up, I promise, and probably back-date them so they sit in the right sort of place.

There is an explanation, it's just... not a good one. You know that phenomenon where a mutual you follow suddenly discovers k-pop, and overnight, they become a k-pop blog, and never post anything else ever again? Well, I'm trying really, really hard not to do that.

But yeah, around Christmas, I finally caved, and listened to a few BTS songs. And... this happened,

Nothing else is quite the same anymore. I go online, and I think, okay, this is fine, but I could be listening to BTS. I try to read, and... I could be listening to BTS. I try to sleep, and I could be listening to BTS. It's really taken over my life, if I'm being honest.

It's okay, I can shake it. I'll get back into reading. I'll catch up with my blog posts. I'll change my alarm back to the Twilight soundtrack, so I don't wake up to Born Singer every morning. (I won't.)

#roundup #monthly roundup #reading #2024 #reading goals #BTS

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently Reading...

The Invocations - Krystal Sutherland

In order to keep on top of my book subscriptions, I'm trying to read at least one "current" book I receive from a subscription box each month. This book came with January's "Evernight" subscription. I really like this subscription, as it's both quarterly and horror. But it's book-only, and I'm cutting back on the amount of boxes I receive, so it had to go, and this is the last book I'm getting from this box.

This was an amazing book, I absolutely loved it. It was dark fantasy, with demons and witchcraft and a society of misogynistic hunters (the true horror) and serial killers and body horror.

The story wasn't exactly unpredictable, but it was really nicely put together; it came together really nicely and knowing the direction it was going in didn't stop me enjoying it - instead, I liked the anticipation it created.

I loved all three of the main characters, and the supporting characters were all really well written. And even though we barely saw anything of him, except through Emer's eyes, I really liked Bael!! I want a pet demon!

#currently reading #the invocations #krystal sutherland #evernight

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently Reading...

An Enchantment of Ravens - Margaret Rogerson

This was our Book Club pick for February. The theme was "Fae-bruary", so our options were all books about fairies!

This was kind of like The Cruel Prince, except a bit shit. I was really enjoying it most of the way through, I liked the characters, I liked the lore. But then the ending was a total disappointment.

I really thought there was going to be a big revelation, like an origin story for the fae that had been long forgotten, or a complete change in how fairies work as entities. Or at the very least, a way to make Rook mortal, so they could grow old together. Even Isobel having to sacrifice her mortality to save someone, or one of them dying to protect the other. Just... anything.

But it really just ended with the immediate danger being over, and no long term solution being offered.

It was a nice story, it just wasn't followed through on.

#currently reading #an enchantment of ravens #margaret rogerson

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently Reading...

Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones

One of my monthly goals is to read a sequel I've been putting off. I read Howl's Moving Castle last June, and absolutely loved it!

At first, this really didn't feel like a sequel. Other than being set in the same fantasy world, there didn't seem to be anything that linked the two stories.

But I really liked the story - in fact, I much preferred the plot to the first book! This was a great story, and even if it hadn't turned out to be an actual sequel, I'd still have loved it.

I was most of the way through the book, and still wondering if Sophie and Howl would show up at the end for the resolution, or if it was just going to be two completely unrelated stories.

But then, when I reached the end, it turned out that it had been a sequel all along! It was very clever, and so, so satisfying!

I'll definitely be reading book three!

#currently reading #castle in the air #diana wynne jones #howl's moving castle

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently Reading...

Grieving Gold - Daniel McDaniel

I received this book as part of a promotional giveaway

I got this ARC from NetGalley, and one of my monthly goals is to read a book I got for free, so this was my February read!

Or, at least, I tried to make it my February read. I really did persevere with this, but after nearly two weeks, I was forced to give up at 71%.

The plot was actually ok, it seemed to have a well thought out magic system, and there was a lot going on. It was just not very well written.

The dialogue, especially, was so stilted and unnatural, that it was just kind of painful to read? There was a serious lack of contractions in the dialogue, even when the language was quite chatty. Sometimes you need an "I'm" or a "don't" or a "haven't".

There was also an over-abundance of narrators. This can be used really effectively, but in this case, it just didn't work. Because there were so many different perspectives, we got a lot more information than any single character was aware of. Which meant that anything held back from the reader was very obviously held back by the author for impact. Which kind of broke the fantasy, for me. With fantasy, you want to forget that you're being told a story, and instead just live the book.

