Balancing My Books #7: July 2021

I’m still down on my normal reading pace, but I am actually quite happy with what I’ve read this month. I bought a few more books than I have been, but not excessively so. I’m good so far.

OWNED TBR AT THE START OF 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 330
E-books: 183

Owned TBR on 1 July 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 313
E-books: 178

I clearly need to work on my digital backlist!

Books read: 8
Hardbacks/Paperbacks TBR: 3
Hardbacks/Paperbacks 2021: 2
E-books TBR: 2
E-books 2021: 0
Audio: 1 (owned in physical format, but not on TBR)

1. Mr Loverman (Bernardine Evaristo) paperback (6*)
2. A Sweet, Wild Note (Richard Smyth) hardback (6*)
3. Perfect Tunes (Emily Gould) e-book (3*)
4. Sugar Street (Naguib Mahfouz) paperback (6*)
5. The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) audio (7*) re-read
6. The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller) e-book (7*)
7. The Devil and Miss Prym (Paulo Coelho) paperback (4*)
8. Corelli’s Mandolin (Louis de Bernieres) hardback (6*)

BOOKS ACQUIRED:
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 6 (3 read)
E-books: 0

It was the first time I went to a charity shop in ages and I picked up four books there, including a book I had already read and loved, which was Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. Of the ones I had not read yet, I chose to read Paulo Coelho’s The Devil and Miss Prym.

I also bought two new books, as my friend got me book tokens for doing her a favour, which was very sweet. I bought a physical copy of The Song of Achilles, because I loved that one so much and I bought The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton, which I have been eyeing for ages. So yes, six books bought, but only three of those add to my TBR.

***

Physical TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 330
Start July: 313
Added: 4 (6 – two I had already read)
Read: 5
Balance: 312

E-book TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 183
Start July: 178
Acquired: 0
Read: 2
Balance: 176

I am unhauling The Devil and Miss Prym.

***

JULY REVIEW

I did not read that many books, but the quality was pretty good! I re-read a favourite on audio, which was The Picture of Dorian Gray. That meant going off TBR, but was so worth my time. Loved it just as much as I always did. I also found a new favourite in The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I finished Naguib Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy (which I highly recommend) and also read my first book by Bernardine Evaristo, who I am sure to read more from!

There were a couple of books that were just ok, but overall I am happy. I am carrying three ‘currently reading’ books over into August, but that’s ok.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

I had two 7* reads in July. The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favourite book of all time (In case anyone asks), but I think I will go for The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller for my Book of the Month. I simply adored it. Hence I ended up buying myself a physical copy to gaze at lovingly on my shelves!

Balancing my books #6: June 2021

At the end of last month I expected my reading mojo to be back in full force in June. Unfortunately that did not happen, but I had a half decent reading month.

OWNED TBR AT THE START OF 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 330
E-books: 183

Owned TBR on 1 June 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 319
E-books: 179

Over the past six months my TBR has not decreased a lot, but it has been going down, so I can’t complain.

Let’s see what happened in June!

Books read: 8
Hardbacks/Paperbacks TBR: 2 (+2 audio)
Hardbacks/Paperbacks 2021: 3
E-books TBR: 1
E-books 2021: 0
Audio: 2 (both of which I own in physical form)

• A Lullaby in the Desert (Mojgan Azar) paperback (6*)
• Gardens of Delight (Erica James) e-book (4*)
• Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë) audio/hardback (5*)
• Small Country (Gaël Faye) paperback (7*)
• Liberté, Egalité, Phoenix! – hardback (6*)
• Heartstone (Elle Katharine White) paperback (4*)
• Flames (Robbie Arnott) paperback (6*)
• The Mystery of the Blue Train (Agatha Christie) audio/paperback (5*)

BOOKS ACQUIRED:
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 1 (read)
E-books: 0

That definitely helped!

***

Physical TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 330
Start May: 319
Acquired: 1
Read: 7
Balance: 313

E-book TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 183
Start May: 179
Acquired: 0
Read: 1
Balance: 178

I am sending Heartstone on to a friend.

***

JUNE REVIEW

Only 8 books and none very big, but there you go. The books I did read I liked. There was none I disliked, so that’s good! There was one that is a new favourite and two that were very close to getting that elusive 7 stars, that would have been 6 1/2 stars if I gave out halves! So despite reading way less than I had expected, I am happy.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

I had one 7-star read, which was Small Country by Gaël Faye. It’s a small book that packs a punch. I mainly know the author as French rap artist. The fact I liked his music was the reason I read the book. As far as I know it is semi-autobiographical. It’s an eye-opening read that looks at terrible events unfolding in Rwanda and Burundi through the eyes of a child, first from a distance and then as it starts to impact his life.

