Audiobook April

I wanted to chat about my weird little germ of a theme month happening next month: Audiobook April.

Now, I love a good audiobook. I listen to quite a few (mainly due to my drives to/from work) as well as podcasts and I love a good old dancing in my kitchen while listening to the radio or streaming music. And while popularity in audiobooks and podcasts have gone over the last few years, we still have that whole “Is listening to an audiobook reading?” debate. And I’m not going to go down that rabbit hole as I am not nearly smart enough to address this issue. I have my opinions (I say yes, it does), but I understand why some people disagree. Let’s be respectful and kind, and agree to disagree, shall we?

But I want to do a month where my write-ups are focused on audiobooks, whether I buy them from Audible or Apple Books, borrow from my local library or gifted by publishers in exchange for honest thoughts and reactions. And I want to try and be wide on audiobook genres, age ranges and lengths. Some will be short and others will be long (hence why some audiobooks I listened to the past few months I have been very quiet on – been saving them for April).

Because I like this weird idea of mine, I’m gonna take a week or two off blogging so can get a head start on myself. Plus, with Easter round the corner, now seems to perfect time to take a mini blog break. 

Now, before you all go "What about your murder month?", I am still going to be beavering away with that in the background. If I audiobook a crime/thriller audiobook, I will post my thoughts on that in April. If I read it, that will go up in May, but I will say "Murder Month" in the title of the post. I'm hoping to get at least two more crime titles done before the end of March! 

Plus, I have a few titles that I would like to try and listen to this month and a few that I suspect will be curveballs. Any below that you guys are DESPERATE for me to try? And do you want to a hint of some titles that I am considering/tempted to try...?

Murder Month 2023 - Bones Are Forever

I don’t often read the same author back-to-back. I normally like to have a little break between finishing a book by an author and starting another book by the same author. But with Kathy Reichs, I thought I would be safe as she’s one of my fave crime/thriller authors. Plus, am audiobooking. I should be ok to audiobook the same author twice in a row, right?

Title and Author: Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Audiobook borrowed from library audiobook app

So, here we are, with the 15^th outing of Temperance Brennan (Cold Cold Bones was the 21^st, so I jumped backwards). In Quebec, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan is asked to a scene where the body of a baby is found in a vanity cabinet. While there, two more bodies of mummified babies are discovered. When it is discovered that babies didn’t died of natural causes, the hunt to find the mother is on. When all the evidence leads Brennan and the detectives to a desolate diamond-mining town on the edge of the Arctic Circle called Yellowknife, the investigation takes a sharp turn and Brennan finds that the mother of the three dead babies might be a stone cold monster like she thought…

Murder Month 2023 - The Edinburgh Mystery

As you guys know, I do love a good crime or thriller novel. And I seem to be going down a rabbit hole with discovering “forgotten” Golden Age crime writers. I have several on my kindle, waiting to be read (some bought, some from NetGalley for review). But when I saw this collection of crime short stories, set in Scotland, I couldn’t resist. I love Scotland and hope to revisit Edinburgh in the near future (same with Wales, truth be told) and the idea of reading Golden crime set in Scotland was too delicious to past up!

Title And Author: The Edinburgh Mystery and Other Tales of Scottish Crime Edited by Martin Edwards

Publisher: British Library and Poisoned Pen Press

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by US publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction

Murder Month 2023 - Cold Cold Bones

Title and Author: Cold Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought

Buy from (Affiliate): Bookshop.org

I had no plans to read/audiobook Cold Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs this month. I was considering saving this for next month for some reason (either though I preordered the audiobook last year before I cancelled Audible - again. I'm back for the next four month for £3.99 - I know, I'm weak. But am going to ruin their Plus Catalogue for a while so sorry in advance for some weird reviews in the coming months), but out of nowhere, I was desperate to listen to this. 

Forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan is back in her 21st outing. And it all starts when she helps her daughter, Katy, move house after her stints in the army. Brennan thinks Katy might be suffering from PTSD, but won't say anything. But when the pair return to Brennan's home, they discover a box. With an eye in it. 

From there, bodies begin to slowly turn up that have no pattern. But Brennan can't shake the feeling that they feel awfully familiar. Like cases she's has been involved with in the past. Is she the connection between them? And, if so, the killer is taunting her, watching her, buying their time before they strike...

And when they did, she won't see it coming.

Murder Month 2023 - The Holiday Home

So, February's reading plan was a bit of a car crash. Mainly because my brain didn't want to read what you guys voted for and, at the same time, I was quitting a lot of reads or, if I did stay and finish them off, I was very "Meh" over it. And it felt like I still was in a crime reading frame of mind, rather than going to fantasy and teen, which is my reading bread and butter. Because of this, March is going to be the blog's "Murder Month". I've done this in the past, where I do a theme month of focusing on crime/thriller stories. And I have a good few on my radar that I was to devour before the Easter blog holiday (and I have an idea for a themed reading month for April as well (more about that after my Easter blog break). 

