chesilbeach
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Posts posted by chesilbeach
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I’m currently reading Doctor Who: In The Blood by Jenny T. Colgan on my kindle, Less by Andrew Sean Greer in paperback and Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman in hardback. I’m listening to The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar in audiobook.
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Lovely to have the forum back. Thanks @Hayley
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154 so far, and four on the go at the moment, although my reading always slows down from October until after Christmas, so I think I’ll probably end up around the 170 mark by the end of the year, which I think would be my second best year ever.
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This might be sacrilegious to say here, but I genuinely think it’s better to see Shakespeare performed rather than read - that’s what it was written for after all! Kenneth Branagh’s film and theatre adaptations are all excellent, and Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet was outstanding, so I’d recommend watching the films instead.
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That’s fine, but you used to get points for every pound spent, so if I had a coffee in the cafe I would get points for that but now only if I spend over £5, which I never do as I’m usually on my own. I would have preferred to stop the stamp cards and just stick with points.
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On 04/08/2018 at 10:09 AM, willoyd said:
I don't know whether you're still reading this Claire given the gap in your posts - are you posting anywhere by the way? - but I see that Adam Nicholson's The Seabird's Cry won the Wainwright Prize this year. I haven't read a lot of the others, but I have read this, and have to say it's one of the best bird/nature books I've read in a long while; seems a worthy winner.
Hello, I’m still reading, just haven’t been posting much. I’m am on Goodreads although I tend to rate rather than write reviews there, but I also tweet and post about books on Instagram too (where I probably say more than on Goodreads!).
I finished The Seabird’s Cry the evening before the winner was announced. I did enjoy it a lot, but my favourites from the shortlist were The Salt Path and Hidden Nature, but I suspect they were both quite similar types of books to The Outrun from a couple of years ago, and I wonder if they didn’t want to pick a similar book so close to that win. I thought this year was really strong - I’ve still got one of the long listed books left to read - but there hasn’t been a book I haven’t enjoyed this year, so I have no problem with my favourites not winning
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Thank you Michelle for a brilliant forum where I’ve nade some lovely friends. I’m not on Facebook so I’ll miss chatting to most of you about books, but if you know me on other social media and book sites, I’m sure we’ll continue to keep up our bookish nattering. Best wishes to you all, and thanks again Michelle
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June stats:
Books read: 14
Pages read: 3941
Authors: Female 7, Male 7
Fiction: 8
Non-fiction: 6
Format: Hardback 4, Paperback 7, Kindle 3, Audiobook 0
Been an excellent month. Favourites are easy this month - non-fiction is The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, fiction is A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood.
That brings my total books read this year to a nice round 100. Have been online much less recently hence the lack of reviews and posts here, but also the increased reading!
As we're halfway through the year, here are my year to date stats too:
Books read: 100
Pages read: 32493
Authors: Female 69, Male 31
Fiction: 78
Non-fiction: 22
Format: Hardback 18, Paperback 45, Kindle 28, Audiobook 9
Round Robin challenge: 9
Waterstones Children's Book Prize challenge: 12
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On 12/06/2018 at 2:42 PM, willoyd said:
I got in touch with Bloomsbury, who have replied today telling me that they did indeed enter A Shadow Above, and a couple of other books (unnamed) for the Wainwright. I'm really surprised. I haven't read as much of the list as you, but of what I have, and what I've dipped into, ASA would make the list comfortably. But then, I'm a bit surprised that, for a prize about 'nature' writing, there's no naturalist on the panel (unless one of the unnamed reps is one).
Oh, that is interesting. Thanks for letting me know. I'd not spotted that there was no naturalist on the panel, in fact, looking at the panel, it's two television presenters, a book buyer and a business man - not much expert opinion in there. The prize is actually nature and travel, so I can see how the two television presenters can cover those areas, but two business people does seem to be pushing it a bit, despite their personal interests in the subject. They might as well ask you or me! Such as shame that A Shadow Above hasn't even been longlisted.
