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 March was a crazy month for me – pretty much my whole life changed in the space of it! I had an interview, got a job, found a flat in the space of a week (actually my husband mostly did this but it stressed me out too!), started the job, moved, and have been adjusting ever since. It’s been overwhelming at times, but the end of moving may be in sight now and we’re settling in nicely. I can already tell that working is making me happier and I’m actually less stressed. So far I’m pretty good at my job, I have more of a purpose, and I am relieved knowing that I can finally cover my half of the bills, and now I don’t have to spend my savings to pay my student loan debt.
 I still managed to read 19 books, too, which I think is pretty good, and they’re not even all concentrated at the beginning of the month. Considering I spent almost the entire month trying to motivate myself to read Lorna Doone, I think that’s pretty good! This was Classics Month for me and Tasha and I admit I dropped the ball a little. I still read classics, but I didn’t really say much on my blog about them like I had planned to simply because I haven’t spent any time at all on my blog in the past three weeks. All those reviews you’ve been seeing were written before my job even started. And it turns out I’m not very good at theme months. I love classics, but after I’d read three I was ready to read modern fiction. I’m actually still working on Villette. I did read/post about five classics this month, though:
Tasha also wrote a guest post for me on Gawain and the Green Knight and I featured a guest post from Nicole at Linus’s Blanket on her top three classics.
I also read a lot of other stuff.
Historical Romance
- Reese’s Bride, Kat Martin
- The Duke of Shadows, Meredith Duran
- Bound by Your Touch, Meredith Duran
Mystery/Women’s Fiction
Historical Fiction
Contemporary Romance
Literary Fiction
- The Uninvited, Geling Yan
- The Boat to Redemption, Su Tong
- Hector and the Search for Happiness, Francois Lelord (actually a modern fable – best fits here I think)
Science Fiction/Fantasy
- The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
- The Bookman, Lavie Tidhar
As you can see I still have a bunch of reviews to write. I’m hoping to catch up today, but we’ll see how that goes.
My plans for April mostly include catching up on review copies. I seem to have had a semi-storm of them lately and I want to get them read and reviewed ASAP. I don’t mind too much, I just have limited time with the job and constantly being in the car on the weekends moving stuff. I’m also joining Carl’s Once Upon a Time IV challenge, so I hope to start reading some fantasy soon! I’ll have a pool up in a few days. I’m also signed up for the Read-a-thon next weekend and just can’t wait! I’ll be putting together a pool for that as well, but might not post about it until the day. I have a few books I’m hoping arrive this week that will pretty much be the planned reading. And I REALLY want to read Written on Your Skin by Meredith Duran this month. I absolutely loved her first two and I’ve just heard that I’m getting the fourth for review. You could have heard my squee across the street!
Lastly, I have mostly given up reducing my TBR pile. It’s going to grow and I think maybe I should be happy to be surrounded by books instead of feeling guilty about them!
Oh, and of course, happy Easter to all those who celebrate!
I read more books than there are days in February. Things have not been great recently, so of course I’ve sunk into my version of comfort, which means reading pretty much all the time. Plus, hubby works from home now, so I can’t really watch TV or play games because it’s too distracting for him, and thus all I do is read and apply for jobs. It’s exciting, let me tell you (not really).
On the brighter side, we have a new kitchen floor, and our flat is almost ready to go up for sale. Just some cleaning and exiling a lot of our miscellaneous stuff to my MIL’s loft before we go to see the real estate agents. We’ve been doing a little research into locations around hubby’s job and have found some reasonably cheap renting options, so we’re probably not going to be desperately poor again, and since he got paid yesterday, I can breathe a little (and finally spend the last of my birthday money on my book club books). Still can’t afford BEA, but at least I know we can pay the bills and eat without cutting into our tiny amount of savings. That should mean I’ll get some motivation back and be a more active blogger, rather than just a reviewer, but I’ll see where life takes me.