And although some of the characters were engaging, and their stories were interesting, a lot of them were just a bit boring, and seemed only there for backstory.

This was marketed as being perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson, which I totally get, because it was the exact kind of complex plot, high fantasy that he writes. It just wasn't well executed.

I almost wanted to know what happened at the end, but not enough to finish the book. And definitely not enough to read the rest of the series.

#currently reading #negative review #grieving gold #daniel mcdaniel #luminocity

[someonelookingpraediti]

I’ve had a very “All for the Game” weekend!

My limited edition Andreil print from @ouijacine arrived (oh my god, I love this version, I’m going to have to find wall space somewhere) along with the November, December, AND January prints! Best day ever!! But seriously, I am out of wall space.

And after procrastinating for eons, I’ve finally finished the new AFTG perfumes I’ve been planning for ages to match my Foxhole Court trio, in honour of The Sunshine Court! (I also made a Riko fragrance and it is my personal favourite, he’s the worst but he smells so good)

[Jean] [Jeremy] [Riko]

#bookish perfume #perfume #aftg #the sunshine court #Jean Moreau #Jeremy Knox #Riko Moriyama #ouijacine #all for the game #the foxhole court

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently Reading...

An English Murder - Cyril Hare

This was on my Christmas reading list. I didn't do super well on this list, I only read two of the four on my list by Christmas, and although I started this one in early January, I paused it and didn't finish it until a month later.

It was very Poirot in vibes, a real classic murder mystery. This was written in 1951, and reissued in 2017. It's a very basic whodunnit, but with a great post-war social commentary, with the dead body absolutely deserving it. I didn't guess the ending, so it definitely did its job!

I like the genre, but it's definitely not my favourite, so this was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. But it was a good story, so if murder mystery is your thing, I'd recommend it.

#currently reading #an english murder #cyril hare

[someonelookingpraediti]

Illumicrate Unboxing

Murder Mystery January 2024

I've already said in a previous post, January has been a disappointing month. This box was another let-down.

The featured book is "Voyage of the Damned" by Frances White. The basic plot of this sounds pretty good, except for one thing. It really, really sounds like it should have been a sci-fi, and not a fantasy! I think if this was interplanetary, rather than magical, I'd be really into it. As it is, it just doesn't appeal. The exclusive edition is... maybe a different shade of blue?? It's not really that... exclusive. It has stencilled edges, in a kind of single-colour (boring) wave pattern, and it has some basic foiling on the cover. There are artwork endpapers, which show a map of the ship. I'm just not that impressed.

The first item is a sticker book. I think it's designed to look like a passport or travel log. I do not need a sticker book, because I am a grown up. This is especially weird, because Illumicrate hardly ever do stickers as an item.

The next item is an apron. We got an apron in the FairyLoot box too. This one is slightly nicer, but still not great. It's inspired by "A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking". The pattern is okay, but the material is thin enough to be see-through.

Next is a stamp. It's inspired by "Wayward Children". I don't need a library stamp, I don't particularly like the design. There's nothing more to say here.

We also have a phone grip. This is based on "A Master of Djinn". I don't understand phone grips, they don't seem particularly comfortable to hold, they're ugly, and they make your phone too bulky for your pocket.

The last item is a set of bookmarks. I don't like card bookmarks, and I don't see the point in a whole set of nearly identical bookmarks. Illumicrate do a lot of these sets, and they're one of my least favourite items. This set is based on "Crescent City".

I love a five-item box. But I disliked all five of these items. I'm so let down by this box. I hope this isn't setting a trend for the year.

#unboxing #illumicrate #murder mystery #voyage of the damned #frances white

[someonelookingpraediti]

FairyLoot Unboxing

Regency & Scandal January 2024

January has been an incredibly disappointing month - none of the boxes I received were worth having. OwlCrate also featured the same book as FairyLoot, but I'm pissed off at OwlCrate, and I've cancelled my subscription, so I won't bother with an unboxing post.

The featured book is "A Fragile Enchantment" by Allison Saft. I've read regency fantasy before, and really enjoyed it. But honestly, there is nothing that appeals to me about this book. This edition (like the whole box) is way too prissy for my tastes. It's got an exclusive colourway on the jacket, and an alternate cover on the reverse of the jacket, which is disappointingly similar to the original. There's some impressive printing on the hardcase, a full colour flower pattern on all three edges, and two different full artwork endpapers. There's a lot of work gone into this edition, but I just don't like it, and as I won't be reading the book, I'm going to sell it on.

