April Overview/ Month Ahead

I have been on a blogger lull of late. Mainly because I have been doing course work and exams. All of which are over now and I think I have passed. I've also been running about doing other things. I did manage a visit to the library though. Had to renew One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and my order of Lamb had just come in. Couldn't leave without checking out a few others.

So here is my reading month;

1. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (re-read)
2. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
3. John Dies @ The End - David Wong
4. Afterwards - Rosamun Lupton.

Yep, not a lot and I can't just blame the exams. I have been reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for about a month now and I just can't get into it. I thought I had lost my reading mojo again but since putting this aside for the moment I have read a book and a half. So it's not me it's my relationship with the book. I am going to get back to it though because I feel I should love it and so far nothing much has happened. I loved the film so I should love this.

My favourite of the bunch is Cold Comfort Farm without a doubt. I loved this book and I am thinking of picking up a copy of my own. John Dies @ The End was one of the oddest books I have ever read. The most disappointing was Afterwards. I loved Sister and this one just didn't live up to it. Having said that I still enjoyed it.

For this month I plan on working my way through this small pile of library books. I am back on placement as of next week but I am Monday-Friday short shifts so I should still get reading done. Even with course work. I picked up the Michael Connelly book because I had just read my first one. I quite liked it. It wasn't an exciting read but I felt that I wasn't done with these characters and so picked The Reversal up when I saw it on the shelf. I picked up the Jo Nesbo because so many people have raved about it but I'm not sure I am willing to splurge on the books just yet. The woes of being a student mean I have to be careful with book buying these days. Tend to feel a little guilty when it's not a nursing book. I've never read a Sebastian Faulks but I remember when I saw A Week In December on the shelves in the book shop. Someone put me off it at the time but seeing it in the library rekindled my interest.

So that's what my upcoming month looks like. Hope everyone else had a good month and got lots of good reading in. Going to leave you with a recent book purchase. I haven't completely stopped buying books and I saw this one in a sale. Haven't read On The Road by Jack Kerouac but I love this cover. All about the cover love.

March Overview/ Month Ahead

This photo has no relevance to this post other than the fact that I found it highly amusing and it (sort of) links into my previous post about Stephen King. I should really read that book again at some point.

Well, January and February may have been slow for me book wise but March certainly wasn't. I read more than both months put together. A good month even compared to last year. I managed a total of 10 books. Most of them were good ones too. Here's my list;

Did You Miss Me - Karen Rose
The Woman Who Died A Lot - Jasper Fforde
The Beginner's Goodbye - Anne Tyler
Ready Player One - Ernest Kline
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
Capital - John Lanchester
The Wind Through The Keyhole - Stephen King
Sunset Limited - Cormac McCarthy
Amsterdam - Ian McEwan
The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton.

My favourite of the bunch is Ready Player One. I didn't have to even think about that. It was a geekfest from cover to cover and a good story to boot. There was nothing in there that I didn't like. Plus to get a dystopian that's actually a little fun is unusual.The Woman Who Died A lot, The perks of Being a Wallflower and Amsterdam were close in the running. As I said most of them were good. Sunset Limited though. I am still mulling it over. I don't think that will ever really leave. Did You Miss Me was the only one I didn't enjoy at all.  As I said in my review I think I am over this series.

Last month I finally paid a visit to the library (first of the year I'm ashamed to say) and bought some lovely books. I also managed a fair number of reviews although I am still behind. I am also still behind on my good reads goal but I am catching up and I should catch up in the next week or so.

For this month I have no real plans. Got another visit to the library this week. Have to return some books and it would be rude not to get a few more. I plan on finally catching up on all those reviews and my good reads goal. On the cards I have John Connolly, Janet Evanovich, Thomas Hardy and possibly Charles Dickens.

It's the Dewey's Readathon this month too. I didn't expect to be able to take part because of exams but I will have finished them by then (27th April). Sadly I still can't as I have other plans already. It will be a long day so don't think I will be able to join in even for 12 hours. I will be looking forward to seeing how everyone else gets along.

Anyone else got any plans this month?

February Overview/ Month Ahead (or where did that last month go)

What do you mean it's now March? Seriously, I know it's a short month but in my head I had weeks to go until it was over. I was determined to read more than January's poxy four books and I thought I had plenty of time. Alas, I was mistaken and I have another month of just four books. Okay, so one of those books was originally published as three or four seperate books but that still does not make me feel better.

Despite the poor showing it was still a good book month in that I loved them all. Here is what I read;

1. Spring Snow - Yukio Mishima
2. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
3. The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick
4. The Collected Stories - Lorrie Moore

All of them fabulous books and all of them ver different. Although Spring Snow was beautifully written the book that really stands out is The Collected Stories. I don't want to say too much as I haven't reviewed it yet but I bet this would persuade anyone to the short story. Fabulously written with an amazing collection of characters. The fact that each character seemed so different from the last is a tesament to Moore's talent.

