Crown of Talons Lockdown

I am so thrilled to welcome back Katherine and Elizabeth Corr, sisters and authors of two series that I chat about on this blog, The Witch's Kiss trilogy and the Throne of Swans duology. Their latest is the conclusion to the Throne of Swans duology, Crown of Talons, and the best way to describe this series (and this book in particular) is imagine Game of Thrones had a baby with Swan Lake and you have a vague idea.  

Now, seeing as Crown of Talons is a sequel, I don't want to do a write-up in case of spoilers, so how far can I go to talk about this world... After the events on Throne of Swans, Aderyn is on high alert. Enemies outside and within court are watching her and thinking she and Aron, her cousin, aren't enough to rule. But with nobles from neighbouring country fleeing for their lives - the flightless have risen up and overthrown their rules - and an attempted assassination is made on Aderyn's life, the world is changing and Aderyn must have the strength to overcome everything to save her kingdom. Or die trying... 

It's going to be a bloody, feathery fight to the death!

Now, before I hand you over to the Katherine and Elizabeth, I just want to thank and apologise to them for writing this. I popped a random email at them (I love having them on the blog as they are a delight!) over Easter, saying something along the lines of "Hey, am reading Crown of Talons. Fancy popping on the blog for a guest post, if you have time?" and them saying "Sure, what do you want us to write, though?" and us bouncing ideas till someone (Katherine, was it you or Elizabeth? It wasn't me, am not this clever) said "What about what TV shows they watched or books they read if they were in lockdown with us?" and I jumped up and down in my seat, going "YES! THIS! CAN YOU WRITE THIS?!"

Ok, quick house-keeping. If you want to know more about either the Corr's series (Throne of Swans and their debut trilogy, The Witch's Kiss), pop over to their website - corrsisters.com - or you can jump on their social media and say hi to them both. Elizabeth is on Twitter at @lizcorr_writes and Katherine can be found at @katharinecorr.

Now, what would the characters in Crown of Talons read/watch during lockdown. Shall we find out?

Quick Reads 2021 - The Motive

Happy Quick Reads Day! Today is the day where the six titles of this year's Quick Reads are published! We have Saving the Day by Katie Fforde, The Skylight by Louise Candlish, The Baby Is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite, Wish You Were Dead by Peter James, an abridged How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran and The Motive by Khurrum Rahman. 

According to the the Reading Agency, one in six adults in the UK struggle with reading and one in three do not regularly read for pleasure. Also, England is rank 23rd out of 23 OECD nations for literary levels among 16-19 year olds and studies show that those who read for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and show a greater ability to cope of difficult situations. 

This year marks the final year of funding received when, several years ago, the best-selling author Jojo Moyes gave a donation to help fund the Quick Reads programme for three years. So, when the lovely people at Midas asked if I would be involved in making some noise about these titles, I was honoured. What more, I was asked if I fancied reading one of these titles and chatting about it. I was happy to read any, but had hopes for one title in particular. So, I am thrilled to talk about that title in question: The Motive by Khurrum Rahman.

Mini-Reviews - May 2021

Another day, another mini-review post. So, what makes this one so different from my other mini-review post? Well, unlike the other titles which were kindly given to me via publishers, these three titles are titles I either bought out of my own money or borrowed from my local library. 

Yes, I put my money where my mouth is and bought many books, ebooks and audiobooks (have you not SEEN my TBR lists on Goodreads and my many wishlists on Amazon.co.uk, Audible and other online retailers?!). So, while I should do another mini-review post of some of the library books and NetGalley/Gifted by Publishers, I thought I would do a small post about these three titles: Dead In The Water by Chris McDonald, The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn and The Lady With The Gun Asks The Questions by Kerry Greenwood. 

But, to cut to the chase, these were all fun reads and I had a blast. Like I warned earlier this month, I want to read fun for a while before I scare you all with books that make me think/turn me into a furious reader. So, shall we start?

Mini NetGalleyish Reviews - May 2021

My first review-is post and it's mini-reviews. I have decided to write a mini-review post for the next few reads (unless one screams "I NEED YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION!!!") but these three titles I think just need a nice, short review. Very similar to what I wrote on my Goodreads (goodreads.com/pewterwolf), but not exactly. 

Now, quick note, the three mini-reviews below are titles I have been gifted very kindly by publishers either physically or via NetGalley. All were kindly gifted, of course, in exchange for an honest review/reaction (and when have you guys known me to be filter my opinions?). But then, all the titles I review and chat on here, I do try and be as honest as I can with you all as possible.

The Secret Extract of Albert Entwistle

EXTRACT ALERT! I have an extract for you guys and, oh, it's from a good'un of a book. Possible one of my faves of the year so far! Yes, it's THAT good! 

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain follows the life of 64 year old postman Albert, who loves his job, keeps himself to himself and has lived alone since the death of his mother 18 years ago (barring his cat, Gracie). But when he discovered that he's going to be forced to retire on his 65th birthday (Royal Mail policy), Albert realises that a lonely future awaits him which terrifies him. Realises that he's been hiding from life, Albert takes baby steps to being honest with himself and the world about who he truly is. And, in doing so, Albert hopes to find the courage to look for George, his first love... 

