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Hayley's Reading in 2018


Hayley

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Yay, new book log now open :D

 

In 2017 I read 28 books, which just beat the 27 I read in 2016! I am, once again, challenging myself to read 50 books this year though. One year, I will manage it!

 

On My Shelf:

 

Aaronovitch, Ben. The Furthest Station

Abercrombie, Joe. Best Served Cold

Abercrombie, Joe. Half a King

Abercrombie, Joe. Half the World

Abercrombie, Joe. Red Country

Adams, Douglas. The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Adams, Douglas. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

Adams, Douglas. Life, The Universe and Everything

Adams, Douglas. So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish

Atwood, Margaret. Alias Grace

Ballantyne, R.M. The Coral Island

Banks, Iain. The Bridge

Banks, Iain M. The Algebraist

Banks, Iain M. Consider Phlebas

Banks Iain M. Excession

Banks Iain M. Feersum Endjinn

Banks Iain M. Inversions

Banks, Iain M. Look to Windward

Banks Iain M. Matter

Banks Iain M. The Player of Games

Banks Iain M. Use of Weapons

Barker, Clive. Weaveworld

British Myths and Legends vol. 1: Marvels and Magic. ed. Richard Barber

British Myths and Legends vol. 2: Heroes and Saints. "

British Myths and Legends vol 3. History and Romance. "

Brontë, Anne. Agnes Grey

Brontë, Anne. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Brontë, Charlotte. The Professor

Brontë, Charlotte. Shirley

Brontë, Charlotte. Villette

Butcher, Jim. Blood Rites

Butcher, Jim. Dead Beat

Butcher, Jim. Death Masks

Butcher, Jim. Proven Guilty

Byatt, A.S. The Children's Book

Carrell, J.L. The Shakespeare Curse

Christie, Agatha. Murder on the Orient Express 

Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Cogman, Genevieve. The Invisible Library

De Muriel, Oscar. Mask of Shadows

Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby

Dickens, Charles. The Old Curiosity Shop

Dickens, Charles. The Pickwick Papers

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Sign of Four

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Return of Sherlock Holmes

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Valley of Fear

Doyle, Arthur Conan. His Last Bow

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes

Dumas, Alexandre. The Three Musketeers

Eco, Umberto. The Name of the Rose 

Faulks, Sebastian. Birdsong

Fforde, Jasper. The Well of Lost Plots

Gaiman, Neil. Smoke and Mirrors

Galbraith, Robert. The Silkworm

Gaylin, Alison. Into the Dark

Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows

Grossmith, George and Weedon. The Diary of a Nobody

Hardie, Titania. The Rose Labyrinth

Hardinge, Francis. The Lie Tree

Hardy, Thomas. Under the Greenwood Tree

Harkness, Deborah. Shadow of Night

Hodgson, Antonia. The Devil in the Marshalsea

Hoving, Isabel. The Dream Merchant

le Carre, John. A Most Wanted Man

Marston, Edward. The Excursion Train

Marston, Edward. The Iron Horse

Marston, Edward. Murder on the Brighton Express

Marston, Edward. The Railway Viaduct

Miéville, China. Kraken

Miéville, China. The Scar

More, Thomas. Utopia

Morton, Kate. The Distant Hours

Mosse, Kate. Citadel

Owen, Lauren. The Quick

Peake, Mervyn. Titus Groan

Peake, Mervyn. Gormenghast

Peake, Mervyn. Titus Alone

The Penguin Book of English Short Stories Ed. Christopher Dolley 

Pratchett, Terry. I Shall Wear Midnight

Pullman, Phillip. Lyra's Oxford

Ruickbie, Leo. The Impossible Zoo: An Encyclopedia of Fabulous Beasts and Mythical Monsters

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men

Taylor, Jodi. A Trail Through Time

Tolkien, J.R.R. Tree and Leaf, Smith of Wooton Major, The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth

Verne, Jules. Five Weeks in a Balloon

Verne, Jules. From the Earth to the Moon

Verne, Jules. Round the Moon

Verne, Jules. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Wells, H.G. The Time Machine

Wells, H.G. The Island of Dr. Moreau

Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds

Wells, H.G. The First Men in the Moon

Wells, H.G. The Invisible Man

 

 

Acquired in 2018:

 

Arden, Katherine. The Bear and the Nightingale

Arden, Katherine. The Girl in the Tower

Brennan, Marie, A Natural History of Dragons

Burton, Jessie. The Muse

Clarke, Susanna, The Ladies of Grace Adieu

Collins, Wilkie. No Name (library)

Garber, Stephanie. Caraval

Lynch, Scott, The Lies of Locke Lamora

Pinborough, Sarah, Mayhem 

Underdown, Beth. The Witchfinder's Sister

Vance, Jack, Lyonesse

Vance, Jack, The Green Pearl

Zafón, Carlos Ruiz. The Prince of Mist

 

 

Edited by Hayley
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The Discworld Re-Read

 

A little bit of background for this because not all of these books will be re-reads. I started reading Terry Pratchett's books when my sister gave me The Wee Free Men when I was thirteen. In the twelve years since then I have read the vast majority of the Discworld novels but in completely random order. I actually thought I had read all of the Discworld novels apart from I Shall Wear Midnight. But then a few weeks ago I picked up The Last Continent in a shop and when I read the blurb I realised I don't think I have read that either. If I have I remember very little about it. Anyway, that got me thinking that it would be really nice to read, or re-read, all of the books, in order this time, making sure I haven't missed any out on the way. 

I'll be reading the books in between others from my list, but will cross them off here as normal here once I've read them.  

 

 

1. The Colour of Magic
2. The Light Fantastic
3. Equal Rites
4. Mort

5. Sourcery
6. Wyrd Sisters
7. Pyramids
8. Guards! Guards!
9. Faust Eric
10. Moving Pictures
11. Reaper Man
12. Witches Abroad
13. Small Gods
14. Lords and Ladies

15. Men at Arms
16. Soul Music
17. Interesting times
18. Maskerade
19. Feet of Clay
20. Hogfather
21. Jingo
22. The Last Continent
23. Carpe Jugulum
24. The Fifth Elephant
25. The Truth
26. Thief of Time
27. The Last Hero
28. The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents

29. Night Watch
30. The Wee Free Men
31. Monstrous Regiment
32. A Hat Full of Sky
33. Going Postal
34. Thud!
35. Wintersmith
36. Making Money
37. Unseen Academicals
38. I Shall Wear Midnight
39. Snuff
40. Raising Steam
41. The Shepherd's Crown

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Your TBR is rather huge Hayley! 

I can recommend  Diary Of A Nobody, it is a very funny book if you like Victorian things and have read a bit  of that era . Of Mice And Men is a good "quickie" to get your numbers up!

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1 hour ago, vodkafan said:

Your TBR is rather huge Hayley! 

I can recommend  Diary Of A Nobody, it is a very funny book if you like Victorian things and have read a bit  of that era . Of Mice And Men is a good "quickie" to get your numbers up!

 

The worst part is I only have a small room to keep them all in... They're literally everywhere!

I'm really glad you think Diary of a Nobody is good. I got it at one of the library discard sales because it looked interesting but I've been a bit reluctant to start it because I wasn't sure what to expect! 

 

 

On 05/01/2018 at 9:59 PM, Janet said:

Happy reading in 2018.  :)

 

You have some good books on your to read list.  I must try some Jules Verne sometime so I'll be interested to know what you think of those (if you read any this year  :)   ).

 

Thanks Janet :) Of the three Jules Verne books I've read so far Journey to the Centre of the Earth is my favourite, closely followed by Around the World in Eighty Days. I'm hoping the others will live up to them! 

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6 minutes ago, Hayley said:

Thanks Janet :) Of the three Jules Verne books I've read so far Journey to the Centre of the Earth is my favourite, closely followed by Around the World in Eighty Days. I'm hoping the others will live up to them! 

Oh, I'm a numpty - I've read Around the World in Eighty Days:doh::blush: I will download Journey to the Centre of the Earth on my Kindle and try that at some stage.  I hope the others do live up to those for you. :)

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@Janet I think you'll like it if you liked Around the World in Eighty Days :) and thank you!

 

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Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

3/5 - I liked it

 

Smoke and Mirrors is the third collection of short stories I've read by Neil Gaiman (the others being Trigger Warning and Fragile Things) and I had very high hopes for it based on those books and on the fact that 'smoke and mirrors' sounded like it would be a treasure trove of Gaiman's unique magical realism. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. A few of the stories in this book are not in Gaiman's style at all but mimic other authors (he explains who in the introduction) and there were far fewer of his unique magical worlds in this than the other two books. Rather than the magical, theatrical themes I expected there seemed to be a theme of sex throughout the book, more than once in a pretty disturbing way. Gaiman is an amazing writer and his short stories are brilliantly crafted to make the reader think, and sometimes I suppose that involves making the reader feel uncomfortable, which some of these certainly did (some being really gory and others with suggested paedophilia.)

It's a well written book and I enjoyed finding out what each story would bring (my favourite story, I think, was 'The Case of the Departure of Miss Finch' - which did have elements of the magical and theatrical) but it wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for and I would have to say it was my least favourite of the three short story collections. 

 

 

So, on the positive side, I have crossed my first book off my list! On the other hand, I also added two books to my 'acquired 2018' list...

 

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I had no intention to buy books today but while shopping with my sister she wanted to look in waterstones ... then I spotted these two, right at the front of the shop, in the 'buy one get one half price' section. I've wanted both of them since they came out so I couldn't resist!

 

I've started reading The Colour of Magic, the first book in my Discworld re-read and I'm actually really excited to be reading it again!

 

 

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5a6237dc0e3d5_41ysSUtQUyL._SY291_BO1204203200_QL40_.jpg.5bc39a236a55191f8566bfb461e2e8ee.jpg

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

5/5 - I loved it

 

I'm so glad I decided to reread these books! Not only is it full of brilliantly funny satire, it introduces an incredibly detailed fantasy world (in fact, not even just a world, fantasy universe) and a huge cast of instantly memorable characters. I always loved Rincewind, the somewhat inept, lovably pessimistic wizard and the luggage, which technically shouldn't be a character and yet it is. The thing I've always found with Discworld is, if somebody asks you 'so, what's the story about?' the answer just inevitably sounds completely crazy and never seems to do it justice. Maybe if anybody else wrote it, it would just be crazy, but Terry Pratchett was a genius and instead we have a book with great pace, great characters, amazing settings and the ability to leave a smile on your face when you eventually put it down.

 

 

lyra.jpg.915f93f05bcbdf2fa26ad45d68363dfa.jpg

 

Lyra's Oxford by Phillip Pullman

4/5 - I really liked it 

 

This book actually consists of a short story ('Lyra and the Birds'), some bits and pieces such as postcards and pamphlets relating to the Dark Materials world and a preview of 'Once Upon a Time in the North.' I mostly wanted it for the short story, which is very good and also really interesting with the context of the new books. Set two years after third Dark Materials book, 'Lyra and the Birds' falls between the end of that trilogy and the second 'Book of Dust.' 'Lyra and the Birds' itself reads like the beginning of a story and it would definitely make an interesting one. That being said, the reason I didn't give the book five stars is for that reason, because the story is more of a teaser of a bigger plot. The other items, like the pamphlets included, I think I would have understood a lot better if I'd read the original trilogy more recently, I felt like I was missing something with most of them. The extract of 'Once Upon a Time in the North' was interesting too and I'd definitely buy it in the future. Overall it was nice little way to revisit the world but it really is very short.

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You have some excellent books in your TBR. I read all Iain M Banks Culture books in order a couple of years ago, I know it's not necessary to read them in publication order but you can see the growth of the whole universe he created much better.

Like you I've been promising myself to reread Discworld in publication order too, they are such brilliant books.

You also have Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy, quite possibly my favourite all time reads. I envy you reading them for the first time

Happy Reading

Edited by Trevor
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12 hours ago, Trevor said:

You have some excellent books in your TBR. I read all Iain M Banks Culture books in order a couple of years ago, I know it's not necessary to read them in publication order but you can see the growth of the whole universe he created much better.

Like you I've been promising myself to reread Discworld in publication order too, they are such brilliant books.

You also have Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy, quite possibly my favourite all time reads. I envy you reading them for the first time

Happy Reading

 

Thank you! I only realised the Culture books didn't need to be read in order when I looked up what order they were actually supposed to be in. I didn't know a lot about the series, a friend was given the whole set and didn't want them so I ended up taking them home! I'm glad you mentioned that they're worth reading in publication order though because I was wondering where to start! 

I am very much looking forward to the Gormenghast Trilogy too. I'm expecting them to potentially be quite complex, challenging reads so I've been trying to wait for a time I can give them my full attention.

