Reading – Page 2 – M J Mallon YA Author and Poet

Trees of Reverie Readathon

I’m joining in the Trees of Reverie Readathon, hosted by Sarah on Tumblr, here’s a link to her post about this: http://treesofreverie.com/post/131283792785/trees-of-reverie-october-read-a-thon

This runs from 12am on Saturday, October 17th and runs through to 11.59pm on Sunday, November 1st, so fingers slapped I’m a bit behind, it’s already October 18th and I’m just starting! Still my excuse is I’m still participating in the #redeyereadalong and I wanted to devote some time to reading something slightly different for the Trees of Reverie read-a-thon…..

So I will be reading Creeping Shadow by Caroline Peckham.

The title Creeping Shadow sounds in keeping with my theme of creepy, stuff and nonsense leading up to Halloween.

The hashtags for the Trees of Reverie event are:

| #treesofreveriereadathon | #treesofreveriebookishchallenge |

I received an ARC of Creeping Shadow from Caroline Peckham, more details of that here if you’re interested in receiving an ARC for an honest review: http://carolinepeckham.com/2015/10/13/arcs-for-honest-reviews-creeping-shadow-a-ya-fantasy/

Here is the Goodreads Synopsis:

A man waits in Vale, a world void of humanity.

A mother vanishes, her disappearance concealed by the police.

A girl collapses, black magic invading her blood.

And a boy linked to them all must fight to save his family.

Earth is just one of seven worlds. Gateways divide the realms and those who pass through must earn keys, participating in challenges that will separate the fearful from the brave, the weak from the strong, and the witless from the cunning.

Sixteen year old Oliver Knight knows nothing of the other worlds or his family’s dark past. But when his adopted sister succumbs to a deadly curse the truth is revealed and he is plunged into an unknown land in a desperate bid to save her. However, a sinister enemy is on the rise and the danger they face at every turn throws those around them under suspicion. In order to survive, Oliver must figure out who to trust, who to believe and, ultimately, who to fear…

Creeping Shadow will be released 10th December 2015 on Amazon Kindle.

As well as this I have the following in mind to read next on my TBR’S, a Fantasy contemporary by fellow blogger, author pal Helen Jones : Oak And Mist (The Ambeth Chronicles #1)

Helen Jones blogs at Journey To Ambeth : http://journeytoambeth.com/

Goodreads Synopsis:

‘The end of everything? Great, no pressure then.’

Alma Bevan didn’t mean to go on a quest.
But when she disappears between two trees at her local park and reappears in Ambeth, she finds they’ve been expecting her.

And now she has to find a lost sword or the consequences for humanity will be dire. With no idea where to look, despite help from her new friend Caleb, things become even more complicated when a handsome prince of the Dark expresses an interest in her.

All this plus homework too?

Travelling between worlds is hard enough without having to manage a suspicious best friend, complicated love interests and concerned parents. Add in some time-twisting, a mysterious bracelet and a group of immortal beings all vying for control of a lost sword, and it’s enough to make any fifteen year old girl want to give up. But then she wouldn’t see Caleb any more. Or Deryck…

Oak and Mist is book one of The Ambeth Chronicles. Book two, No Quarter, is coming soon.

And if my eyes go a bit squiffy reading off readers I have one of these in mind as a diversion, my kitty is guarding them and it’s a secret at the moment which one I might chose!

Hope you like the sound of my TBR’s for the Tree of Reverie Read-a-thon.

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

Holiday………. Race The Train Fever….. Sun ….. No I’m in Scotland

Hi,

I’m on a bit of a holiday so just a little note to let my followers know that I won’t be posting as much for a while, though I might be tempted to join in the writing #BlogBattle and I will be replying to comments so do feel free to chat. The good news is my mum is doing wonderfully well after her operation, she’s some lady, in her seventies and as feisty as ever! We’re getting our orders, tee hee, she’s a laugh. I think she even had the nurses at her beck and call, sounds like they treated her like royalty!

My journey started off terribly badly I did a crazy thing I turned up at the wrong station! In my defence I’ve never done this before, this was a first. I went to Waterbeach (our nearest station) instead of Cambridge. A few days prior to travel I had picked up my tickets from the ticket machine at Waterbeach, and somehow had it in my head that I was travelling from Waterbeach. So my husband had to try to beat the train! A racing challenge, just up his street! He drove me to the next station on the route, it was a hair-raising drive. I really thought there was no way he could do it but amazingly he did and with a few minutes to spare! Luckily the train was running two minutes late and we’d left the house in good time. Phew!!!!

The train journey was lively to say the least we had the cast of one of the shows on our carriage and they were a boisterous lot, you could tell they were actors, they liked to be noticed. I’ve never heard a bunch of people laugh so much. At one point we arrived at a place called Northallerton in North Yorkshire and they queried whether this fairy tale sounding town existed, I reckon they thought it was some sort of Narnialand.