My review on this is up next week, but you can tell from the above that I adore this book and wanted to do as much as I can to share the love. So, when Rosie from Headline asked if I wanted to share an extract for you guys, I jumped at it! Plus, if you watch Twitter the next few days, a few other book bloggers (I think) will be sharing more extracts and maybe one or two will do contests! 

Before I share the first extract of the week, I just want to thank Rosie for asking me to be involved (and knowing I would say yes as tweeting A LOT of thoughts/feels to her and the author while I read). I, also, want to point you in the direction of the author, Matt Cain's, website (mattcainwriter.com) and his Twitter (@MattCainWriter) so you can say hi. If you want more info on Albert Entwistle, you can pop over to the publisher's, Headline, website. 

Ok, all house keeping out of the way, ONTO THE EXTRACT! Enjoy!!!

MARION LANE AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDER CONTEST!

I HAVE A CONTEST FOR YOU!!! This is my first in a while and I am SO EXCITED to share with you. It's, also, a tad outside my comfort zone as it's historical but as soon as Ellen from Orion emailed me, I knew I had to do involved in this with this book! 

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is the first book in a new series that is a tad historical, a dah murdery and is a little weird. In the best way. 

London, 1958. Hidden under the 1958's streets of London is the world of Miss Brickett's, a secret detective agency. Here, apprentice detectives must undergo rigorous training to equip them with skills, knowledge and tricks to help them solve mysteries that will stump London's Police. 

But when her friend and mentor is arrest on suspicion of murder, 23-year-old apprentice Marion Lane is tasked to clearing his name. But her investigation will put her and her friends in danger as her investigation takes into the out-of-bound maze of unchartered tunnels that surround Miss Brickett's, and Marion discovered that these tunnels contain something more than secrets... 

See? Now you see why I had to be involved! 

And guess what? If the blurb has wetted your appetite, this is where my contest comes in! I have ONE COPY of the book to give away to ONE lucky winner. All you have to do is fill in the GoogleForm below and, after a few days, I will pick a random winner using a random number generator. 

Now, before I go further, I need to say one or two things (it's been a while since I've done this). The contest is for UK address only as the publisher will be sending the winning copy out once I have the winner's address. Contest will be open till Friday 28th May 2021 at 7pm. Winner will then be selected at random from random number generation and will be announced on my Twitter (@PewterWolf), then will be emailed for address (and don't worry about address being kept on file after the winner get their winning copy. You address will be deleted straight after).

I don't think am forgetting anything... no, wait. How do you enter? Just fill in the GoogleForm below. And that's it. Keep eyes peeled for news of the winner and keep your fingers crossed. Good luck, y'all!!!

TV Covid-19 Binge-Watching

I think we all binge watch a bunch of telly during the lockdown and my partner and I did exactly the same. We’re still doing it with, at the time of writing, we have just finished Suits on Netflix UK (most of you will know it as the show that Meghan Markle was on while she was dating Prince Harry, but it’s a legal drama with a dash of humour, set in a fictional New York City law firm following a college dropout who starts working as law associate, despite never going to law school) and going to start Apple TV+’s The Morning Show (starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, this follows a popular US breakfast show and what happens when the male host is fired for sexual misconduct and the female co-host of 15 years, tries desperately to stay in her job while sparking an off-air rivalry with her new co-host, a haphazard field reporter who makes very impulsive decisions).

But what did we watch during last year during lockdowns? Well... the Other Half and I had a think and most were crime-related. Should we all be worried about how many crime/thriller like programmes we watched?

Now, before I go any further, we are not talking rewatch. So no Friends, Big Bang Theory, The Good Place and The Blacklist, nor shows we were continuing with latest series such as Blindspot, Great British Bake Off and Taskmaster. We are talking new shows that my partner and I discovered during last year. (Does that include me discovering The Great Pottery Throw Down that I discovered late this year one evening?).

Another COVID-19 Podcast Listening Post

As you know, I am a bit of a podcast addict. I do love listening to audiobooks and listening to the radio, but there’s something about podcasts I have a soft spot for. While I liked podcasts before the COVID-19 lockdown, the lockdown rammed up my love for the podcasts. Whenever I feel a little low and need something quick and fun to listen to, I go to my podcast app more than my audiobook apps (most of my audiobooks are over 10 hours with several near/over 24 hours. I still have to finish A Promised Land by Barack Obama [I will finish this! But it’s a tad dense for me ATM] and I want to do the second audiobook in Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens, which looks into Anne Boleyn). 

I know I chatted about some of the podcasts I listened to during lockdown last year (I talked about My Dad Wrote A Porno, ARDEN, Shedunnit and F***bois of Literature and touched on some others). But I wanted to talk about a few other things other than books for the first few weeks back from my blog holiday but I feel very “meh” lately energy-wise, and I want to shake myself up a little and write new things.

And where best to start is to talk podcasts and TV shows I listened/watched during the crazy times known as COVID-19 lockdowns. So, let me chat podcasts and hopefully, will write COVID TV Binging (writing that up as we speak!). You might sense a theme with some of my choices and recommendations.