This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.
It hasn’t been my best week on a personal level. Families, eh? Thank goodness, my teaching sessions went well at Northbook and I was able to attend both my Fitstep and Pilates sessions. I’m now down to my target weight, though I do wish it wasn’t because I’m a tad stressed. However, it does mean I can now get into all my lovely party gear in readiness for the party season – clouds and silver linings and so on… On Friday my awesome writing buddy and personal lifesaver Mhairi came over for a writing day, though again, my rewrite of Miranda’s Tempest is struggling, somewhat. And I’m not remotely ready for Christmas. Oh well. Hopefully next week will be better.
This week I have read:
The Banished Craft – Book 1 of the Shkode Trilogy by E.D.E. Bell
Struggling to solve the mystery of her parents’ murder, Cor comes across a mystery much deeper—a secret society who predicted that someday their world would be devastated. That time is now. In a world where women are not allowed to read, live alone, or pursue knowledge Cor presses forward, discovering a new magic and the power to wield it. A world away, Atesh works in the Imperial Labs, devoting his study to the turmoil destroying his home and endangering dragonkind. Instead he discovers a long-hidden truth. Humans are real.
A quirky and modern take on dragons and wizards, The Banished Craft begins the genre-bending Shkode fantasy trilogy about a split world, exploring themes of identity, prejudice, violence, compassion, and the ways we are all connected.
I really enjoyed this unusual epic fantasy – ideal for fans of the genre who would like to read something a bit different.
Split the Sun – Book 2 of the Inherit the World series by Tessa Elwood
The Ruling Lord of the House of Galton is dead, and the nation is in shock—or celebrating, depending on the district. Kit Franks would be more than happy to join him. Kit’s mother bombed the digital core of the House, killing several and upending the nation’s information structure. No one wants the daughter of a terrorist. Kit’s having dreams she can’t explain, remembering conversations that no longer seem innocent, understanding too much coded subtext in Mom’s universal feed messages. Everyone has a vision of Kit’s fate—locked, sealed, and ready to roll. The question is, does Kit have a vision for herself?
I really enjoyed this one. Foot-to-the-floor, action-packed dystopian sci fi adventure with an appealing spiky heroine, I was scooped up into the middle of this world and didn’t want to pull away until the last page. Great fun.
Thornyhold by Mary Stewart
The story is about a lonely child who is made to see the world through her cousin’s unusual eyes. 
When the child becomes a young woman, she moves to Thornyhold where she is thought by the local community to be a witch. However, as she finds out, this is no normal community, and worries quickly present themselves. And not everyone who initially greets her is as friendly as they seem…
An enjoyable, initially slightly eerie read that becomes a more conventional romance – as ever Stewart’s writing is a joy.
My posts last week:
Sunday Post – 27th November 2016
Review of Bloodrush – Book 1 of The Scarlet Star Trilogy by Ben Galley
Teaser Tuesday – featuring The Banished Craft – Book 1 of the Shkode trilogy by E.D.E. Bell
The This is my Genre Tell Me Yours Book Tag
Friday Faceoff – Oranges and Lemons… featuring Time’s Echo by Pamela Hartshorne
Review of The Banished Craft – Book 1 of the Shkode trilogy by E.D.E. Bell
Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:
Dancing the Nutcracker and Becoming the Mouse King – https://mnbernardbooks.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/dancing-with-the-nutcracker-and-becoming-the-mouse-king/ An enjoyable seasonal article about how this charming ballet has influenced a writer.
A VATMOSS update. What? Did you think we given up? http://www.julietemckenna.com/?p=2445 The wonderful Juliet McKenna updates us on her exhaustive battle to get this wrongheaded and unjust tax lifted.
A Short Analysis of Thomas Hardy’s ‘I Look into My Glass’ https://interestingliterature.com/2016/12/02/a-short-analysis-of-thomas-hardys-i-look-into-my-glass/ Once more this marvellous site delivers. A lovely, well-written explanation of this poignant poem by Hardy.
Rita Chauveau’s street photography around the world https://photolicioux.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/rita-chauveaus-street-photography-around-the-world/ I loved this brief glimpse into a variety of places in another time.
ISBN: What It Is and Why a Book Needs One https://kristentwardowski.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/isbn/ A fascinating and informative article about this barcode that appears on the back of every book.
Many thanks for visiting and taking the time and trouble to comment – and may you have a wonderful reading and blogging week.
Brainfluff 
I hope next week more than makes up for any problems that arrived at your doorstep this past one. I, like you, get behinder and behinder at starting to get ready for Christmas. I have written one Christmas letter, folded it (not neatly!) to fit into a tiny card (It looked so cute on the shelf) and will mail it as soon as it stops raining. Hope this coming week brings only good things.
