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Claire's Book List 2017


chesilbeach

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Read nearly all of Spandex and the City by Jenny T. Colgan today, perfect escapism!  I've also read three chapters of The Stars Look Down and might try to fit in a couple more this afternoon.

 

Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter eight (7%)

Kindle: A Natural History of Dragons - starting chapter one (0%)

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 6 hrs 58 mins remaining

 

 

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Beetle Queen by M. G. Leonard is the follow up to one of my favourite middle grade books last year, Beetle Boy.  The villain of the piece is now front and centre in this sequel, and we see her evil plans unfold taking us from London to Hollywood, and a more staggering Oscars ceremony than when the wrong film was announced as the best picture winner in real life.  More Dahl-esque humour and a cracking escapade of friendship and bravery.  Love this series by new author, M. G. Leonard who has managed to get the right balance of humour and thrills in her storytelling.  Can't wait for the final chapter of this trilogy.

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I actually bought The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange as gifts for Kay and Janet based on the cover of this middle grade book, as well as the fact that author Emma Carroll had tweeted about how good it was as well, so I thought I'd better read it myself!  I wasn't disappointed, and this historical tale set just after the end of the first world war looks at grief and mental health, weaving this into a heart-rending story, at times a thriller, and beautifully written that it just flows of the page.

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter eleven (10%)

Kindle: A Natural History of Dragons - starting chapter five (19%)

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 6 hrs 58 mins remaining

 

I'm really enjoying A Natural History of Dragons, it's so much fun!  Also managed to get a bit more of The Stars Look Down under my belt today, so it's nice to be making progress, even if I'm only at 10% still. 

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On 20/05/2017 at 2:34 PM, chesilbeach said:

... but I'm stumbling over The Stars Look Down by AJ Cronin.  I'm not finding it engaging, and it just doesn't seem to flow very well, so I've decided to read it alongside other books to see if I can make consistent progress on it, without having it as my sole read, as I think that may put me off reading it.  I've read four chapters so far and I'm only 5% of the way through and my Kindle tells me I still have 19 hours and 5 minutes of reading left. :o

 

Good luck with this.  I have to admit that I found it tough going, not least because of its size, although I did get a bit more into it as the story progressed.  I also have to admit that I never use the time feature on the Kindle - it's often all too depressing! (And, actually, not that accurate - at least when I've tested it).

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21 hours ago, willoyd said:

 

Good luck with this.  I have to admit that I found it tough going, not least because of its size, although I did get a bit more into it as the story progressed.  I also have to admit that I never use the time feature on the Kindle - it's often all too depressing! (And, actually, not that accurate - at least when I've tested it).

 

It's not going too badly, and I'm just reading the odd chapter here and there between chapters of my other book, so although it's slow progress, it is progress and it's not bringing my reading to a halt (which I think it would if I was just reading it on its own).

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter twelve (12%)

Kindle: A Natural History of Dragons - starting chapter nine (34%)

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 6 hrs 58 mins remaining

 

Wishing I had more reading time (as always!), as I'm enjoying ANHOD so much. :D  Only one chapter of TSLD today, but that's better than nothing, and I listened to a podcast on my commute today, so no progress on my audiobook.

 

I'm going to try and keep this daily update of my current reading status going, as I'm intrigued to see my progress on TSLD and think it'll be interesting to look back at the end and see how long it took. :)

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter fourteen (15%)

Kindle: A Natural History of Dragons - starting chapter fourteen (57%)

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 6 hrs 58 mins remaining

 

Good progress on ANHOD as it's just so enjoyable, while slow and steady with TSLD is fine with me. :)

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter seventeen (21%)

Kindle: A Natural History of Dragons - finished

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 6 hrs 58 mins remaining

 

I loved ANHOD despite something shocking that happened towards the end.  

 

Making good progress with TSLD but it is slow going.

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4 hours ago, chesilbeach said:

Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter seventeen (21%)

Kindle: A Natural History of Dragons - finished

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 6 hrs 58 mins remaining

 

I loved ANHOD despite something shocking that happened towards the end.  

 

Making good progress with TSLD but it is slow going.

 

Yes, I recall thinking eek! Too, though I wonder if the book would have been a bit ` fun fun shallow ` without it, and I wouldn't care as much for the characters. :)

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6 hours ago, Little Pixie said:

 

Yes, I recall thinking eek! Too, though I wonder if the book would have been a bit ` fun fun shallow ` without it, and I wouldn't care as much for the characters. :)

 

I think you're probably right, plus it sets up the rest of the series to allow the character to develop. :yes:

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter eighteen (23%)

Kindle: Set In Stone by Robert Goddard - starting chapter four (21%)

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 5 hrs 36 mins remaining

 

Only one chapter of TSLD today, but better than nothing.  I've started Set In Stone which is another English Counties book, and I knew very little about the book and nothing about the author before I started the book, and so far, I feel like I know even less now!  No idea where it's going, and so far doesn't seem like something I'd usually read, but it's interesting although a bit unsettling so far.  Also listened to some JODTAA on the commute, so nice to make some progress on that as wel.

