Category: The pile

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: August 18 – August 24

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I’m in denial that August is nearly over, but the weather feels like it’s starting to change for the cooler, and the very early mornings are getting darker so it must be. Most of my reading time this week was spent on The Mitford Girls – which is 700 pages long and absolutely fascinating. It really does make me want to go off and read about more the various sisters and also the people around them, but I have so much non-fiction on the pile and they do tend to get slightly ignored in favour of fiction that I shall have to try and resist the urge to purchase more! And of the rest of the reading, aside from the Christie and Heyer which were on audio, the other three books were all from the pile, so if it wasn’t for that whole situation at the National Trust bookshops last week, I would be feeling quite good about myself. As it is, the pile is still larger than it was at the start of the month, and is looming at me from the corner of the sitting room and making me feel guilty.

Read:

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer

The Mitford Girls by Mary S Lovell

The House of the Seven Mabels by Jill Churchill

City of Vengeance by D V Bishop

The Wombles at Work by Elizabeth Beresford

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Started:

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Cultish by Amanda Montell

Still reading:

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

One ebook bought, but that’s it. A positive relief after last week.

Bonus picture: an afternoon at the women’s World Cup rugby on Sunday.

*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 pile

Books Incoming: Secondhand spree

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Yes I know I only did a Books Incoming post last Saturday. However, it all got a bit out of hand in Norfolk and so I’m back already. What we have here is the result of a trip to Carlisle (which should probably have been on last week’s post, but I forgot to put them on the pile so they got left out of the photo) and then two second-hand bookshops at the National Trusts in Norfolk…

Lets start with the Carlisle purchases, which are top left, the Shaun Levy Ratpack confidential and the Molly Keane. I’ve read Levy’s A Castle on Sunset and have been keeping an eye for his others as he writes in the Old Hollywood/movie adjacent part of my reading interests. The Molly Keane is because she keeps coming up in articles I’ve read and I did like Good Behaviour. Then we have the National Trust haul. And I’m going to start by saying that mobile phone signal in Norfolk was generally not good and was non-existent in the bookshops so some of this was done a little by guesswork. There’s actually one book I left out of the pile because when I had signal I realised I had read it, and there were a couple I didn’t buy because I wasn’t sure if I already had them on the pile (I had a 50 percent success rate on that front). Excluding the Abbey girls and the Dodie Smith, I was buying based on vibes and half remembered thoughts that I have read the author before.

So there is a fighting chance that some of these will be terrible and you will never hear of them again. There’s at least one book here when when I searched for the author on my goodreads page I discovered that I had read them before and not enjoyed it. So there’s a fighting chance some of these could end up victims of my 50 pages and out rule. But they were cheap and I was supporting the National Trust so it’s fine really. Totally fine.

Now lets see if I can control myself for the rest of the month. I don’t think I’ve got any more pre-orders due to arrive in the next few weeks, and so it’s going to be a case of can I keep myself from impulse purchasing in any bookshop I visit, and if I go on a series binge, can I restrain myself from acquiring more. Wish me luck.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: August 11 – August 17

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A good week – in life and in reading. We’ve wandered Norfolk, I read an entire book while sitting in a field at Sandringham waiting for bands to perform, and I’ve finished another non-fiction book – two now this month. Bravely I’ve started two more, here’s hoping they don’t end up on the long-running list…

Read:

Wigs on the Green by Nancy Mitford

Seams Like Murder by Dorothy Howell

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Grime and Punishment by Jill Churchill

Ask Not by Maureen Callahan

A Star is Bored by Byron Lane

The Stranger’s Companion by Mary Horlock*

Started:

The Mitford Girls by Mary S Lovell

City of Vengeance by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Still reading:

Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

Um. Well yes. I may have lost my head a little in the National Trust bookshops. More on that at the weekend. And an ebook too.

Bonus picture: the library at Blickling Hall. Isn’t it awesome?

*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 pile

Books Incoming: Mid-August edition

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Oh this looks bad. Really bad. But it’s not as bad as it looks. Honestly. Let me explain: nearly a third of these were pre-orders, so really they shouldn’t count right? I mentioned the Nev Fountain on Thursday, and the new Dahlia, and I really should have mentioned the Elissa Sussman too, but it came out the same week as the Sarah MacLean. Then the Otto English and the Richard Coles were my airport purchases on the way to Ghana – and were the only books I took with me. Now I was so busy that week that I only read one of them, but that still means that that one is going straight from the incoming pile to the shelf. And A Howl of Wolves is going onto the shelf too because it’s that fourth Sam Clair that you can’t get on Kindle, so really buying it was the only way I was going to get to read it and thus finish the series. And then while I was buying it from Abebooks, I checked what else the seller had that was on my list, because you get postage on a scale if you’re buying more books from the same person, and that’s how/why I got the Jill Churchills. And then finally the Jackie, Ethel, Joan was my purchase in Waterstones last week. So really that’s the only one that counts as an impulse purchase. And that’s what I’m meant to be working on…

Happy Saturday!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: August 4 – August 10

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A pretty solid list this week, although slightly more classic crime than I was expecting! But another one off the long-running list so that’s good. And after being nudged in Waterstones the other day, I’ve got started on some of the Kennedy books on the shelf. And we had a nice weekend in Cumbria so I got to wander around one of my favourite bookshops again as well as everything else!

