Category: books

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 10 – October 16

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Well I’m making some progress on some of the long runners, but the first week back from holiday has been a super busy one. But it always is. And I don’t think this week coming is going to be any calmer. But we will see.

Read:

April Lady by Georgette Heyer

Murder at the Theatre Royale by Ada Montcrieff*

A Pocketful of Happiness by Richard E Grant

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone*

A Dancer from the Abbey by Elsie J Oxenham

Fangirl Vol 2 by Rainbow Rowell and Sam Maggs

Started:

Death in the Tunnel by Miles Burton

The Empire by Michael Ball*

Still reading:

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Going With the Boys by Judith Mackrell

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra*

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Inverts by Crystal Jeans

The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatio Sancho by Paterson Joseph*

Did I buy anything this week? I don’t think I did. So that’s something right?

Bonus photo: back on my walk through Fitzroy Square after the holiday!

An * next to a book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

books

Books in the wild: Sicily!

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The other thing that happens when I go on holiday, is that I have a look in the bookshops there to see what I can spot in translation – so for an extra treat this week, here are my Sicilian spots!

Super easy to start with – here’s former BotW The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood and Netflix sensation (that I’m currently working my way through) Heartstopper. I haven’t read the Elena Armas – but she’s another of the TikTok/BookTok authors – this one is The Spanish Love Deception.

Next up we have a string of former Books of the Week – starting with T J Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I recommended to someone only last week. I also spotted the newest Klune adult novel as well – which reminded me that I really need to get hold of that at some point. I must keep an eye open next time I’m in Foyles/a big Waterstones.

Then we have Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston which a friend messaged me about the other day to say how much he was enjoying it – which meant I was able to recommend a whole bunch of other books to him on an if you like… then this basis. And you can also see One Last Stop nestled next to it – which as I mentioned on Wednesday is 99p this month.

Then we have Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners, which I think is the first time I’ve spotted one of their books on holiday, but you know me, I forget things. I’ve written a lot about Christina Lauren – but this one is in their sweet spot for me – a fake relationship romance that doesn’t have the pranks/meanness issues that I have with say Dating You/Hating you.

And finally this is the one that I keep seeing but haven’t read yet – What if it’s Us by Becky Albertalli (Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda) and Adam Silvera. The second book in this series is in the Kindle offers this month, but you know me and reading sequels before the original. I don’t like it and I won’t do it and I won’t suggest you do it either. Anyway, this is suddenly everywhere – I saw both of them in Foyles when I was in there the other month, but ended up buying Piglettes instead – and now it’s coming up in my suggestions on goodreads and amazon. It must be a sign right?

Anyway the big thing I noticed this holiday was how many of the english translation books are now keeping their English cover art in their translated editions – this might be an italian thing that’s been going on a while, but it definitely wasn’t how it’s been in Spain when I’ve been looking there both before and after the pandemic – or in France last time I was there (which was pre-pandemic times). So I will keep an eye next time we go anywhere to see if this is now A Thing.

books

Books in the wild: Gatwick airport

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We’ve been on holiday – so of course this means I’ve got some more airport bookshop pix to report for all of you who like to leave your holiday book purchases to the last minute and want to see what you might be able to pick up.

Lets start with the chart – because the number one book is one half of my purchases at the airport! I’ve written about how much I like Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series, but as I said yesterday, if you haven’t already read the first two, don’t start on book three!

Next up is the new non fiction shelf which has the other half of my Buy 1 get 1 Half Price offer – Richard E Grant’s memoir. There’s also the Edward Enninful autobiography which I read the other week, and the Lucy Worsley Agatha Christie biography that I have waiting on the pile.

I own three books on the last shelf, but I have even more on here: We have the paperback of The Christie Affair (on offer this month as mentioned in the Kindle deal post), two Taylor Jenkins Reid’s: Malibu Rising and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Love on the Brain.

But the record goes to this one: the latest TJR, which you all know I’m still reading, but also Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Lessons in Chemistry, Murder Before Evensong and Twist of the Knife (the latest Hawthorn mystery). All of which adds up to the fact that it’s getting increasingly hard for me to buy books at the airport, because all the stuff that is in my wheelhouse is stuff that I’ve already read or bought! This is good news for my poor long suffering partner, who puts up with my huge piles of books and hardly ever rolls his eyes at my acquisitions, but slightly less good for me!

Happy weekend everyone.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 3 – October 9

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We’ve been on holiday! This is a slightly shorter list than usual for a holiday week, but to be honest I was so beaten down by September that I slept a lot when we weren’t sightseeing. I did however get a few of those long running books finished and made progress on a few more.

Read:

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Godemersham Park by Gill Hornby*

I Choose Darkness by Jenny Lawson

Treacherous is the Night by Anna Lee Huber

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman

Another Time, Another Place by Jodi Taylor

A Decline in Prophets by Sulari Gentill

Started:

The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatio Sancho by Paterson Joseph*

A Pocketful of Happiness by Richard E Grant

Still reading:

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Going With the Boys by Judith Mackrell

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra*

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Inverts by Crystal Jeans

Just the one ebook purchase from my sun lounger!

Bonus photo: beautiful Sicily. What else could it be.

An * next to a book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: September 26 – October 2

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Another hectic week. I’m working on that huge ongoing list and I will get there eventually. If only so many of them weren’t hardbacks! Still at least September is over. Please, please, please can October be a better month. Please.

Read:

Dead Room Face by Simon Brett

The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie

The Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie

The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear

A Visible Man by Edward Enninful*

Started:

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Still reading:

Godemersham Park by Gill Hornby*

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Another Time, Another Place by Jodi Taylor

Going With the Boys by Judith Mackrell

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra*

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Inverts by Crystal Jeans

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Yeah – at least six. But I’m not counting. I deserve a treat.

