Two longstanding books finished this week (with most of the reading of them done this week) and a few nights away from home and a bit of a social life means not as much read as I was hoping at the start of the week. I also had a lot of stuff on the go and tried to prioritise getting some of them finished over starting new stuff that I could have read quicker.
Read:
Murder on the Half Shell by Shawn Reilly Simmonds
The Prince’s Boy by Paul Bailey
The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams
The Feud in the Fifth Remove by Elinor M Brent Dyer
Villa America by Liza Klaussman
Started:
The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan
The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone
Nancy Parker’s Diary of Detection by Julia Lee
Still reading:
Barbara the Slut and Other People by Lauren Holmes
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Stylist by Rosie Nixon
A big old order of republished classic school stories arrived this week (hence the Feud in the Fifth Remove on the read list) and a couple of kindle books which were on a deal and recommended by the Smart Bitches crew.
Late night train journies really help with the book reading, but I need to sort out this habit of mine of starting big thick books that are too chunky to take in my handbag to work! I also read a couple of single issue comics, but they don’t have Goodreads entries, which I guess means I can’t count them!
Read:
Sisters on Bread Street by Frances Brody
The Little Shop of Happily Ever After by Jenny Colgan
The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil
The Murder Quadrille by Fidelis Morgan
Lumberjanes Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson
The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine
Started:
The Stylist by Rosie Nixon
The Prince’s Boy by Paul Bailey
Still reading:
The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams
Barbara the Slut and Other People by Lauren Holmes
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Villa America by Liza Klaussman
My headphones broke midweek and in ordering new ones, I may have bought 5 second hand books to get me free delivery on them. I would have been buying then at some point anyway…
A much more “normal” (for me) week. Lots of good stuff here – new stuff from authors I like, a new author or two and a wide range of stuff – historical fiction, contemporary women’s, detective, childrens, started some fantasy etc.
Read:
Whispers Underground by Ben Aaranovich
The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
All Aboard (Canal Boat Cafe Part 1) by Cressida McLaughlin
The Glittering Art of Falling Apart by Ilana Fox
The Case of the Blue Violet (A Wells and Wong short) by Robin Stevens
Secrets of a Lady by Tracy Grant
Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander
Started:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Villa America by Liza Klaussman
Still reading:
The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams
Sisters on Bread Street by Frances Brody
Barbara the Slut and Other People by Lauren Holmes
I don’t think I ought to talk about the acquisitions this week – a couple of orders with book dealers have come through and I got more than I was hoping for/expecting. Mostly children’s books, and some are books I read as a child and wanted a copy of, so they kind of don’t count, right? It did make me restrain myself from a few other purchases though. Long may the will power continue. Not that this week is a demonstration of will power at all really!
At the start of January (in December stats in fact) I promised you a more in depth look at my reading and rating patterns. And then I forgot about it until I was doing January stats. So I’m rectifying that now!
I noticed when I was putting together the December stats that the number of 5 star ratings I give out has been creeping up at a rate that’s disproportionate to the increase in books that I’ve read. And it led me to wonder why. Am I getting less fussy/discerning? Am I just picking amazing books to read?
The answer is a bit of both I think, but mostly the latter. I think I have, on occasion, reached for the 5 star rating too often. But I have also discovered new authors that I love and then whistled my way through their back catalogues at a rate of knots, instead of at a rate of a book a year (or however often they bring out a new book). I’ve also got a lot better at decoding back covers and reviews and working out what I’m going to enjoy and skipping over the stuff that I won’t. Then there’s my large to-read pile, loaded with books that I’ve heard good things about, from sources that I trust. And the pile also means that I can ignore stuff I’m not sure about (for ages) and go straight to the good stuff!
So what am I going to do about it? I’m going to try and have an extra cogitate before I rate books in Goodreads and try not to reach for 5 too often. But beyond that, all I can do is rate honestly and continue to work my way down the pile. And I’d always rather read a book I love than one I detest (who doesn’t) so all I can do is be honest and explain my choices.
Most read author: Lauren Henderson (two Sam Jones novels)
Books read this year: 27
Books bought: 7 – and a subscription to Fahrenheit Press’s releases for the year!
Books on the Goodreads to-read shelf: 436
Another year, another tweak to the monthly stats post! This time I’ve integrated my non-fiction count into the list alongside the library books – they were New Year’s Resolutions last year, but I’m going to try and keep them going in 2016 as I think they add to the variety of what I read.
So a nice mixed bag in January in terms of variety of reading and only four “real” books that jumped straight to the top of the to-read pile pretty much as soon as they arrived.
*Includes some short stories/novellas/comics (4 this month)
Another strange week for me. I’m not entirely sure why, but long days and commuter trains may again have something to do with my inability to settle down to a book as well as usual. In the traditional one post two days late or two posts a day late each, the latter option has won – and January Stats will be tomorrow with Book of the Week on Wednesday.
Read:
My American Duchess by Eloisa James
Freeze my Margarita by Lauren Henderson
Bettany’s on the Home Front by Helen Barber
The Marble Collector by Cecilia Ahern
Rivers of London: Body Work 1 by Ben Aaronovich, Andrew Cartmel and Lee Sullivan
Mystery of the Skeleton Key by Bernard Capes
Started:
The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
Whispers Underground by Ben Aaranovich
Still reading:
The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams
Sisters on Bread Street by Frances Brody
Barbara the Slut and Other People by Lauren Holmes
One e-book comic bought – and a pre-ordered novella arrived. I’m still clutching my book tokens and trying to resist the urge to spend!
A fit of indecision and some standing only train journeys are to blame for the somewhat shorter than usual list. I’ve started a few good books though and adopted a short stories by the bed policy. I’ll keep you posted!