The first item is a lunch bag. It's based on "The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels". It's not a very nice material, the pattern is (as I've said) prissy, and the colour is unpleasantly pastel. And that's coming from someone who loves pastel.

The next item is a ceramic flower pot. The is inspired by the "Emily Wilde" books. It's a good quality item, but again, not to my taste. It's overwhelmingly pink, and frilly. It's an odd shape, and quite small, so is probably suited more to herbs than anything else.

Next is a brooch, based on the featured book. It's a portrait of one of the characters. I don't really know what else to say about this, except that it's not nice. I'd never wear this.

Finally, there's an apron. It's a half apron, inspired by "Half a Soul". I love these books, but wouldn't have linked this design to the story. It's not a very good quality apron, the design is unimpressive, and the colour is unpleasant.

This month's tarot cards feature Niamh and Kit, from "A Fragile Enchantment".

I can't even really judge this box objectively, because it's so, so far from my personal taste. I really disliked the whole box, and I think it is the absolute extreme of a trend I hate - the gendered targeting of subscription boxes.

#unboxing #fairyloot #a fragile enchantment #allison saft #regency & scandal

[someonelookingpraediti]

Monthly Roundup January 2024

Monthly Goals: ✔️ Take part in a "social" read ✖️ Read a current subscription book ✖️ Read a backlog subscription book ✖️ Read a free book ✖️ Annotate a book ✖️ Read a sequel I've been putting off

Well... fallen at the first hurdle! I didn't do well with my goals this month. I did a "social read" three times, and that's about it! I'm going to try much harder next month.

The Secret History - Donna Tartt (re-read)

I buddy read this one with my friend Ellie. It was just as good as the first time, and still one of my favourite books ever.

The Little Friend - Donna Tartt ★★★★★

This was my least favourite of Donna Tartt's novels. I buddy read it with Henry. It was exceptionally well-written, but it didn't grab me the same way the others did. Still a great book though!

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë ★★★★★

This was January's Book Club pick. I read it as a little kid, but didn't remember much of it. I loved this! And it did start coming back to me as I read, it was very familiar.

Heroes - Stephen Fry ★★★★★

I audiobooked this one, which is absolutely the right way to read it. It only took me three weeks, which is super fast, for me. It was just as good as the first book.

The Bacchae and Other Plays - Euripides ★★★★★

I've never read any Euripides before, but I really enjoyed these plays. I was intending on making this my annotated book for the month, but the mood didn't strike me.

I can't believe what a good month I had - I only read five books, but they were five amazing books! I've never had a month of all 5-star reads before!

#monthly roundup #roundup #reading #2024

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently Reading...

The Bacchae and Other Plays - Euripides

I can't believe I've never actually read any Euripides, I'm such a poser. But I loved it! This volume contains Ion, The Women of Troy, Helen, and The Bacchae. If I had to pick a favourite... well I mean, everyone loves The Bacchae, don't they? Helen was my least favourite though. Harsh, but true.

I sort of intended on annotating this, but as I sat down on the train, pen in hand, I just got sort of sucked in, and realised I'd be underlining either everything, or nothing at all. I just wasn't feeling annotate-y.

The good thing about this book was that I looked very cool reading it. The downside is that I realise I now have to try to find volumes with the other fifteen plays, or I'll have to read a complete collection with some overlap.

#currently reading #euripides #the bacchae #greek plays #greek mythology

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently Reading... Heroes - Stephen Fry

Either I'm getting better at audiobooking, or I just... had a lot of time this month. I got this listened to in about three weeks!

I've definitely found my audio genre - mythology! I normally find audiobooks really difficult, because I get distracted so easily, I just find myself zoning out and missing bits. But with mythology, it's not so bad - if you zone out a bit, you don't really miss anything crucial, and you can kind of pick it back up.

You also (or I, at least) don't seem to need quite the same level of concentration as you do when listening to a novel. Whether that's mythology in general, or just Stephen Fry, I'm not sure.

I'm going to listen to Troy next, and then I'm going to try Natalie Haynes. Then maybe I'll branch out into some true non-fiction. Mythology is an odd one - it's non-fiction, but it's sort of also fiction at the same time.

Heroes was every bit as good as Mythos, and it works so, so well as an audiobook - hearing all his footnotes mixed into the main text as humorous little asides, all in his own voice, really makes it feel like he's speaking to you across a tiny little lecture room, chalk in hand.