I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it!

Balancing My Books #5: May 2021

It looks like I read a lot more than I actually did this past month. I read mainly short books, as my attention span was rather scattered. I have to say this tactic worked really well for me and I got to tick more books off my TBR than I expected. Now I am coming to the end of month I am feeling comfortable enough to tackle longer books again.

OWNED TBR AT THE START OF 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 330
E-books: 183

Owned TBR on 1 May 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 322
E-books: 180

My TBR is certainly not getting smaller very quickly, but it has been slowly decreasing, so I am happy. My book buying has become far more restrained, so that’s good. My main goal was for it to decrease. If I can get it to decrease a little most months I will be pleased. Below 300 is a good goal, I think.

So, what happened in this odd May (both reading and weather wise):

Books read: 10
Hardbacks/Paperbacks TBR: 4 (+2 audio)
Hardbacks/Paperbacks 2021: 2
E-books TBR: 1
E-books 2021: 1
Audio: 2 (both of which I own in physical form)

• DarkIsle (D A Nelson) paperback (4*)
• Down Among The Sticks and Bones (Seanan McGuire) hardback (6*)
• By The Pricking of my Thumbs (Agatha Christie) audio/paperback (5*)
• Then She Ran (Charlie Gallagher) e-book (4*)
• In The Presence of Absence (Mahmoud Darwish) paperback (7*)
• M Train (Patti Smith) audio/paperback (6*)
• Lady Sings The Blues (Billie Holiday) paperback (6*)
• Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage (Haruki Murakami) paperback (5*)
• Peace Flows From The Sky (Susan Polis Schultz) paperback (4*)
• The Roommate Risk (Talia Hibbert) e-book (4*)

BOOKS ACQUIRED:
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 4 (1 read, 1 currently reading)
E-books: 1 (read)

I bought the next (and final) book in the Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. I got that one used. I bought Lady Sings The Blues for my book club and I already read it and sent it on to a friend. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (AKA Japanese Breakfast) is a future book club pick that I decided to pick up now. Finally, I got A Lullaby in the Desert by Mojgan Afaz. This was a review request, but I decided to buy the book for myself. I have just started reading it and I think I am going to love it. It feels like a very important read.

The single e-book I got was The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert. I felt like a saucy-ish romance and this one was on for 99p. It’s the last book I finished in May.

Physical TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 330
Start May: 222
Acquired: 4
Read: 8 (-1 as for some reason DarkIsle was not on my TBR)
Balance: 319

E-book TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 183
Start May: 180
Acquired: 1
Read: 2
Balance: 179

I have transferred DarkIsle to my daughter’s shelves as it’s middle grade and I have sent Lady Sings The Blues on to a friend who wanted to read it. I unhauled Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage.

MAY REVIEW

Considering pagewise I was well below my normal reading clip with ten books read I am more than pleased. Both genre and quality wise it was a very mixed back, but there was nothing I actually did not like at all. More than half of the books were just ok for me, but I can live with that. With three 6* reads and even a 7* read, I can’t not be happy!

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Easy! Amidst all the turmoil going on with Israel/Palestine I coincidentally read In The Presence of Absence by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. I read his poetry before and loved it, but this ode to himself and his life, written when he knew he was dying, was beyond beautiful.

I absolutely adored it and I will see if I can find more of his work.

Balancing My Books #4: April 2021

This was an odd reading month for me. There were a couple of weeks that I hardly read. I’ve been learning to play guitar and that has taken up quite a bit of my precious reading time. However, I enjoyed all the books I did read, even if there were not so many. Definitely a month of quality over quantity. I think that’s fine by me!

