What Are you Reading This Week?

 

It's MONDAY Mah dudes (and dudettes)! You know what that means?  Loads of coffee as we collectively groan our way into another "productive" week...Yeah. 

Well, it also means I get to tell you about what I'm reading. Let me tell you, I have two very lovely books on my TBR list. 

I am currently reading:

• The Woman in White
• Madame Bovary

I'm not adding anything new to my list because.....next weekend is Dewey's Readathon! I have that whole weekend off and I'm already starting to get my stack built up and my snack list. 

So my goal for this week is to get at least one of these lovelies finished up! (Both would be awesome but hey..it's me here!) 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 Good morning my lovely peoples! It's Monday so you know what that means? 

I'm participating in Camp NaNo, the Spring Into Horror month-long Readathon, and working, AND in school AND teaching myself Latin, so as you can imagine I am a busy busy bee! However, I do want to keep my "reading momentum" going so ..

via GIPHY

This week I will be reading a Gothic/Thriller for the readathon, a classic, and from the Sherlock Stories I've been diving into. 

• The Woman in White
• Madame Bovary

via GIPHY

I kid. I'm excited! Oh yeah, and did I mention my plants? I've never had a garden before coming to this house and I've always wanted one! So I'm getting my plant bebehs started up in little seedling trays and cups before I put them into the ground! Yay! 

If ya'll want to see pics of my progress let me know! 

Weekend Reading & The Kickoff To Spring into Horror Readathon (Month-Long)

 

I'm going to start this one off with The Woman In White ( It's a gothic/mystery, so that fits). 

I'm also going to be starting some group reads sections (r/bookclub on reddit) 

The Count of Monte Cristo and Brave New World. 

Still going to be reading Sherlock short stories and Madam Bovary.

So I plan on being a busy bee this weekend! I'm not going to do another readathon, but I will be reading up a storm! 

What are you reading this weekend? 

Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard (Blog Tour)

 

 

1,000 years after Earth has been decimated by an alien invasion, a young hero rises from the ashes and rallies the last survivors in an all-out rebellion for freedom that explodes across the continents of Earth to the cosmic sprawl of the Psychlo empire…

Title: Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000
Author: L. Ron Hubbard
Publisher: Galaxy Press
Pages: 1092
Genre: Science Fiction, sub-genre: Alien Invasion, Classic Science Fiction, Space Opera, Military Sci-Fi, Adventure Sci-FI

If you liked Dune, Atlantis Gene, Foundation, Ender’s Game, and Starship Troopers, you’ll love Battlefield Earth.

Sadistic Aliens…

…Man is an endangered species.

Is it the end of the world or the rebirth of a new one?

In the year A.D. 3000, Earth is a dystopian wasteland. The great cities stand crumbling as a brutal reminder of what we once were. When the Psychlos invaded, all the world’s armies mustered little resistance against the advanced alien weapons.

A young hero rises from the ashes and rallies the last survivors in an all-out rebellion for freedom that explodes across the continents of Earth to the cosmic sprawl of the Psychlo empire.

The fate of the Galaxy lies on the Battlefield of Earth.

You’ll love Battlefield Earth because of the characters you’ll love and hate and the unexpected twists that keep the pages flying.

“Over 1,000 pages of thrills, spills, vicious aliens and noble humans. I found Battlefield Earth un-put-downable.” —Neil Gaiman

“Battlefield Earth is a terrific story! The carefully underplayed comedy I found it delicious. A masterpiece.” —Robert A. Heinlein 

“Pulse-pounding mile-a-minute sci-fi action adventure that does not stop. It is a masterpiece of popular adventure science fiction.” —Brandon Sanderson

“Space opera that hits the right notes. It’s provocative, exhilarating and genuinely enjoyable.” —SCIFI.COM

“Like the Harry Potter series, its got concepts like good vs. evil, the noble savage and the hero’s journey—and people go crazy over it!” —Dr. David Powers, Educator

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B41I4NI/ 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/battlefield-earth-l-ron-hubbard/1100824883?ean=9781592129577 

BooksaMillion: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Battlefield-Earth/L-Ron-Hubbard/9781592129577?id=8748446917116

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/battlefield-earth-a-saga-of-the-year-3000-enlarged-expanded-l-ron-hubbard/15283828?ean=9781619865099

Book Excerpt  

To get Battlefield Earth, Chapters 1-13 delivered to your inbox, click here!

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About the Author

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most enduring and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and ’40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard.

Website: https://battlefieldearth.com/battlefield-earth/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/be_the_book

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BattlefieldEarth

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/be_the_book

13 chapter download (eBook): https://dl.bookfunnel.com/y2zuqaj7yi

1 hour download (audio): https://dl.bookfunnel.com/243bnk6m09

Discussion Guide: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/y84enq7cje

Blog:  https://battlefieldearth.com/blog

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GalaxyPress/playlists

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29532708-battlefield-earth

Other books by L. Ron Hubbard: https://galaxypress.com/l-ron-hubbard-books/

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/JRbxWRwMI5w

Making of the Audiobook video: https://youtu.be/wABlKjhRDkQ

Brandon Sanderson’s Review video: https://youtu.be/S-80Tx1olgc

Short trailer: https://youtu.be/sU_V3O5Gemk

My Review: 

Okay so we all know about Mr. Hubbard and all that stuff. So I won't go into that as this isn't a review on the man, this is a review on the book. 

What can I say about Battlefield Earth? It wasn't at all what I was expecting. I've seen the "movie" and was super non-impressed, so I thought for certain that the book would give me the same thoughts. But..it didn't. It didn't blow me away completely, but it held my attention (which is quite a feat considering how looooonnnnggg the book is! 

I thought most of the characters were interesting and well fleshed out, though I would say that the female characters felt a bit flat. 

