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 Good afternoon everyone! This is going to have to be a quick Sunday Salon as I’m exceptionally busy today.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Kathy from Bermudaonion’s Weblog and her husband Carl. We had a great time wandering London for a few hours – I only wish I could have stayed longer! Carl took all of the pictures, so I’ll have to wait until she’s home to show them to you.
Kathy was kind enough to bring me no less than five books from home:
- The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey
- The Maid by Kimberly Cutter
- This Burns My Hearts by Samuel Park
- A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer
- The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
I can hardly wait to dig into them! I’m so backlogged that it may be a while, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy all of them. She also brought me a lovely Harper Perennial tote bag. You know how it works with tote bags – you can never have too many.
Next weekend I am off to London once again to meet Jodie of Book Gazing, Ana of things mean a lot, and Ana of The Book Smugglers. It promises to be another awesome Saturday!
In the meantime, I am trying to read and review, but mostly failing at home (though I got some good reading time in on the train yesterday with The Story of Beautiful Girl). I have a couple of books I have to review this week, but that might be it from me. In the meantime, I hope you are all reading fabulous books and enjoying the start of summer!
We’re already five days into June and somehow I’ve not yet summarised my May reading! As a month overall, May was pretty average. I spent some time planning my trips, playing various video games (Fable III and Assassin’s Creed, for any fellow gamers out there), and discovering Downton Abbey and How I Met Your Mother. I also decided to go on a book buying ban, which has now taken effect.
My reading took a bit of a hit this month thanks to all of the above. I read 13 books, which is probably the least I’ve ever read since I’ve been blogging, and in vivid contrast to April’s 22. Regardless, I’ve already started to make up for the slow month by reading 4 in June so far! Here’s what I read:
Fiction
- Caressed by Ice, Nalini Singh
- Lady of the English, Elizabeth Chadwick
- Silk is for Seduction, Loretta Chase (review to come in late June)
- Amaryllis in Blueberry, Christina Meldrum
- Archangel’s Consort, Nalini Singh
- Madame Tussaud, Michelle Moran
- Anne of the Island, L.M. Montgomery
- The Widow’s Season, Laura Brodie
- The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, Heidi Durrow
- Devil’s Consort, Anne O’Brien
- The Great Hunt, Robert Jordan
I also interviewed Elizabeth Chadwick and participated a bit in Armchair BEA with an intro post and three SEO tips.
Nonfiction
Best of the Month
This month I’d best give my top pick over to Nalini Singh, because this is the month that the Psy-Changeling series hooked me!
I also, however, really loved The Hemingses of Monticello, Madame Tussaud and Lady of the English and would enthusiastically recommend all three.
Good afternoon Saloners! Today finds me thinking about my two trips into Europe later this year. I’m going to Amsterdam and Bruges with my friend at the end of August and then (hopefully) Rome with my husband in October. As these are creeping up on me, I’m already thinking about the books I want to read before I go there. I haven’t made up lists yet, but I already have two I know I want to read – Amsterdam: The Brief Life of a City by Geert Mak and I, Claudius by Robert Graves. I have the second one out from the library and I’m waiting for the first. Do you have any suggestions for great books set in Amsterdam, Bruges, or Rome? History or fiction?
Which brings me to my second decision of this weekend – I am not going to buy any books until after my travels for the year are over. That would be towards the end of October. I need that money more for experiences, and with 450+ books sitting around waiting for me to read them, it’s not like I’m going to suffer from having nothing to read. (Even if I did, I have enough books that I plan to reread to keep me going for years). As ever, though, I have some exceptions, so I don’t chafe too much about this new rule.
- I’m still allowed to buy anything I’ve already preordered, though these run out in July.
- I’m also still allowed to buy the next Wheel of Time books should I get that far in the series reread before the end of October, A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin, and The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss when I reread the first in that series.
- I’m allowed to buy books on my travels as souvenirs.
- I can still take in any book that’s free, either from the library, review copies, or programs like Amazon Vine.
What I’d really like to do is get my TBR pile below 400 this year, but I don’t really think my resistance is going to last that long. I’d rather just think about saving money towards my trips!
As a bit of a recap for those who weren’t around this week, I reflected on my reread of Anne of the Island, reviewed Chasing Aphrodite and a number of great romance novels, and wrapped it up with a few tips about SEO for book bloggers. This week I’ll be hosting an interview with Elizabeth Chadwick for the release of her newest book, Lady of the English, and reviewing hopefully quite a few books to catch up on my backlog. I have tomorrow off, so plenty of time to actually do so.
