chaliepud

Oops sorry, didn't mean to add to your wish list!

Wishing you a healthy 2016 too frankie! I will get back seriously on the Paleo bandwagon very soon, definitely when the kids are back to school as I can get back into my dog walking/training routine, I am such a creature of habit, I like my routines!

Happy reading in 2016 Lara, I'm envious that you still have The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns to look forward to!

We shall have to encourage one another frankie! I'm not presently feeling the urge to buy books but I know that is just New Years making me behave, it mightn't last, plus there are a few books being publsihed this year that I know I will WANT! I may think about typing out my wish list at some point, but only if I can get it down to around 100 books, I may work on that this afternoon if the kids are amusing themselves without me. I thought about sectioning my bookshelves but I too am happy with how they are at present, Hardback alphabetical, paperback alphabetical and non-fiction according to subject. I may have to revise this when the alcove shelves are ready for use though.

I don't think you will be disappointed with Johnny Got His Gun, it is an immensely powerful read though, despite it not being a long book I could only read a little at a time. The Marie Kondo book is fab, it comes at decluttering from a completely different angle, you focus on what makes you happy and that you want to keep, rather than getting rid of this and that, our home is so much more organised and tidy now!

Have a great 2016 BB, you have some great books there to read, on your shortlist The Last Letter from your Lover and The House at Riverton were particular favourites of mine so I hope you enjoy them too. I also have Eats, shoots and leaves on my shelf but for some reason have never gotten around to dipping into to it, another must do for this year!

Well done and congratulations BB!

Yay, happy 2016 Noll! Looking at your TBR pile, you have a treat in store with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, she is one of my favourite authors but I think she surpassed herself with this one! I thing Muggle loved it too. I also have the Harry August book (if I'm honest it was the cover that sucked me in), hopefully we will both get to it this year. You have some great books on your wish list too, The Language of Flowers is high in my top 5 books EVER, if you get it and enjoy it then definitely take a look at her second book, We Never Asked for Wings, it was almost equally amazing! Miss Peregrine, The Girl With All The Gifts and The Dynamite Room were all great books, I was disappointed not to like All The Light We Cannot See but I'm i a definite minority on that one, I just didn't like the very (very!) short chapters, I just couldn't get into it. I also have Our Endless Numbered Days on my shelf, bought for me by my wonderful brother who knows to check out my Amazon wish list before birthdays and Christmas!

You've been pretty consistent in recent years with the number of books you have read, happy reading (and happy everything else of course) in 2016 Michelle!

I will be sure to post before and after photos when they are done, could be a while and we need to have some work done before we can start and I still need to sort quotes etc etc! I have Slated and Fractured by Teri Terry which I believe to be the first two of the trilogy, I must get around to starting them soon! Too many books! What a problem to have! I definitely want to get to Only Ever Yours very soon, the synopsis is chilling! I really need to get around to a Stephen King this year, he is my Dad's favourite author and he keeps asking if I've read another yet. I read Under The Dome last year (2014) but found it a little laborious, but I was on holiday at the time so maybe not ideal.

Wow, what a blog, I'm wondering if I can count this as one of my reads for 2015? Good on you for keeping it simple and just reading what you want to read, I have to do the same or I end up barely reading at all. I get very cross when I am asked why I haven't read certain popular books, or even worse, what books are my guilty pleasure? I read what I want to read and when I want to read it, I don't care what anyone else thinks! I'm glad you do the same. Have a great 2016 Gaia, reading and otherwise!

I have The Italian Girl and The Seven Sisters (first of 7! ) by Lucinda Riley on my TBR shelves, have you read any of her other books?

These are my ten 10/10 books of 2016 The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah The Moonfield - Judith Allnatt Johnny Got His Gun - Dalton Trumbo The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes - Anna McPartlin The Orphan Train - Christina Baker Kline The Life Changing Magic of Tidying - Marie Kondo (NF) Starshine - John Wilcox We Are All Made of Stars - Rowan Coleman We Never Asked for Wings - Vanessa Diffenbaugh The Whole30 - Melissa/Dallas Hartwig (NF)

For me it would have to be Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Sebastian Faulks (not all his books though), Jojo Moyes and Kristin Hannah.

I know the feeling, I do the same! This evening the kids all have friends sleeping over so I have no TV to watch so I am in the dining room with my computer and my book..guess which one I'm on?!

