I hope everyone is having a good week so far. As predicted my reading has plummeted since been back at work but I’m hoping that I will manage to at least read one book per week.
Here are my planned reads for January.
I actually started The Other Queen in December 2023 but I only read about a quarter of it before work and Christmas prep got in the way, I was really enjoying it so I hope to finish it this month. I really hope I read some of these books but as you have all worked out by now I’m not great with TBR plans as it all depends on what mood I am in.
I hope everyone has some exciting reads planned for January.
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I am back at work tomorrow so sadly my reading time will go down but I’m hoping I can still get some done.
I’m still reading this and really enjoying it. I’m also finding it quite sad as so much history was lost in Egypt because of grave robbers calling themselves archaeologists.
I decided 2024 was the year I read through some of the books that I own and that have sat on my TBR pile for way too long. So with this in mind I have selected 24 books off this TBR pile and have decided to try and read them all in 2024. I have popped a few rereads on to this list as well because I really wanted to read them again this year.
I thought it was time to share the results of my 2023 challenge of attempting to read my height in books.
I read several books on Kindle in 2023 so I got the dimensions of each book off Amazon and worked out that together they added approximately 5.8 inches. I then went hunting around the house to find something that would represent that on the pile of books. My husband found a notebook which when stood up was the correct height, hence the book stood up on the top of the pile of books.
So here is the final picture!
I did it! The stack of books measures 67.5 inches and I am 67 inches. I’m so pleased because I was rather worried I hadn’t made it again but finally I have managed to complete the challenge. The stack is made up of the 72 books that I read in 2023.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
My first week in 2024 has been wonderful for reading. I am thoroughly enjoying my free time and rather dreading going back to work next week because I know I won’t be able to read so much.
What I am Currently Reading
I actually read two and a bit chapters of The Shadow Rising today so I am already ahead with my challenge of reading one chapter a day. I had forgotten just how good this book is but I did read it in 2014 for I have forgotten quite a bit. The Earl and the Pharaoh is a fascinating read and a real eye opener about how the super rich lived in the 1890’s.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I crammed quite a few books in the last week of 2023 and here is three of them. I have the full set of the Penguin Classics little black books but have only read a few so it was good to tick a few more off the list.
What I Think I will Read Next
This year is all about reading the books I own and these are currently sat in a big pile waiting to be read.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
I got more reading done in December than I was expecting. December was a very busy month for me work wise so I was quite surprised just how much reading I managed. I am still really behind with my reviews though!
I hope everyone has had a good week so far. I have managed some wonderful reading over the last few days which has been really useful to completing my Goodreads Challenge.
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
How is everyone coping with the weird time between Christmas and New Year? I am loving all this time I have for reading, oh and drinking loads of tea. I also went for a lovely walk today between all the rain we have been having so that was also a bonus.
Anyway, back to the books. These are the books I got for Christmas off my lovely family.
World of Wonder by Aimee Nezhukumatathil – My niece and nephew bought me this book for Christmas and it is a really nice surprise because I have never heard of this book before. I’m really excited to read this book as it looks fascinating.
The Earl and the Pharaoh by The Countess of Carnarvon – This was on my wish list and I dropped quite a few hints to my husband. My husband thankfully picked up on the hints and bought me this wonderful book. I have already started reading it and I adore it. I just love the writing of The Countess of Carnarvon, she is so good at getting the history across.
Diddly Squat: Pigs Might Fly by Jeremy Clarkson – I have already read this book in basically one sitting. I love the Diddly Squat books and this did not disappoint. Thankfully, this was another book I dropped a lot of hints for and the husband picked up on. I have a very good husband!
I hope everyone had a good Christmas with lots of book shaped presents under the tree.
The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by various authors
Blurb
The tradition of a haunted tale at Christmas has flourished across the centuries. These twelve stories, authored by some of today’s most loved and lauded writers of historical and gothic fiction, are all centred on Christmas or Advent, boldly and playfully re-imagining a beloved tradition for a modern audience. Taking you from a haunted Tuscan villa to a remote Scottish island with a dark secret, these stories are your ultimate companion for frosty nights.
Featuring new and original stories from Bridget Collins, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Natasha Pulley, Elizabeth Macneal, Laura Purcell, Susan Stokes Chapman, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Stuart Turton, and Catriona Ward.
Review
I spotted this book by the checkout when I went to buy a pile of books from the bookshop and thought that looks intriguing. I’m so pleased I decided to buy it because once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down.
Some of these stories really creeped me out but there wasn’t one story that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. The one which really got to me was The Gargoyle by Bridget Collins, I will be honest I wasn’t keen on switching my lights off at night after reading this story. I was convinced I would see something moving in the moonlight or hear something moving. I did feel disappointed with this story because I felt like it finished just as it was getting interesting. I wanted to know more!
I find it far too hard to choose a favourite story from this book but I think the ones I enjoyed the most were Inferno by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, The Salt Miracles by Natasha Pulley and Widow’s Walk by Susan Stokes-Chapman. Widow’s Walk was predictable but very cleverly done, nothing was quite said out loud so it made your imagination run wild. The Salt Miracles was excellent and a really good story I would have loved more of, in fact I would happily have read a full book about this storyline.
Quite a few of these stories were along the lines of if you are bad you get punished which could be a little repetitive but because the stories were so varied I didn’t mind this at all. Some of these stories were new authors for me but I will definitely be exploring more of their work especially Natasha Pulley whose writing style I absolutely loved. Her use of description painted the scene perfectly and I loved her characters.
I really loved this book and as all the stories were set either in Advent or Christmas it was the perfect read for December. I think I will read The Haunting Season next year during spooky season. I give this book a big 5 out of 5 Dragons.
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I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas Eve so far. I have managed a bit of reading but I have mainly been working and still have one more church service to play for later on. This week has been good for blogging and I finally think I’m catching up on my reviews.
Lady Book Dragon 