Wishing all of you a fantastic week!
Sundays seem to come around ever faster these days! They are even more frequent when I’m as busy as I have been these last few weeks, with work, visits, holiday plans, and a variety of different new activities like exercise crowding out my blogging. I found myself without a book review to write on Wednesday – the first time in three years of blogging – and so it’s been a bit quiet this week. I only have two reviews to write this week as well, so as I’ve said, things may not actually pick up for a while.
Despite reading slower, or perhaps because of it, I’m very much enjoying the books I am reading. At times I feel I speed much too quickly through books. I’ve set goals at various times to try and read less, but this is the first time it’s ever actually happened. While I’m not sure I’ve really reflected much more on the books I’m reading because my brain is constantly going on other things, I have actually enjoyed spending a bit more time in the worlds of the books I’ve read. I’m noticeably enjoying Nalini Singh’s work more now that I just can’t race through it, for example, and I absolutely loved spending more time with Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran, another candidate for my normal fast pace. I am a speedy reader normally, but I forget that it’s also nice to savor books, too.
Since this week is BEA, I am going to just let the lack of reviews slide and enjoy my new issue of BBC History Magazine in my free time. Subscribing to it is such fun; not only do I feel like I’m getting a variety of historical viewpoints and keeping up more with the academic world than I was before, there are also features on books and TV shows that fill up even more of my time with history goodness.
I’ll keep this one short as I know many of you are off to New York City this week. If you’re attending BEA, I hope you have an incredible time. I hope to see you there next year!
Spring has been coming on for a while but only lately have I actually started to get my rear in gear and clean my place out. I spent a lot of time yesterday sorting and cleaning and it is very nice to get rid of the winter blues! Today’s sunshine has only helped the situation.
To symbolize the coming of spring, we’ve even started up the window herb garden with two purchases yesterday. I have the total opposite of a green thumb, as pretty much every plant I touch dies, but that hasn’t stopped me trying yet. Someday I will get it right. Anyway, we have lovely green basil and coriander plants just waiting to be used in cooking:
 
I have also been continuing with a little bloggy spring cleaning. I have decided to switch over to affiliate links from The Book Depository. I have placed an Amazon banner on the side for anyone who likes to get their books from Amazon, along with an IndieBound box on the left for anyone who likes indie bookstores, so I hope this will mean an option for everyone. I personally don’t mind where anyone buys books so long as they are buying them! I’ve chosen the UK version of TBD but they will ship almost anywhere in the world for free and should switch over automatically if you’re in the US. If you’d like to support my blogging endeavours and fuel the addiction by letting me pay for my site and possibly even more books, please use them to buy online!
Unfortunately there hasn’t been much reading happening around here. I have only managed two books this week, which is pretty far from my normal 4-5, but I’m not sure I’ll be reading more any time soon as I have quite a lot going on elsewhere. All good stuff, but not really conducive to reading a lot. I am also thinking about taking a blogging break while everyone else is off at BEA to control my jealousy and give myself a little recharge. I won’t decide that though until next Sunday when I see how many books I’ve read this week.
Still making an effort, though – this morning I managed to finish up The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed, a very interesting book with plenty of detail for my little brain to chew over. Now I am getting deep into Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick, due out in the UK in June and the US in September, about the Empress Matilda, Henry I’s daughter and Henry II’s mother, who was meant to be queen after his death and ended up fighting Stephen for the privilege. Very good so far, as I expected!
What are you up to this weekend? Any good books in your hands?
I can hardly believe it’s already May – I’m sure it was Christmas just a week ago! April has been an excellent month with a lot of leisure time. We’ve had an extra bank holiday in the UK for the royal wedding, so I am deep into my second four-day weekend and enjoying it immensely. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I wish royalty got married more often! It was also quite a lovely wedding. I’ve mainly ignored all the build-up and endless speculation, but found myself glued to the TV when it was happening, as it was almost like watching a real life romance. I had never expected them to look so very much in love, for whatever reason, and I find myself genuinely happy for them and hoping that this marriage actually works out.
Anyway, on to the reading! I have been doing a lot of reading with my free time, as always, plus the Read-a-thon was this month, which added up to a total of 22 books read for this month. I don’t think I’ve read so much in a month since I started working!
