Hello!
It is time for another update of Reading My Height in Books. I tried to get Lyra to join in with the photo this time but as soon as she saw the pile of books she became suspicious and ran away.
The book pile now contains 12 books and is exactly 11.5 inches high. This leaves me with 55.5 inches to go.
This time in 2021 I was at 8.5 inches high so I am ahead. Hopefully I can keep ahead of 2021 and finally manage to read my height in books.
Look at that pile grow!
Happy Reading!
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I have had a busy day with my Etsy store putting new products on the store and getting orders ready to post on Monday.
This year due to my challenges I am trying to be a little more structured with my reading but also leaving room for some mood reading as well. Every month I plan to read at least one non-fiction book, one Ancient Roman or Greek text, one Persephone book and one book off my Classics Club list.
So here are the books I plan to read for February.
Non- Fiction Read
This has been on my wish list for ages and when I had it for a Christmas present I decided I had to read it ASAP. I have actually started reading it and so far I can’t put it down.
Ancient Greek or Roman Text
This is actually on my Classics Club list as well but I am going to try and read another book off my Classics Club list this month as well.
Persephone Book
I really want to read this or at least start it this month as it is rather a large book.
Classics Club List
I’ve been sorting through some of my books recently and found my copy of this so I have left it out ready to read this month. I also have a beautiful antique copy of this book at my parents house which contains some stunning engravings but for now it will stay safely at my parents house till I get some proper bookshelves.
So those are my planned reads for this month whatever time I have left in the month I will devote to my mood reads.
I hope you have some good books planned for February.
Happy Reading
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good day so far. My friend has been asking for an update on my challenge to read my height in books so here is my first update this year. I grabbed Lyra for the photo as well, she wasn’t that impressed.
The height of the books is at 6 inches just 61 inches to go!
In 2021 when I first tried this challenge the height of the pile was also at 6 inches with the books I had read in January. However, I really do not want to fail the challenge this time around so I must try and get higher numbers.
What reading challenges have you got for 2023 and are you on track?
Happy Reading
Hello!
I thought it was time to check how my reading goals for 2022 are going.
I haven’t finished any series yet but I have moved forward with them all. I haven’t started The Witcher series though yet. To be honest I know I won’t finish The Wheel of Time series this year but I hope to make good progress with it. I do hope to finish The Expanse series and The Shardlake series though.
I’m not too worried that so far I am a little behind with my reading goals. My overall aim was to have a more relaxed reading experience this year and so far I think I am managing that and that is the main thing.
I hope everyone’s reading goals are going well so far this year.
Happy Reading
Hello!
I thought it was time for an update on my Maigret Challenge. I have started to read a Maigret book whenever the Grand Prix is on. The husband watches the Grand Prix and I read a Maigret book. This works out well because a Maigret book usually lasts for all of qualifying and the actual race. Sadly, it didn’t happen with the last race though because I was playing for a wedding during qualifying and cooking a roast dinner during the race but I am hoping to get back into the routine next race day.
Last check in I had read 8 books out of 75. So let’s see what the list looks like now. All the ticked off books are linked to the reviews apart from A Crime in Holland which still needs reviewing.
I now have 65 books left to read. I think there are 18 races left this season so that possibly means 18 books to tick off this year but we will wait and see. Wish me luck!
Please drop me a message if you have read any of the Maigret books.
Happy Reading
Lady Susan and Other Works by Jane Austen
Blurb
This collection brings together Jane Austen’s earliest experiments in the art of fiction and novels that she left incomplete at the time of her premature death in 1817. Her fragmentary juvenilia show Austen developing her own sense of narrative form whilst parodying popular kinds of fiction of her day. Lady Susan is a wickedly funny epistolary novel about a captivating but unscrupulous widow seeking to snare husbands for her daughter and herself. The Watsons explores themes of family relationships, the marriage market, and attitudes to rank, which became the hallmarks of her major novels. In Sanditon, Austen exercises her acute powers of social observation in the setting of a newly fashionable seaside resort. These novels are here joined by shorter fictions that survive in Austen’s manuscripts, including critically acclaimed works like Catharine, Love and Freindship [sic], and The History of England.