So, February’s reading:
Literary Fiction
Historical Fiction
- The Stolen Crown, Susan Higginbotham
- Shadow of the King, Helen Hollick
- The Highest Stakes, Emery Lee
- Pearl of China, Anchee Min
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
- The Ivory and the Horn, Charles de Lint (short stories)
- Frostbite, Richelle Mead (YA)
- Shadow Kiss, Richelle Mead (YA)
- Blood Promise, Richelle Mead (YA)
- Slave to Sensation, Nalini Singh
- Soulless, Gail Carriger (actually this book is about a million genres)
- Angels’ Blood, Nalini Singh
- Magic Burns, Ilona Andrews
- Magic Strikes, Ilona Andrews
- Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris
Historical Romance
Women’s Fiction
- The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen
Fantasy
Non-fiction
- The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, David Grann
- The Long March, Sun Shuyun
- Cherries in Winter, Suzan Colon
- The Computer, Mark Freuenfelder
- Mr. Langshaw’s Square Piano, Madeline Goold
Classics
There are definitely a few continuing trends this month. All the historical fiction I read was for review; I haven’t been at all inclined to read it for myself even though I enjoyed all the books that I read. In contrast, my biggest genre this month was urban fantasy (and I counted the paranormal romances in there for simplicity), and I had none of those for review. Clearly, publishers should start sending me more urban fantasy! I read a lot more non-fiction, which I’m pleased with, but I’ve been holding back on my classics, saving them for classics month. I’m almost finished with The Warden by Anthony Trollope, so I’ll have three more left to read in March to hit my target of four. I still have space for guest posts if any classics lovers are planning on joining Tasha and me!
For once, a favorite book popped right out at me, and that would be The Other Hand by Chris Cleave. This book is known as Little Bee in the US and I read it yesterday – my online book club is discussing it next weekend. It was just amazing, deep and meaningful and heartbreaking even as it was beautiful. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about various aspects, but it’s my favorite book all year already, and I’m really looking forward to our discussion.
How was your reading month?
Apparently deciding to read less means I read more. I read 28 books this month. I know, I was surprised too, but I’m not complaining as I still got everything done that I needed to do this month. I read a lot of shorter and lighter books to balance out my heavier reading, so I think that’s what happened. Please ignore my efforts to fit in the books that fit more than one category!
Historical Fiction
- The Dark Rose, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
- The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, Lauren Willig
- The Island of the Swans, Ciji Ware
Fantasy
Women’s Fiction
- Saffron Dreams, Shaila Abdullah
- Roses, Leila Meacham
- Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (with lots of romance)
Literary Fiction
YA
- Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
Paranormal Romance
- Legend of the White Wolf, Terry Spear
Historical Romance
Classics
Non-fiction
I also reviewed The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England. That contest is still open if you want to head over and enter!
I have trouble choosing a favorite this month, but I think it will have to be The Children’s Book. It was just such a thorough, absorbing read. Honorable mentions, of course, go to Persepolis, The House of the Mosque, and A Suitable Boy. I also loved The Decisive Moment and I think everyone should read it; that review is coming up later this week!
As far as I’m concerned, I’m doing a fair job diversifying my reading. I didn’t stick too much in any one genre, barring what I call “literary” fiction. I don’t like that label, but not sure what to replace it with. I didn’t do very well adding in more classics, but in March I’m going to fix that. Tasha from Heidenkind’s Hideaway and I are going to have a classics-themed month and I aim to read at least four classics.
This month, though, I’m making a goal to read more authors of color. I’ve taken a look at my TBR pile and the authors are there, it’s just a matter of prioritizing those. I haven’t actually decided on which big book I want to tackle this month. I think it’s East of Eden to join in on the group read, but it mostly depends on how many review books I can read before I head home on the 11th!
How was your reading month?
My reading has slowed way, way down this month. I’ve only read 11 books, roughly half of what I’ve read each previous month this year. I’ve had fairly frequent distraction in the form of a husband who has had about half the month off work due to the holiday we were saving to visit my parents. We didn’t get to, and as a result we’ve been hanging around here, and believe me, it’s hard to read with someone who often wants attention and distraction. I have no idea how anyone who has full-time jobs and kids manages to get anything read. I applaud all of you. I know that when I eventually land one of the five million jobs I’ve applied for, my reading will go way way down, as I won’t have the alone time I’m used to.
