Tag: books

books, stats

March Stats

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On Good Reads to-reads shelf (I don’t have copies of all of these!): 441

New books read this month: 32

Books from the Library Book pile: 1

Books from the to-read pile: 11

Ebooks read: 20

Most read author: tricky – I’m giving it to Charlaine Harris – because I read two complete books from here, and was more than half way through a third when we hit midnight last night (I also read 2 by Gail Carriger, R J Palacio and Jane Thynne)

Books read this year: 83

Books bought: 11 actual books and 3 ebooks

New Year’s Resolutions kept: 1 library book read, 1 non fiction (two if you count the Josh Sundquist) but I did buy the same number of actual books as I read, so the physical pile isn’t any shorter, and my NetGalley habit means the electronic one didn’t shrink as much as you’d hope either.  Maybe I should have given up buying books for Lent rather than chocolate, sweets, crisps, cake and biscuits.  Although knowing me that would just have resulted in a pre-ordering splurge on Shrove Tuesday and then a catch-up one on Easter Sunday!

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: March 23 – March 29

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Another fairly good week’s progress – despite a lot of real life stuff getting in the way so to speak.  Some really good books in there – some that were a little disappointing.  But hey, c’est la vie.

Read:

Pluto – A Wonder story by R J Palacio

Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey

Dream Cottage by Harriet J Kent

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

The Visitors by Sally Beauman

Started:

The Affair by Gill Paul

What Milo Saw by Virginia Macgregor

Still reading:

n/a

One book and one e-book bought this week – and a few requests on NetGalley too.  But overall not too bad.

Book of the Week, books, Children's books, Young Adult

Book of the Week: Wonder

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This week’s BotW is RJ Palacio’s Wonder.  It was hands down my favourite book of last week’s reading –  I was enjoying it so much I nearly took it to London when I went down for work at the weekend – even though it was a hardback library copy!  And the first thing I did when I got home on Sunday afternoon was to curl up on the sofa and finish it.

Wonder is the story of Auggie – born with a terrible facial abnormality and starting school for the first time after years of home schooling.  With multiple narrators, you see the world from his point of view and from those of the people around him as he tries to fit in and make friends and be “normal”.

If I could have read this in one sitting, I would have done (don’t you just hate it when real life gets in the way of reading?!), it’s that kind of book.  It really is one of those novels where you fall in love with the characters and the world and don’t want to leave it behind. And you can insert my usual comment about the state of my to-read pile meaning I don’t get to good stuff soon enough – because this has been on my to-read list since it was mentioned in an Emerald Street mailing soon after it came out.

I need to get my own copy – firstly because my library copy didn’t have “The Julian Chapter” in the end of it and secondly because I want to lend it to my sister and my mum.  And I want to read it again.  It’s that sort of book.  And don’t be put off by the fact that it’s a children’s/YA book if you don’t usually read that sort of thing.  It’s really worth it.

You can get your copy of Wonder from Amazon, Kindle, Foyles, Waterstones etc.  You won’t regret it.

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: March 16 – March 22

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A good week this week – and some really good books in there too.  I haven’t finished my book club book yet though, which is both naughty and concerning – as the discussion is rushing upon us…

Read:

The Winter Garden by Jane Thynne

The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson

The Sound of Music Story by Tom Santopietro

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

A Hellion in Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries

The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys

Emily and Colin’s Wedding – Tears of Pearl prequel by Tasha Alexander

Wonder by RJ Palacio

Started:

The Visitors by Sally Beauman

Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey

Still reading:

n/a

I bought one book – and my pre-ordered copy of Prudence also arrived.  I’m not allowed to read it until I’ve finished my book club book though!

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: March 9 – March 15

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Not as much read this week as last – I got a bit derailed by work and life in general.

Read:

Timeless by Gail Carriger

The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar by Gail Carriger

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Itch by Simon Mayo

Started:

The Sound of Music Story by Tom Santopietro

A Hellion in Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries

Still reading:

The Winter Garden by Jane Thynne

 

Oh dear – a bit of backsliding this week – thanks to a trip to The Works and the charity shop.  I’d been doing so well.

Book of the Week, historical, Thriller

Book of the Week: Black Roses

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This week’s BotW is Jane Thynne’s Black Roses – a Nazi Germany set spy thriller – and another example of why I need to get the to-read pile under control.  Clara Vine’s mother is German and she heads to Berlin to find acting work at the famous Ufa studios.  She gets drawn into a circle of high-ranking Nazi wives – and is soon recruited by British intelligence to report on the goings on in the elite.