I am not going to pick out a least favourite. Simply because I enjoyed them all.

As for the month ahead. I am in the middle of reading a Karen Rose book. It is taking me far longer than it normally would because I don't have the time and it's annoying me. I am fed up with the formula and I think this will be the last of her books for me.

Next I have a the latest Thursday Next book. I also have a sci fi book, an Anne Tyler and a whim buy on the cards. I am waiting still for a couple of books I have reserved at the library. There are umpteen copies of this book and although the queue is getting longer my place in it hasn't changed in a month. A little frustrating but it's the price you pay I guess.

Oh, and that image at the start of this post is of another whim purchase. I already have a copy of Pride and Prejudice but I couldn't walk out the shop without it. It's a pulp publication and there are several classics in the series which have been brought out with a pulp fiction style cover.

I hope everyone else has had a good month.

January Overview/ Month Ahead

Feels a bit cheeky to be doing an overview a third of the way into the new month. Going to do it anyway as you can see. I need to get back onto my blogging routine.

It's not the blogging I have had a problem with (although I do have a couple of books to review). It's the reading, or rather my less than inspirational book pile. There is nothing in it that is calling out to me and this was shown by the fact that I read only four books in January. One of those was a novella too. My pitiful four books from last month (of which I had the first two weeks off) were;

1. Full Dark, No Stars - Stephen King
2. The Hundred-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out A Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson
3. The Mist - Stephen King
4. Be My Enemy - Christopher Brookmyre.

I also gave up on an 800 page tomb, The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber. After a promising start I quickly became bored and the thought of reading this book put me off reading at all. Eventually I was brave enough to call it quits and pick up something I actually wanted to read. Other than that I did actually enjoy the books I read and the Jonasson one is alread a firm favourite (as I mentioned in my review). It's also the only one that didn't come off my book pile.

As for the rest of this month I bought three books in the hopes of gaining an interest in reading again. One was a book I have been wanting to read for years, another was a whim and the last was a recommendation. I am starting with the recommendation which is the Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Hopefully it will get me excited about reading again.

I also wanted to start up my classic a month again and I did pick up Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima but I have only just finished it. So there goes my one a month. Although it was a good classic for the first of 2013. I've whittled down my reading pile again so hopefully I will get a few of those finished too. I am also hoping to spend a bit of time doing the blog rounds. As I haven't been reading as much I've felt too guilty going to see what others are reading. Looking forward to it now though. Lastly, my plan is to catch up on my goodreads challenge. Until today I was 4 books behind.

Hope everyone had a more inspirational January than I did.

October Overview/ Month Ahead!

These last few months have flow in so quickly, or is it just me? This month feels particularly fast but I think that has something to do with that I am now back on placement and will be there until Christmas. I am still managing to get some reading done. The place I am at works on 13 hour shifts so by the time I get home I head straight to bed with my book. I am quite enjoying that though. The only down side is that I am far behind in my reviews. So far behind I am thinking of compiling some of them into mini reviews just so I can catch up. I will probably do this with the readathon books although it seems a shame to do that since I did enjoy those books.

Thanks to the readathon I managed a total of 9 books which is the most I have read in a month since May. Speaking of readathon I raised £176 for SAMH. Big thank you to those who donated and cheered me on. I also finished another challenge (again, still to review that last book). So that will be two challenge overviews I will have to do. Last year in October I asked everyone for Halloween read suggestions and basically read not much else for that month. I would have liked to have done the same this year but October crept up on me unawares. Plus I very much want to get through the rest of my tbr pile by the end of this year. So at the end of the month I picked up a Stephen King from that pile which I should finish over the next few days.

Enough blabbering here is what I read this month;

1. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
2. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Mark Twain
3. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
4. A Patchwork World - Anne Tyler
5. Monday Mourning - Kathy Reichs
6. Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom of the Wicked - Derek Landy
7. Ladder of Years - Anne Tyler
8. No One Left To Tell - Karen Rose
9. The Greatest Show On Earth - Richard Dawkins

At one point I was reading 3 books at once this month (two of which I still have on the go). That's because I was reading The Greatest Show On Earth and at home I needed something light since I was too tired for anything else hence the Karen Rose and now Stephen King. The other book I am reading is a book of essays about crime writers. It's a huge hardback so not the easiest book to carry around.

My favourite book this month is a tie between Ender's Game and A Patchwork World. A Patchwork World has a slight edge over the sci fi just because it was nice to come back to an author I had read once before and rediscover how good she is. Least favourite was The Greatest Show On Earth. I found it a little dull and in the beginning a little patronising too.

Challenge Overview

 For October I chose A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. It hasn't been my favourite book of this challenge so far. I think though that was entirely down to the mood I was in. I was wanting something that was entirely humour filled and instead I got tongue in cheek with a serious undertone. At another time I would have loved it. This month I am going to go with The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. I've loved all the other ones and I see no reason why I won't love this one.

