The Joy of Rereads

There's something really joyful about reread books or audiobooks, isn't it? Whether you reread because of comfort and familiarity to the world/characters/story, getting a deeper understanding on the story and/or the author's writing, emotional connection or just because, I've never heard of anyone who doesn't like a good reread. (Am curious on why you, dear reader, reread?)

And seeing as, a few weeks ago, I went "Let's try and do some rereads this year" and accidently went down a rabbit-hole on some titles, I thought I would look at some rereads on my radar and hope you guys keep me accountable on sticking to reread these before the end of the year. I did chat about a few of these titles in my Neverending Reread TBR post back in September of last year.

Did I stick to my Reread TBR? No. As I said in another post (Rereading Surprises), I only reread 3 books last year: The Diviners by Libba Bray, Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. 

Not sure what was the shift in me wanting to reread came from. I know that both The Woman in Black by Susan Hill and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins came about as I saw both their stage productions and I wanted to refresh my memory over the original text, but the other books I have reread so far/am currently rereading/planning to reread are very impulsive. 

Rereading Surprises

Something strange happened the past few weeks. Barring the whole “I killed my NetGalley account so make my reading/blogging easier as I might be saying Goodybye in the next 12 months or sooner…”, I starting making plans on rereads. And yes, I impulsively reread a book or two. 

And, even more shockingly, I actually enjoyed them. HARD TO BELIEVE, I KNOW! (Ok, I will explain this outburst shortly). 

Now, I know I wrote about my NeverEnding Reread TBR, but I have so many books/audiobooks/ebooks fighting for my attention, I didn’t truly think I would have gone hard on my rereads over the past few weeks since I wrote that post. SURPRISE!

The NeverEnding ReRead TBR

Well, if I have scared self into writing about my ending TBR (in all formats), maybe I should write one about my Reread TBR that I would like to read so it’s long. Plus, I did say to self I would try and read more rereads as I do enjoying rereading my faves and, so far this year, I have read none. I am currently audiobooking a reread (The Diviners by Libba Bray), but as I said in my NeverEnding Audiobook TBR post, this is because I have been saying that I would do this series for YEARS but keep chickening out so my plan to do one book in this for book series a month to Halloween/Winter Solstice then do a post (still deciding if I should do one post per book or one HUGE post at the end!). 

The more I think about this post (which I only thought of writing ten or so minutes ago at the time of writing), the more I realise that I have more books I want to reread than I first thought. As always in the past few NeverEnding TBR posts, I will put affiliate links to the titles (with a * next to them) so am playing fair.

Audiobook Reread - A Discovery of Witches

I am going to be honest: this was meant to be one of the series I wanted to reread this year. And I wanted to do it before the release of the newest installation of the All Souls world, The Black Bird Oracle, which is coming out in mid-July. Now, I don’t think I’m going to be able to binge-reread the rest of the All Souls trilogy (Shadow of Night and Book of Life) as well as the companion novel, Time’s Convert, before it’s release. 

But I am going to try and reread (all via audio) before the end of the year. I do think I am going to attempt Time’s Convert next month (I read this originally and was very middle of the road about it, but I got the audiobook on sale so am doing to attempt it this way as see if my opinion changes as I really like the leads in this). 

Anyway, like I said, I really wanted to reread this, which means I needed to start from the beginning. 

Title and Author: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Publisher: Headline

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Audiobook Bought

Buy From (Affiliate): uk.bookshop.org

Diana Bishop is a scholar and descendant of a line of powerful witches, though she tries very hard not to use her magic. When she discovered a strange manuscript at Oxford’s Bodleian Library, she returns it to its archives due to the strange enchantments around it. But this manuscript - Ashmole 782 - was thought long lost and deeply enchanted and now, vampires, witches and daemons, are coming to Oxford, watching Diana. In the hopes she recalls it. 

For this book has its own secrets and it looks like Diana is right in the middle of it…

Neverending Reread List

 I am going to admit that my To Be Read list is very out of control (at the time of writing this, Goodreads and StoryGraph both tell me I have over 400 books that I would like to read one day). Some are recent, others have been on my shelves (both physical and electronic) for a very, very, very long time. 

But I love a good reread. And I discovered that I didn’t do any last year as I had too much to read and review. So, this year, I want to allow myself the chance to reread stories that itch at me and beg for the chance. 