Happy 2016 Frankie, your ultimate challenge is the same as mine, in reality it should be harder for you as you also frequent the libraries, I have no such excuse! May the force be with us both! Your lists are so extensive, I am in awe! I hope you manage to get around to reading a Sebastian Faulks this year, I'll be very interested to hear what you think of them. You'll have to be in the right mood to start them of course, neither of the ones you have are quick, easy reads. I really must get to The Angel's Game this year, it's a long time since I read TSotW so I'm hoping I remember enough of it to not make TAG too hard going. The Prince of Mist was an excellent read, and being one of his young adult books was not too deep and heavy. WOW! Your wish list is HUGE! Saying that, there are hundreds on my Goodreads lists but I daren't write it out, I am planning on culling some of the older ones soon, It'll take me years to read that many and I'm sure I'll have gone off some of them by now. Happy New Year frankie, may your reading be splendiferous!

Books bought in 2016. Hopefully this will be a VERY short post! BLUE posts are new books, RED posts are charity shop bargains, GREEN posts are borrowed/gifted books. FICTION The Sea Detective - Mark Douglas-Home The Woman Who Walked Into the Sea - Mark Douglas-Home The Little Shop of Happy Ever After - Jenny Colgan (Read) Angel Dares - Joss Stirling The Ballroom - Anna Hope (Read) The Little Paris Bookshop - Nina George The Flowers of the Field - Sarah Harrison The Choice - Nicholas Sparks Half Bad - Sally Green (Read) Girl at War - Sara Novic The Dressmaker of Dachau - Mary Chamberlain Salt to the Sea - Ruth Sepetys Ruby's War - Johanna Winard The Choice - Nicholas Sparks The Lie Tree - Frances Hardinge Fellside – M.R Carey Out of the Easy – Ruth Sepetys Bodies of Light – Sarah Moss A Brief Affair – Margaret Leroy The Devil’s Music – Jane Rusbridge The Consequences of Love – Sulaiman Addonia Songs of Love and War – Santa Montefiore The Seed Collectors – Scarlett Thomas Gone to Soldiers – Marge Piercy Everyone Brave is Forgiven – Chris Cleave Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein Come Away With Me – Karma Brown Three Day Road – Joseph Boyden Driftwood Summer – Patti Callahan Eternal on the Water – Joseph Monninger The One That Got Away – Bethany Chase The Testament of Youth – Vera Brittain Covenant of Death – John Harris The Lake House - Kate Morton The Hidden Cottage - Erica James The Affair - Santa Montefiore The House by the Sea - Santa Montefiore Diary of an Ordinary Woman - Margaret Forster The King's General - Daphne Du Maurier South Riding - Winifred Holtby December - Elizabeth H Winthrop Ruby's War - Johanna Winard Three Wishes - Liane Moriarty The Three – Sarah Lotz Austerlitz – W.G Sebold People of the Book – Geraldine Brooks The Household Guide to Dying – Debra Adelaide The Italian Matchmaker - Santa Montefiore The Beekeeper's Daughter - Santa Montefiore The Girl on the Cliff - Lucinda Riley Hothouse Flower - Lucinda Riley A Cornish Affair - Liz Fenwick The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry The Guest Cat - Takashi Hiraide The Virgin Blue - Tracy Chevalier The Tea Planter's Wife - Dinah Jefferies A French Affair - Katie Fforde The Girl in the Blue Coat - Monica Hesse (Goodreads Win!) NON-FICTION Humans of New York - Brandon Stanton (Read) Dead Wake - Erik Larsen Frazzled - A Mindfulness Guide - Ruby Wax Control Unleashed - Leslie McDevitt World War 1: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary – Kim Lockwood

