Sugar's 2007 Reads

[Sugar]

In 2006, I read 117 books. The challenge for 2007 is to read 120! This is my record of what is read when.

Sugar's Reads
June

47. Outside the White Lines - Chris Simms


May
46. A Swift Pure Cry - Siobhan Dowd *****
45. Beast - Ally Kennan ****
44. My Swordhand is Singing - Marcus Sedgwick ****
43. The Road of the Dead - Kevin Brooks ****
42. Broken Skin - Stuart MacBride ****
41. Trust Nobody - June Hampson ***


April
40. The Summoning - E E Richardson ***
39. Does Glitter Count as Camouflage - Helen Salter ***
38. Barking - Liz Evans ****
37. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J K Rowling (R)(A) ****
36. The Other Side of You - Salley Vickers ***
35. Buried Alive - Jacqueline Wilson **
34. Velocity - Dean Koontz **
33. The Bookseller of Kabul - Arne Seierstad ***


March
32. Life As We Knew It - Susan Pfeffer **** (reviewed for Writeaway (http://www.writeaway.org.uk))
31. The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society - Chris Stewart ****
30. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J K Rowling (R) (A) ****
29. Watermelon - Marian Keyes ***
28. Ella Minnow Pea - Mark Dunn *****
27. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella ****
26. Only Dad - Alan Titchmarsh ***
25. Night Rise - Anthony Horowitz ****
24. Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult ***
23. Skullduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy ****
22. Don't Mess with Mrs In-Between - Liz Evans ****


February
21. Den of Thieves - Julia Golding ***
20. A Little Piece of Ground - Elizabeth Laird ****
19. Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling - D M Cornish ****
18. Jewel Princesses: Sapphire - Jahnna N Malcolm **
17. JFK is Missing! - Liz Evans ****
16. Plum Lovin' - Janet Evanovich ****
15. The Book Thief - M Zusak ****+


January
14. Devices and Desires - P D James ***
13. This Way to Paradise - Cathy Hopkins ****
12. Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom *****
11. Never say Die - Tess Gerritsen ***
10. Who Killed Marilyn Monroe? - Liz Evans ****
09. Johnny and the Dead - Terry Pratchett ****
08. Mark of the Angel - Nancy Huston *****
07. Waves - Sharon Dogar ***
06. Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich ***
05. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J K Rowling (R) (A) ****
04. Who Moved My Cheese? - Dr Spencer Johnson *****
03. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt ****
02. At Swim-Two-Birds - Flann O'Brien ***
01. Little Face - Sophie Hannah ***

Shorter Books read in detail
Can I keep it? - Tony Ross, reviewed for WriteAway (http://www.writeaway.org.uk)
Melrose and Croc Beside the Sea - Emma Chichester Clark, reviewed for WriteAway (http://www.writeaway.org.uk)
Butterfly, Butterfly - Petr Horáček, reviewed for WriteAway (http://www.writeaway.org.uk)
More Pants - Giles Andreae and Nick Sharratt, reviewed for WriteAway (http://www.writeaway.org.uk)
Sleepy Little Yoga - Rebecca Whitford, reviewed for WriteAway (http://www.writeaway.org.uk)
Lullabies for Contented Little Babies - Gina Ford, reviewed for WriteAway (http://www.writeaway.org.uk)
Stomp, Chomp, Big Roars! Here come the Dinosaurs! - Kaye Umansky, reviewed for WriteAway (http://www.writeaway.org.uk)

[Sugar]

Currently sat on my TBR shelf is:

Carried over from post in July 2006:
1) Velocity - Dean Koontz
2) At Swim-Two-Birds - Flann O'Brien
3) The Mark of the Angel - Nancy Huston
4) Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult
5) Human Traces - Sebastien Faulkes
6) Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
7) A Little Piece of Ground - Elizabeth Laird
8) Popular Music - Mikael Niemi
9) The Princess and other stories - Anthon Chekhov
10) Long Way Round - Ewan MacGregor and Charlie Boorman
11) Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Suzanna Clarke
12) Geisha of Gion - Mineko Iwasaki
13) The Rotters Club - Jonathan Coe
14) Camelia - Lesley Pearse
15) Daughter of Fortune - Isabel Allende
16) The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (also read by OH!)
17) Two Women - Martina Cole

Added since July:
19) Devices and Desires - P D James
20) Little Face - Sophie Hannah
21) Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt
22) Waves - Sharon Dogar
23) Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
24) T'is - Frank McCourt
25) Daniel Isn't Talking - Marti Leimbach
26) Jango - William Nicholson
27) Ella Minnow Pea - Mark Dunn

Added since this thread started (and stayed there for at least 3 weeks):
28) The Five People you meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
29) Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich

For March Holiday reading:
Watermelon - Marian Keyes
The Secret life of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society - Chris Stewart
For June Holiday Reading:
Shopaholic Abroad - Sophie Kinsella
Rachel's Holiday - Marian Keyes
The Life and Times of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell
Past Secrets - Cathy Kelly
(also going to take Jonathan Strange and Rotters Club from the above list)

Green text means read since list added.
Red text means returned to owner without reading.