We also happened to acquire an Xbox 360 a couple of weeks ago, and have shifted full on into gaming mode. Obviously I’m still reading, but at a much reduced rate as my in-laws have taken the opportunity to buy us lots of new games.
I doubt I’m going to read another book in the next hour, and so I bring you reading statistics for 2009. I read a total of 283 books. In genres (these don’t add up, as I’ve included some overlap):
- Historical Fiction: 76
- Literary Fiction: 34
- YA: 29
- Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror: 88
- Non-fiction: 23
- Romance: 36
- Graphic Novel: 4
- Women’s Fiction: 8
- Classics: 6
- Thriller/Mystery: 11
I read 15 5-star (according to LibraryThing) books this year. Choosing a favorite out of those fifteen is hard! Unlike the past two years, I haven’t had a book jump out at me as an instant favorite for the year. Those that will remain favorites include Possession by A.S. Byatt, Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart, Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Emma by Jane Austen.
I definitely have some things I want to change for 2010 about my reading. I want to read more classics for a start. I loved five of the six I read this year and I have so many sitting around waiting for me. I’m pleased with the non-fiction I read, but I want to read more of both history and memoirs and perhaps other topics as well as they interest me. I also want to approach blogging differently. I want to include more non-review posts, but while I have so many reviews left to write, it’s hard to make this a priority. I do want to continue reviewing every book I read, so until I start to read less consistently, I will have to brainstorm. I also want to visit more new blogs and leave more comments on the blogs I do read. I’m still very shy on others’ blogs when I know I have no need to be.
As it is nearly upon us, I’d like to wish you all a very happy New Year! Here is to a successful, happy, and healthy 2010 for all of us.
I’ve had very little on my plate in November, aside from NaNoWriMo. So I managed to read quite a few books, which has been nice. I suspect December will be equally as empty; I still don’t have any job leads despite a huge number of applications. Here’s the breakdown of what I read by genre:
Fantasy/Science Fiction
- Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier
- Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
- Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
- Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
- A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
- Touch the Dark by Karen Chance
- All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
- From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Literary Fiction
- Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (also historical fiction)
- Angels of Destruction by Keith Donohue
Non-fiction
YA/MG
Historical Fiction
Humor
Women’s Fiction
- Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
That makes 24 books this month, not bad at all! I’m actually up to 272 for the entire year. Part of me is curious as to whether I can read almost a book a day in December and hit 300, but most of me is not really planning to do that. My hubby will end up taking off work for something like two weeks this month between the days off we were saving to visit my parents for Christmas (which now sadly we cannot do) and regular Christmas holiday. Overall I think I’d rather spend time with him while I can than try and read fiendishly! In terms of quality, this month was decent. I read a lot of good reads, but had a few that I struggled through, like Wolf Hall and A Scanner Darkly.
How was your reading in November?
October has been quite a month. I was at first very busy, preparing for the wedding and my parents’ visit. I didn’t read anything for nine days, probably the longest I’ve gone without finishing a book in the past two years. After the wedding, however, I settled in to the boredom of unemployed life, and aside from job applications, have had little to do besides read while my new husband is at work. There was also the amazing read-a-thon, which helped up my counts tremendously. So! What did I read in October?
Fantasy/Sci-fi
- Legend by David Gemmell
- Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
- The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
- Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
- Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
- The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Non-fiction
Historical Fiction
Historical Romance
YA
- The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
- The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
- The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
- The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Literary Fiction/Classics
- Emma by Jane Austen
- The Blue Notebook by James Levine
- Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
That’s 21 books and I’m very pleased with that count! My reading has also changed a lot. I think I’m burned out on historical fiction. Is that horrible for someone who generally classifies herself as a historical fiction blog to say? I’m just very tired of it. I enjoyed all three of the books I read this month, but I don’t feel compelled to read the rest of what I have. Instead I’m absolutely craving speculative fiction. You can see it reflected here. I think this trend will continue into November. I do really want to read more actual history, classics, and literary fiction as well as the fantasy this month.
We’ll see how I succeed given I’m also planning on starting Nanowrimo for the first time tomorrow. I’m flat out terrified. I haven’t written a word of fiction in years but it’s what I used to do for fun every single day. I still don’t have a job, though, and while I will continue to apply heavily, even if I got an interview and offer this week it would still take some time to start working. So there is no time like the present to give it another try!
