Category: The pile

A busy week in life and reading. Am I on a bit of a Simon Brett binge? Yes. But actually most of them are books I haven’t read before that have been sitting on the virtual TBR so that is progress on the backlog right? And I have started another 50 pages and out run through the bookshelf which has weeded some books off the pile because I don’t like them and don’t want to read the rest. Again, progress of a sort.

Read:

Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham

The Corpse on the Court by Simon Brett

The Strangling on Stage by Simon Brett

Reunion Dinner by Jessie Q Sutanto

Dead Room Farce by Simon Brett

The Tomb in Turkey by Simon Brett

A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander

Crime of Fashion by Emma Rosenblum

Astor by Anderson Cooper

Started:

Death at the Dress Rehearsal by Stuart Douglas

The Divorce Colony by April White

Still reading:

A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy*

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

Two books and one ebook added to the pile. And I still have that book voucher to spend remember…

Bonus picture: another night out at the theatre…

*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… did I watch three episodes of Rivals back to back on Thursday night and a fourth on Friday while I was staying with a friend? Yes. Did this affect the amount of stuff I’ve read this week. Yes. Do I regret not having Disney + at the moment so I can watch the other four episodes? Absolutely. Is it for the best that I don’t have it at the moment? Also yes, but we’ll see how long my will power lasts because the last episode of Only Murders in the Building series four hits Disney+ this week… Anyway, to the actual books I did read, and I still need to do a bit of work at getting that long-running list down, but I may have got a little distracted by trying to get a couple more states ticked off my 50 states list for the year…

Read:

The Beckoning Lady by Margery Allingham

Murder: The Biography by Kate Morgan*

Digging Up History by Sheila Connolly

Passed in Pennsylvania by Sheila Benning

A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley

Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Started:

n/a

Still reading:

A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy*

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

Astor by Anderson Cooper

One pre-order dropped onto my kindle, one book bought in Waterstones Piccadilly and one ebook bought

Bonus picture: my newest houseplant baby, which is growing fast!

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

The Lily Bard binge reread is over, which means I’ll presumably find something else to fixate on imminently to distract me from reading the backlog. It was ever thus. That said, it wasn’t a bad week of reading, even if there are still a few on the long running pile. This week coming is going to be a busy one though, so we’ll see how that all plans out.

Read:

Shakespeare’s Trollop by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare’s Counsellor by Charlaine Harris

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

More Work for the Undertaker by Margery Allingham

A Holiday for Homicide by Devon Delaney*

The Methods of Sergeant Cluff by Gil North

Unruly by David Mitchell

Started:

Digging Up History by Sheila Connolly

A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy*

Still reading:

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

Astor by Anderson Cooper

Bonus picture: party time in town on Saturday with an ABBA Tribute band to mark the end of the market square redevelopment. We were on our way to the cinema, so we didn’t stay that long!

*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 having one of those spells where I’m finding it hard to settle down and read some of the things on the list – but instead bingeing through something else. In this case, it’s manifesting in Patti Benning novellas and some Charlaine Harris. Who can tell the mysterious ways my mind works, I certainly can’t. Anyway, the weather has been awful, it’s proper sit inside and read weather – I feel like my feet have been on the edge of being damp for about a month now it’s been so wet. Hey ho.

Read:

Autumn Chills by Agatha Christie

Mis-Steak-n Identity by Patti Benning

Steered Wrong by Patti Benning

Coroners Pidgin by Margery Allingham

Bite Moves by Patti Benning

Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare’s Champion by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare’s Christmas by Charlaine Harris

Started:

Unruly by David Mitchell

Still reading:

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

Astor by Anderson Cooper

Well, as usual in kindle offers week, a few ebooks bought – and I still have some samples left to read for other things so potentially more to come there. Two books in Foyles which you’ve already seen and a couple more ordered (but not yet arrived)

Bonus picture: some Art at the Outernet last week – it’s very cool but it makes my head hurt quite quickly!

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

The mornings are getting darker, we’re into October and it’s the final quarter of the year. Whatever happened to 2024? Anyway, a fairly ok week in books – not quite as much finished as I wanted, but there was a lot going on in the world.

Read:

The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters

Tour de Force by Christianna Brand

Dead End Street by Sheila Connolly

Nemesis by Agatha Christie

Death at the Dinner Party by Ellie Alexander

A View to A Grill by Patti Benning

Nose Knows by Patti Benning

Started:

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

Astor by Anderson Cooper

Still reading:

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

Well I started writing the Kindle Offers post so you know how that goes. But I didn’t buy any physical books so that’s something!

Bonus picture: misty mornings on the train continue…

*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 total mix of reading this week – non-fiction, fiction, children’s fiction, murder mysteries, new stuff, old stuff. And it’s been a real mixed bag although it was fairly easy to decide what to write about tomorrow! And tomorrow is the start of a new month too, so there’ll be all the usual bits and pieces this week as well.

Read:

Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell*

Hitchcock’s Blondes by Laurence Leamer

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Sniffed Out by Patti Benning

Ruff Stuff by Patti Benning

Worrals goes East by W E Johns

Rocking It by Patti Benning

High Style and Homicide by Kathleen Bridge*

Started:

Dead End Street by Sheila Connolly

Still reading:

Tour de Force by Christianna Brand

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

No books bought. A minor miracle.

Bonus picture: it has been so wet this week. It feels like it hasn’t really stopped raining, although of course it has. This is a photo from outside town at the start of the week (thanks dad!) – basically you shouldn’t be able to see any water here – the brook runs between the trees to the right – and is usually well out of sight.

*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 slightly shorter list than I would have hoped this week, but Kingmaker is *really* long – 500+ pages all in – but it’s also really good, so I’ve spent a fair bit of time reading that this week. And I’m nearly done with Hitchcock’s Blondes too – I’ve reached Tippi Hedren, but as I said last week, it’s a hardback and they don’t travel to work with me. Anyway, fingers crossed this week I’ll actually finish them as we barrel towards the end of September.

Read:

Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh

Murder in Waiting by Lynn Cahoon

Negligent in New York by Patti Benning

Razing the Dead by Sheila Connolly

Privy to the Dead by Sheila Connolly

The Man Who Didn’t Fly by Margot Bennett

Started:

Tour de Force by Christianna Brand

Still reading:

Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell*

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

Hitchcock’s Blondes by Laurence Leamer

One book and one ebook bought – and a couple of last week’s purchases arrived too!

Bonus picture: after mentioning Maigret in my post about Parisian books on Wednesday, I noticed this themed display tower in Waterstone’s Gower Street when I was in there on Thursday!

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

Another really busy week – but this time commuting from home every day so lots of reading time on the train! A pretty good list to be honest, even if I didn’t manage to finish everything I started the previous week – but some of that is a hardback copy issue. Will work on that this week!

Read:

Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer

The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer

The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey

Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews

Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer

Memories and Murder by Lynn Cahoon

Monument to the Dead by Sheila Connolly

Vicki Finds the Answer by Helen Wells

Started:

Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell*

Murder in Waiting by Lynn Cahoon

Still reading:

Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

Hitchcock’s Blondes by Laurence Leamer

Five books bought. Oopsie daisy.

Bonus picture: Distinctly autumnal on the train to work last week. Which was a contrast with Kuala Lumpur on the temperature front that I was not appropriately dressed for.

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