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On 29/10/2017 at 6:21 PM, chesilbeach said:
I've managed to keep up the swimming, although a little erratic and sometimes only once a week, others upto three times. Went this morning, and decided to increase my distance from 24 lengths (600m) to 32 lengths (800m), which has taken me up from about 35 mins to 45 mins. I've improved not having to stop so often and for so long between lengths, and also have moved up to alternating between front crawl and breast stroke, instead of mostly just breast stroke.
After this post, I had a few things going on that meant I didn't keep up with the swimming, but a couple of weeks ago, I ventured back into the pool, and I've managed seven swims in two weeks and my fitness had not deteriorated much, so after my first return to swimming of only 24 lengths, I'm back up to 32 already. Now I'm getting back into a routine, I'm going to add a couple of lengths to each swim, and aiming for a total of 50 lengths per session eventually. I'm still alternating between front crawl and breast stroke, and don't need to stop for a breather too often either. I'm also thinking of moving from the slow lane to the medium lane as my speed is picking up too.
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For a variety of reasons, I've had more free time this year than for a long time, and I can't deny, I've been escaping into books for a lot of it. I finished book 92 this morning. I know it's a lot more than a lot of people here read, but it's been my saviour for the last year.
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Had a day out at the seaside today - chips for lunch, ice-cream to follow and then spent £2 and half an hour in the amusement arcade on the 2p drop machine, from which I won a key ring and 20 tickets!
Just like being a kid again 
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I've finished six books so far this month (some were already in progress before the start of the month, so not as many as it sounds
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A Shadow Above by Joe Shute - brilliant, absolutely loved it (gutted it hasn't made the Wainwright longlist)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - re-read for book group
The End We Start From by Megan Hunter - unusual style but enjoyable
Heartburn by Nora Ephron - funny, but a bit sad too, although gorgeous new edition from Virago to celebrate their 40th anniversary
The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson - quick, fun middle grade read. I love a good heist story!
Reader, I Married Him by Tracy Chevalier (Editor) - collection of short stories inspired by Jane Eyre. Mixed bag, most very good, a couple excellent, and a couple I either disliked or have forgotten.
I've been buying the books from the 2018 longlist for the Wainwright Prize for the best UK nature and travel writing which was announced this week. Of the thirteen books on the list, I've already read six and owned one more (which I'm reading now), so my forward planning has paid off, and I've bought another five this week already, with one left to get which wasn't in stock otherwise I'd probably have bought that one too! Seven books to read over the next two months is eminently more achievable than the whole list which is what I've tried to do for the last couple of years.
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10 hours ago, willoyd said:
I wonder what the cutoff date is. Having just read Joe Shute's A Shadow Above, I'd have certainly had it on the longlist. The Seabird's Cry was my favourite non-fiction book last year, but haven't read any of the others except The Lost Words, which was very pretty, attracted fabulous reviews, but didn't do an awful lot for me as an actual read (I've just got Lewis-Stempel's The Wood out of the library to read in the very near future).
Like you, I thought A Shadow Above was fantastic, and I was surprised not to see it on the list so I checked the submission rules and it was eligible for the award this year. I honestly can’t see why it wouldn’t make the list unless it wasn’t submitted by the publisher? They don’t have any other books on the longlist and I can’t see any limitations on the number of books they can submit (as in they might have had to chose between a number of books), so I’m at a loss as to why it isn’t there. Although I’ve enjoyed all the books I’ve read so far, I’d pick this one above at least three others so far, if not all.
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The Wainwright Prize longlisted books were announced yesterday. I've updated my challenge post with the list. My attempts at trying to guess the longlist have been pretty good, and I've already read six of the books on the list. This year, they've extended the list to thirteen books, so that means I've got seven to read before the prize winner is announced in August.
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May stats:
Books read: 16
Pages read: 5969
Authors: Female 7, Male 9
Fiction: 13
Non-fiction: 3
Format: Hardback 2, Paperback 6, Kindle 7, Audiobook 1
Round Robin challenge: 2
Had a bit of a dip in the middle of the month due to life throwing me a curve ball, but back on track now, and enjoying my reading afresh.