 For the sci fi challenge I read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card which was one of my favourite reads for October. When I signed up for this challenge this was one book that was a definite must. Glad I managed to get a hold of a copy. With any luck I will be able to get my hands on the rest of the series. I haven't picked a title for the challenge this month. No more sci fi books in my tbr pile. I may join in the group choice or see what the library has on offer (due a wee visit).

This is the challenge I finished this month. I finished it with The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins for the science category. Not my favourite book ever. I usually enjoy the science side of things but in this case I found it a little dull. Maybe because I was too busy to concentrate properly but I also didn't like Dawkins tone at the beginning of the book. It feels strange not to have another category to chose from. However, I have enjoyed this challenge quite a bit and look forward to sharing an overview of it.


So that has been my month. Fairly busy and hectic but it was still a good one. Other than my classic title I'm not sure what I will read this month. I keep changing my mind. There are a few on my tbr pile that I am looking forward to reading. I am thinking that it is more than time that I read the third installment of 1Q84. I'll probably read that alongside the Sherlock Holmes since it's another hardback. I also have a few chunky books to read. Has everyone else had a good October?

September Overview/ Month Ahead!

I've lost a day. Well, not really. I stupidly had in my head that September has 31 days so I feel like I am missing out now that I remembered that has only 30. I am blaming having to retain lots of new information for this. Space has to be made for it somehow.

Anyway, I thought I would have another book finished for this month because of that. I'm not complaining though. It's been a busy month with uni starting back and a large workload. So I think 6 is a respectable number considering. Plus I have caught up with all my reviews and have stayed up to date. Something to be proud of. Here is my list;

1. Villette - Charlotte Bronte
2. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
3. The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton
4. Moranthology - Cailtin Moran
5. The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch
6. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Despite all my complaining of The Sea, The Sea I have had a good reading month. The Murdoch book isn't the worst book I have ever read and I could see merits in it (I finished it after all). Plus the rest I very much enjoyed. I especially loved The Crucible and Villette. Then of course I do love my Sherlock (my Sherlock). There has been humour, sadness, alien threats, witches, crimes uncovered and a self-deluded man. That pretty much sums up my experiences for the month (how sad not to be a reader).

Challenge Overview

 So last months books was Villette by Charlotte Bronte. A book I loved. Not quite as good as Jane Eyre but it certainly reminded me that I should probably go back and read more Bronte's. The prompt this month was about music. I did answer it but basically it was to say I don't usually listen to music whilst reading. I love them both to much that it's a contest as to which gets the most attention (I can have the TV on though and ignore it). I am going back to Mark Twain this time with A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court. My second Twain for this challenge but the first one for grown ups. Looking forward to having some humour in my classics.

 Last month I once again went with my own choice rather than the challenge choice. I read The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton which was then the oldest book on my tbr pile. Also the last sci fi one sitting there. Very much enjoyed it and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series at some point. This month I plan on reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. When I joined this challenge I planned on reading this book at some point. It proved difficult to get and I have only just managed to get it from the library.

 I read two books for this challenge. The Crucible for the drama category and Moranthology for humour/journalism. I hadn't intended on reading two but as a result I have only one more category left. So for science/natural history I am going to read another book from my pile - The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins. Will be nice to read another non-fiction.

I unexpectedly finished this challenge last month. The last character I had left was Moriarty. I honestly thought the tale with this character was in one of the later books but it was in Memoirs. I will post an overview of the challenge later on in the week.








Other plans for the month is to basically try and reduce my tbr pile. I have the readathon in two weeks which will help. I might read one or two of my Stephen King books as Halloween reads.

How did everyone else's month go?

August Overview/ Month Ahead!

I have to confess that I have been slow in my reading this month and even slower in my posts. I am quite far behind in my reviews. I was even far behind in my book journal although I have caught it up. So if you don't follow me on twitter or on goodreads you might not know where I am at reading wise. Here is my very short list;

1. The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
2. The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells
3. A Sorcerer's Treason - Sarah Zettel
4. Manhattan In Reverse - Peter F. Hamilton
5. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
6. A Walk In The Woods - Bill Bryson

Like I said a very short list. I finished my placement and have had two weeks of my three week holiday. So no excuses really. I would have been at 7 (possibly) but I have mislaid A Feast of Crows by George R. R. Martin. Not to worry, I enjoyed what I read. Not a single one of those books did I dislike. In fact I very much enjoyed them all. The Sherlock Holmes is probably my favourite but the others fall closely behind it.

Challenge Overview

I have read all of my challenge books including one extra for the Mixing It Up challenge. In that at least I didn't fall behind. However, as I have yet to review any of them I haven't posted them on the organisers blogs.

 I read two books for this challenge. The first was for the fantasy/sci fi category. I went with A Sorcerer's Treason by Sarah Zettel as it has been lying on my tbr pile for quite some time. It was a birthday present at least five years ago. I quite enjoyed it and I might even read the rest of the series. I also read A Walk In the Woods by Bill Bryson for the travel category. I had warned when I bought it that I might not be able to wait and I was right. Not as good as I had hoped it would be but I still liked it. Next category is poetry/drama and I have picked The Crucible by Arthur Miller. To my shame I have never read this before.