Now, I have several on my radar and I have openly chatted about and I am making plans to attack them (or at least start) over the course of the Spring and Summer months. Plus, there are a few others that are sitting patiently on my kindle and I know that holding them off to next year isn’t going to be an opinion. I sense I might have to allow myself a month of hardcore rereading pleasure.

Now, before I chat about some of the titles, I will be putting affiliate links to bookshop.org to some titles (not all as I do ramble) so if any titles tickle your fancy and you want more details, you can click there and research. But if you want to use Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles or any other bookseller (indie or otherwise), please do so. Let’s share the bookish love!

re3 - Soulless

I'm not sure what made me desperately wanted to reread the first book in the Parasol Protectorate, Soulless, by Gail Carriger. It's been on my mind that I wanted to reread it for the last year or two but I seem to become desperate to find time to reread this and see if it was as fun as when I first read this back in 2013 (I had to backtrack through the blog to double check my dates but yes, I first read this nearly ten years ago!)

So, for those of you curious, Soulless is set in an alternative, steampunk London where vampires, werewolves and Alexia Tarabotti exist. Alexia Tarabotti has no soul - literally, though you wouldn't see it. All you would see is a spinster with Italian blood and speaks her mind. How very unladylike. 

But when Alexia is attacked by a vampire and accidentally kills it, breaking all social etiquette, she thinks it can't get worse. Boy oh, it does, as the handsome, gruff (and Alpha werewolf) Lord Maccon is sent to investigate by Queen Victoria. 

For you see, vampires are disappearing and new, rogue vampires are appearing. For some reason that no one seems to understand, Alexia keeps herself in trouble because of it. Something is afoot and whether Lord Maccon wants her help or not, Alexia is going to get to the bottom of it with her trusty brass parasol and a good cup of tea.

Reading Slump ReReading - Witch Week

I am 95% certain that I've read this YEARS ago. I am sure I bought a paperback edition from my local ASDA when children's fantasy was booming (Yes, Harry Potter). I can't remember anything about the book barring the start - someone wrote a note saying that someone in the class is a witch. 

So, now that I am making my way SLOWLY through the Chrestomanci series (I really start continue with Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver but, OH, the fear as I was enjoying myself SO MUCH!), when this came up, I was excited as I went "I know this. Vaguely. Hey, this might be The Book that kills my reading slump."

Now, in the series collection I have, this is book three. This is because it was the third book published. However, Diana Wynne Jones recommended that Witch Week should be the fourth book you read, and other people say that this, chronically, is the sixth book in the series (however, other people say that Witch Week can't actually be placed int he sequence as there's no clue to who the Chrestomanci is when the book takes place...)

SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH

The note, written in simple blue biro, is discovered in the homework books by Mr Crossley during his markings and it upsets him. For this is Larwood House, a school for witch-orphans, and they are in a world where witchcraft is forbidden and the witches caught are burnt alive. And yet, magic is breaking out throughout the school and it looks there might be more than one witch... 

There was something utterly joyful about reading this. I think this is the book that broken my reading slump because I just had fun with it. Yes, there are problems with this book - the fatphobia, the writing of characters of colours (there was one character from India who turned yellow with fear. Every time I saw this line [I know it was said twice], I would winces) and there were other things that felt of its time, but there was something utterly lovely about this book. I think it's because it wasn't a typical Chrestomanci book. 

I mean, Chrestomanci didn't turn up to very late in the book. Plus, I'm not the biggest of the second book my kindle Chrestomanci collection - The Magicians of Caprona. So, going into this and not was a break from the series, was refreshing. Plus, the characters weren't nice. There were flawed and mean - like kids are. 

So, yeah, I think this is the book that broke my reading slump and am excited to get my reading groove back. But am going to go back slowly and not rush into it (though my proofs on my TBR shelves [all physical, ebook and audiobook] are STARING at me with fury - but when has that ever stopped me from reading what I want to read). So, please bear with me as I returned to reading. And yes, this was a hoot! 

re3 - Wyrd Sisters

I have a feeling that I read this in my youth and I don't believe I liked it very much. I know I tried it and said I would try another Discworld novel, but it took over ten years or so for me to try going back into Discworld with Mort (meh), Reaper Man (which I loved and need to reread soon!) and Hogfather (which I would like to reread one day...)