Fiction
- The Winter Rose, Jennifer Donnelly
- These Things Hidden, Heather Gudenkauf
- A Marriage of Inconvenience, Susanna Fraser
- Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
- Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
- Dreams Underfoot, Charles de Lint
- Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage, Jennifer Ashley
- Royal Weddings, Stephanie Laurens
- Russian Winter, Daphne Kalotay
- The Dark Enquiry, Deanna Raybourn
- Must Love Hellhounds, Charlaine Harris et al
- 13 Rue Therese, Elena Mauli Shapiro
- If I Stay, Gayle Forman
- The Paris Wife, Paula McLain
- The Color Purple, Alice Walker
- Anne of the Island, L.M. Montgomery
- The Four Ms Bradwells, Meg Waite Clayton
Non-fiction
My favorite non-fiction book for the month is easy – Heretics by Jonathan Wright is the obvious front runner! I’m struggling to choose a fiction favorite, as always, but I loved The Color Purple, If I Stay, The Paris Wife, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Russian Winter.
On the agenda for May, I am planning some book lists – I have never done one before, but with two potential European trips for later this year, I really want to ensure I get some good location based reading in. I’ll be posting about those as and when I make them up. I also have a number of books I’d like to get to:
- Madame Tussaud, Michelle Moran
- Lady of the English, Elizabeth Chadwick (an early review)
- A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness
- Blood Work, Holly Tucker
- The Native Star, M.K. Hobson
- Shades of Gray, Jasper Fforde
- At Home, Bill Bryson
I hope I can fit all of those in and not get distracted!
How was your reading month? Do you have any plans for May?
I am an Amazon Associate. I received some of these books for free for review.
I’ve never been one to take notes in books. I have cracked spines and dog-eared pages, but putting a mark in a book? Nope. I find notes in books distracting and am actively irritated when I’ve taken one out from the library and discover that someone else has written in it. Buying used textbooks in college was a necessity but I disliked having someone else’s notes in the margins of my book. I just find it distracting – I can sort of see the appeal in seeing someone else’s thought process at work, and the obvious historical potential for marginalia, but I find that they get in the way of my own thoughts.
Since I don’t write in books themselves, I’ve seldom actually taken notes. Strangely, though, this weekend I had an urge to actually write some things down. I often start composing reviews in my head as I read, but if it takes me too long to actually sit down and write the review, I forget what I meant to say. As I get further behind on reviews, this gets more and more irritating, and I find myself putting off reviews because I don’t remember what I wanted to talk about in a particular book. So, in lieu of writing in my actual books, I have purchased a nice little notebook and for the first time have my very own reading journal. I am planning on noting down whatever comes to mind as I go along and, hopefully, using the results to make my reviews easier to write and more interesting to read.
Do you take notes while reading, whether in your books or in a notebook? Does it make it easier to write reviews?
 As anyone who was visiting undoubtedly noticed, my last post for the event was in hour 9. I think I lasted up until about Hour 11, falling asleep around midnight, and then got up again this morning to continue reading. I read 1311 pages in a total of 11 hours and 9 minutes.
The end of event survey:
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Around midnight, which isn’t a huge surprise. I haven’t been able to stay awake past midnight very often since I started working – my body clock is too good at sending me to sleep!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Of the ones I read this time around, Shades of Milk and Honey and Howl’s Moving Castle were the best choices. They were both great books and kept me very entertained – plus I read them both ridiculously fast, giving me a sense of accomplishment.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Nope, I am happy to sit back and read!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I thought everything was organized pretty well. To be honest I didn’t spend much time on the mini-challenges or on the main blog – I mostly read and visited the blogs of others I knew participating.
5. How many books did you read?
I read 4 complete books and then finished the remaining half of what I was reading previously.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal, Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley, and Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
It’s hard to say, but a clear toss-up between Shades of Milk and Honey and Howl’s Moving Castle.
8. Which did you enjoy least?
Touching the Void. It was fine as a book, but I’m not into mountaineering which made it harder to enjoy.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Not a cheerleader.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Very likely, and I’d probably still be reading.
Part of my problem this time around is that I actually got tired of reading at some point Saturday evening, around dinnertime. I took a break, but I wasn’t that crazy about heading back to the couch and reading again. I’m not sure if this is just a sign that I read plenty in my normal life, so I don’t really need to spend an entire day reading, or that it was just a nice day and I didn’t like that I’d been cooped up inside all day. I would have read outside if there was an area nearby peaceful enough for reading! But never mind – I did read a lot and I actually started reading another book this afternoon, so I wasn’t put off too much!
