Category: Bookish Owl

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The Bookish Owl – Thud! by Terry Pratchett

Thud Terry Pratchett Discworld

I’m on a roll this week and already reading Thud! by Terry Pratchett.

I love this book, if for nothing else, then for the name. Thud!

Is it bad that I sort of want to hit someone in the face with it, just to see if that’s the sound it’ll make…?

THUD!

Another reason why this book is probably going to be awesome is because it’s part of my favorite Discworld subseries, the City Watch. Even if the last couple of books have taken a turn for the darker, Captain/Commander/Duke/Blackboard Monitor Samuel Vimes, Nobby Nobbs and the rest of Ankh-Morpork’s Finest will always have a special place in my heart.

(By the way, I can now say for a fact that the sound this book makes when knocked over by a tiny owl is, indeed, Thud!…)

Thud!
by Terry Pratchett

Koom Valley? That was where the trolls ambushed the dwarfs, or the dwarfs ambushed the trolls. It was far away. It was a long time ago.

But if he doesn’t solve the murder of just one dwarf, Commander Sam Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch is going to see it fought again, right outside his office.

With his beloved Watch crumbling around him and war-drums sounding, he must unravel every clue, outwit every assassin and brave any darkness to find the solution. And darkness is following him.

Oh… and at six o’clock every day, without fail, with no excuses, he must go home to read ‘Where’s My Cow?’, with all the right farmyard noises, to his little boy.

There are some things you have to do.

Thud Terry Pratchett Discworld

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The Bookish Owl – Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology Neil Gaiman

Next up is Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.

It’s exactly what it says on the tin: A book filled with the stories of the Norse gods. Seeing as I’m Scandinavian, these are stories I was told in school, but it’s nice revisiting them. I’ll never really get how Harald Bluetooth (famous Danish viking king, shut up) convinced everyone to convert to Christianity, because turning water into wine is really not as entertaining a story as a big, red-bearded thunder god dressing up as a blushing bride because he lost his hammer.

You just can’t beat that.

Norse Mythology
by Neil Gaiman

The great Norse myths, which have inspired so much of modern fiction, are dazzlingly retold by Neil Gaiman. Tales of dwarfs and frost giants, of treasure and magic, and of Asgard, home to the gods: Odin the all-father, highest and oldest of the Aesir; his mighty son Thor, whose hammer Mjollnir makes the mountain giants tremble; Loki, wily and handsome, reliably unreliable in his lusts; and Freya, more beautiful than the sun or the moon, who spurns those who seek to control her. 

From the dawn of the world to the twilight of the gods, this is a thrilling, vivid retelling of the Norse myths from the award-winning, bestselling Neil Gaiman.

Norse Mythology Neil Gaiman

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The Bookish Owl – Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Going Postal Terry Pratchett

I’m already well into Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, so it’s about time you’re getting your owl/book photo.

This Discworld book is the first with the conman by the charming name of Moist von Lipwig. I haven’t quite made up my mind about dear Moist yet, but any book about Lord Vetinari messing with people is a good book. Also, I’m already a big fan of Adora Belle and her killer heels.

Going Postal
by Terry Pratchett

Moist von Lipwig is a con artist…

… and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork’s ailing postal service back on its feet.

It’s a tough decision.

But he’s got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers’ Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.

Getting a date with Adora Belle Dearheart would be nice, too…

Going Postal Terry Pratchett

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The Bookish Owl – Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Howl's Moving Castle Diana Wynne Jones Owl

Next book on my reading list is Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

I saw the animated movie many, many years ago, which means I have forgotten most of it and I think my friend Line was getting fed up with me almost, but not quite, getting her references. So she got me this, and the two other books in the series, for my birthday.

Considering I got her to read Discworld (which got 47 books, plus various tie-ins), I feel like I might get caught up first.

Howl’s Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Howl's Moving Castle Diana Wynne Jones Owl

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The Bookish Owl – A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

A Hat Full of Sky Terry Pratchett owl

I just started reading A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett!

I’m trying to consume as many books as possible before my LASIK surgery on Monday goes horribly wrong and I go blind. Just kidding… It’ll be fine.

…Probably.

But it is a fact that I’m going to be stuck at home for days while recovering without being allowed to read. Do you know what kind of hell it puts me in when someone tells me I’m not allowed to go to work, read books, play video games or even exercise?!

But back to the book (before I spiral into a pit of despair): ‘A Hat Full of Sky’ is the second book in the Tiffany Aching series of Discworld. I ended up really liking Tiffany after reading ‘The Wee Free Men’ and since I’m pretty sure that’s Granny Weatherwax with her on the cover of this one, I can only assume it’s going to be great.

A Hat Full of Sky
by Terry Pratchett

Tiffany Aching is ready to begin her apprenticeship in magic. She expects spells and magic—not chores and ill-tempered nanny goats! Surely there must be more to witchcraft than this!

What Tiffany doesn’t know is that an insidious, disembodied creature is pursuing her. This time, neither Mistress Weatherwax (the greatest witch in the world) nor the fierce, six-inch-high Wee Free Men can protect her. In the end, it will take all of Tiffany’s inner strength to save herself… if it can be done at all.

A Hat Full of Sky Terry Pratchett owl