But let's start this murdery month off which a review and let's go with a thriller author I discovered last month and am slowly devouring...

Title and Author: The Holiday Home by Daniel Hurst

Publisher: Bookouture

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof and Audiobook gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Two couples go away to a remote cabin in Scotland. The wives have known each other since Sixth Form and the husbands barely get along. But a holiday away will do wonders, right? So when one of the wives overhears something that she shouldn't have, it starts a chain reaction which will end with no all of them coming home alive...

February's Reading Struggle

With all the best plans, I have failed my reading plans for this month of having you guys pick my reads via polls. I did it on Twitter at the beginning of month and you all chose Poison Study by Maria V Snyder. Let me pop it up so you can see.

Ok #BookTwitter, poll for you guys to pick my next read! Vote wisely!

— Andrew (The Pewter Wolf Reads) (@PewterWolf) February 5, 2023

Poison Study is one of my "I must read These 12 This Year" books, and I have had this on my kindle's To Read list for YEARS! It was one of my first purchases when I got my first ever kindle - I kid you not - so I was excited to read it. 

... And I stopped within the first few chapters because I wasn't in the right headspace. Ok, I thought to self, that's no biggie. Put it down and come back to it at a later date. Ok, let me try The Lighthouse by Alex Bell. I didn't get the end of the second chapter. Ok, I told myself, let me try again. Why not an audiobook? Oh, The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish is available on my library audiobook app and that sounds gripping. And it was... until I realised that I wasn't enjoying myself a good 25% into the book. Ok, let me try The Curious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janine Hallett. I really want to try her as you all LOVE her. 

33% in and I can't warm to it. I am going to come back to this, like with all the titles I have tried the past few weeks. 

But I am struggling with reading of late. And I did say I'm not going to pressure myself into reading, but this title is the one which upsets me that I'm not connecting with. 

But this year, I said I want to enjoy my reading so not going to feel guilty about putting books on hold or quitting if I'm feeling "meh" over them. 

Onwards and upwards

Audiobook Review - The Doctor's Wife

I feel that, maybe, I should have saved this for next week or maybe an audiobook-themed month (oh, that's an idea!), but after binging The Couple in the Cabin by Daniel Hurst (write-up for that that can be found here) and with a few library audiobooks on my Reserve list (all linked to books or titles that I should have reviewed by now!), I decided to risk a quick list to another Daniel Hurst thriller audiobook in the hopes that this would another edge of my seat list and, maybe, that this author might be a new Auto-Buy author... 

Title and Author: The Doctor's Wife by Daniel Hurst

Publisher: Bookoutre Audio

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Audiobook gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction

Dr Drew Delvin and his wife, Fern, have moved out of Manchester and into a small village for a fresh start. Well, that's what Drew has told his wife. But that's not true. For you see, the doctor isn't as honest and trustworthy as he wants you to be. Not with his marriage and not with his job and duty of care either. 

He thinks his wife knows nothing. How very wrong he is... and he has no idea what Fern is planning...

eBook Review - Listen to Me

It's been a long time since I read a Rizzoli and Isles thriller. I actually had plans for past few months to reread some older Rizzoli and Isles thrillers (Body Double, Vanish and The Mephisto Club). So, when I was on NetGalley months ago and saw that Tess Gerritsen was going to release this series's thirteen outing, I had to jump on it. I missed these characters and I am ready to return to this world and these characters... 

Title and Author: Listen to Me by Tess Gerritsen

Publisher: Bookouture

Bought, Gifted or Borrowed: eProof gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction.

Buy From (Affiliate): Bookshop.org

There's something strange about Angela Rizzoli's new neighbours. They keep to themselves, the blinds in their windows are always drawn and Angela can't shake the feeling that the wife's in danger. But no one believes her, not her neighbours, not her boyfriend, not even her daughter, Detective Jane Rizzilo...

Jane can't think of her mother and her wild theories right now. She finds herself investigate the gruesome yet senseless murder of nurse Sofia Suerez. She was well liked and well respected nurse. No one has a bad word to say about her. But there's something not right, and it seems to be linked to a former patient, a daughter of a doctor Sofia worked with. Is the doctor's teenage daughter, Amy, just suffering from a string of bad luck, or is there something more sinister going on...?

Audiobook Review - The Couple In The Cabin

This has been sitting on my Audiobook To Be Read Shelf for quite some time. And after I finished dipping in and out of my last audiobook from library (Listen to Me by Tess Gerritsen. Which I am currently reading, FYI, as I enjoy reading Tess Gerritsen novels rather than audiobook, but I got a good way into it), I wanted some short and fast to listen to as I have requested a LOAD of audiobooks from my local library this month and I wasn’t in the mood to start a podcast binge (that will be next month, I suspect).

So, I plumped for this, which has a precise that sounds deliciously twisted.

