Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett

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On Discworld, a dying wizard tries to pass on his powers to an eighth son of an eighth son, who is just at that moment being born. The fact that the son is actually a daughter is discovered just a little too late. The town witch insists on turning the baby into a perfectly normal witch, thus mending the magical damage of the wizard's mistake. But now the young girl will be forced to penetrate the inner sanctum of the Unseen University--and attempt to save the world with one well-placed kick in some enchanted shins! Reissue.

If you’re working your way through the Discworld this will be the third book you come to. It’s the first book featuring the witches of the Disc and as with many of Terry Pratchett’s books it’s an interesting social commentary. Equal Rites as you may have guessed is about Equal Rights.

It focuses on Esk the eighth son of an eighth son who actually turned out to be a daughter. She inherits a staff, some bad stuff happens and she sets off with Granny Weatherwax for Ankh Morpork. Esk is a determined character and when she arrives at the unseen University and is told that she cannot be a wizard because wizardry is only for men she causes some trouble.

While she does prove that women are as good at wizardry as men, she didn’t feel solid as a character. I think the intention was probably to make her appear headstrong and as though she felt she knew more than she actually did, but in actuality she felt as if she did actually know all of this stuff. As a cub leader I have a lot of experience with eight year olds and I ask you what eight year old actually does know everything, whatever they believe?

I did enjoy meeting Granny Weatherwax. Ostensibly for the first time, although since I’d read the first two Tiffany Aching books as a child this was more like my third encounter with her. In this book she didn’t come across as all-powerful as she had been in the Tiffany Aching stories, but she also didn’t seem as old.  I don’t know if this is my relative age or an intention of the stories.

I would hesitantly say that I enjoyed this book more than either the Colour of Magic or The Light Fantastic, however not as much as the Childrens books Pratchett had written. I’m not sure whether this is down to my introduction to him as a child, his comparative writing style for adults and children, or the fact that this book was written relatively early in his career.

Whichever way you look at it this book is worth picking up for any fantasy fan.

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins

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Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

The Girl on the Train was the free book I received when I first signed up to Audible, so it should come as no surprise that I listened to it as an audio book. If you look on audible you will find mixed reviews for the story but next to no mention of the women who read it. 

Firstly the story. This story is a mystery of sorts. It tells the intertwined lives of three women who have little to do with each other. Each woman tells her own story from its own perspective and it gives a good idea how perspective can to an extent change events. 

The main character in the story is Rachel. The alcoholic ex-wife of Tom who becomes obsessed with 'Jess and Jason's a couple she has never met but whose lives she has built up in her mind to be perfection. Rachel comes across as an interesting woman who allowed the dissolution of her marriage to destroy her life, although perhaps it was the dissolution of her life which destroyed her marriage.

Secondly we have Anna. The second wife of Tom whose affair with him ended Rachel's marriage. Frankly to me she always came across as unlikeable, this may have been because we are first invited to put ourselves into Rachel's shoes. It may have been because the tone of her chapters was cold. I did warm to her as the story went on and we saw more of her own problems appear and I could understand how Rachel would have appeared to her.

Finally we have Megan, Rachel's Jess, she was my favourite of the three women and as her own story and background unfolded my heart went out to her. She is in some ways the centre of the story, as the woman who has gone missing, but I feel like the story was in many ways more about Rachel and Anna's personal development. Nonetheless without the Megan perspective I think I may have been tempted to give up long before the end. 

Overall the story wasn't too complicated, you could figure out where Megan went early on, despite red herrings. There was a twist at the end but while I didn't necessarily expect it I found it didn't surprise me. 

In terms of the narrator's I have to say I wasn't keen on any of them. The Rachel narrator was the one I leaned towards, she was the most matter of fact but also was able to distinguish different characters. The Megan narrator wasn't too bad, if a touch langorous and insipid. The Anna narrator, much like the character, really annoyed me. I found her to be whiny, having said this I've not heard anything else she has read and she could have been doing a perfect characterisation of Anna. 

Prince of Fools - Mark Lawrence

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I’m a liar and a cheat and a coward, but I will never, ever, let a friend down. Unless of course not letting them down requires honesty, fair play or bravery.

The Red Queen is dreaded by the kings of the Broken Empire as they dread no other.

Her grandson Jalan Kendeth – womaniser, gambler and all-out cad – is tenth in line to the throne. While his grandmother shapes the destiny of millions, Prince Jalan pursues his debauched pleasures.

Until, that is, he gets entangled with Snorri ver Snagason, a huge Norse axeman and dragged against his will to the icy north…

My Review of The Prince of Fools on Goodreads consisted of a single line ‘ A bit like loving Jorg all over again, except a Character so different from Jorg at the Same time!’. Suffice it to say I loved it and was beyond exited when Mark Lawrence liked my review. I could leave it at that but I won’t.

