Category: stats

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 19 – January 25

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Hmmm.  Not a hugely productive week – but some good stuff in there.

Read:

Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

The Norfolk Mystery by Ian Sansom

Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

Started:

The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham

The Other Duke by Jess Michaels

Still reading:

The Restoration of Otto Laird by Nigel Packer – should’ve been on last week’s list but got missed off – and by the time I realised, I was several days after the fact and beyond the point where I felt I could edit the post to add it…

I may have bought a few books this week.  Ok, four paperbacks and three e-books.  And I bought an ebook last week too.  But I was working earlies all weekend so I deserved a treat.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 12 – January 18

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Hmmm.  Half a week off work for my birthday – and I was so busy enjoying myself that I didn’t get much reading done… Still I’ve got a bunch of lates and a weekend coming up, so that’s not going to last…

Read:

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

Ridley Road by Jo Bloom

Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan

Scales of Justice by Ngaio Marsh

Started:

Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

Still reading:

Still no lingerers!

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 5 – January 11

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Not a long list this week – but there’s some real quality on it.  The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes took a bit of reading – it’s a real emotional journey – but it is so worth it and you read more about it here tomorrow!

Read:

How to Plan a Wedding for a Royal Spy by Vanessa Kelly

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin

The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith

Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn

Started:

 Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

Still reading:

Still no lingerers!

I bought Four books this week – naughty me.  But they were all second hand, and all books that I’d had on my to buy list for a while.

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 29 – January 4

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I put in a shift or two this week finishing the Stephen Fry so that I could start 2015 without any long running lingerers.  And then I had nightshifts for four nights over New Year….

Read:

Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

The Kennedy Wives by Amber Hunt and David Batcher

Christmas at High Rising by Angela Thirkell

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander

All I Want For Christmas by Claudia Carroll

The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews

Twisted Threads by Lea Wait

Started:

 How to Plan a Wedding for a Royal Spy by Vanessa Kelly

The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith

Still reading:

None!  New year, new start!

I bought a Kindle book this week – the first Inspector Maigret which was on offer – but that’s it. A positive start to the new year.

 

books, stats

December Stats

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On Good Reads to-reads shelf (I don’t have copies of all of these!): 430

New books* read in December: 33

Books from the Library Book pile: 0

Books from the to-read pile: 10

E-books: 16

Books read as soon as they arrived: 7

Most read author: Ngaio Marsh (five books)

Books* read this year: 290

Books bought: 9

Books acquired: 2

Ebooks acquired: 13

So there you have it – the end of another year’s reading.  You can see the full list of 2014 books here thanks to Goodreads – so you can find out what I read before the blog started.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s New Year’s Resolutions post, the format of this monthly review post will be changing in 2015 – so this is the final one in this style.  I’m hoping the revised version will be easier for me to put together, more engaging to read etc.  This blog is very much a learning process for me – and I don’t think the current format, though I’ve stuck with it through til the end of the year has been doing what I wanted it to.  And if you have any suggestions or requests please do put them in the comments.

* Total includes some short stories/novellas (8 this month – mainly Christmas themed!)

books, stats, The pile, Uncategorized

New Year’s Resolutions

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The start of a new year is always a time for reflection and making promises you may not keep, so why should this book blog be any different?  So here we go – five resolutions I’m going to try and keep in 2015…

1. Get the to-read pile down – obviously this had to be on here as it’s the most important thing and the reason for this blog.  I need to control of the pile. How many times do I read a book that’s been on the shelf for months only to kick myself that I didn’t read it sooner? Lots. Get the pile down, and that won’t happen.

2. Fill in some gaps in the Classics – I’ve never read Wuthering Heights. Or Tess of the D’urbervilles. Or David Copperfield (or any Dickens other than Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol). I should do something about this this year.

3. Read a non-fiction book each month – I’m not always terribly good at reading the non-fiction books sitting on my shelves – fiction (particularly comedy and romance) is often more appealing – I need to be better at this in 2015 as some of the books that have been on the pile the longest are non-fiction ones.

4. Read a library book each month – I’m embarrassed at the number of times some of the library books in the bag have been renewed. And I do want to read them. But sometimes I get obsessed with the reduction of the pile and reading a library book seems like a “waste” if you know what I mean.

