Tag: to-read pile

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 8 – January 14

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A bit of a bitty week of reading, but some interesting stuff in there. I’m trying to do better with getting to my NetGalley Books on time so that’s a fair few of this week’s books too.

Read:

A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean

The Linking Rings by John Gaspard

The Phantom of Oz by Cindy Brown

A Fourth Form Friendship by Angela Brazil

A Week to be Wild by JC Harroway

The Spiritual Poems of Rumi by Rumi

Started:

The Riviera Set by Mary S Lovell

Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks

Stiff by Mary Roach

The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes

Still reading:

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina Brown

A couple of ebooks bought, but no actual books, so that’s progress in a way!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 1 – January 7

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New Year, new books and still a few stragglers from last year (which I’m working on it).

Read:

A Wedding at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer

The Crown Prince’s Bride by Donna Alward

Second Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Christmas in Cornwall by Laura Briggs

Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis

Started:

A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean

Still reading:

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina Brown

Three books bought on the sly on Sunday morning – one of which I read immediately.  Lovely stuff.  Start as I mean to go on…

Authors I love, book round-ups, The pile

My Big Obsessions of 2017

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We’re a few days in to 2018 now, so it’s well past time to tell you about my Big Obsessions of 2017.  I’ve found it really hard to find new obsessions this year – because so much of what I’ve read has been a continuation of things that I’ve been reading previously.  I think that’s partly because I discovered a lot of new authors last year and have continued to glom on them, but also because I’ve been trying to work my way through the to-read pile backlog rather than buying lots of new books.

But if 2017 was anything, it was the year of contemporary romance.  After getting into Sarah Morgan in 2016, I tried a lot of other contemporary romance authors this year.  Some of them weren’t my thing, but quite a few were.  I’ve been on quite a few binges on new authors this year and I suspect it may continue.  I finally read Jennifer Crusie‘s Bet Me, which I’d heard people raving about over and over in Romancelandia. I read nearly a dozen of Jill Shalvis‘s novels and discovered that I really quite like small town romances, eight of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s and got quite into sports romances even when they’re about American football and three Kristen Higgins books and thought about taking a trip to a winery.  I’ve started requesting a few more contemporary romances from NetGalley to see if there are any other tropes that I like.  So far I’ve worked out that I’m not a big fan of biker gangs and I really don’t like billionaires, but I’m hopeful that I’ll find some more that I do like at some point in 2018.

I’m still reading other genres though, especially crime and I’ve worked my way through a few series this year.  I’ve added Nick Bryan‘s Hobson and Choi series to my autobuy list, because I really need more snarky teen and cynical older bloke detective novels in my life.   I’m practically counting the days until the next Vinyl Detective novel from Andrew Cartmel, after reading the first two.  I’ve tried out some more of Henery Press’s cozy mysteries and found a couple of series there to dig into: the Tj Jenson series by Kathi Daley, Susan M Boyer‘s Lowcountry series and Julie Mulhern‘s 70s-set Country Club Murders.  Also in series set in the past, I read all three of the TE Kinsey Lady Hardcastle mysteries and the Christmas novella too and three more Royal Spyness books.

I have expanded my non-fiction reading this year – I’ve been concentrating on finding stories and voices from different perspectives than my own and I’ve really enjoyed it.  Actually that’s one of my themes in general this year in fiction as well.  It’s been a bit of a challenge at times, some times finding the books, but sometimes because I’ve got such a big selection of books to chose from that it means that I can ignore books on the shelf for ages in favour of things that are more familiar.  But I’m going to keep challenging myself in 2018.

So there you have it. It remains to be seen whether my consistency – as witnessed by revisiting my 2016 obsessions – will continue now the latest batch of renovation work is done and the book pile unpacked, but I hope I do add something random and new to my reading in 2018 or I might worry that I’m getting boring in my old age!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 25 – December 31

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Here is the final WiB of 2017 – ending neatly at the end of the year precisely.  And everything that I finished this week was to try and finish ReadHarder – and it worked!  As it’s the end of the year, I’ve rationalised the ongoing books – and given up on the Rushdie – I wasn’t enjoying it and I’ve got lots of other things I’d rather read in 2018.

