Monthly Roundup: April 2015

Every first Wednesday of the month, I’ll be posting a roundup of the month just gone, and writing about what’s to come in the next few weeks.

 

Last month I read a total of six books: The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs, The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer, Drawn by Cecilia Gray, Those Above by Daniel Polansky, Doctor Who: Engines of War by George Mann and Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters.

I may have read more than last month somehow, but it was a month of ‘eh’ books. These all received two or three stars. The most fun was probably Crocodile on the Sandbank, purely for its portrayal of a Victorian female archaeologist, with ladies fainting left right and centre.

 

Challenge progress:

• I read five books towards the DC vs Marvel Challenge and managed to defeat Kang the Conqueror! Gorilla Grodd is the villain for May, and he looks to be a tough one.
• I have currently read twenty five books towards my Goodreads goal.

 

Currently reading:

How was April for you?

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Turning Off The TV #7: Doctor Who

Welcome to my regular Thursday feature, Turning off the TV! In this feature I recommend books similar to TV shows or films you may have enjoyed, both series and specific episodes.

The TV series this week is: Doctor Who.

The adventures of The Doctor, an alien time traveler – a Time Lord – from Gallifrey. Together with his companions they travel through time and space in the TARDIS, battling evil where they find it.

What, you thought I wasn’t going to do a Doctor Who version of this feature eventually?? It’s hard to pick just a few books that would appeal to fans of the show, as there are so many different events and places – so this will cover the time travel/science fiction aspect of it. I may do further installments of this feature focusing on specific episodes, as I’ve done with Supernatural.

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

My review for All Our Yesterdays is full of Doctor Who GIFs, so I guess this was an obvious one. It focuses on time travel, young love and is just pretty damn amazing. Plus there’s a character called The Doctor. I kept seeing this one all over various blogs just before release, and thought it would just be ‘another YA novel’. Boy, was I wrong.

The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer

I was kindly sent this at the end of last year by the publisher, Faber & Faber, although I have yet to read it. The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells follows the story of a young woman who, after several hardships in her life, follows the advice of her doctor (yes, another one!) and takes part in a rather unusual procedure. She travels back in time: to 1918, 1941 and 1985, and witnesses how her life would have played out were she alive then. It sounds like a really interesting look at time travel and alternate worlds/lives, and would be great for fans of Doctor Who who don’t often read science fiction.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Okay maybe I recommend this book to everybody. But the Hyperion Cantos series by Dan Simmons is a truly epic science fiction series that any fan of sci-fi should try. I think it will appeal to Doctor Who fans because I could definitely see the Shrike in an episode of the show: a terrifying creature that is actually just very misunderstood. Plus there are lots of different stories set on lots of different planets, and all the technology! The Doctor would have a field day.

Are you a fan of Doctor Who? Do you have any recommendations to add?