[Angel]

Wow Sugar - that's a lot of reading!!!

[Sugar]

Wow Sugar - that's a lot of reading!!!
Thanks Angel - I was quite surprised by the totals too - but it is worth noting that I read a LOT of children's and young adult fiction for my job. I've worked out about 1 in 3 of the books I read is a CYA one - so I guess only 2-3 of those equals in length an adult novel!

[Sugar]

I'm just over half-way through At Swim-Two-Birds and although I finally know what the title means, I'm not sure about much else. Odd, very odd....

[Sugar]

Finished At Swim-Two-Birds yesterday, and am none the wiser what on earth it was all about!

There were 3 or 4 different settings, and I did quite enjoy the bits about the main narrator in Dublin, the rest were a little too steeped in Irish Legend and Myth so lost something for me.

[Freewheeling Andy]

I loved At Swim Two Birds when I read it. One of the funniest things I'd ever read. It was pretty weird, though, the multiple layers of stories within stories within stories.

[Sugar]

It was pretty weird,
I see your pretty, and I raise you very! I did enjoy it though!

Not been very well this weekend, and spent most of the last few days in bed. Good for reading now as I don't feel up to getting up, but I'm not tired any more!

Going to tackle some more of those books I've had languishing on the TBR heap for ages.

[Purple Poppy]

Get well soon Sugar!:friends0:

[Sugar]

Get well soon Sugar!:friends0:
Thanks PP.:) I'll try not to pass my germs onto you with that hug!

[Liz]

Hope you feel better soon. :)

[Sugar]

Thank you, Liz! I do too!

[Sugar]

Feeling a lot better now, but for the first time in my life, quite bored with reading! 3 days in bed doing not much other than read seems to have tired my eyes! I am now off work for a week, and going away to my Nans for the week. Hopefully that will encourage the reading back.

[Purple Poppy]

Glad to hear you are feeling better Sugar :friends0:

[Sugar]

Shifted the lurgy, went back to work for 2 days and then had a weeks holiday. Went for my annual visit to my Nan's armed with a pile of Bookseller magazines, librarian journals and books. Read through all the mags which was great cos I didn't have to bring them home with me, and could sit in the kitchen and chat without having to worry about losing the plot! Didn't read so many of the books I wanted to though. Since I've been back (2 weeks) things have been getting more stressful at work and my reaction seems to have been to sleep. Trying to read has just encouraged me to doze off!

Getting there now though, and hopefully will be online to fill you in on what I've been reading a little more frequently!

See my first post to see what I have been up to reading wise.

Most exciting book event was attending the launch of Pauline Francis first "proper" children's novel, The Raven Queen at the Globe in London on Thursday. Telling a fictionalised story based on the true life of Lady Jane Gray, I can't wait to read it.

[Sugar]

Finished JFK is Missing by Liz Evans last night, and I think I have found a worthy successor to Janet Evanovich. PI Grace Smith solves her unusual cases more with luck than judgement. Fast paced and humourous. Certainly great for light-relief.

Now got 2 books to read for evaluation at work. They couldn't be more extreme in style and genre. I'm not sure which one I don't want to read first!

Compare:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0439943590.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/038561148X.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

*Spot the Sarcasm* Oh, joy!
At least the Princess one is short......

[everydayxangels]

Holy Cow! You read at an amazingly fast speed. I'm only on my 7th book of the year, and I was feeling proud :blush:

happy reading! :smile2:

[Liz]

:icon_eek: Wow, you've read lots of books already and it's only about the middle of February.

[Sugar]

Holy Cow! You read at an amazingly fast speed. I'm only on my 7th book of the year, and I was feeling proud :blush:

happy reading! :smile2:
7 is a fantastic number of books - especially as you will see that 4 of mine are short children's or Young Adult novels, and a couple of others were only about 100 pages long!
Wow, you've read lots of books already and it's only about the middle of February.

Plus I've had some time off work ill and all I did was read for 3 days! I'm sure I will slow down as the year goes on!

[Sugar]

I've done it again, haven't I?!

Updated my first 2 posts for you though.

Michelle - while I haven't been visiting, I have finally read the book that I won from you when I was a new member (Velocity - Dean Koontz). I enjoyed it, but the ending was a bit disappointing, there was no real scary climax! Thanks though!

[Sugar]

Been struggling to read this month. Too much going on elsewhere to have time and energy for it.

Have updated first 2 posts.

[Sugar]

My May struggle continued until someone at work asked me what I thought was the best book on the Carnegie shortlist. Having realised I had only read 2 of the 6, I decided to put it right and read the rest. Thank goodness for well-written, highly engaging books. I whipped through the 4 in about 10 days, and have my holiday heap ready and waiting for June.

Have updated Post 1 for the titles and whether I have been enjoying them or not.

Will update post 2 with the holiday titles ina second!