Blog Tour - Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch

As you know, I have been slowly tackling the Witches sub-series within the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. I have one more to go (Carpe Jugulum) and then I am done. Unless I want to go onto the Tiffany Aching series where Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg pop up (and oh, it is so tempting! I do miss them!)

So, when I was emailed by the lovely Bee from Kaaleidoscopic Tours about Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch, I knew I had to be involved. I’m actually a little surprised at how quickly I replied and went “Yes! This! This sounds perfect!”. And yes, it does clash with my NetGalley November, I know, but I feel that this would be a lovely way to ease self into the world of the Free Wee Men and the Chalk. 

Title and Author: Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent, & Illustrated by Paul Kidby

Publisher: Puffin

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by Kaleidoscopic Tours as part of review-based blog tour. Gifted in exchange for an honest review/reaction

But From (Affiliate): uk.bookshop.org

Ever wanted to be witch (haven’t we all?)? Even wanted to be a witch in the Discworld? Well, this guide will help you in the right direction. Written by Tiffany Aching (who first appeared in The Wee Free Men and her final outing was in Sir Terry Pratchett’s final Discworld novel, The Shepherd’s Crown) and with “helpful” footnotes from Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Mrs Tick and the Wee Free Man known as Rob Anybody, this will give helpful information about magic, headology, bees, magic cheese, Death, sheep and everything in between.

All Hallows Reads - Lords And Ladies

What’s Halloween and spooky reading without some witches to cause havoc? And what witches are best suitable for havoc and mischief than the Witches of the Discworld…

Title and Author: Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Transworld

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Audiobook borrowed from local library & BorrowBox app

Buy From (Affiliate): uk.bookshop.org

After the events of Witches Aboard, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Margat have returned to Lancre from their holidays and discover that things aren’t quite right. Margat finds herself engaged and to be married to the King at Midsummer, Granny seems distracted lately and the someone has been dancing round the stone Dancers and crop circles have beginning to appear. And last time those happened, the Lords and Ladies came…

Audiobook Review - Witches Aboard

I’ve been holding off reading/audio booking this Discworld novel. I wanted to do a few others before I tackled this one as this one intrigues me. I wanted to do one of the City Watch books (Guards! Guards!), a standalone (The Truth) or a Death novel (reread Reaper Man or try Soul Music). But, in the end, I had to read more of Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Oog. It would be rude not to!

Title and Author: Witches Aboard by Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Audiobook borrowed via Library’s BorrowBox app  

Buy From (Affiliate): bookshop.org

Stories have powers, and we all know the fairy tales of our children: the shoe fits Cinderella, True Love’s kiss awakens the sleeping princess, the Yellow Brick Road leads to the Great City. But this is the Discworld, and stories take a life of their own. 

Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Oog and Magrat Garlick are tasked to travel to the city of Genua to stop a wedding and save the kingdom. Easy, right? But stories have power and how can you fight a Happily Ever After, especially one that has a glass slipper, a ball and a Fairy Godmother who is determined to get the happy ending, even if no one else wants it?

Audiobook Review - Equal Rites

I've been dipping in and out of the Discworld books over the past few years. I plan to do more in the coming few months (mainly the novels featuring DEATH. I read Reaper Man years ago and class it as one of my favourites. One that I should reread before I dare tackle the next DEATH book, Soul Music - which is on my kindle as we speak), but I seem to have been going towards the Witches series, reading Wyrd Sisters, Maskerade and now, Equal Rites (which is classed as the first book in the Witch series, but at the same time, reads as a standalone). 

Title and Author: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Penguin

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange of honest review/reaction though listened to audiobook via library audiobook app.

Wizards in the Discworld know when they are going to die. So, before Drum Billet does, he goes and passes his staff to the eighth son of an eighth son. But he didn't check the newborn's gender until it was much too late...

For you see, girls can't be wizards. It's the lore in the in the chauvinistic (not to say misogynistic) world of magic. And yet, here we are with our first female wizard. And it's up to local witch Granny Weatherwax to somehow train and keep an eye on the girl as she grows into her magic...

Reading Slump Reading - Mini Write-Up One

As I said earlier, I fell hard into a reading slump. Things happened and it's one of those things. At the time, I was mildly ok with the slump, then I went  "Enough now!" as I had to DNF two reads that I was quite excited to read - one was a proof of a book that I was kindly sent by the publisher for review which I am excited to read as I love these authors's previous books (Daughter of Darkness by Elizabeth and Katherine Corr) and I had to put it down and hope that I will return to this before its publication so can have a review or something ready. 

But this reading slump might be over. Maybe. At the time of writing this, I am unsure if am out of the reading slump woods, but am tentatively hopefully. 

The two books that, I hope, have got me out of my reading slump is Crankshaft by K. M. Neuhold and Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (this is audiobook, FYI). 