Prince of Fools has every bit of excitement the Broken Empire has to offer, it’s a thrilling look at the dead things lurking, and we see them much earlier and with a much more honest opinion than with Jorg. These are terrifying monsters that leave you gripping the edge of your seat. Months after reading the story I can still see them clawing their way towards Jalan.

While Jorg wanted to appear brave, and I think often more so than he was, Jalan wants to appear cowardly, usually more so than he was. In the blurb he claims to be a liar and a cheat and a coward, and to an extent he is all three. But from a different perspective I think he is perhaps too harsh on himself, throughout the story we find hidden depths to him, and if there is some dishonesty and cowardice in his actions so too is there bravery and caring.

I’m not saying this story will be for everyone, Mark Lawrence’s stories offer up people’s flaws in a way that is not always appealing. I however loved it and will definitely be reading the second instalment once it comes out in paperback

Sunday recap: 24th January 2016

I've not managed so well this week. I felt a little under the weather and it kind of put thoughts of healthy eating, reading and swimming out of my mind. I have managed to listen to most of a 30 hour audio book however.

Don't forget to head over to the Caffeinated Book Reviewer and sign up.

What I've been reading:

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

• An interesting book, but perhaps not entirely to my taste while being every bit the page turner.
•  This will count towards the following challenges; Alphabet Soup, 12 Months Classics Challenge, 100+ Books Challenge and You Read How Many Books Challenge.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

• This book is very different than it's prequel/sequel. I'm not quite sure I've read them in the right order. 
• This book counts towards the following challenges; Alphabet Soup, 2016 Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge, 2016 Series a Month Challenge,  100+ Books Challenge and You Read How Many Books Challenge.
• This book is also the second of the first series nominated for the Flights of Fantasy Book Club hosted by Alexa Loves Books.

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

• This book is just as good as the first in the series and I've barely been able to stop listening to it. It equates to nearly 30 hours of listening however I have very few hours of it left.
• This book counts towards the following challenges; Alphabet Soup, Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge, 100+ Books Challenge and You Read How Many Books Challenge.

What I've Posted This Week:

I've only managed one post this week

• The Eye of The World - Robert Jordan

My Bookish Resolutions

Reading Challenges:

• I have read 9/41 Discworld books
• I have read 3/100 books in 2016 so far

Blogging Challenges:

• I feel like a blogging routine is something that is evading me.
• I have made progress towards cataloguing my 'library', here. 
• So far I have managed to review all of the books I've finished so far this year! Huzzah, one New Years Resolution going well.
• I've set up the basics for some reviews I'm planning to write.

Personal Challenges:

• I managed to maintain a neutral weight this week.
• I only went swimming once this week and only managed 42 lengths.
• I had 2 fizzy drinks this week. A step backwards.

A Couple of Interesting Articles I've seen this week

• This post from Math With Bad Drawings which draws together two of my greatest loves; Maths and Storytelling. It's a relatively intense look at life from the perspective of some of the most prominent numbers we can be taught.
• This post about the semantics of translating from maths into other languages. In school we were taught the two different definitions of a Billion, on the basis that financially we as a nation now use the short-scale version and that historically we have used the long scale version. As a maths graduate and computer programmer I do wish they'd tidied up the code they inserted into the article however as I feel there are a couple of steps which can only cause confusion.
• And finally this post which says that Dirty Dancing is to be remade. I have mixed feelings on the subject. On the one hand I love the film and am a bit concerned a remake could ruin the charm of the original. On the other I always wanted to know what happened after the summer ended and a part of me hopes this may open up avenues for that to be explored. 

A quote from the bible for the week

Purer were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their form. - Lamentations 4:7

The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan

Image from Goodreads

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Robert Jordan has long been hailed as one of the world's fantasy greats and central to that is his Wheel of Time Series. It's a firm favourite with many fantasy fans and has been recommended to me many times over, I can see why.

The book for the most part flows smoothly, however I found myself jolted slightly moving from the prologue to the first chapter. When I tried to read this in paperback that transition put me off, however when I listened to it with audible it didn't seem sand.

I think part of the reason this story feels so good is the exceptional world building. Rand and his friends travel through a number of places over the course of the novel and each one has numerous stories to create a history. There are similarities between places throughout the story with a heavy focus on attitudes to the dark one, but no two places are the same and there is a shift in attitude or focus as they move closer to the Netherlands.

I like the fact that despite the wonderful world building that has gone into this novel none of the characters are totally defined by where they came from, and that's including the minor ones.

My favourite thread of the story was definitely Perrin's and when the story switched back to the other characters I would find myself anxiously waiting to see whether he had accepted himself. I really can't wait to see how his gift progresses in later books.

