WWW Wednesday 2025: 1 October

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share their answers to the reading world’s three W’s:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Finally managed to post on time lol.

Disclaimer: While I do participate in a few challenges and readathons, I am also a mood reader, so any books waiting in the wings are subject to abrupt and unannounced changes. You have been warned lol.

Pages in Progress

As I’ve mentioned previously, after a long reading slump earlier in the year, I’m currently playing catch up on my challenges and readathons, so I’m reading a lot more than I normally would. I’ll keep up this pace for as long as I can, as I’m really hoping to actually complete at least one challenge this year. Next year, though, I’ll be back to my normal reading schedule, because this isn’t a load I can keep up long-term.

That said, it’s October which means it’s time to begin Erin Smith’s Bewitched Reading Challenge. She’s generously permitted the use of books begun in September, on the condition that they can’t be more than 50% complete. So, some of the books I was reading last month were paused to allow their use in the challenge. There are a couple of non-challenge books which I’m still finishing up but, as I finish those, I’ll pick up the books I’m reading for the Bewitched challenge. Wish me luck!

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks Book Cover

Book Cover: Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Maz Porter

Tsunami Kids: One Family’s Fight for Survival by Rob Forkan and Paul Forkan: Paperback. 272 pages. 68% done. Current Goodreads rating = 4.19. This is about the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in Sri Lanka. Aside from the prologue, I haven’t reached the tsunami yet, but reading about the family’s lives before that point is interesting. I’m enjoying this book at the moment.

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith by Thomas Keneally: Paperback. 188 pages. 16% done. Current Goodreads rating = 3.68. Picked this up because it’s written by the same author as Schindler’s List. Jimmie Blacksmith is a mixed race Australian who doesn’t fully fit into either culture. I’ve only just started it and I’m already gritting my teeth at the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Half the people Jimmie encounters treat him like dirt, the other half talk down to him like he’s a bloody toddler. It’s infuriating.

Letters for Emily: A novel by Camron Wright: Paperback. 213 pages. 12% done. Current Goodreads rating = 3.90. A heartbreaking story about how it feels to have Alzheimer’s, what it’s like to have a loved one with Alzheimer’s, and a grandfather’s desperate race to record his legacy for his beloved granddaughter before the disease steals his memories and turns him into a caricature of himself.

The Plays of Oscar Wilde, Volume 2 (Wordsworth Classics) by Oscar Wilde: Paperback. 150 pages. 59% done. Current Goodreads rating = 4.50. This volume contains two plays: An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest. I’ve neither seen nor read An Ideal Husband, but I took in a performance of The Importance of Being Earnest as a girl and recall enjoying it immensely. I’m up to, I think, the Fourth Act of The Ideal Husband. I’m quite enjoying it, though I could happily strangle Mrs. Cheveley. She certainly makes an excellent villain.

The Bitter Sea: Coming of Age in a China Before Mao by Charles N. Li: Paperback. 283 pages. Borrowed from Mum. 33% done. Current Goodreads rating = 4.01. This is the memoir of the son of a Chinese government official. Going well so far. I’m finding it to be quite interesting.

The Dead Won’t Sleep by Anna Smith: Paperback. 304 pages. 92% done. Current Goodreads rating = 4.21. Crime mystery set in Scotland. First in the Rosie Gilmour series. Protagonist is a journalist. It’s getting better. Still not a five star read, but not boring.

Bond Keeper: The Watcher’s Gift by Nicola Appaji: Digital. 83 pages. 45% done. Current Goodreads rating = 4.71. Won this through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. A middle grade fantasy book. Good so far.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks: Paperback. 342 pages. 66% done. Current Goodreads rating = 4.02. This is a reread. The best zombie book I’ve ever read. I love that it’s set in the aftermath of the war, rather than the onset. Brooks also has a real talent for giving every interviewee a distinct voice. If your only experience with World War Z is the movie, I highly recommend reading the book. The movie’s good, but the book is on a whole ‘nother level. This isn’t just the age-old ‘book is better than the movie’ rant, either. This is me saying that about the only similarity between the book and the movie is the title.

On the Shelf Again

Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter Book Cover

I didn’t read my challenge/readathon books in their correct month/s due to being in a reading slump, but I’m counting them anyway, because I did read them!

Title: Grief is the Thing With Feathers
Author: Max Porter
Prompts:
The 52 Book Club Challenge 2025: Told in Verse
2025 Buzzword Reading Challenge: March: ‘Thing’
Time to Read: 21 days
Rating: 4.75
Spice Rating: 0
Some Thoughts (not reviewed yet): I reckon this is one of those ‘love ’em or hate ’em’ type books. The format is certainly unique, and the crow bits were a little confusing. However, I found the content to be moving and emotional. I felt the author perfectly captured, not just the anguish, but also the emptiness, the anger, the apathy, the bewilderment, the sense of unreality that are a part of the grieving process.

Pointless: Revenge is a Rationalization, Not a Motivation (The Revenge, Unhinged 1) by Michael Geczi

Title: Pointless: Revenge Is a Rationalization, Not a Motivation
Author: Michael Geczi
Prompts: This book wasn’t part of any challenge.
Time to Read: 15 days
Rating: 4
Spice Rating: 0
Some Thoughts (not reviewed yet): This is the first book in the Revenge, Unhinged Series. The chapters are short, making it ideal for reading when waiting for a bus, or standing in line. However, I often found myself sitting down to read a chapter or two before performing some task or other, only to find myself still reading an hour later, so you should probably avoid reading it during your lunch break lol. I found the story to be engaging, and I enjoyed knowing who did it from the beginning. I also really liked the inclusion of the podcasts, letting us in on the opinions of the general public, instead of concentrating solely on the investigation. I’ll be posting a full review at the end of the week, but I do recommend reading this.

Extraction of Arrows by Kathryn Lomer Book Cover

Title: Extraction of Arrows
Author: Kathryn Lomer
Prompts: This book wasn’t part of any challenge.
Time to Read: 75 days
Rating: 5
Spice Rating: 3
Some Thoughts (not reviewed yet): Beautiful language; vivid descriptions; relatable poems. There were a few poems which I didn’t understand the words or metaphors, but most were highly enjoyable. Overall, this a stand-out collection. Highest star rating given was 5, lowest was 1.75, average was 5. Highest spice level was 3, lowest was 0, average was 0. There were 15 poems for the pool room, a total of 38%.

Pool room poems:

a display of hearts
love as an electro-chemical event
the freedom
saying goodbye hello
kinsale
memory map
a little extra money
potato cutters
the weight of longing
sundays
september 4 & 5
la camminatrice
prodigal lover
ifs & ands
an aegean plate

Half-Arse Human by Leena Norms Book Cover

Title: Half-Arse Human
Author: Leena Norms
Prompts:
The 52 Book Club Challenge 2025 Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge: A wise character
Time to Read: 94 days
Rating: 5
Spice Rating: 0
Some Thoughts (not reviewed yet): This is the best self-help book I have ever, or will ever, read. Instead of giving me a bunch of rules that I’ll practice for all of a week before giving up, Leena tells me that changing a habit imperfectly is better than not changing at all, that half-arsing a cause is better than not even trying. Instead of telling me to strive for perfection, she gives me permission to embrace my humanity in all its flawed, imperfect glory. I am far more motivated from Half-Arse Human than I have ever been from any other self-help book I’ve ever read. Best of all, Leena’s personality shines through on every page. I felt as though I was listening to one of her videos. I could literally hear her voice in my head as I read. If you only read one self-help book this year, make it this one.