I haven't been reading much for a while now.
Had some rough times these past few years, but I'm trying to read regularly again, as it's a past time i enjoy.

In honesty my problems have been with mental health. Had a breakdown in 2021 and have been dealing with it all since.
(Depression and Anxiety)
Recovery is proving to be challenging, but hopefully, if I can convince myself to read again, it might help me be me again.

I started reading this book a while ago, but just never really finished it.
After being struck by depression late 2021 I just found it so difficult to read...well..anything.

The fact that Wilbur Smith died relatively recently too upset me.

I've been meaning to read the series for years but kept putting it off.

RIP Wilbur Smith, I've finally started your Egypt series, and I love what I've read so far.

Brand new book :) I swear buying books and reading them are different hobbies XD

Definitely an interesting (if short) book. Not quite what I expected, I got snippets here and there of it seen from the people who were involved in the war via quotes.
But I misunderstood the title.
I expected the war to be told from their perspective, what I actually got was a description of the event blow by blow with tiny little bits from those involved.
Still a decent read though.

This was a bit of a blind side for me, didn't really know what to expect.
Definitely interesting, although I can't say for certain at this time if I enjoyed the book or not.
It was interesting, but still debating if I like it or not.

*read using the Libby app*
I quite enjoyed this one.
I've got a weak spot for anything based on mythology, and this fit in quite nicely.
Well worth a read for people interested in feel myths, although if you know any myths already you'll recognise the references made in the book, but you'll still be pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns of the book.

Must admit not the one I've most enjoyed from the series so far, but that's not to say it was a bad one, it's just one I didn't enjoy as much as some of the earlier ones.
Still a great book though.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and it still made me laugh.

Managed to finally finish this Audiobook.
Absolutely loved it.
It jumps about a bit, as it talks about the Mafia families as entities, occasionally with certain events having overlap with th different families activities, but it keeps you right by doing short recaps if certain people haven't been mentioned in a while.
Well worth looking into if you have any interest in the American Mafia.

It's been a while since I read the first one, so a bit of an initial lurch, but I picked up the story fast, as it catches you up without giving too much away.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book, Christian Jacq's book are always good to read, as they really immerse you into the period of time they are set in.

The Ramses series is still my favourite so far, but this series is good too
Book 1 - Manhunt
Book 2 - The Divine Worshipper

This book was fun to read, but a bit of a lurch, as it very much streamlined and used modern terms in what are classical myths.
Not updated using modern terms, summarised using modern terms, which was kind of jarring for me.
Still a fun read through.
Very blunt about themes and tropes in Greek myths which are definitely put off place in our modern society when violated to the ancient Greek society.

I have read 12 of these books, but rated them separately as they do vary in read quality.

Still well worth reading, even if some of the information is now outdated.
It's definitely a different experience reading these books as an adult versus as a kid, but they were still enjoyable, and a great place to start with any of these topics

*Full review on Goodreads*

The story was in essence good, and needed to be told.
But it just felt that the telling didn't live up to the gravity and importance of the story.

I don't normally write long reviews, but this book had me so conflicted that I wrote a long review on Goodreads to try and get my thoughts in order.

www.goodreads.com/aimee_g

I cannot do my thoughts justice here in less than 450 words.

The best description of this book, is written within its own pages, right at the start, before chapter 1...

"This book is intended neither as an accusation not as a confession, but simply as an attempt to give an account of a generation that was destroyed by war - even those of it who survived the shelling."

This book definitely makes you stop and think. I stopped several times just to process what I had read.
I do recommend the book though.

This book is able to go into how each of the mentioned figures within its pages rose to, and maintained, power in eerily similar ways, without getting too heavily into who each of the dictators are.
The book is more of a broad view of how they subjugated their respective countries and people, rather than a deep list of their tyrannical and cruel methods.
It's a good book, but knowing who the dictators mentioned are beforehand makes it better.

Just finished reading these books again, but this time via audiobooks.
OMG these audiobooks are good, Sir Ian McKellen is a great narrator for this series.
If you get the chance to try these books read by him, do it.
Now to move onto the newest book from Michelle Paver in this series;
The Viper's Daughter.

This book is in demand on my Libby app, so took time to get.
Thoroughly enjoyable though, the stakes definitely heat up in this book, 'Trials' is a pretty good word to use in this book.
,'Torment' would be another good one.
Apollo's past is a big factor in this book, even more so than the last 3.