5. Don’t get obsessed with stats and books read and pages read – I am sometimes guilty of measuring my reading too much in volume and not enjoyment. Setting a goal for a year is good – but it does lead to a slight obsession with trying to beat what you did last year. This sometimes messes with what I pick off the to-read pile.  Reading is for fun – a pleasure in my life – not about how many books or pages.

So there you are. I’ve tried not to be to ambitious – as you see from number 5 targets sometimes cause me more problems than they are worth. Also I get unaccountably rebellious about having to read something – and bounce off to read something else. In light of these resolutions, I’m going to rejig the monthly stats post this year – so December (publishing tomorrow, a day late to allow for New Year’s resolutions on the proper day) will be the last one in the old format.  And I’ll keep you posted on how I get on obviously.

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 22 – December 28

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Turns out working the start of Christmas week – and then being back at work the day after Boxing Day means that I did a surprising amount of reading considering the time of year.

Read:

A Viennese Christmas by Lynn Crain

The Two Gentlemen of Altona by Lisa Henry and JA Rock

These Wonderful Rumours! by May Smith

Death Comes To The Village by Catherine Lloyd

Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith

My Sister’s Song by Gail Carriger

Fairy Debt by Gail Carriger

Marine Biology by Gail Carriger

Started:

The Kennedy Wives by Amber Hunt and David Batcher

Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh

Still reading:

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

I bought ONE book this week (!) and three short stories and I only got given two for Christmas – so the to read pile hasn’t expanded the way I was worried it might.  We head towards 2015…

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 15 – December 21

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Not a tremendously productive week in reading terms this week – but the it is the week before Christmas and several of the books that I read were really quite long.

Read:

A Christmas Feast by Katie Fforde

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan

Goodbye Picadilly by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Diary of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King

Opening Night by Ngaio Marsh

Started:

These Wonderful Rumours! by May Smith

Still reading:

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

 On the brightside no books bought – except for one bought as a Christmas book and re-purposed for me!  Next week however is Christmas week – and I suspect I may well get some books amongst my gifts.  But at least I won’t have bought them for myself!

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 8 – December 14

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Reading schedule derailed by a very busy weekend of work – and an urge to re-read some Phryne Fisher (it happens when I’m tired) – but hey – I still did ok.

Read:

Swing, Brother, Swing by Ngaio Marsh

The Goddess and the Thief by Essie Fox

Cover Story by Rachel Bailey

Emma by Alexander McCall Smith

Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews

Shopaholic on Honeymoon by Sophie Kinsella

Started:

Opening Night by Ngaio Marsh

Still reading:

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

Goodbye Picadilly by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

 One book bought – the next Meg Langslow.  So better work from me on that front.

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 1 – December 7

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Considering I’ve been off work this week and not really been commuting, I don’t think I’ve done too badly.  I’ve called time on the Sarah Waters  – there’s so much else I’d rather be reading, and it’s lingered for two months not being read, so I’ve given up.  I’ll keep it around – and I may return to it – but enough people (including The Boy) have told me that it wound them up or left them unsatisfied that I thought I’d rather spend my time on stuff I do enjoy.

I’m trying to delay reading the last Parasol Protectorate story – because once I read it, I’m out of Gail Carriger to read until her next book comes out (in 2015!) so the purchase of a couple of Ngaio Marsh omnibuses in Foyles double Foyalty points promotion last weekend has bee fortuitous.   A bit of Golden Age crime is an excellent distraction!

Read:

The Greatest Love Story of All Time by Lucy Robinson

The Grand Duchess of Nowhere by Laurie Graham

One Upon A Christmas Kiss by Manda Collins

How The In-Laws Wrecked Christmas by Fiona Gibson

A Grosvenor Square Christmas by Anna Campbell, Shana Galen, Vanessa Kelly and Kate Noble

Heartless by Gail Carriger

Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh

Final Curtain by Ngaio Marsh

Started:

Goodbye Picadilly by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Emma by Alexander McCall Smith

Swing, Brother, Swing by Ngaio Marsh

Still reading:

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

The Goddess and the Thief by Essie Fox

 A couple of books bought this week – both Christmas released from Authors that I enjoy, so they’ll probably appear here soon!