Title and Author: The Couple In The Cabin by Daniel Hurst

Publisher: Bookouture

Bought, Gifted or Borrowed: Audiobook gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction.

Grace and Dominic have been married for quite some time and happily so. Or so Grace thinks. Instead of staying in a hotel after a work’s event as she planned, she comes home to discover Dominic’s clothes thrown on the floor – as well as women’s clothes. Not her clothes, but someone else’s. There, she discovers the two in his work-cabin at the bottom of the garden and, without thinking, she locks the naked pair in. Then, she goes back into the house, goes to bed and then, in the morning, goes to work as if nothing has happened…

February 2023 Reading Plans

How are we in February already?! And why does it feel like I have read so little?

Yes, I know I’ve read collections of short stories which I bought or requested from library rather than any books I requested from publishers or authors (and I regret nothing! Sometimes, I need to read stuff that you bought/treat yo self to – we kinda forget that when we’re in the book blogsphere). But here we are, in February, and I suppose I need to figure out my plan of action for this month’s reading.

I’m still aiming to enjoy myself with reading (shouldn’t we all), but I like to idea of giving this month a theme or something vague that can work towards.

I still have my 12 Reads of 2023 to attack and I have an idea of which one of those it will be… (if you follow me on Goodreads, you’ll know where I’m leaning!), and I do want to tackle my To Be Read stacks. Mainly my Advance Reader Copies for audiobooks as I got approved for a good few in the last few weeks and am beginning to feel a little overwhelmed.

But I have an idea. I might be doing some “Spare Of The Moment” Polls on what to read/audiobook next and how to pick my next reads (TBR Wheel, Pet Pick, Partner Pick, Colour Pick, etc). Like I said, I want an element of fun and want to enjoy my reading this year.

So, keep an eye on my socials (Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook - mainly Twitter and Instagram) and let's read some fun reading this month!

More January 2023 Reading

I managed to do some more reading/audiobooking this month. Not as much as I liked, but I feel pleased over my reading so far in 2023. Will I be able to do more? Big "ha!" and "we shall see", but I did more reading (let's not mention how many books I bought/requested from publishers in the time in between...)

So, let me chat quickly about these two reads and I'll let you be on your way. Now, before I go further, I bought both of these but one of the titles (The Postscripts Murders by Elly Griffiths) was gifted to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction.

First Reads of 2023

I'm not going to review EVERYTHING I read this year, but I wanted to touch on a few things that I have read in 2023 as it feels weirdly out of my comfort zone and yet, feels perfectly normal (though am not sure why). 

I am reading collections of short stories. I don't feel like I see a lot of these in bookshops or online unless there are linked to a Brand (whether that be a successful author or a character/series) or if it's indie collection or for charity. Maybe am not looking in the right places, so if you know of an awesome collection of short stories, shout them at me as I always like to discover new authors and styles. 

So, at the time of writing this, I have read three and about to start a fourth (after that, I think I will be diving into novels - I am eyeing The Postscript Murders by Effy Griffiths and An Autobiography by Agatha Christie. I won't affiliate link them to Bookshop.org till I have read them). And I thought it would be nice to pop in, say hi, write these up SUPER quick and be on my merry way.

2023 Reading Plans

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And yes, I am back from my little Christmas break (actually, on writing this on my last day of holidays before am back in the office, which I am feeling a little nervous about), but I wanted to ease self back into blogging with a little plan over my reading (aka what you're going to see on my socials and on here). 

Now, I'm not going to review EVERYTHING I read on here. I think that's lead to a huge burnout over the past few years and I want to get back into enjoying blogging and reading so, if I do go off the radar for a while, you know why. I will write a small review on Goodreads and on Twitter - and I might try to look into using Instagram and consider using other socials (such as TikTok, though that looks scary to use and I am sure that, if I do use that, I will watch/lurk). 

But my main reading plans is to get my To Be Read piles under control. All of them - bought, gifted from friends and family and then gifted by publisher in exchange for an honest review/reaction. It's getting a little out of hand, and I am a slow reader so I want to make attack some of those through the year (on all formats - physical, ebook, audiobook, etc). 

I, also, have a vague idea of trying to read 12 books that have been on my radar to read for quite some time but, for one excuse or another, I have held off. I have 10 titles in my head already, but this is a more flexible bookish idea. I would like to try and read most of these but, if not, it won't be the end of the world as my reading tastes have changed (am more a fantasy/crime reader of late, haven't I?) and I want to rediscover my joy of reading without worrying about the blog. 

I can show you some titles that might be on my "Read 12 Titles in 2023", if you like... In no order, of course...

One of these is a reread, FYI, and I still need to make a decision on my last 2 choices. And, as you can see, all of these are are titles I have bought in one format or another and I have every intention to read them. I am a mood reader, so I will need to plan my reading carefully.

But this year, I want to rediscover my joy of reading, my leisure in the genres I adore and take little risks. Basically, I want to entertain myself and we'll see where we go from there!