On arrival I decided to walk through Princess Street gardens to get a feeling for Festival Fever, boy it was busy, luckily I just have one small piece of luggage with me. I arrived at my bus stop, and guess what, wonder of wonders my mother in law was standing there apparently waiting for a bus! What are the odds of that? Amazing. Anyway we had a brief chat and then she had to dash off to find her bus, she was at the wrong stop, apparently all the buses are a bit confusing at the moment with the Festival being on.

So I’m up in Edinburgh, sans enfants and sans husband, I intend on catching up with old friends, maybe visiting the cat café in Stockbridge, going to the Book Festival, and the dance and drama events at the International Festival, and the Art galleries if I get a chance. I shall be going out with my dad for Chinese lunch, visiting my mother-in-law, catching up with my brother and generally eating too much. Yum….

I’ll be helping out with mum, cooking, and generally doing my Florence Nightingale bit. You can see why blogging has to take a back seat. Hope my mum will be able to join us out and about towards the end of next week. Unfortunately it is dreadfully busy in Edinburgh at the moment, with all the excitement of the Festivals, the town is packed so it is not very easy to manoeuvre around if you’ve just had an operation. So we will have a duty to try to keep her in, to ensure she rests, no easy task for a lady who is always so full of energy. Let the battle commence…..

I’ve packed a couple of books to catch up on, a bit of holiday reading. My current read is The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, which is a rich descriptive read inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, I’m really enjoying this. As well as this I intend to read The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan. “A dramatic tale of love, loss and betrayal in Provincial China, told with directness and deep feeling.” Mail on Sunday.

If I finish these two there are a wealth of detective novels in my mum and dad’s house so I don’t think I will be short of reading material, and of course I’m sure I’ll pick up some new novels at the Book Festival. How exciting!!! I love Edinburgh, me home from home, only slight gripe it’s so cold here, I don’t think I’ll be needing that sun hat and shades, a woolly hat would be more useful.

Anyway Happy Holidays, hope if you are going anywhere nice you have a wonderful time.

Bye for now.

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My Friday Post: The Friday 56 Weekly Meme: The Song of Achilles

I came across The Friday 56 Meme via Caffeine and Books:

https://caffeineandbooks42.wordpress.com/

So I thought I’d do something different and have a go at The Friday 56 Meme for my Friday post this week. I chose The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller as it is definitely a book that I intend to read soon.

It is a weekly meme hosted by Freda’s Voice, click on the link to her blog, and the rules are pretty simple:

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that’s OK.)
Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it).
Post it.
Add the url to your post on Freda’s Voice.

“And I? I was shy and silent with all but Achilles; I could scarcely speak to the other boys, let alone a girl. As a comrade of the prince, I suppose I would not have had to speak; a gesture or a look would have been enough. But such a thing did not occur to me. The feelings that stirred in me at night seemed strangely distant from those serving girls with their lowered eyes and obedience. I watched a boy fumbling at a girl’s dress, the dull look on her face as she poured his wine. I did not wish for such a thing. “

Now doesn’t that short quote just make you want to read the book? It certainly sets my curiosity into hyper drive!

Here’s the Goodreads synopsis :

A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly re-imagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, Miller’s debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights. Fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.

Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend.

Happy Reading, Writing, and Creating. Enjoy yourselves, let me know what you’re reading, or intending to read. I’m currently about half way through Lisa Williamson’s debut novel The Art of Being Normal, more to come on that soon!

I Kid You Not I love To Read

What else am I up to? Working on my second novel, and deciding what to read next. There are so many books that I’ve won, been given as a gift, or been asked to review. So where to begin. My eldest daughter gave me a huge, humungous, book for my birthday. I think she’s trying to blind me, and I’m already half way there. Can you guess which book she chose? Yes, it’s The Bone Clocks from David Mitchell, which she kindly selected for me from my TBR list on Goodreads. Lovely lass.… So that has to be no. 1 on my list of priority. I still want to finish The Old Kingdom trilogy from Garth Nix, Abhorsen, is waiting for me patiently. Well, Disreputable dog is barking a bit but that’s dogs for you! Mogget’s purring demurely trying to pretend she doesn’t really give a damn but I reckon it’s all an act.Then, there are my recent wins: The Sharp Hook of Love, by Sherry Jones and Romancing my Love by Melissa Foster. Quite excited about engaging in a bit of romance before Christmas. If I get my skates on who knows what may happen! Also I have a NetGalley to review. Jasper and the Magpie by Dan Mayfield. This is a special interest book which caught my eye. According to the NetGalley blurb, “The story will resonate particularly with children on the autism spectrum and their friends and family. For ages 6 and upwards.”

To cap it all Bette Crosby my new friend on Goodreads has asked me to review her USA Today Bestseller, 5 time literary award winner, Spare Change! Well, that will keep me out of mischief! So much to do, so little time.

So I like to read widely, and often! I believe reading and writing should always go hand in hand, the perfect pairing.

What are you reading or hoping to read, or writing? Do let me know. I’d love to hear all about it.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: