Claire's book list 2011

[chesilbeach]

Just come back from a weeks holiday, and read a whopping 11 books while I was away!

 

Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill

Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill

The Novel in the Viola by Natasha Solomons

Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine

Only The Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Never The Bride by Paul Magrs

Torment by Lauren Kate

Up With the Larks by Tessa Hainsworth

Hollywood Scandals by Gemma Halliday

Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine

The Sweetnees at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

 

Definitely chose to go for entertainment and escapism, and I succeeded. A very enjoyable week of reading, and I'll be popping some reviews up over the next couple of days.

[chesilbeach]

I've now read all four of the Chicagoland Vampire series from Chloe Neill. They've got the same sort of tone as the Sookie Stackhouse books, where vampires have recently revealed themselves to the human world, and there's a sense of humour running through the story. The vampires are much more like humans, and the books are mysteries for the heroine to solve as well as finding her way in her new life as a vampire. Good fun, and I read all four in a row so they must be entertaining, and above average for the genre. Oh, and there's a huge surprise with one of the characters that I did not see coming at all at the end of the fourth book, which has set up a great cliffhanger for where the story will go in the next instalment, so there's no way I won't be picking up book five as soon as it comes out in November!

[chesilbeach]

The Novel In The Viola is Natasha Solomon's second book, and is another Dorset set story of a Jewish character during the second world war, but this book tells a much different story from her first, Mr Rosenblum's List. Elise is a Jewish teenager in 1930s Vienna, whose family is having to go their separate ways in order to escape the Nazis. Her sister and brother-in-law are California bound, while her parents are waiting for their papers to go to New York, and Elise's exit route finds her taking a job as a maid in an English home, Twyneford on the Dorset coast until her parents are settled in America and can arrange for her to join them. The book follows the experience of the family through Elise's story, and the effect of the war on them and on the house she comes to live in.

 

I really enjoyed Mr Rosenblum's List when I read it earlier this year, but I have to say, The Novel In The Viola for me, was even better. Although a much more traditional story in some ways, I thought she evoked the period extremely well, I loved the juxtaposition of Elise's life in Vienna compared to that of Dorset, as well as watching her grow as a person in the to woman she becomes. Alongside that, it's also interesting to follow the fortunes of the English country house and the impact the war had on that too. The characters were all three dimensional for me, and I felt that I could picture them all in my mind. I was also really pleased that the focus on Elise's family was about their relationships with each other, and their artistic talents rather than their religion, as it made them more real in my mind, whereas in other books I've sometimes read about this period in history, the religion takes over everything in the story of the people and authors can sometimes forget to tell us what the people are like and not just what they are going through.

 

I must admit, I got a bit confused between the real place names and the fictional ones as I know that area of Dorset quite well, and I can see why the author felt she needed to change some of them in order to make the distinction between fact and fiction, I did then find it a little bit jarring to see the real names of villages and towns in the text as well. Tiny complaint really, and only if you know the area would this have any effect on the reader, and it certainly wouldn't stop me recommending this to anyone else.

 

It's definitely the sort of story that would lend itself to adaptation to the screen, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that it has been optioned either for a film or television adaptation.

[chesilbeach]

And a couple more ...

 

Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine is the second book in the Weather Warden series. Joanne is on cloud nine learning all about her new life with David when she is abruptly brought back down to earth when she find out more about their world and what David has sacrificed to save her. Much more fantastical than the first in the series, this book takes us on a different route and broadens the world created, explaining more about the Djinns and their role. Again, like the first book, it was good, but I didn't think it reached the standard of the best authors in this genre and it doesn't match up to her YA series The Morganville Vampires, however, I will still carry on the series, especially with the turn of events at the end of this book leading on to an interesting premise for the next of the series.

 

You can tell I was on holiday, as I've been saving up books from various series I follow! The next one was Only The Good Spy Young by Ally Carter which is the fourth of the Gallagher Girls YA series about a teenager enrolled at a secret school which trains girls to become spies. A total guilty pleasure, and I should be far too old for these books, but I love the action-packed, thrilling ride that they take you on. (And I love that the author tweeted the other day that she's struggling to find a title for the fifth book, and she's been told she can't use Boys Don't Make Passes at Girls Who Kick A**es which I think would have been brilliant!). A great romp and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Edited June 10, 2011 by chesilbeach

[chesilbeach]

Now, my favourite of the weeks reading ... I've been on the lookout for Never The Bride by Paul Magrs for a while, as it's the first in a series of books which I'd keep coming across the third or fourth book in a bookshop and would be really interested, only to find out they didn't have the first book. I think it's only recently come out as a Kindle version, and when I was looking for books to take on holiday I came across it, and couldn't resist.