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I've also read Touch Not The Cat (loved it) and Middlesex (loved it) from the challenges to me list, and Miss Hargreaves (loved it) from the challenges by me list, but haven't written reviews for them yet. I must try and catch up with some reviews soon! I'm currently reading To Serve Them All My Days from the challenges to me list and it's so good, I'm rationing myself to a chapter a day so that I don't rush through it without savouring it.
That brings my totals up to having completed 7/9 of the books I was challenged to read, and 2/9 of the books I challenged others to read.
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These are copied from my blog:
First up, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. The story is told by sixteen-year-old Starr, who lives in a black neighbourhood but goes to school in the suburbs. After gunfire breaks out at the party she's gone to, her old friend Khalil gives her a lift home, but they are stopped by a policeman, who shoots Khalil dead. What follows is how Starr, the only witness to the shooting, has to deal with her two separate lives at home and at school, alongside trying to do the right thing to get justice for Khalil.
Clearly inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, this is a totally compelling YA story, that puts you in the middle of Starr's life and the prejudice she must face, the dilemmas where she must chose between her two different social situations, and what she can do to make a difference. I found it hard to put down the book, and it gives you a very comprehensive insight into a black community, gangs and the impact of drug culture on the poorest areas of the US, and why there has become a need for BLM and other activism in society today. Not a comfortable read, but an important one, and proves how books allow you into a world that you can't experience first hand, and allow you to put yourself in someone else's shoes.
The next was The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and I found it difficult to put into words my feelings. I’d initially bought the book on sale on Kindle but when I started to read it, I kept finding my mind wandering, so I decided I’d try the audiobook instead but unfortunately that wasn’t much better either. I found I couldn’t engage with the characters and kept losing track of where I was in the story and going back a few minutes (or more) and listening again. I think it was because the writing felt like an external experience of what the characters were going through, instead of being there with them. I felt a remoteness from the story that I couldn’t get over, and unfortunately, I only really kept going because it was on my Round Robin challenge list.
I was disappointed in myself for not enjoying the book more, as I often enjoy books set in Indian, and am fascinated with the multitude of different perspectives you can have and the variety of society and stories that huge sub-continent and its history has to offer, but unfortunately, this book was not for me.
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I've just driven through a torrential downpour with lots of standing water even on the motorway. It doesn't seem to have reached home yet, but it sounds like it might just be arriving now. Batten down the hatches!
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Finished The Dun Cow Rib and enjoyed it, but maybe not as much as some of the reviews that have praised it to the hilt, but a solid 4/5. Also read a couple of children's books - The Wild Robot (good) and Tin (better than I'd expected - I bought it on a whim, then decided I probably wasn't going to enjoy it for no apparent reason, but ended up liking it).
Now reading Swell by Jenny Landreth and started A Shadow Above by Joe Shute today, which I'm absolutely loving already!
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Lots of rain storms over the last few days, but it's been a bit cooler too, so around the 17/18ºC mark most of the day. I love it when it rains and it's warm enough not to have to wear a coat and just carry an umbrella.
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The Silent Companions sounds really good. I've picked it up a few times, but I thought it might be too close to horror for me, but maybe I'd be okay if you didn't find it scary. I'll have a ponder about it
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Raining but warm-ish, so no coat but an umbrella needed. I think it's forecast for thunderstorms all weekend, so could be a noisy weekend!
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Comedy Central recently started showing Gilmore Girls again from the beginning, so I've been trying to watch them all again - missed a few at the beginning and a few more in the middle of series 1 when my hard disk recorder failed to record while we were away for a week, but if I can find the DVDs (our house is still in the chaos of redecorating) I might try and catch up with the ones I've missed at some point. Absolutely loving be back in Stars Hollow
How many books have you read this year?
in General Book Discussions
Posted
I know, but it’s my main hobby so I read a lot during the week - lunch breaks, evenings and weekends, I listen to audiobooks on my commute and I never go anywhere without at least one book, so any waiting time is always occupied with some reading. Plus, my sewing machine has been out of action this year, so I haven’t had that to split my hometime either.