What have you been reading this week?

This has been a weird week. I feel like it’s both flown by and dragged on. I can’t believe that last weekend was only last weekend. If this is giving us an idea of how the year is going to go then 2023 is going to be interesting in a temporal sense. Whatever is going on with the timeline, I have managed to finish a few books this week. I started the week behind schedule for my reading goal but now I’m ahead. I just need to get back into the groove.

Weekly Blog Posts

• BOOK REVIEW – Heroes by Stephen Fry

I read Stephen Fry’s Mythos back in 2019 and immediately bought the follow-up books. They’ve been sitting on my shelf ever since and making me feel guilty. I decided that 2023 was finally the time so I started listening to the audiobooks that have also been sitting in my audible library for too long. Was it worth the wait? Find out by reading my review.

• BOOK REVIEW – The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

I’m not normally a big fan of short story collections. Mostly because short-form fiction doesn’t satisfy me. There’s barely any time to get to know the characters. However, this collection was everything. I was obsessed from the first story onwards. It’s got me rethinking my whole opinion on short story collections. Read my review to see why I’m going mad for it.

• FILM REVIEW – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

I had to watch this eventually. It combines my love of stop motion with a book adaptation and Guillermo del Toro. I was so excited to see how it turned out. Especially after I was left so cold by the live-action version of the Disney animation that came out earlier last year. Would Guillermo del Toro manage to bring new life into this well-loved story? Find out by reading my review.

Just Read

• Heroes by Stephen Fry

I finished listening to this on Sunday last week and I was only just in time to write my review. I think Stephen Fry is so good at narrating these books. His words combined with his performance just make these books so easy to listen to. It’s such a comforting way to spend time.

• The Secrets of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

I really enjoyed reading these stories. Yes, some of them weren’t quite as memorable as the others but they were all so good. Also, it gave me a craving for peaches thanks to the story all about a peach cobbler. I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a cobbler but it’s all I want to try now.

• Troy by Stephen Fry

After finishing Heroes, the only sensible thing to do would be to listen to the next book in Fry’s series. Tory has a slightly more complicated structure but it’s just as much fun. I can’t wait for The Odyssey to come out.

Currently Reading

• Tyger by SF Said

This was Foyles Children’s Book of the Year 2022 and I couldn’t stop myself from buying a copy. It sounds really good and I’m already loving it. Admittedly, I’ve not got very far but I’ll dig in over the weekend. Also, the illustrations and hardback are just gorgeous. I’m so in love with this book.

Book Haul

I did buy a few books this week but they were all secondhand so it’s fine, right? You might notice a bit of a theme. The books were:

• The Waterproof Bible by Andrew Kaufman – Another one for my Kaufman collection and it sounded really good.
• Born Weird by Andrew Kaufman – I’ve had my eye on this for ages but I couldn’t find a copy that didn’t cost a fortune. Thankfully, I managed to track one down and I’m excited to read it.
• All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman – As I was in a Kaufman buying mood, I decided it was only fair to buy this additional copy of this book. The cover is so beautiful.
• Troy by Stephen Fry – I have a hardback copy of this book and a copy of the audiobook. Did I need a paperback as well? Apparently yes.

Recently Watched

• TV:
  • House of the Dragon – Yep, I’m finally catching up on this show. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it to begin with because it’s quite slow. I think I like it but it’s still kind of dull. Also, why did they call it this and not The House of Dragons? That’s a much more pleasing title. Or is it just me?