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Wow, three books at once!

 

I read Sight Unseen by Robert Goddard many years ago and at the time thought it was an allright book, I remember liking it. But I don't remember much else about it I'm afraid. I hope you enjoy Set In Stone.

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter eighteen (23%)

Kindle: Set In Stone - finished

Kindle: Another World by Pat Barker - starting chapter 1 (0%)

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 5 hrs 36 mins remaining

 

Finished SIS and glad I have, as it was unsettling for the first half, and then just a madcap race in the second half, and I needed to know how this labyrinthine plot would work itself out or, indeed, if it would!

 

No progress on TSLD yet, but might read a chapter before starting AW.  Have decided to go all out and try to finish the English Counties challenge, so I've got TSLDAW and The Go-Between left.  Maybe the Bank Holiday weekend, will give me time to finish at least one of the these. :)

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - starting chapter twenty-two (29%)

Kindle: Another World - finished

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 5 hrs 36 mins remaining

 

Read all of AW today.  It was fine, but not what I was expecting, and not my sort of story.  That leaves me with just two books left on the English Counties challenge. :)  Read some more of TSLD and will probably try and read a bit more tonight too, and then need to make up my mind whether to try and just make my way further through it tomorrow, or start the last book The Go-Between.  I'm undecided at the moment, as I'd like to keep TGB for last, but I've made such good progress this weekend finishing off two other books, that with the bank holiday tomorrow, I might be able to read it and just have the rest of  TSLD to finish after that.  I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - finished

Kindle: The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley - starting chapter one

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 5 hrs 36 mins remaining

 

I read a bit more of TSLD last night, and decided that as the weather was terrible today, I'd just carry on reading it instead of starting TG-B and I've basically not put it down all day and have just finished it!  That's book 47 out of 48 on the challenge, so I'm close to the finish line now. :D  Will be starting TG-B later on and hoping to finish it this week. :)

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Oops, I've missed a few days :blush:

 

Current reading status:

Kindle: The Stars Look Down - finished

Kindle: The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley - starting chapter four

Paperback: The Persephone Book of Short Stories

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) - 5 hrs 36 mins remaining

 

I finished TSLD on Monday, and then started TG-B on Tuesday, but with a day off today, I didn't fancy carrying on with it, so I've picked up TPBoSS today and read the first three stories - all wonderful, and can't wait to read more!

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley (16%)

Kindle: Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn (39%)

Paperback: The Persephone Book of Short Stories

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) 3 hrs 12 mins remaining

 

No progress on TG-B for a couple of weeks, but I'm sure I'll get back to it at some point.  We've had a week away, and I've been alternating between Wainwright Prize books and something fun, so I'm actively reading AfDY at the moment, and will probably finish it tomorrow.

 

The weather has taken a turn for the better, so I've been out walking a bit for the last couple of days, so I've been listening to JODTAA too, and although I'm enjoying it, it's not as engaging as just listening to the audiobook narration.

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17 hours ago, chesilbeach said:

The weather has taken a turn for the better, so I've been out walking a bit for the last couple of days, so I've been listening to JODTAA too, and although I'm enjoying it, it's not as engaging as just listening to the audiobook narration.

 

Wait, I thought it was an audiobook? What does 'dramatisation' mean? Just curious :).

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1 hour ago, Athena said:

 

Wait, I thought it was an audiobook? What does 'dramatisation' mean? Just curious :).

 

They've dramatised it into a audio play with actors playing the character roles, but it's still an Audible download to listen to like an audiobook, so I'm classing it as the same thing.

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Current reading status:

Kindle: The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley (16%)

Kindle: Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn - finished

Paperback: The Persephone Book of Short Stories

Audible: Just One Damned Thing After Another (dramatisation) 3 hrs 12 mins remaining

 

Concentrated on finishing AfDY today, and listened to the latest episodes of A Good Read (BBC Radio 4) and Backlisted podcasts, so no progress on any other books.

 

Not feeling in the mood for TG-B at the moment, and won't be able to get to the library until Friday to pick up my next Wainwright Prize long list book, so I might read some more of TPBoSS or I might start a shorter book ... I'm thinking I might try Providence by Anita Brookner might be a strong contender.

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