 For the classics challenge I read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne as recommended by fellow blogger FBT. I very much enjoyed it. I can see exactly why it is a classic. I highly recommend it too. For this month I picked Villette by Charlotte Bronte. I loved Jane Eyre so have been looking forward to this. I am about 1/3 of the way through already.

 My sci fi choice was Manhattan In Reverse by Peter F. Hamilton. A collection of short stories. I loved them. It showed that maybe I am not done with space operas after all. As a result my next book for this challenge is also by Hamilton, The Dreaming Void. Looking forward to it now (plus it's been on my tbr pile a while).

I have just about finished this challenge. I read The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Next up is the last Sherlock Holmes featuring Moriarty. However, I want to read the Holmes books in order. I have a number to get through before I reach this one. So until I get through them this challenge will be on hold. I will still have it finished by the end of the year but I plan to enjoy those Holmes books.






I have also been thinking about challenges for next year already. I have been considering a fantasy challenge (much like the sci fi one) and continuing with the classics. However, I have decided that there will be no challenges for next year but one. That one is to read whatever takes my interest at the time. For that I want to get through my entire tbr pile by the end of the year. There are now less than 30 in that pile so fingers crossed that I can manage it.

For the rest of September I plan to read more Holmes and just work through my tbr pile as much as I can. Oh, and catch up with my reviews as well as visiting blogs (have been remiss on that too).

July Overview/ Month Ahead.

Surely it isn't August already? That actually means my blog is coming up for two. I would have organised a giveaway but this blogaversary has crept up on me unawares. I will come up with something in a few weeks when I have actual time to myself. So watch out for that.

Another quiet reading month. I spent far more time than I wanted on Century Rain. Not in a good way. It was annoying me how slow it was. So I blame that for another low book count. Still some books in there that I very much enjoyed though.

1. London - Edward Rutherfurd
2. The Leopard - Tomasi Di Lampedusa
3. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
4. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
5. Century Rain - Alastair Reynolds
6. Pigeon English - Stephen Kelman
7. Snowdrops - A. D. Miller

As much as I enjoyed most of these books it is fairly easy to pick a favourite. It has to be London by Edward Rutherfurd. It was a fantastic historical fiction. Not quite as good as his New York but I still loved it. A book that took me a few weeks to read as it was so huge and I didn't mind it for a moment. My least favourite was Snowdrops. I haven't reviewed it yet so I won't go in to detail but it was a fairly bleak view of Russia with a dull plot.

Challenge Overview

 Last month I chose to read the Leopard which I loved. I would say it's a nice change for a classic but this year I have been reading a lot of classic authors that I have never read before. I even participated in the classic prompt this time. I will definitely be taking part this month too as I will have more time on my hands very soon (two weeks and counting). I am now reading my next classics choice which is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I am loving it so far. Hadn't planned on reading it this month but a fellow blogger highly recommended it (thank you FBT).

 I was so down on this challenge last month and hard to feel motivated. I was actually tempted to give up. Thankfully I didn't and surprised myself by very much enjoying The Phantom of the Opera. A book I didn't enjoy the first time I read it a few years back. Next up is The Invisible Man. Have never read this so I am looking forward to it.

 It was the horror category this month and I probably stretched it a little by choosing Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It does have some element of horror though and it was a good read. This months category is sci fi/ fantasty. I have decided to go with fantasy as I have a book that's been lying there for years. The Sorcerer's Treason by Sarah Zettel. I may also read the travel category as I don't think I can wait to read the Bill Bryson.

I went with my own choice this month which was Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds. I picked it because I had read the group choice, Fahrenheit 451, plus I have a few sci fi books that have been sitting a while on my tbr pile. Glad it's out the way. Whilst I did like it I think I have gone off the whole space opera theme. Not sure what the group choice is but I think I am going to go with a book I picked up last week. It's Peter F. Hamilton's short stories, Manhattan In Reverse. I realise he is also a space opera writer but it is from a series of his books that I loved. Plus it will let me know once and for all if I have went off Alastair Reynolds or the genre.


Other than that I have no plans. I enjoyed a wee unplanned trip to the library last month so maybe I will have another this month. otherwise it's a case of working through my tbr pile which I seem to be getting there with.   In case you haven't guessed I have some time off in a few weeks and I plan to read my head off. I have a few chunkies sitting there so I might dust those off.

Any one got some holiday reading plans?

June Round Up/ Month Ahead

A very slow month for me reading wise although June itself seems to have passed far too quickly. Where did all those weeks go? Anyway, I didn't get much read so here is my list.

1. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - John LeCarre
3. Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes
4. Fifty Shades of Grey - E. L. James
5. Travels With Charlie - John Steinbeck
6. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

The easiest one to list is my least favourite. Fifty Shades of Grey is one of the worst books I have ever read. I don't understand why everyone loves it. It's just so badly written. I have reviewed it so I won't go on about it. It is hard to pick just one favourite though so I am not going to try. All I will say that it is between Steinbeck, Keyes and Spark. I still haven't caught up with my reviews but I am only two behind. Whilst I am still on placement I have finished essays and exams so I should have time to do that.

Challenge Overview

 Once again I loved the book I picked out for the classics challenge. I finally got round to reading Scottish classic, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. It was a wonderful read and I got a real sense of Edinburgh as well as the decade it was set in. Alas, I once again didn't take part in the prompt. I am allowed to miss three though and so far that's two. Fingers crossed I manage the next one. For July's choice I am now reading The Leopard by Guiseppe Di Lempedusa. Another recommendation from my classic loving friend. Enjoying it so far and it makes a nice change reading a translated classic.

 I am loosing will power on this challenge even though I don't have far to go. I have just read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and I'm sorry but I just don't like it. Will review it soon but I did try with it. I have the Phantom of the Opera coming up too and I have to confess it's another re-read and another I didn't enjoy the first time. If I leave it to last though I know I will definitely not finish the challenge.

 June's category was crime and for that I picked out a spy novel. I read Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John LeCarre which I quite enjoyed. Was surprised by that although it did lose me a few times. Wouldn't say no to trying some more by LeCarre. Next category is horror and I am cheating with this one because my mind has drawn a blank for new authors. I have seen Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs as horror in only one place. It's a vague link but I am going to go with it.

I went with the group choice this time and read Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Glad I did because it was a fantastic read. I think even non sci fi fans would enjoy it. For July I am going to brush the dust off a book I've had sitting there a while. Going to read Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds. I do like him so I am looking forward to it.






I also have London by Edward Rutherford on the go. It's over 1300 pages so it's one I have been reading at home. I am loving it though. No other plans as to what I am going to read next. Has everyone else had a good reading month?

May Overview/ Month Ahead

June already? Really? This year is going far too fast for my liking. See what happens when you are busy and enjoying it.

Despite essays and placement and uni work I have had an amazing reading month. Without the aid of a readathon I have managed to read the same number of books this month as I did last. I'm actually impressed with myself but to be honest I think it comes down to waiting on the train home. Anyway, it has been a good month although I am so very far behind my reviews. A few of them are for challenges otherwise I would do them all on a mini review post. Here is my list of books.

1. The Sense of An Ending - Julian Barnes
2. Martin Misunderstood - Karin Slaughter
3. Preacher: Gone to Texas - Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
4. Blindsighted - Karin Slaughter
5. Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
6. House Rules - Jodi Picoult
7. Cities In Flight - James Blish
8. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Slacks - Rebecca Skloot
10. The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt
11. Virals - Kathy Reichs.

My favourite book of the month is probably the only non-fiction which is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Slacks. I'm not going to say too much about it as I have still to review it. It's closely followed the the Julian Barnes and the Patrick DeWitt. I also loved my only re-read which was the Jekyll and Hyde. Least favourite was Martin Misunderstood which was just a very bad novella. This was closely followed by Virals which I have still to review.

Challenge Overview

 May last year was actually the month I started reading a classic every month. I meant to post about it but haven't quite gotten round to it. Anyway for the challenge I read Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. My first by this author and I loved it. It has so much depth to it than you would think considering the main story is of an upper class lady organising a party. A fantastic read but sadly I didn't do the question post which was about the period of the book. Hopefully I will take part in June's. I actually finished June's book today. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark which was amazing. It's on the back of the review queue though.

 Again still to review it but I read The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevensons. A re-read for me and a good one. I got to fall in love with it all over again. I actually should have read the Picture of Dorian Gray since I have been reading them in the order listed but I accidentally skipped it. Possibly unconsciously since I hated this book the first time I read it. I am planning on reading it this month but we shall see.

 May's category was graphic novel and I read the first in the Preacher series. I have to say that it wasn't my favourite of the few graphic novels I have read so far and won't be reading others in the series. Glad I gave it a go though. This months category is crime and I have picked Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre. I know not everyone classes this spy classic as crime but that's where we used to shelve it back in the day and so that's what I am classing it as. Have only just started this one.

There was no book choice last month but I was going with my own anyway since I am on a book buying ban. I picked Cities In Flight by James Blish which has a mixed review from me. It had me engrossed in parts and bored in others. This month The Flowers of Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Technically I am still on the book buying ban but I have been wanting to read this one. If I decide not to I will read an Alistair Reynolds instead.





Other than that I haven't anything else planned. I am just going to see what I am in the mood for. That's what I did in May and it worked well. Anyone got anything exciting lined up for this month?