Read in 2016 1. Together for Christmas - Carol Rivers - 7/10 2. Our Endless Numbered Days - Claire Fuller - 10/10 3. Boy, Snow, Bird - Helen Oyeyemi - 8/10 4. Confess - Colleen Hoover - 9/10 5. Blackout - Connie Willis - 10/10 6. All Clear - Connie Willis - 10/10 7. Only Ever Yours - Louise O'Neill 9/10 8. Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan - 8/10 9. Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery - 8/10 10. Disclaimer - Renee Knight - 8/10 11. The Ballroom - Anna Hope - 9/10 12. Half Lost - Sally Green - 6/10 13. Where Love Lies - Julie Cohen - 9/10 14. Humans of New York Stories - Brandon Stanton - 9/10 15. In the Sahow of Blackbirds - Cat Winters - 9/10 16. The Sea Between Us - Emylia Hall - 7/10 17. The Little Shop of Happy Ever After - Jenny Colgan - 7/10 18. The Girl in the Blue Coat - Monica Hesse - 6/10 19. Fellside - M.R. Carey - 10/10 20. Angel Dares - Joss Stirling - 8/10 21. The One That Got Away - Bethany Chase - 8/10 22. The Tea Planter's Wife - Dinah Jefferies - 5/10 23. The Food of Love - Anthony Capella - 6/10 24. Summer Shadows - Joss Stirling - 8/10 25. Ghostwritten - Isabel Wolff - 10/10 26. Driftwood Summer - Patti Callahan Henry - 9/10 27. Eternal on the Water - Joseph Monninger - 10/10 28. Come Away With Me - Karma Brown - 10/10 29. Songs of Love and War - Sante Montefiore - 7/10 30. Ketchup Clouds - Annabel Pitcher - 9/10 31. One - Sarah Crossan - 10/10 32. Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo - 9/10 33. Whippoorwill - Joseph Monninger - 8/10 34. Bodies of Light - Sarah Moss - 10/10 35. The Throwaway Children - Diney Costeloe - 9/10 36. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit - Judith Kerr DNF My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - Claire North