Bonus photo: I feel like my empty pill packets for the antivirals make a good metaphor for how empty I feel after September!

An * next to a book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

books, stats

September Stats

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Books read this month: 23*

New books: 18

Re-reads: 4 (3 audiobooks, 1 books)

Books from the to-read pile: 6

NetGalley books read: 4

Kindle Unlimited read: 4

Ebooks: 5

Library books: 0

Audiobooks: 3

Non-fiction books: 1

Favourite book this month: Hard to tell – either one of the Cat Sebastians or Love on the Brain.

Most read author: Cat Sebastian probably – with the two London Highwaymen novels

Books bought: a few. Honestly it was mostly going OK until the shingles set in. And then it all went downhill

Books read in 2022: 286

Books on the Goodreads to-read shelf (I don’t have copies of all of these!): 654

September has been quite something. Probably the biggest story that I will ever cover made half the month insanely busy at work and then I had shingles. And the reading list reflects that.

Bonus picture: me and my ice pack at peak shingles.

*Usually includes some short stories/novellas/comics/graphic novels – although this month it doesn’t!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: September 19 – September 25

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I have shingles. It’s horrid. If I thought my concentration was shot before, it is even worse now. I’ve basically been sleeping and watching easy to understand TV – or rewatching old favourites like Howl’s Moving Castle, the Joan Hickson Miss Marples and the Inspector Alleyns from a couple of years later. September has really been a doozie – only five more days to get through. I do hope that October is a better month.

Read:

Murder by the Book ed. Martin Edwards

A Step so Grave by Catriona MacPherson

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Started:

N/a

Still reading:

Godemersham Park by Gill Hornby*

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Another Time, Another Place by Jodi Taylor

Going With the Boys by Judith Mackrell

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra*

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Inverts by Crystal Jeans

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

A few impulse buys while my will power was low. But really who can blame me.

Bonus photo: I haven’t left the house all week. Well except to go into the back garden. So maybe I should more accurately be I haven’t passed the front door? Anyway, that means that this week’s picture is of my house plants. In honour of the retirement of the Goat and my favourite ever tennis player, this is Roger the Swiss Cheese plant.

An * next to a book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

books

Books in the Wild: Waterstones Piccadilly

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I was staying at a different hostel to usual last week, so took the opportunity to make a visit to the big Piccadilly Waterstones as I walked down to the Palace on my way home. I’ve mostly focused here on the stuff you don’t find in a normal sized bookshop!

Firstly, they have one of the biggest selections of British Library Crime Classics outside of the British Library’s own bookshop. Not only was there this table downstairs, but there was another one in the crime section upstairs. I only had a small bag with me (and no space in my suitcase for more than one book) so I managed to resist, but I did add a much more to the list of books I want to read. I’m going back for them…

I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this table, because it has so many books I’ve already read or have waiting to be read on it! Obviously there’s the latest Vinyl Detective, but also several Nicola Upsons. I still haven’t read the book of Holding, but as mentioned, I really enjoyed the TV series. Then there’s a nice Albert Campion, a Maisie Dobbs, Death and Croissants that I read last year, a recent Hamish MacBeth that I haven’t read yet and the new Frances Brody standalone book and A Spoonful of Murder that I have waiting on the pile to read. On the other side there is a Peter Wimsey, an Agatha Raisin that I’ve actually read, a Grantchester novel, one of the Ian Samson County murder novels and Death on the Nile. It’s basically a table tailor made for my crime fiction reading interests. I have added Death in August and The Room of the Dead to the want to read like!

I’ve written plenty about Persephone Books too, but again this is the largest selection I’ve seen in the wild – including some of my favourites: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, A House in the Country and The Young Pretenders.

And finally, it’s a long time since I saw a big Romance section and this was a wonderfully big one. This is just two bookshelves of it – there were about eight more and I had a ball – spotting stuff in the wild I’ve only seen as ebooks and seeing some old friends too. Genuinely I had a lovely time and it was a bright spot in a somber week in London.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: September 12 – September 18

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Yeah. It’s been another one of those weeks. Work has been crazy busy, I’m exhausted and some impulse purchasing may have taken place. 2022 is really proving to be quite something.

Read:

Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan

Marple: Twelve New Stories by Various authors based on Agatha Christie’s character

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall

Death and the Brewery Queen by Frances Brody

Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Coq au Vin by Charlotte Carter

Bats in the Belfry by E C R Lorac

Started:

A Step so Grave by Catriona MacPherson

Still reading:

Godemersham Park by Gill Hornby*

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Another Time, Another Place by Jodi Taylor

Going With the Boys by Judith Mackrell

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra*

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Inverts by Crystal Jeans

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

One book in Waterstones Piccadilly, a couple more from Amazon and two preorders appeared too. I said the restraint wouldn’t last!

Bonus photo: a little mews near where I was staying last week. Charming.

An * next to a book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: September 5 – September 11

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I mean if you don’t know what happened in the UK this week, then I sort of envy your ability to avoid the news. It’s been a long, strange week. And no surprise that you can probably tell that in this post.

Read:

Stirring Up Love by Chandra Blumberg*

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish*

There’s Something About Merry by Codi Hall*

Started:

Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Still reading:

Godemersham Park by Gill Hornby*

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Another Time, Another Place by Jodi Taylor

Going With the Boys by Judith Mackrell

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra*

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Inverts by Crystal Jeans

A couple of preorders arrived – on the kindle and on the doorstep, but I think that’s it. But my brain is a little frazzled right now.

Bonus photo: Sunday evening calm in the park.

An * next to a book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.