Ah-ha! Thought I was skipping the Roundup this week, did you? Well, I’m not! Honestly, I just got busy with work this week and forgot about it until today. But we’re here now, and I’m happy to report it was a great week for reading. We’ve got a good dose of romance, of course, plus two fantastical coming-of-age stories (one of them a bit more literal than the other). So, let’s get into it before something else happens to distract me!
The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan: This series has been on my TBR for a while now, thanks to a few friends who love it, and when they decided to do a read-along in anticipation of the upcoming TV adaptation, it seemed like a good time to jump in with book one. The Eye of the World is very old-school fantasy, with a slower pace and a lot of time spent on character development and world-building, which I liked very much. I didn’t speed through but rather enjoyed reading a chapter here and a chapter there, just savoring the experience. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series, too, as I want to know what happens next!
Fitzhugh Trilogy #2-3+2.5 by Sherry Thomas: I started this series on a whim because the descriptions looked so fun and dramatic! A fake marriage with an amnesiac “bride”? A friends-to-lovers romance that happens after the marriage? Yes, please! These books definitely aren’t closed door, but they’re not full-steam, either. Thomas seems to understand that what happens in the bedroom is important to the love story but is still only a part, and she spends plenty of time showing the couples grow closer in other ways, too, which I appreciate. All in all, a fun romp of a series that also has plenty of heart (I’ll be reading book one soon!). I only realized after starting this that Thomas is also the author of the Lady Sherlock series, which has been on my TBR for some time… and is now moving higher up!
Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle #1) by Diana Wynne Jones: Like The Eye of the World, I picked this up because a friend told me it’s one of her favorite novels, and after reading, I can understand why. The world is delightful, and the characters – I fell in love with all of them! Especially my practical Sophie and dramatic Howl, but also Michael, and Calcifer, and the poor dog-man. I nearly laughed my head off at more than one passage, and if I ever find a way to enter books, the world of Howl’s will be one of my first stops.
What have you been reading this week? Any new favorites? As always, my TBR is open for recommendations!
–b
Book It With Becca 