Tag: writing

February 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

January was a slow reading month and I didn’t actually finish any books, but in February I finished two! February was also an exciting month because I went to my first book event since before the pandemic! I went to the Norwich event on Samantha Shannon’s A Day of Fallen Night tour. It was amazing to hear her talk about her writing and world building and I came away feeling so inspired. I also got my copy of A Priory of the Orange Tree signed!

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri ⭐⭐⭐.5 – I struggled to get through this one as I found the pacing too slow for me. There was so much I loved about this book, but the pacing just held back my enjoyment and it did take me quite a while to read it. It’s a fantastic book so would still definitely recommend it, I just didn’t click with it sadly.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I decided it was time to take a break from fantasy and read something totally different. I’ve read a few Agatha Christie novels before but not in any order. So this time I decided to read the very first Poirot novel. I was hooked all the way through and there were so many twists and turns!

While in Norwich I popped into a couple of independent bookshops and as soon as I spotted the UK paperback edition of One For All by Lillie Lainoff on the shelf, I just knew I had to pick up a copy!

After writing a lot in January, February wasn’t so good. I’ve been struggling with my current project, which is essentially a completely refreshed version of an old project I’m writing again from scratch, but although I’m writing on a clean document, I am essentially editing/redrafting what came before. I’m someone who loves first drafts and struggles with redrafting and editing, so I’m finding it challenging! But hopefully I will learn a lot from it.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

January 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

I am very late with my January wrap up. The last few weeks just seem to have been very busy. I didn’t manage to finish any books in January! I’ve been listening to the audiobook of The Jasmine Throne and I’ve been finding the pacing a bit slow so it’s been taking me a while to get through it. I’m also halfway through reading Broken Web.

In January I had two exciting Fairyloot parcels. The Atlas Paradox, which matches the first book excellently. And the Daughter of the Pirate King set which I ordered months ago. It was worth the wait though as they are such gorgeous editions.

Although I didn’t do so much reading in January, it was a great month for writing. I wrote the most words I’ve written in one month in a long time, so I’m feeling very happy about that.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

December 2022 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

The last wrap up of 2022! In the last month of the year, I finished two books, both of which I loved, so it was a pretty good month.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I just loved being back in the world of the Grishaverse, and Leigh Bardugo always writes a great story.

Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I rounded off the year with a Christmassy read! This book was super fun and entertaining, and hit the emotional beats really well too.

I got Master of Iron, the sequel to Blade of Secrets, for Christmas and I’m really excited to read this one.

I finally, finally, got back into writing in December. I’m working on a new version of an old project, and I’m 13,000 words in now, so slowly but surely making progress.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

September 2022 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

I didn’t get much time for reading in September so I only managed to read one book but it was a very long book! I’m hoping to have more time to read in October and make a bit more of a dent on the ever-growing TBR.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐ – I really enjoyed the previous books in this series but this one just felt too long. I found it a bit hard to get through as the pacing just felt so slow. I also didn’t enjoy some of the tropes / story decisions in this one. So I found this read a bit disappointing.

My preorder of The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth Lim arrived this month and I also got the Illumicrate edition of The Oleander Sword. I haven’t actually read The Jasmine Throne yet but I didn’t want to miss out on the matching sequel! So I hope I enjoy the series.

I managed to do some writing in September but progress is still quite slow as things have been busy and I have been struggling with my health still.  

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

August 2022 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

It’s September and that means autumn is coming! But first, let’s look back at August! I only finished one book but have two other books that I’m part way through. I realised I gushed about my new kitten last month and didn’t share any photos so here’s a cute pic of Ember! I probably won’t be posting much for the next few weeks as I have started weekly hydrotherapy for my AS which I am finding quite tiring so am resting a lot. I have four sessions and I’m really hoping they will help with my symptoms.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I adored this cosy contemporary fantasy romance! It’s such a lovely book and a perfect pick for autumn. It has found family, which I love! I would definitely recommend the audiobook as the narration is fantastic and I loved listening to it.

My Fairyloot edition of Violet Made of Thorns arrived and it is very pretty. I also ordered a hardback copy of Breathe and Count Back From Ten after listening to the audiobook because I loved it so much and it meant so much to me, so wanted to have a copy on my shelf.

Writing progress is still very slow! I now have pain in my arms which is affecting my ability to type, so I’ve not been writing very often. I have now finished chapter two though!

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

April 2022 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

I didn’t end up finishing many books this month as I couldn’t decide what I was in the mood for, so picked up and put down a couple of books before deciding that actually I needed a break from SFF and decided to give a romcom audiobook a go! I think it was a good choice as it definitely stopped me from sliding into a slump.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Tricia Levenseller is now my go-to author for fun, easy-read YA fantasy, and Blade of Secrets is a fun adventure. The main character of Blade of Secrets has society anxiety and I have honestly never related to a character so much before! I felt the author did a great job of showing all of Ziva’s internal thoughts and anxieties, and I really connected with her.

The Stand-In by Lily Chu (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 – It’s rare that I pick up a romcom, but I am so glad I decided to give this one a chance, because I loved it! I had so much fun listening to the audiobook, which is brilliantly narrated by Phillipa Soo. Although there is romance, there are also several other subplots which I enjoyed, and which gave the story layers and plenty to keep me engaged. I would definitely recommend the audiobook for this one, as I think it enhanced the reading experience.

I added a few books to my haul this month – The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake, The City of Dusk by Tara Sim, and An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan. I’ve ordered some new bookcases, which are due to arrive in June, and I’m excited to get to display all my books on them!

I haven’t done an update on my writing for a while as it’s been a rough few months and, well, I haven’t been able to write much. But last week I wrote two pages of my new WIP and I am so happy to be back writing again!