OWNED TBR AT THE START OF 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 330
E-books: 183

Owned TBR on 1 April 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 324
E-books: 182

So let’s see what happened this April:

Books read: 7
Hardbacks/Paperbacks TBR: 4
Hardbacks/Paperbacks 2021: 1
E-books TBR: 1
E-books 2021: 1
Audio: 2 (both of which I own in physical form)

• Where The Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens) e-book – 6*
• The Flowers of Evil (Charles Baudelaire) paperback – 7*
• Palace of Desire (Naguib Mahfouz) paperback – 6*
• Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) audio/paperback – 7* (re-read)
• In The Days of Rain (Rebecca Stott) audio/hardback – 6*
• Fire From Heaven (Mary Renault) paperback – 5*
• Clap When You Land (Elizabeth Acevedo) e-book – 6*

BOOKS ACQUIRED:
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 3
E-books: 0

I have a list of books I’d like to buy, but I am restraining myself for now. Since starting this project I have definitely been more conscious about buying books. It helps that the charity shops are not freely open yet. I did buy the follow-up to The City of Brass, as I want to continue that series. I also bought Music & Silence by Rose Tremain, which I have been wanting to read for a while. And finally I bought another book by Mahmoud Darwish, as I enjoyed his poetry so much. This one, In The Presence of Absence seems to be a poetic autobiography of sorts. I have read the first chapter and it already almost made me cry!

I hope I can read all of these in May

Physical TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 330
Start April: 224
Acquired: 3
Read: 5
Balance: 322

E-book TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 183
Start April: 182
Acquired: 0
Read: 2
Balance: 180

APRIL REVIEW

Looking back at these reading month, I read more older books that usual. Two classics in the shape of Pride and Prejudice and The Flowers of Evil. The latter is poetry. Two of the books (The Flowers of Evil and Palace of Desire) were translated works. A lot of historical fiction as well. There was nothing I did not enjoy and I even found a new favourite. Seven books is not that much for me, but I would still say this was a really good reading month.

Although Pride and Prejudice was a re-read, I had counted it on my physical TBR as it had been a good few years since I read it.

I must note that I did start listening to Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, but I hated it so much that I gave up after a few chapters.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

My book of the month was the only poetry book I read, which was The Flowers of Evil by French 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire. I absolutely loved it. Some of the poetry in there was exquisite. Pride and Prejudice may have taken it, but that was a re-read and I already knew it was a favourite.

Balancing my Books #3: March 2021

I feel good about my efforts this month. Although I am still reading two books I was unable to finish in March that I meant to, I still did well and managed to cross quite a few books off my physical TBR. My digital one? Not so much. Let’s see what happened this month:

OWNED TBR AT THE START OF 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 330
E-books: 183

Owned TBR on 1 March 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 332
E-books: 183

So I had gained two books on my physical TBR and was even Stevens on my eTBR.

Let’s have a look what happened in March.

Books acquired:
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 1
E-books: 1

The only actual book acquired is a hardback copy of Your Song Changed My Life by NPR’s All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts maestro Bob Boilen. I read it as an e-book and loved it so much I bought myself a physical copy. I bought it secondhand.

The only e-book I acquired was Dominicana by Angie Cruz, which I read right away. Unfortunately I did not end up loving it as much as I expected. That one was 99p Kindle purchase.

So, a good start balance wise!

Books read: 12
Hardbacks/Paperbacks TBR: 6
Hardbacks/Paperbacks 2021: 3
E-books TBR: 0
E-books 2021: 2 (one which I now own a physical copy of)
Audio: 4 (two of which I own in physical form)

Now this ends up in a complicated sum as I listened to two books that were on my physical TBR and I retro-bought one book that I read as an e-book.

1. Your Song Changed My Life (Bob Boilen) ebook/physical – 6*
2. Johannesburg ( Fiona Melrose) paperback – 6*
3. On Connection (Kae Tempest) hardback – 5*
4. State of Sorrow (Melinda Salisbury) hardback – 5*
5. Why Did You Leave The Horse Alone? (Mahmoud Darwish) paperback – 6*
6. Listening to the Animals (Noel Fitzpatrick) hardback/audio – 5*
7. Dominicana (Angie Cruz) e-book – 4*
8. The Secret History (Donna Tartt) hardback – 6*
9. Thinking on my Feet (Kate Humble) hardback/audio – 6*
10. Ayoade on Top (Richard Ayoade) audio – 6*
11. Wilder Girls (Rory Power) paperback – 4*
12. Notes on a Nervous Planet (Matt Haig) audio – 6*

Physical TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 330
Start March: 332
Acquired: 1 (read)
Read: 9
Balance: 324

I am very pleased with that. I am looking to buy a couple of books in April, but no big plans.

E-book TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 183
Start March: 183
Acquired: 1 (read)
Read: 2
Balance: 182

I am concentrating on my physical TBR, so I am not too mad that this one was only reduced by 1. I hardly ever look at Kindle books right now, so I doubt I will be purchasing many in the near future!