And before I forget – Happy Halloween everyone!
Some of the books mentioned in this post were sent free to me for review. Links lead only to my reviews, two of which are on another website.
September was another great reading month over here. I completed 28 books, 20 of which reduced my TBR pile. I’m at 368 TBRs and before the end of October, I’d like to be at 350. We’ll see how that works! I’ve now completed 228 books for the year, which includes one from October already, and with which I am very pleased. I have never read this many books in a year in my life. It’s amazing how book blogging has inspired me to make time for reading no matter what else I’m doing, and I hope that this continues as I put more effort into finding a job as this month progresses and hopefully when I have one not too long from now.
What I read:
- Santa Olivia, Jacqueline Carey
- The Complete Maus, Art Spiegelman
- Graceling, Kristin Cashore
- To Tempt the Wolf, Terry Spear
- Twilight of a Queen, Susan Carroll
- Secrets of a Summer Night, Lisa Kleypas
- Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
- One Deadly Sin, Annie Solomon
- Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris
- The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, Angie Fox
- Fragile Eternity, Melissa Marr
- It Happened One Autumn, Lisa Kleypas
- Devil in Winter, Lisa Kleypas
- Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison
- Amsterdam, Ian McEwan
- Across the Nightingale Floor, Lian Hearn
- God is an Englishman, R.F. Delderfield
- The Lace Makers of Glenmara, Heather Barbieri
- The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- A Separate Country, Robert Hicks
- The Maze Runner, James Dashner
- The Tudor Rose, Margaret Campbell Barnes
- The Fire, Katherine Neville
- The Strain, Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
- On the Prowl, Patricia Briggs and others
- Cranford, Elizabeth Gaskell
- Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead
- Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs
The latter half of this month was heavy on review copies as I’m attempting to catch up before my parents arrive with all the rest of them in less than two weeks. I did rebel towards the very end and rewarded myself with some urban fantasy. It is becoming one of my favorite genres, and to think that at one point I wasn’t sure I’d like it!
I have also, somewhat miraculously, completed the R.I.P. challenge! When signing up, I listed The Strain, Vampire Academy, The Maze Runner, The Angel’s Game, and Fragile Eternity as possible reads. I’m impressed with myself as I almost never complete challenges, let alone early, but I’m wondering now if I can read the rest of my list in October. I haven’t linked my reviews at the site yet (I have only written one of them anyway) but I will soon.
For the month ahead, exciting and somewhat stressful happenings are afoot. Two weeks from today, I am getting married, and sometime shortly afterwards we are going to endure the stressful process of trying to extend my leave in the UK on the basis of that marriage. Money is tighter than I’d like it to be for this, but we’re still in the right margin of income, so please cross your fingers for us. On the blog, I have a lot of great reviews already lined up and a few giveaways and guest posts. I’m also planning on participating in Dewey’s 24 hour Read-a-Thon on October 24th and 25th, which is guaranteed excitement. I loved my first one in the spring and this time I will have a husband to feed me and keep me awake (as he plans on gaming for 24 hours at the same time), so I anticipate even more fun. Stay tuned!
Do you have any exciting plans for the month ahead?
I cannot believe it’s September! This is a terrifying month for me. My dissertation is due and I’m actually moving, not just talking about and dreading it. Most of the wedding planning is now under control at least, barring my immigration (of course), so I may actually be able to spend more time blogging again in a few weeks, at least until the time comes for my job hunt. I also had a bit of a computer hiatus due to wrist pain recently, but that mostly manifested itself through me avoiding twitter, which is far too addictive for its own good.