The story itself was fun and kept my attention as mentioned before. I do think it could have done with a bit of editing as it was a mighty long read, but I enjoyed it. I don't think I can contribute more in the way of a review that hasn't already been said about Battlefield Earth, but it was an enjoyable read. 

I would recommend trying to put aside all the "other stuff" about the author himself and just expect a good scifi adventure. 

I give it a thumbs up. 

Sponsored By:

Mini Reviews! Sherlock Holmes Edition

 

These reviews will be mini, because these are both short stories featuring the BSBs, so here goes! 

A Scandal in Bohemia is where we first meet one Miss Irene Adler, aka The Woman. She's smart, super duper smart and a super duper character. The funsies start when a King in disguise comes to the BSBs to see about getting a photo back from Irene Adler, he knew her as an opera singer a while back and had a little thing with her. Now he's set to marry and doesn't want anything to put a damper on that plan. Though Irene could be a problem. She's got some goods on him (the photo) that could potentially cause said scandal. He just wants the photo back. 

So thusly, the BSBs. 

The plot moves swiftly, the dialogue is on point. The frustration that SH has over being bested by The Woman is immensely satisfying and I loved it very much! This was a great story, and I gave it a 5 star on Goodreads. 

The Red-Headed League  

Okay, so this one didn't really grab me as much as ASIB, but I have to say after thinking a bit more about it I like it a lot more. It's simple, it's unique (for the time) and it was a bit of fun putting the pieces together along with the BSBs. 

So it goes like this. A pawn broker with RED HAIR, answers an ad in the paper trying to enlist men with RED HAIR to join this super selective group of men with RED HAIR. His assistant is the one that shows him said ad and encourages him to apply. So he goes to check it out and what do you know, he gets selected! He gets money every week for showing up for a certain amount of hours per day and doing what he's told..which is pretty sus to be but whatever. It doesn't interfere with his main gig, so he's all about it. This goes on for a bit and he leaves his assistant to run his shop while he's gone..since it's usually slow during that part of the day. Well all of a sudden the RHL is shut down. No word, no reason, just thanks for coming now go away!

So the pawn broker goes to the boys for help and thusly here we are. It's ridiculous, entertaining, and kind of obvious what was going on but also bewildering that no one in the story seemed to question what was going on (save for SH of course). In this one, it's not the "mystery" that was the star. It was the characters themselves and how when it clicked..they all facepalmed themselves..(at least that was what played out in my mind) at the end. 

I originally gave it a 3 star but after thinking about it again, I went back and upped it to a 4 star on Goodreads.  

Melissa Reads Sherlock: A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four (Reviews)

 What can I say about Sherlock that's not been said before? He's pompous, arrogant, and 99.9% of the time absolutely correct! I have always wanted to read these stories, but always was put off by false ideas that they were "too dry" or that I would be annoyed as hell by Sherlock's personality. I've watched the TV series based on the character and loved them, but for some reason I always figured that Sherlock in book form wouldn't click with me. I was totally, completely wrong! 

I started with A Study in Scarlet. Where it all begins....We meet John Watson and learn a bit about him first. Then we're introduced to the man himself..Sherlock Holmes. We see how they get to know each other, sus out each other's personalities and how they can work together. I loved this part of the story very much! You get a taste of how incredibly intelligent both characters are in their own ways, and how ridiculous they are as well. 

The plot goes like this. There's a murder, regular ole normal coppers are stumped. In swoops SH with his main man John to help out. They poke around, do some think thunking then BOOM! Murder solved, murderer caught. Simple? Easy peezy? That part yes, but it's the WHY that made this fun. 

You get a little "flash back to the past" that explains the murderer's motive. A little backstory for the wee murder plot to make sense. I did so enjoy this bit. At the time I was like, okay I get it but how will this roll around and connect back to the "present" with the murder and murderer, but it did. It did very well. 

So my first foray into the tales of the Baker Street Bros, kept me happily reading along. Good job and good story! 

I gave it a 4 star on Goodreads. 

Now onto The Sign of  Four

Fans of the Bernadict Bumberbutton series will recognize a familiar name/face, one Mary Morstan. Well Miss Mary stumbles into the BSB (baker street bros..I'm totally calling them that now) bachelor pad needing some help. Her father went missing 10 years ago, and she can't find him. After a bit of years, she starts to get a single big ass pearl in the mail. She can't explain it but she knows it's in connection with her father's disappearance, so who does she call for help? You guessed it! Mr. "I LOVE COCAINE" himself, Sherlock Holmes and his buddy John. 

Now, this was a good story, but the mystery was a bit lacking for me. It was solid as per usual, but it just didn't have the same ooomph as ASIS, to me.  I did enjoy getting a better view into Sherlock's personality. He's got flaws...oh whew boy does this man have flaws! I did think that John and Mary's burgeoning relationship was sweet and cute. I couldn't help but put Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington's faces in my brain when I was reading it. It was adorbs! 

The mystery aspect wasn't the shining star of this story, but the character development and the addition of Toby the wonderdog push this one up from my original 3 stars to 4 stars on goodreads. 

 

Monday Post- Reading For the Week!

 I'm blowing through the Sherlock Holmes short adventures! So I have a smattering of those on the plans for this week! I'm also reading Madame Bovary, and The Shadow of Theron. 

This week you can look forward to a few things on here. 

Tuesday: Review of A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four (sherlock novels)

Wednesday: "Mini" reviews for a few of the Sherlock shorts I've read so far. 

Friday: Blog tour Post for Battlefield Earth

Then starting on Saturday I will be participating in the Spring Into Horror Readathon (see post a few down) and trying to shift things up and read a few horror/gothic books! Any suggestions? 

Tell me about what you are reading this week!