MARCH REVIEW

It definitely was a month of two halves. I read a lot in the first half and not so much in the second half. I read quite a few shorter books and one poetry book (Why Did You Leave The Horse Alone?), which I ended up loving quite a bit. Half of the books I read were non-fiction, which I think is quite interesting.

I only ticked one book off my 2021 TBR, but it was one I was intimidated by (The Secret History), so I am ok with that. I am halfway through another one right now, so it’s fine. I also read a few books that were on my shelves for a couple of years already, so it’s nice to get those read.

Overall, I was happy with my reading in March. I am definitely enjoying my foray into poetry and I will be looking to continue that delightful journey. I am currently reading Charles Baudelaire’s The Flowers of Evil.

Quality wise I had no real duds, but also no absolute favourites. Two 4* reads, three 5* reads and an impressive seven (!) 6* reads.

Yes, a good reading month!

UNHAULED: Wilder Girls (Rory Power)

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Ooh, so hard this month. So many good books without being outstanding. The writing in The Secret History was incredible, Why Did Your Leave the Horse Alone? was gorgeous, even if I did not always understand it, and all the non-fiction were great as well. I think I will go with Your Song Changed My Life by Bob Boilen. I just really enjoyed that one and inspired me to listen to some new music.

Balancing my Books #2: February 2021

January started out reasonably successful when it came to this concept. February… Well, it’s a mixed success rate this month. This is partly due to some purchases that I have been meaning to make and partly because I read a few longer books this month, which meant fewer read books. I am still happy with how it is going so far. This concept is definitely making me more aware of buying books, and the books I do buy I am reading quicker. I hope I can sustain that.

So, we started 2021 like this:

TBR AT THE START OF 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 330
E-books: 183

And we started February like this:

Number of books on my owned TBR on 1 February 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 327
E-books: 184

So my physical books were reduced, whilst my digital TBR went up by one. Now, let’s look at what happened in February.

Books acquired in February
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 10
E-books: 2

10 new physical books! Yes, that is excessive and not what I meant to happen this month. However, in my defense, I already planned to get some more of Rumi’s work, and I am especially keen to try The Masnavi, so I ordered the first two books of this multi-volumed poem. I also got the second book in the Cairo Trilogy, the first of which I read last month and really enjoyed. I hope to read this one in March. Then I also ordered three collected poetry collections by W H Auden, T S Eliot and Emily Dickinson. These are not meant to be read in one go, but more to dip in and out of as and when, or to read over a longer period of time. These are well regarded poets and since I want to read more poetry it made complete sense to me to check these out. I like these particular editions. They’re plain and simple.

I did read two of the first two books I acquired this month, which were A Bright Ray of Darkness and The City of Brass. All the others arrived in the last couple of days of the month, so I haven’t had a chance to read any of those yet. I ended up buying three fiction books (two of which I have read), one non-fiction and six poetry books.

I did purchase two e-books. One I am reading at the moment I bought specifically for a book club and the other one I had been eyeing for a while and was finally in the 99p sale. I expect both of those to be read in March.

Books read in February: 9
Hardbacks/Paperbacks TBR: 3
Hardbacks/Paperbacks 2021: 2
E-books TBR: 1
E-books 2021: 2
Audio: 2 (one of which I own in paperback)

• Paris by Starlight (Robert Dinsdale) e-book – 5*
• The Viscount Who Loved Me (Julia Quinn) e-book – 4*
• A Bright Ray of Darkness (Ethan Hawke) hardback – 5*
• There Goes Gravity (Lisa Robinson) audio – 5*
• Ninth House (Leigh Bardugo) e-book – 4*
• Girl With A Pearl Earring (Tracy Chevalier) paperback – 5*
• Chronicles (Bob Dylan) paperback/audio – 4*
• Hamnet (Maggie O’Farrell) hardback – 7*
• The City of Brass (S A Chakraborty) paperback – 6*

Physical TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 330
Start Feb: 327
Acquired: 10 (read 2)
Read: 5
Balance: 332(+5)

This went up by 5, and my TBR is now two more than at the start of the year (oops!), but I am confident I can correct this soon. Maybe even by the end of March. Fingers crossed!

E-book TBR Balance Sheet
Start 2021: 183
Start Feb: 184
Acquired: 2
Read: 3
Balance: 183 (-1)

We’re back where we started. I read both e-books leftover from January and with one of the two e-books I bought this February already on the go, I am happy enough with this one.