To Be Read - currently 162 Gifted books to be read this year Books I want to get around to reading this year 11.22.63 - Stephen King A Brief Affair - Margaret Leroy A Cornish Affair - Liz Fenwick A French Affair - Katie Fforde After the Fall - Charity Norman Alone in Berlin - Hans Fallada A Long, Long Way - Sebastian Barry A Possible Life - Sebastian Faulks Americcanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche Among Others - Jo Walton Angel Dares = Joss Stirling Austerlitz - WG Sebald Bay of Secrets - Rosanna Ley Before I Met You - Lisa Jewell Between Sisters - Kristin Hannah Bird In Hand - Christina Baker Kline Blackout - Connie Willis Blitz - Molly LeFebure Bodies of Light - Sarah Moss Boy, Snow, Bird - Helen Oyeyemi Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks Cannery Row - John Steinbeck City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare Class - Erich Segal Coastliners - Joanne Harris Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein Come Away With Me - Karma Brown Confess - Colleen Hoover Covenant With Death - John Harris Diary of an Ordinary Woman - Margaret Forster Divine Evil - Nora Roberts Driftwood Summer - Patti Callahan East of Eden - John Steinbeck Eternal on the Water - Joseph Monninger Etta and Otto and Russell and James - Emma Hooper Everyone Brave is Forgiven - Chris Cleave Fellside - MR Carey Frank Skinner - Frank Skinner Gone to Soldiers - Marge Piercy Ghostwritten - Isabel Wolff Half Lost - Sally Green Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche Here's Looking At You - Mhairi McFarlane Her Mother's Shadow - Diane Chamberlain Home - Toni Morrison Hothouse Flower - Lucinda Riley I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh I'll Give You The Sun - Jandy Nelson In Defence of Dogs - John Bradshaw In The Shadow of Blackbirds - Cat Winters Keeper of the Light - Diane Chamberlain Kiss River - Diane Chamberlain Liberty's Fire - Lydia Syson Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan Little Bird of Heaven - Joyce Carol Oates Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez Lucky Us - Amy Bloom Miss Garnet's Angel - Sally Vickers Mist - Mary Fitzgerald More Than This - Patrick Ness Mothers and Daughters - Leah Fleming My Animals and Other Family - Clare Balding My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante My Cousin Rachel - Daphne Du Maurier Not A Drop To Drink - Mindy McGinnis Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck One Step Too Far - Tina Seksis Only Ever Yours - Louise O'Neill Our Endless Numbered Days - Claire Fuller Out of the Easy - Ruth Sepetys Parade's End - Ford Madox Ford People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks Postcards From No Mans Land - Aidan Chambers P.S. I Love You - Cecelia Ahern Second Hand Heart - Catherine Ryan Hyde Secrets of the Lighthouse - Santa Montefiore Shadowplay - Laura Lam Songs of Love and War - Santa Montefiore South Riding - Winifred Holtby Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky Summer At Little Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan Summertime - Vanessa Lafaye Swan Music - Sarah Harrison Testament of Youth - Vera Brittain The Affair Santa Montefiore The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Ballroom - Anna Wake The Beachside Guest House - Vanessa Greene The Bed I Made - Lucie Whitehouse The Beekeeper's Daughter - Santa Montefiore The Bookseller of Kabul - Asne Seierstad The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons The Captain's Daughter - Leah Fleming The Carriage House - Louisa Hall The Choice - Nicholas Sparks The Consequences of Love - Sulaiman Addonia The Cornish House - Liz Fenwick The Courage Tree - Diane Chamberlain The Crying Tree - Naseem Rakha The Devil's Music - Jane Rusbridge The Falls - Joyce Carol Oates The Fatal Englishman - Sebastian Faulks The First Casualty - Ben Elton The Flowers of the Field _ Sarah Harrison The Food of Love - Anthony Capella The Girl in the Blue Coat - Monica Hesse The Girl on the Cliff - Lucinda Riley The Girl Under the Olive Tree - Leah Fleming The Guest Cat - Takashi Hiraide The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood The Happy Home For Broken Hearts - Rowan Coleman The Hare With Amber Eyes - Edmund De Waal The Hidden Cottage - Erica James The Horse Dancer - Jojo Moyes The House by the Sea - Santa Montefiore The Household Guide to Dying - Debra Adelaide The House on the Strand - Daphne Du Maurier The Ice Twins - S.K Tremayne The Invisible Ones - Stef Penney The Italian Girl - Lucinda Riley The Italian Matchmaker - Santa Montefiore The King's General - Daphne Du Maurier The Lake House - Kate Morton The Last Telegram Liz Trenow The Letter - Kathryn Hughes The Lie - C.L Taylor The Light Years - Elizabeth Jane Howard The Little Shop of Happy Ever After - Jenny Colgan The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul - Deborah Rodriguez The Little Paris Bookshop - Nina George The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz - Denis Avey The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton The Museum of Things Left Behind - Seni Glaister The One That Got Away - Bethany Chase The Painted Bridge - Wendy Wallace The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters The Pearl - John Steinbeck The Perfect Present - Karen Swan The Prisoner of Heaven - Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Proof of Love - Catherine Hall The Psychopath Test - Jon Ronson The Rabbit Back Literature Society - Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen The Red Pony - John Steinbeck The Saffron Trail - Rosanna Ley The Scapegoat - Daphne Du Maurier The Sea - John Banville The Sea Detective - Mark Douglas-Home The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry The Secrets of the Notebook - Eve Haas The Seed Collectors - Scarlett Thomas The Seven Sisters - Lucinda Riley The Shadow Wife - Diane Chamberlain The Ship of Brides - Jojo Moyes The Stand - Stephen King The Sunrise - Victoria Hislop The Tea Planter's Wife - Dinah Jefferies The Things We Never Said - Susan Elliot Wright The Three - Sarah Lotz The Throwaway Children - Diney Costeloe The Time Between - Karen White The Truth According To Us - Annie Barrows The Twilight Hour - Nicci Gerrard The Virgin Blue - Tracy Chevalier The Way Back Home - Freya North The Way You Look Tonight - Richard Madeley Three Day Road - Joseph Boyden Three Wishes - Liane Moriarty Two Brothers - Ben Elton Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand What Alice Forgot - Liane Moriarty When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit - Judith Kerr Where Love Lies - Julie Cohen Where My Heart Used To Beat - Sebastian Faulks Whiskey Beach - Nora Roberts With Your Crooked Heart - Helen Dunmore

