Showing posts with label ken follett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ken follett. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 February 2018

Top Ten Tuesday | Shame, Shame, Shame...


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!


This week's theme is 'Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read' which is basically the story of my life. So this is going to be embarrassing.


We all have them, don't we? Those books we keep telling ourselves we need to read but then, year after year, they fall by the wayside for other things. I have quite a lot of those books, in fact, so today I'm talking about the books I haven't read despite having owned my copies for quite a few years now.



A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: I'm pretty sure I've owned my copy of this book since I finished my undergraduate degree, which means I've owned it since 2013 and still haven't read it. It's about time I got on that!

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: Even worse I'm fairly certain I picked my copy of this one up while I was still at uni. It's one of those books I tell myself I'm going to read and never get to, so I really do need to try and get to it soon.

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber: Like the majority of the books on this list this is another one I came across in a charity shop and picked up because, as a huge historical fiction fan, it's one of the classics of the genre that I feel like I should have read by now. I'm not as eager to pick this one up as I am the others on this list but I'd like to cross it off my TBR at some point.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: Considering I did my dissertation on women in dystopian fiction it's incredibly embarrassing that I haven't read this one yet and, sadly, I know it's still so relevant. I want to read it, I just know it's going to make me angry and upset and I need to be in the right mood for that kind of book.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly: I've owned my copy of this for a few years now and still haven't read it which is ridiculous considering it's historical fiction with a dash of dark fairy tales. So many things I love!



Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke: It's the size of this book that intimidates me but my friend Natalie @ A Sea Change loved it and I'd really like to cross it off my TBR.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: Similarly, at around 1,500 pages, this book is so daunting to me. It's the one classic I'd really like to try and cross off my TBR, though.

Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman: Another one I found in a charity shop and still haven't read because I'm the worst. Sharon Kay Penman is an author I definitely need to have under my belt, though, she's so highly regarded in the realms of historical fiction.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett: My parents got me this one for my first Christmas home from university. This means I've owned my copy since 2010. Oh dear.

The Lady's Slipper by Deborah Swift: Yet another one I discovered in a charity shop and would really like to read because I had the pleasure of meeting the author while studying for my MA and she was lovely. This piece of historical fiction is actually set around the area where I went to university so it'd be lovely to revisit it in this book.

Which books made your list this week?

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

The TBR Tag!

I wasn't tagged, but I saw Mel @ The Daily Prophecy doing this and thought I'd give it a go!

How do you keep track of your TBR?

HA. I don't. I'm constantly on Goodreads; really I should organise my shelves, because right now all I do is click 'Want To Read' whenever I see a book that looks even remotely interesting and most of them I'll never actually be interested enough to read. It's mainly so I don't forget about them!


Is your TBR mostly print or e-books?

It's all print books, because I don't own an e-reader. I suppose I could download PDF files, but I have no interest in reading a full-length novel on my laptop unless I'm proofing it or something.

How do you determine which book to read from your TBR next?

I usually have several books on the go at once, because there's so damn much I want to read. Basically I pick up whatever I feel like reading and I read it; I've tried giving myself monthly TBRs in the past, but they've always just ended up bumming me out.

A book that has been on your TBR the longest?


I feel like I've been meaning to read The Shadow of the Wind forever. Notable mentions also go to The Count of Monte Cristo and The Pillars of the Earth.

A book you recently added to your TBR?

The Great Zoo of China combines Jurassic Park with dragons. How could I not want to read it? I'd like to get a copy, but I entered a giveaway on Goodreads so I'm going to make sure I don't end up with a free copy before I buy my own!















A book in your TBR because of its beautiful cover?

Honestly I don't think there is one. I'm not saying I don't judge books by their covers, because I do, but I never buy a book I don't know anything about just because it's pretty. I find books that sound interesting, and then I find the prettiest copies I can find.

A book in your TBR that you never plan on reading?

If you'd asked me last week I could have told you, but at the weekend I ended up donating a big pile of my books to charity because I knew I was just never going to read them. Pretty much all the books I own now are books I've already read and enjoyed, or books I want to read.

An unpublished book in your TBR that you're excited for?

Give me Winter, give it to me now!

Also Mistress Firebrand by Donna Thorland, which I'll get to read very soon because Donna very kindly sent me an ARC.

A book in your TBR that everyone recommends to you?

Not everyone so much as one person who's recommended it so many times it feels like everyone (I love you really, Mallory): The Handmaid's Tale.

Number of books in your TBR?

Hundreds. It's embarrassing, really.

I tag Mallory @ The Local Muse, Frannie @ Frannie in the Pages and Michelle @ In Libris Veritas - what's your TBR pile like, ladies?

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Top Ten Tuesday | Historical Fiction I Can't Believe I Haven't Read Yet!


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books I Haven't/Want To Read From X Genre'. As you all know by now, I love my historical fiction, but there are still a lot of historical fiction books, including some historical fiction staples, that I haven't read yet. That's something that needs to change!

So, without further ado, here are my top ten!




Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: I love the Tudors, and I love my historical fiction set during this period of history, but I still haven't gotten around to reading this yet. I'd like to read it soon, though, so I can watch the BBC adaptation!

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett: This book is a bit of a beast, which I think is why I still haven't read it despite having owned my copy for over four years. Oops!

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: I'm desperate to read this - I've heard amazing things about Fingersmith - but for whatever reason I've just never gotten around to it. That's going to change very soon, though!

Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman: Considering I live in Wales I haven't read many books set in Wales, and I definitely haven't read any historical fiction set in Wales. Here Be Dragons is based on the story of Joan, Lady of Wales, a real figure from history. She was the illegitimate daughter of King John who was married to Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (also known as Llylwelyn the Great) in the early 13th century, at a time when England and Wales were not the best of friends.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: If there's one thing I need to read more of it's books that weren't originally written in English. In fact I need to read more books that aren't written by British or American authors in general. This is another book I've heard amazing things about, and another I just haven't gotten to yet.




Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: Why I haven't read this yet I really don't know, because it involves two of my favourite things: history and female friendships. I need to read this soon!

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: I used to pass this book all the time during my teens, back when Borders was still around (R.I.P Borders, forever in our hearts), and for some reason I just never bought it, but I was obviously interested in it because I'd pick it up and read the blurb every time I saw it. I finally bought myself a copy last year, and I'd like to read the entire Gemma Doyle trilogy this year!

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler: Kindred is both historical and science fiction, because the main character actually ends up time travelling back to the Antebellum South, which isn't all that great for a young black woman. I've heard amazing things about it, and I really want to check it out for myself.

Temeraire by Naomi Novik: Unlike the other books on this list, Temeraire is a piece of alternate history. It's the Napoleonic Wars, but with dragons. Why wouldn't I want to read it?

The Falconer by Elizabeth May: I've heard mixed things about this book, but I still want to check it out for myself. Not only because I haven't really read much involving faeries, but also because I follow Elizabeth May on Twitter and I love her feminist rants.

Which books made your list?

Sunday, 9 November 2014

Remembrance Sunday


In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.



~ In Flanders Fields by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae ~



Lest We Forget

1914-1918, 1939-1945


WW1 Recommendations



by Michael Morpurgo

by Adèle Geras, Melvin Burgess, Berlie Doherty, Mary Hooper, Anne Fine, Matt Whyman, Theresa Breslin, Sally Nicholls and Rowena House

by Sebastian Faulks

by Anna Hope

by Pat Barker


WW2 Recommendations


by Elizabeth Wein

by John Boyne

by Markus Zusak

by Ken Follett

by Peter Ho Davies