Read:

Heads You Lose by Christianna Brand

About That Kiss by Jill Shalvis

A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor*

The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine*

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Sinister Spring by Agatha Christie

Started:

Wigs on the Green by Nancy Mitford

Ask Not by Maureen Callahan

Still reading:

Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

A Star is Bored by Byron Lane

Four ebooks and two actual books.

Bonus picture: butterflies in Cumbria on Sunday

*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: July 28 – August 3

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Well that’s a much better list than last week isn’t it. I mean it’s mostly because I was exhausted and so didn’t try and get any theatre tickets while I was staying in London and stayed in instead. And it was a bit rainy too which doesn’t exactly encourage wandering around. That said, I did wander over to Waterstones Gower Street and yes, I did buy a book and there were some Kindle offers. Ahem. But I can’t be perfect all the time…

Read:

Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie

Scandalize My Name by Fiona Sinclair

The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth

A Dark and Twisting Path by Julia Buckley

The Windsors at War by Alexander Larman

The Prodigal Son by Sulari Gentill

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

Started:

Heads You Lose by Christianna Brand

A Star is Bored by Byron Lane

Still reading:

A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor*

Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

Five ebooks (because there were offers) and one ebook preorder, and then the book from Waterstones…

Bonus picture: it’s Wisteria season again

*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: July 21 – July 27

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So this week was as busy as advertised, and then some. But here’s the list, I did get a couple of the long runners sorted and I’ve got a few things that are close to being read so it could be worse.

Read:

Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox

Flipped for Murder by Maddie Day

Grilled for Murder by Maddie Day

A Howl of Wolves by Judith Flanders

Murder in Vienna by E C R Lorac

Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler

Started:

Scandalize My Name by Fiona Sinclair

Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Still reading:

A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor*

Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

Nothing else bought, but a bunch of stuff arrived…

Bonus picture: Pouring rain at the National before Nye on Tuesday 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: July 14 – July 20

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I said last week that this week was busy, and it really was. But every week is busy at the moment, so what can you do. This one had a three event weekend and a theatre trip earlier in the week so I’m surprised that the list is as long as it is. I haven’t added anything new to the long-running list, but I haven’t got anything off it either, so mixed work there. I shall endeavour to focus my efforts this week!

Read:

The Spotted Dog by Kerry Greenwood

Not To Be Taken by Anthony Berkeley

Abscond by Abraham Verghese

A Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders

A Cast of Vultures by Judith Flanders

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson

Started:

n/a

Still reading:

Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler

Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox

A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor*

Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

Four books bought, all secondhand.

Bonus picture: At the athletics on Saturday, watching the British 4 x 400m men’s relay team from the Athens World Championships in 1997 get their gold medals 28 years on after their result was upgraded.

*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: July 7 – July 13

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Hello from my sofa back in the UK, where I am safely back after a week in Ghana. It was incredibly busy week and so the list sort of reflects that – especially as the flight home on Saturday was an overnight one. I put an old Bond film on to go to sleep to and it worked a treat – it was Goldfinger and I don’t even remember the card game by the pool! Anyway, I’ve got a couple of days off at the start of this week, but the job list is huge – and we’ve got a super busy weekend as well, so the list maybe similarly small next week…

Read:

Shoe Nuff by Patti Benning

The Spirit Killers by Hugh Morrison

Nemesis by Agatha Christie

Photo Finish by Ngaio Marsh

A Death on Location by Rev Richard Coles

Next Stop, Murder by Hadley K Knox

Barriers to Entry by Ariel Lawthorn

Started:

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson

Still reading:

Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler

Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox

A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor*

Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

Two more pre-orders arrived – the new Elissa Sussman and the latest Three Dahlias.

Bonus picture: Accra from above on the way home on Saturday night.

Bonus bonus picture: I might not have read a lot; but I did hit a target!

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

book related, The pile

Books Incoming: Mid July edition

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Ok, so it’s not quite the middle of the month yet, but it’s close enough – especially as I know there are some pre-orders due to arrive in the next few weeks so I want to get this batch out of the way!

As you can see it’s a modest (for me) haul this month – with two of them (Fear of Frying and The Chow Maniac) already off the to read pile and looking for a new home on the other bookshelves. The Vita Sackville West is also off the shelves for now – as I lent it straight out to mum, who is always interested in Gardens and the Bloomsbury Group. So that just leaves the second Jane Jeffries, The Wombles at Work (which came from the same book fair where I found the Vita book), my pre-order of the new Ben Aaronovitch and 1984 which was an impulse purchase from the Pride Month display at Foyles. And I realise typing this that the new Sarah Adler should be in this photo and isn’t, but as I’m several thousand miles away from home at the moment there is nothing I can do about it so consider Finders Keepers on the list too!

Have a great weekend!