***

TBR Balance for 1 March 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 332
E-books: 183

So, two months into 2021 and my physical TBR has increased by two, and my E-TBR has reduced by one. Not that impressive or useful, is it? Fun though 🙂 I have high hopes I can do something about both in March.

FEBRUARY REVIEW

It was not exactly that the quality of the books this month was lacking, but for the most part they simply did not inspire me. Luckily the last two reads of the month made everything right. I did end up reading the final two e-book purchases from January, so I am pleased. I was also able to tick off two books from my 2021 TBR (Hamnet and Chronicles), so I am nicely on schedule for that.

Although I ended up adding to my physical TBR quite a bit with my TBR now being 2 higher than at the beginning of the year, I am pretty sure my buying behaviour will be much calmer in March, so fingers crossed I will be able to rectify that. I fully expect to reduce my TBR in March. I have no particular book buying plans, beyond perhaps the next book in the Daevabad series, which I would like to read pretty promptly. .

My digital TBR is back where we started, but with both February purchases likely to be read in March, I am confident I will get that down further. I am not planning on buying any e-books.

No unhauls this month, though a couple may end up going in the long run.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Without a shadow of a doubt my favourite book I read in February is Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. Although I normally do not like books written in present tense, the writing in this novel was so exquisite that I simply fell in love with it. The story was kind of quiet and intense. I will be very surprised if this book does not end up being in my top 10 at the end of the year.

Balancing my Books #1: January 2021

This is my new way of looking back at a month of reading, buying and perhaps even unhauling books. The main reason for starting this project this year is to get a better overview of my TBR (both physical and digital) and to buy fewer books. I feel by making it more visual for myself, it will help me reduce buying books and encourage me to read the books I already own.

The books I do buy I aim to read much quicker than I have been doing thus far.

The ultimate goal is to reduce my TBR as much as possible by the end of the year.

Number of books on my owned TBR on 1 January 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 330
E-books: 183

NOTE: Yes, my TBR piles are excessive 🤣 – hence I want to change that! In my defence (if needed!), the e-books were mainly 99p offers accumulated over a few years. I don’t buy anywhere near as many as I used to! As for the physical books. They are twenty years worth of book buying! A lot of them are used books as well. I want to make a conscious effort to read some older books as well if I can.

I haven’t included audio books as I pretty much buy and listen to them straight away and do not tend to hoard them.

Books acquired in January
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 6
E-books: 4 (all 99p)

Books read in January: 14
Hardbacks/Paperbacks TBR: 6
Hardbacks/Paperbacks 2021: 3
E-books TBR: 1 (+1 sent by author for review)
E-books 2021: 2
Audio: 2

• Charlotte (Helen Moffett) e-book – 4*
• The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) hardback – 6*
• Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl (Carry Brownstein) audio – 6*
• The Duke and I (Julia Quinn) e-book new – 4*
• The Stationery Shop (Marjan Kamali) paperback – 7*
• Greenmantle (Charles de Lint) paperback – 2*
• The Love Poems of Rumi (translator: Nadar Khalil) hardback – unrated
• Things The Grandchildren Should Know (Mark Oliver Everett) paperback 5*
• Piranesi (Susanna Clarke) e-book new/hardback bought – 7*
• Greenlights (Matthew McConaughey) audio – 6*
• How To Write One Song (Jeff Tweedy) hardback new – 6*
• Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt (John Cooper Clarke) paperback – 6*
• Palace Walk (Naguib Mahfouz) paperback – 6*
• Blood and Bone (Paula Dombrowiak) e-book provided by author – 5*

Physical TBR Balance Sheet
Start: 330
Acquired: 6 (read 3)
Read: 9
Balance: 327 (-3)

E-book TBR Balance Sheet
Start: 183
Acquired: 4 (read 2)
Read: 3
Balance: 184 (+1)

TBR Balance for February 2021
Hardbacks/Paperbacks: 327
E-books: 184

JANUARY REVIEW

2021 started with a bang with two new favourite (7*) books. One of them was an e-book, but I bought the physical copy for my shelves to make me happy.

I read 14 books in January, which is a lot for me. There were a number of poetry and shorter books, so it is not as impressive as it sounds, but I am very happy. I loved most of the books, so it was quality as well as quantity! I really enjoyed the books set in the Middle East and I am also enjoying poetry at the moment.

Of the books I bought in January, I read half and I am quite pleased with that. I am hoping to read the others in February.

I am disappointed that I ended up adding to my digital TBR rather than reducing it, so I will be working on that one in February.