April Overview/ Month Ahead

Seriously, April is over already? This has been the fastest month yet.  At least it feels that way. It has been a good one though. Despite exams and essays I managed to read a fair few books. I think I mainly thank the readathon for that mind you. So here is the months book list;

1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain
2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
3. Empire State - Adam Christopher
4. Freedom - Jonathan Franzen
5. Angelmaker - Nick Harkaway
6. The Doctor Will See You Now - Max Pemberton
7. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie
8. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
9. The Grass Is Singing - Doris Lessing
10. Me Before You - Jojo Moyes
11. Revenge of the Tide - Elizabeth Haynes

I very much enjoyed most of these books that I find it difficult to choose a favourite. I sobbed over Me Before You, I laughed through The Doctor Will See You Now and the rest are all up there. It's a hard call. I can tell you my least favourite which was Revenge of the Tide. It was a disappointing read since I enjoyed the authors debut novel so much last year. It was a first though. I don't think I have started off liking a character and ended up really hating her.

Challenge Overview

 Still managing to keep up with this one. It's not really a struggle since I do enjoy my classics. Aprils choice was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I really loved this book. Just a great boys adventure story. I also loved the challenge prompt since it was about book covers and I do love classic book covers. I have decided that May's choice will be Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. I am looking forward to this as I have heard so many good things about this author. This will be the first novel I will have read by Virginia Woolf.

 This book for this challenge was another by Mark Twain which was why I picked the classics challenge book. This time it was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the focus was on Tom Sawyer. As much as I love the book I do think Tom is the odd one out the bunch in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Plus if memory serves he was rather annoying. Not so in the book. In the book he is full of mischief and adventure yet lovable. Next up is The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Like last month this will be a re-read. I enjoyed it the first time round so I expect to this time. Having to borrow my dad's copy though as mine has went walkies. Since I am still not buying books there will be no pretty covers this time (for some strange reason my dad doesn't care about the pretty).

The Mixing it up challenge's category for April was Modern Fiction. I picked Freedom by Jonathan Franzen because I had heard many wonderful things about the author but had never read anything by him. Am pleased to say I loved the book and found it difficult to put down. I stopped reading another book I was enjoying just so I could concentrate on it. May's category is Graphic Novels. I attempted to read some of these last year and enjoyed them but the genre is still new to me. I am going to read The Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. It was one that I didn't get round to reading when I had graphic novel month last year (actually it was about this time last year).

For the sci fi challenge I once again went with my own choice but mainly because I am trying to get through my tbr pile before I buy any more books. I read Empire State by Adam Christopher which was a great noir story set in a dark and alternative New York. Very atmospheric and I enjoyed it. For May I am again choosing one off my own pile. It's Cities In Flight by James Blish. Part of the sci fi masterworks series. I actually think this one originally belonged to an ex boyfriend (in my defense I am sure he has a few books of mine). It's a classic sci fi again so I am looking forward to it.



No other plans for this month I have been reading A LOT of American and British authors so if I finish my challenges I might hunt out a book from my pile that wasn't written by someone whose first language was English. Unlike other students in my uni who are now off for the summer I have another semester to do which starts next week. Will involve being back on the wards as well as a lot of course work so I don't know how much reading I will get done or how interactive I will be. I may end up resorting to some light reads.

How has your reading month been? Was yours helped by the readathon like mine was? Anyone else on a book buying ban?

March Overview/ Month Ahead

Yet another quiet month. My book stats are dropping. I have had essays and exams last month and have more this month. There was also a chunkster in there that I took my time with.

This month I read only 6 books;

1. Ghost Town - Rachel Caine
2. The Kraken Wakes - John Wyndham
3. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
4. The Black Angel - John Connolly
5. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
6. Eleanor of Aquitaine - Alison Weir (which I have still to review).

My favourite is the one that took me almost the full month to read - The Three Musketeers. Full of adventure but it had a more serious undertone in there too and in the end it was actually quite sad. My least favourite was The Black Angel but only because it was a little disappointing. Otherwise I enjoyed all of the books I read this month.

Challenge Overview

 I just managed to do my challenges this month although I did enjoy them. For the sci fi challenge I went with my own title rather than the group choice. I went for Wyndham's The Kraken Wakes. I love Wyndham and I this book did not disappoint. Just good classic sci fi. The group choice for this month is Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear. I've read him before and I do like him but I am trying not to buy any books this month. I might read Empire State by Adam Christopher instead.

 For this I read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. There is now just one book on this list that won't be a re-read. I love Jules Verne. He's another author who can write a fantastic adventure story. Plus this book is the best Vintage Classics cover I have came across to date. I see me reading more of him in the future. Next up (and I started it last night) is a re-read and it's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. I loved this book when I read it the first time and I am loving it all over again.

 My favourite book for this month and also the largest and the longest time I have spent on a book. Which is of course The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I already mentioned why I loved it so won't repeat myself. It's a bit surprising as growing up I avoided adventure books. Since I am reading Tom Sawyer for The League challenge I thought I would read The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn for this one. I haven't actually read it before so I am looking forward to it as it's supposed to be better than Tom Sawyer.