So, Discworld. Big series with loads of lovers out there. A must for fantasy readers who like their stories to have humour, and Wyrd Sisters is the sixth book in the Discworld series and the second, I think, in the Witches collection.

Title and Author: Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Corgi/Transworld Books

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

Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat are witches who, one night, as they meet round a cauldron, find themselves in the middle of a plot. A king is cruelly murdered by his ambitious cousin and his wife, and the true heir to the throne and the crown have vanished. 

Witches should not get involved, but they will and the three witches find out that get involved in royal politics is far more messy and complicated than what some well-known play writers would have you believed...

Recent Diana Wynne Jones Read & Reread

There are a few authors that, over the past few years, I start and then, for one reason or another (mainly COVID), time runs away from me. One of them is Michelle Paver, and the other is Diana Wynne Jones. The plan was to slowly read the Chrestomanci series throughout the course of 2019 and 2020. 

However, COVID hit and I got sidetracked. 

But, recently, I had the itch to read The Magicians of Caprona and, after a few pages, I remember that I tried to read the first chapter a few days after reading Charmed Life, the first in the Chrestomanci series. Now, I have a kindle bind-up of the series and this collection is in publication order, not series order (apparently, this is book 4 in the series, though in publication order, this is book 2). 

Set in the dukedom of Caprona where spells are slippy and the warring families of Montanas and the Petrocchis blame each other for everything that is beginning to go wrong. But the visiting Chrestomanci thinks it's an evil enchanter at work, but no one seems to be listening. 

I'm going to be honest with this one: I did struggle with this one. I didn't warm to the story in the way I hoped. I'm not sure why. I just didn't warm to the story, though one or two characters I liked almost immediately. 

But I am hoping to enjoy the next book in the collection - Witch Week - when I get round to reading it soon. 

Well... that was the plan. To read Witch Week. But when I saw the audiobook of Howl's Moving Castle had a discount on Audible, I knew I had to snap it up. I didn't exactly warm to it on my first reading as I put too much pressure to like it as this is The One. The One where, if you chatted about Diana Wynne Jones's best book, most people would say this. And, when I read the first time, I was a little underwhelmed by it. 

So imagine my surprise when I went into this and found myself enjoying this hugely. It's still not my favourite fantasy, but I enjoyed this hugely. The characters are vain, selfish but there's something wickedly delicious about this world and these characters. So much so that I was considering getting the audiobook of the sequel, Castles In The Air. However, I have heard a few things about that one so I decided to dodge that. 

However, I do have a few other Diana Wynne Jones titles on my kindle and, slowly, I hope to tackle them over the next few years...

re3 - We Were Liars

I don't reread books that often (though I always want to - I mean, my mental reread list is longer than I would like to admit), so it came as a surprise when, over the last few months, I had an itch to reread We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. 

Now, I first read this when the book came out back in 2014. I actually was very lucky and got a proof from the UK publisher, Hot Key Books, and I devoured it over the course of three or four days. It was an addictive read and so smart. 

But I don't often reread crime or mystery novels, for the main reason that once I know the twist, the story doesn't hold the same quality or that element of fun. There are exceptions to the rule (a good example is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie), but once I knew the twist, I only really go back if I like the characters. 

But We Were Liars. I remember how obsessed I got with it when I first read this and, with news that a prequel (Family of Liars) is coming out in a few months, I wanted to reread this to refresh my memory, see if it still stood up and look at the clues for a new angle. 

So, shall we begin? 

Title and Author: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review/reaction, but borrowed via Amazon's Prime Reading

The Sinclair family are rich. The Sinclair family are beautiful. The Sinclair family are liars.

#re3 - Carry On

Rereading Carry On by Rainbow Rowell has been high on my Reread List for the past few months. I’m not sure why but I knew that I wanted to read it over the summer. I, also, knew that I wasn’t going to read the second and third/final Simon Snow books, Wayward Son and Anyway the Wind Blows (Ok, this one I am vaguely intrigued over, but no to Wayward Son), but thought it would be nice to reread this before the third and final book comes out. 

