Tag: novels

Part two of the Nightshifts this week – and not quite as much read as last week.  But there’s some really good stuff in there.  You may have seen my ravings about Viv Albertine’s book – but Miss Pym Disposes is also great if you’re into Golden Age Crime, and Six Geese… is Meg Langslow for the holiday season.  I’m also loving Gail Carriger’s work at the moment – I’m rapidly working my way through her entire back catalogue.  I’ve also finally called time on Elizabeth Gilbert, added it to the list of books I’ve given up on and added it to the charity shop bag, and I’m putting aside Sheila (it’s on the kindle) too – I’ve been reading other stuff instead…

Read:

Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews

Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine

Sealed with a Christmas Kiss by Rachel Lucas

Changeless by Gail Carriger

Blameless by Gail Carriger

It Happened on Broadway by Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer

Started:

It’s Not Me, It’s You by Mhairi McFarlane

Still reading:

The Grand Duchess of Nowhere by Laurie Graham

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

 Well, I’ve been a bit of  a naughty girl on the book buying front this week – seven books and a kindle e-book.  But I blame the nightshifts.  And I have promised The Boy that I’ll have a book shelf rationalisation to make room for them.

Oh hello Nightshifts my old friend, you’re back to torture me again.  Four nightshifts this week – with three more to come next week – and my reading list is essentially nice and lightweight to cope with the toll that staying up all night is taking on my concentration and brainpower!

That said, the list is dominated by Christmas novellas and special releases – I’m planning a string of posts on Christmas themed reading (of all lengths) for when we get a bit closer to the time.

Read:

Chalet School and Robin by Caroline German

Difficult Husbands by Mary de Laszlo

Footsteps in the Snow and Other Teatime Treats by Trisha Ahsley

Secret Santa by Scarlet Bailey

Star of the East by Tasha Alexander

A Spy Unmasked by Tina Gabrielle

Jill Mansell’s A to Z of Happiness by Jill Mansell

One Funeral by Kat and Stone Bastian

Cold Feet at Christmas by Debbie Johnson

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Storm by Tim Minchin

Started:

The Grand Duchess of Nowhere by Laurie Graham

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Sheila by Robert Wainwright

 I may have acquired a couple of books this week during the early hours.  NetGalley is just so tempting. And I won a copy of Alexander McCall Smith’s Emma retelling too.   And then I just had to buy the second Parasol Protectorate story and the prequel short story.  Ahem. There’s something about being awake in the middle of the night that seems to just force you to do impulse purchasing…

I’ve been working hard on making progress with The Night Watch this week – I say hard, I mean trying to read a few pages each night as I try and get the still reading selection down.  It hasn’t always worked, but I’ve more than doubled how much I’ve read this week!  I’m close to giving up on Signature of All Things – but I’ve made it halfway through now so it seems a shame to give up now.  Having looked at the reviews on Goodreads they seem quite split between people who loved it and those who got bored.  So far I’m in the latter camp!

Read:

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Eve in Hollywood by Amor Towles

The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes

Christmas at the Cove by Victoria Connelly

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons

At Home With Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly

Started:

Difficult Husbands by Mary de Laszlo

Chalet School and Robin by Caroline German

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Sheila by Robert Wainwright

 Four e-books bought – and a freebie – but that’s because I got weak after I finished Rules of Civility and wanted the novella follow-on and got click happy….

A fair few short stories on the list this week – some good, some not, one dreadful.  And I hate saying that about a writer’s work.  Hey ho.

Read:

Trent’s Last Case by E C Bentley

A Place For Us Part 4 by Harriet Evans

The Accidental Countess by Valerie Bowman

The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation by Erica Ridley

The Bride by Julie Garwood

Christmas with Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly

Happy Birthday Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly

Marrying to the Boss by Elannah James (avoid avoid avoid)

Started:

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Sheila by Robert Wainwright

Four ebooks bought, two free ones too but no actual books bought.  So not a bad week in the scheme of things.