For the Mixing it Up Challenge I read for the history category. I picked Alison Weir as an author I had never read before and the book was Eleanor of Aquitaine. I enjoyed it but I'm not going to say too much about it as I have yet to review it. Next is the contemporary fiction category. Again not a challenge for me really since I love contemporary fiction so I will be reading an author new to me. I have picked out Freedom by Jonathan Franzen but I'm on the fence. That might change.


Out of all my plans for this month I did manage most of them. I have started Nick Harkaways Angelmaker but have still to get round to reading the third book of Murakami's 1Q84. I make no promises for this month.

I do expect my reading list to be slightly larger this month as I am taking part in Dewey's 24hour read-a-thon. I haven't yet made up my mind what I am going to be reading but I promise to post a pic as soon as I decide. I have a tentative list but keep swapping the books. The only one that has stayed is an Agatha Christie. Good old Poirot saw me right last time.

I've also set up a sponsor sheet for taking part. Money is going to Crohn's and Colitis Uk. So if anyone has any spare pennies and would like to sponsor me I won't say no :D http://www.justgiving.com/Karen-Sime1

How has everyone else's reading month been? How does your month ahead look? How are you getting on with your challenges?

February Overview/ Month Ahead

This has been a quieter month for me in terms of reading. I did predict it would be. Still a lot of books that I enjoyed. Plus I am almost half way to my goal for this year. Still considering upping that. Here's my list;

1. The Bell - Iris Murdoch
2. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
3. The Woods - Harlan Coben
4. Dracula - Bram Stoker
5. Dreamcatcher - Stephen King
6. Fatal Voyage - Kathy Reichs
7. Grave Secrets - Kathy Reichs
8. The Book of Dave - Will Self.

Choosing my favourite from this list is actually quite difficult. I am going to go with The Book of Dave though. It was probably the most unusual out of the lot (I've still to review it). My least favourite is easy - The Woods by Harlan Coben. I had so many problems with it and didn't particularly like the main character.

Challenge Overview

 For the classics challenge I read The Bell by Iris Murdoch. First time I have read any of her books and it certainly won't be the last. I absolutely loved it and loved her well rounded characters. Which was great since the prompt for February was character. I did mine on the first character to appear in the book which you can read here if you are interested. Next up for this challenge is The Three Muskateers by Alexander Dumas. I haven't had a chance to read much of it yet but I am liking it so far.

 Dracula by Bram stoker was the book I read for this challenge in February. This was the first of the re-reads from this list. I love Dracula. I was looking forward to reading it again and I enjoyed re-discovering all the things I loved about it the first time round. I highly recommend it. Next up is Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne. I am looking forward to it as I read Around the World In 80 Days last year and very much enjoyed it. It was a great adventure story. Plus my edition has a fantastic cover.

 February's group choice was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. I decided to read this rather than one of my own choosing because I have been meaning to read it for a long time. It is probably the Best Philip K. Dick book I have ever read. Was great just reading a classic sci fi for a change. The book choice for this month is Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. I LOVE Atwood but I am going to give it a miss. I want to read some of my back log and so I am going to read The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham. Love that author too.

I didn't read anything for this in February as I had already read the biography choice in January. This months category is history which I have always enjoyed. Still going with authors I have never read before to try and get out of my comfort zone. Not that hard with the history category. I have picked Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir. I have been wanting to read a biography on her since reading She Wolves last year. Mind you if I really wanted to go out of my comfort zone I should have maybe stayed away from the royals.

That's it for my plans for this month. I hope to read Nick Harkaway's new book and the last of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. We'll see though as The Three Muskateers is a bit of a chunkster and history books usually take me a little longer to read.

How was February for you? Any favourite books discovered?

January Overview/ Month Ahead

Compared to December I had a fantastic month reading wise. It's amazing what having a couple of weeks off can do. Particularly when you have been having book withdrawal. I managed to finish everything that I had planned to read and then a few extras. So far I have kept up with my challenges and completed the one that ran for January. I am also 1/4 of my goal of 60 books on Good Reads (I might have to increase the goal number). Here's what I read this month;

Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
Antony and Cleopatra - William Shakespeare
Zoo City - Lauren Beukes
Macbeth - William Shakespeare
Waking the Witch - Kelley Armstrong
Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell
Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights - John Steinbeck
Audition - Ryu Murakami
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Before I Go To Sleep - S. J. Watson
As You Like It - William Shakespeare
The White Road - John Connolly
Shakespeare - Bill Bryson

I think 15 books is fairy respectable and I don't really expect to keep that up over the next few months. I have to say that I enjoyed every one of these books. My favourite though is the solitary non-fiction of the bunch. I could rave about Bill Bryson's biography all day. The only book I didn't like isn't listed here because I was unable to finish it (I disliked it that much). That was Death Comes To Pemberley by P. D. James.