In case you don’t know, Simon Snow started life in another Rainbow Rowell novel: Fangirl. A book about fandom, mental health and figuring out who you are (and Simon Snow is the fantasy series book that the main character loves. Very similar to Harry Potter). And Carry On is Rainbow taking the characters from the Simon Snow series and run with them, almost writing her own fanfiction with her own characters. 

Simon Snow is the Chosen One. The One who will save the World of Mages from the Insidious Humdrum. The Chosen One who can’t control his own magic and just wants to saviour his eighth and final year at Watford School of Magick. And yet, no one is going to let him. His girlfriend has broken up with him, his mentor – The Mage – wants to hide him away, his best friend is acting like a pest and his roommate/enemy is missing, which he should enjoy but can’t because he’s worried about where he is...

#re3 - Mister Monday

Have you ever reread a book or audiobook that you really enjoyed in the past and yet, this time round, something feels off and you don't think it's the book but might be you? 

Well, I had that near the end of my reread of Mister Monday, the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. And, like I said a few weeks ago, I think the events of the real world and possible blogging burnout might be the reason. 

Ok, I feel I should explain this book and why I decided to reread this, even though I reread this back in ... let me check my notes ... 2016 (write-up for that is here). So, I have read the series since Mister Monday was first published in the UK in 2003. This was published by HarperCollins and, while selling well and having a solid fanbase internationally, it never hit the heights of Garth Nix's other beloved series, The Old Kingdom (which, you guys know, I adore). So, it's been a little quiet in the past few years, until Hot Key Books bought the rights to republish the series. You see, in the past few years, Hot Key Books and its sister imprint, Piccadilly Press, have been publishing and rebranding Garth Nix's children and teen titles (Gollancz are publishing his adult titles, Angel Mage and Left-Handed Booksellers of London, and will be republishing Garth's space opera, A Confusion of Princes later this spring/summer). 

So, new covers, new branding for Garth Nix and, with it, a new audience. 

So, of course, I was excited and I wanted to reread this to refresh my memory and see what new tricks Hot Key is going to throw at it. 

And yet...

I really enjoyed returning to this world and its characters at the start of this. So excited and happy. And yet, the more I reread, the more meh I felt over it. And that;'s not the book's fault. I want to stress this. Normally, I would reread a book and usually, I love it or find new elements that make me go "Ooooh! I see what you did there", but this time, those "oooh" moments weren't really there and I can't explain why fully. 

I'm putting it down due to the climate the world is in at the moment. For the UK, we have been in a COVID-19 bubble/lockdown for a year now and, though there is the beginning of light at the end of the tunnel, I think the fatigue and the burnout is beginning to effect us now. Also, while I do love reread books and discovering new fun reads, I think I'm ready to rediscover some stories with a tad of meat on their books. 

So maybe my plan to read Middle Grade this March isn't going to happen. But as for my reread, sometimes, it's the right book for the wrong time. When I started, it was a the right story, but for the last few days, it wasn't and am glad I have refreshed my memory of this title and decided that, maybe later this year, I'll reread a later book in the (I was thinking one of the latter four: Sir Thursday, Lady Friday, Superior Saturday or Lord Sunday. Am leaning towards Sir Thursday or Lady Friday as, barring Mister Monday, these are the strongest of the series [Sir Thursday has an edge over Lady Friday]). 

#re3 - The Surgeon

My first reread of 2021! And it's in one of my fave genres - crime and thriller. I admit that IO'm not exactly sure why I decided that I wanted to reread (via audiobook) The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen. I haven't read this since, I think, when I first read it back in April 2006 (?). I usually read her later books such as Body Double (this I hope to reread later this year as well as Vanish and The Mephisto Club. I have really affection for Body Double and Mephisto Club, hence why these two are high on my To Be Reread List). 

Now, if you don't know this book, let me get some info down and chat a little about the book. 

Title And Author: The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

Publisher: Bantam/Transworld Digital

Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Borrowed audiobook from local library via BorrowBox

Length: 416 Pages or 10 Hours 49 Minutes

A serial killer is attacking vulnerable women in Boston. He tortures them, does medical procedures on them and then kills them, only to neatly fold their nightgowns and leave the scenes. All these attacks have horrible, if not exact, similars to a spare of killings that happening Savannah two years ago. Expect the surviving victim killed the perpetrator. But the final girl - a doctor now - is working is Boston and, the more the Police investigate the new killings, the more they realise that she is at the heart of it all.