Read:

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Meridian by Alice Walker

French Poems of the Great War translated by Ian Higgins

Revolutionary Ride by Lois Pryce

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Started:

Second Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Still reading:

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina Brown

I was so busy trying to finish ReadHarder that I only bought one book – in the Waterstone’s sale and no ebooks.  Not too bad really.

 

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 18 – December 24

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Yeah.  This is a day late, but you had a nice bonus post yesterday, so I don’t feel too sorry for you.  And as it’s been another one of those weeks – all reading plans derailed by the need to catch up on Christmas preparations – you weren’t really missing out on much anyway!

Read:

Christmas at the Grange by T E Kinsey

A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

Started:

The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina Brown

Still reading:

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

French Poems of the Great War translated by Ian Higgins

Meridian by Alice Walker

A couple of books bought – but I blame the stress of Christmas!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 11 – December 17

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The less said about this week the better.  Let’s just move on and get to Christmas and hope things get better.

Read:

Maigret’s Christmas by Georges Simenon

Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookshop by Robin Sloan

Schoolgirl Jen at the Abbey by Elsie J Oxenham

Runout Groove by Andrew Cartmel

Started:

Christmas at the Grange by T E Kinsey

Still reading:

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

French Poems of the Great War translated by Ian Higgins

Meridian by Alice Walker

One ebook bought.  Admirable restraint shown in the face of stress and temptation.  This may not last

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: December 4 – December 10

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Still reading #Noirville entries this week and less of everything else.  Still a nice week of reading though, even if I do have way too many books on the go at once as I try and finish off my #ReadHarder challenge.  I suspect this week won’t be much better – because it’s Christmas party week.

Read:

Maybe This Christmas by Sarah Morgan

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes

Suddenly Last Summer by Sarah Morgan

Christmas in New York by Holly Greene

Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger

Started:

Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookshop by Robin Sloan

Meridian by Alice Walker

Still reading:

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

Runout Groove by Andrew Cartmel

French Poems of the Great War translated by Ian Higgins

A couple of Christmas ebooks bought or preordered, but really quite restrained.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: November 27 – December 3

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So I may have slipped up a bit in the book buying stakes this week – but it’s nearly Christmas and there are offers.  My main task in the next few weeks has got to be finishing off #ReadHarder2017 – I’ve really got to pull my finger out now…

Read:

The One that Got Away by Melissa Pimentel

Need You Now by Emma Douglas

China Court by Rumer Godden

The Finch that Stole Christmas by Donna Andrews

The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan

Marling Hall by Angela Thirkell

Started:

Runout Groove by Andrew Cartmel

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes

French Poems of the Great War translated by Ian Higgins

Maybe This Christmas by Sarah Morgan

Still reading:

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

1 book and 3 ebooks bought – and 4 collectable Girl’s Own books, which count but sort of don’t!

 

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: November 20 – November 26

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In case you missed it over the weekend – here are my first two Christmas book suggestion posts: Books for Him and Books for Her.  The post with books that I want for Christmas is coming this week.  Meanwhile it’s been a murderous week of reading!

Read:

Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

And Death Goes To… by Laura Bradford

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

Hollywood Hang Ten by Eve Goldberg

Rivers of London: Cry Fox 1 by Ben Aaronovitch et al

New Romancer 3 by Peter Milligan and Brett Parson

Historically Dead by Greta McKennan

Started:

The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

The One that Got Away by Melissa Pimentel

Still reading:

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

China Court by Rumer Godden

Marling Hall by Angela Thirkell

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

I bought quite a few books this week – but they were all presents, so they don’t count!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: November 13 – November 19

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Still too many on the still-reading list, but I’m working on it.  I’m also still working on my #Noirville entries. And regular readers may already have an idea as to what tomorrow’s BotW might be…

Read:

Clouds in my Coffee by Julie Mulhern

Imprudence by Gail Carriger

My Name is Markham by Jodi Taylor

The Perfect Storm by Jodi Taylor

Mystery in White by J Jefferson Farjeon

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilber

A Gentleman of Fortune by Anna Dean

Started:

Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

Still reading:

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

China Court by Rumer Godden

Marling Hall by Angela Thirkell

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

Still no books bought. But I’m not getting ahead of myself and getting smug, no indeed, because that way lies complacency and book buying!