As might be expected, I read considerably less in August than throughout the rest of the summer, but still a good amount, 19 books. I read:
Historical Fiction
Romance
- A Duke of Her Own, Eloisa James
- The Treasures of Venice, Loucinda McGary
- What Happens in London, Julia Quinn
General/Literary Fiction
- Dragon House, John Shors
- The Wilderness, Samantha Harvey
- Burnt Shadows, Kamila Shamsie
History
- Blood and Roses, Helen Castor
Fantasy
- Club Dead, Charlaine Harris
- Bone Crossed, Patricia Briggs
Young Adult
- Prophecy of the Sisters, Michelle Zink
Looking at this list, the most worrying thing is how many of these books I haven’t reviewed yet. I have eight reviews to write and while I’ve had more, I’ve never let so long go without at least reviewing the earlier ones. I’m actually running out of reviews. I just hope I can catch up after my draft is in tomorrow even though I have tons of other bloggy stuff to do.
So, I’ll leave you with a lovely relaxing picture of the rainforest biome at The Eden Project in Cornwall and escape back to the million things occupying my time.
 How was your reading month?
I don’t know how we got to the end of July already! I’m not complaining too much though. The next month and a half may be crunch time for my dissertation, but then it will be over and I will get married and enter the glorious world of (un)employment. I can’t get (or even apply for) a full-time job over here until we get married and I get a new visa, fingers crossed, so I’m going to have at least a month of scoping out what’s around and doing not much else. Maybe temping, because I can do part-time, but I’ve heard that the employment offices are overrun with applicants, so I’m not going to have any expectations.
In retrospect, I have had one great reading month. In the beginning of the month, I read a lot from my own collection and the library. In the second half of the month, I went home and got my ARCs, which resulted in a burst of unexpectedly fabulous reads. I think I’ve read a good variety of books, too. Because many others have been writing where they got their recent books (starting with Marie), I thought I’d do that too. Here’s how it breaks down (I hope no one minds that I just mixed the YA in with the adult reads):
Literary Fiction
- Possession, A.S. Byatt – I bought this in a used bookstore, don’t remember why.
- In the Wake of the Boatman, Jonathan Scott Fuqua – Received for review from Bancroft Press.
- Nothing but Ghosts, Beth Kephart – Bought new for online book club and for My Friend Amy‘s book drive.
- The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway – Borrowed from library on a variety of recommendations.
Women’s Fiction
- Last Light Over Carolina, Mary Alice Monroe – Received for review for a blog tour.
- Every Last Cuckoo, Kate Maloy – Received for review and for an online book club.
- Secrets to Happiness, Sarah Dunn – Received for review.
Historical Fiction
Fantasy/Sci-fi
- The Last Colony, John Scalzi – Bought new to continue a series.
- Zoe’s Tale, John Scalzi – see above.
- Doomsday Book, Connie Willis – Bought used because it sounded good.
- The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie – Borrowed from the library because of buzz on twitter.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling – I have two copies of this, both bought new, one paperback and one hardcover. I basically killed the paperback by reading too much and now I read the hardcover.
- Naamah’s Kiss, Jacqueline Carey – Received for review from Hachette after the wonderful Miriam Parker discovered I was interested.
- Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs – Bought new to continue a series.
Historical Romance
- To Catch an Heiress, Julia Quinn – Borrowed from the library in a mission to read Julia Quinn’s backlist.
- To Beguile a Beast, Elizabeth Hoyt – Received for review from Hachette.
- The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Jennifer Ashley – Received for review from Dorchester.
- This Duchess of Mine, Eloisa James – Bought new to continue a series.
- A Hint of Wicked, Jennifer Haymore – Passed on from the wonderful Keira at Love Romance Passion.
- Highland Rebel, Judith James – Received for review from Sourcebooks.
Nonfiction/Memoir
So, that’s
- 15 books for review
- 6 books from the library
- 5 books bought new
- 4 books bought used
- 1 book from another blogger
I said I was going to slow down my reading this month and I completely lied. What I really wanted was more fantasy and sci-fi, which I was able to fulfill without slowing down my reading pace. I read 31 books, the most ever. Slightly less than half of those books were sent to me for review. I don’t think that’s typical; I normally read more of my own books. I read more this month simply because they gathered at home and I owe a lot of reviews, so I’m doing my best to dispense my obligations. My blog would undoubtedly exist just fine without review copies; I’d have posted the 19 reviews of my own and library books which are sitting in the queue! I probably would have written the 7 I have left as well. Have I mentioned that I read too much yet?