Rereading Agatha Christie and Kimberly Derting

This post isn't going to be long (in theory. I just want to touch base on rereads). 

As you know over the past few months, I have talked openly about wanting to reread and discover some old fave authors and books (and maybe read some books from authors I have read in the past but not read). As a book blogger and someone who seems to be always adding new books on my To Be Read shelves and yet, am quite slow a reader at the same time, rereads are usually out of the question. Not always, sometimes you just want to reread something. And this year, with everything that has happened, rereading some books that are close to your heart or call to you are totally in order and, at times, desperately needed. 

And so, the past few weeks (since before my post of Future Rereads... Maybe...), I knew I wanted to reread Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder. It's been calling to me for quite a while and, in the end, I broke and went "Sod it!". 

This 2010 publication follows Violet Ambrose who has three problems in her life at the moment. The first is she has started to develop feelings for her best friend, Jay, and is unsure what to do with them. Second is her gift to sense the dead. Well, the dead that met a violet and murderous end. She sees/hears/senses the dead's echoes and the imprint that attaches to their killers. And third... a serial killer is on the loose and killing young, pretty girls in her small town... 

As you know, I love a good murder mystery/thriller and, due to COVID-19, the romance aspect appeals to me hugely of late (if you've seen the books I have requested from publishers or that I have bought the past few months, romance [straight or queer] have gone up hugely and this worries me). And when I read this back in 2010, I ADORED this book and devoured the series (the rest of the series is good and I enjoyed hugely but this first book can be read as a standalone). So, did going back make me like the book more or did me being ten years old change my opinion on it? 

No, not really. It was like coming back to an old friend. I had a wonderful time reading this as, while I knew the twists of the killer storyline (I did figure them out the first time I read this, truth be told), it was the romance between Violet and Jay that pulled me in this time. Funny how time changes us as readers. But I had a wonderful time rereading Body Finder. I have no plans to reread the rest of the series, as this was all I needed. 

Which leads me to Agatha Christie... Ok, now, backstory. I am 95% certain I read or audiobook Death Comes As The End in my late teens, but I can't remember anything about it. But, since the BBC announced that they were going to adapt it, I have been curious to reread/reaudiobook this and refresh my memory and, hopefully, this will give me the kick to read some Agatha Christies I have on my TBR (I had a few...)

Set in Ancient Egypt, a family is thrown into turmoil when head of the house, Imhotep, brings a beautiful concubine home from one business trip. His sons, their wives and his daughter are shocked and, while his sons and their wives are furious and plan to remove her from the house, the daughter tries (and fails) to befriend the beautiful concubine, Nofret. So when her body is found at the bottom of a cliff, no one really mourns her... but then more people start dying... is there a serial killer in the family and, if so, who? 

I make this sound more dramatic than it was. I remember really liking this in my teens but now... I just found it slow, boring and frustrating as, for a good chunk of the book, no-one was worrying about someone killing them off! And this book is such a product of the times, but I keep flinching at some of the terms characters use as they are racist and then, the writing felt odd and clunky. Not a normal Christie like I have read in the past. 

But, like I said earlier, we change as readers and I wondered if it was because I have been binging a lot of Christie over the course of the year as, after audiobooking Death Comes As The End, I audiobooked some Christies I've never read before: the Miss Marple novel At Bertham's Hotel, the Poirot short story The Mystery of the Spanish Chest and another short story Accident. I didn't like At Bertham's Hotel and I prefer the both short stories a little more, but I think I have Christie myself out. I have two novels on my kindle to read - Crooked House and The Pale Horse (I have low expectations with Pale Horse but high hopes for Crooked House) - and the rest I removed. 

But there's nothing wrong with rereading books and I have a few plans in mind over the next few months so you might see some more rereads on the blog or on Goodreads (goodreads.com/pewterwolf if you want to friend/follow me!) in future. Sorry/not sorry in advance! 

Future Rereads... Maybe...

If you read my "Ten Years of The Pewter Wolf" post at the start of the year, you might have read a small paragraph where I said I would like to try and reread some books from my early blogging days. And while I have done some rereads (at the time of writing this posts, I have reread around 11 books - check out the #re3 tab to see some of my rereads this year and back in the past (up to around 2013 when I started #re3), I've not done some of the titles I had in mind. So, here's a small post, chatting about SOME of the titles I have my eye on trying to reread by the end of this year/end of next year (2021).