Unhauled: Only one book will be removed from my shelves and that is the 2* Greenmantle.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

This is a tough choice between The Stationery Shop and Piranesi, both of which I loved with all my heart. They were very different books. One was full of feels, the other full of wonder. I think I will go with Piranesi as my book of the month. It was truly magical.

November 2020 Reading Wrap-Up

November was not the best of reading months, but it was not that bad either. I read a couple more books than in October, though one off those was a novella and another a poetry book. Overall the standard of reads was pretty decent! I read two new favourites(7-star books)!

Seven of these books I owned physical copies of, though I listened to one of them on audio. The other two were e-books.

1. Truly, Madly, Greekly (Mandy Baggot) ★★★★☆☆☆
2. The Forty Rules of Love (Elif Shafak) ★★★★★★★
3. Call Me By Your Name (Andre Aciman) ★★★★★☆☆
4. The Broken Wings (Kahlil Gibran) ★★★★★★★
5. The Power (Naomi Alderman) ★★★☆☆☆☆
6. Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass (Lana Del Rey) ★★★★★★☆
7. In Lucia’s Eyes (Arthur Lapin) ★★★★★☆☆
8. I Wanna Be Yours (John Cooper Clarke) ★★★★★★☆ (audio)
9. The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter (Theodora Goss) ★★★★★☆☆

BOOK OF THE MONTH
It is a close call between The Forty Rules of Love and the novella The Broken Wings. I have to go for The Broken Wings, as for such a short story it had quite an impact on me. I cried my eyes out! It was so beautiful and tragic. I have The Prophet by the same author on my shelf. I want to read it soon, but if it is as emotional as the The Broken Wings I am not sure I am ready!

DECEMBER READING PLANS
I have three books left on my 2020 TBR, one of which (Lab Girl) I am reading at the moment. I hope to finish those books. I am really in the mood for poetry, so a bit of that may turn up this coming month as well. Apart from that, I am happy to mood read!

October 2020 Reading Wrap-Up

Another slow reading month, but I enjoyed most of my reads. I read 7 books in total, three of which were audio books. All three were non-fiction and narrated by their authors. I bought the physical books for the Lenny Kravitz book and the Patti Smith book. They were both really good and I wanted to check out the pictures!

I tried to pick up lighter reads for actual active reading. My choices were pretty good. The only real dud was China Rich Girlfriend. which was pretty meh.

1. Just Kids (Patti Smith) ★★★★★★★ (audio)
2. The Guest List (Lucy Foley) ★★★★★☆☆
3. Jack of Hearts (L C Rosen) ★★★★★★☆
4. The Templars (Dan Jones) ★★★★★☆☆ (audio)
5. China Rich Girlfriend (Kevin Kwan) ★★★☆☆☆☆
6. Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz) ★★★★★★☆ (audio)
7. Good Omens (Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaima) ★★★★★★☆

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Easy. It was Just Kids by Patti Smith. I loved it so much. She is such a beautiful writer. As a result I bought a physical copy of this book, but also two of her other books. My favourite fiction is a close call between Good Omens and Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts), which I both enjoyed a lot. .

NOVEMBER READING PLANS

I have no fixed reading plans, but I have about four or five books left on my 2020 TBR, so I would like to get to those. Apart from that I will be concentrating on books I purchased this year, either on my Kindle or booky-books.

September 2020 Reading Wrap-Up

This was my worst reading month for quite some time. I simply had other stuff going on that took my time away from reading. I have been listening to a lot of music and I have been writing a fair bit, which has been very enjoyable. I am actually ok with that. My reading will pick up eventually. It always does.

1. Fron Scratch (Katrina Jackson) ★★☆☆☆☆☆
2. I Was Born For This (Alice Oseman) ★★★★☆☆☆
3. For The Love of Hades (Sasha Summers) ★★★★★★☆
4. Mythos (Stephen Fry) ★★★★★★☆ (audio)
5. How Music Works (David Byrne) ★★★★★★☆
6. Deeplight (Frances Hardinge) ★★★★★☆☆

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Despite the fact I read so few books, I still find it hard to choose a favourite. I think considering my mood over the month of September, I wil have to chose For The Love of Hades. It was definitely the biggest surprise, as I really did not expect it to be that good. It was the combination of reading Mythos and listening to a song called ‘Persephone’ by Belgian singer Tamino (who I have been listening to a lot this month), which refers to the myth, that made me want to read a retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone. After reading lots of reviews I went for this one. I was skeptical because of the lame cover, but it was actually really well done! Highly recommended!