Challenge Overview

Like I said I finished one challenge and that was the Shakespeare Reading Month. I managed to read;

Antony and Cleopatra
Macbeth
Much Ado About Nothing
Hamlet
As You Like It
Shakespeare - Bill Bryson

That's two more plays and a biography than I had originally planned. I very much enjoyed taking part and I hope that another one is set up at some point. Obviously my favourite was the biography and that was quickly followed by the comedies. I didn't dislike any of them but if I had to chose one for the bottom of the list it would be Antony and Cleopatra. Mainly because Antony irritated me.

This is the challenge which has categories to get you out of your comfort zone. I am reading one category a month but have managed to read two in January so am taking February off for this one. So far I have read Classics and Biography

Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell
Shakespeare - Bill Bryson

I had added the extra challenge of making it by authors I had never read before. I cheated with the biography as I have read one other Bryson. It's the only one I plan on cheating on though.

The challenge is to read a sci fi book a month. You can choose one of your own or join in the group choice. This month I decided on the group choice which was Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. I had been wanting to read this since I saw it reviewed last year. It was a good start to the challenge. For February I am once again going with the group choice as it's one I planned on reading for this challenge at some point anyway;

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick

The point of this is to read the books which star each of the characters. Again I am reading one a month. First up was King Solomon's Mines starring Allan Quatermain. I enjoyed it although it wasn't quite what I had been expecting. It was a whole mix rather than a straight forward adventure story. Next up is a re-read for me and I am looking forward to it.

Dracula - Bram Stoker (starring Mina Harker)

For this months classics challenge I read The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck. Not a usual choice for a classic but I loved it. I also enjoyed taking part in the prompt for this challenge. This month it was about the authors we were reading. I have already made a start on next months choice and I'm liking it so far. Also looking forward to seeing the February prompt,

The Bell - Iris Murdoch.




The only other thing I did this month was set up a giveaway which is still open. It closes tonight and I'll announce the winner tomorrow. If you want to win a copy of The Eyre Affair you can leave a comment here.

Other than what I have lined up for the challenges I am making no other plans for this month. I am hoping to just rake through my tbr pile and see what I am in the mood for. Since the Shakespeare challenge has finished it should leave me with a little more time to read other things.

How has January been for you. Looking forward to reading anything in particular in February?

Month and Year Ahead

First of all Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all had a great time. I have to say, unlike most Scots, I'm not a huge fan of celebrating New Year. I definitely prefer Christmas. My sister is exactly the same so we usually spend it together. We did that this year watching DVDs and stuffing our faces. We did have a wee drink too. It was all very classy, drinking champagne in our PJs whilst watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit. We were happy and it's been years since we watched that film.

Anyways, I promised you to reveal all about my reading plans for 2012 so here it is. Not terribly exciting I'm afraid. I think you all know my challenges for the next year. I have two personal challenges. The first is to read 60 books. Not that adventurous considering I read 132 last year. I think though that since I am now studying full time that 60 is an okay number. Lets hope I manage it.

The second is to continue with my one classic a month. I very much enjoyed it last year. I tried lots of classic authors I had never read before and I hope to do the same again this year as well as visiting some old. I have planned John Steinbeck, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charlotte Bronte, Iris Murdoch to name a few. First up is Elizabeth Gaskell with Cranford. I also want to re-read some, especially Austen. It feels a little like cheating though to include it in my classic a month.

I have signed up to do four challenges. I am fairly confident I can do them. The Shakespeare Challenge lasts only for this month and since I have most of it off I'm not too worried. The first play I am planning for this is Antony and Cleopatra. Looking forward to that. It's being hosted by Allie of A Literary Odyssey. The Sci Fi challenge is hosted by Ellie of Curiosity Killed The Bookworm. The challenge is to read one sci fi book a month. Each month Ellie is going to highlight a particular sci fi book although you are welcome to read a different title if you want to. I shockingly read only two science fiction books last year. It's shocking as this used to be my main reading staple. The first book up is Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. I decided to go with Ellie's choice as this had such great reviews last year.

The third challenge is the Mixing It Up 2012 hosted by  another Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. The idea is to read out of your comfort zone. There are a list of  genres for you to chose from and you read one book from each. I picked 12, one for each month, and I plan on making it a little harder for myself by picking authors I have never read before. The first one is a classic and I am going to join that with my Classic a month choice for January, Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. Lastly there is the League of Extraordinary Gentleman challenge hosted by Hannah of Booking In Heels. The idea is to read the books which starred the main characters from the film. I also plan on reading the graphic novel. First up is King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. There are a number of books on that list which will be re-reads and two of them I didn't enjoy the first time round. However, I was surprised by one re-read last year so maybe these will surprise me too.

That's basically it for my plans. I would like to read more non-fiction among other things but I have to realistic. I can't do everything. I don't have any special plans for my blog either other than to continue posting, reading other blogs and taking part as much as time will allow.

You now also know my plans for January;

Shakespeare
King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard
Zoo City - Lauren Beukes
Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell

What are your plans for 2012?