Speaking of this afternoon, we spent the rest of today in the sunshine. Here are some lovely blue flowers:
March has been an eventful month over here. Hubby’s birthday and exciting computer build, family concerns, and various other issues have dominated the month. I’ve now been in my job for an entire year, and with that have lived in the same flat in the same town for a year as well – the first full year anywhere since high school. We’ve finally made progress towards selling our old flat and I passed my Life in the UK test, so I’m all set to submit paperwork in November when I renew my visa. Just hoping everything is okay in my family and I’ll be set for another month.
Unsurprisingly, with everything else going on, it was a fairly slow reading month for me. I read 14 books, which I know is still quite a few, but isn’t much compared to previous months, even working. I did read two immense books in there, but I balanced them out nicely with shorter YA and romance reads. Overall I think I did pretty well given the circumstances!
Fiction
- The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan
- Captive Bride, Bonnie Dee
- Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
- Queen Hereafter, Susan Fraser King
- River Marked, Patricia Briggs
- Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
- Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, Sarah MacLean
- The Glassblower of Murano, Marina Fiorato
- Monsieur Montespan, Jean Teule
- The Hundred-Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin
Non-fiction
By far the best thing about a slower reading month is the lack of reviews waiting to be written. I only have four to do and I’ve finished two books in April, which is far off my usual lackluster performance.
Favorites of the Month
This month’s fiction favorite is a toss-up between Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. Both were spectacular in different ways, but both surprised me with their excellence and had me thinking about them even after I’d finished reading.
Non-fiction favorite goes to A World on Fire. Yes, it took me two weeks to read, but I felt like I learned so much and was given a totally new perspective on a topic I’d been learning about since elementary school. Very much worth it for anyone who enjoys history.
Looking Ahead
April promises to be an exciting reading month. The Read-a-Thon is next weekend and I’m really looking forward to participating – it looks to be my only free weekend all month and I’m so glad it fell on that one. I think this is my fifth one; it’s hard to believe it’s been so long since the first. I’ve already read two outstanding books and I’m hoping for many more. Possibilities include:
- Dreams Underfoot, Charles de Lint
- Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
- The Native Star, M.K. Hobson
- 13 Rue Therese, Elena Mauli Shapiro
- The Paris Wife, Paula McLain
- The Four Ms. Bradwells, Meg Waite Clayton
- The Color Purple, Alice Walker
If you’ve read any of these books, tell me where to start! I wish you all a fantastic April.
I am an Amazon Associate. Some of the books mentioned in this post were sent to me for review.
I’m combating my own laziness and restlessness this weekend by making a few changes around here. Bloggy maintenance always seems to be last on my list, and while it isn’t essential, I still do spend a lot of time on my blog and commenting on others’ blogs, so I might as well make it a bit more comfortable around here. The biggest change is my “Read in” tabs – I hadn’t updated them since 2009! I didn’t think anyone noticed until I actually got an email from a reader who wondered what happened to them. I made a new one for 2011 and am planning on combining the old ones together. I have to add in 2010 and all the links in to the older blog posts as well.
I’m also planning on reconsidering the sidebars and what’s in them and adding in some new headers. The affiliate links are also going to take some thought. So, hopefully within a few days it will be a little bit different and nicer on the blog! Please ignore if things look a bit strange for the next week or two. I’ve also been thinking about a custom redesign, but it’s not in the financial cards just yet.
Also getting a bit organized, or disorganized as it may appear to the casual visitor, I have been making piles of books and I thought I’d share them with you. I have three hanging out on my TBR bookcase right now. The first one here is my Once Upon a Time V pile. I also plan to poach from this for the Read-a-thon, if I feel like it.
The second pile is the actual Read-a-thon pile. I know it’s two weeks away, but I got excited, and we’ll be away next weekend to visit my MIL for British mother’s day, so what time better than now to put it together? The pile kept getting too heavy on the romance – I seem to read short books faster than long ones – but I think the mix looks good now. I’ll be at the library in a couple of weeks to get a few more non-fiction books in there.
 Lastly, my regular “immediate” TBR pile. I’ve mentioned before that I like to rotate through my books, reading equally from library, review, and own piles. This short term TBR stack switches between them, and I fill in the bottom with the next type of book as I go. I let myself choose other books or take something out of the middle of the pile sometimes, but generally I try to just get through all nine of them to keep to the mix. The current pile should take me about two weeks.
 And that’s it from me today. I’m off to continue reading Monsieur Montespan, a novel set in seventeenth century France about a rare loving marriage, but one in which the Marquis’s wife has caught the eye of King Louis XIV.
Do you have any piles of books lying around your house?
I am an Amazon Associate. Some of the books mentioned / pictured above may have been sent to me for review.
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