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

December 2021 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

It’s the last day of 2021! Today I’m looking back at the books I read in December. I had a bit of a disappointing reading month and felt in a bit of a slump but have been reading The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels over the holidays and it’s fun, ridiculous and hilarious, and just the kind of book I needed to get me out of a slump.

Knot My Type (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I don’t read romance very often but I loved this one. It’s got excellent disability rep and a sweet love story that I really enjoyed.

Girls of Paper and Fire ⭐⭐⭐ – I found this book a little slow and didn’t find it very memorable, though I thought the worldbuilding was interesting. It was a good book, but I didn’t love it. I think it just wasn’t a book for me, but would encourage others to give it a go.

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐ – The finale of the Dark Artifices series was a bit of a let-down for me and I was especially disappointed as Lady Midnight was one of her best. Queen of Air and Darkness was just too long and drawn out. I’m glad I finished the series but think the last instalment would have benefited from some trimming.

This month, I have sadly not had much time for writing. It seemed to be a very busy month, and I am still struggling to fully shake off covid. But I am looking forward to continuing to plan my next book in the new year. I’ve had a lot of ideas and can’t wait to start writing again.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

November 2021 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

After taking a bit of a hiatus over the summer and autumn thanks to illness, moving house and being very busy at work, I am pleased to have been able to come back to blogging more regularly again in November! I’m still in pain with my back and shoulder, and am currently trying to get a diagnosis for that and am waiting for a hospital appointment, so have mostly been listening to audiobooks. I’ve been slowly reading a paperback of Girls of Paper and Fire and have nearly finished it.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 – I really didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, but it’s so imaginative, unique, dark, funny and memorable, that it’s become one of my favourite books. The narration by Moira Quirk is fantastic and breathes life into the story and characters.

Among Thieves by M. J. Kuhn (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐ – This is a short, fast-paced Adult fantasy featuring a heist and ragtag crew of characters with secret agendas, but despite an intriguing set up, it didn’t keep me turning the pages.

I received some really helpful feedback from beta readers on my Arthurian legend retelling, but I decided I needed a bit more time to consider what direction I want to take the book in before proceeding with my next draft. Instead, I have been planning for a redraft of a novel I wrote a few years ago and set aside, and am really excited to completely refresh it with new ideas and more detailed and creative world building.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

September & October 2021 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

Having moved house at the end of September, I was hoping to return to blogging more actively. Unfortunately, I got COVID at the beginning of October. Having spent most of the pandemic shielding due to being clinically extremely vulnerable, it was a bit of a blow! But the vaccine did its job and I didn’t get seriously ill. It did wipe me out pretty badly though, and I’m still recovering now and feeling very drained. So I think it will be a little while yet before I’m feeling properly better.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (audiobook) – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I really enjoyed this one! How could I not love a book about magical libraries? I found it a little slow in places but on the whole it was a great book. It was nice to read a standalone fantasy book for a change as I so often read series.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (audiobook) – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This is a novel in verse and it was my first time listening to a verse novel in the audio format. Hearing the rhythm of the verse audibly was an interesting experience and I would definitely read more verse novels in audiobook form. This book was a definite 5 star read as it was just so emotive, engaging and insightful.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (audiobook) – ⭐⭐⭐ – Although this book was good, it didn’t quite draw me in. Though I have heard that the sequels are better, so I will likely keep reading this series. The ending did pique my curiosity, and I’m interested to see how Tea becomes the character we see in the flashforwards.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This is easily the best Agatha Christie book I’ve read so far. The suspense was high all the way through and I was totally gripped.

I’ve been trying to keep my book buying down until my shoulder gets better as I’m not able to read physical books much at the moment and I don’t want to stack up even more books on the TBR pile! I did, however, get the Fairyloot edition of Gods & Monsters, and I couldn’t resist buying Iron Widow as it sounds absolutely amazing.

Due to moving house and illness I haven’t had much time for writing in quite a long time. However, I have been doing some thinking about my projects and making some notes. I can’t wait to get back into it again when I’m feeling a bit better.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

June 2021 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

I am very late with my June wrap up! Things have been very busy for me lately and I’ve been finding things very stressful. Work has been absolutely manic and we’ve also been house hunting and really struggling to find somewhere. We think we’ve found somewhere so crossing fingers we get it because that would be a massive relief. Although I’ve still then got to think about packing everything up! Hopefully I will be able to get back into blogging a bit more regularly again soon but I’ve just been really struggling to cope with everything recently.

Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I loved Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk was an excellent sequel. This book seemed a bit darker and I loved that. Elizabeth Lim’s writing pulled me in once again.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I felt a bit of a reading slump coming on with everything in life being so hectic, so decided to reread an old favourite. It’s been years since I read this series!

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – DNF at 74% – This book just wasn’t for me. It’s written in third person present tense and I found it really difficult to read, I just couldn’t get into the style. I also found it very slow paced and didn’t feel compelled to keep turning the pages. I probably should have DNF’d it right at the start but I so rarely DNF and it had such good reviews, I was hoping I would get into it more, but sadly I didn’t.

So June was my birthday month! And I ended up hauling quite a few books… The Mabinogion, Blade of Secrets, Days of Blood and Starlight, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, Truthwitch, The Ones We’re Meant to Find, A Feast For Crows and Queen of Coins and Whispers.

My King Arthur WIP is currently with beta readers, and I’ve had some feedback come through, so I’m starting making some plans for my next draft. But largely I’ve been having a break from that project and brainstorming a new idea I’m really excited about which is a Regency era inspired Gothic fantasy!

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!