books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 23 – October 29

A really busy week in reading. Lots of books read – and lots of different genres. The audiobook re-listen is now deep into Albert Campion, which is fun. And we’re nearly at the end of October which means all the usual things for the blog this week.

Read:

Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman*

Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham

Mystery in Provence by Vivian Conroy

A Christmas to Remember by Beverly Jenkins

Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa*

The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham

Death on the Down Beat by Sebastian Farr

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Walters

Started:

Somebody at the Door by Raymond W Postgate

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

One pre-order arrived but that was it.

Bonus photo: this is the curtain call (they said we could film and photograph it) at the Coliseum on Wednesday for the final night of the ENO’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. My first Gilbert and Sullivan and it was really good and much funnier than I expected – not least because someone from my favourite comedy theatre company was in 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.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 16 – October 22

I don’t know what happens to me on a Sunday at the moment where I lose the ability to pick a new book and stick to it. It’s a real puzzle to me, but it seems to happen every week at the moment. Still identifying a pattern of behaviour is the first step to breaking it right? Still I had a good week – with a lovely trip to Old Friends and then two nights in Essex. This week has a few nights in London and I might go and see another show. So we’ll see what that does to the list next Monday!

Read:

Shot with Crimson by Nicola Upson*

Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham

The Love Rematch by Kay Marie*

Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday

The Magpie Lord by K J Charles

Sweet Mercies by Anne Booth

Started:

Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman*

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa*

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

One ebook bought. Restrained

Bonus photo: Christmas is coming – the fancy advent calendars are starting to appear! This was in the window of Liberty on Tuesday – it’s their famous (well depending on whether you follow makeup/skincare bloggers a few years back or not) beauty one. Every year I think about treating myself and then remember the amount of lotions and potions I have kicking around that I need to clear out and give myself a stern shake.

*next to a book 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: October 9 – October 15

Well that was quite a week. I don’t really have much to say today, except that my reading mojo is a little bit awol at the moment but I’m working on trying to get it back.

Read:

Murder on the Lusitania by Edward Marston

10 Things that Never Happened by Alexis Hall*

Worralls on the War-Path by W E Johns

New Adult by Timothy Janovsky

Started:

Shot with Crimson by Nicola Upson*

The Magpie Lord by K J Charles

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

Sweet Mercies by Anne Booth

One book bought and that was a pre-order of part three of the Fangirl Manga that had arrived at the comic book store and I hadn’t had time to pick up until this weekend!

Bonus photo: a London skyline on Friday night.

*next to a book 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: October 2 – October 8

Did I get distracted midway through the week by rereading the first couple of Mrs Pargeter books? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Not really! I also had a bit of a weed of the to-read pile on Sunday evening unintentionally because everything I started I didn’t like. Still every little helps doesn’t it.

Read:

Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters

Ministry of Unladylike Activity by Robin Stevens

The Body in the Blitz by Robin Stevens*

Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang

A Nice Class of Corpse by Simon Brett

Three Times a Countess by Tina Gaudoin

Mrs, Presumed Dead by Simon Brett

Started:

Sweet Mercies by Anne Booth

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

One ebook and one preorder.

Bonus photo: I do love a good stat milestone, even if I am still annoyed that I missed a day 900 days ago…

*next to a book 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 25 – October 1

Back at work after two lovely weeks off and normal service has been resumed. Well, sort of. This week is slightly heavy on the audiobooks of Agatha Christie (lots of post-holiday pottering to do and a need for something to listen to) and a little light on the actual book-reading but I’m reading some non fiction and that takes me longer. Onwards into October!

Read:

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Double Strike by Gretchen Archer

In the Shadow of Vesuvius by Tasha Alexander

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney*

A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas

Started:

Three Times a Countess by Tina Gaudoin

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

One book bought on Sunday in an excited rush amidst the new month kindle offers.

Bonus photo: the newest addition to my houseplant collection – a spider plant baby I got started myself. I’ve named her Cecily, to go with Cecil and Cecilia my two existing ones…

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

books, stats

September Stats

Books read this month: 31*

New books: 26

Re-reads: 5 (all audiobooks)

Books from the to-read pile: 10

NetGalley books read: 7

Kindle Unlimited read: 5

Ebooks: 4

Audiobooks: 5

Non-fiction books: 3

Favourite book this month: Hard to chose actually – either We Could Be So Good or Maiden Voyages I think.