This edition includes:
– Frederic and Elfrida
– Jack and Alice
– Edgar and Emma
– Henry and Eliza
– Love and Freindship
– A History of England
– The Three Sisters
– Lesley Castle
– Evelyn
– Catharine, or the Bower
– Lady Susan
– The Watsons
– Sanditon
Review
This was the only work by Austen I had left to read and as I usually like to start the New Year with an Austen book I decided it was high time to read this collection of works and complete the set.
I was really excited to read Austen’s juvenilia work and I was not disappointed. I was also really frustrated that so much was left unfinished. I knew it would be unfinished but I so desperately wanted to know how the stories ended.
Austen’s juvenilia stories were hilarious and you could really tell they were written by a girl who had not seen a lot of the world yet but was starting to get a good understanding of people. At times you could really see the true magic of Austen’s wit starting to develop and make itself known. There are a great deal of fainting ladies in Austen’s juvenilia works, they are either fainting on the sofa, on the floor, basically all over the place and for very little reason. One thing we do learn though is that it is better to run around like a lunatic than faint in bad weather because running around keeps the cold away and fainting will make you catch a chill with mortal consequences.
One of my favourites in this book was A History of England. I loved Austen’s clear love of Mary Queen of Scots and hatred of Elizabeth I, she is forever putting down Elizabeth I and praising Mary Queen of Scots at every opportunity. The history is not accurate and it is clear that Austen has made up quite a bit of her facts with hilarious results. There are also no dates but the monarchs are in chronological order. The added illustrations by Cassandra Austen were an added bonus.
Lady Susan I struggled to get into to begin with due to the story being written in the form of letters but once I got used to it I loved it. Lady Susan is quite a character and one I imagine people with any sense would steer clear of. She has a quite a reputation but men pay no heed to this reputation because of her way with words and her beauty. Thankfully, most women can see through this scheming character.
I could go on and on about how much I loved this book and there really wasn’t any story that I did not enjoy. It was so interesting to see Austen develop as an author and I loved her little dedications for each story. I give this book a massive 5 out of 5 Dragons and will definitely be reading it again.
🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲
Purchase Links
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About the author
Jane Austen born 16th December 1775 died 18th July 1817 was an English novelist known for her six major novels. Austen’s novels are known for social comedy and accurate depiction of human relationships.
This review is part of my Classics Club challenge. Please click the link to see my list of 50 books.
Hello!
It has taken me a while but I have finally come up with some reading goals for this year.
Overall, I hope to make my reading experience a lot more relaxed this year as last year I found myself pushing myself to get certain books read and to read enough books to complete my height in books.
So there are my reading goals for this year.
Happy Reading
Hello!
So for quite a while now I thought about joining The Classics Club and this year I have decided to join up. I have chosen 50 books all published before 1900 and plan to complete the list in five years, so my deadline is 11th January 2027. I used to read a lot of classics so it will be good to get reading them again and tick off quite a few books on my TBR pile.
The list has mostly new reads for me but there are a few favourites on the list and ones that I can’t quite remember all the storyline of and would like to read again.
All books that I read and review will be linked back to this list.
In no particular order, here is the list…
Wish me luck!
Happy Reading
Hello!
It is time for my final update of my 2021 challenge. I had to change location of the book stack because I could no longer keep it upright without it leaning on against a wall.
Sadly, I failed the challenge. The final stack came to 64 inches and it needed to be 67 inches. I was so close but I just came short.
Here is the year in full.
Maybe, I will try the challenge again another year.
Happy Reading
Hello and happy New Year!
Apologies for being a bit quiet recently, I must admit I have been enjoying a break from everything over the festive period but now I am back to normal and looking forward to a good year of reading and blogging.
So here is my year in books!
I am pleased I made my Goodreads Challenge again this year.
Here are all the books I read
I think I read a few different genres in 2021 and I did try to leave my comfort zone at times as well. One thing I did learn was that I really miss reading classics so I think 2022 will involve me reading a few more classics.
Happy Reading
Lady Book Dragon 