What book are you reading atm?? CHAPTER TWO

Dunno where this book came from but it pulled me in. 3 separate storylines, all linked by water.

Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen

I picked this book up, solely because of the extraordinarily beautiful spayed edges on this European Special Collectors edition, and with the release of book 2 coming early next month, I wanted to see if it will be worth getting.

I have read fantasy before, (think J.R.R. Tolkein, Robin Hobbs, etc.) but this is my first venture into romantsy and I wasn't sure if this would be some soppy teenage love story with magic. However, I am pleasantly surprised by the well put together story that has plenty of twists and turns, direwolves and elite warriors, royalty and privilege, violence, and of course, sex.

The main character, Meryn, is very likeable and sees her as a poor commoner, forced to enlist in the army, in a bid to save her abducted little sister (from an enemy that feasts on the blood of human children in order to have near immortality). However, Meryn enlists at the wrong time as every recruit must undergo the deadly bonding trials (to see if they survive the trial and are selected by a direwolf to train as an elite warrior in the king's army). Surviving this bonding trial is only the beginning though, as throughout the four months of intense training, weaker recruits and their direwolves are culled by their packs.

Meryn is completely out of her depth as only one of two common-born recruits that have bonded and she needs to learn quickly the rules and expectations of the bonded in order to avoid being culled. But with one of the instructors, Stark who is alpha of one of the packs, she has made a deadly enemy that seems likely to kill her at any moment.

Wonders in the Deep: Extraordinary shipwreck discoveries from Spanish gold to Shackleton's Bible by Mensun Bound & Mark Frary

Fascinating history of global shipwrecks which covers bygone eras such as Ancient Egypt and early sailors, Mediterranean naval powers, Rome' maritime empire, the Goths and Vikings, the age of Asian porcelain, the Portuguese empire, the Tudors, Spain and the Age of Discovery, the Dutch Golden Age, American seafaring history, fighting ships in the age of sail, polar exploration, passenger liners, and Nazi naval power, right up to the modern era of washed up Lego.

Finished King Solomons Mines by H. Rider Haggard recently.

Excellent book, classic old school action adventure story, highly recommend it, it's just pure enjoyment.

Faithless by Karin Slaughter

Book 5 of the Grant County series and this plot centers on a young woman found seemingly buried alive with links to a religious cult.

Our Enemies Will Vanish by Yaroslav Trofimov

first-hand account of the invasion of Ukraine.

So Once Was I: Forgotten Tales from Glasnevin Cemetery by Warren Farrell

A very interesting book where Farrell, a historian and a tour guide at Glasnevin Cemetery, recounts the very interesting lives of some of the ordinary or forgotten souls buried here.

Did you know that it was an Irish priest that invented the swimming goggles? Did you know that Ireland was quite prevalent in winning Wimbledon when it first started and that we have the dubious honour of having the only Wimbledon champion that subsequently went on to be convicted of murder? I sure didn't.

The Enchanters by James Ellroy

First time reading him.

I really have to get back into him. Loved the Tabloid Trilogy.

Might do. My reading hasn't been particularly focused as of late but been going through the Don Winslow as audiobooks as of late, enjoying the Danny Ryan trilogy. Physical books I'm on Red Mars atm. I cover all the genres. 😂

Yeah. I seem to remember that being used more in the follow up to American Tabloid called The Cold Six Thousand, each sentence seemed to average 7 or 8 words with a lot of slang.

The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence

Book 1 of The Library Trilogy in the fantasy genre. This was a very tough book to get into, the first 200-300 pages are awfully boring, with neither of the two main characters being all that interesting (one is s child refugee that becomes a librarian while the other has been trapped with his adoptive family living in a large chamber of the same library but in a different time).

However, it does pick up towards the latter part of the story.

I’m currently reading The Irish Blacksmith, his trade and life by Michael Corrigan. Very interesting read.

Just finished reading Enigma by Robert Harris.

Excellent book as all of the ones of his I've read have been , I've always been fascinated by Bletchley house and what went on there.

I saw the film about 15 years ago but had forgotten large parts of it so the book was still enjoyable to read.

Thinking of reading Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian next which is also another film I watched years ago but I want to read it as I want to read the whole series so might as well start at the beginning.