#currently reading #heroes #stephen fry #audiobook #greek mythology

[someonelookingpraediti]

- Heroes; Stephen Fry

#this is an absolute joy to listen to in audiobook form #heroes #stephen fry #book quotes #greek mythology

[someonelookingpraediti]

OwlCrate Unboxing

The Raven Cycle Utterly Disappointing

Last January, OwlCrate released the first book in The Raven Cycle in a special edition box. The box was wonderful, every item was a winner, and the book was beautiful.

Last month, the other three books were delivered. I've honestly never been so disappointed in a special edition. They're a completely different colour from the first book, and look terrible lined up next to it. The first book was blue, these three are green.

But the worst part is OwlCrate's response. I emailed them when I received them. I wasn't rude - I was about as far from rude as possible! I practically apologised for living! But their answer was atrocious.

I am sorry you are disappointed in the colour variation of the Raven Cycle books. While we did expect more of a gradient, it was the publisher and printer who made the final decisions.

First of all, this is bullshit. OwlCrate commissioned the books. They commissioned the artists, and approved the designs. If the publisher made a mistake, they'd be responsible for correcting the mistake. If, as I suspect, the error was with OwlCrate (perhaps they approved the order without checking it) then it is OwlCrate's responsibility to correct the mistake at their own cost. Either way, a solution should be offered, considering they admit that the books aren't as expected.

A few people have been asking if we will be issuing new dust jackets but we will not be doing so. All editions we sent out are the same and were approved by the publisher. We will be sure to pass all feedback on to the publisher and printer so they are aware some of our readers are disappointed in the final design.

They admit, again, that the designs have been poorly received. But once again, they try to blame the "publisher" for the error. It's worth noting, I didn't actually ask them for replacement dust jackets. I actually asked for the image files, so I could have the jackets corrected by a printer at my own cost.

Nonetheless, we hope you enjoy these beautiful editions of some of our favourite books. Thanks so much and happy reading!

And isn't that a slap in the face? "We know the editions are bad, happy reading!" Thanks, Owlcrate.

I did reply to the email. I, somehow, managed to remain pretty polite. I expressed justified incredulity at their response, explained that I had never actually asked them for reprinted dust jackets, and I reiterated my request for the files so I could get replacements printed at my own cost. And this is the response I got:

I appreciate your feedback and will pass it on to the team. As the books and dust jackets were approved by the publisher, we will not be reprinting dust jackets or offering refunds. Thanks so much and have a great day!

At this point I got rude.

I accused them of not bothering to read my messages. I said they must be receiving so many complaints they were just sending out stock responses without reading them. I told them I had cancelled my subscription because their customer service had been so disappointing (this is true - after two and a half years, this prompted me to leave Owlcrate). I asked them to re-read my first two emails and answer my actual request.

Huh, it wasn't as rude as I remembered it being. I was quite restrained.

They never answered me.

Clearly, now they're not getting my money, they aren't going to bother answering my emails.

This set cost $155 in total. They acknowledge that there was a problem with the design. But they're not going to fix it. They've already been paid.

I've always raved about OwlCrate, and always recommended them to my friends, but after this awful experience, I won't be buying from them ever again, and I'll be warning others off whenever I can.

#owlcrate #the raven cycle #the raven boys #maggie stiefvater #unboxing

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently Reading...

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë

This was this month's Book Club pick! Our theme was Classic Literature, and the other two options were Moby Dick and Brideshead Revisited.

Jane Eyre won the vote, and it was the only one of the three I had previously read. But I read it when I was perhaps nine years old? So honestly, I neither truly understood, nor appreciated it at the time.

I was really late in starting it - four days before the meeting - because I was still slogging through The Little Friend. And all the other Book Club members were telling me how much they were struggling with it, how slow it was, how they weren't enjoying it. Even though I'd enjoyed it as a kid, I was dreading reading it, based on their opinions!

But god, I loved it! I stormed through it, and it was every bit as good as I remembered it being!

Jane is such a brilliant character, and Rochester is so bizarrely likeable, despite being such an absolute git. He's an absolute joy to read, mostly because Jane really is a fantastic narrator, but also because he's such a difficult character to get a read on. And, as always, the book is always better after an in-depth discussion over pancakes!

#currently reading #jane eyre #charlotte bronte