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Your Book Activity - February 2016


chesilbeach

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I've had a great few days of books!  Finished two excellent books - The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett and South Riding by Winifred Holt.  Both books are on the English counties challenge which is proving to be a mine of fantastic stories.

 

I've started More William by Richmal Crompton too, but I think this might be my last from this particular series ... hoping to finish it this afternoon.

 

Been out this morning and came back with a trio of treats ... At Hawthorne Time by Melissa Harrison, The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan and The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth by Katherine Woodfine. :smile2:

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I finished Breeding Ground by Sarah Pinborough, which a couple days ago I incorrectly referred to as The Reckoning (another book of hers I have). :roll: It was good, but a bit.... strange, in places. Mixed feelings about it.

 

No idea what's up next, might peruse my Goodreads wishlist and get something new for my tablet :)

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I'm reading The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton, with Alan, which is going very well indeed. Additionally I'm reading Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers and, though I've just started it, enjoying it very much and am continuing to listen to The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett which is excellent. I don't want it to end .. I'm so wrapped up in their lives  :blush2:

In a bid to read more poetry this year (more she says  :giggle: .. I mean some  :D ) I've started to read Bright Star which is a book full of Keats' poetry. It's boggling my head a bit though .. I'm not that at home with poetry. I want to be but unless it's obvious (and almost nursery rhyme  :blush2: ) I'm stumped. 

I have no understanding of Greek mythology either which isn't helping me to comprehend or get anything much out of Keats' Endymion. I was delighted that it started 'A thing of beauty is a joy for ever' as I know that from Mary Poppins :D Alas, that is where enlightenment ended  :blush2: It's around 4,000 lines long so I'll be studying it for some time. I need to read poetry properly .. take notice of the commas etc. Oh Lord! .. what an embarrassing struggle  :blush2: 

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I finished The Hunger Games last night and am starting Catching Fire tonight. I've seen all except the final movie but had been wanting to wait to read the books until I've seen the last movie, but I just couldn't wait any longer. :) 

 

Rue <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

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Having just finished my last audiobook and my new credit was available, I decided to treat myself to some new audiobooks today. I used my credit for Summer Lightning by P. G. Wodehouse (narrated by John Wells) and also North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, both of which are on my English Counties challenge reading list, and also Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor which I read last year and really loved, so thought I could relive it in audio format. :D. Both North and South and Just One Damned Thing After Another were both available for the Whispersync option, which meant because I'd already downloaded the Kindle edition, I got them for just £2.99 each ... an absolute bargain!

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I'm currently reading Stephen King - The Stand. I'm on page 59, out of 1327 pages (my edition). So far it's good.

 

Oh excellent!! My favourite book ever! :boogie:

 

I'm reading The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton, with Alan, which is going very well indeed.

 

I have this one my Kindle TBR pile....must get to it soon, but I keep going to the library for treebooks which I have to read first. :doh:

 

I've started Started Early, Took My Dog. I find it a bit rambly and hard to keep track of, unless it's just me being unable to concentrate. Dunno.....hopefully it will start coming together soon. :wacko:

 

Also, I went to the library yesterday and came away with The Abominable by Dan Simmons.

Edited by bobblybear
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I finished Dead Wake by Erik Larson today. It was brilliant! I really love the way Larson researches his subject in such depth and brings the story to life. The book recounts the sinking of the Lusitania passenger ship during WWI. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat reading it as Larson built up to the moment U-20 fired its torpedo at the ship. Larson has become a definite favourite author. I can't wait to read more by him. :)

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The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth by Katherine Woodfine. :smile2:[/font]

Bother - I'd forgotten that was out or I'd have bought it this morning.  :doh:  Hopefully I can get it on Tuesday!

 

I went to Bath this morning and bought The Herring Seller's Apprentice by L C Tyler.  I haven't heard of it before but it sounds like fun!  

 

I also ordered To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis.   I've had my eye on this for a long time and I asked Willoyd about it as Steve (Karsa Orlong) said he'd read it - and Will said he enjoyed so I decided to go for it!  :D

 

I've got 9% left of The Stars Look Down by A J Cronin which is an English Counties Challenge book (Northumberland) - I'm hoping to finish it today.  :)

 

Edit:  Oh, and I got More William by Richmal Crompton out of the library on audio book to listen to in the car on Tuesday.  :)  Like Claire, I think this will be my last 'William' book for a while.  :)

Edited by Janet
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Bother - I'd forgotten that was out or I'd have bought it this morning.  :doh:  Hopefully I can get it on Tuesday!