Today, I’m looking forward to continuing The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall. It hasn’t totally clicked for me yet, but I hope it will soon since I have one of its sequels for review. And I’m really looking forward to my online book club tonight, when we’ll be discussing Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart, a seriously wonderful read.
Well, it’s the end of June! Did I manage the Summer Reading Blitz hosted by Shauna and complete 30 books in 30 days?
Yes, I did! I’m not going to link any of these to my reviews because I’m exhausted and because I’m a little lazy. Most of them haven’t been posted anyway, I have 20 reviews in the queue and 8 to write. That’s what happens when you read too fast. Dates are finishing dates only, some took me longer than others and I didn’t hesitate to read shorter books while reading longer ones.
119. Songs My Mother Never Taught Me – Selcuk Altun – 1 Jun – 212 pages
120. Joker One – Donovan Campbell – 1 Jun – 307 pages
121. Her Secret Fantasy – Gaelen Foley – 2 Jun – 401 pages
122. The Last Witch of Langenburg – Thomas Robisheaux – 2 Jun – 338 pages
123. Out from Boneville – Jeff Smith – 3 Jun – 138 pages
124. Uglies – Scott Westerfeld – 4 Jun – 425 pages
125. When the Duke Returns – Eloisa James – 4 Jun – 375 pages
126. The wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and six more – Roald Dahl – 5 Jun – 239 pages
127. The Lieutenant’s Lover – Harry Bingham – 8 Jun – 442 pages
128. The Heart of the Night – Judith Lennox – 10 Jun – 500 pages
129. The Great Cow Race – Jeff Smith – 10 Jun – 132 pages
130. Married By Mistake – Abby Gaines – 12 Jun – 268 pages
131. Into the Beautiful North – Luis Alberto Urrea – 12 Jun – 334 pages
132. My Lord John – Georgette Heyer – 13 Jun – 430 pages
133. Everything and the Moon – Julia Quinn – 13 June – 372 pages
134. Shadows and Strongholds – Elizabeth Chadwick – 14 Jun – 564 pages
135. A Pearl in the Storm – Toni Murden McClure – 15 Jun – 292 pages
136. Slammerkin – Emma Donoghue – 16 Jun – 422 pages
137. The Road Home – Rose Tremain – 16 Jun – 365 pages
138. On Beauty – Zadie Smith – 18 Jun – 422 pages
139. Land of Marvels – Barry Unsworth – 22 Jun – 287 pages
140. Blood Bound – Patricia Briggs – 23 Jun – 326 pages
141. Ink Exchange – Melissa Marr – 24 Jun – 312 pages
142. Crossed – Nicole Galland – 25 Jun – 642 pages
143. Simply Magic – Mary Balogh – 26 Jun – 326 pages
144. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins – 26 Jun – 454 pages
145. The Incendiary’s Trail – James McCreet – 27 Jun – 356 pages
146. Guilty Pleasures – Laurell K. Hamilton – 28 Jun – 266 pages
147. A Little Bit Wicked – Victoria Alexander – 29 Jun – 359 pages
148. Shadows Return – Lynn Flewelling – 29 Jun – 522 pages
A couple of things please me about this list. First and foremost is that I only read 6 romance novels. That’s the most out of any month this year, but I was expecting to read a lot more because they are quick; I can read an average sized one in about 2 hours. I do have 2 graphic novels on my list as well. I did, however, manage to read 11 books with 400+ pages. I think that’s pretty impressive! I am happy to be able to do something else with my free time though, and I’m very much looking forward to the chunksters I’ve started or am about to start now.
We are also officially at the halfway point of the year. I doubt anyone remembers but I set my goal at 200 books this year. Can I imagine not hitting 200 books at this point when I’ve already read 148? Well, no. It was a challenge at the time though. I’m not sure whether to up my goal or not. Time will tell.
Finally, why am I exhausted today? I went on a field trip with other students at the Centre for Medieval Studies! It was a wonderful day but has left me worn out. Here’s a 13th century manor house, Markenfield Hall, to liven up this post:
 It even has a moat, which you can’t see well in this picture, between the fence and the bushes. I would like to live there but, well, I guess we can’t all marry earls. 
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