Thank you Rae:). One foot in front of the other, basically… Yep, this is the getting-ready-for-Christmas-scramble week. Hope you get your card posted, along with the other one or three chores that need doing!
One more trip to the post office…please, Lord let it be the last. Standing in line kills my feet and my back…those tile floors and those angry people. I think I’ll buy all the clerks a Starbucks gift card. Their patience is worth a lot more than $5.
You are organsised! I have yet to endure the Post Office trudge…
‘Tis the season… sigh! Aren’t we all filling a gallon into a quart jar? Best to you in the coming weeks!
Thank you, Jennie. Here’s hoping you manage to squeeeze the necessary gallon into your quart jar…
Hope is all ok. Families always make life interesting. Glad you can find the silver linings! Have a good week.
Yes… interesting about sums it up. At least this time of year there is plenty of other things going on to focus on! Hope you, too, have a lovely week, Emma.
I read and enjoyed The Banished Craft it was different. Families ya gotta love um even when they make you pull your hair out. Hope this week is a good one!
I’m glad you liked it – it is different, isn’t it? Yes… going bald as we speak! Have a lovely week, Kimba and many thanks for swinging by.
Congratulations on reaching your target weight! That’s awesome, Sarah. Even if not under the best of circumstances. I am sorry to hear things on the personal front aren’t going so well. Sending you a big hug.
All the books you featured today sound so good. I’m especially interested in the first one, The Banished Craft. Okay, and Split Sun. And Thornyhold. I should read them all, really. LOL
Have a great week, Sarah. I hope things get better for you.
Thank you, Wendy. I went to party today and have to say – it was wonderful trying on a bunch of clothes finding that EVERYTHING fits:). And many thanks for your kind comfort – it’s a real help…
Yes – I really enjoyed all the books this week – and that’s the glory of books, isn’t it? An abiding escape and refuge when the world doesn’t play nice… Have a lovely week and hopefully mine will be better!
Well done on the exercise front and teaching front. Sorry to hear things personally haven’t been great. I know that can pull a dampener on everything, so hope there’s an opportunity for that to improve.
Take care. x
Thank you, Deborah:). Yes… it is nice to open the wardrobe door and know I can wear everything in there. Just wish it was under happier circumstances. Still, we’ve plenty lined up in the coming month to enjoy – and there’s always books to dive into. Have a great week:).
Sorry to hear it wasn’t the best week- here’s to this week being better! I like the look of Split the Sky- lovely cover and intriguing premise. Hope you have a wonderful week and happy reading!
Thank you, Greg. Split the Sky is really enjoyable – the cover is great isn’t it? And I loved this one – the first one in the series looks good, too. Hopefully the coming week will be an improvement:). Hope you have a great week.
I’m quite impressed by the amount of reading you manage every week, Sarah… Sometimes I even find difficult to read at all 😦 Great roundup as usual -and a lot of suggestions for me, thanks! Hopefully, this Christmas break will allow me to catch up with my TBR virtual pile…
Thank you, Steph. This year has been exceptional as I’ve been stuck in editland, rewriting and editing, so have needed to keep reading to keep my head straight! Hope you’ve got lots of lovely books on your TBR pile to get through…:)
I need you to be my workout buddy, Sarah. I’ve not lost a pound recently and some clothes are still a bit snug. I hope this week is better for you!
Well… right now – no alcohol. Or sugar. As I’m feeling stressed and emotional more often than not, I don’t need anything else in my system to lower inhibitions/heighten emotions. Exercise is good – helps keep my head straight and boost my general happiness. And no snacking – feeling constantly a little sick, so I don’t want food until mealtimes. Have to say – from struggling mightily the last decade to lose ANYTHING – during the last month, the weight has melted away… Wouldn’t recommend it, though!
*hugs* Sorry to hear things are still a little rough for you. But that’s great news about hitting your target weight. I’m actually going to my first yoga class since May tonight, so I’m looking forward to getting back into a regular exercise routine.
Hope this week is a more peaceful one for you.
Thank you Sara:). Good luck with the yoga class – I shall be thinking of you.
Good for the weight target, sorry that’s how you got there.
Ugh. We just barely started shopping for Christmas. Sadly, I think we’ll be those people out on Christmas Eve this year, yea, it’s that bad for us. *sigh*
Oh well. Hope you have a lovely week!
Thank you Melissa… Yes – we won’t be shopping on Christmas Eve as we’re travelling down to J’s parents that day – but it will be might close! Hope you have a good week, too.
Uh-oh… I hoped that after the cold mentioned in the previous post, your next week would be better. Here’s to hoping things improved for you since wrote this post.
If it’s any comfort, I’m not really prepared for Christmas either.
Scrambling to catch up throughout this week…