As always, I love Rick Riordan use of mythology in his books, especially bringing to light more obscure stories and myths most people don't know about.

Took advantage for the first time of the Amazon Prime First Pick thing for books, and I saw this one.
Hoo boy...
I really like this book, really interesting thread that spins throughout the book, with little hints about the killer, by not only seeing through their eyes at certain points, but it bleeds into the other sections after a while, but I'll admit it wrong footed me right up until the end.
that and Alligators :p

Absolutely loved this book. If you have any interest in looking into mass extinctions in geological history. This book is great.
Peter Brannen provides a look at a variety of different theories for each of the 5 mass extinction events (and possible future events) most commonly known, but covers the theories in such a way that you can make up your own mind what you believe, as he makes clear that they are all hotly debated.

If you want a shallow dive into the history and culture of Ancient Egypt.
This book is a decent summary.
If you want a more in depth and detailed picture of the dynasties and everyday lives of the ancient Egyptians, of the religion they held in high regard, and the general culture they maintained for millennia.
It'd be best to go elsewhere.
The book isn't bad, there are just better, more detailed books out there about this topic.

I'll admit...I forgot I owned this.
I've decided to reread it again for fun. Haven't read it in years, could have sworn I lost it.
It's nice to find a book you thought you lost 😉

Bit of a rant here.
I've just received 3 of the dragonian series books, all paperback.
And I already had Firebolt in paperback.
And all 4 books are a different size.
HOW? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!
If there was a publisher change I would understand (I've got a few like that)
But it's the same publisher, and they're all the same book type.
I am awaiting Thunderlight, and I'm pretty sure it'll be different too...

I really liked this book.
Didn't know what to think at first, but once it gets going it's a really good narrative.
"The Hobbit crossed with Oceans Eleven" it states on the back.
I can't say if that is true as I've never seen Oceans Eleven, but the book is well paced and a fun read.
Definitely not for kids though XD

We all know the news stories of people causing trouble on planes, but I must admit this book gave me a really good look into how all the flight attendants work and deal with some of the oddest people and situations out there.
A fascinating and genuinely good book.

This is a very short book, but it's quite good. Manages to wrong foot you a few times and builds a small snapshot of a world I must say I'd have liked to see more of.

Got this book at the UK Indie Lit Fest 2019
(It's taken me a while to get to ANY of the books I bought there...)

Book not currently in Litsy selection for post so I've used one of the authors other books

Currently enjoying this book as an audiobook.
I did previously know a tiny bit about the American Crime Families, but this book is fascinating.
In just 3 chapters I'm already happy to recommend it.

OMG I loved this book.
I especially loved how the author tells you how they used the sources for the myths, explaining why they did or didn't use one or more sources such as Homer or Ovid, and in doing so, showed how myths have multiple incarnations over time written in different styles at different times.
The myths themselves were great.
Although the Norse myths felt like a last minute addition than a integral part of the book.
Good though.

Just picked this up via Amazon. I do love hearing myths and legends, and I've been eyeing this book up for some time
For once, I've got plenty of time to read it XD

Took me a long time to get through this one, because it's a genre I don't read often.

The author pulls you in with a heartbreaking situation that unrolls as the book progresses.

First book in sometime that made me stop and think deeply about the situation being presented to me and genuinely made my heart hurt with the reality of the time the story is set.
Absolutely loved it, even though it took a while to finish it.

Absolutely loved it. This book was recommended by my Fiancé who listened to it as an audiobook, and I adore it.
Not gonna divulge much about the book, but let's just say it's a pretty good book, and I look forward to reading the sequel.
The book is as interesting as it sounds. If you know what a Blue Mage is and what they do, the title speaks for itself.

Gotta admit, took me a bit of time to get used to the language in this book. It definitely has the hallmark of a book written on the 1800's
A paragraph to say something that could be said in a few words.
Once you get used to that, you get to enjoy a book that seems to subtly satirise common practices of those days, almost as if the author herself thought some of the conventions of her day were absurd like we would today.
It's an enjoyable read.

Not going to lie, was kind of surprised that there was another book coming out for this series. I was pretty happy with how Ghost Hunter ended.
I'll just have to wait and see once I've read it.
It does feel kinda pulled outta nowhere, but I might just be too cynical at the moment.
As a side note, I love the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series.

Borrowed this book from a friend before the lockdown in the UK. Just started reading it :)

An excellent follow up to Lionboy.
The stakes are higher than ever, the mystery around the antagonists are becoming known, and the extent of the danger the protagonist is in gets far more real.
Twists and turns and the occasional red herring keeps the story rolling at a heart pounding pace.

Pretty good story, a believable world built up with some underlying darker themes within context of that world.
That and a pretty good narrative following the main character Charlie.
Plenty of twists and turns with plenty of stakes and an overhanging antagonistic entity.
Really good book :)

There are darker themes/topics that are well integrated into the context of these books and the world they portray, but they are far too in your face in this one, to the point where any point being made is lost as all you focus on is how heavily laid out the themes are.
That and the Deus ex machine gets turned up to 11 in this book.
Trying not to spoil anything, but a bit of a disappointing conclusion in my opinion.

I've had to ditch this one for now, it's not a bad book, and held myy interest for a while, but it's dribbled off now.
It's not the books fault, it's mine.
Can't seem to stay focused at the moment.

*gonna admit out of the gate that I saw the movie first so I'm pretty biased*

Loved the book, as stated above I saw the film first, must admit I do love the film a bit more than the book, but the margin is tiny, the film just put more emphasis on something which I enjoyed that the book doesn't really get into.

It's good though, my first book from Neil Gaimans books, outside of Good Omens, and a really good first book :)

Have had to give up on The Raven Boys for now. I like the book, I just can't seem to get into it at the moment. From what I've read so far I like it, but I'll need to come back to it at a later date.

A good book to get a general overview of the third Reich in my opinion.
I especially like how at the end of each chapter it lists the sources for that chapter for further study.
It's a pretty balanced book, not holding back on condemning the crimes of the time, but also not putting the blame solely on one person or groups shoulders.
It shows how a lot of factors contributed to the rise of the Nazi regime and how it lead the world into a world war.

The best one yet.
Similar to previous books, we take the perspective of one of the dragonets. But this book is intense, quite a few twists and turns and even a few out of the blue moments.
Absolutely loved it
Just waiting for my library on Libby to get the next one.

Gonna start nice and blunt.
Racism is bad, there is no argument there, but the level seen in this book is outside any experience I have ever had in my lifetime, so truly understanding the world and characters that Harper Lee created was a slow and steady process.
The book is good, but it took time for the world to feel real to me, but it certainly stuck with me once I finished.

Muuuch better.
Best book of the 3.
This book is where the cross over really picks up steam, with some pretty cool results.
Worth slogging through he first two, which weren't that great, bit provide a set up for this one, which is good.
Still too short for my liking, but that's only because I love the idea of the crossover of Greek and Egyptian characters.

I've got the idea now, these cross overs are short stories.
I liked this one a lot better than The Son of Sobek.
It didn't feel as rushed, felt more natural.
Still too damn short.

Cool idea, way too short.
Percy Jackson and Carter Caine cross over, Greece and Egypt.
Great idea, bit his book is real short, luckily there are more books, but they look pretty small too.
Kinda dissapointed, so far.

Oooh I was looking forward to this one...
Unfortunately it was messed up a bit when the big moment was as cliché as you can get in stories like this.
I saw the line leading up the the big moment, and just though "please tell me this isn't where this is going" but it did.
The story didn't quite match the build up from the previous books
Everything happened and then resolved really quickly.
Not the best Rick Riordan has written, but still not bad

One thing I need to mention about Rick Riordan's books is that the different series can overlap or influence each other, so don't be a dummy like me and have major plot points RUINED before you get to them in the relevant series.
Check a read order chart or something before you start, because as a result of being dumb, I had a few books where they were still good, but I knew what was coming and there was no tension at all.

This book goes even deeper into Norse mythology, and is a great book.
Definitely a few twists and turns, as well as plans that don't become clear until later.
Definitely a fun read.

Gotta admit. I'm pretty sketchy with my Norse mythology.
But I loved this book, certainly a fresh take on being a demigod.
A good addition to Rick Riordan's mythologically based stories :)

Oh boy..this book is a doozy.
Trials is a perfect word for this book, because damn does a lot happen in this one. None of which benefit our former immortal god.
Be prepared for some rather jarring surprises in this one, especially if you've read the other series Rick Riordan had written.

I thought the first book was good...
This one is even better, lots of twists and turns in a series with a surprisingly unhelpful protagonist who is still coming to terms with being mortal.
Stakes ramp up real quick in this one.