Nazi Germany is possible one of my least favourite historical settings as a general rule.  I like World War Two settings – but usually from the British side of the fence as anything involving Germany itself has potential to be tremendously depressing. But this has an interesting concept and is also book one in a series (more on this later) so I was fairly confident going in that the heroine would still be alive at the end of the book*!

Clara’s adventures are tense and atmospheric and Thynne paints a vivid picture of what it was like in Berlin in 1933.  As I’ve mentioned, I don’t usually “do” Nazi Germany – and it’s a period of history that I’ve always managed to avoid having to study in any depth, so I can’t really pass comment on whether it all fits with the facts – but the historical note at the end was useful for clarifying some of the bits that I had thought were the most bizarre.

I mentioned at the top that this is another lesson in why I need to deal with the book backlog – and this is a particularly ridiculous example.  I bought this on Kindle in October 2013 (!) and it’s been sitting in my unread folder forgotten about since then. In October this year I picked up book 2 in the series in Tesco and then picked out book 3 on NetGalley. When I came to update my Goodreads, I realised that I had book 1 and went back to read in order.  I’m really glad that I liked it so much – as I already have the other two!  And as I said, another example of why I need to get my to-read pile under control.

You can get Black Roses from Amazon, Foyles and Waterstones and on Kindle.

* One of my least favourite book tactics is the book which kills off the hero/heroine at the end.  I’m not saying it isn’t a valid plot device, I’m just saying that, for me, nothing takes the shine off a book that I’ve enjoyed than flood of tears because a character that I liked has been killed off to shock/prove a point.

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: March 2 – March 8

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Started the week off with some promising progress on the Kindle backlog, but progress slowed towards the weekend – despite late shifts all weekend and lots of long (for me) train journeys. But there was some good stuff in the reading, and that’s the most important thing.

Read:

The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress by Erica Ridley

The Grand Re-opening of the Dandelion Cafe by Jenny Oliver

Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Blood Stains by Catriona McPherson

A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

Enchantment Lake by Margi Preus

Death in Devon by Ian Sansom

Black Roses by Jane Thynne

A Vintage Wedding by Katie Fforde

Tempest by Lisa Henry and JA Rock

Started:

Itch by Simon Mayo

The Winter Garden by Jane Thynne

Still reading:

n/a

A couple of books pre-ordered – the new Gail Carriger and Eloisa James books – and a few Kindle books too.  Naughty Verity

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: February 23 – March 1

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Another really quite good week.  Three of the books were from last week’s early hours spending spree though, so not really backlog…

Read:

Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay

Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay

The A-Z of You and Me by James Hannah

A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan

Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley

A Fatal Winter by GM Malliet

Started:

A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

Still reading:

n/a

I didn’t buy anything on nights! A miracle has occurred.  Perhaps my will power is improving.  Or not.

books, stats

February Stats

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On Good Reads to-reads shelf (I don’t have copies of all of these!): 440

New books read this Month: 31

Books from the Library Book pile: 2

Books from the to-read pile: 10

Ebooks read: 13

Most read author: Charlaine Harris (3 Harper Connellys)

Books read this year: 51

Books bought:  5

New Year’s Resolutions kept: 1 non fiction book, 2 library books and I bought less than I read from the pile.  So some small progress there!  And as you can see from the number of books I read in the shortest month of the year, nightshifts (train journeys and meal breaks with nothing to do but read) really do make a difference.

stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: February 16 – February 22

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And this ladies and gentlemen is what a week of nightshifts – with train journeys and meal breaks where all you can do is read – will do for you.   Yes it’s lightweight reading, but I really enjoyed it – and it was just what I needed.

Read:

The Sleeping Salesman Enquiry by Anne Purser

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

Not Quite Darcy by Terri Meeker

Lost and Found by Brooke Davis

Earls Just Want to Have Fun by Shana Galen

A French Pirouette by Jennifer Bohnet

A Sinful Deception by Isabella Bradford

The Importance of Being Seven by Alexander McCall Smith

Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean

The Truth about Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries

Return to Peyton Place by Grace Metalious

Started:

A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders

Still reading:

n/a

I bought 5 books in the early hours of Wednesday.  Oops.