Tuesday 15 July 2014

Teaser Tuesday: Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens.

Murder Most Unladylike –
Corgi Childrens


Murders, unfortunately, always come with murderers attached.
— Chapter 1-6

I still remember that first meeting – it would be hard to forget it. It was the first time I’d ever stepped onto a Games field, and incidentally also the first time I truly thought I might die. 
— Chapter 2-5



I snoozed on the release date of this one. Shame on me, really. This is such a fun read, if you’re only the tiniest bit partial to British humour and detective stories. Daisy is determined to be the next detective wonder and Hazel reluctantly accepts the role as Dr Watson to Daisy’s Sherlock. All this in the delightful setting of a 1930ies boarding school for girls of affluent parents. I enjoyed this story a lot, especially guessing along who the murderer might be and why they did it. This is a very clever book definitely aimed at a younger audience with an inclination towards mystery. I would like to accompany Hazel on her next adventure, which Daisy will inadvertently steer them into.

The end of the World Cup finally means more reading time for me. I desperately have to catch up on some books I neglected during the past weeks. And then there is this highly anticipated tome The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, which comes out tomorrow and which will mean that I’ll drop everything to read this first.
Do you interrupt your reading of one book to read something else or do you finish your current book before you start something new?

Tuesday 8 July 2014

Teaser Tuesday: After the End by Amy Plum

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

After the End by Amy Plum.

After the End – HarperTeen


“Juneau, you can’t be perfect. You’re going to be clan Sage, not our sole protector.”
“I’d rather be prepared to do both,” I respond.
— Chapter 1

Death by ponytail. It could happen.
— Chapter 4




Just a quick note about this as I’ve just started reading. These two scenes are from the two protagonists of the novel and with just a few words you already know the sort of person the are, or at least project to be on the surface. That’s very skillful writing and I admire Amy Plum a lot, especially when I see how much she has evolved during her first trilogy alone. I love watching writers grow with their books and this is definitely the case here. The whole idea of the story is an interesting concept and I’m looking forward to seeing Juneau stumble through not-at-all-post-apocalyptic modern day ... and meet and clash with Miles.

Do you have an author whose development you’ve followed from their debut? Let me know about them and share your teasers in the comments.

Tuesday 1 July 2014

Teaser Tuesday: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo.

Ruin and Rising –
Henry Holt and Co.

“Everyone okay?” Mal asked.
“Never better,” said Genya shakily.
David raised his hand. “I’ve been better.”
— Chapter 5

“Are you going to make a habit of winning arguments? It’s very unbecoming.”
“Was this an argument?”
“Obviously not. I don’t lose arguments.”
— Chapter 8



There are two things tearing on my nerves at the moment. One is the football world cup where I’m part of a heavily fought betting game and the other is this book. And not only my poor nerves, but also my poor heart! This book will happily dangle everything you ever wanted before your very nose and then either reveal it as deadly poisonous or burn it to ashes. I still have quite a bit to go so I also still have hope ... which I by now presume to be a dangerous thing. Because even if the teasers sound light-hearted and fun, which there is also a bit of, there is also the very opposite of it.
Some books demand a considerable amount of space in your life and you gladly give it, while other books simply install themselves there and you find yourself wondering when that happened but can’t find it in you to be unhappy about it. This series more or less stole into my reading pile at first and now I simultaneously can’t wait for the conclusion and don’t want to reach the end ... because of said suspicions about certain hopes. Damn you, Leigh Bardugo, you word magician.

Are you following the world cup or staying as far away from it as possible? If the latter, which books are with you? And if the former, what are you reading between the games? Teasers and opinions are welcome in the comments. Also tips about the championship.

Tuesday 24 June 2014

Teaser Tuesday: The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel.

The Break-Up Artist –
Harlequin Teen

I should throw the slippers out like I’ve done with the rest of my memories from that train wreck of a friendship, but I won’t. I never do. I keep them here, in plain sight, a perpetual reminder of why I do this.
— Chapter 1

“Are you serious?”
She glares at me with the fire of a thousand tanning booths. I’ll take that as a yes.
— Chapter 13



Summer is here and with it numerous summer comedies and light romances. This one has an interesting premise insofar as that the snarky narrator starts out as a romantic grump convinced that relationships are meant to be broken. I’ll venture a guess and say that this will have changed by the end of the story. Just how this will happen is not quite clear at this point. Sure, there is the potential guy to convince her otherwise but there is not that much going on there yet.

Do you read according to seasons? At work I’m reading slightly asynchronous and currently have Christmas stories on my table. So Summer reads are definitely necessary to prevent me from humming Jingle Bells in 30 degree weather.

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Teaser Tuesday: Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins.

Sweet Reckoning –
HarperTeen


Was that really how they saw me? A dangerous demon assassin? Actually, I kind of liked that image.
— Chapter 22

“Father.” Kai clutched the phone tighter and his eyes hit mine, filled with more torment than I’d ever seen. “I’ve got her.”
— Chapter 24




Back from vacation, didn’t think that I’d be too knackered last week for a post. Sorry about that. I also finished City of Heavenly Fire while I was away and absolutely loved it. Perfect end for the series and too many great lines to choose from ... also possible spoilers.
This is also the end of a trilogy. I must confess that I had to look at my reading log to remember what’s going on. But I found my way back into it and now I’m curious how it will play out. Of course I’m rooting for the protagonists’ love story. However, I’m also quite interested in how Anna is supposed to fulfil the task set before her. Let’s hope that the casualty count at the end won’t be too high.

How many books do you take with you when you go on vacation? I generally have to buy books while away. Not necessarily because I’ve run out but it’s like a compulsion. Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.