As I listened to this book rather than reading it as such I feel I need to mention the narration. This book is narrated by both Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. I read quite a few reviews on audible which described Michael Kramer's voice as tedious, I think it could be a bit in the style of marmite because I actually quite like it. I found that he could convince me of a range of characters and perhaps I'm biased because of the mistborn books.

The first time Kate Reading spoke it jarred me. There's nothing wrong with her narration, although I prefer Kramer, but it came as a shock. Somehow I missed that it was read by more than one person and you're approximately halfway through before she first speaks. All in all the narration works well in this balance and it does draw some distinction between the male and female viewpoints.

Sunday recap: 17th January 2016

The second full week of 2016 and it's been hectic, Cubs started back but thanks to some last minute meeting cancellation I wasn't quite ready and we had a games night.

I actually managed to get quite a lot of reading done this week. I finished two books and am well on my way to finishing a third. 

In other news my county had it's first snow of 2016 on Thursday evening, which saw me walking home to a numb head and then heading out to my in-laws down some twisty lanes while the snow flurried. My father in laws birthday being something I can't miss even if that stretch of road makes me nervous at the best of times following some ice last winter. 

Head over to the Caffeinated Book Reviewer and link up.

What I've been reading:

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

• An interesting book, but perhaps not entirely to my taste which is taking me a little while to edge my way through.
•  This will count towards the following challenges; Alphabet Soup, 12 Months Classics Challenge, 100+ Books Challenge and You Read How Many Books Challenge.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

• An exceptional fantasy story which I listened to with audible. So good in fact that I used all of my spare time over the first couple of days this week to listen to it and finished it off all in a hurry.
• This book counts towards the following challenges; Alphabet Soup, Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge, 100+ Books Challenge and You Read How Many Books Challenge.

Worth the lies by Mara Jacobs

• I love Mara Jacobs Worth series, unlike a lot of romance authors with on going stories she puts time into her characters. They get a real story and real backgrounds and don't feel like the same character every time juste wearing different clothes!
• This book counts towards the following challenges; Alphabet Soup, 100+ Books Challenge and You Read How Many Books Challenge.

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

• I have to say that when I received this book I was a little put off by the cover. It looked kind of trashy, I'm loving it though.
• This book counts towards the following challenges; Alphabet Soup, 2016 Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge, 2016 Series a Month Challenge,  100+ Books Challenge and You Read How Many Books Challenge.
• This book is also the first book of the first series nominated for the Flights of Fantasy Book Club hosted by Alexa Loves Books.

What I've Posted This Week:

• Millie Marrotta's Tropical Wonderland Bird Nest
• The Foster Husband by Pippa Wright

My Bookish Resolutions

Reading Challenges:

• I have read 9/41 Discworld books
• I have read 2/100 books in 2016 so far

Blogging Challenges:

• I still don't feel as though I've made progress towards a blogging routine, although I managed to pattern a couple of posts from last week I still feel as though I'm getting into the swing of normal life.
• I have made  no further progress towards cataloguing my 'library', here. 
• So far I have written a couple of reviews of recently read books. 
• I've written a bit for some backlist books I wanted to review.

Personal Challenges:

• This week I lost another 2lbs. I was a little stricter with myself in terms of snacking. 
• I went swimming twice this week. On Tuesday I swam 64 lengths and on Friday I swam 40 lengths, meaning I've officially managed to swim my first mile of the year, if not twice in one week!
• I had no fizzy drinks this week! 

The Foster Husband by Pippa Wright

Image from Goodreads

Kate left her seaside home town of Lyme Regis for the bright lights of London when she was eighteen, and never looked back. Why would she? She had it all: the glamorous media career, the gorgeous husband. Until her marriage failed and she found herself with nowhere else to go.

Now she's unemployed, separated, and holed up in her dead granny's bungalow while she works out what to do with the rest of her life. Worse, she's forced to share her new home with Ben, the clueless and domestically challenged fiance of her bossy sister Prue.

Ben is a man in need of simple instruction. And Kate is a woman in need of a project. Her own marriage may be beyond saving, but perhaps she can stop her sister's husband-to-be from making all of the mistakes that doomed her own relationship. Kate decides that she will secretly train Ben, her foster husband, as a selfless pre-wedding gift to her sister.

But Kate may be about to learn a few lessons of her own about what makes a good marriage.

The foster husband is a book I picked up at the works to make up a set of books to take away on holiday. Reading the blurb it sounded slightly hilarious and a bit of a recipe for disaster.


I have to say that I started reading this story with fairly low expectations. It surprised me.


It was funny. The story was compelling, and I felt compassion for the main character even when she didn't seem to deserve it. It has a twist which I didn't see coming until I was a long way in.

Of the books I took with me on my summer holiday last year I think this is the one I raced through the fastest.