Tag: to-read pile

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: February 22 – February 28

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Now that is what four nightshifts can do for the to-read pile – I actually finished my 7th book of the week on the way home from the last night shift on Friday morning.  You’ll notice that the two books that are still on the go are ones where I need to use my brain a bit – and my brain is frazzled so it was light reading only!  But I did finish all my February new releases from NetGalley before the end of the month (with 3 days to spare!) – which is unusual for me.  Now I just need to work on the slight backlog from the autumn when everything got a way from me a bit…

Read:

Barbara the Slut and Other People by Lauren Holmes

Nancy Parker’s Diary of Detection by Julia Lee

The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth by Katherine Woodfine

Murder on a Silver Platter by Shawn Reilly Simmons

A Summer at Sea by Katie Fforde

The Duke’s Accidental Wife by Erica Ridley

The Stylist by Rosie Nixon

Ghostwriters Anonymous by Doreen Wald

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

Started:

The Winter Ground by Catriona McPherson

Still reading:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan

I was very, very virtuous and only impulse bought non books on the nightshift.  The pile is still massive though!

 

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: February 15 – February 21

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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.

 

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: February 8 – February 14

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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…

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: February 1 – February 7

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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!

books, reviews, stats, The pile

Reading Patterns

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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.

I’ll be keeping the situation under review…

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 25 – January 31

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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!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 18 – January 24

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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!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 11 – January 17

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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?!

Book of the Week, books, historical, Thriller

Book of the Week: The Hourglass Factory

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So, a difficult choice for BotW this week – I finished the latest Laurie Graham last week and really enjoyed it – but I also read Lucy Ribchester’s Hourglass Factory and enjoyed that too.  So in the end, I’ve picked The Hourglass Factory for BotW and decided to do an Authors I Love post on Laurie G instead, which’ll be coming up in a few weeks. So more for you to read. Bonus.

The Hourglass Factory
Some of my best photos are taken on the train. No idea why.

In The Hourglass Factory, tom-boy reporter Frankie George is trying to make waves in Fleet Street, but all she’s getting are the women’s interest stories an the gossip columns.  When she gets assigned to write a profile of trapeze-artist-turned-suffragette Ebony Diamond she gets short shrift.  But then Ebony disappears and Frankie finds herself drawn into a world of corsets, circuses, tricks and suffragettes.  Where has Ebony gone?  What is going on with the suffragettes? And will anyone listen to Frankie if she finds out?

This has been sitting on my shelf for aaaaaages (what’s new) and I kept meaning to read it.  Then I saw it recommended by another blogger (Agi’s onmybookshelf) as one of her books of the year of 2015 – alongside several other books that I had read and liked and it gave me the push that I needed.

I really enjoyed this.  I haven’t studied the women’s suffrage movement in Britain in much depth – apart from as part of my history GCSE – so I knew the basics, but I don’t think you’d have too much trouble if you knew even less.  Lucy Ribchester paints a vivid picture of 1912.  Post-Edwardian London springs to life – all dark corners, imminent peril, seedy clubs, variety acts, cuthroats, suffragettes and jails.  Some passages were tough going – early 20th century jails were not nice places to get stuck in – but it was totally worth it.  This is quite a long read (500 pages) but it is pacy, exciting and thrilling – you don’t notice the pages going by.  So good.  And another cautionary tale about letting books sit on the shelf.

Get your copy from Amazon, Waterstones or Foyles, from Audible, or on Kindle, ebook or Kobo.  You’re welcome.  And thank you Agi for giving me the kick to read it.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week In Books: January 4 – January 10

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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…