Hi Everyone!
Today I have a halfway Victober update! We are now nearly half way through Victober, which is crazy! I wanted to catch you up on what I've read and how I'm doing!
I've not made that much progress with Victober, mainly because of school but I'm actually isolating for the next two weeks so I can probably read more now! So I was hoping to have read more by this point but I am really loving what I'm currently reading, so that definitely makes up for it. Quality, not quantity!
The group read is Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell, which I've been reading in small sections. It is a collection of short stories and I have been meaning to read it for ages! I had already read two of the stories from the Penguin Little Black Classics series a few months ago and I didn't fancy a reread so I had seven left to read from this collection.
So far, I've read Disappearances, which was really good! As you can imagine, it was about a series of disappearances! I really enjoyed the creepy, Gothic feel to this, and I got what I wanted out of it!
I also read The Squires Story, which I liked, although some of the family trees were quite confusing! I liked it but didn't love it, it didn't feel very immersive and I struggled to find the motivation to read it, but to be honest, it was all worth it just for the impact of that last chilling line...
As to my pick for the sensation novel prompt, I am currently reading A Welsh Witch. I love it so much! Allen Raine was the pen name of Welsh author Anne Adeliza Puddicombe. She gained international fame in her lifetime, but it now mostly out of print! Her writing is so beautiful and the story is just perfection. Her descriptions are SO stunning and I can picture the beautiful setting so vividly!
The only part I'm struggling with is the names, they are Welsh which makes them charming and very different to what I'm used to, but notoriously hard to pronounce!
There are four main characters: Goronwy, Yshbel, Catrin and Walto. This is a tale of intertwining love stories set mainly in a rural coastal town called Treswnd. Catrin is shunned as a witch, which gives some fascinating commentary on that subject and there is a part set in a mining town and that is also extremely interesting!
I am so attached to the characters, it feels like I've read multiple books because of the different settings and plot lines. I love the community of Treswnd and the whole book is just AMAZING and I wish more people knew about it.
So far, it is very engaging and once I'm in the book and immersed in that world, I truly am inside the characters minds and thoughts! It's just one of the best books I've read this year and I'm really excited for more Allen Raine.
I don't think there will be a review for this because I am currently working on a post that will be talking about it more so unless you want to read A LOT more about A Welsh Witch, I don't think there will be an individual post about it!
I am now hoping to read Mary Barton and finish Gothic Tales by the end of the month. This wouldn't be a lot but hopefully I'll love Mary Barton nearly as much as A Welsh Witch (I don't think it will beat it!) and that would make me very happy!
As always, feel free to let me know what you are reading (Victober or not) in the comments or by using the contact form :)
I hope you are all reading some amazing books and I wish you a very happy rest of Victober!
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