You might have to choose something else too ... it was on the buy one get one half price offer! :D

 

I've got 9% left of The Stars Look Down by A J Cronin which is an English Counties Challenge book (Northumberland) - I'm hoping to finish it today.  :)

How are you getting on with this one? I keep looking at it on Amazon, but for some reason I'm a bit daunted by the prospect of it (I suspect it's the 714 pages! :lol:)  I've looked at the audiobook too, but I didn't think I could listen to their narrators voice for 27 hours :o

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You might have to choose something else too ... it was on the buy one get one half price offer! :D

Oh dear - I've reserved it via Click and Collect now.   :doh:  It said it was £5.99 if I used C&C, or £6.99 in store, but if I find a second book I like the look of I might ask them if I can do that instead.  I haven't paid for the book so I can't see that they'll mind.  Thanks for the heads-up.  :)

 

How are you getting on with this one? I keep looking at it on Amazon, but for some reason I'm a bit daunted by the prospect of it (I suspect it's the 714 pages! :lol:)  I've looked at the audiobook too, but I didn't think I could listen to their narrators voice for 27 hours :o

It's a 4/5 from me!   :)  It *is* long, but it's an easy read - tense in places, and the historical side of things regarding the mining industry and WW1 were very interesting to me.  I bought the Kindle version so it was only £1.89.  It was the perfect time for me to read it too - Peter's been in Verdi's Macbeth with Bath Opera - this week was show week so he's been out every night this week, so instead of him having the TV on and me dinking around on my laptop (which usually happens), I spent every evening curled up on the sofa reading so it only took me about four days to read it!  :)

 

It's not the first Cronin book I've read.   When I was a teenager I read Beyond This Place several times - it was one of my favourite books.  I haven't read it for at least 30 years - probably longer - so I can't actually remember the entire story.  I have my Mum's original hardback (which was the one I read all those years ago) and recently found a paperback version for £1 so I intend to read it again.

 

 

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Thanks Janet, that helps! Maybe I'll move it up my wishlist a bit now ;)
 
I finished reading More William this morning, and I've started listening to Summer Lightning by P. G. Wodehouse while I was sewing this morning, and I'm already half way through.
 
I've got a short children's book to read this afternoon (it'll only take about an hour) and then I think I'm going to start At Hawthorn Time by Melissa Harrison next.  Can't wait to read it as her first novel Clay was my favourite book of last year. :)

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I'm nearing the end of Beside Myself by Ann Morgan and I've really loved it. Very unusual book.

 

I started The Herbalist by Niamh Boyce over the weekend, but that's a tree-book so I'll read it at home in the evenings and may start something else on my tablet at work.

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I cannot believe how much I am getting to read just lately.  I know it will slow down eventually.

 

Read the Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern - I really liked this look, was sorry when it ended.  Once I got used to the fact that each chapter was about a different time and place and was about a different person until it came back to the present day.

 

Finished the Pirate Queen and Crepe Murder.  Now moving onto Murder House - James Patterson and Death by Engagement Jaden Skye.  I am also re reading a series by James Patterson Daniel X there are 6 books in the series which I loved and thought I would read them all together to fully understand the stories.

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You've just moved The Stars Look Down further up my list as well Janet!

 

I'm nearly finished with Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming and hope to finish that one tomorrow. I've just come to the end of a non fiction one detailing the 2008 US election (given the current wall to wall 2016 coverage I thought I'd get myself better informed on it all_ so am now starting Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes. Been looking forward to this one for a while!

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I finished listening to Summer Lightning today, so that's another book completed on the English Counties list for me.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but it is a classic Wodehouse farce set among the upper crust world of Blandings Castle. :)

 

I've started reading At Hawthorn Time, and I've also bought Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier on the Kindle Daily Deal today for just 99p, and it's another book on the English Counties list, which I seem to be zipping through at the moment! :D

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I finished listening to Summer Lightning today, so that's another book completed on the English Counties list for me.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but it is a classic Wodehouse farce set among the upper crust world of Blandings Castle. :)

 

I've started reading At Hawthorn Time, and I've also bought Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier on the Kindle Daily Deal today for just 99p, and it's another book on the English Counties list, which I seem to be zipping through at the moment! :D

How is your audiobook going?  About how much time a day do you think you dedicate to a longer audiobook?

 

I'm a bit stalled in The Stand, but it's not the book's fault, I am having trouble concentrating the last few weeks.  I am enjoying it though, slowly.  The Immersion Reading is helping a lot, I just have trouble motivating myself to pick it up, as I don't really feel like doing anything :P

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I didn't realise you were reading The Stand as well, Anna. I hope things pick up for you soon. :friends3:

 

I'm over the halfway mark with Started Early, Took My Dog. It's picking up a bit, but it's written in such a way that I need to read it in large chunks rather than bits here and there.

 

Today I bought The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood which is a Kindle Daily Deal. :boogie: It's had mixed reviews, but the premise sounds interesting so I'm hoping I'll be one of those that love it.

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