Wow.  What a week!  And I was even at work for 4 days!

Read:

Shakespeare’s Champion by Charlaine Harris

Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith

Shakespeare’s Christmas by Charlaine Harris

Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

A Place For Us Part 3 by Harriet Evans

The Reluctant Vampire by Eric Morecambe

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder by Catriona McPherson

Started:

Trent’s Last Case by E C Bentley

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Sheila by Robert Wainwright

The Bride by Julie Garwood

 Only one book bought this week – the final part of Harriet Evans’ A Place For Us.  Progress…

Last week was never going to be topped was it!  For a start I didn’t spent this week on a beach or by a pool – I was at work for four days of it – and staying away from home for two nights of that making the most of the fact that my train company can’t get me to London from home for 6am at the weekend with a weekend with my theatre buddy (dinners! shows! cocktails!).  But this is particularly bad – and the still reading list is mounting up again too.  Still, at least I’m back on the paperbacks amongst this – because last week’s mammoth efforts had absolutely no effect on the physical pile!

Read:

The Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean

Walking on Air by Christina Jones

Started:

Shakespeare’s Champion by Charlaine Harris

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Sheila by Robert Wainwright

The Bride by Julie Garwood

I may have bought four books to cheer me up after having to go back to work after a lovely week in the sun…

Can you tell that I’ve been on holiday?  Long hot days spent lounging by the pool or laying on the bitch and evenings sipping cocktails mean that I’ve made inroads into my unread folder on the kindle.  I should have finished the Sarah Waters – which was one of my paperbacks – but The Boy only bought one book with him and so borrowed The Night Watch which took him most of the week to read.

Read:

Life is Sweet by Elizabeth Bass

Gently Does It by Alan Hunter

Gently By The Shore by Alan Hunter

Gently Down The Stream by Alan Hunter

Landed Gently by Alan Hunter

London Calling by Sara Sheridan

And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander

A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

Mrs Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger

Wicked Autumn by G M Malliet

The Path of the Crooked by Ellery Adams

Going the Distance by Christina Jones

King Solomon’s Mines by Henry Rider Haggard

Started:

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Sheila by Robert Wainwright

The Bride by Julie Garwood

The Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters

Walking on Air by Christina Jones

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

And because I was on holiday – I haven’t bought any books this week.  I banned myself from buying any sequels to any of the books that I cleared from the backlog so that I reduced the pile.  And so now the unread list on the Kindle is now merely huge rather than gigantic!

Not a bad hail considering that two days off at the start of the week and a lot of house work to do derailed the end of September.  Still the weekend made up for it.

Read:

Unbefitting a Lady by Bronwyn Scott

Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton

Oh Yeah Audrey by Tucker Shaw

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

A Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe

Miss Primrose and the March of Progress by Carola Dunn

Mrs Jeffries Dusts For Clues by Emily Brightwell

Dancing in the Moonlight by Christina Jones

Started:

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry

Night Watch by Sarah Waters

The Path of the Crooked by Ellery Adams

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

Four books bought – a second copy of The Bride by Julie Garwood to replace the one that wasn’t the right book and three early Christina Jones novels that were on offer.  Not a bad week really if it wasn’t for the pile of NetGalley requests…

 

Read:

Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris

44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris

The Fry Chronicles by Stephen Fry

Started:

Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton

Unbefitting a Lady by Bronwyn Scott

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

Not a bad week really – a few of last week’s books finished, a few more read despite the nightshift for the referendum results.

Read:

Honeymoon Hotel by Hester Browne

The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy

Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews

A Piece of Cake by Trisha Ashley (short story)

The Luxe by Anna Godberson

Fools Gold by Philippa Gregory

A Knight In Shining Armour by Jude Deveraux

Started:

44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

Still reading:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

I ordered a couple of books this week – but the good news for the pile is that my purchasing orgy of the other week was decreed “undeliverable” by the courier and returned to sender (don’t get me started, I get very ranty about this), the bad news is that I’ve re-ordered some them and then some more…