Crankshaft, the first book in the Big Bull Mechanics series (this is a spin off series of Four Bear Construction that I class as my COVID Lockdown obsession) is a MM, low angst romance, while Maskerade is a Discworld novel (the 18th in the whole series and, I think, the 5th or 6th in the Witches series), which pokes fun at opera. 

So, not gonna write full-on reviews (these were fun! Perfect for getting out of reading slumps), but these were fun. I knew I would love Crankshaft as this is the first book in a spinoff series that I devoured during COVID, Four Bear Constructions. And I knew this would be light, fun and angst-free (or very low angst). 

Maskerade, on the other hand, was a bit of a risk. I'm not 100% sure about Terry Pratchett and his Discworld series, though I seem to have gained a few titles on my kindle. But Maskerade has been one that I've had my eye on for a while for some unknown reason, and while I did warm to the story and the characters (mainly Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg - it did some time for me to like them, and I audiobooked Wyrd Sisters, and I found the lack of Magrat in this story a nice bonus). It seems that I like Discworld novels, but the latter half of the novels when things are beginning to go off the rails. I can't seem to warm to the set-up of the first half of the novel... 

But, like I said, am in the depths of a reading slump and slowly, oh-so-slowly, am trying to crawl out of it, so I'm not exactly going to rush my next few reads/audiobooks. Am nearly finished one and it's a "meh", but I can't decide if that's because am still in slump or if the story just didn't work... we shall see...  

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...

Book Review - Hogfather

My first read of 2018 (I read The Uncommon Reader and Cardcaptor Sakura just before Christmas but was on blog break so here they are now)! Though, I did start this on Christmas Eve, I finished it last week so am classing it as a 2018 read!

And I got this for Secret Santa via Shannon Bookworm's blog. My Secret Santa was Virginie at Chouett, who got Hogfather, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (a book I keep wanting to read and I buy/get given but am always too intimadated to read so never have. THIS YEAR, DEAR READER, THAT WILL CHANGE!) and The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (a book I only found out late last year after it was announced to be a TV show for TNT and am super excited to read. This feels like a Februray/March read and I am trying to figure out how can get Virginie to buddy-read this with me... I sense I am going to adore this strange little book...). So, Virginie, thank you. As soon as I saw I had Hogfather, I knew I was going to read this over Christmas - even though it screwed up my Christmas reading plans...!

It's a silent night, Hogswatch night. Too quiet... The Hogfather is gone. He's not coming down the chimney, delivering presents to children. No, instead Death is coming down the chimney, wearing a fake beard, having a pillow stuffed up his borrow red outfit and saying HO HO HO in his monotone way. On Discworld, superstition makes things work, and when this is undermined, there are Consequences. But where does Death's adopted granddaughter, governess Susan, fit into all of this? And if she can't fix it, the sun won't rise...

You better watch out and you better not cry...

I have been wanting to read Hogfather for years. Ever since I was a teenager and saw the cover of Death wearing a Father Christmas outfit! But I have always been intimidated by Discworld and Terry Pratchett and it has been only in the past few years (I only read Mort and Reaper Man back in 2015 and I have dipped in and out of Terry's other writings over past few years when I feel brave). Now, at the time of reading them, I was very mixed on my feelings on Mort but I loved Reaper Man. So, where does Hogfather fit?

Right in the middle, though leaning more towards Reaper Man than Mort. I had such a wonderful, fun time with Hogfather. I didn't truly love it, but it was fun - and my reading this year is focused on fun. There were several moments I actually snorted out loud, scaring my cat (the first time this happened, it caught me so off guard I had to explain my howl of laughter to my partner "The Grim Reaper owns cats!") and I liked the ideas behind this - why do we believe in fairy tales when we are children? Why do we believe in monsters under the beds and bogey men and tooth fairies?

Plus, Death is an awesome character. In all three Discworld books I have read (all within the "Death Series"), he has always come out as my favourite character. Though I loved Susan and her no nonsense attitude. I know her teenage self is one of the lead characters in another Discworld novel, Soul Music, which I might read when I have got my TBR under control.

I do have issues with this book. Pacing at the start is my biggest problem, but this is a me thing more than anything else. It was a bit slow, but that's because it was setting everything up. Once it was set up, the book moved! But I can't figure out if it was slow because it was slow or because I had such expectations over this book (again, wanting to read this since I was a teenager!) that the start didn't live up to the bar I had in my head (hence why I have held off read Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give and Philip Pullman's La Belle Sauvage).

But, I enjoyed myself reading Hogfather. So much so that I have two more Discworld novels on my TBR that I hope to read sometime this year - The Wee Free Men (that I discovered I had on my kindle for over a year without me knowing about!) and Witches Aboard (which I bought with a ton of other adult fantasy books the Friday before New Year's Eve) - so buckle up, everyone. You might be seeing more Discworld on my blog/social media outlets this year...

Farewell Terry Pratchett - Reaper Man

Hello and welcome to my spot in the Terry Pratchett Blog Tour! Today, I will doing a small-ish review of the twelfth novel in the Discworld series, Reaper Man.

