Reindeer Readathon 2024 Mid-Month Update

*nervously laughing at how close to Christmas and 2025 we are*

How is everyone's reading going in this, the last month of December? Mine is going... it can go either way, I'm not gonna lie. I had one novella done (hooray), one DNF (boo) and having two reads on the go (one physical, one ebook - not my smartest move) and hoping to get a few audiobooks/podcasts under my belt before the end of the year. Plus, am doing Reindeer Readathon and, as it stands, I have completed one prompt (Prancer: Read a book that mentions a specific date or event in the synopsis) and, before you say it, I am not including DNFs in my prompts.

NetGalley November & Reindeer Readathon 2024 Update

I thought I would touch base and let you know how my NetGalley November is going as it’s been a little hit and miss.

On the one hand (the audiobook hand), I am had a good time with Deja Brew (a cute cosy-fantasy romance audiobook) by Celestine Martin and I am currently devouring the audiobook of Hilary Mantel’s A Memoir of My Former Self, a collection of essays and articles (a genre I am not used to!).

And on the other, I quit two reads (One by One by Freida McFadden and Sleep by CL Taylor), and I nearly quit my current read as I felt the first chapter was so confusing. I think I found my footing with A Palace Near The Wind by Ai Jiang, but I am hoping that, because it’s a novella, I can power through a try another NetGalley proof (After my last DNF, I didn’t want to go near any titles and I didn’t for a good 24 hours before I started A Palace Near The Wind. Now, I have a least 3 or 4 I want to try. On the audiobook front, I have about 2 that am leaning towards and these are odd picks as they are outside my comfort zone (but seeing as next Sunday is the 1st of December, I sense am not going to have enough time to power through them! Oh well…

So, yeah, my NetGalley November is not going as smoothly as I would like, but at least I am doing it and not rushing/forcing self.

On a different note, I have quit Twitter/X. Yes, I have fled the site and deleted my account. It’s sad (as I enjoyed my time on there and using it to make bookish friends in the blogging sphere, but just became so toxic and not a pleasured place to be) but, at the same time, weirdly liberating. (I am looking at using my Instagram more, so heads up on that front. And I am looking into BlueSky – not sure I will join but we shall see…)

Also, heads up for December, but I am going to casually do the Reindeer Readathon. Casually as I am a slow reader and there are books I want to attempted to read over the Christmas period that I don’t think will fit the prompts…

(I filled in the form. I am in Team Candy Cane and I have no idea what am doing for the prompts. Maybe the Book Gods and Goddess have mercy upon my poor bookshelves…)

Reindeer Readathon - Update The Second

This might be one of my last posts of 2022 as going to go on a short book blogger break and binge read without worrying about blogging my thoughts/reaction for a while. 

But I wanted to touch base with you all to explain what I have audiobooked/read since I last blog. So, I read two ebooks and DNFed an audiobook. (The DNF doesn't count, but I gave it good shot. 50%). 

So, the first ebook - ok, let's say short novella so I don't feel like I cheated (it's a short story. At least, I would consider it a short story, but I want the points) fits under the prompt Rudolph, which is a start a new series. Now, I have seven I could go towards, but what I read was A Loch of Grace and Greed by A.P. Beswick. A prequel short story/novella, this dark fantasy (tempted to say grimdark, but we shall see with the series) is inspired by Loch Ness and (maybe) the Lady of the Lake (with the first instalment a dark reimagining of Robin Hood so, I'm in!), and I flew through this. I needed something I could read quick and enjoyed self with. Plus, it gave me a taste for the world and the writing, and I am intrigued... 

The audiobook I DNFed was The Cat Who Caught A Killer by L.T. Shearer. I thought that this might fit Rudolph or Cupid (a book with a favourite troupe in - talking cats), but I got halfway through and, while I liked the start, I found it repetitive and I began to lose interest with it. There wasn't anything wrong with the book, but it wasn't hitting that sweet spot of cosy crime. But I will try this author again.

