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A three theatre-trip week as I mentioned yesterday and the list reflects that somewhat. I’ve also read my first of this year’s new Christmas books – I’m not averse to reading Christmas-set books at any time of year, but I’m not normally so early with the new festive releases. So I’ll take that as a win for the week. All the usual start of the month stuff is coming up this week, and it is a quieter week so hopefully next week’s list will be a bit better.

Read:

Murder on Royal Crescent by Harriet F Townson*

Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood

As You Like It by William Shakespeare

Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters

A Carol and a Killing by Rev Richard Coles

The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters

Started:

Beware the Trains by Edmund Crispin

Still reading:

N/a

Four books bought – two at Main Character and two while we were in Stratford on Saturday. One ebook as well.

Bonus social post: since I posted my review yesterday the RSC has posted a snippet of As You Like it in the forest of Arden so now you too can marvel at the set (and at the performances)

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Bonus picture: The first show I saw last week was at a new to me venue – the Emerald which is under a bridge on the Embankment. I liked the retro vibes of the theatre, but that was about it.

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

We are now in Peak Halloween season, so I’ve got a week of appropriate content lined up for you. But before we get to that, here’s the list from this week, and you may notice that I’ve finally given up on the third Simon Snow book. I’ve tried, and I’ve tried, but I can’t get into it, it’s feeling like a chore to try and read it and I’ve been trying for so long with so little success that it’s making me feel bad about myself. Maybe I’ll come back around to it, maybe I won’t but for now it’s off the list and gone. The rest of the list is a bit audiobook heavy – lots of wandering around listening to audiobooks last weeks – combined with the PHP outage which seemed to slow down the flow of podcasts for a few days. I’ve got three theatre trips this week (!), so we’ll see what that does to the reading…

Read:

Murder at the Ritz by Jim Eldridge

Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L Sayers

The Long Game by Rachel Reid

Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood

An Inkling of Death by Anna Beer*

The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

Apparently Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers

Started:

The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters

Murder on Royal Crescent by Harriet F Townson*

Still reading:

N/a

Two books and one ebook

Bonus picture: Halloween cakes spotted out and about in Soho

*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. Back to earth with a bump and a much shorter list this week. And I’ve got a busy week coming so no guarantee that I’ll be able to do any different this week. Hey ho.

Read:

The Shippers by Katherine Center

Three of Hearts by Katie Cotugno

Back to You by Ann Liang

Death of an Englishman by Anna Beer

Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair by Ashley Herring Blake

Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters

Started:

Murder at the Ritz by Jim Eldridge

Still reading:

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

One book and one ebook

Bonus picture: I was going to post another picture of my view from the commute which is now pitch black but luckily I have something more cheerful…

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

So here’s the thing… I’ve been on holiday. And I was on holiday this time last week is true. So today’s list is huge. In fact the holiday list in general is massive and I’m pretty pleased with myself because my goal was to read some non fiction (done) and to try and make progress on the NetGalley list (done). And I know what I’m picking for tomorrow too, so I will break the streak of writing about books I finished on Monday! This week I’m back down to earth with a bump so we’ll see what happens to the list now, but I think we already know it’s going to be *much* shorter.

Read:

Julia at the Drive-In by Rainbow Rowell

The Final Problem by Arturo Perez-Reverte

Murder at Canterbury Cathedral by Jim Eldridge

Regime Change by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan

Winter Breakage by David Levithan

The Price of Admission by Dustin Thao

The Spy and the Snake by M J Rowbotham*

Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L Sayers

The Shadows of Kensington Gore by Ross Montgomery*

Death in the Dressing Room by Simon Brett

The Bloodshed in the Bookshop by Simon Brett

Miss Hortense and the Last Rites by Mel Pennant*

Pride, Prejudice and Peril by Jessica Bull*

Started:

Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair by Ashley Herring Blake

Still reading:

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Eight ebooks bought (offers post writing does tend to do that to me), one pre-order put in and another pre-order turned up. I’m expecting another pre-order this week so we already know there’ll be at least one book on next week’s list.