Now, some of these titles I have read and reviewed on the Pewter Wolf and others were before Pewter Wolf began. Plus, am going to pick a few that you might not see coming and only going to give you a few titles as the rest I want to be a surprise to you and to myself. As you are probably aware, I don't do monthly TBR posts... though maybe I should for a while...

Getting away from the point of this post!

#re3 - Illuminae

Ok, I did warn you that I might mix things up on the Pewter Wolf and on my Goodreads (goodreads.com/pewterwolf) for the next few months, till I find my groove back with reading and blogging (this is a strange new time!), but after listening to the audiobook of Illuminae (a reread, as first read it back in 2018), I knew I wanted to talk about this so, let me get the typical “Here’s all the Info/links” rubbish out of the way and we can talk! 

• Title And Author: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• Publisher: Rock The Boat
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
• Length: 608 Pages or 11 Hours 40 Minutes

Now, I’ve already read this so this is a reread and I know most of you guys have read this as you are much better readers than me, but if you haven’t, Illuminae is a bit of a weird one. But in a good way. Stay with me with this as I try (and fail) to explain this. 

The year is 2527 and two megacorporations are at war over a tiny, ice-speck of a planet. Shame no one thought to warn the people on the planet. As enemy fire falls down on them, Kady and Ezra must make their escape to the evacuating fleet. There, they will be safe. Right? 

Wrong. A deadly plague has broken out on one of the ships and is mutating, the ships’s AI has gone AWOL and the enemy ship that was destroying the planet is chasing them, wanting to kill them all. And no one is saying or doing anything. Kady knows her way round computers so she decides to hack their computers to find the truth, but soon realises that she needs one person’s help: Ezra. Yet, there’;s a problem with that: they broke up mere hours before all this crazy started and she’s not sure she wants to talk to him…

Revisiting the Old Kingdom

During COVID-19 lockdown/self-isolation, I read and audiobook a lot! And, as you probably see from a month or so back, I hit a reading wall and was on verge of reading slump and blogging slump. So, I decided to reread Sabriel, the first book in the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. This is usually my Go-To book when I'm on the verge of or in a reading slump as I adore this book!

Plus, me rereading this series is a long time coming as, for the past 18 months, I have openly said that I would reread Lirael, the second book in the series. I've been wanting to reread this for such a long time as, while I adore Sabriel, Lirael has a soft spot in my heart as does Goldenhand (I will explain why a little further down).

So, the past few months, I finally sucked it up and reread the whole series. Expect, I've not reread them. I have audiobooked them, and while I've only ever audiobook Sabriel, so this is a new experience for me, and yet, not quite at the time same.

So, what do I class this? A Reread Post (aka re3 post) or a new post? A mix of both? An experience post?

Not sure where to start, so let's talk about rereading these books and me falling back in love with this world.

I suppose I should explain what the series is about, though that is a little of a hard one to explain. The Old Kingdom series is a high fantasy series which, primary, is set in the Old Kingdom, a kingdom where magic exist (well, two types. Charter Magic and Free Magic) and the Dead can walk, pulled back into Life by nercomancers or Free Magic adapts. Only the Abhorsen can lay the Dead to rest and force them into the cold river of Death and, hopefully, through the Nine Gates.

I suppose I should, also, explain reading order and history as, even as a fan, this is a weird one. Sabriel is the first, published in the UK in 2002 but published in Nix's homeland of Australia in 1995. This was, originally, a standalone so you can easily read this and you would be perfectly fine. Lirael and Abhorsen was published in 2003 and 2004. Set around 20 years after the events of Sabriel, this is one story told over two books, so you have to read this duology together. Clariel is a tricky one - almost the black sheep of the family - as it's a prequel, set around 300 years before the events of Sabriel and things happen in there that have an effect on the series. And Goldenhand takes place six months after the events of Abhorsen.