Read:
London Rain by Nicola Upson
Death with an Ocean View by Nora Charles
Princes at War by Deborah Cadbury
Queen Lucia by E F Benson
Started:
Sisters on Bread Street by Frances Brody
The Marble Collector by Cecilia Ahern
Barbara the Slut and Other People by Lauren Holmes
My American Duchess by Eloisa James
Still reading:
Freeze my Margarita by Lauren Henderson
The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams
I don’t think I bought any books this week – but I did get a book token as a belated gift, so a spree may be imminent!
So, it was my birthday last week and we went to Barcelona to celebrate for a few days. Thus there was reading time on flights, in departure lounges, late at night etc. So a fun week’s reading.
Read:
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
The Girl from the Opera House by Nancy Carson
Geek Drama by Holly Smale
Far in the Wilds by Deanna Raybourn
Black Rubber Dress by Lauren Henderson
The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells by Virginia MacGregor
Charlotte Bronte’s Secret Lover by Jolien Janzing
Stars over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner
Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina
Started:
Death with an Ocean View by Nora Charles
Freeze my Margarita by Lauren Henderson
Still reading:
Princes at War by Deborah Cadbury
The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams
Queen Lucia by E F Benson
I did have a bit of a spending spree on books though (twice) but it’s my birthday so I’m allowed – right?!
Not a huge list this week – but The Hourglass Factory is 500 pages long – and it’s worth it. Busy week at work too and quick trains both ways several days (often on the way home in rush hour too) reducing the reading time.
Read:
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The Night in Question by Laurie Graham
The Hourglass Factory by Lucy Ribchester
The Chalet School and Rosalie by Elinor M Brent Dyer
The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Started:
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams
Queen Lucia by E F Benson
Still reading:
Princes at War by Deborah Cadbury
One short story pre-ordered – but I don’t think I’ve actually bought a book so far this year (the Deanna Raybourn spree was before New Year). I’m sure that will change though…
As promised, here is my love letter to the wonderousness that is Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series. As a History and French Grad, who wrote my dissertation on the effect of the French Revolution on the nobility of the Touraine* I have a real affinity (if not always affection – see the footnote) for this period of history. Add into that the fact that I love time-slip novels (you know, books with two connected narratives in two different periods), romances, thrillers and humour, and there’s pretty much everything that I like in these novels that you can managed to combine in the same book.
My Pink Carnation book collection (there are more on the kindle) in Book Central
To set the scene: American Eloise Kelly is history grad student working towards her PhD. At the start of the first book, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, she has arrived in England to research her dissertation – which is on British spies. She knows all about the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian, but soon stumbles on a document that everyone has missed – one which contains the identity of the Pink Carnation – the most elusive and influential British spy of them all. The books follow Eloise’s research as she uncovers nests of spies – on both sides – starting in 1803 and going all the way through til 1807. The stories take in not just France and England, but Ireland, India and Portugal. There are governesses, spy schools, double agents, triple agents, free agents, soldiers, privateers, ladies seminaries, exploding Christmas puddings, root vegetables, amateur theatricals, not so amateur theatricals, illegitimate children, drug smuggling, jewel theft, good poetry,very bad poetry and much, much more.
And then there’s romance, all types of romance: friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, employer/employee, (slightly) later in life romance, the list continues. In fact I think the only one that is missing is accidentally/secretly pregnant – and that’s my least favourite trope, I’m good with that. Although Eloise is always the modern day strand, the focus of the nineteenth century story changes each book – with the Pink Carnation hovering in the background until you reach the final book. So if you don’t like one heroine, the one in the next book will be someone different (although you’ll probably have met her before).
My distinctly non-matching collection (hardback, US & UK paperbacks) is hard to photograph neatly!
I’ve loved this series. I borrowed the first book from the library, and, as is traditional, it sat in the library book bag for some time. Then I read it and liked it, then the next and the next. As the series has gone on, I’ve loved them more and more. The early books got solid threes on Goodreads then it moved to fours, then fives.**
I don’t actually own the whole series at the current moment – the earlier books were published in the UK and I picked them up at the library or on Kindle. Then they stopped and I started picking up the US editions because it was cheaper than the kindle editions (and we all know I love proper books). So now I’ve read all of them, I want to go back and read again from the beginning and see if I can spot any clues more in the earlier books to what happens in the later ones – and I know they’re there, because I’ve read interviews with Lauren Willig where she says her subconcious puts bits in that she only realises later are key to later events! But as I don’t own hard copies of them all (as you can see from the pictures) I can’t at the moment, so I suspect there’s some purchasing in my future!
I tried to make a funky pile. It was harder than I expected. I’m not cut out for photography.
You can start your Pink Carnation journey with the first book on Kindle, Kobo or ePub, from Amazon or Waterstones or it may even still be in your local library. Foyles don’t have the first book – but they do have some of the later ones as well as Ms Willig’s standalone books. Go! Enjoy! If you start this weekend you could be in Portugal in a few weeks…
* Using primary sources, spending weeks of the sunniest part of my year in France holed up in the departmental archive in Tours because I hadn’t got my act together to do the research earlier, and then discovering when I got home that really I could do with yet more information, not that I really knew where I would have found it or what to do with it if I had it. I still see my 2:1 as something of a miracle!
** It’s at times like these that I think I must either have been a really harsh grader back in the day, or I’ve got soft in my old age, or I’m reading more really good books. In 2012, when I read the first Pink Carnation book I only gave out 7 five star ratings out of 205 books read (3 percent). In 2015 43 from 368 – or 10 percent. This bears investigation. I smell a future post…