Most read author: Still Simon Brett as I finished the Mrs Pargeter binge

Books bought: 6 books, 3 ebooks and three pre-orders

Books read in 2023: 283

Books on the Goodreads to-read shelf (I don’t have copies of all of these!): 707

Well, it was a slow start to the month, but the two weeks off – with a couple of trips and plenty of reading time sorted it all out. And now we’re into the last quarter of the year and I probably should take another look at that Read the USA list to check what I’m missing and start working on the gaps now…

Bonus picture: the Teide volcano on Tenerife off in the distance from the interior of Gran Canaria.

*includes some short stories/novellas/comics/graphic novels – including 1 this month

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: September 18 – September 24

I’m just back from a lovely week in the sunshine on holiday and I think youcan tell from the reading list. In a minor miracle, I read both the books I took with me to read on holiday AND the two books I bought at the airport, and I started on the book Him Indoors took with him to read. This is unheard of – I have a terrible record for taking books with me, then buying something at the airport and reading the new ones and then going back to the kindle. So well done me. And I also made some really good progress on that still reading list – I will get there, I will! Anyway, a nice and very varied week of reading all in all. And now – back to work…

Read:

The Mysterious Mr Badman by W F Harvey

Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters

Wild and Crazy Guys by Nick De Semlyen

A Death in the Parish by Rev Richard Coles

Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White

The Paper Bark Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

Cultured by D P Lyle*

The Sea Breeze by S J T Riley*

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker*

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Started:

Double Strike by Gretchen Archer

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney*

No books bought – the airport spending spree was on last week’s list

Bonus photo: stargazing on holiday…

*next to a book 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 11 – September 17

Something of an actual book reading spree I have to say. Partly because I got given a few Girls Own books at the weekend and they were sitting right in my eye line on the sofa and partly because the pile is getting wildly out of control. I should probably do a post about it but I’m not sure I can bring myself to contemplate it. Anyway, a real mixed bag of reading.

Read:

The Ghost It Was by Richard Hull*

The Fifth at Foleys by Marjorie Bevan

Maiden Voyages by Siân Evans

First-Term Rebel by Jane Cranston

A Rare Benedictine by Ellis Peters

Dead in the Water by Anne Granger

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

Started:

The Mysterious Mr Badman by W F Harvey

The Paper Bark Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker*

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney*

Three books, two ebooks and a preorder for Future Verity.

Bonus photo: an actual chocolate teapot from my trip to Cadbury World this time last week!

*next to a book 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 4 – September 10

So it’s been a super busy week. Work plus two Rufus Wainwrights in a night, plus an evening watching the Freddie Auction, plus a weekend away does not a long list of reading make. But hey, I finished one of the long runners so that makes up for it right? Anyway, onwards!

Read:

Mrs Pargeter’s Public Relations by Simon Brett

The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin*

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall*

Started:

Maiden Voyages by Siân Evans

The Ghost It Was by Richard Hull*

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker*

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney*

One paperback bought in Waterstones, three more bought online and an ebook too. Oops!

Bonus photo: the Outside Broadcast trucks outside Sotheby’s for the big first evening of the Freddie sale, as I walked past on the way down to Waterstones Piccadilly.

*next to a book 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: August 28 – September 3

I’m actually quite pleased with this for a week of reading. I was super busy but I enjoyed what I read. There’s a few things that have inspired some thoughts about things to write about too, which I really felt like I was needing. Now it’s September and the schools are going back so of course this week is predicted to be very hot, so we’ll see what that does to everything!

Read:

JFK is Missing by Liz Evans

Harum Scarum Married by Esmé Stuart

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner*

Mrs Pargeter’s Point of Honour by Simon Brett

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Mrs Pargeter’s Principle by Simon Brett

The Betel Nut Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

Started:

Mrs Pargeter’s Public Relations by Simon Brett

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall*

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney*

Still reading:

The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin*

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker*

I don’t think I bought anything. What restraint!

Bonus photo: it was the open day at the vocational training centre at the weekend – and this is from inside their tropical plant tunnel. It made me feel like I could actually fit some more plants in the house after all…

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