I can't believe a year has past since I last did this! As is normal I am keeping my blog nice and simple (like me! ) with my TBR list and books read. Also as always, my plan is to buy fewer books and to get my TBR pile down, there are around 137 on there now which is higher than it has ever been and it would take me close to three years to read them without adding to the list! I will keep up the Book Box although I rarely use it as my mood generally dictates what I choose to read. The box looks nice on my shelf though!! I am however going to make a concerted effort to read books that have been gifted to me as it seems almost rude to leave them sitting there for so long. I will highlight these on my TBR list I think so I don't forget which ones they are. In more exciting book news we are planning to do some redecorating this year and one of the rooms we do will be the living room, we have two alcoves in arches at one end of the room and we have decided that we will shelve these, so more room for books, and other lovely things too of course. Away from reading I will be continuing with the dog agility with Jojo, along with looking into other ways of improving my fitness, Crossfit appeals and is a choice often made by others that follow the Paleo lifestyle so I will see if I can incorporate that into my life in some way. I have also purchased a second hand iJoy fitness machine, a kind of horseriding simulator of sorts, so I'm hoping that will help me tone up a little too! Food wise I am going to try and get back into my usual healthy eating pattern, there have been too many temptations over the Christmas period and my body isn't feeling as good as it does when I am strict about what I eat. It will be easier once the kids are back to school and we have a routine. I have just bought an Instant Pot which is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, soup maker, it even makes yogurt! Not that I'll be doing that as I'm not a fan. Happy New Year everyone!! May it bring you health, happiness and lots of reading time!!

Beautiful day here in Surrey! Lovely dog walk and got a few outside jobs done, Steve even had to cut the grass last week as it is still growing, plus there are flies and bees around, the weather is very confused at present! I do feel for those in Northern England that are having to deal with terrible rains and flooding, more on the way apparently tomorrow.

Your favourite read of the year? I've had so many good reads this year so it only feels right to mention my absolute favourites. Top of the shot is We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, it is only her second novel but she is definitely an author I am very grateful to have found as both of them (the other being The Language of Flowers) are just so real and they never fail to impress me with her detail of the human psyche. Other notable mentions are.. The Moonfield - Judith Allnatt Johnny Got His Gun - Dalton Trumbo The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes - Anna McPartlin The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah Starshine - John Wilcox Your favourite author of the year? Vanessa Diffenbaugh, without a doubt. Your most read author of the year? I read 4 by Kristin Hannah and 3 by Jojo Moyes. Your favourite book cover of the year? Probably The Moonfield by Judith Allnatt, it sums up the book perfectly. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18659174-the-moon-field?from_search=true&search_version=service The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? A Song for Issy Bradley by Carys Bray. The book that most disappointed you? The Lie by Helen Dunmore, a book set in my favourite era, WWII, I was so looking forward to it but it just didn't deliver. The funniest book of the year? Like Anna, I'm not really into funny, but The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin had some wonderfully light moments despite the desperately sad subject matter. Your favourite literary character this year? It would have to be either the main (and only) character in Johnny Got His Gun, despte his desperate situation (I can't divulge the situation as the book has to be read to be believed and understood) he still tries to find something to live for, or Letty and Alex, the mother and son in We Never Asked for Wings, both very different characters with difference goals but who have to fight to achieve something in their lives. Your favourite children's book this year? None of my own but Robbie and I have enjoyed some of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Your favourite classic of the year? Without trying to define what exactly a classic is, I would have to say Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier or Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. Your favourite non-fiction book this year? I've read more non-fiction this year than normally, mainly food and lifestyle books to help me with my paleo/primal lifestyle choices, but my favourite would have to be The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo. She is a slightly (ok very!) quirky Japanese lady who, for me, has revolutionised my home life. My home is now organised so much better and I am able to live with so much less around me, I very rarely cannot put my hands on something as soon as I require it, my drawers are tidy and my clothes are crease free. I feel more at peace after organising my house as per her methods. Your favourite biography this year? None Your favourite collection of short stories this year? I'm not a fan of the short story, the only thing close to it was one of the Quickreads books that I read this year, Paris for One by Jojo Moyes. Your favourite poetry collection this year? None Your favourite illustrated book of the year? It was my only illustrated book but I did thoroughly enjoy Library of Souls, the final book in the Miss Peregrine trilogy by Ransom Riggs. Your favourite publisher of the year? I don't actually pay attention as a rule to publishers but I thought I would have a peak at who published some of my favourite books that I read this year. It seems that there are too many to mention! The only one that came up more than once is Ballantine books which is in turn part of Random House, they have published a couple of the Kristin Hannah books and also We Never Asked for Wings. Your favourite audiobook of the year? None Your favourite re-read of the year? I don't tend to re-read as I have too many books on my TBR shelves (and cupboards!) that I need to get to!

Lovely!

Welcome back Laura. Congratulations on your little boy, does he like a good book too?