 

12 hours ago, Athena said:

I'm glad you enjoyed your re-read of The Colour of Magic. Such a great book. It was my first Discworld book and because of that it will always have a special place in my heart.

 

Thanks Athena, it really is a fantastic book and I think it's great that you also have that sentimental attachment to it. I feel the same way about 'The Wee Free Men,' which was my first Discworld book. The moment Tiffany matter-of-factly smacked a monster in the face with a frying pan, I was hooked :D.

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On 21/01/2018 at 1:07 AM, vodkafan said:

I read Titus Groan a long time ago and it was very absorbing . Be prepared to enter a completely strange world for a while. 

 

It may be a strange world but it is a wonderful one :)

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On 1/14/2018 at 4:52 PM, Hayley said:

I had no intention to buy books today but while shopping with my sister she wanted to look in waterstones ... then I spotted these two, right at the front of the shop, in the 'buy one get one half price' section. I've wanted both of them since they came out so I couldn't resist!

Oooh, I bought Caraval today (book club choice) and fancy the other one too.  There were no 'buy one get one half price' offers in Bath Waterstones today  :(

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Happy Reading in 2918, Hayley. :)

 

Lots of goodies in your TBR ; I especially like the Jim Butcher ones.

 

Enjoy your Discworld reread ; I did one a few years ago and loved it. I read one after another and really immersed myself ( except for the last couple of books, which I still can't bring myself to read. #sniff) :)

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 22/01/2018 at 7:40 PM, Janet said:

Oooh, I bought Caraval today (book club choice) and fancy the other one too.  There were no 'buy one get one half price' offers in Bath Waterstones today  :(

 

Thats a shame! I would have thought all Waterstones stores had the same offers! I'm reading The Bear and the Nightingale at the moment and it seems very promising so far!

 

On 23/01/2018 at 11:05 PM, Little Pixie said:

Happy Reading in 2918, Hayley. :)

 

Lots of goodies in your TBR ; I especially like the Jim Butcher ones.

 

Enjoy your Discworld reread ; I did one a few years ago and loved it. I read one after another and really immersed myself ( except for the last couple of books, which I still can't bring myself to read. #sniff) :)

 

Thank you :) I am really glad I decided to reread them, it's been so long I'd forgotten a lot of the things that happened! I couldn't resist reading the Shepherd's Crown when it came out but I did actually cry when I finished it, and it does take quite a lot for a book to make me cry! 

 

On 22/01/2018 at 8:52 PM, Michelle said:

Caraval was great.. I really enjoyed that one. :)

 

Oh good! I am looking forward to it, it's nice to hear good reviews though, makes me less worried that it won't live up to expectations! :lol:

 

I actually have a few reviews to put up and I need to edit my list, but I've not been having the luckiest of weeks... first, my nephew spilled a pot noodle over my laptop. He didn't tell me at the time and it wasn't until the next day that I tried to start it and it just freaked out. On the plus side, the hard drive wasn't damaged, so I didn't lose anything, and it was quite old anyway, so I've ordered a new one that I will hopefully get soon. It's a bit of a nightmare when I have a lot of work though. But, I have a Microsoft surface tablet, which my parents bought for me a couple of years ago and which has a little keyboard attached. It takes me longer to type on the little keyboard than a normal one, but I use it quite a lot when I'm doing work away from home and I thought I'd just use that while I wait for the new laptop. Then I stepped out of my front door and somehow, I have literally no idea how, the tablet slipped out of its protective case and cracked on the concrete floor. And just to top it off, when I called my local computer repair company, they said it would cost £230 to replace the screen. The tablet does actually work with the keyboard, but one side of the screen has lost sensitivity and there are small pieces of glass that I'm a bit worried I could cut myself on. I am considering just buying a glass screen protector and sticking it over the top of the break to stop the glass coming out. It wouldn't fix it but it should at least make it useable. So I'm using my phone for anything internet related at the moment, which is why I haven't posted for a while, I find it a lot harder to type at length on my phone (and if there are odd words in this I apologise, it keeps trying to autocorrect me!)

 

Fingers crossed for better luck and speedy laptop delivery!

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Good news, my laptop is here! :D 

 

The downside is I have until Monday to finish typing up 10,000 words, but the keyboard on my new laptop is very nice to type on at least. Once I have that out of the way I will actually be able to post the reviews I've been wanting to do! For now I've just updated my lists :)

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