Death is gone. Just gone. Presumed... er... missing. And what would happen to the Discworld now a important public service is withdrawn? Chaos, that's what. If Death doesn't come for you, then what do you do in the mean time? And what happens to all the life force that's floating about...? And where did all those snow globes come from?

Meanwhile, on a farm far away, a very tall and very thin man who is excellent with a scythe has come to gather a harvest...

Ok, am going to admit this. I have only just got into reading Terry Pratchett. Before last year, I only read one of his books and for the life of me, I can't tell you what book it is. It just went straight over my head. But in the summer of last year, I audiobooked A Slip on the Keyboard and after putting it off for quite some time, I read Mort back in February. So, I am still new to his world.

But Reaper Man has always been one of his books that has intrigued. Not sure why. Maybe it's the old cover of Death sitting in a field. Maybe it was the idea of Death just going...

But I finally read it. And I loved it! I didn't think I would enjoy myself as much as I thought I would. I just galloped through it, reading it very late into the night (using my phone as a light as I don't have a bedside lamp at the moment!) and trying to squeeze five minutes worth of reading before I go to work.

And Death is such a wonderful character. How he saw the Discworld and the ideals of life and death were interesting and, at the same time, funny. He might be my fave character in the series - and I only really remember 2 Discworld books well!

I know you guys were expecting a review with pros and cons (the only con I could think of is the ending - I liked the ending but there was something about it. Maybe because I was rushing it at half past midnight!), but I enjoyed myself reading this. I loved this book and I have plans to read more Discworld. So much so, I have been snooping on kindle and have downloaded far too many samplers to figure out my next Discworld book - Wyrd Sisters, Hogfather, Thief of Time, Maskerade...

Where should I start? I shall be following the Terry Pratchett Blog Tour with interest and, if you are a fan of Terry's work (Discworld or any others), leave me a comment and tell me what I should read next!

GoodRead - Mort

A few years ago, I did a readalong with Stevie of SableCaught fame of Murder of the Orient Express by Agatha Christie on Twitter. We planned to do a video on her channel and talk about our reactions to the book, so we met up, did the video (which has NEVER SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY because of the audio. And hopefully, because of this, we will NEVER SEE IT! EVER!) and chatted about Discworld as I was curious on the series and wondered where I would start. Stevie said this was the book to start, even though it's the fourth book in the series.

Death comes for us all. But when Death came for Mort, he offered Mort a job. What could possibly go on? A lot, is the answer. A lot.

Ok, I am going to start with this point before I go any further. I HATE THIS COVER! HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT!!! I know why this is the cover and I get why you lovely people love it but, in my opinion, it's awful. I trying to understand why Keli is wearing very very little - so much so that her boobs are going to pop out any second. I don't like how Mort is drawn. What is up with his neck. And with up with Ysabell? Where is Ysabell's body and isn't both Mort and Cutwell meant to be in their late teens/early twenties? And don't get me started on Death!

*exhales loudly* Sorry. I had to get that rant out of my system! I really dislike the cover, in case you didn't guess...

Ok, my reactions to the book. I am a tad mixed on this book.

My main reason, I think, is because I had such high expectation over this series - I mean, it's one of those series that everyone who reads adult fantasy read and love. So, the bar was always going to be high and, of course, the book was never going to reach my expectations.

But it's an interesting read. And an odd book.

For me, this is a good book to start with the Discworld series as the first half of the book touches on the weirdness of Discworld and, once the world is explained and the story gets on its feet (around 100 pages or so), I liked it. It wasn't what I was expecting.

Death is a character I love. As weird as that makes me sound, he intrigues me. He's a walking contradiction. He shouldn't meddle in human lives, and yet he finds us fascinating. He likes cats and has a horse called Binky. Oh, and he has an adopted daughter.

Yeah, this is the Grim Reaper as we know him.

I think tht's one of the reasons I liked this book. This book - ok, this series from my chats with "real" Discworld readers - takes fantasy very seriously. And yet, because it does, it knows where the humour lies. Its tongue is firmly in its cheek without making the world seem ridiculous or unreal, even though the Discworld is unreal and ridiculous.

But, like I said earlier on, I had high expectations over this book and it's my own fault that I didn't like it as much as I hoped. BUT I'M NOT GONNA GIVE UP! I won a beautiful hardback edition of Reaper Man and I have plans to read that and maybe one or two more Discworld books. When I feel brave enough to tackle them...

SMILE - Human Beings Make Life So Interesting...

I have no idea who turned this scene for Sky One's The Hogfather (based on the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name) into gifs. No idea - but I love Death! So, thank you Terry Pratchett, Sky One and everyone else in connection with this! 

SMILE - Are You Saying...

My thanks goes to whoever made these gifs, taken from the Sky One adaption of Terry Pratchett's The Hogfather.