WWW Wednesday is a tag currently hosted at Taking on A World of Words. The three W’s are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
So I managed to read quite a bit again last week! Although they were shorter books. I’ve been slowing down a bit the last couple of days in preparation for my cert exam, but with so many books I want to read I can’t wait to just get back to it.
Currently Reading:
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and the One Ring, possessed by Sauron, enabled him to rule above all others. But one day the One Ring was taken from him, and many years later it fell into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. This story explores Bilbo’s journey across Middle Earth to destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.
To be precise, I’m actually 2/3 of the way through The Hobbit now – yes, I’ve finally started the series! I knew I would love the world and the writing, but something I wasn’t expecting to like was the narration and the telling of the story itself. I can’t quite put my finger on it yet, but something about it is really comforting. I’m definitely looking forward to diving deeper into the series (and as I’ve heard, eventually it does get really heavy on the worldbuilding)!
Recently Read:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist follows Santiago, who travels from his home in Spain to Egypt in search of a buried treasure. Along the way, he meets three people that point him the direction of the treasure. They are unsure of what the treasure contains or whether Santiago makes it, but one treasure found along the way is the discovery within.
I’m glad I finally read this book! I really enjoyed the way this story was told and there was a lot to ponder about throughout the text. Reading the story behind this book as well, it amazes me that nobody was reading it when it was first published.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
The Lost Apothecary follows two timelines; the first is in London, 1791 following an apothecary shop owner who dispenses poisons to women to give to men who have wronged them. The second timeline follows a woman who traveled to London in the present day after the discovery of her husband’s infidelity and discovers an old apothecary vial.
This is definitely one of those stories that you’ll love if you enjoy the split timeline historical fiction novels. What I didn’t like as much in this case was the fact that the two timelines felt so close in their stories that parts of it felt almost predictable (and made me frustrated at the modern-day MC perhaps a little more than I should have been). But I absolutely loved the past timeline and the characters that were featured there, as well as their story and was looking forward to its advancement with each chapter.
The Removed by Brandon Hobson
The Removed follows the Echtora family, who lost their teenage son, Ray-Ray, to a police shooting fifteen years ago. The family grieves quietly, each member of the family in their own way. The annual bonfire is coming up, signaling the Cherokee National Holiday, and the anniversary of Ray-Ray’s death. Maria attempts to call the family together at this time to openly discuss Ray-Ray’s memory, but as the days to the bonfire draw nearer, the family finds themselves caught in a blur between their lives and the spirit world.
I honestly have no idea how to summarize my thoughts on this book. It’s a very character-driven novel, which I love. But I do wish that each character’s story went a little more in-depth than it did. There’s so many big topics covered with each of the characters and I feel like we were cut a bit short from them. However, as the book continued I started to understand why the author chose to write them that way. Despite this, I do still wish the concepts in this book were firmed up a little more and better connected to the center of the story. I actually think this would be a really good fit for those who like open-ended short story collections, as the story is very character-driven and much of the story’s elements are left to the reader to ponder.
The Body is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
The Body is Not an Apology offers radical self-love as a response to the systems that damage the relationships we have with our bodies. Sonya Renee Taylor guides us to realize our own body shame and reconnect with our bodies, our minds, and our strength.
There were so many great talking points in this book around the origins of body shame and how those thoughts aren’t really our own. There were a lot of reflective sections in this book as well that I thought were really helpful to piecing together the concepts in a way that would apply to the reader. I also really liked the methods Taylor uses to start difficult discussions and support marginalized identities.
Up Next:
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and the One Ring, possessed by Sauron, enabled him to rule above all others. But one day the One Ring was taken from him, and many years later it fell into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. This story explores Bilbo’s journey across Middle Earth to destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.
I do have one more book club read that I want to start, but I do think I am going to continue with the next books in The Lord of The Rings. I have this bad habit of stopping in the middle of series and I don’t want to do that here, especially when I’m really enjoying it so far.
WWW Wednesday: 3/31/21
WWW Wednesday is a tag currently hosted at Taking on A World of Words. The three W’s are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
WWW Wednesday: 3/24/21
WWW Wednesday is a tag currently hosted at Taking on A World of Words. The three W’s are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
WWW Wednesday: 3/17/21
WWW Wednesday is a tag currently hosted at Taking on A World of Words. The three W's are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you’ll read next? Happy Wednesday, everyone! This week has been a bit of a diversion from...
I really want to read Lord of the rings, I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you! I honestly wish I started reading it sooner.
I LOVE the Lord of the Rings trilogy even more than The Hobbit. Hope you enjoy! Happy reading ❤️
Ooh, I’m excited to hear that! 🖤
Enjoy your books! I am curious about The Removed. Thanks for sharing, and here’s MY WWW POST
Thank you! It was definitely an interesting character-centric read.
Great post! The Lost Apothecary sounds really interesting.
Here’s my WWW post: https://catherineellenbooks.wordpress.com/2021/02/17/www-wednesday-17-feb/
Love the sound of The Lost Apothecary!
My WWW: https://booksonthe747.com/2021/02/17/www-wednesday-17th-february-2021/
It was definitely an atmospheric read!
I love the LoTR movies and tried to read the books, but the amount of details overwhelmed me. Soooo many pages describing a hobbit’s house, lol. Happy Reading!
Hahaha true! I’m going to watch the movies too, but will wait until after I’m done reading the books.
The Hobbit is definitely the most enjoyable reading experience of the series. I appreciate LOTR a lot more after reading through it a couple of years ago, but the prose is quite dense and packed with details, which often made it a slog for me. Don’t meant to discourage you at all, of course, it’s definitely worth reading through at least once in your life.
https://musewithmeblog.com/2021/02/17/www-wednesday-february-17-2021/
That’s really good to know! I just started it last night and I can already tell the difference. I’m not sure if that will change over time, but so far I’m enjoying the detail.
I really, really want to read Lost Apothecary!
My WWW!
I hope you enjoy it!
I enjoyed the 1791 timeline in The Lost Apothecary so much better than the present one! It took me a long time to warm up to Caroline’s POV…
Same here! I wasn’t too big of a fan of Caroline but the 1791 timeline was so good!
Glad to hear you’re enjoying Lord of the Rings! I really enjoyed it when I read it, too. It’s quite an experience, wholly separate from the movies. Enjoy your reading!
Thank you! I’m looking forward to seeing the differences between the books and movies (I haven’t watched them either)!