The book I did read for the prompt Dasher (Finish a series or a book you picked up but put down. If neither are an option, a short story/novella). And I've just realised I could have used A Loch of Grace and Greed on this. Instead, I finished (or, at least, am up-to-date) A Cast of Falcons by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett. This is the second book in the Nell Ward Mysteries (Oh, I got an eProof of this from the UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review - but when have I ever lied to you, dear reader?). Now, I was surprised how much I liked the first instalment so, of course, I wanted to read the second instalment. 

While I did like it, I didn't warm to the story as a whole, if I am being completely honest with self. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because it took me nearly the whole month to read it. I did enjoy this - mainly because of the characters and I did like the mystery, up to a point. But something kept holding me back and I can't figure out what it was. 

But I do love a good murder mystery this time of year so, of course, I have very high expectations. I going to change reading tack and read some Christmas queer romances and then going hard with murder mysteries (mainly collections of spooky short stories... Can't wait!)

Reindeer Readathon - Update The First

I haven't done reviews for my Reindeer Readathon on here (or the one that I finished a few days into December, but I didn't think it would be fair to include that into this readathon as I audiobooked a good chunk of it in November). 

I have reviewed that on Goodreads, so you can go there and have a look, but am telling myself that it's ok to not review EVERYTHING I read/audiobook on here. But I like doing little write-ups on Goodreads and I do link them in my Review Listings tab so you can go snooping there (though I must state that I have been running this as a book blog since 2010 so be warned. Maybe I should do another tab to show reviews in Year Order. Thoughts?)

So, let me give you an update of where I am at this present moment of time in this readathon:

I have audiobooked two prompts: Donner and Vixen. Donner's prompt is "A Book You Want To Read But You Are Not A Fan Of The Cover" and Vixen's "A Book You Want To Read But Think It Might Be Overhyped". 

Now, I had very different books in mind for both these prompts (For Vixen, I was going towards The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klume [an author I know am going to love, but everyone RAVES about this book and that worries me] or Scythe by Neal Shusterman (again, a book I think I am going to devour!). For Donner, there are a few on my TBR that I could lean towards...

But instead, I audiobooked two novellas. For Vixen, I audiobooked Killing The Dead by Marcus Sedgwick. This was a World Book Day novella and the "fifth" story in connection to his previous novel, The Ghosts of Heaven (I haven't read this and in two minds if I will... it doesn't grab me compared to his other novels which I'm going to try and read next year). The audiobook is only 2 hours long and yet, I listened to it in one sitting - I DEVOURED this and I loved it. I now "get" the cover, but I am still not a fan of it. 

For Donner, I audiobooked The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It's, also, read by the author with music by Max Richter and Isobel Waller-Bridge. This was everywhere during the Covid Lockdowns in the UK, and it's turned into a Chritmas feature for BBC One's Christmas Day viewing. It's surprisingly a very gentle, calming read. A bit philosophic at times and that might rub some readers up the wrong way, but I got why the hype was there and I really liked it. 

Oh, and the book I read that I said doesn't count as a Reindeer Readathon read? A Taste of Poison by Neil Bradbury. A fascinating insight into poisons, but after a while, I felt it got bogged down with the science rather than the crime where the poisons were used. Plus, the crimes used were very USA and UK based, and I was hoping for more global used of crimes. 

So, that's where I am at the moment. I am a slow reader so will update when I have a few more reads under my belt. 

December 2022's Reading Plan

HAPPY DECEMBER TO YOU ALL! We are so close to Christmas and I am panicking. Of course I am! But I wanted to chat about my reading plans for the last month of 2022 and what my blogging is going to be like because this is going to be an odd month so brace yourselves. 

I have signed up to do Reindeer Readathon. I did this a few years back (2020?) and I wanted to do this again. I didn't last year due to work/anxiety/reading slump. You know, the normal reasons. But this year, I feel in a mildly ok headspace to attempt this. I am on Team Candy Cane (I feel like I should apologise now as I will be taking December reading quite easy so am not going to go too hard) and, as you guessed, all the prompts are linked to Santa's reindeer! 

DASHER - 15 PTS 

Finish a series or pick up a book that you started and put down. If neither of these are options, a short story/novella. 