 

Brenda has finally settled down to spend her twilight years running a B&B in Whitby. Her best friend and next door neighbour, Effie, is a pensioner who runs a bric-a-brac shop, and the two of them often get together to go for tea at the local theme hotel where every day is Christmas. One day, one of the waitresses at the hotel spends a chunk of her savings getting a make over at a new, but rather strange, beauty salon in town and seems to look twenty years younger, Brenda and Effie are curious and decide to find out more. With Brenda as the narrator, we find out more about her own story as well as solving the mystery of the devilish beauty shop, the missing elves and just why Whitby seems to be the inspiration for the original vampire tale.

 

I loved how there are three or four mysteries within the book, and as the story goes on, the hints at Brenda's history gradually reveal themselves and you learn all about where she has come from. I know Paul Magrs from his Doctor Who books, and I've been wanting to read this for a while, and I'm so glad I have, as you get a very British sense of humour mixed in with the fantasy of the story and characters, and it's all in a very ordinary setting, just like the best Doctor Who stories.

 

A supernatural, comic mystery set in the usually sedate resort with an elderly cast of characters and a charming and quirky heroine, this was a cracking start to a series I know I'm going to love, and I can't wait to make a start on book two!

[pickle]

Now, my favourite of the weeks reading ... I've been on the lookout for Never The Bride by Paul Magrs for a while, as it's the first in a series of books which I'd keep coming across the third or fourth book in a bookshop and would be really interested, only to find out they didn't have the first book. I think it's only recently come out as a Kindle version, and when I was looking for books to take on holiday I came across it, and couldn't resist.

 

Brenda has finally settled down to spend her twilight years running a B&B in Whitby. Her best friend and next door neighbour, Effie, is a pensioner who runs a bric-a-brac shop, and the two of them often get together to go for tea at the local theme hotel where every day is Christmas. One day, one of the waitresses at the hotel spends a chunk of her savings getting a make over at a new, but rather strange, beauty salon in town and seems to look twenty years younger, Brenda and Effie are curious and decide to find out more. With Brenda as the narrator, we find out more about her own story as well as solving the mystery of the devilish beauty shop, the missing elves and just why Whitby seems to be the inspiration for the original vampire tale.

 

I loved how there are three or four mysteries within the book, and as the story goes on, the hints at Brenda's history gradually reveal themselves and you learn all about where she has come from. I know Paul Magrs from his Doctor Who books, and I've been wanting to read this for a while, and I'm so glad I have, as you get a very British sense of humour mixed in with the fantasy of the story and characters, and it's all in a very ordinary setting, just like the best Doctor Who stories.

 

A supernatural, comic mystery set in the usually sedate resort with an elderly cast of characters and a charming and quirky heroine, this was a cracking start to a series I know I'm going to love, and I can't wait to make a start on book two!

 

I have read all of them and they are brilliant, I discovered Never the bride ages ago when it first came out and then a few years later realised he had written more, they are brilliant. They have also been adapted for the BBC on the radio and are very well done.

Edited June 10, 2011 by pickle

[chesilbeach]

Good to hear someone else has enjoyed them, pickle I'm definitely going to get the rest of them, and I'm also going to look into some of his other work as well - the Iris Wildthyme books sound interesting, and some of his stand alone novels (including the new one due out later this year called 666 Charing Cross Road) have peaked my interest too.

Edited June 10, 2011 by chesilbeach

[chesilbeach]

It seems like forever since I read Fallen by Lauren Kate, and at the time I remember writing a review saying how much I enjoyed it, but I've just come to read the follow up, Torment, and I have to admit, I struggled to remember some of the details of what had happened in the first book. However, once I got into it, it all came flooding back. This time around, Cam and Daniel have entered into an eighteen day truce, in order to hunt down the Outcasts before they get the chance to kill Luce. In order to keep Luce safe, Daniel hides her at a school where Nephilim learn alongside mortals which cloaks her presence from the Outcasts.

 

Hmmm, I'm a bit ambivalent about this one. It was okay, but I didn't have the same emotional connection with the characters this time around, and I didn't feel it had the same level of passionate, romantic destiny in their relationship. It took me quite a while to get into it the story itself, but once I did, it rattled along quite nicely. Now, I can't remember if the concept of the Announcers was developed in the first book, but this time around, they did feel a bit like the author had to find a way to allow Luce to find out certain information, and it was just a bit too convenient, and when she then uses them as a portal, it felt even more contrived.

 

There are two more books in the series, and although I will read them, I'm not desperate to get to them immediately. So overall, a little bit disappointing, but considering it was a holiday read, I only spent an afternoon on it, and it was entertaining enough to keep me reading to the end.

[chesilbeach]

Up With the Larks is a memoir by Tessa Hainsworth who had a high profile job in marketing for The Body Shop, while her actor husband had more or less given up his career in order to look after the house and their two children. Long hours and business travel meant Tessa was gradually missing more and more of the important milestones in her childrens lives and rarely spending any quality time with her family, but she has an epiphany while watching a film with her husband that this can't be As Good As It Gets? After deliberation, the couple decide to move their family to Cornwall for a change in lifestyle and priorities, in order to spend time with not just their children but also with each other.

 

After a few false starts with both the business they think will provide their income, and some jobs and career opportunities that don't pan out, Tessa gets a job as a postwoman, and the book follows her first year in the job.

 

I enjoyed this book, although I'm not sure Tessa painted herself in the best light at times, but the stories of the customers on her round and the problems facing the Cornish people and the economy were really interesting, and told with warmth and heart. There is a follow up book called Seagulls In The Attic which I will look forward to, but will probably save for a holiday read.

Edited June 10, 2011 by chesilbeach

[chesilbeach]

Last month, I read the first book of the High Heels Mysteries by Gemma Halliday, because for a limited time, it was a free download available for the Kindle. Last weekend, I noticed that Hollywood Scandals by the same author was also available as a free ebook for a limited time, so I thought I'd give it a go. I haven't been reading much traditional chick-lit over the last year, as I've tended more towards urban fantasy and YA instead, but I've read a few over the last few weeks, and I have to say, while Hallidays books are quite light and very much in the chick-lit vein, I do like that she writes around a crime/thriller style genre, but with the comedy and romance flavour running throughout. Good fun and entertaining, I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting, and it will probably prompt me to buy more of her books having read two entertaining stories for free! Great idea from her publishers to raise her profile, and it's likely to result in some sales from this direction.

[chesilbeach]

I've enjoyed Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series so much, that I've been gradually working my way through her other books, which is how I came by Devil's Bargain. It's a crime thriller, about Jazz Callender, a former cop who, after leaving the force when her partner is convicted of murder, is offered the opportunity to open a private detective agency in partnership with Lucia Graza, a former military and federal agent. But the money comes from a firm of lawyers acting on behalf of the mysterious Cross Foundation, and the women gradually come to realise the bargain they've made is not as innocent as it seems. Not really my cup of tea, to be honest, but I suspect as the series only consisted of two books, and her more successful Weather Warden series and my favourite Morganville Vampire series have allowed her to develop her writing, and settle more into the urban fantasy and YA genres.

Edited June 10, 2011 by chesilbeach

[chesilbeach]

And finally ...

 

After reading peacefield's rave review of The Sweetnees at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, I couldn't resist downloading this book for the final of my holiday reads. It's a murder mystery for a new detective ... the fabulous almost-eleven-year-old chemist Flavia de Luce. After discovering a dying man in the garden in the middle of the night, Flavia investigates the various clues including a dead bird left on the doorstep, a missing slice of custard pie, and a rare stamp, and when the police arrest a suspect, it's more important than ever that Flavia can uncover the truth.

 

What a fantastic read! I'm not a fan of traditional or contemporary crime novels, but I do enjoy a whodunit when it's quirky or funny or unusual, and this is all three! Twist and turns aplenty, with false leads and an escalating urgency, make for a fast paced, and refreshing take on the country house murder mystery, with a charming and captivating heroine.

[Charm]

Wow! Just wow! You have had a marvellous reading week, you lucky thing! You've read more books this week than I have in the last month! Well done you

 

I've now read all four of the Chicagoland Vampire series from Chloe Neill. They've got the same sort of tone as the Sookie Stackhouse books, where vampires have recently revealed themselves to the human world, and there's a sense of humour running through the story. The vampires are much more like humans, and the books are mysteries for the heroine to solve as well as finding her way in her new life as a vampire. Good fun, and I read all four in a row so they must be entertaining, and above average for the genre. Oh, and there's a huge surprise with one of the characters that I did not see coming at all at the end of the fourth book, which has set up a great cliffhanger for where the story will go in the next instalment, so there's no way I won't be picking up book five as soon as it comes out in November!

 

These sound right up my street, I will definitely be adding them to my wishlist!

 

 

And a couple more ...

 

Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine is the second book in the Weather Warden series. Joanne is on cloud nine learning all about her new life with David when she is abruptly brought back down to earth when she find out more about their world and what David has sacrificed to save her. Much more fantastical than the first in the series, this book takes us on a different route and broadens the world created, explaining more about the Djinns and their role. Again, like the first book, it was good, but I didn't think it reached the standard of the best authors in this genre and it doesn't match up to her YA series The Morganville Vampires, however, I will still carry on the series, especially with the turn of events at the end of this book leading on to an interesting premise for the next of the series.

 

 

I've picked these up a couple of times in The Works, but put them back. After reading your thoughts, I may just pick them up again the next time I'm in

 

Great reviews Chesil! Now can I please have my mojo back?? I hear Madcow thinks you took ours all with you, judging by this lot, I tend to agree!

 

[chesilbeach]

The holiday is over now so I can return any mojo's I may have unconsciously borrowed last week, including yours, Charm

 

I think you'll like the Chicagoland Vampire series, worth a look at the first one at least - don't forget you can download a sample to your Kindle without having to buy it straight off, just to see if you like it.

[frankie]

The Novel In The Viola

 

I really enjoyed Mr Rosenblum's List when I read it earlier this year, but I have to say, The Novel In The Viola for me, was even better.

 

Wohoo, I enjoyed Mr Rosenblum's List as well and TNitV is on my wishlist, happy to hear you liked it even better, can't wait to get to reading it myself

 

 

Wow! Just wow! You have had a marvellous reading week, you lucky thing! You've read more books this week than I have in the last month! Well done you

 

You've been a busy bee, I take my hat off to you!

[chesilbeach]

I'd already read one of the books for my reading group this month, but I needed to read the other, and thought that being Alan Bennett, it would be a gently charming and affectionate story (as I've only read a couple of his books and both have been like that). A Life Like Other People's, however, was a different kettle of fish. The book is a memoir mostly about his parents and his mothers family, and starts with his mother suffering with severe depression, with more family tales mostly about two of his aunts in the middle section, and finished with his mothers decline into dementia. I was in tears for quite a lot of the beginning, and found it quite a tough read. It almost goes without saying that it's a well written book, it was just a difficult subject for me to deal with.

[Charm]

The holiday is over now so I can return any mojo's I may have unconsciously borrowed last week, including yours, Charm

 

I think you'll like the Chicagoland Vampire series, worth a look at the first one at least - don't forget you can download a sample to your Kindle without having to buy it straight off, just to see if you like it.

 

Good idea! I keep forgetting you can do that

 

.... I think my mojo preferred being with you, it keeps coming home then disappearing again

[chesilbeach]

I first heard about Nature's Numbers by Ian Stewart in the further reading section of a book about farming a year ago (I know, what glamorous reading tastes I have, farming and mathematics ), but have only just got round to reading it. The opening started really well with, for example, mentions of the patters found in nature, such as the number of petals on a flower is a number found on the Fibonacci scale. But, as the chapters went on, there was more to do with the mathematics and cosmological themes than on nature, and I found some of it a bit dry. The last couple of chapters moved back towards botanical links, and a fascinating piece on the mathematics of the shapes formed when a drop of water drips from a tap, and I found that much more interesting. I think it was my expectations that were at fault, as I was expecting it to be more about biological and botanical subjects. Although it's classed as popular science, I think it will appeal much more to people with an interest is mathematics alone, and although I enjoyed aspects of it, it isn't one that will become a favourite of mine.

[chesilbeach]

Just realised I never finished answering the 30 day questionnaire! Here are my final answers:

 

Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something:

I've decided to pick Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, purely because it was the first book with a supernatural/fantasy theme that I'd ever read. I'd always been wary of this type of book as I don't like horror films and every time I've watched one (and sometimes just heard someone talking about one), it's resulted in nightmares, so I'd always steered well clear. But when I kept being attracted to the book covers in the shops, I thought that as it was a YA book, how bad could it be? Well, there's been no going back. I loved it (despite the flaws in the writing). I read it two weeks before the final book in the series was published, and read the first three about four times in a row while waiting for Breaking Dawn. Since then, I've been a bit of a supernatural junkie at times, and particularly after joining the forum where I've since been introduced to a wide range of much better writers and have found a whole new world to escape to.

 

Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending:

This definitely has to be Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. The is a huge surprise about half way through the book, right at the end of a chapter. I remember being so surprised by it that I gasped out loud, and had to come straight on here to make this post:

Still reading Rebecca. Just got to the end of chapter 19 and OH MY GOD, I never saw that coming

I'm one of those people who can generally see where the story is going or predict supposed twists and surprises, but I genuinely never saw this one coming and it made the book even more unputdownable than it had already been!

 

Day 28 – Favourite title:

Can't pick between these two: The Earth Hums In B Flat by Mari Strachan and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Both excellent titles.

 

Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked:

I genuinely can't think of a book that fits this description for every situation, so I'm going to go for a book I read for my library reading group which I loved but everyone else was ambivalent or didn't like it, A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka, but I thought it was funny and a bit sad in places, but great entertainment (and the title almost made it into the answer of the question above ).

 

Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time:

This is not the greatest book ever written, it's doesn't have the best cover ever, and the movie adaptation isn't that great either, but my favourite book of all time is Postcards From The Edge by Carrie Fisher. The reason is ... I'm very shy and don't make friends easily, but when I started work after leaving school, one of the members of my team lent me this book, and we had the same sense of humour and both realised we had the same sense of humour. She has been my best friend for over twenty years now, and we still quote phrases from the book to each other to make each other laugh.

Edited June 19, 2011 by chesilbeach

[Ben]

Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending:

This definitely has to be Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. The is a huge surprise about half way through the book, right at the end of a chapter. I remember being so surprised by it that I gasped out loud, and had to come straight on here to make this post:

 

I'm one of those people who can generally see where the story is going or predict supposed twists and surprises, but I genuinely never saw this one coming and it made the book even more unputdownable than it had already been!

For this and for this alone, I am now bumping Rebecca up my to-be-read pile; to get a reaction like that for a plot-twist means it's a book I'm missing out on at the minute.

[chesilbeach]

A couple of reviews to catch up on.

 

Firstly, Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo starts in 1947 when six-year-old orphan Arthur Hobhouse is separated from his sister Kitty, and sent on a ship to Australia to start a new life. The first half of the book follows his new life in a new country. The second half moves the story forward almost sixty years later when his daughter Allie sets sail on a solo trip from Australia to England to try to find her fathers long lost sister.

 

This is an incredibly moving story, from the bad and good experiences Arthur has as a child and throughout his lifetime, to Allie's emotional, but thrilling, voyage around the world in her search for family. Being a children's book, not unexpectedly, it's an easy read, but a very compelling one, and I would rate it right up there with one of his previous works, Private Peaceful, as both manage to tell an excellent story, that not only entertains but also informs.

 

I've also just finished another children's book, Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne. This was a gift, and I don't think I would have picked it up myself, but it was certainly a good read. Aimed at a younger audience, the story weaves the magic and morality of a fable or fairy story, with the modern day setting of a young boy experiencing problems at home. I don't really want to explain too much about the story (the title pretty much sums up all you need to know), as I didn't know anything about the story before I started, and I loved how it gradually revealed itself. From an adult point of view, I would say it's probably a bit too young for most adults to enjoy on their own, but I think it would make an excellent story to read to children at bedtime.

Edited June 20, 2011 by chesilbeach

[chesilbeach]

Ooops, been a bit remiss with my reviews again! Can only blame weather being too hot and pure apathy.

 

Anyhoo ... I'll kick off with What I Do: More True Tales of Everyday Craziness by Jon Ronson, which is a collection of essays and columns. The first part covers a period when he decided to write about one crazy thing that had happened to him each week over a period of time. Very funny, and made me feel that maybe some of my own paranoia isn't quite as worrying as I'd thought - everyone worries more as they get older! The rest of the book covers some longer articles based on subjects including how a group of teenagers planned a Columbine style massacre but their plot was discovered in time to stop them and a look at the suicide of a man who had massive debts on credit cards, and the man who works with Paul McKenna teaching NLP. At times funny, at times sad, and at times quietly disconcerting, but a very interesting read. Will definitely be looking for more of his work in future.

 

Next up, comes How To Date A Werewolf by Rose Pressey. I'd never heard of this book or author, until she started following me on Twitter. Now, I don't have many followers, and I'm not a big tweeter, just the occasional comment about the books I'm reading, really, so I thought I'd look up who she was. I haven't done too much digging, but I think she's a self published author, and a couple of her books were only 70p in the Kindle store, so I thought I'd give her a go. And actually, as self-published books go, this one was pretty good. Rylie Cruz runs Get A Mate!, a New Orleans dating agency with a difference - it's for werewolves! It can be tricky hiding your lycanthropic side from a potential boyfriend or girlfriend, especially as humans think you're the stuff of legend and myths. But when a disgruntled customer starts to cause trouble for Rylie, she has her work cut out keeping her secret, and her sanity, from gorgeous new neighbour Jack, who just happens to be a psychiatrist. I liked this book, much more than some published books I've read in the urban fantasy genre, and will probably read the next ones in the series as she releases them.

 

Finally, I've just read the first three of Kate Johnson's Sophie Green series in a row. When we first meet Sophie in I, Spy?, she's a Passenger Services Agent for ACE Airlines at Stansted Airport. But after taking down a criminal on the baggage conveyer belts, the gorgeous Luca recruits her as a government agent, and the spy games begin! Lighthearted, but great fun, comedy, romance and a spy thriller all mixed up into one, I've absolutely loved them, and they've been the perfect pick me up this week. The first book is being offered as a free download from the publisher, and if you're a chick-lit fan, I would heartily recommend trying it as it won't cost you a penny. I've gone on to read the second and third installments, Ugley Business and A is for Apple in the space of a couple of days and I've just downloaded the fourth one, Still Waters, to be devoured with glee this evening, no doubt.

Edited July 1, 2011 by chesilbeach

[Roland Butter]

Yep, Jon Ronson's stuff is always entertaining - The Men Who Stare At Goats is definitely worth a read. He's your "go-to" man if you like reading about conspiracy theorists.

[chesilbeach]

As it's now half way through the year, I thought I'd do a bit of a recap on my reading year so far ...

 

As of the end of June I have read:

81 books

 

of which:

30 were by male authors

51 were by female authors

 

and:

72 were fiction

9 were non-fiction

 

and of that:

4 were Chick-lit

6 were Childrens

5 were Crime/Murder Mysteries

13 were Fantasy

17 were General fiction

7 were Humour

8 were Memoir

1 was Science

3 were Short Stories

17 were YA

 

I have read:

2 from my 2008 TBR pile

3 from my 2009 TBR pile

13 from my 2010 TBR pile

54 from my 2011 TBR pile

6 from my library reading group

5 re-reads

 

They were:

20 Books

61 eBooks for Kindle

1 eBook for iPad

 

I have rated (5=best; 1=worst):

7 books at 5 stars

37 books at 4 stars

39 books at 3 starts

6 books at 2 stars

0 books at 1 star

 

On average, so far I have read a book every 2.2 days.

 

My favourite book of the year so far has been:

For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair With Poker by Victoria Coren

 

My least favourite book of the year so far has been:

My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking

 

Plans for the rest of the year:

I would still like to seriously reduce the number of books on my TBR, as I know I prefer to read the latest books I buy, so I'd like to get to the stage where, at most, I only have a handful of books waiting to be read so that I can buy and read books immediately.

[chesilbeach]

I really enjoyed Still Waters, the last of the Sophie Green series by Kate Johnson, another good spy/chicklit romp that was great fun for purely entertaining reading matter.

 

Next up, I read her paranormal novel, The UnTied Kingdom. This has a really interesting premise where a has been pop star from a girl band, is now a bit down on her luck and working as a television presenter, but when she is asked to do a stunt where she paraglides down the Thames, she is transported through a crack in time and space into a parallel London, where England is at war, trying to prevent an invasion by the great French Empire. The country has missed out on many technological developments, and is effectively a third world country. Although it's still has its roots in the romantic comedy style, this was actually an interesting story mostly about war and society. Definitely an alternative take on both the romantic chick lit and the paranormal genres, and I really enjoyed it (so much so that I stayed up about two hours past my bedtime because I had to finish it!). It was really fascinating to think of an England with very few phones (no mobiles), no computers or access to the internet, a war zone with field hospitals, and in modern times, thinking of blowing up bridges to reduce the risk of invasion.