Category: stats

Three nights away from home impaired my reading progress somewhat this week, and also my attempts to read my way through the bottom of the to-read pile.  Still at least one of the books I did read is eligible for a category on the #ReadHarder challenge, so that’s good.

Read:

The Making of A Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Fountain of Sorrow by Paul Charles

More Work for the Undertaker by Margery Allingham

The Vets at Hope Green, Part 1 by Sheila Norton

Paradise Lodge by Nina Stibbe

Started:

The Draycott Murder Mystery by Molly Thynne

Still reading:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

First Women by Kate Andersen Brower

Two books bought this week – but one’s in French, so its educational – and the other was for Him Indoors as well as me.

Welcome to the week after Christmas.  You’ll see that I got one of the books I wanted and have already started reading it.  You may also detect a slight free book spree over New Year.  What can I say.  I regret it.  And because of the fireplace situation, the bottom of my to-read pile is in the box at the top, so there are some books I’d almost forgotten I had getting an outing!

Read:

Midnight at Tiffany’s by Sarah Morgan

Deadly Duo by Margery Allingham

Grunt by Mary Roach

A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley

Open for Business by Cressida McLaughlin

I Love The Sound of Broken Glass by Paul Charles

The Billionaire’s Christmas Virgin by J S Scott

Perfect Holiday Fling by Farrah Rochon

Started:

First Women by Kate Andersen Brower

Fountain of Sorrow by Paul Charles

The Making of A Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Still reading:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

I didn’t buy any books this week – but as I mentioned, I had a little wander through the free book chart on Amazon.  But hey, they didn’t cost me anything and I don’t have to finish them if I don’t like them…

Happy Boxing Day everyone.  I hope you all got what you wanted and have a lovely day and that your food babies today aren’t too big.

Read:

Deadly Treasures by Vivian Conroy

Twas the Night before Christmas by Sabrina Jeffries

A Cornish Christmas Carol by Liz Fenwick

The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? by Jodi Taylor

A Bachelor Establishment by Jodi Taylor writing as Isabella Barclay

Christmas Ever After by Sarah Morgan 

Started:

 A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley

Still reading:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

I had nights last week, so there was the usual nights related impulse purchasing – but on a fairly small scale as I was trying to restrain myself because i was hoping for Christmas books!

So this week coming is Nightshift week, so that means impulse purchases and light reading. So not that different to a normal week then!  And this week’s reading ended up being really un-Christmassy – even though I’m feeling quite festive now.  And in unrelated but rather lovely news, I’m on Fahrenheit Press’s list of Book Bloggers of the Year which was very touching and made me come over all teary eyed.  But then I’ve got a fractured elbow, a terrible cough and am fighting off the newsroom lurgy so I think I’m particularly suseptible to tears at the moment.  Or that’s my story and I’m sticking to it – after all I cried at the Strictly final on Saturday night.  Twice.

Read:

The Case of the Screaming Beauty by Alison Golden

Last Boat to Camden Town by Paul Charles

The Case of the Hidden Flame by Alison Golden

Sweetest Regret by Meredith Duran

Juniors at the Chalet School by Katherine Bruce

A Little Murder by Suzette A Hill

Angel by Elizabeth Taylor

Started:

Deadly Treasures by Vivian Conroy

Still reading:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Three e-books bought – and three real books when I went into The Works for some Christmassy bits.  Oops.  And I’m never good at avoiding buying books on nights either am I?  Still I’ll try and restrain myself – because who knows what Santa might bring – if you want to know what I’m hoping he’ll bring, check out my Christmas gift post – or if you’re still looking for last minute things here’s the book gift guide.

Lots of Christmas-y reading this week – and yes, I am planning a post on it, just as soon as I get my Christmas book gift posts sorted.  Fractured elbows are a nightmare…

Read:

Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

What Nora Knew by Linda Yellin

The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh

Sparkle Shot by Lina Chern

Candlelight at Christmas by Katie Fforde

Comfort and Joy by Cathy Bramley

Not Just For Christmas by Alex Brown

Started:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Last Boat to Camden Town by Paul Charles

Angel by Elizabeth Taylor

Still reading:

n/a

Four ebooks bought.  Three proper books.  And the library book bag was replenished too!

So the elbow is still giving me trouble, but I did find time to sit down and finish The Underground Railroad.  And I’ve properly started my Christmas reading kick now – with two festive short stories, finishing the Christmas Meg Langslow and starting a holiday-themed Sarah Morgan.  I foresee this situation continuing.

Read:

Duck the Halls by Donna Andrew

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch

Silent Night by Deanna Raybourn

Twelfth Night by Deanna Raybourn

The Wangs vs the World by Jade Chang

Herring on the Nile by L C Tyler

The Underground Railroad by Coulson Whitehead

Started:

What Nora Knew by Linda Yellin

The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh

Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

Still reading:

n/a

One book bought – to get some free postage for a Christmas present. Progress!

Ok. So I went ice skating on Monday and fell over and now I have a little fracture in my elbow.  The hospital don’t like to immobilise elbows (you lose movement fast and it’s hard to get it back) so until the giant bruise appeared on Saturday I had no evidence of my injury, but I have had lots of sympathy and I’m hopped up on painkillers so it’s fairly ok.  I’ve been taking it easy (mostly on the sofa) but I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything serious – or hold heavy books.  I called time on The #MonuMeta Social Media Book this week – I’ve tried and tried and tried (I’m not sure the pain helped when I gave it another go in A&E), but I just couldn’t get into it.  It’s got great reviews on Goodreads though, so it’s clearly me that has a problem not anyone else!

Read:

The Season by Sarah MacLean

Burke’s Last Witness by C J Dunford

It Must Be Christmas by Jennifer Crusie, Donna Alward and Mandy Baxter

Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber

A Whole Latte Murder by Caroline Fardig

The Best of Dear Coquette by The Coquette

Potent Pleasures by Eloisa James

Started:

The Wangs vs the World by Jade Chang

Duck the Halls by Donna Andrew

Still reading:

The Underground Railroad by Coulson Whitehead

Perhaps unsurprisingly given my weakened state, I had a kindle spending spree from my sick bed on Tuesday and Foyles were doing 20% off for Black Friday so I bought myself a book along with the ones I was buying as presents, but apart from that I’ve been remarkably restrained.  Or at least I think that I have.

I did a lot of work this week – a lot of nights away from home and only one day off in the last seven.  Consequently a lot of sleeping and not as much reading time!

Read:

Charlaine Harris’s Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris, Royal McGraw and Ilias Kyriazis

Baron by Joanna Shupe

Hero in the Highlands by Suzanne Enoch

Cooking the Books by Kerry Greenwood

All I Ever Wanted by Lucy Dillon

Lumberjanes Vol 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson et al

Started:

Potent Pleasures by Eloisa James

The Best of Dear Coquette by The Coquette

Burke’s Last Witness by C J Dunford

Still reading:

The Underground Railroad by Coulson Whitehead

The #MonuMeta Social Media Book by Roger Warner

The Season by Sarah MacLean

A slight shopping spree in the comic book store – and a few secondhand books to get some free delivery from a well known online retailer, but over all fairly restrained given that I was wandering in Foyles on Tuesday night!