Bonus picture: a picture from (nearly) the top of Teide, the third highest volcano in the world. There was sand from the Sahara in the air so we couldn’t see as far as you usually can, but we still got all the effects of being 3,500m above sea level…

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

Considering how big the finished list is, I really shouldn’t have added a book to the still reading pile, and yet I did. I got distracted and forgot about it until Sunday. And I’m in a bit of a situation for tomorrow too because I did that thing again last week. When will I learn? (Ed: never!) Anyway, let’s see if I can fix that this week coming…

Read:

A Game of Cat and Killer by Jiro Akagawa*

Unnatural Death by Dorothy L Sayers

Murder on the Cornish Train by J M Hall*

Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum*

The Voices of the Dead by Nicola Upson*

Puzzles of the Parish edited by Martin Edwards

The Gentleman’s Book of Vice by Jess Everlee*

Take Six Girls by Laura Thompson

A Murder at Midnight by Ellie Alexander

Started:

Julia at the Drive-In by Rainbow Rowell

Pride, Prejudice and Peril by Jessica Bull*

Still reading:

The Final Problem by Arturo Perez-Reverte

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Two books and one ebook

Bonus picture: as I started the week by picking a book I finished on Monday as my BotW I’m carrying on the cat theme with a picture of this kitty, spotted in my neighbourhood.

*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 was one theatre trip and a concert in the end – and a non-fiction book, which always takes me longer than fiction. And we’re hurtling towards the end of September too, which is terrifying. Hey ho, we will get there. A quieter week this week (I hope) with plenty of opportunities for reading.

Read:

Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanne Tesori

Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers

Hollywood Whispers by Eileen Cope*

Baekjo Laundry Has a Neat Answer to All Your Problems by Lee Jae-in*

Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters

Get Over It, April Evans by Ashley Herring Blake

Safe Harbor by Nicola Yoon

Started:

The Final Problem by Arturo Perez-Reverte

A Game of Cat and Killer by Jiro Akagawa*

The Gentleman’s Book of Vice by Jess Everlee*

Still reading:

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Three books and one ebook. I couldn’t help myself – I went to five different bookshops…

Bonus picture: Biscuit Moomins in the window of a shop in Notting Hill.

*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 fairly solid week of reading, considering that I had two theatre trips and a *very* busy week. Not as much progress on the NetGalley list as I would have liked, but three books off the physical pile is pretty good for me, especially given the extreme levels of indecision I find myself with when I stand in front of the bookcase. It’s definitely starting to feel autumnal now and I’m being pulled towards murder mysteries even more than ever!

Read:

Whose Body by Dorothy L Sayers

When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between by Ruth Jones and James Corden

In Dog We Trust by Beth Kendrick

Rum Affair by Doroth Dunnett

To Brew or Not to Brew by Joyce Tremel

Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay

The Tsubaki Stationery Store by Ito Ogawa*

Started:

Baekjo Laundry Has a Neat Answer to All Your Problems by Lee Jae-in*

Still reading:

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

One ebook bought.

Bonus picture: One last time at The Producers last Monday before it closed at the weekend. I love this show so much and this was a great production of it. I saw it five times across the Menier and the London run, which is the most I’ve seen a show in a very long time, certainly the most I’ve seen a show in a two year span since the heady days of We Will Rock You….

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

After a very changeable week of weather and a lot of time on the train, the list is somewhat back on track. I’ve got at least one theatre trip this week, so that may not last though. But I’m going to give it my best shot! There are some good reads on here though – and some less good – many of which you’re going to hear about in the posts to come.

Read:

The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White

Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent

Philippa Flynn’s Year of Panic and Piracy by Jacqueline Firkins*

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley*

The Vineyard Murder by Greg Mosse*

A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

Started:

The Tsubaki Stationery Store by Ito Ogawa*

Still reading:

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

One ebook bought.

Bonus picture: It’s that time of year again – the mornings are darker and that means I’m getting some spectacular sunrises on the train to work.

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

Two mistakes this week that mean that the list is shorter: two nights at the theatre and committing to a non-fiction book. Add to that the fact that I wrote about the Tim Curry memoir last Tuesday despite finishing it on Monday and I’m in a bit of a bind for tomorrow. Hey ho. Many train journeys this week so hopefully reading balance will be resumed.

Read:

Vagabond by Tim Curry

A Clutch of Constables by Ngaio Marsh

The Kennedys and the Windsors by Caroline Hallemann

The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Laura Clark Is Away from Her Desk by Helen Russell*

That Detestable New Girl by Dora Chapman

Started:

The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White

Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent

Still reading:

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

A bunch of Kindle books bought (because I was writing the offers post) but no actual hardcopies of anything.

Bonus picture: A sad victim of my fight with a buddleia over the weekend. So far, the buddleia is winning…

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