Category: stats

Firstly – Marilyn Monroe would have been 100 today (June 1st) so if you need an excuse to watch Some Like It Hot or Gentlemen Prefer Blondes again, this is it. Secondly, if it seems like I’m on a bit of an Agatha Christie kick at the moment, that’s because after revisiting Caribbean Mystery the other week I’m trying to reread the whole series before the new continuation novel by Lucy Foley comes out and there was a Poirot short story collection that I haven’t read in Kindle Unlimited too. And because I forget about things and get distracted quite easily I’m striking while the iron is hot and getting on with it!

Read:

The Bad Quarto by Jill Paton Walsh

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

The Nine of Us by Jean Kennedy Smith

Operation Goodwood by Sara Sheridan

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian

Edward VII by Richard Davenport-Hines

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

Started:

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon

Still reading:

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronica Dapunt

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

A few books bought – but mostly not for me so they don’t count!

Bonus picture: Sunday afternoon in Wales.

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

A really solid week in reading, helped by a series of football matches that meant that I stayed in watching/listening to them while reading a book rather than going out to the theatre. And then the weather got really hot so it seemed like the sensible thing to do was to stay inside in the cool and read books. This week is due to be even hotter though…

Read:

A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Catching a Killer by F H Petford*

The French Market Murder by Greg Mosse*

Windsor vs Windsor by Bert Tyler-Moore*

Debts of Dishonour by Jill Paton Walsh

Game Changer by Rachael Reid

Murder Off the Books by Tamara Berry

The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré

Started:

The Bad Quarto by Jill Paton Walsh

Still reading:

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronica Dapunt

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Two books bought.

Bonus picture: A view across the river from the side of St Paul’s Cathedral last week. I was going to say it was old London and new London – but then I realised you can’t see the old London in the picture so you’ll have to trust me on that!

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

Happy Monday everyone. I hope you used your weekend as wisely as I did – with a trip to see my sister and her family where we watched three episodes of Rivals, all of Eurovision and I read a lot of stories to a toddler. And despite all that, my reading list is still pretty good. Yay me?!

Read:

Major Bricket and the Body in the Bell Tower by Simon Brett*

Off With His Head by Ngaio Marsh

Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen

Henry VII by Seam Cunningham

Call for the Dead by John le Carré

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

A Murder of Quality by John le Carré

A Piece of Justice by Jill Paton Walsh

Started:

A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Catching a Killer by F H Petford*

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré

Still reading:

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronica Dapunt

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Game Changer by Rachael Reid

Three books bought – the rest of the Imogen Quy series, one of which I’ve already ready!

Bonus picture: There are a couple of new coffee shops on my walk to work, one of which has this board outside for fairy bread matcha. I’m tempted to try it except for three things: i don’t like coffee, I’m not sure i like matcha and it feels like it might be super sweet. But it looks so pretty!

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

Not my greatest week in reading – but that’s because I did two theatre trips, a weekend in Essex and local elections coverage. It was fun, but it was a lot. And the long runners are still lingering. I will have to try and do better this week. But this week is Eurovision week so…

Read:

Sconed to Death by Betty Hechtman*

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

Hattie Breaks a Leg by Patrick Gleason

Scales of Justice by Ngaio Marsh

Edward the Confessor by David A Woodman

The Wyndham Case by Jill Paton Walsh

The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters

Started:

Call for the Dead by John le Carré

Still reading:

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronica Dapunt

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Game Changer by Rachael Reid

A bad week for book buying – five ebooks as I was writing the Offers post, plus another six actual books from four different bookshops…

Bonus picture: back in my old stomping ground of Colchester at the weekend in glorious sunshine.

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

It’s a bank holiday in the UK today – if you’re off work I hope you have a lovely time and that the weather where you are is good. And if (like me) you’re at work – I hope your day is easy and over fast and that you have the next bank holiday off! Anyway back down to earth after the two weeks off and a fairly solid list, helped by the fact that I was on the train every day. This week I’m staying in London a couple of nights and hoping to catch a show or too so the list may suffer accordingly. I am making progress on the still reading books – even though it might not look like it!

Read:

William II by John Gillingham

Swing, Brother, Swing by Ngaio Marsh

Mr Campion’s Fox by Mike Ripley

Richard I by Thomas Asbridge

Opening Night by Ngaio Marsh

Blue Devil Woman by Sloane Fletcher*

Banton of Paramount by Howard Gutner*

Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club by Mary-Jane Riley

Started:

Sconed to Death by Betty Hechtman*

Still reading:

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronica Dapunt

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Game Changer by Rachael Reid

One cookbook bought – but that’s it. And as cookbooks don’t go on the pile, they sort of don’t count as a book purchase!

Bonus picture: Spring time (but almost summertime heat!) in Regent’s Park.

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

I’m safely home now, so I can exclusively reveal that we’ve been away on holiday for nearly two weeks. And that is why the reading lists this week and last week look so healthy – sun lounger time (and flights) mean more reading time – and why the still reading list looks as it does – the remaining ones are physical copies that were at home. I’ve got a Recommendsday coming up this week with some of my holiday reads, but more of them will be popping up over the next little while too because some of them were advance copies of books coming out over the next few months. Check me getting ahead – who even know I could do that!

Read:

Betrayal by Tom Bower

Murder on the Bernina Express by J G Colgan

The Chateau Murder by Greg Mosse

Played to Death by Mike Ripley*

The Shrew Detective: The Case of the Pilfered Pearls by Margi Preus*

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Death by Noir by Olly Smith*

Opening Night by Ngaio Marsh

The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson Wheeler*

Death and Fromage by Ian Moore

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

Started:

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronica Dapunt

William II by John Gillingham

Still reading:

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Game Changer by Rachael Reid

Six ebooks and one preorder arrived (at my parents!)

Bonus picture: some beautiful Cretan countryside. You can’t see them but there was a herd of goats among the olive groves and their bells were tinkling madly as I took this.

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