DANCER - 10 PTS 

A book with a cursive/flowy/elegant font on the cover. 

PRANCER - 20 PTS 

A book with your favorite season on the cover or the book cover has colors from your favorite season on it. 

VIXEN - 15 PTS

A book you want to read but think it might be overhyped. 

COMET - 25PTS

A book with an astronomical word in the title (sun, moon, star, sky etc.) 

CUPID - 15 PTS 

A book with a favorite trope in it. 

DONNER - 20 PTS 

A book that you want to read but are not a fan of the cover. 

BLITZEN - 20 PTS 

Use a random number generator to find a number between 0 and 9 and find a book that ends in that page number. 

RUDOLPH - 15 PTS 

Start a new series.

BONUS POINTS

Christmas Star (25 pts): A book over 500 pages. 

Christmas Lights (15pts): An ebook. 

Christmas Carols (20pts): An audiobook.

Sleighing It (50 pts): 

If you have completed all of your prompts and the Christmas Star, Christmas Lights and Christmas Carols bonus prompts, you can redo one prompt of your choice for extra points.

Like I said, this is going to be easy month for my reading and it's going to be the same with my blogging. I will be taking an Christmas/New Year break. Not sure when I will take it, but I want my reading for the next few weeks to be fun, merry and bright!

What I Read Over Christmas & New Year (Part One)

HAPPY 2021! Please, for the love of everything, can this year be better than last year!

Well, I hope you had a lovely Whatever-You-Celebrated last month and are ready for 2021. The Pewter Wolf Reads has had a tiny changes here and there. You might have noticed. You might not have. But the big thing is I have got rid of all my affiliate links and closed my accounts. Mix of reasons, in case you are wondering. Lack of traffic, Brexit, time and effect to use/create and, the big one, one less thing to worry about if/when I decide to call it a day with book blogging. 

But not yet. Nope. You are stuck with me for a little while longer. Though I might change how I blog for the next few weeks/months, so watch here and most of my socials...

So, what have you guys been reading over the past few weeks? Rather than write long reviews/write-ups on each of these, I thought I would briefly touch on each of the reads so you know briefly what I have read and, hopefully, will be up to speed. Also, just in case you are wondering, you can stay up to date with my reading via my Twitter (@PewterWolf) and my Goodreads (goodreads.com/pewterwolf) as I MIGHT - I stress this as am not sure on this plan as of yet - not review everything on the Pewter Wolf in the next few weeks...

Reindeer Readathon - Off The Rails

My first Reindeer Readathon story-time, and it’s a random, surprise audiobook I bought on Audible as part of their Black Friday Deals (I have bought/preordered a few other audiobooks as I’ve decided to pause/end my subscription for a while. I need to save some money and I have so many audiobooks to listen/relisten to!)

So, quick history lesson with me and Bryant And May. Been vaguely aware of this series for a while, but I always thought this was a crime series with a slight paranormal twist/element to it. I even have two eProofs from NetGalley – Hall of Mirrors and Oranges and Lemons. But kept putting them off as I wasn’t in the mood for it. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Audible doing their Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales. And yes, I am a sucker for a sale. So, when I saw this, this caught my eye.

Title And Author: Bryant and May Off The Rails by Christopher Fowler
Publisher: Transworld
Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
Length: 386 Pages or 10 Hours 46 Minutes

Arthur Bryant, John May and the rest of the Peculiar Crime Unit are in shock and grief. One of their brightest and bravest members was murdered by a violent enigma that they already caught once and escaped. Everything about Mr Fox is false and he can hide easily in plain sight. The Peculiar Crime Unit are desperate to catch him – but they have less than a week to catch him. Otherwise, the department will be shut down. As they have nothing to work with, expect Mr Fox has a link to King's Cross train station. The same place as a strange, motiveless death has just happened. A woman was pushed violently down the stairs. The only clue on her is a sticker of a university bar on her back. Are these two separate cases linked in a twisted way? Can the history and myths of the London Underground and King's Cross be the key? And will Bryant and May finally catch Mr Fox before he strikes again?