Which leads to reading order. There are, to my knowledge, three ways you can read this series, if you wish. You can read it in publication order (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel and Goldenhand with the two novellas, Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case and To Hold A Bridge before Goldenhand - yes, there are short stories set in this world, but not gonna touch on them in this post!), you can read in timeline order (Clariel, Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen and Goldenhand) or you do publication order but flip Clariel and Goldenhand about so the order would be Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, Goldenhand then Clariel.

I know, that last order sounds weird, but it does work and make sense. Because Clariel is a prequel and hints at one or two things to come, you can either read it before or after Goldenhand. You can read it before and go "Oh, that's what happened" or you can read it after and go "Oh, that's what happened!"

But, in either way, I do say read Sabriel first as it sets up the world and magic system and Lirael and Abhorsen is one story told over two books and, if possible, read Clariel and Goldehand as close together if possible, though this isn't essential.

So, my reread and thoughts. Well, to no one's surprise, Sabriel and Lirael are wonderful books. I will happily push these two onto people. They are wonderful and am shocked that it's taken me so long to reread these. The same goes Wirth Abhorsen, though I don't have as much affection to it compared to Sabriel or Lirael. I feared at one point that this would be four stars, but Garth pulls it back right at the end!

Clariel and Goldenhand are odd balls. I've not read these as much compared to the others (only once or twice) and I have read affection for these. I read Goldenhand while in New York City on holiday with my partner who proposed on that trip, hence my soft spot. And with Clariel, I've been waiting for this book for such a long time and, while not my fave in the series, I do keep thinking about the main character, Clariel, quite often as she is quite a complex character.

But this reread was different. And I have two reasons for this. The first is I was audiobooking this time round and, because of that, I had three different narrators. Tim Curry, Graeme Malcolm and Heather Wilds. Now, I have listened to the audiobook of Sabriel many years ago so I have heard Tim Curry reading and I adore his voice. It just fits (plus, how he does Mogget is wonderful) so, I knew I would love his reading of Lirael and Abhorsen. And I did. Hugely.

But, as we all know, he suffered a stroke several years ago, meaning he was unable to continue acting and reading the series. Hence, Graeme and Heather stepping in to read Clariel and Goldenhand. And this is a bit jarring when you are doing one audiobook after another. I am going to be honest here, I see why Graeme was chosen to do Clariel, but I never warmed to his voice. The same goes, up to a point, with Heather. I see why she was chosen and I did like her reading, but some of the choices she made with character's voices were puzzling.

Plus, I did audiobook Goldenhand at the worst possible time in my life (I will explain in further but not now. At the time of writing, it'a too soon and too raw).

But I am, overall, really glad I revisited the Old Kingdom. And with the sixth book in the series coming out the end of next year (it will either be called Terciel and Elinor or Terciel [not sure as getting conflicting info on that front), I can;'t wait to come back into this world. Or maybe reread a book or two before diving straight back!

Self-Isolation #re3 - Twilight

• Title And Author: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• Publisher: Atom
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
• Length: 513 Pages or 12 Hours 51 Minutes

Well, this is a turn-up for the books. I decided to reread Twilight. Now, I hold this series quite close to my heart (not Harry Potter close, but I do have affection for this series) and in times of darkness, such as self-isolation/furlodged due to COVID-19, sometimes rereading a book you love or rewatching that TV show, film or playing that video game is needed. 

So, not sure why I went to Twilight and not my normal go-on of Harry Potter or Sabriel, but Twilight I did. 

Now, this isn’t a review. There is no point me doing a review for this book as we all agree that, yes, this is a fun, beach read and a perfect read for something to sweep you along and you happily go along with it. HOWEVER, this book is very problematic. 

The book is very much split into two parts. The first half focuses on the romance, the falling in love for the first time. It’s Bella moving to Forks and falling into lust then love with Edward over a period of several weeks/months. I keep forgetting that the first chunk of the book takes place over a long period of time. That’s because Bella rarely mentions time pasting. 

And yes, people have said Bella is very blank-state Mary-Sue character as you insert yourself into her character (had to rewrite that line as “insert yourself into her” sounds increasely filthy!), and because she’s falling in love for the first time, we too are inserting our first time as well. Plus, as we all know, when you are at the beginning of a relationship, we all are wearing rose-tinted glasses and inserting the qualities we most admire onto the other person and not seeing their flaws, hence why Bella sees Edward’s behaviour as romantic and not as toxic masculainy (though why no one else in the book sees it is anyone’s guess).

