[challenge-overview showempty=”yes”] As you may have seen from my reading roundup this week, I have set myself a significant reading challenge for the next three weeks. Before I set off on vacation on August 15th I hope to have reread part of Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series. I hope to finish: Assassin’s Quest (848 pages/ 37 hrs and 39 mins audiobook) – I’m currently around a third of the way through this – Ship of Destiny (912 pages/33 hrs and 38 mins audiobook), Fool’s Errand (672 pages/24 hrs and 47 mins audiobook), Golden Fool (712 pages) and Fool’s Fate (936 pages). I will be mixing reading with listening to the audiobook, where one is available. I am attempting to read all this to be ready for the release of Fool’s Assassin. This is a significant challenge, and in order to complete it I’m going to hold myself responsible to you, dear readers of my blog. Instead of my usual twice or three times weekly blog posts, I will attempt to do short, daily posts with an update on where I’m at and a few quick thoughts on what I’ve read that day. There will almost certainly be spoilers…
This week I have been continuing to work my way through Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series. I am just over a third of the way through Assassin’s Quest, the third book in the Farseer Trilogy. I hope to follow that with Ship of Destiny, the final book in the Liveship Traders trilogy before starting on the three books of The Tawny Man trilogy. My aim is to have these all completed by August 12th when Fool’s Assassin is released – or at least by the following Friday when I leave for vacation. Fool’s Assassin is the latest book in Fitz’s story after a publication gap of 13 years. I really can’t wait to see what Hobb has in store next! To read all that in that period of time is a tiny bit of a challenge – they are huge tomes – but I’m aiming for it. I have the Farseer trilogy and Liveship Traders in audiobook format as well, and I see the Tawny Man trilogy is making its way to Audible this month too, so that will help. I find mixing listening with reading is an excellent way to enjoy books. I have read all…
Here in Canada Tuesday was the national holiday, Canada Day, so I had a day off work. I was particularly pleased it fell on a Tuesday as that’s the day new books are released. I was therefore able to spend a pleasant afternoon listening/reading The Jedi Doth Return, the third and final part in Ian Doescher’s William Shakespeare’s Star Wars. [book-info] As with the other two in the series, Verily a New Hope and The Empire Striketh Back, Random House Audio has done a fantastic job with the audiobook – it is a full cast audio with a talented cast and enhanced with sound effects and John Williams’ iconic music. (Doetscher had the backing of George Lucas for this undertaking). Like the two earlier books, this is one I would recommend in audio format. The cast is superb. Audiobook listeners should remain right to the end for a cameo appearance by the Bard himself! While I really enjoyed The Jedi Doth Return, I wasn’t quite a head over heels in love with it as I was with the previous two books. Perhaps it’s because the novelty had worn off somewhat. I still wish these had been available when I was…