Then we have the thriller second-half. I’m not against this - I read/audiobook most of this section in one or two days, but I sense that there were some aspects that were a little too easy. A little too convenient. But I read this section at speed and most readers forget this latter part as, when we think about Twilight and the Saga as a whole, we remember the romance. 

I’m surprised at some of the writing. In some places, it’s fairly solid and others, not so much. As someone who has read most of Stephenie’s novel (barring the Eclipse novel, The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner), I can see that she’s grown as a storyteller and go better with her plotting. Her adult novels, The Host and The Chemist are far better and much stronger (though, out of the two, I would say The Host is far superior. Though I do think The Chemist has its moments and would work much better as a TV show, similar vine to Killing Eve, The Blacklist or Blindspot). 

It was nice going down nostalgia reading lane, and seeing as I want to do a lot more rereads as part of my “Ten Years Book Blogging”, it was nice to reread this and make plans to reread a few other titles… gonna keep these under my hat, for now, though keep eyes peeled on my #re3 page as they might offer you clues…

Self-Isolation #re3 - Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident

• Title And Author: Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
• Publisher: Puffin
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Borrowed from local library by BorrowBox
• Length: 306 Pages or 6 Hours 48 Minutes

I read this YEARS ago when the book was first published in hardback with its super-shiny foiled dustjacket. Now, I only read the first three books (I never carried on for some reason. Maybe it was the first cover change when book 4 was first published or maybe I thought book 3 - The Eternity Code - ended in a good place) but with Disney releasing their movie version Artemis Fowl on Disney+ (this was meant to be released in cinemas but with COVID-19 situation, Disney decided to move this to their streaming services and push back release dates for other releases; their live action Mulan and Marvel’s Black Widow), I felt the urge to reread or grab my hands on the audiobook. So, yes, REREAD TIME!!! 

So, The Arctic Incident. After the whole hostage situation of last year, faerie Holly Short of course thinks child genius and criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl is behind the recent goblin gangs planning an uprising. But, for once, Artemis is innocent (hard to believe, I know!) and he has bigger fish to fry: his missing father is being held for ransom by Russian Mafia and he needs to be saved. So, Artemis needs to clear his name, save his father and figure out what’s going on with the People…

#re3 - Ark Angel

• Title And Author: Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz
• Publisher: Walker Books
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Borrowed from local library via BorrowBox
• Length: 344 Pages or 8 Hours 21 Minutes

Reread Time! I did warn you guys that this year, seeing as 2020 will be my tenth year of book blogging (October, I believe), I did want to do some more past reads, whether that be something I chatted on the blog before or something from my youth. And I have been failing that. Oh well… but not for long… 

I first read Ark Angel when it first came out in April 2005 (NO ONE DO THE MATHS TO FIGURE OUT MY AGE!) and I remember very little about it. But I always had plans to go back into the series and reread some of the earlier books in the series and read the books I skipped. Been thinking this on and off since I read Never Say Die back in 2017 (Really? 2017?!). So, this year, on a random moment, I looked at my BorrowBox app and saw the series on there, I went “Oh, I really want to relisten to the second Alex Rider, Point Blanc, as it’s my fave and the TV adaption is based on this”. And then, one day after I DNFed another audiobook (wasn’t in right mindset for it. Am planning to go back to it one day), I was skimming it as none of my audiobooks I bought appealed to me and I saw Ark Angel was available to download instantly (the others I had to request and wait). So, on impulse, I requested and listened. 

After the shock ending at the end of book 5 in the series, Scorpia (I REALLY need to reread this. It’s such a goodie!), Alex is recovering in hospital. But he’s not going to recover for long as the body in the hospital room next door is going to get kidnap, Alex does a switch and gets himself kidnapped instead. Eco-terrorists Force 3, led by Kasper, are gunning for the boy’s father, Nikolei Drevin, one of the world’s wealthiest developers and the man who is single-handedly funding the first luxury outer-space hotel, Ark Angel. Alex manages to escape and, as a thank you for saving his son’s life, Nikolei offers Alex a holiday to rest, relax and becoming friends with his son, Paul…

But the more time Alex spends with Nikolei, the more he feels uneasy around him. Something’s not quite right, and Alex might not be out of the spying game like he hoped…